First published in Tulay Fortnightly, Chinese-Filipino Digest 28, no. 5 (August 4-17, 2015): 8-9. Prior to the arrival of Buddhism in China in the first century of the Common Era, the seventh lunar month was already the customary time for praying for the dead. Taoist rituals already existed for this purpose. As Buddhism inculturated and […]
Evangelization, or the spread of Christianity, played a critical role in the colonization of the Philippines by the Spaniards. Unable to discover spices and gold in the islands, Spanish authorities had considered abandoning the colony. But the priests’ persuasion that the Philippines could be used as a stepping stone to propagate Christianity in China eventually […]
May the light of Buddha increase radiance like sunlight,May the dharma wheel roll out continuously to benefit all living beings,May the triple jewel prosper and be present always in this world. — Buddhist prayer On April 3, the Seng Guan Temple and Bahay Tsinoy held a very special exhibit at the museum. Venerable Phrabommasith, Buddhist Minister of Thailand, will […]
Chinese animal zodiac signs have always been part of the fun of our Lunar New Year celebrations. We are all familiar with its 12-year cycle but not everybody is aware that it is actually part of a bigger 60-year cycle, or that each birth year is also assigned to any one of the five elements, […]
When we ushered in the lunar new year last Jan. 28, popular media told us it was the year of the rooster, but in the Chinese language, we actually only say that it’s the year of the chicken – 雞年。 The chicken can be a hen or a rooster but I suppose in popular culture, […]