Brother Paul saw me off, repeating his assurance that it had been an honour. On the road in the bright sunshine, I found myself envying him. But precisely what was it that I was envying? The warmth of the cocoon that surrounded him? His certainty? The joy that peeped out again as we shook hands? His faith itself? To some extent, of course, all of these, but there was something else: his courage. The truth is that I am unable to believe that when Christ said: 'My Kingdom is not of this world' he meant that it was. Among the fifty monks of Notre Dame d'Aiguebelle, it was possible to see, misty but unmistakeable, the point. The enclosing shell of the monastery becomes a symbol of what must be the ultimate truth not only of Christianity but of all religions: the Kingdom of Heaven is within. For the monks within the walls, for the rest of us, within the human heart, which has room enough for all the walls there are. We all carry within our hearts a Notre Dame d'Aiguebelle, ...
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Who is Sir David Tang?
Sir David Tang ... is a Hong Kong businessman and socialite best known as the founder of the Shanghai Tang chain ... Known for his love of Cuban cigars, Tang is also Honorary Consul of Cuba in Hong Kong ... Tang is the founder of the China Clubs (Hong Kong, Peking and Singapore), the Shanghai Tang stores, Havana House and Pacific Co Ltd (the exclusive distributor for all Havana brands in Canada, Asia and Australia). More recently Tang opened the Cipriani in Hong Kong and the China Tang restaurant at the Dorchester Hotel. Tang is also a director and advisor to a number of boards which include Tommy Hilfiger.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/David_Tang