CHANDLER, Ariz. — The Arizona Dhammaram Monastery in Chandler is normally a place of peace and worship for those who practice Thai Buddhism.
The temple is housed in an old farmhouse and there are several Buddha statues on the outside grounds including one tall one that stands above a small pond filled with lily pads.
“This Buddha for the people to come and pray,” said Secretary at the Arizona Dhamaram, Tawan Khamasujarit.
The peace was disrupted Wednesday afternoon. Temple staff said a man asked to enter the temple, but it was closed so the monks directed him to the outdoor Buddha statue.
But the man was there to do something other than worship.
“They use the axe to chop the Buddha,” said Khamasujarit.
The attacker left five slash marks on the torso area of the statue.
The vandalizer also chopped the two Buddha statues that normally sit at the entrance of the monastery before running off the property.
No one was inured
The vandalism is being investigated by the Maricopa County Sheriff's Office.
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