Hong Kong Day 3

Day 3 – Meeting Big Buddha
Today’s update is dedicated to Marie-Claude and Yolande… my aspiring Buddhist buddies.

Laurent urged me to go online and check the weather forecast this morning….and it’s a good thing I did! Turns out yesterday qualified as Hong Kong’s hottest day of the year (!), that today will be partly cloudy, and that it will rain the rest of the week. So if I am to visit the Big Buddha somewhere where the earth meets the sky, I might as well go before it rains! First things first however…with the half ironman coming up in three weeks, I have to run… I hit the gym for a 10k run, and clock 59h45… much slower than I should be running at this stage in the game, however running outside in the humidity is not even an option!

I say goodbye to Laurent who is heading off for work with his Singapore counterpart Felicia. I think he wonders if he will ever see me again; I have no sense of direction… the chances of me finding my way to Lantau Island and back without getting lost are slim.

There are 2 ways to get to the Buddha after you get off at the correct subway stop; cable car or bus. I find my way to the NGong Ping 360 cable cars… I figure it will be faster and a more picturesque experience. Seeing the little cable cars take off high over the mountain tops, swinging in the wind is an experience not to be forsaken. Off I go into a cable car with a family of four Chinese tourists. As we ascend, we get a great view of the planes taking off at the airport situated a few kilometers away. The family speak non-stop in a harsh and rushed staccato whine… all the while snapping hundreds of photos.

As we ride into the wild, I can’t help but wonder how the workers actually got the pieces of the Big Buddha to this remote location. The Buddha apparently weighs more than 250 tons of bronze. How did they carry the head? Did they build it on site? Was there a better road hundreds of years ago than the tiny path I see between the trees below?
Once we get to station 5, I see a glimpse of the Big
Buddha in the distance. It is huge, majestic, solemnly.
A few years ago, Yolande, MC and I embarked on a spiritual journey together. We experimented with Buddhism; we went to a meditation practice and then to a weekend retreat. We learned a few hymns and chants… although we never formally converted; I think that if I were spiritual, Buddhism would be my religion of choice. So I have big expectations when I meet Buddha today… I am hoping for a ‘coming to’ moment, a sign that I am on the right path… a meaning to it all! O Maitre beni, shakyamouni Buddha… the words of the song come back easily.
There is a charming little Chinese village with a walkway leading directly to the Big Guy. And he really is huge; all I can think about is HOW.. How did the workers get him built hundreds of years ago, how did they carry the pieces to this remote site, and how come he still glistens in the sun after all of these years of rain and wind?
Right before I reach the Po Lin Monastery, I see a Starbucks on my right. Even sacredness is prone to commercialism these days! There are exactly 268 steps to climb to reach the Big Buddha and if I buy the Vegetarian lunch in the Monastery, I get to visit the museum for free! Can’t pass up this incredible deal, but first I must climb to the Buddha sitting large and peaceful on his Lotus leaf. The Buddha appears serene and dignified. His right hand is raised, representing the removal of affliction. His left hand rests on his lap in a gesture of giving dhana.
I get to the top and glance up. I expect to feel peace. Contentment. Something. Yet I feel nothing. Not even awe. I wait; I figure maybe if I am lucky some feeling of knowing will come when I sit with the Buddhist monks at lunch?
I visit the museum located inside Buddha’s bronze stomach and understand why I don’t feel the connection with thousand year old spirits… Big Buddha was built in 1993!!!!
Inside the Monastery temple where a modest vegetarian meal is served, the following quote is printed on the napkin holder: “Don’t try to go and find Buddha from the spiritual hill, the spiritual hill is inside our heart. Everyone has a tower of spiritual hill, so we can train and practice by ourselves’.
The monks are busy chanting next door… the clattering of dishes and hundreds of families vibrate in the dining hall. As I make my way back to the cable cars, I remember how I felt when Yogi, MC and I spent the weekend with Dreng Pa a few years back…I remember feeling connectedness and contentment. Peaceful. And I remember that all of this is not about the destination, but about the journey and what we learn along the way…
I ride back down with six Asian students who are more than happy to have a conversation with me. One is from Hong Kong, two from Taiwan, 2 from mainland China. They explain that they have just met through a program to discover their respective areas and debate the future of China. One of them is studying in London, and will return to Hong Kong once his finance and accounting diploma is obtained. Rarely do people from Hong Kong visit the Big Buddha he tells me… too touristy. I ask all of the questions which have been tormenting me during the last few days… What does it mean when a high rise is colored vs. when it is not? When does a typhoon warning reach dangerous level (since an hour ago we are at one and the cable car is dangling…)? Who pays for the air conditioning bills inside the malls?
When I get back to the hotel around 6pm, I am right on time to greet Laurent. We decide to take a nap before going out to dinner… and we both fall asleep soundly! We miss dinner and get up at 5am, anxious for the breakfast place to open….