Buddhist Garden of Contemplation

	Festival to inaugurate the Paranirvana Buddha statue in Jamyang's soon-to-be garden of contemplation

In Lambeth a life-size stone carving of the reclining Buddha, the first of its kind in Britain, was commissioned for a newly-created sacred garden at the Jamyang Buddhist Centre. The Centre is housed in The Old Courthouse, a listed Victorian building once used as a high security jail, now home to a Buddhist shrine and a teaching community.

The sculpture is the work of Nicholas Durnan, known for his stone carvings to restore cathedrals such as Canterbury and Wells.

	Sculptor Nicholas Durnan with his finished statue of Paranirvana Buddha

The statue commemorates the passing of the Buddha from this world, traditionally called his Paranirvana. It will be the centre-piece of the garden, which will also contain ceramics made by London artist Lesley McShea, and by local schoolchildren.

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