... three ...

Today was the turn of the advent wreath´s second candle. That means there are only two and half week til christmas and slightly less than three weeks til our departure to Taiwan.

I regret that I can´t go earlier to Taiwan like last year and escape from all the German christmas trouble in December: traffic jams in the big cities because of the extreme shopping fever and the christmas markets, countless christmas parties and annoying new year wishes as if a new life will start in 2008. Nevertheless there are still some positive reports about the last week:

Santa Luo shows what Santa Claus gave him.

Besides all those Christian stuff there was the opportunity last week to visit a buddhist presentation of the "Boddhisattva buddhistischen Kulturverein i.G." (Boddhisattva buddhist culture club in the course of incorporation) in Duesseldorf. First their chairman explained the purpose and the aims of the club. Then a dharma master held a speech about the themes "Why buddhism?" and "How to practice buddhism?". The master was a lady, that came from Heidelberg where she did her doctorate. 20 families and 10 single persons belong to the buddhist club. Because the club is still in the course of incorporation, there is not yet a web page or a home of the club. I guess their examples are the islamic culture clubs, that were founded by the muslims who are living since decades in Germany. People are looking for support and a feeling of security in a strange and cold society. Mainly Taiwanese support the "Boddhisattva buddhistischen Kulturvereins i.G.". My wife is always amazed how many of her compatriots are residents in the cities of Western Germany. A real surprise at this evening was the meeting with an acquaintance from Kaohsiung, who is also a member of this club and contributed to the supporting musical programme of the evening as a violinist.

You find always confirmation how small this world is. Actually there is no place on this little vulnerable planet, swinging in the space, for crazy dictatorships and nationalistic assigments, excessive selfishness and racist hierarchy thinking, that endangers the existence of the whole mankind.

At the sight of the buddhist and other taiwanese orientated activities in Germany Luo You became curious and asks if there are similar, mirrored German networks in Taiwan.