Hard on the heels of a highly successful celebration of the Chinese New Year, declared a festivity in the municipal public interest by Palma Town Hall, it has been revealed that the Chinese community in the Balearics is to approach the town hall with a request to build a large Buddhist temple. If this were to go ahead, Palma would be "the first city to have one in the entire Mediterranean Sea," according to the president of the Achinib Chinese association in the Balearics, Fang Ji.
The request comes specifically from the Hai Hui Shan Buddhist Community in Spain, whose president, Master Renshan, met the mayor, Jaime Martínez, at the beginning of last December. He was accompanied by a delegation of monks from Zhejiang. Up to 3,000 square metres of land are being sought for the project to build a large temple. Elsewhere in Spain there are small facilities for study and nothing on the scale envisaged for Palma.
"We consider Mallorca to be a good land for spiritualisation. In Europe there are more than eight million people with a Buddhist spirit," says Fang Ji. The fact that Mallorca combines the concepts of sea and mountains so well also makes the island attractive for Buddhism, which affords these elements a deep spiritual meaning. He adds that when Master Renshan visited the island, he immediately "fell in love" with it.
At present, there is no centre for learning Buddhist teachings in the Balearics, although the project is not only intended as a centre for the resident population. It would become a centre for religious tourism that could attract people from all over Europe.
Fang Ji highlights the fact that construction would involve attracting foreign investment, as the techniques required for a building of this type of temple are not known to local companies. This potential investment is estimated at around 20 million euros, but would depend on the final dimensions. It is understood that there have been some initial, informal talks with the town hall and that there is to be an official meeting in early March.
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Mallorca is such an odd island. The locals (most of whom originate from the mainland) demonstrate to show they are fed up with tourists, the lifeblood of the island. Yet the custodians continue to allow expansion, welcoming, spanking new hotels (I've lost count how many) a huge airport expansion (that nobody talks about?) Lots more cruise ships, full of people who buy ? (not much). Even the sunshine is expanding.
Watch out JC and Mary Magdalene. With Allah on one side and Buddha on the other you are going to be fighting for free days for your fiestas soon. Personally I think a bit of Satanism to balance things up. Remember we have to be non discriminatory and inclusive nowadays. One mans guerilla is another's freedom fighter. Well one mans God is another's Satan . Plus the yanks rapidly moving in probably means Southern Baptists, Evangelicals, Mormons. Mallorca - center of world religious tourism - who would have thought it. Remember folks, you heard it here first at the Mallorca Daily Sermon.