WISE Program underway in Ningbo, China

At the end of September, as many Chinese packed their bags to enjoy the Golden week National holidays and take a vacation, a diverse group descended upon the open fields and quiet space in a temple in Ningbo, China to begin a six-week program of cultivation and inter-cultural understanding from the end of September through mid-November, 2016.

One of the purposes of the Woodenfish International Student Exchange (WISE) program is to cultivate talented English-speaking youth within the lifestyle and framework of an engaged and Humanistic Buddhist tradition.

The participants follow a rigorous schedule beginning by waking up at 4:30am, meditation and chanting, learning Chinese language, studying Buddhist philosophy and directly living and practicing a Buddhist monastic life, and also offering English classes in exchange to the ~30 Chinese participants.