The Buddhas of Bamiyan: Finding compassion in destruction

We chartered a car from Kabul to Bamiyan. The driver invited a local translator to join us. In just two days, we had many adventures along the way. By chance, we were invited to visit a local family. The whole family came out to greet us with great hospitality. Wearing a Mamian skirt to Bamiyan, we were praised for our beautiful clothes along the way. The brother and sister came with us to the Buddhas of Bamiyan. They were even able to say that the Eastern Buddha was 38m tall and the Western Buddha was 55m tall. They learn about the history of Bamiyan in their history textbooks. The Bamiyan Valley was once a Buddhist holy land. The Chinese Tang Dynasty monk Xuanzang arrived in Bamiyan in 630 AD. In the Great Tang Records on the Western Regions, he recorded the prosperity of this place. They said that they could see the Buddha statues from afar since they were children. But they had never seen them up close before. After the Buddha statues were destroyed, only empty caves remained. People all over the world were heartbroken and saddened by the destruction of the Buddhas of Bamiyan. For the people of Bamiyan, this regret will be a permanent wound. Now the Taleban have piled up the broken pieces of the Buddha statues to one side, surrounded them, and are charging admission. And in the Buddha caves, you can still see the remaining traces… On second thought, nothing in this world is eternal. They destroyed the Buddha statues, but made more people aware of the Buddhas of Bamiyan. The true Buddha is never bound by solemn appearances. Every pair of eyes that has gazed upon it will see compassion in its destruction. Isn't this also a kind of Nirvana…