Thousands of Buddhists gathered at Thailand's Wat Dhammakaya on Wednesday to observe Makha Bucha, a religious holiday that marks the anniversary of Buddha's mass sermon to the first 1,250 newly ordained monks 2,558 years ago. The architecture of the temple and the choreography of the ceremonies combine to create stunning visual compositions: images of the thousands of small golden Buddha statues that make up the central dome, the 100,000 lanterns lit up at night, and the thousands of monks and other Buddhist devotees gathered in circles and rows to meditate.
The Symmetry and Shapes of Makha Bucha at Wat Dhammakaya
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Read moreThai Buddhist monks pray and gather at Wat Dhammakaya in Pathum Thani province, north of Bangkok, to participate in Makha Bucha Day ceremonies on March 4, 2015. #
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Read moreBuddhist monks prepare for an alms offering ceremony at Wat Phra Dhammakaya as the sun rises on Makha Bucha Day, March 4, 2015. #
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Read moreWat Phra Dhammakaya, Thailand, as seen from above #
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Read moreBuddhist devotees meditate during a ceremony at Wat Dhammakaya on March 4, 2015 on the occasion of Makha Bucha Day. #
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Read moreBuddhist devotees walk with candles during a ceremony at Wat Dhammakaya on March 4, 2015. #
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Read moreBuddhist devotees meditate during a ceremony at Wat Dhammakaya on March 4, 2015. #
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Read moreA dome composed of thousands of small Buddha statues, part of Wat Dhammakaya, photographed on March 4, 2015 #
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Read moreThai Buddhist monks pray and gather at Wat Dhammakaya in Pathum Thani province on March 4, 2015. #
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Read moreA closer view of the thousands of small Buddha statues that cover the dome of Wat Dhammakaya, seen on March 4, 2015 #
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Read moreBuddhist monks walk with candles during a ceremony at Wat Dhammakaya on March 4, 2015. #
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Read moreBuddhists holding candles encircle a large Buddha statue during Makha Bucha Day at a temple on the outskirts of Bangkok on March 4, 2015. #
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Read moreBuddhist devotees light candles and pray during a ceremony at Wat Dhammakaya on March 4, 2015. #
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Read moreThai Buddhists take part in a candle-lighting ceremony on March 4, 2015 at Wat Phra Dhammakaya in Bangkok, Thailand. #
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Read moreBuddhist monks pray during a ceremony at Wat Dhammakaya on March 4, 2015. #
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Read moreBuddhist monks prepare for an alms-offering ceremony at Wat Phra Dhammakaya in Pathum Thani province on March 4, 2015. #
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Read moreTwo-thousand monks and far more laypeople gather for a candle-lighting ceremony on March 4, 2015 at Wat Phra Dhammakaya in Bangkok, Thailand. #
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Read moreA long exposure of a procession of laypeople carrying candles during a ceremony on March 4, 2015 at Wat Phra Dhammakaya #
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Read moreA Buddhist monk prays during a ceremony at Wat Dhammakaya in Bangkok on March 4, 2015 on the occasion of Makha Bucha Day. #
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