Page 71 - 十週年紀念 電子書

walked out of Taoyuan airport ready to make my way to Fo Guang Chinese all things considered. I have also become more sensitive
University, beads of sweat trickled down my face - I found myself to the local cultural sentiments of young Taiwanese, something of
sweating profusely, and I was soon to realize that this was some- which I see as paramount. I have also come to appreciate the ac-
【系友篇】
thing I was to become accustomed to, for Taiwan is inevitably a ademic aspects of the study of Buddhism, insofar that they have
tropical island, and on top of this, this island is full of warmth, that deepened my faith in the lived tradition itself. As the saying goes,
of the people of course! “when one’s faith is not tested, it cannot be firm”. Without ques-
tioning our interpretation of the Truth that we hold true to our

The academic curriculum was well structured, affording good hearts, we cannot transcend our clouding ignorance.
exposure to the different aspects of Buddhist Studies. We were
trained in many different research methodologies, and were in-

troduced to some rather quirky yet stimulating discussions, that
would have to some degree prepared us for the much dreaded
thesis, which was to thoroughly take away any social life that we

once had. Outside the academic schedule were all the memorable
and inspiring interactions with fellow classmates. Be it the lengthy
discussions on Prajnaparamita and Huayen after class over filter
coffee and snacks, the tea sessions with our Vietnamese class-

mates, the regular chill out “meetings” inside our International
Students’ Room, the hikes around the trails of Linmei mountain or I am indebted to all the causes and conditions that have made
the longer hikes to Snow mountain, or the adventures into Jiaoxi my two year journey at DBS possible. A special thanks to my the-

Township, Yilan County or Taipei City, these nostalgic memories sis advisor, Ven. Yongdong for her patience and care. A heartfelt
linger vividly. thank you to all the teachers for guiding us along the way and
keeping us intellectually stimulated. Thank you Ven. Huiyi for
I have grown a lot during my time at my alma mater. For start- all the great times, and for keeping our dormitory under control.

ers, my Chinese had somewhat become comprehendible to the lo- Thank you classmates for sharing the “joys” (and tribulations) of
cal Taiwanese, quite an important milestone for an Australian-born postgraduate life. Thank you benefactors for providing generous

62 63