A Buddhist Temple seeks permission to install a 10 foot statue

Abington, US, Mar 14, 2017: The leaders of a local temple in Abington, Massachusetts, wish to install a 10 feet tall statue of Lord Buddha. However, the town isn't giving the all clear to do so.

This week, the temple leaders will appeal a decision by the Abington Zoning Enforcement Officer denying their application to install some ornamental monuments along with the statue.

The Chua Linh Quang Buddhist Meditation temple on Washington Street, has been open for almost an year, used by the Vietnamese-Americans and others for yoga and meditation.

According to a report in The Enterprise, Zoning Officer Marshal Adams said he couldn't approve the application of Temple Leader Nhutam Thich to install a 10-foot, white stone statue along with several smaller statues and large painted rocks because the temple's plans were explicit and abutters hadn't given input.

In a residential district, the town typically only allows someone to hang out a shingle for something like an attorney's office, he said.
"I told the temple they'd have to clarify everything they were going to do," Adams said. "They have a lot of questions to be answered, so I felt it best that the whole thing be sorted out through the zoning board."

Agai, Thich requested ZBA to review his decision on Mar 9, at a public hearing. Thich remained unsure of what she will do if the ZBA doesn't give approval.

She said, "I hope they are going to say yes."

The Chua Linh Quang temple is part of the Pho Hien Buddhist Meditation Temple Corporation and the Vietnamese Buddhist Community of Massachusetts. The organization leads a temple in Worcester.
"It was easy to get approved in Worcester," Thich said.
Approval for certain permits, like this one, has proved more difficult in the residential section of Abington, she said.
Thich said she hadn't heard directly from any neighbors about the statue.
"I think they're okay with it, but I don't know," she said.
Adams said if abutters have concerns, "the time to share them would be the public hearing."
The public hearing before the ZBA was originally scheduled for Feb. 9, but was rescheduled to March 9 because of snow.

-Prepared by Nikita Saraf, Twitter: @niki_saraf