so many ways, but only One Way

I am sorry it has taken me so long to update the blog lately, I have been pretty busy with the job hunt, moving around and spending time with Rufina. I meant to finish this series about our trip to Lantau Island and 360 a while back, but just haven't done it. I think I have one short post after this one and then we'll move on to other things.

After taking in the aerial view from the 360, and checking out the big Buddha, we took a short hike on "the Wisdom Path". It was a short trail that led to this place...

Giant logs that were split in half and stuck upright in the ground in the arrangement of the infinity sign (not the car, the number- like a sideways 8).

As you can see the totem-like poles have Chinese characters on them- some which face inward and others face outward.

I was told that the inscriptions are actually Buddhist teachings, like prayers or proverbs.

Honestly, it was pretty cool from an aesthetic point of view, but Rufina and I are glad that instead of trusting "the middle path", we trust The Way.

After a nice outdoor lunch, we went to the Po Lin Temple. This is actually the outer building that serves as a kind of gate or entrance to the courtyard and main building, but the look about the same, so I just posted one photo. You can see an incense burner out front.

This is one of the vicious looking dragons, demons and soldiers carved on the outside or inside of the temple. They usually serve as a guardian from evil spirits, despite looking quite malicious themselves.

Back outside of the main temple area, there were plenty of ares to burn "stuff"; you could burn candles, incense, money, paper and who-knows-what-else as an offering to get rid of bad karma and earn good karma, good luck or prosperity.
This lady lit a stack of papers and carried them to a furnace building to finish the incineration.

"You do not delight in sacrifice, or I would bring it; you do not take pleasure in burnt offerings." Psalm 51:16

Watching her hope in flames.


Up next: One more place to put your waste...