On November 11th 2006 noon we land at the airport Taichung in Taiwan. Finally! We go by bus to Puli and there our friend Jian Xiao Shifu, nun of the monastery Chung Tai Chan, picks us up.
Two weeks we spend in retreat in the monastery. There is much to learn: how is a huge monastery with more than 500 nuns and monks structured, how organized? How is taiwanese meditation working?
The building is impressive with its 37 floors high tower! Here the world famous architect C. Y. Lee from Shanghai/China, chief architect of the Taipei tower 101, see
http://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Taipei_101
himself a lay member of the Chung Tai order, created a masterwork! Although being huge and equipped with high technology you never have the feeling of being a small creature…
For the outstanding exposition more than 500 bonsai trees are delivered, the forecourt of Chung Tai Chan is changed into a japanese garden. In the same period Chung Tai will expose buddah-, bodhisattva- and bixiestatues. We work in the design departement, learn how to create pearldecoration, paint and help to build the wagons for the parade. Our friend has profound knowledge and so we are happy to get private lessons in buddhist history, culture and philosophy.
The couple Anja and Birk, they live now in Chung Tai since two years, welcome us warmly in their office, the department for foreign languages. Here I finalize my print data for a current project. Johannes find new friends and joins one in kunf fu training.
On November 24th we go to Taipei and live with Stella for one week. She is as internet affine as us…
Together we visit the highest building of the world, the Taipei Tower 101.
