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Heavenly Terraces 天台山 - Part 4 - Cold Poetry

Earlier parts of the relationship are located here:

Part 1 - The town and the master Zhiyi
Part 2 - Temple High Of light and rocky valley
Part 3 - Taoist Tongbai Palace and the Raiders of immortality

DAY 5:

path leading to the house of Han Shan is truly ridiculous.
There is a way, but you do not see a trace of the car or horse.
converging with each other gorges - hard to keep track of their corners,
chaotically mixed rock - an incredibly harsh.
Thousands of grass bending under the weight of dew,
Wooded hillside pines murmur in the wind.
I still lost a shortcut leading to the house, asking a shadow
Body: As for me Do you understand?

Today I woke up the girl and almost forced to get up early and go for breakfast. The restaurant crowd - at the congress was held every August just principals of local schools driving. Currently, Chinese are a lot of travels, tourism and business, but a dozen years ago, when most worked in state factories, the only possibility of departure were the delegations to various conferences, these conferences usually held in the attractive tourist spots - it makes a real minimal tourist traffic, China had as-such facilities. Today is completely different, a private business flourishes, There were some scuffles to eat, but najedlismy August setnie, quickly prepared a way out and went to the bus stop. From there we went north to the station, where he learned, and the Earliest bus rides to the summit Huading about 8:10, the passage takes about an hour. The last leaves at 13:00, he also is the last returning - that goes back about 14:00. The fare is Y11. Information profitable, just as we put together, in order to get up so quickly? Then We took a taxi which drove us miles taksowkarka the long distance bus station 客运站. There we got on the bus to the village Jietou 街头 镇 - journey took about 45 minutes and cost Y6.5 per person. Transfer was sympathetic, though the weather this yourself - the sky cloudy, overcast with dark blue clouds, gloomy, though warm. One of the pasazerek as soon as she got to Busua, it began to gorge some real disgrace in plastic bag.

Photo: The residents are very sociable Jietou

not over 10 minutes, and the food was back to the bag - so I sat next to everything I saw, only the texture was smooth, and some colors such little defined. Normal rzygi. Opened the window and again it was fun. Do not understand why someone who is not going to take motion sickness pills are any, and do not sit in front, only the rear wheel, and even August zazera something? The trip passed quickly, we were quite excited as our goal was to cold Cliff 寒 岩, a place where a hermit and poet famous Hanshan meditated and wrote poetry.

Photo: Hanshan - Cold Mountain - a mysterious hermit and poet

Hanshan 寒山 - Cold Mountain - is a rather mysterious figure, lived during the Tang Dynasty, probably in the 8th century AD He came from northern China, the capital city of Xianyang 咸阳but most likely political turmoil forced him to go to the wild south - and right here, on ways of Gor Tiantai Hanshan lived in a cave, located at Cold Stone Gora 寒 石山 from accepting the name, moreover, under whom is known to this day. The cave is located under the cliff, known as the Cold cliff 寒 岩. Although many sources it believes to be the Zen monk, and even the embodiment of one of boddhisatw, poetry Hanshana (300 lines) indicates that his views were peculiar connection with Buddhism Taoism. On the other hand, it really was not a monk, but rather a hermit and only occasionally went to a Buddhist Temple Clean the State, to meet with his friend, You will find 拾得 (working in the temple kitchen) and a master of the Big stick 丰 干. Poems Hanshana describe life in the hermitage, away from the people among the wildlife of the references are full of mystical characteristic of a person seeking spiritual liberation through meditation.

Photo: Hanshan and Shide (find), his inseparable friend, the course of time have passed into legend and became the folk deities:

I must admit, it really Hanshana and discovered his poetry until late in the evening of our first day in Tiantai. The girls have already slept, I started to browse among the books and bought them, I stumbled on the first mention of the "freak of the Cold Mountains", which, as it turned out, was hiding in one of the caves near the Tiantai, moments later it turned out that among the purchases had fallen in August book of his poems. I refer to the interested parties with Polish translations of poems Hanshana - Han Shan: Poems, "Cold Mountain" . Note: it is best to read them later in the evening somewhere in the mountains ... (All verses quoted here come from this page - thanks and greetings for Andrew Osinski!).

