03/02/2024

Members from Shepherd of the Hills Christian Church Visits Austin Xiang Yun Temple

On March 2, 2024, Xiangyun Temple hosted a neighbor Church group 15 members from Shepherd of the Hills Christian Church. Buddhism encourages co-operation and understanding amongst the various religious denominations. From the Buddhist point of view, Christian and Buddhist beliefs can co-exist. The visit to the temple was spurred by the group was interested in learning more about Buddhism and meditation. The highlight of the visit was the visit to our tearoom hosted by Ven Jianji. Ven explained how we share our tea and spoke of finding similarities in our beliefs. It is through this path of sharing our beliefs that we can achieve our common goals toward enlightenment. The group was hosted by Bob Taylor As part of understanding our temple they viewed the video explain Buddhism. To many of the group it was the first time learning about Buddhism and some of the customs like Lunar New Years. Bob was able to explain three Buddhas Shakyamuni, Medicine buddha and Amitabha and how they represent different perspectives of Buddha. While on the tour a few members also walked he figure 8 path of Buddha in our mediation garden. As the tour ended, the invitation to join our English programs on Saturday to learn more about us. We hope to see some of our new friends again soon.