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Information on the Chan & Poetry w/ Red Pine
This tour is now closed due to full booking. The tour is being undertaken by South Mountain China Tours at the request of The Western Chan Fellowship. Persons with questions about this tour should contact Dr Jake Lyne chair@westernchanfellowship.org for information about bookings. The tour will be led by the celebrated author Red Pine to tour and practice at some of China's most famous Chan monasteries. The tour will deeply explore Chinese Chan today, plus meet with Chinese Chan abbots and practitioners. Visit to sites related to Dogen Zenji. The tour will also visit Guoqing Monastery, home to the poet Cold Mountain. This is a tour to the heart of Chan culture.
Basic Tour Information
All Dates April 2011
9th April) Depart from UK or other countries. Schedule arrival for morning of April 10. Preferred flight is Finn Air from and to London as we will make a coach available for pick up from and for this flight.
10th) Arrive Beijing in AM. Persons arriving on Finn Air or about the same time will be picked up at airport with coach. Hotel breakfast, shower. Afternoon visit to the Forbidden City and Yonghe Temple.
11th) Coach to Yunju Mountain. At this site the Buddhist Tripitaka was carved into stone and stored in caves to preserve it through the end of Dharma age. The entire project lasted over eight hundred years 600-1400 AD. In the afternoon we coach to Zhengding for a stop at Linji's (Rinzai's) Dharma seat. Evening transfer to Bailin Si (Temple), Dharma seat of Chan master Zhaozhou/Joshu and now a large active monastery where we stay and practice.
12th) Practice and visit at Bailin Temple. This temple is home to many important Chan stories and koans, such as the "Zhaozhou's Mu," "The Cypress in the Courtyard," and others. Extended meditation times are available in the Samantabhadra Hall. The abbot, Ming Hai, speaks English well, is very engaging and is deeply knowledgeable about the Chinese Chan tradition. He will talk to the group and provide opportunities for question and answer exchanges. Red Pine will provide his insights about this temple which has often served as his home in China.
13th) Continued practice at Bailin Temple. Afternoon visit to Zhaozhou's Bridge.
14th) Coach from Bailin to Kuangjiao, Yuanfu temples [Dharma sites of Chan's second ancestor Huike] where he lived and taught in North China. Kuangjiao Temple is now a nunnery headed by the abbess Hui Kong. This place will provide an in depth look at the work and practice of Buddhist nuns in China today. Yuanfu Temple is the legendary place where Huike's relics were buried in ancient times. Now mostly a ruin, efforts are underway to restore this temple. Evening coach transfer to Dengfeng City.
15th) Visit Shaolin Temple [meet the abbot if he's available that day], optional climb to Bodhidharma's cave. Afternoon visit to the Longmen Buddhist Grottos. The Grotto Buddhist sculptures date from the Wei Dynasty (around 500 CE) and are a UNESCO site. Overnight in Luoyang City.
16th) Morning visit to Kong Xiang Temple [Bodhidharma's burial temple]. Return to Luoyang for visit to White Horse Temple, legendary place where Buddhism arrived in China. Time permitting, a visit to the Song Dynasty Imperial Tombs. Coach to Zhengzhou City. Night Train #1538 leaves Zhengzhou at 9:02PM. Sleepers will be arranged.
17th) Train arrives Jiujiang at 7:36AM. Transfer to Jiujiang Hotel to freshen up and have breakfast. Coach to visit the Fourth Ancestor's temple at Huangmei.
18th) Morning practice at Fourth Ancestor's temple. Afternoon visit to Fifth Ancestor's Temple which was the site of the poetry contest described in the Platform Sutra and of the East Mountain Zen School. Overnight again at the Fourth Ancestor's Temple near Huangmei.
19th) Coach to visit the temple of Chan's "Third Ancestor," Sengcan. Visit with abbot. Lunch. Afternoon coach to Mt. Jiuhua, the sacred mountain of Dizang Bodhisattva. Sightseeing at Jiuhuashan. Overnight Jiuhuashan.
20th) Jiuhuashan sightseeing. Visit to monastery and meet abbot. Overnight Jiuhuashan.
21st) Transfer to Huangshan. Ascend Huangshan. Sightseeing. Overnight on Huangshan.
22nd). Descend Huangshan and coach to Tiantai Mountain. Ovenight at hotel near Guoqing Temple.
23rd) Morning visit to Guoqing Temple. Afternoon visit to Hanshan's cave. Overnight at same hotel.
24th) Coach to Ningbo City. Visit Ayuwang and Tiantong Temples. Tiantong is where Dogen lived while studying under Chan maser Rujing. Overnight at Ningbo City.
25th) Transfer by coach to Shanghai via Ningbo Bridge. Visit the Shanghai Bund and Shanghai Museum. Farewell Dinner. Overnight at Shanghai city hotel.
26th) Depart China