Earlier this week Amy, Lisa and I decided to take advantage of some nice weather and escape the city to the mountains west of Beijing. Our destination was Miaofeng Shan, in Mentougou district. The complex of temples on the mountain is a classic example of Chinese pragmatism, mixing Buddhism, Daoism, and Confucianism. “One temple, 3…
Buddhism
Temple-Hopping
Yesterday afternoon we visited one of the many Buddhist temples that are scattered throughout these hills. As we were walkiing through the temple, we were discussing the Chinese practice of Buddhism with our friend who is serving as host/guide for this week. “Chinese Buddhism is like a giant hot-pot,” he said. “It takes things from…
The Faithful
My old photo for this week really isn’t that old–taken outside of the Johkang Temple in Lhasa, Tibet in 2002.