Manga Hanga

09/04/2026

29/03/2026

Some details from the Wenchang Temple in Taipei, Taiwan.
Around the outside of the main building was an extensive freeze featuring Kirin.

02/01/2026

This small white statue tucked at the back of Pháp viện Minh Đăng Quang represents Bodhidharma (Bồ-đề-đạt-ma / Đạt Ma Tổ Sư), the monk credited with bringing Zen (Thiền) Buddhism to East Asia. He is remembered for his unwavering dedication to meditation and direct insight.

Across cultures, this same figure appears in different forms. In Japan, he is known as Daruma, symbolizing perseverance and inner strength. While the imagery changes, the teaching remains the same.

Depicted here much more realistically than the round red ball of cloth with one eye that we are used to seeing!

02/01/2026

The Vietnamese National Buddhist Temple is a place of calm strength and quiet beauty. Rising above the surrounding city, its layered roofs, tall pagoda, and golden statues reflect centuries of Buddhist tradition shaped by Vietnamese culture. Every detail—from carved dragons to lotus motifs—symbolizes protection, wisdom, and spiritual awakening.

Walking through the temple grounds, the atmosphere shifts. Incense drifts through the air, bells echo softly, and the pace of life slows down. It’s not just a place of worship, but a space for reflection, balance, and connection—where history, faith, and everyday life meet in peaceful harmony. 🪷

02/01/2026

Across Vietnam, that serene, often white, female-looking figure is Quan Âm (Quán Thế Âm), the Vietnamese name for Avalokiteśvara, the Bodhisattva of Compassion. She appears everywhere in Vietnam: temple courtyards, pagoda hillsides, coastal shrines, even small neighborhood altars.

Although Avalokiteśvara originated in India as a male bodhisattva, in East and Southeast Asia — especially in Vietnam, China, and Korea — Quan Âm is commonly shown in a feminine form. This reflects local cultural values that associate compassion, mercy, and protection with maternal qualities. Over centuries, this image became deeply rooted in everyday Vietnamese spiritual life.

01/01/2026

28/12/2025

Buu Dai Son Pagoda.