Where I meditate at lunchtimes during the working week

[retrofuturist]

Greetings,

The Fo Guang Yuan Art Gallery in Melbourne has a nice shrine/meditation room upstairs... I try to get there to meditate at lunchtime at least a few times each week.





Metta,
Retro.

[jcsuperstar]

wait, is this in the same building as the one you work in?

[Ben]

Lovely!
Thanks for sharing, Retro!

[retrofuturist]

Greetings JC,

wait, is this in the same building as the one you work in?

I wish! No, it usually takes me 10-15 minutes to get there... depends if I walk all the way, or use the trams. The days I don't go are usually those where the weather is terrible, or when naughty people try to book meetings with me at inappropriate hours too close to my lunch break!

Metta,
Retro.

P.S. That second picture is currently the wallpaper on my mobile phone.

[jcsuperstar]

well now it's not as cool as i thought but still pretty cool.

[Monkey Mind]

My first thought is, 'Meditate during lunch? That's my only time to eat!" The shrine room is very beautiful, good for you for finding it! I keep an "alter in a box" in my office, and during free-time I set it up and meditate. Of course, I have fallen asleep a few times so I always set an alarm.

[alan]

Looks so very Chinese. Reminds me of a temple in Singapore which is always too crowded with people toting incense and doing their ritual things. Are there no ritual incense-toters in Melbourne?

[retrofuturist]

Greetings Alan,

Looks so very Chinese.

Yes, the Fo Guang Shan is Taiwanese in origin.

Reminds me of a temple in Singapore which is always too crowded with people toting incense and doing their ritual things. Are there no ritual incense-toters in Melbourne?

Don't know about Melbourne-wide... but as for this place, the occasional person will come in, do a few quiet chants, offer some incense and then go. At any time there'll be about 0-7 people in there, either doing that or meditating. Sometimes one of the bhikshunis will come in, do some quiet singing, make some dinging sounds and then head back out. I like that actually... even if I am trying to concentrate on the breath, or something else.

Metta,
Retro.

[Lazy_eye]

Cool pictures -- thanks for posting! I had the chance awhile back to visit the Fo Guang center in Boston. They had a meditation room as well, with three Buddha statues, and they served vegetarian meals in the adjoining teahouse. Very nice place.

[Viriya]

It's looks beautiful, thanks for posting. I've been using the university library basement for the same purpose...it's absolutely perfect, in that no-one seems to realise it exists. (=

[Pacific]

nice... there is one in Sydney as well & it's nice to go there, and only a few people might come in. There's also Bodhikusuma nearby which isn't open every day however

[Kori]

I know this thread is old, though it's just been bumped courtesy of Pacific ( ). That's quite the beautiful place to meditate! But I have to ask... Why is there a Swastika on the Buddha's chest? Is there some other sort of symbolism that I don't know of?

Mettā pāramī,
Leah.

[Jhana4]

Yes.

The swastika is a religious symbol that goes back to ancient India.

Adolph Hitler was into all sorts of things that in today's parlance would be called "nuage".