Hua
Yan
Temple
My Week in Fujian
Hua Yan Temple
The
July page of The
Journal has several posts that follow themes that
emerged during my stay at Hua Yan Temple in Ningde City, Fujian. They
are largely reflective.
But
in order to provide some context, I have given a more
nuts-and-bolts daily account of the trip, with pictures, below.
Also,
you can see pictures of many of the people from this trip here.
Friday,
July 14: I flew with Mr. Wu Xian Shou, his friend Mr. Lin,
and his son Diego, from Shenzhen Baoan International Airport
around 5 p.m. In addition to ourselves and our luggage, we
transported several large boxes of printed sutras to be delivered
to temples in Fujian. The flight was about an hour, but
take-off was delayed by the effects of a typhoon affecting
Fuzhou, our destination. (pictures
of the Wu family)
Landing
in Fuzhou was smooth, however, and Mr. Lin (who owns a display
advertising company in Fuzhou, with offices in Shenzhen) had two
cars waiting. One took him home (presumably); the other
took the Wu father and son and me to a hotel in Ningde, where we
would spend the night before taking the rough mountain road to
the temple in the morning.
One
delightful surprise: The driver (an employee of Mr. Lin's) spoke
no English, but he had lived in Japan. So we were able to
converse in Japanese (he much better than I) as we rode
along. See more on my conversation with Mr. Wu in the
first post below.
Dinner was waiting, and I had a comfortable private room for the
night.
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Saturday,
July 15: In the morning we had a nice breakfast, and I met
the owner of the hotel--a friend from Mr. Wu's hometown.
This was to be a theme: "He is from our hometown,"
Diego said again and again throughout the trip. Indeed, Mr. Wu's
devotion to his hometown runs deep: The town's name is Shouning,
and the character for "Shou" in that name is the same
as the last character of Mr. Wu's name, Wu Xian Shou. (He also
has a hometown friend named Chen Shou, also using the same character.)
After
a couple of hours on country roads, some of them quite rough, we
reached Hua Yan Temple, 820 meters (almost 2700 feet) up Zhiti
Mountain (which is itself over 1200 meters, I'm told--over 3900
feet.) I will say more about the mountain and its name when the
Temple Guy pages are finished.
"My biggest fan" at my
birthday party (Photo by Diego)
A
funny thing happened on the way into the temple: We were in a
procession towards our rooms, carrying bags, accompanied by
monks and lay people, when we passed a group of kids. One
of them thrust a package of crackers out to me, and gave me a
big grin. To this day, I don't know his name, because
thereafter Diego and I only referred to him as "My biggest
fan." Apparently what Diego describes as "a naughty
boy," he glued himself to my side for a few days.
Quite a character.
*
* * * * * * *
We
had lunch with Venerable Hui Jing (picture), the temple administrator, and
several young monks with whom I became friends over the next few
days. (All meals, of course, were strictly vegetarian,
with not even dairy in sight. Dining was usually Chinese
style, with a "lazy Susan" bearing dishes, and a bowl
of rice or rice gruel. The monks, including Venerable Hui Jing often
served me; it was embarrassing!) After lunch, Venerable Hui
Jing took us on a tour of the temple (in slightly rainy weather)
and after exploring more on my own I later joined the monks, Mr.
Wu, and Diego for tea, and again later for dinner. After
dinner was a Dharma service that involved both chanting of the
name "Amitofo" (Amitabha Buddha) and some sitting Chan
(Zen).
This
became my routine. It consisted of: taking pictures;
participating in (or, usually, listening from the outside to)
ceremonies; tea with the monks, where many of the conversations
that generated these entries to the Journal took place; meals;
playing with the kids who were attending the summer camp; and
plenty of naps. Below, I will leave out most of these
details, adding only the highlights.
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Sunday,
July 16: Because many of the kids were delayed by the
typhoon, the summer camp did not start today. So it was mostly
relaxation and getting familiar with the temple.
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Monday,
July 17: This morning we had the Opening Ceremony for the
summer camp. Like so many of the functions I took part in
at Hsi Lai Temple in Los Angeles, it was a very formal affair:
the teachers and leaders (myself, one other layman, and six
monks) seated on a dais; the other teachers occupying the front
row in the classroom; introductions, speeches, and lots and lots
of applause. The decorum was somewhat shattered, however,
when Diego (while translating my brief "Hello" speech)
announced that it was my birthday, and the kids and teachers and
monks joined in a thunderous rendition of "Happy
Birthday," followed by cheers and more applause. It
wouldn't be the last time today I'd hear that song.
On the dais at the Opening
Ceremony (Photo by Bob)
*
* * * * * * *
After
a relatively uneventful day, I was taking pictures in the Main
Hall when Diego came to tell me that Venerable Hui Jing had a
question for me in the Tea Room, and I'd better hurry.
