In the Summertime, when the weather is fine

Today is our first day off, since the beginning of the Humanistic Buddhist Program here at Fo Guang Shan in Taiwan.

Our days have been very full of activities and learning. I am beginning most days at 4:30am in order to run a few laps around the nearby high school track. We, as a group, begin each day with tai chi and meditation before a buffet-style Chinese breakfast.

After breakfast, there are classes on various aspects of Humanistic Buddhism. Some of the classes we experienced were: Buddhist Cosmology, Buddhist Psychology, Kung Fu, Buddhist Charity, Buddhist Ethics, Avatamsaka Buddhism, among others. We also took part in an "Egoless" tea ceremony, experienced Buddhist art and visited onsite museums. We learned about Humanistic Buddhism, the goal of which is to create a Pure Land right here on earth.

In the evenings, we typically have a class on the Heart Sutra as well as a Dharma talk by one of the venerables (Buddhist monastics) who more often than not have been practicing the Buddha Dharma for decades.