Today (6/4) we spent the day at Dhuram Drum Mountain. If I was saying this day wasn’t tiring, I would be lying. I think today has been one of the most exhausting days I have had so far on this trip. We started the day by getting on the bus and driving almost 1.5 hours to the monastery. When we arrived we were quickly ushered into the classroom where we learned a little background and components of this school before then heading outside to engage in some meditation. We started with walking meditation where we walked around in a circle. […]
Today (6/3) we started the day off by going to a kitchen where we learned how to make ZhongZi. I thought that this experience was both interesting and fun. I’ve heard a lot about ZhongZi recently due to the dragon festival. I have also seen the bamboo wrappings hanging in various spots all over the city. I was interested in what these were so I was excited when I found out we would be making them. We started by cooking various components that would make up the middle parts of this dish. While some things were difficult like constructing the […]
Today we started the day by visiting Studio 76, where we had the opportunity to learn about their company and how they contribute to the media and entertainment industry in Taiwan. I found it fascinating to see how multifaceted their work is—they aren’t just involved in film production but have created several branches within their company, each with a specific focus. This kind of structure allows them to be versatile and adapt to various trends in the entertainment world. One part of the presentation that really stood out to me was how Studio 76 has started converting movies into manga. […]
Today (6/1), we headed back to Taipei. I was excited to return to our origin point, although I liked exploring the southern cities, I think there is some comfort in returning to a place I know. The first stop in Taipei was to a Confucianist temple. I visiting this temple was extremely interesting to me because I noticed a lot of differences when comparing to a Buddhist temple. One thing that immediately popped out to me was instead of using figures for the Gods, there was their written name. I found this interesting and in contrast to Buddhism because Buddhists […]
Today (5/31) started out with class where we learned a little more about Buddhism. I thought this lecture was informative and something that we had done earlier because I gained such a deeper understanding for the religion. It was interesting and eye opening to learn about the wheels and the different realms. It is always interesting to me to see how different religions are practiced or what their main roots are because I didn’t grow up in a religious background. Gaining an understanding for what people believe in, helps me to gain a more forgiving outlook. Once we finished class […]