Thursday, May 13, 2010

Jade Buddha for Universal Peace

My city is host this week to a touring gentle giant, Jade Buddha for Universal Peace, at Vietnamese Lien Hoa Temple. It's 10 ft. tall and carved from a boulder of jade. I went to have a look this morning, unprepared for the total sensory and soul soothing experience I received. Arriving after too much coffee, world news, and a bout of creative angst, my jangled nerves and tangled emotions accompanied me as far as the seat I took. Then, sitting under bright banners fluttering in a fresh breeze, the spectacle of Jade Buddha surrounded by flowers and fruits and the rhythmic chanting of devotees banished all worries. I found myself in a little cocoon of beauty and peace. Just breathing in, breathing out. The chanting goes, "May all beings take care of themselves happily". What a revelation! Why do we have to be reminded to do the simplest, most satisfying things??