As the Buddha begins to appear more clearly, the community is taking more of an interest— folks come up the hill to observe the work. "It's like watching paint dry," comments a visitor.

buddhaellen sidorOctober 3, 2023hand, hands, mudra, mudras, Buddha, buddhas, buddhaComment

FURNACE MOUNTAIN BUDDHA Part 1

In 1993, the Furnace Mountain Zen Retreat Center commissioned me to carve a Buddha in the Appalachian foothills of Eastern Kentucky. I traveled there in my Sportsmobile, a converted E-350 Ford beverage-body van…

Blog, buddhaellen sidorJune 3, 2023carving, Buddha, buddhas, limestone, sandstone Comment

CARVING BUDDHAS

My drawing looked like a Japanese ink painting. It was like nothing I had ever done before. What was that all about? An artist friend later told me it was a “Zen moment”.