Dharma Bum

After yesterday's triumphant blip, I thought a bit more effort was required on my part, so I set off early to work & stopped off at Battersea Park Peace Pagoda.
Buddhist Peace Pagodas are designed to act as a focus to unite all people in a search for world peace. The first were built in Hiroshima & Nagasaki. Now there are at least 80 worldwide.
A planner working on the developement of Milton Keynes saw a Peace Pagoda in Sri Lanka, & proposed one for the Bucks town too. Its opening in 1980 was filmed. Whilst in a maternity ward, the cameraman's wife met a woman whose husband worked for the Greater London Council, which was then looking for ideas to mark its Peace Year. Permission to build the Peace Pagoda in Battersea Park was the GLC's last legislative act, & it was completed in 1985.
There are four representations of Buddha, (so this may be the first of an occasional series. Guess how many more episodes there could be, maths fans!). Here he gives his first sermon.