A friend just sent the below story about rare flowers growing on a Buddha statue. I googled that story, and found the one I posted below hers.
MIRACULOUS FLOWERS SPROUT ON A GOLD STATUE IN SOUTH KOREA
"Flowers that bloom only once every 3,000 years are budding on the head of a sacred Buddhist statue."
Buddhist priests in South Korea "say the legendary flowers blossoming on the forehead of Kian Yin the Compassionate" only appear "when the 'Sage King of the Future' (also known as Maitreya, the future Buddha--J.T.) comes into the world," which one Buddhist leader called, "a delight that gives joy beyond
description."
"The Miracle of the Flowers, as it's now being called, happened in the Chonggyesa Temple," in a suburb of Seoul, the capital of South Korea. "Tens of thousands of pilgrims are flocking to see the white blossoms on the tip of the eyebrow of the shining, gilded statue of Kuan Yin."
"'Kuan Yin is a gentle Buddhist deity who refused to enter paradise (Nirvana--J.T.) because she heard the cries of suffering humanity,' says religious expert Dr. Kenneth Ireland (No relation to Kathy--J.T.) 'She is acknowledged to save the soul of everyone on Earth, turning her back on none.'"
'Many are now saying that the monastery of Chonggye-sa could become the Buddhist Lourdes because many cures are being performed there." "According to the monks, 21 threadlike stems are growing from the statue of Kuan Yin, each with a tiny white flower 'no bigger than the tip of a ballpoint pen.'"
"This is the first time in the 1,000-year history of the monastery that the flowers have blossomed." "'Buddhists say sighting the flowers is like witnessing the birth of Buddha,'" he added.
"Experts say it's unthinkable that the 500-year-old statue of Kuan Yin, gilded every three years over the (original) woodwork, could produce growing flowers without divine intervention."
"Botanically, the flower is related to the ficus,' says botanist William Grant, 'There is just no way it could take root in the statue.'" "Dr. Ireland says the flowers are regarded as divine in India, Japan and China and are believed to bloom only when a momentous event is about to happen."
"Buddhist monks are currently keeping a prayer vigil at the statue, waiting for the event that will change mankind's future forever."
This is the story I found:
Epoch Times | Udumbara Flowers Blossom in Fremont, California
Udumbara Flowers Blossom in Fremont, California
First time legendary flowers are seen in North America
By Wei Tang and Roy McDowell
Epoch Times San Francisco Staff
Aug 16, 2007
The delicate, white Udumbara flowers symbolize the arrival of the Noble King of Falun according to ancient Buddhist scriptures. (Mark Zou/The Epoch Times)
The delicate, white Udumbara flowers symbolize the arrival of the Noble King of Falun according to ancient Buddhist scriptures. (Mark Zou/The Epoch Times)
Udumbara, a legendary flower that is believed to blossom once every three millennia to symbolize the arrival of the Noble King of Falun (Law Wheel), was seen in Fremont, California on Aug. 8. This is the first such finding in North America. The world's first report of Udumbara was in 1997 in Korea.
The extremely rare flowers were seen on the leaves of an oleander tree on the side of Warm Springs Blvd in Fremont, about 150 feet south of the Starlite Way crossing.
The tiny, delicate flowers are white in color and grow suspended on threadlike stalks. The stems are slimmer than human hair. Altogether Udumbara appeared on eight leaves. Some leaves had 30 little buds on them, some had 40, 50, or 60 buds.
Lisa Wei and her five-year-old daughter Tianhui Yang were on their way to the Minghui School at around 8 am when they first saw the precious flowers.
"I immediately recognized that they are Udumbara because I saw the Udumbara news on the Internet before," said Tianhui, who was very excited to be the first eyewitness. Her Mom Lisa has shown Udumbara news reports and pictures from other countries to her before. Lisa was excited too. She could not believe she would see an auspicious Udumbara so close to home.
Previously, witnesses of Udumbara were reported in Australia, Korea, mainland China, Hong Kong, Singapore, and Taiwan. The Udumbara sprouted from Buddha Statues, bricks, glasses, iron tubes, and plant leaves. There is not a known match of this species of plant life to date.
According to "Etymology in Huilin's YinYi," a Buddhist scripture from China's Tang Dynasty in the early 9th century, "Udumbara appears in Heaven. It does not belong to the human world. Only the mighty virtue of a reincarnating Tathagata or the appearance of the Noble King of Falun would cause Udumbara to appear in the human world."
Quite a few people gathered around to see the Udumbara in the morning. Some stopped their cars to join the crowd, an unusual occurrence in this relatively quiet neighborhood. Many took pictures and also called their families, friends, or close relatives to come to see the rare flowers.