We then got lost (sorta) when meeting up with the main group. Quite an adventure.
But the Buddha will likely be my favorite part of Hong Kong, but then again every corner I turn never ceases to amaze me.
We rode cable cars over the bays and some hillsides to get to the monastery where there are so many amazing things to see. Because we only had two hours there, I headed straight to the giant Buddha statue. It sits at the top of roughly 250 stairs. Tiring but completely worth it. The statue is 112 feet tall and took four years to build. It is the second largest outdoor Buddha (as of 2007, it used to be the biggest!). It was also very inspiring to see the way another culture/religion works. Some people were so focused on praying under the buddha. It made we wish for as strong a passion or devotion in my life.
Next I wanted to see the path of wisdom. It's made of tall pillars with writing and they are laid out in the figurine of infinity.
However, my favorite part of the monastery was when I wandered off on my own. I saw people walking along a path across from the path of wisdom and decided to go as well. The path was carved into the side of Lantau peak (second highest in HK). The steps and everything were just made from the earth. Im not sure I can come close to describing how it felt walking along this path, just soaking in everything around me. I turned one corner and all of a sudden I could see the edge of all of hong kong and an endless expanse of ocean. After climbing a little higher, I could see the Buddha and wisdom path at the same time (and actually make out the infinity shape). At times I would just stop and listen to all the sounds around me.
Completely amazing. I could return home from this trip right now and be a changed person.
No comments:
Post a Comment