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How to Make a Base for your Garden Statue

On an almost daily basis, I have people asking me about a base or stand for their garden Buddha and Hindu statues. Many times the statue is perfect but on some occasions, an extra 6 or 12 inches is needed to make it ideal for their space. Here are 3 things that I tell to everyone on how to go about fashioning a pedestal for your statue.

*This stone garden Buddha statue is raised on a base of local river stone surrounded by paving stones to raise the entire bed up about 12 inches*

Look locally

I feel that each region has its own dominant colors and textures found in nature. San Diego is a desert and thus there is a tan sandstone, desert feel to it. The northeast of the States has fall colors and granite stone. Look at the colors in your back yard and then head down to a local masonry store, quarry, or anywhere that would sell local stone. See if they sell chunks of local stone. Most likely you will find many smaller pieces that would need to be placed together but you may get lucky enough to find a whole block!

Pavers

Head over to your local hardware store and see what they have for pavers. These can easily be arranged in whatever shape and height you would like. I have seen pavers used with and without mortar so you may not need to make too much of a mess.

Build your own base!

*The perfect base made from a concrete mold!*

This is the most do-it-yourself option of the 3. A customer of ours sent in a picture to our #mylotussculpture page with one of our Buddha Head fountains on a beautiful base and I immediately noticed the base the Buddha’s head was on. This option is great because you have control over the shape and the height of the base. Here are the directions he gave to me for making a base:

a. We bought an oval 40 gallon Tuff Stuff Tub from Tractor Supply and used it as a mold. We chose that because the edges were curved and gave the base a nice shape for Buddha and around the right size.

b. Mixed concrete and charcoal colored dye in the tub itself and just added the right amount of concrete to get the base height we wanted. Then when the concrete cured, we flipped it over to use as the base. It comes out very easily. We applied satin polyurethane to the base to keep it scratch resistant and look a little darker. It probably cost around $60 to do this.

If you have any other suggestions please email me at [email protected] and I will be happy to add them!

*The customer went to the local masonry store and picked up the perfect block of local stone for Garden Ganesha!*

*4 rows of pavers lifted the Buddha head up an additional 24 inches!*

*The customer created a base using local leftover shale stone*

Bitcoin and Litecoin Payments now accepted by Lotus Sculpture

Lotus Sculpture now accepts both bitcoin and litecoin as a form of payment. The value of the statue and the shipping will be converted directly into US dollars. Any returns will be issued in US dollars. We do not account for fluctuations in the cryptocurrency markets.

We strive to make it easy for our customers to have every option for making the sculpture of their dream a reality!

If you would like to pay using either of these two payment methods please email the owner of Lotus Sculpture, Kyle, directly at [email protected] or call 1-760-994-4455.

Becoming In Touch with Ones Chakras Through Meditation

According to yogic traditions of both Buddhism and Hinduism, chakras are believed to be energy centers within the body. Each of the chakras corresponds to both an important part of our physical body as well as what is referred to as our ‘subtle body’ or spiritual body containing the universal force. Rooted in the Sanskrit word for ‘wheel’, the chakras are believed to be in an endless rotation of Shakti or the sacred force.

Located along a central channel, the chakras are spaced intermittently from the crown of the head to the base of the spine in correspondence with key areas of our bodies. Although the total number of chakras varies from teacher to teacher, many westerners define 7 major chakras: the root, the belly, solar plexus, heart, throat, third eye, and ultimately crown. Each of these must remain healthy in order for good energy flow.

It is believed that if the chakras are not in balance with one another or are blocked, the universal force running between them will be slowed leaving one feeling unwoven, tired, stressed, and in cases susceptible to disease. A flowing balance between the chakras is vital to feeling an overall sense of health and well being.

Meditation can be used both to diagnose the health of our chakras as well as to heal and achieve balance within them. If you are currently feeling sluggish, tense, overwhelmed, or just plain overworked, your vital energies may be unbalanced. Try bringing meditation into your life as a healing power. There are many exercises and meditative techniques to help you once again achieve balance. Practice meditating at least once a day to promote relaxation. Start with small increments and work your way up in time as you become more skilled at keeping focus.

The Best Testimonial about a Buddha Statue

“We are so grateful to Lotus Sculpture for providing beautiful, spiritual works of art that truly enhance not only the environment of personal space…but, also, the environment of the soul.”
~Lisa and Gregory~

We are happy to share an email from customers about a Buddha statue they received from Lotus Sculpture:

“Hi Kyle:

I want you to know just how very much Lisa and I absolutely love our new Buddha statue! The warm color and texture of the wonderfully-carved, large wooden form…the richness of the contrasting gold leaf accenting the intricate, flowing lines of the Buddha’s robe…

This beautiful statue now has pride of place in our living room. And while it is certainly an impressive piece of art, it is also an object that contributes to the peaceful serenity of our home’s primary living space. (Lisa has commented on several occasions since the Buddha’s arrival that I seem “a bit more calm than usual.” Nice.)

We were thrilled when the box from Lotus Sculpture arrived. (We had been tracking the Buddha’s journey across the country using the UPS link you so thoughtfully provided in your email order confirmation.)

As an art educator, Lisa has certainly seen her share of “un-crate-ings” at numerous museums and galleries – and even she was very impressed with the quality of packing and the obvious care with which the Buddha was shipped.

When the Buddha was revealed, after we carefully removed the top layer of packing, one could actually hear our unison, audible gasp. As excellent as your online photos are, they simply can’t do justice to the beauty of the three-dimensional piece in person.

We are thrilled with our purchase. Having this work of art in our care is a joy. And, equally so, has been the experience of, once again, dealing with Lotus Sculpture.

Kyle, your love and passion for these wonderful pieces of art…your commitment to ethical, dignified business practices…and a customer service and in-process communication flow that is second-to-none…wow!

In a phrase: We are so grateful to Lotus Sculpture for providing beautiful, spiritual works of art that truly enhance not only the environment of personal space…but, also, the environment of the soul.

Thanks and blessings,
-Lisa and Gregory

Exporting Buddha Statues from Thailand

Statues from Thailand of Lord Buddha — Thai Buddha Statues

As a Thai customs formality, Buddha sculptures are restricted to be exported from Thailand. The original law was established to protect Thailand’s ancient religious artifacts and antique Buddha images from being stolen and sold illegally. Until recently, this law was not actively enforced on newly made Buddha statues. Vendors could easily ship Thai Buddhas throughout the world.

“In November 2010, Lotus Sculpture experienced one of our containers filled with Buddha sculptures being confiscated en route to the USA by Thai customs officials.”

In November 2010, Lotus Sculpture experienced one of our containers filled with Buddha sculptures being confiscated en route to the USA by Thai customs officials. It was a complete loss with no way to get the confiscated sculptures back. The USA’s Patriot Act has paid for a large X-Ray machine to examine every container shipped from Bangkok to the US. When US or Thai officials scan a container and see outlines of Buddha statues they now confiscate the contents of the container. This may lead to an end of importing Thai Buddhist images altogether, which would be a tragedy to all involved; Buddhists who worship Lord Buddha; business who sell Buddha statues; and especially for the artists who rely on selling Buddhist art to earn a living.

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