BUDDHA’S TRANQUIL SPOT

A large statue of Buddha sits in an old Norfolk neighborhood, surrounded by boxwoods and other shrubbery. Located close by the road, it's an unexpected sight that offers a peaceful moment to those who pass it.

On the front of the statue is the phrase: "Love is the fragrance and perfume of the Flower of Life; without it, We are Weeds."

This tiny park is actually the back yard of Richard Theisen, a retiree who crafts things out of wood, metal, plastic and any material he can get his talented hands on. Theisen has made picture frames out of metalwork and fashioned toy animals out of plastic cleaning bottles. He's even drawn comic books that urge kids to stay in school.

But his Buddha has drawn the most attention.

It stands about 12 feet high on a tiered base 24 feet in diameter. Part of his back yard abuts North Shore Road, so he positioned the statue facing the street.

Theisen has seen people praying by the side of the road. In the past, Buddhist groups have held services at the site, giving Theisen a basket of fruit for thanks.

Ironically, the Buddha wasn't placed there for any religious purpose. Theisen built the statue for a beauty pageant held in Portsmouth in 1967. The pageant's theme was "Sayonara," he recalled, and the statue served as a backdrop to the contestants who paraded up and down the runway.

Theisen worked on his creation for three months. He built a wooden frame, then shaped it with steel webbing. He used bronze screen wire for detailing, covered it all with plaster and finished it with water sealant and green paint. Every two or three years, the statue gets a fresh coat of paint.

He was paid for the materials but not for his time. When the pageant was over, he took the statue back and put it in his back yard.

"I decided it would look pretty back there," he said. "A few neighbors wanted me to move it."

The meditative saying isn't by Buddha. Theisen made it up. "I was going to put the saying on my tombstone," he said. "It's like the sayings of Confucius."

Born in 1905, Theisen was raised in Dallas, Texas. He trained as a photo engraver and came to Norfolk in 1926 to work at Norfolk Engraving Co.

"I’ll never live long enough to learn as much as I’ll want to know," is one of the 87-year-old's favorite sayings.

He built scale models of dinosaurs and at one time promoted the idea of a dinosaur theme park in the Ocean View section of the city. Theisen also talked with Frederic Heutte, the developer of the Norfolk Botanical Gardens, about installing a dinosaur in one of the park's lakes. Though these projects never materialized, they landed him the job designing the statue for the beauty pageant.

Before he began the project, Theisen spent two weeks at the Library of Congress researching Buddha. Known as the "Enlightened One," Buddha founded one of the world's great religions in 6th century B.C. in what is now Nepal.

Though not a Buddhist, Theisen believes the philosophy offers a lot.

"Buddha was a prince who gave all his worldly goods away," said Theisen.

"The more I looked him up, the more I felt he was hitting pretty close to home."

In its pastoral setting, the statue signifies peace and tranquility. It doesn't bother Theisen that his beauty pageant prop attracts worshipers.

"They’re not worshiping what I made, but it's the only thing they’ve got around here that's related to their belief," said Theisen.

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