by Doris Hunter
At 5:30am one morning last week at the monastery I joined the monks and nuns for morning meditation. Going into the great hall I looked up at the three gigantic golden Buddhas looming over me. I stood in the line with other visitors and I heard over 500 voices chanting the sutra, words that I have just shared with you. The devotion and serenity of those voices overwhelmed me. Here were the words coming from one of the Buddhist scriptures celebrating the Mahayana tradition. Its emphasis is on the compassion of the Buddha and the way for spiritual happiness for both laity and monks. This was the setting for the 32nd Congress of the International Association for Religious Freedom. More…
