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My daughter and I always participate the chanting practice every Sunday morning. On 5/22/2005,
we arrived 15 minutes early on purpose to greet the visiting group from the Department of Religious
Studies in North Central College. We saw a motorcycle already parked in the parking lot which
normally did not appear; through the windows, we could also see the guests inside already have
chanting gowns put on.
There were sixteen guests led by an assistant professor who has a Ph. D degree from Harvard University.
He looks very young and speaks fluent Chinese. He also has a pony tail and an ear ring with the Chinese
character representing ¡§love¡¨. When we chatted about his Chinese, his memory was full of the good
things in the Chinese Language Center in National Taiwan Normal University.
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NCC female guests practiced together with us.
NCC male guests practiced together with us.
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Director Li-Su already provided an orientation on the Pure Land morning practice procedures to the professor.
The practice group members were all prepared for welcoming these friends. Therefore, everyone very orderly
entered the chanting practice room; the drum strikes marked the beginning of our morning practice.
Every guest was given a pre-marked English sound imitated chanting handbook. They followed the pace with us:
the praising song, the recitation, walking meditation, kneeling, sitting meditation, bowing, and through the
very end. Perhaps they could not comprehend what all these were about, yet their sincerity really deserves
glorification. When I saw them massage their numbed feet after the sitting meditation, and heard them whisper
about when the practice was going to end, I quickly remembered my first time experience participating the
practice about half year ago. Although the sound from the instrument and the chanting was able to tranquil
my six faculties, it was hard to tolerate the numb sensation on the legs. It has been for a while, and I am
able to not be disturbed by the numbness and to continue to chant Buddha Amitabha¡¦s name. I think I was
benefited from practicing often.
¡´ Chifang Duong
¡´ Translated by Bert Tan
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