One Night in a Buddhist Monastery

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I rolled into Wutai Shan, the Five Platform Mountains, after a 6 hour bus ride. The area is a collection of mountains with many, many Buddhist temples surrounding a tourist trap that was overcrowded. After spending a night in a crummy hotel, I wandered around looking for some good hiking, an escape from the crowds, and the proverbial temple atop a mountain.

I ended up running into three friends who were on sort of an annual pilgrimage, spending several days at a Buddhist temple. They invited me to join for a day/night and naturally I couldn't resist.

As I've mentioned earlier, I'm not Buddhist. I've been happily Christian for several years now. That being said, I believe interfaith awareness is critical to one's spiritual and personal growth.

My stay was an incredible time of learning, meditation, and prayer. The experience was certainly monastic, and in truth I couldn't have handled it for too long. My stomach for bare bones living is pretty weak at the moment, and I was eager to check into a comfortable hotel after moving on.

Before leaving, I did get a chance to hike up a mountain, escape the crowds, and find a temple at the summit. It was exactly what I was looking for.

I'd like to end this entry by saying that my trip is rapidly accelerating, with some heavy duty travel over the next few days. I'm currently stopping over in Taiyuan, a pretty random city, and have two overnight train rides to look forward to before Shanghai. From there Taiwan should be a whirlwind too.

Also, the Chinese government is pretty strict on controlling the internet right now, so my access is limited. I've had to jump through some real hoops to publish this baby, enjoy!

Jason

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Photos

Three Friends
'Twas fate to meet these fellows?

Comments

[Heather]

I really enjoyed your post about your stay in the Buddhist Temple. I admire your respect for all different faiths too- more people should think that way. My blog is looking for travel photos, reviews, etc, to share. If you have the time, and are able to get through on the Chinese internet, check it out at dirty-hippies.blogspot.com, or email us at [e-mail]. Continued fun on your travels! Heather :)