I had a lovely, lovely day at the Mabuhay Temple in Malate last Sunday, where I got to try meditation for the first time.
I’ve always been interested to pursue meditation as a complement to the search for clarity, and I’ve been particularly curious about Zen.
When I saw an invitation to an introductory course to meditation, I took it as a sign that it was time (and that I was ready) and registered for the course:
Chan meditation, as it turned out, was not just about sitting, and was different from what I knew of Zen.
Emphasis was given on Chan living, meaning the integration of meditative practice into day-to-day living, and we spent the morning learning about the “One Hundred Tasks of Life” by the Venerable Master Hsing Yun, which is a checklist of 100 guidelines to help practitioners tackle everyday life, establish one’s persona, deal with the world, relate to others, be sincere, and cultivate the spiritual self. Some examples:
- Stick to a regular daily routine. —> so simple, but also difficult, especially for structure-averse people like myself!
- There is no absolute difficulty or ease. Diligence turns the difficult into easy, while sloth makes the easy difficult. —> so true! Don’t you think that just the act of delaying something gives it a heaviness?
- Be honest and kind, and always give others space to retreat, as one day they may be of help to you. This is also to reserve future potentials.
- Show kindness through speech and facial expressions to make others feel as if they are bathing in the spring breeze. —> what a lovely idea!
- The ability to admit your faults is the greatest virtue. It is also the greatest courage of all. —> interesting to see courage as coming from an act on the self…
It felt like a quick dip into the everyday Buddhist mindset, more so because instructions were given in Mandarin (followed by an English translation).
What really jump started the morning for me were the smiling faces of the masters in their brown robes. These women just exuded “holy”, “joy”,and “clarity”, and being in their presence was contagious–even if I came to the temple as open-minded as possible to what would be presented, I realized I still brought biases with me… Seeing the masters so exuberant and yet so simple helped me let go of those biases and “clear my mind” as much as I could, at least for that one day.
Here’s one of my favorites insights from the talk– just reading it now makes me smile all over again: “A nonhuman is one who does not smile when necessary.” 
Lunch was provided for, and we had a two-hour break to eat and socialize. Expecting a strict vegetarian diet, I was so surprised to see a long buffet table, complete with three or four viands, soup and black gulaman! Was definitely not your typical meal in a Buddhist temple!
The rest of the afternoon was spent doing calligraphy, physical exercises, and sitting meditation itself, all of which were explained as meditation. “Everything is meditation,” they kept reminding us.
Many people came out of the workshop all smiles, and I think it would be safe to assume that at the very least, everyone had a relaxing time. Those who were interested to learn more were encouraged to contact the temple for future meditation exercises, especially once construction of the Meditation Hall is completed.
Again, thank you so much to the wonderful people of Fo Guang Shan Philippines for opening your doors to us, and to Artyom of couchsurfing for the invitation!
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ABOUT THE MABUHAY TEMPLE:
The Manila Mabuhay Temple is on 656 P. Ocampo Street, Malate. It is about 10 minutes on foot from Vito Cruz LRT station (towards Roxas Boulevard), not far from the Rizal Memorial Stadium and Century Park Hotel.
It is still completing construction works, but is open to visitors from 7am to 8pm everyday. Our friends Dave and Artyom, who are finishing their 4-month Buddhism study program at the temple, recommended avoiding Monday visits as it’s their day for errands.
Artyom told us to look for “a modern 10-storey white building” and not a traditional temple, so I was expecting the typical boxed condominium with dark hallways, etc. I was floored when I got to the place– it was huge! And lovely! With lots of light coming in! It just had an over-all pleasant feel to it:
That’s the temple main entrance above… it leads to the main hall below:
For more information, please call Fo Guang Shan Philippines at (632) 523-4909 or email fgsphilippines@gmail.com
