北投普濟寺之旅
6月20日，我們受邀造訪北投的普濟寺。剛下火車，最令我印象深刻的便是那鬱鬱蔥蔥的山坡，以及掩映在山腰間、如畫般的寺廟景緻。我和朋友兼實習夥伴伊麗莎白（Elizabeth）在「新北投」捷運站外與團隊及何秘書長會合，並結識了陳曼麗（Mary Chen）和許慧盈（Momo）。我們用英語交流，而在並肩漫步的過程中，我與Mary交談最多。她向我講述了許多關於她職業生涯的經歷，並且非常熱心地為我講解導遊在遊覽途中的解說內容。我們駐足於北投圖書館前－這是台灣首座綠色建築圖書館。我們還注意到地面上鑲嵌著一個螺旋狀的石製結構；Mary向我解釋說，這種石頭材質堅固，而那個螺旋結構很可能是一處精巧的排水設施，用於匯集從山上流下並積聚在底部的雨水。她還告訴我，北投的許多建築都是由日本人建造的，因為他們對當地的溫泉情有獨鍾，而當時的台灣本地人對此不太感興趣。這倒也合情合理：畢竟在熱帶氣候下，人們通常想的是如何消暑降溫，泡溫泉未必是最佳選擇，不是嗎？
抵達普濟寺後，我們依照日本傳統淨手，並用小金屬碗品嚐了檸檬水。隨後，我們聆聽了另一位導遊講解這座寺廟的歷史。正如Mary先前所提到的，日本人將日本佛教的「八宗十四派」傳入此地，並於1905年建造了這座寺廟。後來，第十七世甘珠爾瓦活佛（Kanjurwa Living Buddha）於1949年流亡離開西藏，被指派擔任普濟寺住持，並在此居住多年。午餐後，我隨一個小團隊出發，抄近路穿過山間，步行前往他曾獨自閉關禪修一個月的地方，以及供奉他骨灰的另一處建築——據說他的骨灰在那裡化為了“舍利子”（即經由特定過程形成的珠狀結晶）。這次行程非常精彩，我認識了許多來自台灣其他非政府組織（NGO）的優秀人士，也玩得十分盡興。
Trip to Puji Temple in Beitou
On the 20th of June, we were invited to visit the Puji Temple in Beitou. What struck me the most as I stepped off the train were the rising green slopes of the mountains, and the picturesque view of a temple nestled in its side. I met up with the group and Mr. He outside the Xinbeitou station with my friend and fellow intern Elizabeth, and I was introduced to Mary Chen (陳曼麗) and Momo (許慧盈). We were able to speak in English, and I spoke with Mary the most as we walked side by side. She told me a lot about her career, and she was kind enough to explain to me what the tour guide was saying as we walked through the town. We stopped by in front of the Beitou library, which was the first green library in Taiwan. We also noticed a stone spiral cemented into the ground, and Mary explained to me that the rock is actually made out of a really strong material, and that the spiral is possibly an elaborate drain for when the rain pools down from the mountain and collects at the bottom of it. She also told me that a lot of the architecture and buildings here in Beitou were built by the Japanese, since they were so drawn to the hot springs in the area in which most native Taiwanese didn’t care much for. Which makes sense, hot springs aren’t necessarily the best idea when you’re trying to cool off in a tropical environment, no?
We arrived at the Puji Temple, washed our hands in the Japanese tradition and drank lemon water in small metal bowls. We listened to another tour guide, who explained to us the history behind the temple. Aligned with what Mary said earlier, the Japanese had brought the ‘Eight Schools and Fourteen Sects' of Japanese Buddhism and built this temple in 1905. Later, the 17th Kanjurwa Living Buddha was exiled from TIbet in 1949 and was assigned to become the abbot of the Puji Temple, where he resided for many years. Later after lunch, I traveled with a small group where we took a shortcut through the mountains and walked to the site where he had lived in meditation for a month in solitude, as well as another building where his ashes were enshrined and had turned into pearls through a process called śarīra or 舍利子 in Chinese. The trip was very incredible because I met a lot of other people from other NGOs in Taiwan who were amazing people, and I had a lot of fun.
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