Lantau Island

April 21 Saturday

We took a ferry from Hong Kong Island with a large contingent of relatives. About one hour later, we were on the southeastern end of Lantau Island. The airport is in the northeast part of the island. We took a bus to the Po Lin Monastery. At the monastery, our first stop was to have a vegetarian lunch.

Here is a typical altar at the monastery.

The big attraction at Po Lin is the huge bronze Buddha statute at the top of a long staircase.

Around the main statute are a number of smaller ones. As you can see it was a foggy day with the mist thickening periodically contributing to a sense of mystery to the place.

Lantau Island is very lush and there are many hiking trails and is a popular destination for people who want to escape the city for some peace and quiet.

RELIGIONS: Buddhism

The Four Noble Truths and the Eighfold Path are key teachings of Buddhism. The Four Noble truths are: life has suffering in addition to joy, suffering is due to selfish desire, suffering is released when people release selfish desire, this can be accomplished by following the Eightfold Path.

The Eightfold Path is right: understanding, thought, speech, action, livelihood, effort, mindfulness, concentration.

Buddhism's founder was Gautama who lived in the 6th or 5th century BC. He was a son of a king who lived in the Nepal and India area. Buddha means, "Enlightened One."

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