*Mari sejenak “kabur” dari belajar final term exam Statistik untuk sekedar menorehkan kata dan menguntai kalimat di blog :D.
Sabtu, 21 Desember 2013 yang lalu aku bersama profesor dan kawan-kawan dari kampus melakukan “kuliah lapangan” yaitu berkunjung ke Museum :D! Aku memang suka sekali maen en jalan-jalan ke tempat ginian. Interesting! Penuh dengan rasa penasaran dan ingin tahu :p
Semester ini, aku mengambil mata kuliah “Ethnic Structure in Taiwan”. Profesor pengampu pelajaran ini adalah seorang ahli di bidang visual Anthropology jebolan University of California – Berkeley, US. Bliau memang dikenal sangat senang mengajak para mahasiswanya “berjalan-jalan” dan melihat + mengamati langsung fenomena yang ada di sekitar dan mendapat pembelajarannya “fresh” from the source.
Nah, dalam kesempatan tersebut, kami diajak untuk berkunjung ke Museum of World Religions. Untuk memastikan pembelajaran mahasiswanya, di akhir semester beliau meminta kami untuk menulis laporan kunjungan. Then, here let me share what I’ve write for this report. Jaa, selamat membaca :D! (PS: dicopas + edit + tukar tambah dari berbagai sumber dan juga dicatat habis tulisan yang ada di museum. Untuk foto asli jepretan me feat. Kuro-chan).
The Museum of World Religions (世界宗教博物館) located in Yonghe District, New Taipei City, Taiwan. The museum was founded by Venerable Hsin Tao (心道), a Buddhist monk, in 2001 and set up through the Ling Jiou Mountain Buddhist Foundation. Further elaborate opening ceremonies were held on September 11th and in November 2002 with many religious leaders and others from around the world, including the President Chen Shui-bian.
There are several sections/ hall in this museum. In the permanent Exhibitions, we can see water curtain that explain purification, then Pilgrim’s Way, Hand Print, Golden Lobby, hall of Creations, Hall of Life’s Journey, Meditation Gallery, Awakenings, Avatamsaka World, Great Hall of World Religions, and The Greatest Sacred Buildings.
Here, the visitor can watch 10 minutes video about “The Creation of Universe”. Here explained the origins of world and human from various religions and believes. It mentioned about the creation of myths as foundation of any religion.
The museum presents exhibits features a model called “Avatamsaka World” illustrating the Avatamsaka Sutra. The original meaning of the Sanskrit word “Avatamsaka” is the solemnity of different flowers or great whole. As an extension of this, Avatamska World is in fact a large garden of life. Our own experience of life forces us to ask whether we have a sufficiently open heart and breath of vision to appreciate and enjoy first-hand the vital beauty present in the garden of life.
As one enters the spherical space, a short film of audio-visual effects is played. In this way it is our intention to share with visitors a certain experience and aesthetic, from daily life to the pursuit of spirituality, from the world in which we live to the Cosmos beyond. When life returns to the truth and beauty of its origins all barriers and obstacles disappear. When we understand and realize “respect, tolerance, and love” then we come to grasp the harmonious world of Avatamska.
There is also a special section about “The Journey of Life”, from various religions perspective, cultures, traditions & rituals from many countries:
1. Birth:
- Birth, creation, possibility, hope, promise, life force
- Religion guides and encourages people explore life meaning
2. Mid-life:
- Marriage
- Responsibility, family, work, community, self-awareness, examination, knowledge
3. Old age:
- Wisdom, respect, leadership, authority
4. Death and after life:
- Hope, reincarnation, blessing, eternity, heaven
- Religions aspire heaven
- The use of paper money in Chinese culture, Egypt script
In the Great Hall of World Religions, we can see 10 world religions; Buddhism, Islam, Ancient Egypt, Judaism, Christianity, Hinduism, Sikhism, Maya, Shinto, Daoism and one special display on religious life of the Taiwanese.
While in The Greatest Sacred Buildings, there are miniature of religious building in all over the world; church, Cathedral, mosques, Buddhist temple, Hindu’s temple, synagogue, Sikh’s temple, etc.
(kembali ke versi bahasa Indonesia)
Menurutku, museum ini cukup menarik dalam merepresentasikan dan menampilkan agama-agama besar di dunia. Dan juga memberi penjelasan bagaimana agama sebagai bagian dari budaya, ditinjau dari perspektif antropologi.
Btw, ada yang tahu gak alasan kenapa dari sekian banyak macam agama dunia, yang ditampilkan di museum ini koq hanya 10 di atas? Yang bisa jawab dengan benar kukasih souvenir khusus dari museum ini (asli, beli di toko souvenir museumnya :p)
Fyi, untuk menuju ke museum yang berada di lantai 7 gedung di sekitar Yonghe ini, kita perlu naik MRT jalur kuning sampe ke stasiun Dingxi kemudian lanjut naik bis No. 706 ato 297 (lihat SINI untuk detailnya). Adapun untuk ongkos masuk museum adalah NTD 100 bagi mahasiswa. Lengkapnya untuk admission fee, silakan liat INI ya 
Jaa, silakan berkunjung ke sana apabila ada waktu ;)! Enjoy, and keep learning + keep traveling 