The place for me personally also been associated with this, from Bill Porter, whose book "The Road to Heaven" exerted big influence on me, just became known thanks to a translation of poetry chwalonemu Hanshana the j.angielski.

Small digression - China May your Silk Road, Tea-Droge, but Age of Tang Poetry Trail 唐诗之路, linking places associated with the most important poets of the Tang Dynasty (7-10 AD) - the biggest period of prosperity in Chinese culture and poetry - is much less known. Tiantai is an important place on the trail and the famous Li Bai 李白, known for his romantic poetry and drunken mode of life - was at Tiantai twice and devoted himself to the description of this place a dozen of his poems.

Returning to our trip - finally got to Jietou, first steps, we went to is located in the heart of the commercial store townships - to seek medical language. The village looked very typical - a low storey buildings poor interwoven with new buildings of 3-4 floors, lots of garbage, some dirty soup kitchen, jaded and busy year in the country reigning metal trike trike. A lot of people, someone there playing in the card, someone pytlujacy, some eating lunch, the noise and movement typical small Chinese towns. Only the supermarket fit there like a fist to the nose, but it is a time stamp, proof of the rapid changes in China. In supersamie loud music - Chinese pop, shop assistants talk about, and eat pasta with a tin boxes, I go to the premises on which the inscription 'office - no entry to strangers, and ask about how to get to Cold cliff. It turns out that the saleswoman was from the village Hou'an 后 岸 located not far from the cliff. Advised to take Tricycles, who for Y30 should drive us there. She said that it is access to the cliff adjacent to the Bright Cold cliff - accessible by regular buses for the buck, the distance between the cliffs is 4km (I knew about it from the guide), so you can move from one to another infantry in an hour. So we left the square in front of the store, with the driver zgadalem Tricycles have agreed a sum of Y20, and we got into a tin tilt.

Photo: This fabulous tricycle powiozl us Jietou uphill Hanshana

M Mala was thrilled - a few days ago she wanted my dad bought a Honda CRV, but now it became her dream to have a tin trike with open backs. We drove through the town the way first, then among the dry this time of year ryzowisk and fascinating geological formations, hot / powerful scale, with vertical walls, overgrown with pine trees, bamboo groves.

Photo: View of the village Hou'an in Gora gave the grim Cold Stone

After about half an hour we reached the end of standing in private mighty rock formations, and our driver explained that it is already Cold Cliff. We also showed way to the cave, and explained how to move on to the Clear cliff. NB Both cliffs are on the same top, one is returned to the east (Cliff Bright 明 岩), and the second - the western (Cold Cliff). Gora became among the rice fields and groves mandarin, aroused awe and majesty of its raw beauty of the vertical rock walls.

Photo: Raw vertical cliffs Gory Cold Stone had a big impression on us

first walked by a small bridge spanning over the narrow but deep ravine, in which floated down stream, and we follow a narrow path winding among mandarin COURTS . On the right you could see thick bamboo groves.

Photo: Bamboo tangerine groves and orchards at the TOP:

We were walking in silence - the place was like magic, deserted, mysterious. At the end of the path must Leading up split into - this was leading to the left to the stairs and on to the cave, whose passage we saw a huge hole from the input path, the right path was leading up the hill along the vertical wall, between the huge boulders. The right looked more fascinating, so we went there first to direct our steps.

Photo: A huge rock wall next to which are a small lane leading to the cave:

After a while we found between the vertical scale - Which formed like a monstrous dark corner room without a roof - and huge boulders. From the top of mountains fell by water, zraszajaca boulders, and making them black and shiny surfaces. Little M was fascinated by the place, of course, they both immediately went we founded kapoce and wash their hands on this rare water curtain. How to write the guides, when the wind blows the water is sprayed into the mist, and the rays of the setting sun exerts Nana fellates The rainbow. This view is one of the eight famous views of the mountain and Tiantai called "Cold cliff at Sunset" 寒 岩 夕照.

Photo: Water drops from the top of a cliff on the giant boulders - a sunny day in August creates a rainbow on it:

Nam clouds enveloped the sky would not allow the watching of this phenomenon. Then we began to climb a path above - next to her we found inscriptions carved on a huge boulder and not mentioned in no guide. We tried to go higher, but at some point path turned into a dry riverbed a mountain stream and further the transition was difficult. So we came back the same way - with the course the Lesser M again by washing your hands in the falling water - and we went towards the cave.

