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Transformation of a Bodhisattva,
Footsteps of an Ascetic Monk
Roof of Buddhist Lecture Hall, San Francisco
Circumambulating while reciting is one of the fundamental rituals that the Master taught his Western disciples. "Once we form the circle, then the positions of first and last lose their meaning. Last becomes first; first becomes last. Everyone can be first; everyone can be last. In the circle, there is no first or last." He used the circle as an analogy in teaching us about fighting, competition, ambition, and greed for name and position.
Dining Hall, Gold Mountain Dhyana Monastery
The lumber used to renovate Gold Mountain came as a response from Guanyin Bodhisattva. Guo Tung and Guo Tung Laughton, disciples of the Master, learned that an office building in downtown San Francisco was about to be renovated and that the wooden shelving needed to be removed. Anyone willing to remove the wood could have it free of charge. The Laughtons quickly informed Gold Mountain and crews of young disciples were sent to tear out the shelving.
The wood was the major material used in the initial renovation of Gold Mountain. The small pieces left over from major work were saved and used to make the tables and small wooden stools used in the dining hall at Gold Mountain. The Master's lesson to extravagant Westerners about the principle of reusing and not wasting was repeated again and again during the renovations of the Association's Way-places.