As
I suspected, it was a surprise party. Earlier in the day,
a woman had (with unwonted enthusiasm) asked me a question in
Chinese, and rather than translating, D had "shushed"
her. This pretty much let the cat out of the bag.
It was indeed the strangest, and very close to
the bestest, birthday party ever. With mostly monks and a few Buddhist
laypeople, I served long
noodles to the guests, a symbol of longevity (1). Throughout
the party, various songs were sung, and chants chanted,
including:
Happy Birthday Chinese style, another song I never
heard before, the Heart Sutra (which I chanted through Japan--in
Japanese, of course),
the Medicine Buddha Mantra, and the Medicine Buddha Sutra (2).
(I was quite surprised when seven-year-old Angel [picture]
standing next
to me chanted the Medicine Buddha mantra: "Na mo Yao Shih
Fo"). There was also a cake (3)
with a most wonderful device: A
plastic lotus in the closed position was placed in the center of
the cake. It had candles inside; when they were lit, they
ignited some gunpowder inside, which shot out sparks like a
sparkler, then flames (4). This eventually burned through some sort of strings
inside, releasing the petals so that the "lotus"
slowly opened! I also got kissed on the cheek by a
little boy, for good luck. Simple presents were given, and
lots of pictures taken with people sitting next to me (5,
6).
Afterward, there was a great discussion and debate (as
usual). A very satisfying affair.
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Tuesday,
July 18: Today
was our first day of blue skies, the typhoon having moved
on.
Diego and me in the classroom (Photo by Bob)
It
was also my first day of class. After giving my
"bio" and answering questions (with Diego's help as
translator), we divided the class
into nine groups. Each group received a page with part of the
life of the Shakyamuni Buddha on it. They were to read the
page, be sure they understood it, and then create a play to
present their part of the story to the rest of the class.
So Diego and I spent time helping them understand the pages, and
they prepared for the performances in tomorrow's class.
*
* * * * * * *
Master Ji Qun arrives at the
temple (Photo by Bob)
The highlight of the day was the arrival of Master Ji
Qun. He is a teaching monk whom Diego says is widely
considered to be one of the foremost Chinese monks of the 21st
century. He is also delightfully humble and
unassuming.
He has a "Center" in Suzhou, from
which he publishes books and travels around the country
teaching. He has also taught in Singapore and Australia,
but only in Chinese (like most Chinese monks I've met, he speaks
no English).
Master Ji Qun (borrowed from his homepage)
Unfortunately,
his name does not turn up in English-language internet
searches. But entering "济群法师"
in quotes yields 23,800 hits in Google! The first of these is http://www.jiqun.com/,
his homepage. (The picture above was "borrowed" from
that site.) My friends who read Chinese will surely benefit from
a visit to the site; those who don't might enjoy some of the
pictures.
*
* * * * * * *
|
 |
| The
Pavilion |
The
View |
Today
also involved two trips outside the temple compound. The
first was to a small pavilion on a hill nearby; the view from
there was nothing short of spectacular.
The
Hermitage
In
the late afternoon, Diego texted me to say that we were going to
visit another temple. It turned out that was a sort of hermitage
nearby, a place where the monks can go for quiet(er)
practice. When I asked if it belonged to the temple,
Venerable Hui Jing answered, "Well, it belongs to me,
so it belongs to the temple." Cryptic.
Master Ji Qun leaves before
dinner
Master
Ji Qun, Venerable Hui Jing, Diego, and I sat cross-legged at a
table on a low platform in the front room and had tea. I
was given the chance to ask the Master questions, and we talked
about his work, and about the spread of the Dharma in China in
general. That will be the topic of another post later.
We
then sat outside. The Master left, and several of us
stayed for dinner at an outside table with yet another
spectacular view. After dinner, a free-for-all ensued
about whether the Sangha includes lay people, or only monks. It
was during this discussion that I came to an insight (explored
later) about the importance of debate in Buddhism.
Our
table--and the view
*
* * * * * * *
When
we returned that night, Master Ji Qun was teaching the
kids. It was mainly a question and answer session; some of
the more interesting portions are also in
a later post.
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Wednesday,
July 19: Looking
out of the dining room window today, I noticed this small stupa
on a hillside next to the area where the new Mountain Gate is
being constructed:
 |
 |
A:
The location of the new Mountain Gate
B: The stupa on the hillside |
Detail
of the stupa site |
Later,
Venerable Hui Jing told me it was the (or a?) "Founder's
Stupa." That's all I know about it. It used to
be on the same ridge as the Pavilion seen above, but that has
been cut through to build the Mountain Gate.
*
* * * * * * *
When
we drove out to the hermitage yesterday, we passed the main Gate
and a pond. I made a note of it, and decided to walk out
today and take some pictures.
| From
the Outside In |
 |
 |
|
The
Main Gate, looking across the pond;
the road wraps around to the left |
The
Main Gate |
 |
 |
|
The
Second Gate |
The
site of the new Mountain Gate,
looking toward the temple |
*
* * * * * * *
When
I returned, it was nearly time for class. While the kids
were having their "dress rehearsals," I looked out of
the classroom window and saw the cemetery for monastics.
