Today a few of us took the trek out to Lantau Island to see the giant Buddha. We first took the subway to Tung Chung station. Then we got a bus which took about 35 minutes to climb the mountain to where the Buddha shrine and the Po Lin Monastery are located. When we got off the bus we were surprised to look left and see this enormous Buddha gazing down upon us! The trip out there took over two hours. It was quite a pilgrimage! I walked up the 250 steps to the base of the Buddha and, having bought a ticket to see the relic inside, I then toured the inside of the Buddha. No pictures are allowed there, alas. It was adorned inside with many walls of memorials to ancestors with offerings of flowers, food, incense all around. It is fascinating the extent to which the ancient Chinese religious custom of veneration of the ancestors, which comes from Confucianism and Daoism has permeated the Chinese popular piety among Buddhists. I went up to the third level inside the Buddha and saw the place where the holy relic is kept. It is a small crystal, found after the cremation of the Buddha's body, and they believe it to be the relic of a bone. There were many Buddhists visiting there as a religious pilgrimage, circumambulating around the statue, offering prayers and incense, most particularly at the place where the relic is kept. Inside the building are enormous wooden screens on which are written Buddhist scriptures and scenes depicting the Buddha and stories from Buddhist history. Its really quite beautiful inside. Those of us who paid for a ticket to go to the relic got a free ice cream and bottle of water after the visit, so I enjoyed that treat when I emerged from the Buddha shrine. After I descended the steps, the others in my group were anxious to get on the cable car and make the return trip back to Hong Kong City. I decided to stay behind, because I wanted to tour the grounds of the Po Lin Monastery, an old monastery that is in the process of being restored and re-built. I watched devotees making incense offerings outside the temple itself. I wandered the grounds and saw the hall of devotion to Avoletikeshvara, the Bodhissatva of Compassion. I also visited the Hall of the Ancestors, yet another place where veneration of the ancestors takes place. The complex is pretty huge, and there were lots of Buddhists there making offerings and saying prayers. They even have a large vegetarian restaurant on the monastery grounds and I noticed that was where the Chinese were eating. I was pleasantly surprised to see Buddhist nuns at the monastery, at least walking around. Don't know if they live there or were just visiting. But they are the first nuns I've seen in all our travels to date!
After I was through visiting the monastery and the shrine I made my way back through the little tourist village they have built up on the hill there, and was fortunate that the bus I needed to take was there and about to depart, so I didn't have a long wait. It was a 35 minute trip down the mountain, with lovely views out over the mountain and when we got to the bottom gorgeous views of the ocean and beach. All told it took about 2 hours to return to the hotel, between the bus ride and then the subway. But I feel quite comfortable navigating Hong Kong's public transportation now! Too bad we're leaving tomorrow!! That trek out to Lantau Island basically consumed the entire day. Once I got back to the city there wasn't time for any more sightseeing, so I returned to the hotel to start the arduous task of packing!
We have our group "farewell dinner" this evening and then its pack and leave before dawn tomorrow. Pray for traveling mercies and that there are no delays on the return journey. I've got a pretty short layover in Tokyo, so am hoping the Hong Kong departure is on time because if its not the dominoes will fall and the whole trip will be delayed!
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