Chinese New Year in Chu Un Temple: Then and Now

A collage of my 2018 Chinese New Year in Chu Un Temple

Even before Ferdinand Magellan arrived in Cebu and established the Roman Catholicism way back in 1521, the Chinese culture had already spread across the island and was able to influence every fabric of the Cebuano society. What makes Cebu City an attractive cultural tourism spot is that it has several Chinese temples that uphold different religious philosophies like Taoism and Buddhism. One of which is Chu Un Temple, a buddhist temple under the religious movement called Fo Guang Shan, which means Buddha’s Light Mountain.

As an avid fan of Chinese culture and customs, I was inspired to write a blog about my experiences in this place. So yes, here it is.

The Chu Un Temple in Cebu City

Established in 1988 by Paterno and Rosita Luym, The Chu Un Temple was built as a way of Paterno’s expression of love to his mother who is a devout Buddhist. The literal meaning of the Chinese word “Chu Un” is gratitude and compassion, which are the two things that the Chinese Buddhists managing the temple live up to this day (Source).

Chu Un Temple during the day (Image Source)

Despite the fact that this temple is located in the heart of the busy and chaotic downtown Cebu, this religious establishment still maintained a quiet, peaceful and sacred atmosphere. Entering this place seemed like traveling to another dimension in space. It’s as if the perimeter surrounding the land has a mystical noise-cancelling mechanism since the peacefulness brought by the place makes a person forget that he/she is in the city.

How my Philosophy class brought me to Chu Un Temple

The course Philosophy of a Man is one of my favorite classes in my second year of studying Chemical Engineering. Most of my classmates consider it as a “minor” subject, yet I devote a huge chunk of my time reading about the different philosophies about the existence of man rather than solve mathematical problems on Differential Equations. I just love it, I don’t know why.

After studying the philosophies of Immanuel Kant, Soren Kierkegaard and other philosophers from the West, we started another topic that was focused on the philosophies from the East which included Buddhism. Everything was in its perfect timing as Miss Purino, my instructor, announced that the Buddhist monks from Chu Un temple will have a short talk about Humanistic Buddhism. I was excited about the idea since it was my first time to encounter a Buddhist monk in person, and of course I got to learn the philosophy that these monks embody.

We attended a talk about Humanistic Buddhism in Chu Un temple way back in February 2013. Beside me is my classmate Wilbert.

I considered my first experience in the temple a memorable one mainly because of these things:

1. We got to have a karaoke inside the temple, right in front of the big golden Buddha! I know it sounds indecent since we are making noise in a place that is considered sacred. However, the idea of a karaoke came from the monks, of course. They believe that as long as our intentions are good, we don't have to worry about singing in front of the prayer area. Most importantly, they want us to have fun.
2. I was able to try the kinds of food that Buddhist monks eat in the temple. The first thing that came into my mind was that their lifestyle was boring because they are vegetarian. My first dinner in the temple changed my perception about them. I was totally wrong. Despite the fact that their diet is limited to fruits and veggies, the monks were so creative with their dishes! There was one dish that I really thought was filled with meat which actually was composed of Moringa leaves. I don’t know how they did it. They were definitely delicious!
3. I gained a new perspective about living a life of quality and peace. I might not totally commit to incorporate the entirety of this religious philosophy since I am a devout Christian, but Humanistic Buddhism is something that anyone can apply to make their lives better, regardless of their beliefs.

Chinese New Year 2017: Highlights

Four years after, I decided to come back to the temple because I want to experience what it is like to celebrate Chinese New Year together with the Buddhists. My friends and I were happy to see Miss Purino once again, especially now that we're already "grownups".

The red lights reminded me of a horror movie that incorporated a theme from the Chinese culture. The elegance brought upon by this gave me an eerie feeling at first.

The atmosphere felt like I'm in a Chinese village during the Tang Dynasty. I just chose Tang for no reason, but I believe my "inner history geek self" assured that there is really a Tang Dynasty.

Red and light Chinese lanterns were placed above the temple's door entrance.

We're happy to see you again Miss Purino! If not because of you, we would never know about this place.

I find the atmosphere a little bit intimidating at first, because the illumination in the outside was solely dependent on the red and yellow lanterns. The setting took me to the ancient Chinese history as it continued to radiate a mysterious, sophisticated culture from the past.

What made my experience engaging was that the eve of the Chinese New Year was spent with a lot of activities that showcase the Chinese customs and culture. By just paying one hundred pesos, we were able to experience The Amazing Wisdom Race inside one of the temples. If I remember it correctly, these were the activities that comprise each station in the race:

1. Prayed in front of the Buddha in a way that is similar to how a buddhist should pray in front of him. We did some hand gestures at that time and did multiple bows.
2. Learned how to use a chopstick correctly.
3. Watched a demonstration of Tai Chi and try the basic movements for ourselves
4. Attended a brief lecture on the three acts of goodness to achieve inner peace and a better life: think good thoughts, speak good words, do good deeds.
5. Received a free CD that contains the musical of the biography of Buddha, Prince Siddhartha

Colorful flowers on the side were placed along the walkway towards the statue of Buddha.

Our ticket for the Amazing Wisdom Race. For every station that we completed, the assigned person will put his or her signature to indicate that we have already completed the activities in that location.

Our group picture after praying to Buddha. The small piece of paper that each of us held was taken from a small bowl containing the "answers" to our questions addressed to him.

Even though I am fascinated by Chinese culture, I still do not know how to use chopsticks properly. This activity somehow gave me insights on how to hold it properly. Probably I just need frequent practice to perfect this skill.

