Prayer Wheels

(This article was published in the Shenzhen Daily on February 15, 2016.)

Prayer wheels at Guangren Temple, Xi'an

The tradition I have most thoroughly studied is Han Buddhism, which is practiced throughout the area of China that has historically been occupied by the majority Han ethnicity. There are actually two other Buddhist traditions found in China: the Theravada (similar to that found in South Asia) and the Tibetan.

The Mahakala "Black Cloak"

(This article was published in the Shenzhen Daily on Sep 4, 2017.)

The Mahakala called "Black Cloak" on a mural
inside the Lamasery at Splendid China, Shenzhen

It has been over 14 years since I first set foot in Chin. Since then I have traveled to nearly 100 cities. But I have never been to the Tibet Autonomous Region of China. My first taste of it was at Splendid China and the Folk Cultural Villages in Shenzhen, where I was able to see a miniaturized Potala Palace, and enter--for the first time--a full-sized lamasery. (I have since been to several more, notably Beijing's Yonghe Gong and the Guangren Temple in Xi'an).