Buddhism in a nutshell...

The other day, Emily, Jamie and I decided to visit the Jade Buddha Temple just around the corner from our apartment. Although I've seen Buddhist Temples before and was prepared for what I was going to see, it still continues to sadden me. These people are so lost. As we walked around, we heard chanting coming from one of the rooms. We walked in to find a group of monks chanting and burning incense on an alter near a picture of a woman. There were a group of Chinese people also standing nearby in normal street clothes holding sealed paper bags. They all then lined up and walked out of the room. We assumed it was a funeral of some sort, but we weren't sure. Later, we started talking to a man who worked in the Temple, and he explained some things about Buddhism to us (either trying to convert us, or just educate...I'm hoping the latter. Side note: I totally wanted to share the love of Jesus with him, but we were restricted...it was a rule posted outside the temple). Anyways, while we were talking to him, those same monks came out into the courtyard area where we were standing and chanted while the family put the paper bags in a burning well. He explained that it was a ceremony for the dead and the family was burning fake money for their loved one to take with them in the next world. Sad.

Despite the idolatry, the architecture and landscape was very beautiful (just don't look at all the statues and gods in the rooms, and you have yourself a nice vacation spot). :) Unfortunately, I did not have my good camera with me, and the little camera I had was holding onto life from the last bit of battery juice left, so I was only able to get a few pictures. I'll post some later, but right now the internet is moving slow and it takes so much just to upload a couple pictures.

So we left the temple and headed back to the apartment. On our way back, we passed a little tea shop that we decided to stop in. Jamie wanted to buy some tea, so we had come to the right place. There was a man and a woman in there, but apparently the man didn't work there, he was only friends with the owner (the woman). She didn't speak English, but his English was very good. So he translated as we sipped samples of tea at this mini bar area. It was a hole-in-the-wall kind of place, but have very good tea. He even taught us some Chinese phrases like too expensive (ty gui la), very good (hung how), I'm sorry (de bu chi), I love you (wo I nee), and good-bye (ty chien). Some of them we already knew, but he helped correct our pronunciation.

Tang, our tea friend, during our conversation, told us that he owned a pearl shop just around the block. When we were done with our tea, we decided to go with him to his shop. It was a very very nice pearl/jewelry store, not one of these hole-in-the-wall places. There was a little fountain in the front of the store with oysters and fish, and told me to pick an oyster. I pulled one out of the pond and he took us over to a table and chairs and opened up the oyster. There were at least a couple dozen pearls in it! He then demonstrated to us the difference between fake and real pearls, and simple tests that can be done to prove it. I can show you those when I get home if you'd like. It's pretty cool.

He invited us to look around his store and guaranteed us a very good price on his pearls. His employees were helping us as we were looking at the jewelry, and were giving us their price on them. He then would pipe in and give us a lower price. One of the girls told us that we definitely need to buy while her manager (Tang) was there because he liked us and was giving us a really good deal. They wouldn't give that deal. Now it could all be a scam, but I don't care. It's beautiful pearls at a cheap price. And they are all real. We haven't bought from him yet, but will because he was very helpful.

It was a very good day because we made some Chinese friends, and had good cultural experiences. I'm very excited now to go pearl shopping!