by Sammie Ng 26/10/2020
During the reading week, members from the Catering Care team had the opportunity to visit Tsz Shan Monastery thanks to the Tsz Shan Institute (TSI) and it was a rejuvenating experience for all of us. We were given a tour of both the Monastery as well as the Tsz Shan Monastery Buddhist Art Museum. While some of us have had experiences visiting buddhist temples with our families, we got to understand more about buddhist philosophy, history and theory through the engaging tour. In fact, while buddhism may be practiced as a religion, it is also a body of knowledge which has much to offer to all of us. Particularly in this time of uncertainty and negativity from the external world, learning about Buddhism has given us much inspiration for finding peace from within. We were first inspired by the story of Kṣitigarbha (地藏菩薩), who vowed that he will not attain buddhahood until the hells are emptied, testament to how there can be company, support and deliverance even for the seemingly unredeemable.
One particular insight we derived was that of “the middle way”. In the first courtyard of the monastery stood two buddhist pine trees of different appearance. While each of us had our own preference, we were told that both pine trees required the same level of effort. How often do we find ourselves stuck in a dualistic mindset and going to either extremes - that something is either bad or good, we must either be ascetic or hedonistic? Buddhist theory reminds us that there is a middle way, a kind of balance we can seek, an answer from within.
At the Buddhist Art Museum, we learnt about the Bodhisattvas - who are able to become buddhas but wish to deliver more people from suffering. We also learnt about another Buddhist teaching, which is to listen, contemplate and cultivate (聞思修). All three are equally important. It is important to become mindful before thinking and taking action, but it is also not sufficient to have thoughts but not do anything. If we take a moment to reflect, we may find that we may lack one or another.
We also took part in the water offering ritual, where we scooped some water into a wooden bowl and walked towards a giant bowl. We also took a walk around the giant Kwan Yin statue. On both walks, we were encouraged to think about sending love - first to ourselves, then to our loved ones, then to our friends and acquaintances, and finally to all living beings.
We ended the visit with a chat over coffee and dessert at the cafe named Sujata, named after the little girl who cooked congee for Buddha when he was starving after ending his stint of asceticism. Nicol from TSI shared about their core values and main contexts of application with us, as well as many exciting ideas about upcoming programmes.
What has all of these got to do with Catering Care? Well, a lot of what we learnt through the visit has reminded us of why we do what we do, and what else we can do. Kṣitigarbha (地藏菩薩), Sujata and the Bodhisattvas are all examples of the human capacity to care for each other, regardless of one’s identity. Catering Care is ultimately a small project centred around the belief that our communities can be rebuilt if we become more interdependent on each other, and care more about each other. Everyone can care in their own way.
We also reflected on the need for self-care and a regenerative culture. After all, we can only give if we ourselves are cared for! It was a good reminder for all of us at Catering Care after a hectic first delivery to take time off before getting ready for the next phase of our project.
The idea of listening, contemplating and cultivating (聞思修) also motivates us to continue our project mindfully, to reflect on what has been achieved so far while also looking towards taking more action.
Thank you TSI again for inviting us and we look forward to visiting again!
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