08 Feb 2014 Fo Guang Shan

Light of Buddha Mountain…
Matt: Visiting the spiritually charged and well-run 1967 CE Light of Buddha Mountain aka Fo Guang Shan, which serves as a monastery, university and meditation centre, and claims (i) to propagate Buddhism through culture, (ii) to foster talent through education, (iii) to benefit society through charitable programmes, and (iv) to purify human minds through Buddhist practice.


“I never see what has been done;
I only see what remains to be done.” 
(Buddha)








"We are not going in circles, we are going upwards.
The path is a spiral; we have already climbed many steps.” 
(Hermann Hesse)








"Where there are humans,
You'll find flies,
And Buddhas." 





"If someone comes along and shoots an arrow into your heart, it’s fruitless to stand there and yell at the person. It would be much better to turn your attention to the fact that there’s an arrow in your heart..." 







“Man suffers only because he takes seriously what the gods made for fun.”

Matt: Admiring together with the Venerable Hue Shou the outstanding masterpieces of Loretta H. Yang & Chang Yi in their superb exhibition “Only with Compassion - Twenty-six Years of Uncovering Liuli Art in This Mortal World” in the Buddha Memorial Center.
















“In the light, suddenly aware,
Realizing that you are surrounded by a clarity,
As if a dream,
As if an illusion,
Finally, all reservations in color disappear.
Could it be
You have been enlightened?” 
(Loretta H. Yang)


For Raoni, Tien and Ronja:
Viele freundliche, offene und positive Menschen habe ich in Fo Guang Shan getroffen, einem supermodernen, grossen buddhistischen Kloster, das ich einige Male von Kaohsiung aus besucht habe. Vielen Dank, Ihr lieben und ehrwuerdigen Miao Rang, You Zhong, Hue Shou und all Ihr anderen Nonnen und Moenche fuer Eure Gastfreundschaft, fuer das leckere vegetarische Essen ("peace porridge") und fuer die gemeinsamen Werte.
Ein Kloster ist in meinen Augen eine Anstalt, wo solchen Menschen, die es sich nicht zutrauen, selbstaendig zu traeumen und zu hoffen, durch eine Metapher geholfen wird. In Fo Guang Shan ist es die Geschichte vom Buddha. Dass man aber auch ohne Buddha, Jesus, Mohammed oder aehnlich langohrige, langhaarige oder langatmige Sonderlinge ein guter Mensch sein kann, das erlebt Ihr ja taeglich an Euren praktisch denkenden Eltern. Mit oder ohne Buddha, im Leben geht es stets (i) um bunte Traeume und klare Ziele, (ii) um offene Augen und heisse Herzen und (iii) um geschickte Haende und Fuesse, am besten mit Gleichgesinnten zusammen. Viel Spass dabei. - Welche Traeume habt Ihr fuer den kommenden Sommer in Ontario?
From Taiwan, with Love!


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03 Sep - 13 Sep 2013 Singkawang
 
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