A group of Taiwanese monks and nuns, joined by a number of counterparts from South Korea, Vietnam and Bhutan, have completed a special training session in which they literally learned to “swim across to the other side.”
“Swimming to the other side of the river and helping others do so” is at the center of Buddhist tenets, but people rarely see any monks or nuns swim because of a rule against “playing in water.”
Lin Chen-tsai (林呈財), chairperson of the Taiwan Wisdom Action Aspirant Water Life Saving -Association, which co-sponsored the three-day training session, said the Buddhist tenet actually advised members of the sangha (the community of ordained monks and nuns) not to waste time on meaningless activities, rather than against learning how to swim and help rescue people from drowning.
“Once a person learns lifesaving skills, he will not casually give up life and will be able to appreciate life and protect life,” Lin said.
Working with the Buddhist Association of Taipei, the Taiwan Wisdom Action launched a “sangha members swimming session” last year, training more than 30 monks and nuns for two days in fresh and seawater.
Last year’s session was so successful that both associations decided to hold another one this year, but did not expect to draw more than 200 participants, mostly temple leaders from around Taiwan. More nuns than monks took part. More than 200 licensed volunteers and 100 coaches taught them how to swim and how to rescue people.
The training program attracted more than 10 South Korean Buddhist leaders, monks and nuns, as well as others from Bhutan and Vietnam, who joined their Taiwanese counterparts to learn how to swim in Taoyuan County and Pinglin District (坪林), New Taipei City (新北市).
The students also acquired skills in saving people from rapid streams, administering CPR (cardiopulmonary resuscitation) and the Heimlich maneuver, and bandaging and moving the wounded. In support of the training session, the Buddha Light International Association arranged for all trainees and coaches to stay at a temple in Sansia (三峽), New Taipei City.
Many of the participants told reporters that after immersing themselves in an immense sea to learn how to save themselves and others, they better appreciated Buddha’s compassionate hope to “save others in a sea of pain.”
Lin said that if the religious sector can save physical lives, it will be better able to give comfort and encouragement to people psychologically.
Taiwan yesterday condemned the recent increase in Chinese coast guard-escorted fishing vessels operating illegally in waters around the Pratas Islands (Dongsha Islands, 東沙群島) in the South China Sea. Unusually large groupings of Chinese fishing vessels began to appear around the islands on Feb. 15, when at least six motherships and 29 smaller boats were sighted, the Coast Guard Administration (CGA) said in a news release. While CGA vessels were dispatched to expel the Chinese boats, Chinese coast guard ships trespassed into Taiwan’s restricted waters and unsuccessfully attempted to interfere, the CGA said. Due to the provocation, the CGA initiated an operation to increase
CHANGING LANDSCAPE: Many of the part-time programs for educators were no longer needed, as many teachers obtain a graduate degree before joining the workforce, experts said Taiwanese universities this year canceled 86 programs, Ministry of Education data showed, with educators attributing the closures to the nation’s low birthrate as well as shifting trends. Fifty-three of the shuttered programs were part-time postgraduate degree programs, about 62 percent of the total, the most in the past five years, the data showed. National Taiwan Normal University (NTNU) discontinued the most part-time master’s programs, at 16: chemistry, life science, earth science, physics, fine arts, music, special education, health promotion and health education, educational psychology and counseling, education, design, Chinese as a second language, library and information sciences, mechatronics engineering, history, physical education
The Chinese military has boosted its capability to fight at a high tempo using the element of surprise and new technology, the Ministry of National Defense said in the Quadrennial Defense Review (QDR) published on Monday last week. The ministry highlighted Chinese People’s Liberation Army (PLA) developments showing significant changes in Beijing’s strategy for war on Taiwan. The PLA has made significant headway in building capabilities for all-weather, multi-domain intelligence, surveillance, operational control and a joint air-sea blockade against Taiwan’s lines of communication, it said. The PLA has also improved its capabilities in direct amphibious assault operations aimed at seizing strategically important beaches,
‘MALIGN PURPOSE’: Governments around the world conduct espionage operations, but China’s is different, as its ultimate goal is annexation, a think tank head said Taiwan is facing a growing existential threat from its own people spying for China, experts said, as the government seeks to toughen measures to stop Beijing’s infiltration efforts and deter Taiwanese turncoats. While Beijing and Taipei have been spying on each other for years, experts said that espionage posed a bigger threat to Taiwan due to the risk of a Chinese attack. Taiwan’s intelligence agency said China used “diverse channels and tactics” to infiltrate the nation’s military, government agencies and pro-China organizations. The main targets were retired and active members of the military, persuaded by money, blackmail or pro-China ideology to steal
RSS