Travel Tips

Most Chinese in Taiwan are Buddhists. Buddhist temples, shrines, and statues are found all over Taiwan.In Changhua, there is a 72-foot high statue of Buddha, and in Taichung there is an even taller statue of Milwofwo, the Happy Buddha. The oldest and best-known
Buddhist temple in Taipei is Lungshan Temple, which is about 250 years old. "Lung-Shan" means Dragon Hill; the temple is always busy with worshippers and
tourists. Chinese usually do not go to a group service, but rather go to the temple Individually when they have a desire to do so. In Chinese temples, you will see statues and statuettes of other gods, goddesses and saints, and you will be impressed bye the elaborate roof carvings of animals and human figures. You will see incense being burned and paper money and food offerings being made for the gods. In addition to Buddhism, Confucianism and Taoism are also important philosophies of Taiwan.Chinese are very tolerant about religion, and they see no difficulty in considering themselves to be Buddhist, Confucianist, Taoist, and even Christian, all at the same time! Other Chinese don't concern themselves too much with any religion. Generally, it is important for Chinese to pay respect to older people. Children must respect parents; wives must respect husbands; brothers and sisters must respect each other. This practice is called filial piety, and is part of the philosophy of Confucius, plus a blend of Buddhism, Taoism, and five thousand years of Chinese thought.

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Maatzu Temple , Lukong

An outstanding place to watch people at worship is the Tienhou (Queen of Heaven) Temple,located at the north end of Chungshan road. The host deity here is Matsu, Goddess of the Sea, who is held in special reverence by fishermen and sailors. The constant hubbub in the temple and around its entrance gate reflects the popularity of Matsu. A ceaseless flow of worshippers fill the main hall, offering incense to the goddess and praying for her help.

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Maatsu Temple, Lukang

Todayýs temple is the result of a renovation in 1936. The host deity here is Matsu, Goddess of the Sea, who is said to have helped the Ching dynasty forces take Taiwan from holdout Ming loyalists in the 17th century. The Matsu image that the Ching officials brought with them was then left to be worshipped in Lukang, where her temple became extremely popular because go the close connection of Lukangýs people to the sea. The opulently beautiful temple as it appears today was built by masters who were all especially chosen for their skills. Its Tachuan Hall, especially, is the masterpiece of famous masters, and the rear hall houses the admission-free Matsu Culture Museum.

People born under the year of the goat are 'cursed with a lifetime of bitterness,' according to Chinese astrologers The Year of Goat, say ordinary Chinese, is not a good year to have a baby. Those born over the next 12 lunar months are bound to have bad luck.

Still, babies will be born and for them Chinese newspapers have the answer -- wearing blinding red underwear can dispel bad luck for those born in goat years.
Embracing tradition Chinese astrologers say the new year will be ruled by the water goat, a double symbol of peace and calm, which will repel large-scale international conflict .

The baby dilemma is another sign that traditional beliefs are rebounding from the days the
atheist Communist Party branded them feudal superstition.

Far from being the sole provenance of peasants and pensioners, traditions are being embraced
by all kinds of people.

The coming lunar year will be ruled by the water goat, a double symbol of peace and calm, which will repel large-scale international conflict

The Year of the Goat will smile on China, where a shining star will bring luck and good fortune.

Chinese New Year is now popularly known as the Spring Festival because it starts at the begining of Spring. Its origin is too old to be traced. All agree, that the word Nian, which in modern Chinese solely means "year", was originally the name of a monster that started to prey on people the night before the beginning of a new year.

One legend goes that the monster Nian had a very big mouth that would swallow a many people

with one bite. People were very scared. One day, an old man came to their rescue, offering to subdue Nian. To Nian he said, "I hear that you are very capable, but can you swallow the other beasts of prey on earth instead of people who are not worthy opponents?"

So, the monster changes its diet - to other beasts of prey!

After that, the old man disappeared riding the monster Nian. He turned out to be an immortal god. Now that Nian is gone and other beasts of prey are also scared into forests, people begin to enjoy their peaceful life. Before the old man left, he had told people to put up red paper decorations on their windows and doors at each year's end to scare away Nian in case it sneaked back again, because red is the color the monster feared the most.

From then on, the tradition of observing the conquest of Nian is carried on from generation to generation. The term "Guo Nian", which may mean "Survive the Nian" becomes today "Celebrate the (New) Year" as the word "guo" in Chinese having both the meaning of "pass-over" and "observe". The custom of putting up red paper and firing fire-crackers to scare away Nian should it have a chance to run loose is still around.

Belief in Deity
The concept of a supreme Creator God is rejected or at least considered irrelevant to Theravada Buddhism. Buddha, "the Awakened One," is revered above all--not as "God" but as supreme sage, model of a fully enlightened person.

ý Incarnations
Buddha was a human, a fully enlightened spiritual teacher and inspiration. As there is no belief in or relevant God, there are no incarnations of God worshipped.

ý Origin of Universe and Life
Buddhists consider it the job of scientists to explain origins of the universe and life. There is no contradiction with scientific discovery, however many maintain that the world creates and recreates itself millions of times every fraction of a second.

ý After Death
There is no transmigration of individual souls, but through the law of karma, one's wholesome or unwholesome intentions become imprinted in the mind. Negative mental states persist through continual rebirth until one's intentions become wholesome. Once fully enlightened, one is liberated from rebirths, reaching a state of absolute selflessness
resulting in ultimate bliss called Nirvana--the "Deathless State." One becomes Buddha (or one with Buddha). Some Buddhists, especially modern Western, don't emphasize or believe in literal rebirth.

ý Why Evil?
People have free will to commit wrongs or rights. Evil doings may result when egoism, cravings, attachments, and ignorance are expressed as greed, hatred, and violence, which, if unmitigated, is perpetuated through rebirth.

ý Salvation
Enlightenment is an individual journey to Nirvana (complete bliss)--liberation from suffering and cycles of rebirth--acheived by following the Four Noble Truths and Eightfold
Path. To eliminate karma, which causes rebirth, one must extinguish the belief in a separate
self that give rise to cravings, desires, and attachments. The path to enlightenment includes loving-kindness and compassion, moral conduct, charity, wisdom, and meditation.

ý Undeserved Suffering
Unenlightened life is suffering, and the cessation of this suffering is the primary goal of Buddhism--to reach Nirvana, to end cycles of rebirth. Suffering is a result of past-life
greed, hatred, and ignorance, which return as suffering (karma), while compassion toward
others who suffer reduces the effects of karma.

ý Contemporary Issues
Abortion is considered murder, and all violent acts cause horrific karmic consequence.

Homosexuality in itself is not specifically condemned by scripture, but opinions vary, especially among various Buddhist cultures--e.g., Buddhists in the United States are generally very accepting, while some Asian Buddhists are generally strongly opposed to homosexuality. It is believed that divorce wouldn't occur if one follows Buddhist precepts,
but a couple is not condemned if they separate due to vast personal differences. In Theravada countries, gender roles are generally traditional (e.g. woman as child caretakers and men as providers), but less rigid as contemporary demands are made on women (e.g. working women).