March 11 - April 1, 2017

City of Ten Thousand Buddhas

"Applying what I learned to daily life"
by Mei Li

"Somewhere in my youth or childhood. I must have done something good," reflecting on my participation in the Living the Practice Program, this verse comes to my mind. It is from the movie The Sound of Music; Maria sang it when she married the Captain. It was a great blessing to have accidentally joined this wonderful program.

I am new to Buddhism. Despite this being my first visit, CTTB felt like home. I met many friendly and wise people, practiced in a clean and beautiful environment, and ate delicious vegetarian food. Every moment was enjoyable: attending the Guan Yin retreat, working in the kitchen, discussing the Dharma and writing in classes, watching webcasts, meditating, doing yoga, and watching movies. The unique opportunity to attend some of the taping of the interviews with the early disciples of Master Hua was quite a treat.

The program was well-designed, like a tasty and nutritious sampler of authentic Buddhism. Questions around life-and-death were on my mind as I decided to attend my friend's funeral before coming to CTTB. From the program, I had the chance to study the Buddha’s words directly. All the teachers, staff, and students were wonderful and made the Buddha's teachings accessible and engaging. Here are some highlights that I learned and can apply to daily life... continue reading this reflection.