Source: The Buddhist Channel
http://www.buddhistchannel.tv/index.php?id=60,3796,0,0,1,0
Shawangunk, New York (USA) -- Victor Lapuszynski had just finished his meal of turnip cakes, fried spring rolls and sushi rolls, when asked what he has gained most from the study of Buddhism.
The proper answer, he replied, was "nothing."
To understand that enigmatic response is to understand some of the wisdom Lapuszynski has acquired through 37 years of Buddhist study.
Located at the end of Quannacut Road, the Dharma Drum Retreat Center yesterday hosted nearly 300 visitors, including Lapuszynski. The center was celebrating the last day of the 15-day Chinese New Year celebrations, as well as marking a new chapter in its efforts to reach out to the local community.
"Before, the center was just for practitioners (from the Buddhist school's branch in Queens)," said Min-jae Hong, the retreat's outreach director. "Now, we're building more programs for locals."
The more aggressive outreach is timed partly to the arrival of the retreat's new abbot, the Venerable Guo Jun Fashi, one of the followers of Sheng Yen, a famous Chan Buddhist teacher. Yen currently has several branches of his Buddhist schools in New York and New Jersey.