Eco-friendly Buddhism.

Monks with beer bottles make a Buddha-wiser temple

By Jo Steele

(February 19, London, Sri Lanka Guardian) Buddhist teachings warn followers to avoid alcohol as it intoxicates the mind - but the monks who built this beer bottle temple clearly have all their faculties.

They use the discarded bottles - about 1.5million of them - to make every structure at the complex in Thailand, from the crematorium to the toilets.

And the monks are planning to build even more, urging local authorities to bring their unwanted glass for some serious recycling.

'The more bottles we get, the more buildings we make,' said Abbot San Kataboonyo.

The monks began collecting bottles in 1984 and kept on until they had close to 1million.

They then began building the complex in Khun Han - known, unsurprisingly, as the Temple of a Million Bottles.

Smashing: There’s definitely more than 99 green bottles in the temple

But the recycling drive doesn't stop at the buildings - the mosaics are made out of bottle caps.

Besides being eco-friendly, the disused bottles don't fade, provide good light and are easy to clean.

The temple is now on an approved list of eco-friendly attractions in south-east Asia.

'Even though drinking is a sin in Buddhism, this still seems like a positive use of beer and lager bottles,' said a tourist at the site, about 645km (400 miles) from the capital Bangkok.

Another observant visitor added: 'One of the funniest things about being here is that you can see that the green bottles are Heineken and the brown ones are the Thai beer, Chang.'

-Sri Lanka Guardian