Photo: The entrance to the cave under the cliff Cold:

Its magnitude surprised us - the entrance to it is 15m high, 48m wide and the same depth-first cave is 70m. It looks like a huge room - no 3tys. m2 surface.

Photo: The cave is huge - both stand in the middle of M

In the few corners, there were the small shrine, one of them into a small hole covered with a tin lid studzienny, on the left side of the steel neat little 2-storey complex of buildings - such as after a while it turned out kind of a primitive temple.

picture: the altar at the wall inside the cave

Under its wall stood a stone-based motherboards with the names of people, which - as preached word - gave datej minimum of Y100 to rebuild the temple of the Cold Mountains. Above our heads could be heard squeaking bats, and every sound magnified echo. Large M came home from the cave, Mala M to her after it joined, and I further I explored, and walked into the building to partially brick and partially white walls. On its walls hung Buddhist maxims, and on the first floor, on the shaky wooden floor was located a small altar.

Photo: On the side of the cave there is a small Buddhist shrine, which looks after Mrs Xie

After a while I went down, and the older natnalem August, smiling woman - named Xie 谢 - which, as you it turned out, 5 years lived in the temple and took care of her. As explained before it lived in the temple Ms. Wang, who with their own money, I am sublime. Ms Wang died kilka lat temu, ponoc nagrzeszyla za zycia, stad pod jego koniec wzniosla swiatynia i zamieszkala w niej, chcac w ten sposob odkupic swoje winy. Xie miala 60 lat, byla bardzo pogodna osoba, i oprowadzila nas po jaskini, pokazujac na jej scianach formy w ksztalcie legendarnego feniksa (ptaka, ktory co 500 lat spala sie po to, by odrodzic sie na nowo z popiolow), ryb, buddy. Jak powiedziala, sama gora ma ksztalt lwa, ktorego paszcza jest jaskinia, a jej polnocno-wschodnia czesc to jego cialo i ogon. Na dnie jaskini mozna zobaczyc zwinietego smoka z glowa skierowana ku studni; z lewej strony jaskinii widac skale wygladajaca jak olbrzymi zolw, a z prawej - glowe weza wypelzajacego zza gory. Zolw i waz pilnuja jaskinii 龟蛇守洞. Przewodniki write, the turtle and snake form a Famous Taoist deity Xuanwu 玄武 midnight, the Taoist emphasis of this place.

Photo: Ms. Xie meditation position on a boulder, on which he meditated Hanshan

Then Xie showed us a great boulder from the entrance to the cave - as he explained it was a stone, on which Hanshan meditated and demonstrated how looks like the position of meditation. As said, the meditation is most important that all thoughts were removed from the mind, and that was only in the mind of the Buddha. I admit, with a simple village woman, for what I consider, on first glance, then it showed us a completely different, unexpected face. Xie Then we poured a bottle of water from cave wells (Apparently the magic of the healing power). She said the cave is pleasantly cool in summer and warm in winter, and because it faces south-west, from 8:30 am to evening sun illuminates the interior.

Photo: View from the cave in the surrounding fields and mountains

After the interview, we said goodbye, I'm still in the meantime I threw some money into the box for donations, and we went to the right. Xie discouraged us the path, saying that can not be present to go. I had wanted to see one more attractions of this place - the rock formations in the shape of the bridge called the Bridge of Magpies 鹊桥. We went, therefore, among the sharp grass path, which skaleczyly in the handle of the poor Mala M (but now know that plants too have their weapons, sharp edges pila). Path at some point ended with a slight tangerine orchard, the closed gate primitive. I told the girls, in order for me zaczekaly (Large M announced the picnic - consume cans, old rolls and chocolate from the package) and I went further path. After a while it became very faintly visible, very overgrown with thorns and high hostile kaleczacymi grasses. I walked between huge boulders, and I came to the place where the path ended. He turned to go back to the girls, I looked back i. .. Most saw the Magpies!

