Rachel Atanacio (傳睿),
Coordinator, Art Design and Decoration Section

Rachel, or “Aque”, found Ocean Sky in 2007 through her friend Fermin, when she was looking for a place that taught meditation. She liked the calm and peaceful atmosphere of the monastery and appreciated the lectures so much that the very first term she enrolled, she decided to attend all levels of classes right away. Before the year ended, she found herself helping out with the artwork needs of the monastery.

The following year, one of her first major tasks was to produce the summer camp booklet. She has since designed all succeeding summer camp booklets and other teaching materials. In 2012, she came out with the beautiful design for the Bodhi Star booklet on the Sixth Patriarch Huineng that Ocean Sky was very proud to produce. More and more tasks came her way, including designing posters for special events and ceremonies, bulletin board announcements, and signages all around the monastery, plus decorating the halls for the Chinese New Year celebration. Aque works alone in one quiet area on the top floor of the monastery away from the activities in the lower floors. Her work clearly shows the essence of Chan, expressing the same peace and calmness that she likes so much.

Aque has a soft and compassionate heart and would quietly help people who are in need. While she holds a regular job to the south of Manila which requires several- hour bus ride, it is not an obstacle for her to promptly complete any workload given to her by the Shifus. She devotes her weekends and sometimes even extends into the weekdays to finish any task required by the monastery. The rest of the week, she goes to her job and works late into the night to make up for her absences. She clearly feels that abilities and talents should be used in the service for others.

In addition to doing art design, Aque is also an acolyte in the Chan Hall and often plays the drum and bell during ceremonies. She has joined several Chan-7 retreats in Chung Tai and has volunteered in various capacities during special events. Aque once said, “Too much knowledge without application is useless and sometimes dangerous because it can inflate the ego. Practice has to complement knowledge. Practice can come in many forms—not only through sitting.” By contributing so many of her inherent talents for the benefit of the people of Ocean Sky, Aque is clearly demonstrating how to practice the bodhisattva way.