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Vandals damaged the sacred and irreplaceable "Compassion Buddha" statue at the Từ Ân Buddhist Temple in the Beechmont neighborhood of Louisville, Ky. (WDRB Image by Krystal Goodner) Jan. 17, 2024 Marble Lion Wall Fountain
Vandals damaged the sacred and irreplaceable "Compassion Buddha" statue at the Từ Ân Buddhist Temple in the Beechmont neighborhood of Louisville, Ky. (WDRB Image by Krystal Goodner) Jan. 17, 2024
Monk Ty at the Từ Ân Buddhist Temple in the Beechmont neighborhood of Louisville, Ky. (WDRB Image by Krystal Goodner) Jan. 17, 2024
Vandals damaged the sacred and irreplaceable "Compassion Buddha" statue at the Từ Ân Buddhist Temple in the Beechmont neighborhood of Louisville, Ky. (WDRB Image by Krystal Goodner) Jan. 17, 2024
Vandals damaged the sacred and irreplaceable "Compassion Buddha" statue at the Từ Ân Buddhist Temple in the Beechmont neighborhood of Louisville, Ky. (WDRB Image by Krystal Goodner) Jan. 17, 2024
Vandals damaged the sacred and irreplaceable "Compassion Buddha" statue at the Từ Ân Buddhist Temple in the Beechmont neighborhood of Louisville, Ky. (WDRB Image by Krystal Goodner) Jan. 17, 2024
Vandals damaged the sacred and irreplaceable "Compassion Buddha" statue at the Từ Ân Buddhist Temple in the Beechmont neighborhood of Louisville, Ky. (WDRB Image by Krystal Goodner) Jan. 17, 2024
The inside of the Từ Ân Buddhist Temple in the Beechmont neighborhood of Louisville, Ky. (WDRB Image by Krystal Goodner) Jan. 17, 2024
Monk Ty at the Từ Ân Buddhist Temple said the "Compassion Buddha" targeted by vandals is irreplaceable. The white marble statue was custom-made from stone shipped from Vietnam.
Monk Ty at the Từ Ân Buddhist Temple said the "Compassion Buddha" targeted by vandals is irreplaceable. The white marble statue was custom-made from stone shipped from Vietnam.
Vandals damaged the sacred and irreplaceable "Compassion Buddha" statue at the Từ Ân Buddhist Temple in the Beechmont neighborhood of Louisville, Ky. (WDRB Image by Krystal Goodner) Jan. 17, 2024
Monk Ty at the Từ Ân Buddhist Temple in the Beechmont neighborhood of Louisville, Ky. (WDRB Image by Krystal Goodner) Jan. 17, 2024
Vandals damaged the sacred and irreplaceable "Compassion Buddha" statue at the Từ Ân Buddhist Temple in the Beechmont neighborhood of Louisville, Ky. (WDRB Image by Krystal Goodner) Jan. 17, 2024
Vandals damaged the sacred and irreplaceable "Compassion Buddha" statue at the Từ Ân Buddhist Temple in the Beechmont neighborhood of Louisville, Ky. (WDRB Image by Krystal Goodner) Jan. 17, 2024
Vandals damaged the sacred and irreplaceable "Compassion Buddha" statue at the Từ Ân Buddhist Temple in the Beechmont neighborhood of Louisville, Ky. (WDRB Image by Krystal Goodner) Jan. 17, 2024
Vandals damaged the sacred and irreplaceable "Compassion Buddha" statue at the Từ Ân Buddhist Temple in the Beechmont neighborhood of Louisville, Ky. (WDRB Image by Krystal Goodner) Jan. 17, 2024
The inside of the Từ Ân Buddhist Temple in the Beechmont neighborhood of Louisville, Ky. (WDRB Image by Krystal Goodner) Jan. 17, 2024
LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WDRB) -- Vandals have damaged a sacred Buddhist statue twice outside a temple in Louisville's Beechmont neighborhood.
Monk Ty at the Từ Ân Buddhist Temple said the "Compassion Buddha" targeted by vandals is irreplaceable. The white marble statue was custom-made from stone shipped from Vietnam.
Security camera footage from the early morning hours of Jan. 12 showed vandals climbing the statue and knocking both of the hands off. Just weeks earlier, vandals spray painted it.
"In Buddhism, you don't have hatred or anger," Monk Ty explained.
"Every time I pull into work, you just kinda feel something in the air. It's a peace, as he says compassion, forgiveness, you know, just good vibes," Kammer said.
Vandals damaged the sacred and irreplaceable "Compassion Buddha" statue at the Từ Ân Buddhist Temple in the Beechmont neighborhood of Louisville, Ky. (WDRB Image by Krystal Goodner) Jan. 17, 2024
James Kammer works for a Dalton Brown Restoration next door to the Temple on South 6th Street and West Ashland Avenue. He considers Ty and the nuns his friends.
"People that come to worship, they bow before and pay their respects on the tile in front of the "Compassion Buddha" before entering the temple, so I can tell it is a very important figure," Kammer said.
He said the temple can't afford to replace the statue. "The hands are non-repairable. You can't glue back marble hands."
A report was filed with Louisville Metro Police, and they issued a statement confirming that a report for criminal mischief was taken but there were no known suspects.
In Buddhism, love and compassion are believed to go hand and hand with wisdom, but now the temple is adding caution to that list.
It has installed new surveillance equipment and hopes for a little help from the community, too.
"I would love for the community to watch out for this place. It's very important for neighborhoods to have religious organizations whether that be Christianity, Buddhism -- anything like that. We all need to look out for each other because we are all in this together," Kammer said.
Monk Ty said that despite what has happened, the vandals would still be welcomed in their space. He said hatred cannot drive out hatred -- only compassion can.
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