Photo: Two views of the Bridge of Magpies - shining on the page:

...i zacieniona - podobne ujecie znajduje sie na okladce tlumaczenia poezji Hanshana, ktorego dokonal Bill Porter:

Wrazenie bylo duze, spedzilem tam dluzsza chwile, po czym wrocilem do dziewczyn. Puszka z tunczykiem byla juz otwarta, czerstwawa bulka dodala nowych sil, jeszcze lyk cudownej wody i ruszylismy w kierunku Jasnego Klifu.

Zdjecie: Droga wzdluz Gory Zimnego Kamienia, i niewielka chatka stojaca przy niej

Powiedziano nam, ze nalezy trzymac sie caly czas krawedzi gory, a z pewnoscia dojdziemy do celu. Szlismy powoli, podziwiajac niesamowite formacje skalne z naszej prawej strony, zwane In the iron armor dragon 铁甲 龙, and bearing first crop fields on the left.

Photo: Dragon in the Iron Armor

After a moment, appeared beside us, a stream, also saw a machine breaking down the stones - probably the rubble on the road. Little M was terrified when they heard noise and seeing the murky water and asked whether fishes can not hurt, but I uspokoilismy, the stream is long and the fish definitely found their place in the quiet house. Then we came to the village - which as it turned out, his name was Zhangjiatong 张家桐.

Photo: Time in the village Zhangjiatong stopped a few hundred years ago

Photo: Old wooden house in the village

And once again moving in time - a lot of homes have several centuries, the stone paths between the houses, wells, people are poor but cheerful, smiling. Lesser M, of course aroused great interest (as usual), older people went out to see us.

Photo: No need to even have any teeth to be happy - do contemporary Hanshan?

hide As with "Cold Mountain"
Living with mountain plants and berries
all my life - it's what I worry about?
Everyone goes only by his karma,
Days and months flow like water, it's just time
wykrzesane sparks of the flint.
Go ahead and let the world has changed - I am happy
seated himself among the rocks

show us the way, We said, from whence we come and what we do, we went further. Time passed inexorably, and we realized that Bright did not have time to see the cliff.

Photo: This rock formation is located on the northern end of the Cold Stone Mountains - the right path leads to the Cold cliff, left - to clear

road forked, in the end we found the right way to Jietou and learned that the last bus back from the cliff to the Clear Jietou at 16:30. Ideally we are fit, as the last bus from the Tiantai Jietou according to our information, driving down a few minutes after 17:00.

little we stood and waited for the warm-up at the end of August we went in the direction of Jietou.

Photo: Old house in the village Hecun:

... and a kindergarten in a village club culture, the older children care of the little ones:

went through the village Hecun 何 村, walked, walked , fine rain began to fall, we ate some chocolate to improve moods, for the moment we entered the two small roadside Taoist shrines, a wonderful remnant of water we drink, and walked on - until we came to almost Jietou.

Photo: Women in rural China, or hard work in the field:

... or cottage - manually doing mat car seats:

Last 500m We traveled trips around Poland, whose driver reassured us that though the last bus to the Tiantai already went, then we can take a taxi, which takes passengers for Y10 and leaves when it has set. As soon as we left the Busua came up to our taxi driver, but the girls still wanted to buy something to drink in supersamie. At some point, asking the driver got the idea that we were going, I asked him to wait 5 minutes, he agreed, so he went out and saw. It grew dark, it rained harder and harder, and we waited for providing in-depth interview the surrounding residents. Waited, waited, and no taxi arrived.

Photo: Evening in Jietou, it's raining, it's cold, and taxi or widu nor slychu

Finally rode a small busik, whose driver invited us inside. Asked for how much we fasciases said he does not want money, he goes to Tiantai, bored him to ride alone, so it will take us for free. For this I was refused, because it was not proper, he was based, in the end cast sum of Y10 and went. Told us about himself - with no hotel in the Tiantai ajencje of which has Y110tys. per year, is also the feed factory in the city of Shaoxing 绍兴, which employs 100 people, 6 cars in the BMW 5 Series, a 22-year-old daughter in college at a famous Tongji University in Shanghai, and two years after her younger son of the learner in Tianjin. The conversation was nice, but I almost fell asleep. He took us under the bus station, said goodbye, we caught fares and we went to eat something promised Mala M KFC. Nasty joke there, but it tasted Lesser M, but was surprised that no chicken bones, because so far, given the chicken was not watching. I explained to her that what it is made of chicken, and this is bones and meat. We are very Mala M wondered ago. Then again We took a taxi, and very tired we returned to the hotel. Lesser M, as usual, had done the lessons, just a bath, and sleep.

day passes, night came and the word Hanshana somehow do not want to get out of head ...

