Rejoicing with Buddha: Living Buddha Liansheng and Shimu Visit Chihuly Garden and Glass
By Master Shi Lianyi (蓮屹), Ling Shen Ching Tze Temple, Seattle
On July 29, 2026, more than eighty masters, reverends, Dharma propagating personnel, and disciples from Ling Shen Ching Tze Temple and Rainbow Temple accompanied HH Living Buddha Liansheng and Shimu, Master Lianxiang, on a visit to Chihuly Garden and Glass, one of Seattle's most celebrated art attractions. The outing marked the fourth stop in the Rejoicing with Buddha series, following previous visits to the Seattle Asian Art Museum, Snoqualmie Falls, and the Woodland Park Zoo.
Located beside Seattle's iconic Space Needle, Chihuly Garden and Glass is a renowned museum dedicated to the works of internationally acclaimed glass artist Dale Chihuly. The museum combines indoor galleries, a magnificent Glasshouse, outdoor gardens, and live glassblowing demonstrations, showcasing the beauty and versatility of glass through light, color, and form.
Major exhibition galleries include Winter Brilliance, Chihuly's Inspirations, the Sealife Room, the Persian Ceiling, Mille Fiori, Ikebana and Float Boat, Chandeliers, and Macchia Forest, each presenting a distinctive theme that highlights Chihuly's boundless imagination and vibrant artistic vision.
Before the group departed, Master Lianqi (蓮麒) thoughtfully briefed Guru Buddha on the artist Dale Chihuly and presented a short video introducing the museum's principal exhibits and the creative concepts behind his works.
According to the brief, Chihuly lost the vision in one eye in an accident early in his career. Later, a shoulder injury prevented him from blowing glass himself. As a result, he gradually shifted his focus to drawing, conceptual design, and artistic direction, working with a team of skilled artisans to bring his large-scale glass installations to life.
After entering the museum, the group nearly filled the walkways of the exhibition galleries. Smiling, the museum staff remarked that they rarely saw such a large group, even on weekends, and certainly not on a Wednesday. This made the fourth Rejoicing with Buddha outing an especially memorable occasion.
After entering the museum, HH Living Buddha Liansheng strolled leisurely through the galleries, taking in each exhibit. Chihuly's glass artworks dazzled with vivid colors and extraordinary forms. Some resembled marine creatures from the depths of the ocean; others evoked flowers, vines, or flowing flames, while still others looked like fantastical beings from a fairy tale.
As he admired the works, the Root Guru offered spontaneous observations with his characteristic wit and keen eye. Some pieces, he remarked, looked like "Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles"; others reminded him of tacos, octopuses, or even ice cream cones. His playful comments drew knowing laughter from everyone present. When viewing a display of tall, pointed glass sculptures, he joked that anyone who landed on them while parachuting would be in serious trouble, prompting another burst of laughter throughout the gallery.
The group also viewed Dale Chihuly's original design sketches. Their bold lines and vibrant blocks of color, displayed alongside the completed glass artworks, revealed how each masterpiece gradually evolved from an initial concept on paper into a radiant three-dimensional creation.
Whenever HH Living Buddha Liansheng appreciates art, he is often able to discern the artist's creative methods at a glance. He also explained to those present the differences between liuli and glass. Listening nearby, the disciples were impressed by his refined observations of form, color, and artistic design.
He noted that some glass creations, with their rich colors and solid, clustered forms, resembled grass jelly, while others, through their flowing curves, vividly demonstrated how glass is transformed by intense heat and the skilled hands of the artist.
In the Persian Ceiling gallery, colorful glass sculptures stretched across the ceiling overhead. As light streamed through them, vibrant reflections danced across the floor and over the visitors themselves. Master Lianxiang also displayed her artistic eye. Rather than photographing only the exhibits, she creatively captured the shoes of the monastics gathered together, using the interplay of light and shadow. Ordinary footwear was transformed, through thoughtful composition and colorful reflections, into an image of unexpected charm. Art exists not only in the exhibits themselves, but also in the eyes of those who discover beauty.
The museum's most iconic space is the Glasshouse, a soaring glass-and-steel structure approximately forty feet high and spanning 4,500 square feet. Suspended within it is a spectacular 100-foot-long sculpture composed of hundreds of hand-blown glass elements. Dominated by shades of red, yellow, and orange, the installation becomes especially breathtaking as natural light streams through the Glasshouse.