The rain had started again, and this was my last day at the
temple, so I knew I would have no chance to shoot the stupas
from close-up. These shots from the window were all I
could get:
 |
 |
| Stupas
left center; Marker bottom right |
Closer
view of the three stupas (one behind palm tree) |
The
kids performed the play beautifully; kids, teachers, and
monastics all had a lot of laughs. And I hope the kids
learned something. You can see some pictures here.
*
* * * * * * *
At
the end of dinner, Venerable Hui Jing asked if I'd like to see
another temple nearby. "Be careful when you ask me things
like that," I said (you should have seen Diego hesitate to
translate that, but his relief when I added),
"because I will always say 'yes'." Well, I was
about to get a lesson in saying "yes." You see,
yesterday when they said "Let's go to a temple," we
piled into cars. Today, it was a hike. Down a few
hundred feet of wet, slippery stone steps; across a beautiful
stream; up again to the rustic temple. Then back again,
this time with Venerable Hui Jing saying "Hurry!"
because there was a program starting. Torture.
I
will eventually do a page on Lin Feng Temple, but here are a few
shots:
 |
 |
| Venerable
Hui Jing speeds along the trail |
The
Five Dragons Pool (see below) |
 |
 |
| Lin
Feng Temple |
Guan
Yin statue (see below) |
Along the way we
saw a place called "Five Dragons Pool." Venerable
Hui Jing said that a "founder" had lived there in the
Ming Dynasty (I think), and every day, when he chanted the Heart
Sutra (my favorite), five dragons came out of the pool to
listen. Nice. (There's so much I could say
about this folklorically. For example: Water often
symbolizes the unconscious; when he chanted this sutra, five
denizens [the five senses? the five skandhas?] were raised out
of pre-consciousness into consciousness.)
After seeing the
temple's main building, I wandered outside and noted a side hall
and a rear hall, both of them unfinished. When I went back
in, Diego said we were walking up to the rear hall.
"But it's not finished," I complained.
Nevertheless, we went, and I'm so glad we did. Although it
is indeed unfinished, it housed an amazing figure of the
Eleven-Headed, Thousand-Armed Guan Yin--always my favorite
Bodhisattva image.
So, despite the
extraordinary (for me) effort in getting there and back again, I
was rewarded with two of my faves: a story of my favorite sutra,
and a statue of my favorite Bodhisattva. Not a bad evening's
work.
*
* * * * * * *
The evening
program was supposed to be tea with the Master, but he was
ill. Meanwhile, I finally had hot water (it is a solar
heating system), so I had my first hot shower since our
arrival, and went to bed early.
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Thursday,
July 20: This
morning after breakfast the plan was to head out fairly early
and visit a very significant site before going to the
airport. there were some wonderful surprises in store.
Our
main destination was a Memorial Hall dedicated to Kukai (Ch.
Konghai), also known in Japan as Kobo Daishi. He was the
monk who came to China during the Tang Dynasty, and transplanted
Shingon Buddhism from China back to Japan. On the way to
China, his ship was blown off course, and he landed in what is
now Ningde City. Japanese devotees have paid for
construction of a Memorial Hall; this was our goal.
There
will be a full page about it eventually, but here are a couple
of shots:
 |
 |
The
exterior of the Kobo Daishi Hall;
I think the style is very "Japanese," but
Venerable Dun Chao says it's Chinese Tang style
(that's where the Japanese got it) |
The
interior of the Hall,
with standing Kobo Daishi on the altar.
I saw this figure frequently on my pilgrimage,
but usually in bronze, and outside |
*
* * * * * * *
Next,
we stopped at the nearby Di Zang
Temple for lunch. It turns out that the abbot, Venerable
Man Zhen, is an old classmate of Venerable Dun Chao. Nice
surprise Number 1. And he speaks good English! Nice
surprise Number 2. He was very familiar with Hsi Lai
Temple, having once hoped to study at the university; instead,
he studied in Sri Lanka and Canada. Again, a full page
will follow with details. But here are some pics:
 |
 |
| The
Main Hall |
Venerables
Dun Chao (l) and Man Zhen (c)
with an unnamed monk (r) |
Finally,
we drove into Fuzhou Airport, where I boarded my plane and
returned to Shenzhen.
*
* * * * * * *
Postscript
The
closing ceremony was the day after we left. Bob sent these
pictures to Diego, and Diego sent them to me. Looking at
them, I'm really sorry I missed it!
*
* * * * * * *
I
feel like I have finally been to China, and have really delved into
the things that were my main reason for coming. Without
Mr. Wu and Diego, it never would have been possible. I am
grateful to them, and to the monks and the kids and the
teachers, and to the Buddhas and Bodhisattvas, more than I can
say.
*
* * * * * * *
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