Creditors do not turn back my head
Shaded
kindled a small fire when I suffer thirst, cook yourself some green vegetables.
I have no property rights, as a rich man with his enormous
barn and pasture -
He just stands a prison for oneself.
Once there, finding, can not get out.
Think about it -
know very well that this can happen and you ...

fifth part of the relationship preczytasz here:

Part 5 - Top Red Fortress and the Heavenly Cave

How Long Moped Lasted

Heavenly Mountains Terraces 天台山 - Part 3 - The Palace Taoistyczy Tongbai and immortality seekers

Earlier parts of the relationship are located here:

Part 1 - the town and the master Zhiyi
Part 2 - Temple of High Light and rocky valley

DAY 4

today we woke up very late, just in time to eat an early dinner at the restaurant. Lunch was OK, as usual, no meat (stronimy from him during the short, because the meat in China are often stored in rather poor conditions sanitation, often thawed and refrozen). To add a large amount of energy have ordered pasta, and that's survived almost a whole day. Because we had a really late start - we finished lunch after 13:00 - this and we have changed plans. We decided to see rather close to the site - and specifically Taoist temples Tongbai 桐柏 宫. I checked on the map that goes in the rustic surroundings bus No. 8, but to save time We have taken a well, which for Y35 drove us into the temple itself. During negotiations with the taxi driver had a lot of doubt - he claimed that a ride us into the temple itself, and I had a feeling that something is filming - as that in 1996, when we were here for the first time, there was no road and we had to climb nice piece of gore. But taxi driver swore that he speaks the truth, so I gave him a chance to prove it - and to our surprise, took us to a completely new road, the gates of the temple. Time flows, everything is changing, and China also - quite unrecognizable. The temple could not either know - then it was just one building is built on the meadow below the peak of the picturesque mountains. Today it was the entire temple complex - yet still under construction - located in a fairly busy road. Frankly, with me a little worried by this change - many lost their place, for its secrecy and seclusion. 12 years ago lived in the temple nun Ye Qiumei 叶秋梅 with a small group of students, who managed the place and taught by the principles of Taoist Meditation South branch of the variety of the Final Reality 全真道 南宗. This variety was founded by Zhang Bodu 张伯 端 the living at the turn of 10 and 11 AD

Photo: The emphasis on moral conduct has always been strongly emphasized in Taoism, and the secret formula and the science communicated only choice - the inscription in the pavilion proclaims:
"goodness - when Man followeth well, although success is not yet come, disaster already moved away from him, and when a man followeth evil, though disaster has not yet occurred, the success already left him "

Taoists strive to achieve immortality, and initial tried to create a period of so. External Elixir 外 丹 - natural substances that, when ingested has done that immortal man. However, a main substances because they used for synthesis were the elixir of lead and mercury, the consumption of life has completed many alchemists, as well as any immortality emperors. Centuries of failed experiments led to the development of so-called. Inner alchemy, whose rules say that you should take advantage possessed by every human being "Three Treasures" - the life force Qi 气, Jing 精 vital essences and Shen 神 consciousness - that through a very specific form of meditation lead to the so-called pretworzenia. Internal Elixir 内丹 - who has give immortality.

Photo: Zhang Boduan (984-1082), nicknamed the "Purple" Excellent Human Being 紫阳 真人, founder of the South branch of the School of Inner Alchemy

Zhang Boduan 张伯 端 was born in 984 years a family of academics, from the youngest year reading treatises associated with Taoism, and Confucianism Budyzmem, had even a small success in the imperial examinations and clerical career began. Zhang liked to eat fish, and his colleague pewngo immediately hid under the canopy ordered as a fish. Zhang, convinced that they ate maid, I am punished severely, which led to her suicide. After some time, began to fall from the ceiling and the whole thing bugs came to light. It was a breakthrough moment for Zhang. Soon after the destruction of the act he is sent down to the wild south of the country, and enlisted strength of the army, and then repeatedly moved to the various garrisons. Ok. 1069 years while in central China's Zhang unexpectedly receives a secret message from the Internal Alchemy fortuitously encountered "immortal". This encounter results in writing by Zhang treaty "Understanding the Reality" 悟真 篇, in which he expounded his teachings, and who became one of the most important classics of Inner Alchemy. Sam Zhang, passing the text to his disciple said: "It is provided in everything we learned throughout his life, please issue it in the future, surely someone thanks Tao reaches him. "Zhang Science Bodu contain strong influence of Buddhism Chan / Zen, very popular in times of Zhang Bodu. At the age of 99 years, knowing that come the end of his life, Zhang clears up body, sat in meditation position, and left the living world, bearing 99 years. His corpse was cremated and the ashes were found the type of crystals with a greenish tint, proof that the Zhang achieved the Tao 成 道.

