I'm Back (Again)

Debilitating Technical Problems; Some Additions to My Library

Sorry, Friends. I was unable to post anything because I lacked FrontPage. But it's OK now. [Jurassic technology]

I will continue posting about my temple trip tomorrow. But in the meantime, I have two things for you.

One is that the Sutra Study is now up-to-date, meaning I have posted Questions through Lesson 5 and Comments through Lesson 4. Also, I have posted comments from my first outside commenter (and my responses to him) on the Lesson 1 page. Enjoy!

Uposatha Day

Today is the new moon (4:31 GMT)

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On the Road Again...Again

Headin' fer Amerika

I will be in transit for a few days; updates should continue around Wednesday or Thursday as I settle into the "technology" at my folks' house in L.A.

Your patience will be amply rewarded, as I have a lot more pics of the temple to put up. I'll also be plugging in some pictures to the posts above.

And for the two or three of you out there who are following the Sutra Study: I will catch up by Friday.

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"No!"

The Role of Challenge in Chinese Buddhism

[NOTE: I wrote this piece a couple of days after the the events described. It reflected a certain understanding; the next post, "That's Debatable," reflects a modification of these views. However, I felt this piece still had some provocative ideas, so I have let it stand as originally written.]

As we drove from the airport to the hotel last Friday night, Mr. Wu and I shared stories and ideas from our respective Buddhist studies. Several times during our discussion, Diego translated Mr. Wu's response to my assertions as, "My father says that can't be true."

That's Debatable

The Role of Debate in Chinese Buddhism

I used to work with a lot of bright people in Japan, people who spoke near-native English. So every now and then, I was caught off guard when one of them had a small gap or misunderstanding in his or her knowledge of English.

Once I was talking with a friend and I said, "That's debatable." She replied, "You think that's debatable. Have you ever tried talking with S____? All she wants to do is argue!"

He's malleable. You're reliable. She's debatable. Why not?

The Great Sun Buddha Shines Everywhere

In Which I Reveal My Secret Devotion (besides Lila)

I have long had a secret Buddha in my heart.

The very first time I saw the Dainichi Nyorai, the "Great Sun Buddha," I had an instinctive grasp (excuse the pun--you'll see) of the meaning of his mudra.

Without words, I knew that this was about "grasping the One." I knew little else about the figure, but my knowledge developed over time. My understanding has not developed, however; that first intuitive flash regarding the meaning was all I needed, or will ever need.

"Make This World a Pure Land"

East Meets West

At dinner with the jingoistic monk a few weeks ago, I was asked a presumptuous question: "What is your devotion?" Elaborated, they meant: "To what Buddha are you devoted, and, therefore, what sutra do you chant daily?"

This is a, uh, foreign concept for me. (Yeah, I know, I'm the one that's foreign.)

People at Hua Yen Temple

Monks and Kids Who Became My Friends

The Condensed Version

I guess this is really a "Gallery" page, but it is in fact an adjunct to an entry in The Journal regarding my trip to Hua Yen Temple in Ningde, Fujian, in July 2006. The sections are:

• The Wu Family
• Monks
• The Kidz
• "The Life of the Buddha"

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July 21: Postscript

The Closing Ceremony

The closing ceremony was the day after we left. Bob sent these pictures to Diego, and Diego sent them to me. Looking at them, I'm really sorry I missed it!

Photos by Bob

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I feel like I have finally been to China, and have really delved into the things that were my main reason for coming. Without Mr. Wu and Diego, it never would have been possible. I am grateful to them, and to the monks and the kids and the teachers, and to the Buddhas and Bodhisattvas, more than I can say.

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July 20: A Tour before Going Home

Kobo Daishi Memorial Hall and Di Zang Temple

This morning after breakfast the plan was to head out fairly early and visit a very significant site before going to the airport. there were some wonderful surprises in store.

Our main destination was a Memorial Hall dedicated to Kukai (Ch. Konghai), also known in Japan as Kobo Daishi. He was the Japanese monk who came to China during the Tang Dynasty, and transplanted Shingon Buddhism from China back to Japan. On the way to China, his ship was blown off course, and he landed in what is now Ningde City. Japanese devotees have paid for construction of a Memorial Hall; this was our goal.

July 19: Excursions, and student performances

A small stupa, the Main Gate, and a mountain temple

Looking out of the dining room window today, I noticed this small stupa on a hillside next to the area where the new Mountain Gate is being constructed:

A: The location of the new Mountain Gate
B: The stupa on the hillside

Detail of the stupa site

Later, Venerable Hui Jing told me it was the (or a?) "Founder's Stupa." That's all I know about it. It used to be on the same ridge as the Pavilion seen above, but that has been cut through to build the Mountain Gate.

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July 18: Class, meeting a master, and tea

Master Ji Qun, and a walk

Today was our first day of blue skies, the typhoon having moved on.

