It’s late in the evening, too late to write. Then I bump into this blog entry which has me thinking.

Well, here are the photographs I took in Taiwan last May. They do not even begin to touch the hairy moments of the journey, or the day of visiting temples with dear DurAn, or the heat… DurAn, wonderful monk, four month ordained charged with the task of showing me around with no common language between us save nods and smiles and waving of hands.

The nun we met had been ordained since childhood. She turned her rosary, constantly. I remember signaling, and using our electronic dictionary, to say something like, “I hope we are doing as well, when we reach her age”! We both could appreciate her commitment, and the hard training of her life. It was a happy meeting for all of us.

Temple grounds, Sun Moon Lake, Taiwan where the relics of Xuan Zhuang are enshrined.

This image of Xuan Zhuang, our Buddhist Pilgrim of yesterday, rests in the grounds of a temple in Naruto, Japan. Behind him is a garden devoted to Kobo Daishi. “Is there a connection,”? Or perhaps the question is “why is this image here at this temple, in Japan”? The only connection I can find is that Kobo Daishi traveled to the town, Xi’an, in China where Zuan Zhuang was based, but not at the same time.

For as long as I can remember I have been attracted to this image. The traveling monk I guess.

I have at last managed to return the photograph of the pagoda, taken by Nancy during her recent visit to China, to it’s rightful place in a posting from over a week ago.

Here below is some information about the famous Buddhist priest associated with the Big Wild Goose Pagoda. If I have it right, the story of the priest Xuan Zhuang and his journey to India was told in The Journey to the West. The Big Wild Goose Pagoda was both the starting and ending point of this epic journey.

And Nancy saw the actual scriptures brought back from this journey. Wow!

Travels of Xuan Zhuang — Buddhist Pilgrim of the Seventh Century

Xuan Zhuang was born in AD 602. As a child he became already absorbed in the study of the Sacred Books of Chinese literature. While still a boy he was ordained as a Buddhist priest to the Temple of Heavenly Radiance in Hangchow, and soon there after was transferred to the Temple of Great Learning in Chang-an, a community of monks who devoted their lives to the translation of the Sacred Books from India. Listening to the variety of their interpretations young Xuan Zhuang conceived the bold plan to travel to India and bringing back more Sacred Buddhihs Books to China.

Xuan Zhuang traveled between AD 627-643. His detailed account provides the first reliable information about distant countries, terrain and customs. He traveled over land, along the Silk Road west toward India. However, the further west he traveled it became increasingly difficult to cross desert and mountain ranges. Of the Taklamaken desert he reports:

“As I approached China’s extreme outpost at the edge of the Desert of Lop, I was caught by the Chinese army. Not having a travel permit, they wanted to send me to Tun-huang to stay at the monastery there. However, I answered ‘If you insist on detaining me I will allow you to take my life, but I will not take a single step backwards in the direction of China’.”

More here…

It turns out that last year I visit the temple in Taiwan where the relics of Xuan Zhuang are enshrined. And wouldn’t you know it, the Silk Road that Xuan Zhuang traveled opened again on July 6th.

More tomorrow…

This recording is about the need to rest and renew body/mind and in order to spend time ‘doing nothing’, constructively, one needs be open to the possibility that this is a good thing!

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The audio takes a bit of time before it starts to play. You’ll know all is well when you see small lettering saying ‘loading’. As it often says when dealing with Odeo, ‘be patient’. And this is a very good, free, service too.

For those who are interested this was recorded on a portable source and then uploaded. Yes! This is a success. I’d be interested to hear from anybody who has listened to this recording with a dial-up connection.

Iain Robinson in Japan has been writing for ‘Little House in the Paddy’ for one whole year. Congratulations! Here is an article he wrote about his cats…

“When she saw she’d caught my eye she gave a whisk of her tail as if to say “What? The other human allows to do this!” like some sulky teenager. I almost burst out laughing…”