Science Zhang Bodu gave rise to the so-called. branch of the South School of Inner Alchemy. cultivar North was created by Wang Chongyanga 王重阳 and made famous by Qiu Chuji 丘处机 person, the most important of the seven students and the personal adviser to Genghis Khan. Tiantai - namely Tongbai temple - a place where he meditated Zhang Boduan and where he wrote his treatise, hence they are so important to the Chinese Taoist mountains.

Photo: Newly built building Tongbai Palace, in the foreground surrounded by stone lanterns and the Eight Trigrams nearby Taiji

The temple could have found a soul, only one of the buildings of the speakers came the Taoist chanting prayers. We started a walk on the complex, which is a mixture of new buildings with a bit older. In the courtyard there is a big circle in the shape of connected 太极 图 fish, commonly called taiji symbol, the Eight Trigrams 八卦 (symbols, which you describe the whole interaction the process of transformation of the world) around. A little further was located one of the main old buildings, before whom erected stone statues badly damaged and completely unreadable plates, also made of stone.

Photo: Purple Hall, in which Zhang Boduan is revered, as every religion, Taoism is a popular form of worship where a whole range of deities, and elite - where through meditation, develops internally:

Behind It was located three darkened Hal 三清殿 purity - with figures of three most important deities of Taoism: Jade Purity 玉清, Supreme Purity and chastity 上清 太清. In Taoism This folk deity worship subject, but symbolize the esoteric processes in the meditator's mind. For nearly 2tys. years - times of a famous Hong Ge 葛洪 - The Taoists believe that the destiny of man lies in his own hands and not Heaven 我 命 在 我 不在 天.

Photo: Tucked in the middle of the Pavilion complex, three clean:

The temple burned incense, which you smoke and the prevailing silence introduced in the specific atmosphere.

Photo: The interior of the Pavilion of the Three clean:

Nowhere, however, did not see Taoist monks, swept only a group of tourists who will cry, pocharczeli, popluli, tried to break the marble lamps (unsuccessfully) and myself went in the end. Once you have planned to get out of the complex, the courtyard appeared an elderly man, so I asked him, where are the monks. In response, he brought us into the back yard, where at a table in the open air, sat a nun and monk together with some woman.

Photo: Yang Taoist nun with a colleague (who supposedly has healing powers to cure stroke:

greeted and asked if the temple still lives Champion Ye, as we were here 12 years ago, one time I wrote her a letter, not on who received no response. Nun (by the name of Yang 杨 道 长) said that Ye Champion died in 1999, shortly after his departure to the USA. Reminded me that indeed in our conversation many years ago, Ye recalled his "brother" - with whom I studied together in August from the same master - who went to the USA, where it promoted the Tiantai teachings of Taoism. As it turned out that this "brother" and went back to Tiantai in 2000, bringing the body of Ye, and remained in the Temple Tongbai as its provost. Yang was just a student of his. As she said, been interested in religious practices for many years, mainly Buddhism, but somehow she did not have luck to find a master (Chinese people believe that that this may become just a matter of destination 缘分). Originally from the city of Zhengzhou 郑州 in the northern province of Henan 河南 in 2005 at the age of 39 years came to Tiantai - and remained there. Currently, the temple is home to several Buddhist monks who meditate here under the direction of the master, at the same time gathering measures to further extend the temple, to restore its former splendor.

