I have enjoyed going to Villa Corazón de Buda, a Buddhist temple outside of Lima, every Sunday with Wendy. I am not super familiar with Buddhism, but have enjoyed learning about it. I have had a lot of fun every Sunday morning buying fruits at small stalls on our way from Lima to Cienguilla about 45 minutes east of the city. There are two fruit vendors in particular who seem to know Wendy well and let us try some fruit to figure out which is the sweetest that week. I’ve become particularly fond of granadilla, a type of passion fruit that is not as tart or goopy as passion fruit I’ve eaten in Taiwan. For me, granadilla is like a cross between a pomegranate and a kiwi; its texture and seeds remind me of pomegranate, and the taste has a light tangy sweetness of a kiwi.
I have only sat in on the services once. Since they were conducted what seems to be classical Chinese, it was hard to follow. Wendy and her friend Sherry, who lives at the temple, have been quite kind and have put no pressure on me to participate the service if I didn’t get that much out of it. They have encouraged me to spend time in the gardens and explore the grounds during the services. Every week, I join up with everyone after they are done with the prayers for a homemade (and often homegrown) vegetarian lunch. I have loved the lunches, which mix Chinese and Peruvian food seamlessly: choclo (Peruvian corn), turnips and potatoes, with bok choy and tofu and green beans. Every week it’s a little different and quite good.
I’ve also had a good time getting to know Ana, a 13 year old from Iquitos who moved to Lima a year ago to live with aunt. Her aunt comes to the services, but Ana didn’t grow up going to Buddhist services in Iquitos so she and I often chat while during the services. The last few weeks we have played cards, ‘spit’ becoming our new favorite game. Sometimes we talk about her new school. Her parents wanted her to have access to better schools and she now goes to an international school in Lima. Every once in a while Ana will talk about what it’s like being of Chinese descent in Peruvian schools, but it’s not something she talks about much. I’ve asked a couple times, and it’s cool to hear how it seems to largely be a nonissue for her.
Last week at lunch, a couple curious flies kept landing on the platters of food. Sherry, who seems to be a reasonably observant Buddhist, got up and walked toward a pile of newspapers.
I kill bugs. I probably shouldn’t, but moths and mosquitos in particular bother me. I should be kinder. I personally have no problem with killing insects, but thought it was odd that Sherry would do that, given her disposition.
Sherry was one step ahead of me. She ended up grabbing a small plastic cup next to the pile of newspapers and a single sheet of paper. Everyone around the table stopped eating and watched Sherry patiently wait for the fly to land and stay still on the lazy susan. Then, she slowly lowered the cup and then suddenly placed the cup on top of the fly, creating a small dome for the fly to buzz around in. Then, she quickly slid the piece of paper underneath, and scurried to the screen door and let the fly free. She did the whole thing a few minutes later to redirect another six-legged visitor. It seemed that Sherry did this fairly frequently given her skill, but also beamed each time, proud of and a little surprised by her quick reflexes.
I have really enjoyed my trips to Villa Corazón de Buda and look forward to many more visits. The next time I visit, the maestro (not sure what the right word in English would be, but everyone in this Buddhist community is his disciple) will be back in Peru after spending a few months near Auburn University in Georgia. I look forward to meeting him.