In the morning, the security guard took it upon himself to run me through all the not to dos on this mountain. He also set me up with a tour group that was passing by to make room to take me in. There was no room but they made room, I squatted the whole way. We headed for a cave called Lady Maya's Womb to do the squeeze through. People see it or it was marketed as a place for rebirth, to start over. Those with blessings can make it through and those without it won’t. I think if you were thin enough you can.
I met a monk on the trail who offered me a card, I didn't want it. But somehow it was in my hand and then he asked for donation. I made an offering because I was up for making an offering to a monk not because this card was blessed by 1000 monks. I did one of the security guard’s list of not to dos, take anything offered by monks on the mountain because it would only lead to spending money. So I let this one go by as a warm up. But was able to avoid the ones on the path who called people in to tell them something in secrete and demanded money from you.
On the trail there were caged small animals for purchase to carry out the merit of liberating life. The thing is, these vendors then catch them again to do business with the next customer on the mountain. So much for liberating life, it’s more like a scam.
The whole trek involved climbing 1,600+ steps. I befriended a guy named Bao from Inner Mongolia. He had one working leg, the other he lost during an accident at work 5 years ago. Now he repairs shoes to make a living on Wu Tai Shan to raise his son by himself. I saw in his eyes a kind gentle light that was clear so I felt safe talking to him. I also befriend a mother son duo of Chen from Hubei, Wu Dang Shan. He had light on his face and he was filial. He’s on this pilgrimage to pray for his mother’s well being. He hopes she will become a Buddhist and start taking care of her practices. He's really into blessings, special this and that. He is of Ningma order of the Tibetan School.
It was fun hiking with them. They joked the whole way and told stories to pass time. I learned that the pilgrims were trying hard for a spiritual response and the key to response was sincerity. So the subject of bowing and sincerity was on and most people agreed the Tibetan way of full prostration passes for sincerity because it is more of a work out. It's funny how someone's idea of hardship is somehow better. Why look for hardship when it finds you, is what I think.
Both Chen and I made it into the cave. Bao was on a crutch with only one working leg and Mrs. Chen was in her 80's walking with a cane. They gave up trying. It wasn’t that they lacked blessings to make it through the cave, they both gave up too easily. Their method was off and they didn't turn their hip right to roll through the hole. Chen was very disappointed that his mother refused to make it through the hole after all this traveling in getting her here and the sixteen hundred steps. He had prepared a special ceremony he was going to lead in the cave, it meant a lot to him. Chen is very filial and wants to save his mother from paths of suffering. This trip was for her. He wanted her to acquire some Dharma insurance by getting blessings here and there. The disappointment was on their faces, I can already see how they already classified themselves as lower class, so much fate and deterministic thinking. What's the use of dharma if you can't turn things around is what I think. But I’m not going to impose my idea of what Dharma is on them.
While in Lady Maya’s Womb, I prayed and asked for guidance on how to go about protecting all living beings with kindness and compassion. I repented for past evil harm I have created onto all beings.
On the way down we had spring water that was sweet and really quenched the thirst. Chen decided to celebrate our gathering and brought out tea leaves from Putuo Shan, Guan Yin Bodhisattva’s Mountain and we made tea with Manjushri Mountain Spring water of Wu Tai Shan.. I missed having tea. I didn’t bring any on this trip thinking I would buy some on the tea street in Beijing but I didn’t find it on my last day of stay there. Chen was kind to give some to me for the road.
Chen tells me that the way to learning Dharma is through connections. You know this person, who knows this person, who then knows that person who can hook you up with this person who knows that teacher who can privately pass Dharma to you. I really don’t know what to make of this system. I am just grateful that my teacher Ven. Hsuan Hua made education of the Dharma free of connections and money. He is truly revolutionary, I am so glad I had the affinity to come across his teaching this lifetime.