Diego and me in the classroom (Photo by Bob)

July 17: Opening Ceremony and My Birthday Party

Surprise! (not)

This morning we had the Opening Ceremony for the summer camp. Like so many of the functions I took part in at Hsi Lai Temple in Los Angeles, it was a very formal affair: the teachers and leaders (myself, one other layman, and six monks) seated on a dais; the other teachers occupying the front row in the classroom; introductions, speeches, and lots and lots of applause. The decorum was somewhat shattered, however, when Diego (while translating my brief "Hello" speech) announced that it was my birthday, and the kids and teachers and monks joined in a thunderous rendition of "Happy Birthday," followed by cheers and more applause. It wouldn't be the last time today I'd hear that song...

Happy Birthday to Us!

Birthday Buddies All!

Uposatha Day

Today is the Last Quarter (19:13 GMT)

On July 17th, happy birthday to: Brittany Baquet, my niece (who is getting married later this month); Jesse Warren, a Shenzhen bud (the latest in the group, just discovered last week); Brittany Haid, a former student, and daughter of actor Charles Haid; Colleen Sembauer, from the first school I taught in; Robert Wilson, one of my best buddies in junior high and high school; David Rowden, 13 years of Rosemead schools together; and Jay Inglis, a friend of the family since before I can remember and thus the first "birthday buddy" I knew of.

Honorable Mention (I don't know 'em, but I know of 'em):

July 16: Relaxing

Little to Report

Because many of the kids were delayed by the typhoon, the summer camp did not start today (as originally planned). So my day was mostly relaxation and getting familiar with the temple.

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July 15: Arrival and Introductions

My "Biggest Fan" and meeting the monks

In the morning we had a nice breakfast, and I met the owner of the hotel--a friend from Mr. Wu's hometown. This was to be a theme: "He is from our hometown," Diego said again and again throughout the trip. Indeed, Mr. Wu's devotion to his hometown runs deep: The town's name is Shouning, and the character for "Shou" in that name is the same as the last character of Mr. Wu's name, Wu Xian Shou. (He also has a hometown friend named Chen Shou, also using the same character.)

After a couple of hours on country roads, some of them quite rough, we reached Hua Yan Temple, 820 meters (almost 2700 feet) up Zhiti Mountain (which is itself over 1200 meters, I'm told--over 3900 feet.) I will say more about the mountain and its name when the Temple Guy pages are finished.

July 14: The Flight to Fuzhou

Multilingual conversations

I flew with Mr. Wu Xian Shou, his friend Mr. Lin, and his son Diego, from Shenzhen Baoan International Airport around 5 p.m. In addition to ourselves and our luggage, we transported several large boxes of printed sutras to be delivered to temples in Fujian. The flight was about an hour, but take-off was delayed by the effects of a typhoon affecting Fuzhou, our destination.

Landing in Fuzhou was smooth, however, and Mr. Lin (who owns a display advertising company in Fuzhou, with offices in Shenzhen) had two cars waiting. One took him home (presumably); the other took the Wu father-and-son and me to a hotel in Ningde, where we would spend the night before taking the rough mountain road to the temple in the morning.

One delightful surprise: The driver (an employee of Mr. Lin's) spoke no English, but he had lived in Japan. So we were able to converse in Japanese (he much better than I) as we rode along. See more on my conversation with Mr. Wu in the post for July 22. Dinner was waiting, and I had a comfortable private room for the night.

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Huayan Temple

My Week in Fujian

Huayan Temple

The July pages of The Journal have several posts that follow themes that emerged during my stay at Hua Yan Temple in Ningde City, Fujian. They are largely reflective.

But in order to provide some context, here is a more nuts-and-bolts daily account of the trip, with pictures, below.

• Friday, July 14: Flight to Fuzhou
• Saturday, July 15: Arrival at the temple; my "Biggest Fan"; meeting the monks
• Sunday, July 16: Relaxing
• Monday, July 17: Opening ceremony; my birthday party
• Tuesday, July 18: Our first class; Master Ji Qun; walk to a pavilion; tea at The Hermitage
• Wednesday, July 19: A small stupa; walk to the Main Gate; student performances; "run" to a mountain temple
• Thursday, July 20: Kobo Daishi Memorial Hall; Di Zang Temple; flight home
• Postscript: The Closing Ceremony

Also, you can see pictures of many of the people from this trip here.

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"Hello, I Must Be Going..."

Talk Amongst Yourselves 'til I Get Back

(Happy Bastille Day, Dad!)

Well, the time has come for me to go. It's travel season again, and I have a LOT coming up. For the first week or so, this Journal will be mute; then I will post like hell; then it will become spotty; then...

Here's my relatively fixed itinerary:

Guru-Bhakti

Is it OK to worship a teacher?

One of the huge differences between the "Big 3" monotheistic religions and those of the East is the attitude toward the teacher. In monotheism, the teacher is a vehicle of the teaching, and is to be respected, and even taken as a role model, but never to be worshipped. (This statement gets a bit hazy when we talk about Catholic saints, but that's for another day.) Never mind that that is exactly what Christianity does--worships its teacher. He's said to be unique.