One Big a$$ Buddha

I have been tardy on my posts lately, I know. I think the reason is because life has become ‘normal’ in Hong Kong. I feel like I live here now, so what could you possible want to know about what I am doing in Hong Kong? I hang out with friends, go for dinners, and the gym, grocery shopping, work (notice how that is far down the list) and basically I live life. You couldn’t possible want to know about what I do on a daily basis do you?

Despite the new normalcy of my Hong Kong life, I did have a fantastic weekend. My friend Trevor was in town, back from his Vietnam adventure, and a work colleague (and friend) was also in town from Toronto. I have been saving myself for the Big Buddha for months—partly because the views are better when the weather is good and partly because I was waiting for my friend Trevor to arrive. Saturday was the (Big Buddha) day. I booked cable car tickets, just one of the many options to get to the Big Buddha and off we went. For those of you know me, you know that I have a minor obsession with all things Buddha. My mother thinks I have too many in my apartment (there are going to be more when I get home) and I have been flirting with Buddhism for years. I have become a bit more intense about it in the last few months in Asia, attending classes, and lectures here and there…so seeing the biggest seated Buddha in the world was a bit of a big deal to me.

The cable car took us high above the mountains, I don’t recommend this method of travel for people afraid of heights. The half hour cable car trip was stunningly beautiful and as we came around a curve, I saw him. Sitting high above the mountains and the South China Sea, he sat looking ahead. I couldn’t see his face yet, but his size and beauty left me speechless. The Buddha weights 250 tonnes and took 10 years to make. It has only been on the top of this mountain for about 10 years, but it looks like it was meant to be there. Once my speech returned the squealing started. After arriving on Lantau island, Jeff, Trevor and I climbed the 300 or so stairs to get closer to the seated wonder. I walked around him slowly and carefully, soaking in every detail of his peaceful face. I just love Buddhas…images of Buddha actually calm me. I’m not sure if it is because of what the philosophy (and religion) the Buddha represents, but it does. It calms me every time. No wonder I have them in almost every room in my apartment!

After visiting with the Buddha we headed to the Po Lin Monastery—also a wonderful piece of architecture--gorgeous painted roofs, huge bronse statues and the mandatory billows of incense. For lunch we sat down at the vegetarian only restaurant next to the monestary for a yummy meal.

The disappointing fact about the Buddha and the monestary was the fact that I felt like I was at a Buddhist Disneyland. While it didn’t ruin the whole experience for me, it did diminish the value of it. Sourvenir shops littered the grounds of the Buddha, not to mention the fake Bodhi tree by the washroom. The Bodhi tree is where Buddha (or Siddhartha) reached enlightenment. It’s a pretty important place—I don’t think Buddhists would appreciate a fake bodhi tree being next to the loo.

Overall though the experience was very worth while—the sight of the Buddha gave me butterflies and the memory of it will stay with me for a very long time.