Photo: View of the older part of the temple complex in the foreground, a pond, where we as a gesture of charity releases for fish, bought at the market:

Palace Tongbai 桐柏 宫 has stories numbering many more than 1000 years. Founded in 711 AD r imperial edict in a place where famous Taoist master Ge Xuan 葛玄 3 in the AD kept creating an elixir of immortality, was a place of religious practices and many famous Taoist meditation. The temple originally stood in a completely different place - in the valley, which was flooded in 1958 as a result of building a dam and reservoir. I saved the resident monks as they could, while the surrounding population was robbed, which fell into the hands, local authorities also were not passive - reportedly many hundred wooden statues have been used on a wood furnace. These few objects destroyed - which became one of the buildings of the temple - was rescued from an old temple and moved to its current location. The present site was originally the Temple stood screaming Zurawia 鸣鹤 观, dedicated to the legendary Taoists Qiao Wang 王 乔, Gor Tiantai Protecting deity, who supposedly here on a nearby summit has achieved immortality Qiongtai and floated toward the sky on a crane. In 1958 the monks of the Palace Tongbai of necessity have moved here and gave it the name of the flooded temple.

Photo: The rear entrance to the Purple Hall, with the inscription "Palace Tongbai and Taiji Circle of Eight Trigrams:

the superior of the temple is a disciple of the deceased in the 80s the temple abbot, Master Xie 谢 希 纯 Xichun. Master Xie was famous show of completely stopping breathing and heart rate at over 20 minutes while medical research in 杭州 Hangzhou (the provincial capital), and died the elderly 94 years. He had several students - among them champions Ye, the current abbot of Gaocheng 张高澄 Zhang and one other person. Yang is not a nun told me his name or exactly where it is located. She mentioned only that is 85 years old, lives in one of the Buddhist temples in Ningbo 宁波 (large provincial town) and spend the whole time (meditation practice of internal alchemy). It found in this age it is necessary to use time because it remained much to be able to achieve the objective, to which she nodded in understanding the head. Sitting next to a monk asked me if I was in the mountains Zhongnan 终 南山. These are the top in the northern province of Shaanxi 陕西, famous for living large quantities There recluse. Many years ago I was there - once alone, once with a large M and large J - though not to look for meditating recluse.

Photo: View from the Pavilion of the Three clean, the fortune telling sticks in the foreground, a small ceramic censer and an olive light:

conversation turned to the glorious book by Bill Porter "Road to Heaven" (The Way to Heaven) , released at the beginning of the 90s in the U.S. a few years ago in China. Bill describes his meeting with the hermits in the mountains Zhongnan. As it turned out that Yang would read this book (it evoked violent interest in religion and life in seclusion among young people in China), but thought he met with Bill true Champions - by her people, who after this went into the mountains to escape the hustle and bustle, and certainly avoid any meetings. Apparently now lives in the mountains Zhongnan very many young people, girls aged 18-19 who live there in very primitive conditions searching for solitude. We both agreed that, going to the hermitage should be rather the consequence of achieving a high stage in the practice of internal alchemy, when even higher to achieve the skills necessary to find a special place - not romantic spurt, escape from normal reality, a desire to surrender to the test. After a while, Yang himself suddenly realized something and said that probably has our old photo of the temple. We went for it, and to our great surprise - among several other photographs (mostly collective Taoist congresses are any) were smiling photo of Ye Champion, with a large J (big now - then he was 8 years old) and M. Large Photo moreover, he did and I sent the Master Ye. And Big M and it surprised me very much, it is jealously stored picture, the trace left by us, the elapse of time. Anyway, it was a nice touch, which by the end of the ice melted. M a little long, and watched in disbelief Stock unable to believe that this little boy to her is her big brother. Then he looked weird brother.

Photo: Taoist monks from Tongbai Palace - their clothes and hairstyles (long hair in men) are a reflection of habits prevailing in China 400 years ago:

Yang took us further into the building with remnants of the old Palace Tongbai, said that the remains of stone statues were gifts of the Emperor Yongzheng 雍正 for the then abbot of the temple, after the latter healed emperor. Statues depict two ministers legendary Shang Dynasty - Boyi 伯夷 and Shuqi 叔齐. When the Shang was conquered by the Zhou in the 11th century BC, Boyi and Shuqi refused to služby new rulers, saying they do not want to be fed by Zhou, went to the mountains, where he ate wild fruits of the forest. But when they were told that the whole country - and everything in it, and variously dead, also eaten by their fruit - Belongs to Zhou, in disgust, they also rejected the fruit and died of starvation. Boyi and Shuqi thanks Confucius have become symbols of loyalty of subjects to rulers.