While admiring the work, HH Living Buddha Liansheng remarked that its form resembled dried lotus leaves spread wide. Looking upward, the group saw glass pieces unfolding like petals and leaves, while at the same time resembling flames flowing through the air, harmonizing beautifully with the sky beyond the Glasshouse.
Another highlight of the visit was the museum's outdoor garden. Vibrant trees, plants, and flowers are thoughtfully interwoven with glass sculptures, allowing the glass artworks to extend beyond the indoor galleries and interact with natural light, surrounding vegetation, the open sky, and the changing seasons. As the group strolled through the garden, the glass creations appeared and disappeared among the foliage, creating a delightful harmony between artistic craftsmanship and the beauty of nature.
HH Living Buddha Liansheng paused before one of the luminous glass artworks. Behind him, yellow and orange glass forms contrasted beautifully with the blue sky and lush greenery, creating one of the most memorable moments of the outing, truly reflecting the spirit of Rejoicing with Buddha.
The group also watched a live glassblowing demonstration. The staff explained that glass art is created at temperatures exceeding 1,000 degrees, after which each piece is placed in an annealing furnace of over 500 degrees to cool gradually and retain its shape. Using a blowpipe, the artist first inflates the molten glass into its basic form, then shapes, stretches, and refines it with tools such as tweezers and shears while applying different colors. Through the careful balance of heat, breath, and craftsmanship, the glowing mass of molten glass is gradually transformed into a graceful vase.
The demonstration also revealed that more than 300 colors are available for glassmaking. Watching the glowing glass gradually change from a soft, red-hot mass into a finished work gave everyone a deeper appreciation of the concentration, experience, and craftsmanship required to master this art.
The museum also has a theater showing a documentary about Dale Chihuly's creative process. HH Living Buddha Liansheng was interested in watching it, but upon reaching the entrance, he noticed that several visitors were quietly viewing the film. Mindful that the arrival of such a large group might disturb them, he decided not to enter. Without saying anything, he simply led everyone away. Though seemingly a small gesture, it allowed the accompanying disciples to witness once again his thoughtfulness and constant consideration for others.
During the visit, everyone also enjoyed browsing a variety of art-inspired merchandise, experiencing how glass art extends beyond the exhibition galleries into everyday life. Along the way, an Italian staff member took the initiative to approach and interact with HH Living Buddha Liansheng and the group, joyfully requesting a blessing and a commemorative photograph. Each outing naturally becomes an opportunity to form meaningful connections with people from different cultures and walks of life.
After the visit concluded, Shimu Master Lianxiang distributed snacks she had prepared in advance to everyone in the group, while continuing to check along the way whether anyone had gone hungry. A few cookies and a few simple words of care allowed the accompanying disciples to feel Shimu's thoughtful and attentive care.
Afterward, Ling Shen Ching Tze Temple in Seattle specially arranged for resident monastics and accompanying fellow disciples to dine together with HH Living Buddha Liansheng and Shimu. This time, long-serving volunteer disciples who regularly assist at the temple were also specially invited to participate, giving them the opportunity to spend time in close proximity with HH Living Buddha Liansheng and Shimu.
Every group practice and ceremony that proceeds smoothly, and every teaching of HH Living Buddha Liansheng that reaches people around the world, is made possible by the many volunteers who quietly and steadfastly serve behind the scenes. Through this gathering, the temple also expressed its gratitude to the members of the audiovisual team for their selfless support and dedication.
On this day, amid light and color, everyone accompanied HH Living Buddha Liansheng and Shimu in appreciating the wondrous transformations of glass art. During the warm meal that followed, they also experienced the simple and heartfelt gathering shared among HH Living Buddha Liansheng, Shimu, and their disciples.
A mass of molten glass must pass through intense heat, breath, and skilled hands before it takes shape into a transparent and radiant form. Perhaps this is also the meaning of Rejoicing with Buddha: it is not merely about viewing an exhibition together or walking the same path for a while; rather, through ordinary visits and shared journeys, laughter along the way, appreciation of art, and mutual gratitude and support gradually crystallize into a clear and warm sense of Dharma joy.
And while this shared journey has not yet come to an end, HH Living Buddha Liansheng has already thought of where to go for the next outing.
Stay tuned for the fifth stop of Rejoicing with Buddha.
Translated by TBTTs
Edited by DJ Chang
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