Alot Has happened in two weeks!

I just finished the session at CTTB and things are back in full swing. Check out some pics below. I didnt have time to post a lot of what i have to say and show but maybe next week. A lot of really cool things are going on here and i'll keep people posted!

~Kenny~

The Group From Beijing (and us)

From Left to right--Mr. Wu (Beijing explorer/photopgrapher), Dr. Yeh (from CTTB) and his wife, i forgot the womans name but she is from Beijing too, me, and Edwin from CTTB. This was thier first time to the US. Mr. Wu gave a presentation of Chinas national treasures from Tibet, as he is the only one allowed to photograph them. We are the first outsiders to see them ever. Pretty cool huh.

I climbed Wonderful Enlightenment Mountain!

I had a great adventure with my friend Edwin and Mr. Wu the explorer from Beijing. Here are a bunch of photos from out 4 hour trek into the Ukiah Valley Mountain Range. Mr. Wu is the tall one, and Edwin is the other in the yellow shirt.

This is a picture of the liberation of life ceremony and the silent meditation period during the session. The liberation of life ceremony is when Buddhists gather resources toghether and buy animals that are going to be killed for one reason or another and they set them free into the wild. I have a video from when they opened all the cages, and well, I got pooped on by the birds. Good video though!

3 steps one bow for an hour the first day of the session, even the young school-children came out before dawn to bow outside.

A picture from my second speech at CTTB from the Guan Yin Session. Read below.

Venerable Master, Dharma Masters, all good knowing advisors, AMITOFO.
My name is Hui Xing/(Heng-two ways), and I have been living at the City of Ten Thousand Buddha’s for two months, and this was my first Guan Yin session.

When I started the session I hoped for some type of response from Guan Yin Bodhisattva, I thought that if I just went to every part and recited with all my energy then something would happen.

I understand now, that going to the session is the response. Taking the time to spend an entire week devoted to intense practice is truly a wonderful opportunity develop skill.

Personally, during the session I felt an energy I had never felt before. Even though I was so sore I couldn’t cross my legs, and my back was on fire, I put everything I had into reciting the bodhisattva’s name.

During this week I didn’t become hungry, I wasn’t tired, and I felt my mind shift into a whole different way of working.

This allowed me to stand face to face with my past transgressions, and deal with my own faults and bad habits. I don’t know of a better response I could have gotten. Na Mo Guan Shi Yin Pu Sa!
Then I told the story about my good friend Albert who was stabbed and related it to Guan Yin Bodhisattva.

~~~Tell me what you think~~~
~Kenny~

I'll Post again in 2 weeks!

I have the Guan Yin Session Next week, so i'll be too busy to write anyhting. But i posted a good amount this time. Scroll Down!

Heres a good quote---

Learn how to learn, learn how to learn.
The very first step to learning is to become a completely blank slate. Some ancients have used the terms "blank sheet of paper," "empty tea cup: or uncarved stone," but they all mean the same thing. The hardest thing for a student when training is to throw away all of the perconcieved notions and conclusions. Training is tough. Because it is tough, it is a martial art. ---Kensho Furuya "Kodo: Ancient Ways"- Lessons in the spiritual life of the Martial Artist.

Take care everyone!

Schedule for next weeks Guan Yin Session

萬佛聖城觀音七時間表
City of 10,000 Buddhas Daily Schedule for
Gwan Shr Yin Bodhisattva Recitation Session
10/16 -- 10/23/2003
Morning A M
4:00 – 5:00
早 課
Morning Recitation
5:00 – 6:00
拜 願/打 坐
Bowing / Meditation
6:15 – 6:45
早 齋/打 坐
Breakfast / Meditation
7:00 – 8:30
普 門 品
/繞 念
Universal Door Chapter
/ Walking Recitation
8:30 – 9:00
坐 念
Seated Recitation
9:00 – 9:30
止 靜
Silent Recitation
9:30 –10:00
繞 念/回 向
Walking Recitation / Transference
10:20 -10:50
上 供
/ 延生堂回向
Meal Offering
/ Transference in the Long-Life Hall
10:50 –11:50
午 齋
Noon Meal
Afternoon P M
12:30 – 1:30
普 門 品
/繞 念
Universal Door Chapter
/ Walking Recitation
1:30 – 2:00
坐 念
Seated Recitation
2:00 – 2:30
止 靜
Silent Recitation
2:30 – 3:00
繞 念
Walking Recitation
3:00 – 3:30
坐 念
Seated Recitation
3:30 – 4:00
止 靜
Silent Recitation
4:00 – 4:30
往生堂回向
/繞 念
Transference in the Rebirth Hall
/ Walking Recitation
4:30 – 5:00
坐 念
Seated Recitation
5:00 – 5:45
止 靜
Silent Recitation
5:15 – 5:45
晚 餐 (居士)
Dinner (Laity)
5:45 – 6:00
繞 念/回向
Walking Recitation / Transference
Evening PM
6:30 – 7:30
晚 課
Evening Recitation
7:30 – 9:00
開 示
Lecture
9:00 – 9:40
大 回 向
Great Transference

Pretty Packed huh! But this is a really good chance to practice intensely for a week. Guan Yin is very similar to the Virgin Mary from Catholicism. Guan Yin is the Bodhisattva (enlightened being who enlightens others) of Great Compassion.

Translation Team of the 6th Patriarch Sutra

From the Left is David Yin (teacher at DRBU), Jin Yong Shr (monk) Jin Yen Shr (monk) and me. There are actually like 4 more of us on this project but everyone already left. The translation classes have been one of the best part of my experiences here at CTTB. I am being taught by some of the best in the world. My role in translation is to help make sense of the english, basically i ask myself the question "can basically anyone read and understand this while keeping the real essence of the meaning?" Its hard, sometimes hours are spent on 2 sentences. Thats a good time.

Stanford University takes a trip to CTTB!

This past sunday a group of about 20 students from Stanford University came to see the campus at CTTB. The teacher was David Yin's advisor from when he went there. Their class was on Buddhism: and its application and usefulness in western society. I hope that was the name i forget, but it was something like that. The teacher and the students seemed delighted upon meeting some of the monastics that really put Buddhist study and practice into their daily lives. You can see more from the pics below.

Who likes vegetarian food! I know i do.

Everyone here had thier first taste of vegetarian food and they all loved it! All anyone has to do is try it and they can see how good organic vegetarian food is (as long as its prepared properly!) This is actually a very well known and popular resturant in the area.

In the Buddha Hall

Regardless of Spiritual, ethnic, and language differences, all the Stanford Students took part in the Great Compassion Repentance Ceremony with open arms and hearts. Everyone loved the ceremony, especially the Chinese instruments and Cantor (lead vocalist).

This is a picture of Heng Chuang Shr (and another nun, but i forget her name) talking to the students, they really liked her talk about her life and how she became a Buddhist nun. This is these students first encounter with monastics.

Heng Shun Shr & Jin Yong Shr talk to the Stanford Students

The monks talked to the students for an hour about life as a Buddhist monk and other topics.

I refuse to not post pictures of peacocks.

What can i say?...its a white peacock.

Im in a hurry...

Sorry but nothing again, I am so bust with school, right now I have to go to my Translation class. I hope to talk a little about translation in the future as it is really a big part of what I am going to be doing here. Next week I'll have various things, well no promises. Bye-bye!