Head Fragment of Female Lohan (detail)

In China, the Cultural Revolution occurred from 1966-1976. During that time all sorts of statues, symbols and monuments were destroyed. It seems all countries go through periods of upheaval. We had our own cultural revolution in America at roughly the same time, when flags were burned, buildings bombed, and all sorts of monuments defaced.

Chinese Sandstone Lohan

Featured is the stone head of a Lohan, one of Buddha’s devotees, deliberately removed from its body to save it from being destroyed during the Cultural Revolution. Buddhist practitioners believed the act of removing the head could salvage the statue as an inspirational reminder of what it meant to be a devotee. Were they correct?

You decide; look at the head and listen. It says, whether you’re devoted to a person, an idea or a faith, being a devotee is non-denominational. Whether you save a head or burn a flag, it refuses to judge either one an act of devotion or destruction. Despite being lost from the neck down, it still reminds us a true devotee acts upon what’s in their heart, not just their head.

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