What a turn of events this was.
Instead of going back to our dorm room or the canteen to eat soup or
sandwiches we were going to a Pagoda for a lunch honoring
(grand)parents. At about noon we hurried down stairs to join the a
group of about three or four women students who were waiting to walk
us over to the Pagoda. Our group arrived in about five minutes and
found that we were a part of a larger group of at least 12 students
who were waiting for us. We had entered the building that seemed to
be a restaurant from the front and we thought, how nice, a small
place but plenty of room. Instead, the entire group were lead
through another door and we now found ourselves in a larger room with
several tables that were pulled together to provide us all with a
seat. We were actually seated inside the Pagoda. It should be noted
that almost all of the women in our group were dressed in pink and
white ai dai very much the same as you see in the pictures
accompanying the “Open Day” blog a few days ago. There are
several TDT students who we learned are regular volunteers at the
Pagoda helping to prepare and serve food. On most days we believe
that the food is sold very inexpensively so it is a popular student
eating spot. The volunteers from the University wore a gray specific outfit that we were told identified them as volunteers working in the Buddhist Pagoda. Also present was a Buddhist Monk who welcomed us as guests and shook our hands and then the staff started serving us a several course vegetarian dinner centered around rice but with lots of different vegetables and fruit fixed to go with the rice. Around the interior of the Pagoda was art work illustrating the life and travels of the Buddha as well as several statues of the Buddha. At that Pagoda and at Pagodas all around the country food was being served for free to encourage the love and respect for ancestors and parents. To us this seemed to be a small and modest Pagoda with an open air restaurant and gardening.
This photo and the one above are of art work on the campus of TDT.
The fragrance of incense was in the
warm air swirling through the Pagoda and all in all it was a new and
enjoyable experience for us to be a part of this with the students.
When everyone left everyone gathered their shoes and guided by two
students we navigated back across one helluva busy street.
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