Real enlightenment is on a whole other level, although knowledge is a big part of it as I learned this weekend on our excursion through southern Taiwan. What started out as a four hour drive full into the unknown, lightened (then quickly darkened) by a "friendly" game of Monopoly turned into an exciting exploration of 台南（Tainan) and Kaoshuing. Being that it was the first place that the Dutch settled and then the site of the first colonization in the island's history, there were many historical sites to visit and learn from--and boy did we visit and learn from them! From learning about the God of Education in Chihkan Tower and how young people pray to him before their entrance exams to the history of the Eternal Golden Fort and the use of the weaponry there to defend against the Japanese in 1874, our weekend was packed full of touristy sites with deeply meaningful backgrounds! However, last week I promised a post on Buddhism and thus I'll talk about my personal favorite stop on the trip: the Fo Guang Shan Buddha Memorial Center. A little background, the Memorial Center is part museum, part Buddhist temple and is situated in the Dashu District of Kaohsiung City. It was built by the Master Hsuing Yun to help teach people from all over the world about Buddhism and houses one of three sacred tooth relics of the Buddha!
It has four stupas that represent the four Noble Truths and eight pagodas that each emphasize an important principle in Buddhism. Past all of these pagodas is the main museum which has a giant statue of the Buddha sitting full-lotus style and watching over the entire complex. Also the assistant tour guide was from Australia. What. His accent made everything that much more cryptic, I promise you.
For me, the museum, and the entire complex for that matter, was awesome. It was very spiritual and though in hindsight it was a bit extra--over the top for those not familiar with the slang extra--it was just the right mix of reverence and modernity in the moment and it really allowed me to get a sense for how the religion is supposed to feel. Buddhism is based on meditation and finding enlightenment within oneself by learning to let go of all attachments and desires. That doesn't mean that you become a lifeless husk incapable of loving or feeling, though! It simply translates to keeping one's emotions in line, avoiding extremes in order to see things clearly for what they are in every moment. At least that's how I interpreted it, and it makes sense! If you discover the ability to keep your emotions in check, you can take better care of your body because you avoid indulgence and you can be constantly at peace because nothing really bothers you. This teaching of moderation is apparent in Christianity as well. There's a reason that we are told to avoid the Seven Deadly Sins: they're all extremes that, if partaken in, will lead you down a path that strays far from the teachings of God and his way of living. Another similarity that I also found very interesting was the fact that is said to have gone to heaven and then return to Earth again before finally dying and leaving his Siddhartha disciples to spread his teachings around the world so that everyone could become enlightened. Jesus' story of death and rebirth is very similar: he dies, goes to Heaven, then returns to tell his disciples that they should spread the gospel and in a way solidify the fact that everything that he's said is true--I mean he just came back from the dead after all. Including the fact that both also fasted for in human lengths of time and traveled their respective lands speaking to those who would listen and gaining a large following on the way (Siddhartha even has a Judas-like character who happens to be his cousin), these two religions share many common themes that really came to light during my visit to the Memorial Center.
These similarities reminded me of what the Dali Lama said about religion when he came to visit UMD last year-- that all religions are just different interpretations of the same fundamental principles that people need in order to truly be the best humans that they can be; in other words "different strokes for different folks"! If it wasn't for my devotion to my Christian upbringing, I would have converted to Buddhism on the spot; I just agreed with so many of the teachings that I saw there, but as I just pointed out above, I also see many of the same teachings in Christianity so I suppose converting wouldn't be all that necessary after all! Anyway, until next time friends when I talk about the permeation of Confucius beliefs into Chinese/Taiwanese culture, but here's a bit of wisdom to carry around with you for...well hopefully a long time!
"A look, a smirk, or a small action can trigger a moment of understanding."
Peace and Love,
Akeel
It has four stupas that represent the four Noble Truths and eight pagodas that each emphasize an important principle in Buddhism. Past all of these pagodas is the main museum which has a giant statue of the Buddha sitting full-lotus style and watching over the entire complex. Also the assistant tour guide was from Australia. What. His accent made everything that much more cryptic, I promise you.
For me, the museum, and the entire complex for that matter, was awesome. It was very spiritual and though in hindsight it was a bit extra--over the top for those not familiar with the slang extra--it was just the right mix of reverence and modernity in the moment and it really allowed me to get a sense for how the religion is supposed to feel. Buddhism is based on meditation and finding enlightenment within oneself by learning to let go of all attachments and desires. That doesn't mean that you become a lifeless husk incapable of loving or feeling, though! It simply translates to keeping one's emotions in line, avoiding extremes in order to see things clearly for what they are in every moment. At least that's how I interpreted it, and it makes sense! If you discover the ability to keep your emotions in check, you can take better care of your body because you avoid indulgence and you can be constantly at peace because nothing really bothers you. This teaching of moderation is apparent in Christianity as well. There's a reason that we are told to avoid the Seven Deadly Sins: they're all extremes that, if partaken in, will lead you down a path that strays far from the teachings of God and his way of living. Another similarity that I also found very interesting was the fact that is said to have gone to heaven and then return to Earth again before finally dying and leaving his Siddhartha disciples to spread his teachings around the world so that everyone could become enlightened. Jesus' story of death and rebirth is very similar: he dies, goes to Heaven, then returns to tell his disciples that they should spread the gospel and in a way solidify the fact that everything that he's said is true--I mean he just came back from the dead after all. Including the fact that both also fasted for in human lengths of time and traveled their respective lands speaking to those who would listen and gaining a large following on the way (Siddhartha even has a Judas-like character who happens to be his cousin), these two religions share many common themes that really came to light during my visit to the Memorial Center.
These similarities reminded me of what the Dali Lama said about religion when he came to visit UMD last year-- that all religions are just different interpretations of the same fundamental principles that people need in order to truly be the best humans that they can be; in other words "different strokes for different folks"! If it wasn't for my devotion to my Christian upbringing, I would have converted to Buddhism on the spot; I just agreed with so many of the teachings that I saw there, but as I just pointed out above, I also see many of the same teachings in Christianity so I suppose converting wouldn't be all that necessary after all! Anyway, until next time friends when I talk about the permeation of Confucius beliefs into Chinese/Taiwanese culture, but here's a bit of wisdom to carry around with you for...well hopefully a long time!
"A look, a smirk, or a small action can trigger a moment of understanding."
Peace and Love,
Akeel
No comments:
Post a Comment