Photo: Damaged historic stone statues zawieruchami Boyi and Shuqi, salvaged from the old Palace of Tongbai:

We made the monks along with some pictures of the pictures from the temple, helped us with this woman, who spoke earlier with Yang. As it turned out she came from Canton, is very interested in Taoism and its methods of maintaining health. She said as the cheers, with easy access to the temple, it makes ordinary people will be able to find directions here and learn about health care methods. These methods are good, not as a Buddhist - as with the Buddhist monks more often than others suffering from cancer. Yang nun sat quietly looking at me, I also sat quietly for a while fought, not to start controversy, she had good intentions, only unnecessarily Buddhism mixed with mud. It is known to Buddhists and Taoists very like each other, which does not mean you do not have great respect for each other, and no one welcomed by Taoist cultivation spitting on Buddhists. Not important - a woman suddenly surprised me because she went into the room and she brought a unique edition of the book "History of Tongbai" - their own copies - and he gave me. Do they guess that I like books?

Photo: magic formulas and spells are still closely guarded part of Taoism, and their writing - Hua Fu 画 符 important skills an advanced practitioner of religion:

nun Yang is left behind - also after a while she brought a small booklet - "The Precious Book of Jade Axis 玉 枢 宝 经. Book contains a description of the so-called. Methods Lightning 雷 法 - Apparently that allow you (along with spells and the advancement of high-Inner Alchemy) to change the weather, induce rain and lightning. The latter will surely be useful, as someone starts to bounce ...:)

Photo: View of the slopes of the mountains, on which there is a palace Tongbai:

time passed quickly, we decided to come back, we asked more to show us the old mountain path (the one who 12 years earlier walked up to the temple), Yang escorted us, and after a half hour of brisk walking in dollars found ourselves in a village at the foot of the mountains.

Photo: A small temple of the pathway leading to the Palace

Village was not already but this charming place, which we remembered, but a collection of stone and brick bunkers, out of style and taste. Unfortunately, another proof of progress of civilization in China. Impression of a rather grim, the addition of the road we walked along the stream, over which the steel before each house of the outlet pipe privy human excrement into the water.

Photo: outhouse with a view:

not even want to describe that reigned there smells. The only sympatyczniejszy accent it with the small flock koz kozletami, whom I was thrilled Mala M. On the way we passed yet charming pub, full of garbage and the Hog's Head lying on the dirty floor and waiting for the consumer ...

Photo: "Adorable" pub at the bus loop:

... and one of the reasons for eating pork which he abandoned completely:

Finally we reached the bus loops 8, and drove to the bus station to find out how to get to the cliff Hanshana (Cold Mountains), a famous Zen monk, poet and the hermit, who in Tiantai spent 70 years living here, has created his most famous poems. Station at this hour (18:00) was closed for 4 releases, but near the luggage office at the end of the given information to us. We got on to the No. 5 bus and drove to the center. The big M wanted to go back to the hotel and eat dinner there, Lesser M wanted to go to KFC, I exit I suggested some sort of indirect or pub in the city. The pub we found the recommendations in the shop with toys (M Mala got the notebook, and 4-color pen), inexpensive, clean and tasty.

Photo: A friendly local pub found thanks to a recommendation, the entire staff gathered to admire Mala M:

vegetarian food we ate, and Thanks to the powerful idea of \u200b\u200bthe Big M drank over half a liter of rice wine, of course, heated. Food pokrzepilo us, the wine warmed, took well to the hotel with a stop at the station north - as that I wanted to know what time the buses depart from the top of the Tiantai - Huading 华 顶.

Photo: From this perspective, the world becomes more intense colors:

This station was also closed, but a few tipsy my master told me that at 8:00 am riding a bus. Finally we arrived at the hotel, Mala M had more repetition of the Chinese and mathematics, also told us a terrible dream, who had a few weeks ago in Shanghai - the fact that it was scary ghost, who wanted to sleep on a chair in the temple, and I'm at it I yelled, not to burn. Poor thing ...

fourth part of the relationship can be found here:

Part 4 - Cold Poetry Gory