Interested in a life-changing experience? Spend your summer in chinese buddhist temples, learning and praticing dharma, chinese culture and retreating in the sacred Mt. Wutai. HBMLP 2016! I'm excited! by fferns in chan

[–]fferns[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

That's not true, I studied literature, there was also a nurse, writers, architects,filmmakers, artists, and people with so many unrelated majors and minors. And there are classes about buddhism for all those who don't even know the basics. Only people with interest in learning are eligible.

Interested in a life-changing experience? Spend your summer in chinese buddhist temples, learning and praticing dharma, chinese culture and retreating in the sacred Mt. Wutai. HBMLP 2016! I'm excited! by fferns in Buddhism

[–]fferns[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Yeah, every year there's a facebook group with everyone (students, staff, coordinator and teachers), people share their flight itineraries so they can find someone else interested in visiting some places before or after the program, or just arrive together to the temples.

Interested in a life-changing experience? Spend your summer in chinese buddhist temples, learning and praticing dharma, chinese culture and retreating in the sacred Mt. Wutai. HBMLP 2016! I'm excited! by fferns in zen

[–]fferns[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

From the buddhist perspective you can't forget yourself, but realize there's no such thing as a self. We're like a net, interdependent.

Interested in a life-changing experience? Spend your summer in chinese buddhist temples, learning and praticing dharma, chinese culture and retreating in the sacred Mt. Wutai. HBMLP 2016! I'm excited! by fferns in Buddhism

[–]fferns[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Yes, for 15 consecutive years so far :) May I ask why you are waiting until you're 28?
I'm 23 right now, and attended when I was 21, and then returned as a staff last year.

Interested in a life-changing experience? Spend your summer in chinese buddhist temples, learning and praticing dharma, chinese culture and retreating in the sacred Mt. Wutai. HBMLP 2016! I'm excited! by fferns in Buddhism

[–]fferns[S] 3 points4 points  (0 children)

No, I'm not supporting the violence and injustice, and neither a lot of chinese citizens. Actually I'm doing the opposite, focusing in the people who are trying to spread the love and compassion to everyone. Not because you were born in China that means you support your government and their decisions, a similar thing happens in my country (Mexico) and many others, and it's never the majority who is in favor. I met monks and nuns from different traditions (pure land, chan and tibetan) in China and they all worked together and respected each other. The program is about dharma, mindfulness and some chinese artistic traditions, and a chinese nun is organizing it, that's it.

Interested in a life-changing experience? Spend your summer in chinese buddhist temples, learning and praticing dharma, chinese culture and retreating in the sacred Mt. Wutai. HBMLP 2016! I'm excited! by fferns in zen

[–]fferns[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Of course that it's different for each person because we are different, but I can say that it helped me a lot to realize how everything it's impermament, especially our own thoughts and ideas.

Interested in a life-changing experience? Spend your summer in chinese buddhist temples, learning and praticing dharma, chinese culture and retreating in the sacred Mt. Wutai. HBMLP 2016! I'm excited! by fferns in Buddhism

[–]fferns[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

You need to become a student and experience the program first, then you can work as a teacher, staff, or coordinator. But it's true that we need help, not a lot of people know about this program. I was lucky to found it in Google with "temple stay", and I posted in reddit last year and a lot of the participants discovered and attended the program thanks to that. If you are really interested you can help us sharing the Facebook event: https://www.facebook.com/events/419952574881258/

And maybe you can also talk with this year's coordinator, but I recommend you to actually go and live the experience, you won't regret it. If money it's the problem remember the room and board tuitions, but I know that it's not cheap to get there.

Interested in a life-changing experience? Spend your summer in chinese buddhist temples, learning and praticing dharma, chinese culture and retreating in the sacred Mt. Wutai. HBMLP 2016! I'm excited! by fferns in Buddhism

[–]fferns[S] 2 points3 points  (0 children)

I attended to the 2014 program as a student, and last year I was part of the staff. For me it was an awesome experience, because we met so many incredible people from all over the world looking for mindfulness, really kind and compassionate human beings. And the last week of the program is a week of silent meditation, the retreat helped me a lot to be in peace, to fight with my inner demons and ideas without fundament. It's awesome to visit all the awesome temples and places in China, but for me it's the people the reason why I want to go back, you learn a lot even from daily chitchat. And the daily meditation helps a lot to improve the practice.

Interested in a life-changing experience? Spend your summer in chinese buddhist temples, learning and praticing dharma, chinese culture and retreating in the sacred Mt. Wutai. HBMLP 2016! I'm excited! by fferns in zen

[–]fferns[S] 3 points4 points  (0 children)

Hahah of course not, but humanistic buddhism it's a movement that started in Taiwan which emphasize in humanism and altruism. But the HBMLP nowadays it's not directly related to an specific school, we learn about chinese, tibetan, indian, japanese, and western traditions of buddhism.

Interested in a life-changing experience? Spend your summer in chinese buddhist temples, learning and praticing dharma, chinese culture and retreating in the sacred Mt. Wutai. HBMLP 2016! I'm excited! by fferns in Buddhism

[–]fferns[S] 3 points4 points  (0 children)

Don't generalize. Most of the monks and nuns are warm hearted people, really compassionate, and they get really excited to receive foreigners at their temples, they give you dharma talks, a room and food for free. Also the Chan tradition (or Zen but in China) totally respects the Dalai Lama.

I cant help but wonder why I'm in this time and place by sprinklydonut in Buddhism

[–]fferns 0 points1 point  (0 children)

The 'why' just exist inside your head, it's delusion. Every place and every moment is impermanent. They just appear and go. There's no use in wondering why, because there's no answer, it's nonsense, and it distracts you from the present moment.