These pictures talk about the life of the monks and the Buddhist disciples in the past.

A Chinese philosopher talked about the concept of Buddhism. He explained in simple words what the Three Acts of Goodness mean and how these can allow you to achieve inner peace.

Group picture together with the Buddhist monks standees. They look so adorable!

Ancient Chinese calligraphy. It is amazing to see how the writing system evolved from just plain circles and wave lines to complicated strokes and characters that we see around us.

The main event was filled with a lot of traditional Chinese dances. It was my first time to see a Dragon, Snake and Rooster Dance in person. If there is one word that totally described the performances, I would say that they were totally majestic. From the mimicking of the dragon’s motion to interpreting the concept into a dance made me even more fascinated with how the Chinese established and perpetuated this beautiful custom.

My enjoyment at that time was interfered by my phone's battery loss. Unfortunately, I was not able to record the performances, so I cannot share it with you guys. My bad.

I consumed the majority of the time I spent in the temple to immerse myself in the lineup of activities and presentations. It gave me a deeper sense of connection to the Buddhist religion. The amazing and fruitful experience alone made me want to visit this place one more time.

Chinese New Year 2018: Highlights

My college friends and I decided to go back to the temple as a way of celebrating another year of being single (February 14 is Single Awareness Day for us) and also to take a break from anything related to our work. We have been too busy with work that we seldom see each other lately. Since the last year was spent entirely on the activities provided by the temple for us, this year was dedicated solely to roam around the place, observe the changes and new add-ons to the program flow, and spend the rest of the night talking with my friends while I take some pictures and surround myself with a huge dose of Chinese-culture-driven atmosphere.

The gates of Chu Un temple greeted us with their signature red and yellow lights, giving the visitors the right amount of the Chinese New Year vibe. The major change that happened was that they already incorporated bright lights that enhanced the atmosphere and visibility of the whole place. Before, it was intimidating and dark, but they managed to make the surroundings easier to navigate because of the good lighting.

My companions for the Chinese New Year's Eve in Chu Un Temple. Hello guys! So happy to see you again <3

The entrance was not intimidating anymore as compared before. It is even more welcoming to the visitors.

One thing I noticed at first as I look around the place was that there were more visitors as compared before. It means that the Chinese New Year's Eve activities here in Chu Un temple have been gaining acceptance and popularity by Cebuanos. However, lesser food stalls were present.

The view of the side entrance of one of the temples from afar. The presentations were held in this temple.

This temple is where the big statue of Buddha is located. This was also the place where we did the Amazing Wisdom Race last year.

The series of Disney-themed presentations done by the musical performers of the temple made the audience from all age groups entertained. Of course, the traditional Chinese presentations will never be out of the program. It has always been this; elegant and lively mixed into one.

Prior to the Chinese traditional dances, several presentations are in store for the audience. This year,
they decided to incorporate Disney songs to their production numbers. The person in front was the candle guy in the Disney movie Beauty and the Beast, singing one of this iconic songs in the movie.

The pictures were displayed outside near the gate for this year. Before, I saw these pictures inside the temples where we did our Amazing Wisdom Race.

The above collage was taken outside the three temples near the gate. Last year, these printed pictures that speak of buddhist life in the ancient times was displayed in the second floor of one of the temples. I suppose they placed it near the gate in order for the people to have a general grasp of what it looks like to live as a follower of Buddha. Unfortunately, the beauty and message were not conveyed well because they were not well-lighted.

This is one of the new additions to this year, the Wisdom Lanterns. I just find the 1000-peso donation an expensive one. Well, being prayed to Buddhist monks every month is not bad after all. Probably the donation is too small compared to the good fortune that you might receive for this year if you light one of the lanterns.

I can't refuse to do a dramatic pose under the Chinese lanterns. They look so nice I wan't to grab one and bring it home. Kidding!

They sell books about different topics. I wanted to buy but they were all in Chinese. I can only read a handful of Chinese characters, which technically makes me an illiterate to the language.

The prayer room was modified into a "studio" wherein anyone can do some poses while wearing a traditional CHinese attire.

By donating 100 pesos, you can already wear some costumes and feel the Chinese culture in you by doing some poses near the statue of Buddha.

I found these writings in the second floow of the temple. They probably had a calligraphy session a few hours ago.

Another beautiful statue of Buddha in the second floor of the temple.

Thirty minutes before midnight, the Buddhist monks did the cermony wherein they made around a hundred sounds that signify the start of the lunar calendar. I already forgot the significance of this ritual but I do believe this has something to do with nullifying the bad luck and hindering any form of suffering that a human can experience. Does anyone know what the ritual is actually about? Please comment below to also allow me to learn the concept behind it. Thank you!

New Year celebration will never be complete without fireworks!

As the sparkles brought by the fireworks started to fade, the people braced themselves for another lunar year that they have to conquer.

Welcome to the Year of the Dog!

Conclusion

The Chinese New Year is not the only representation of the Chinese culture and customs, which means there are so many things to learn. I am totally grateful that through the years, the knowledge and ideas that I gain are continuously spiraling up. I was able to grow with the things that I learn.

There might be some changes in how they managed to celebrate the Chinese New Year's Eve with the non-Buddhist visitors, but the spirit of the vibrant culture is still the same.

I hope to see more and more of these in the next coming years. Hopefully, this post inspired you to go to Chu Un temple for yourself and experience what it's like to celebrate Chinese New Year's Eve.

Xin Nian Kuai Le!

-Jay