I had planned on Saturday to leave at 9:14am on the train but I ended up getting on the 4:35pm train to Nan Hua Shi due to the long hours spent quickly at the tea house.
It was already sun down when I arrived in Shaoguan. I took a bus and had to get off at a local bus stop to get onto another bus that would drop me off the front gate of the monastery. The last direct bus from the train terminal to the monastery front gates was at 4pm. At the bus stop waiting for my second bus, a drunk approached me and kept talking to. He stank of alcohol and his tongue slurred as he spoke while leaning to one side and still managing to stay on his feet. He told me the gates close at 5:30pm and that no one would let me in. I told him I had already called the monastery on the train and told them I would be late and the nice monk on the phone told me how to get into the monastery on after hours that I was all set and arranged. That I was okay, everything was fine and that he would not have to worry for me or try to make arrangement on my behalf.
I made it on to the right connecting bus. It was full as people were getting off of work and school. Two college men got off their seats and offered it to me. I was glad actually because I was quite tired. They told me stories of when they used to just hang out on the grounds of the monastery and play.
Other people on the bus told me it was over rated and that such a place was not that great, blah, blah……
The ticket collector was female who worked from 6am-10pm. Those were long hours. She said, “Buddhists are nice people.” That was nice to hear.
I made it to the monastery at night. I have an affinity to enter monasteries at night somehow. People were really nice on the phone and in person. I did what I was instructed to do go through the vehicle entrance gate and check in with the officers there. The officers did not have my name on their list and would not let me in. I told them I called earlier and stated I would be late due to transportation reasons and I was instructed to enter this way with clearance from the monk inside at the guest prefect. I was finally given clearance to enter.
I walked in the dark while the air filled with drizzles. I forgot to ask where I should go on the grounds since everything was closed and I didn’t know where to go to find the guest prefect office. It took me a long time to figure things out in the dark. I finally came across a courtyard and a monk of some sort peaked out as I knocked on a door. He was not properly dressed and was most likely not expecting a girl to knock on his door late at night. For whatever reason he invited me into his room not fully robed in my opinion. I told him that I could wait for the guest prefect at the guest prefect office and that if he pointed me to the right direction that I would surely find it on my own. That I was not interested in waiting in his room for while someone fetched the guest prefect for me.
I found the guest prefect office. I sat and waited. It was already after 8:30pm. No one came. I finally decided to stand outside the office and waited for a passerby. A security guard came and asked why I was standing there. I told him no one came and I have been waiting for almost an hour and that I needed to be assigned to a women’s dorm room. I asked for his help. He told me it was after hours and getting the right person to help me at this time was slim. Even so he and I both agreed that it was not ideal for me to be just standing there in the hall. He connected me with a resident volunteer named Han who was waiting for a group of tourist meeting in a room with a lay dharma teacher of some sort to end their session so that she can lock up.
The evening lights out drums and bells had been struck and it was time for all the lights to go out. This particular group was from GuangDong and had come all this way to meet with this teacher who they worshiped because he was able to respond to their regular family life troubles. I tried to refrain from any judgments because Dharma Teachings are rare in China to being with. What is right? What is wrong? The fact that there is any is worth celebrating for.
It was interesting for me to watch how this teacher encouraged public announcements of vows to save other people especially their family members. But saved from what and how? It was interesting, this part felt very Christian. It reminded me of days at church where people were encourage to make vows of so and so much percent of their income was to be set aside each month to the church.
Han told me due to the large influx of tourist today that they are overbooked and being so late already that it would be difficult to locate someone who can set me up with housing. She asked if I didn’t mind staying at volunteer residence with her. She said the accommodation was marginal and she would try to help me find hot water to wash up for the night.
I roomed next Han in number Rm#12. The room was dusty and tattered. It hadn’t been used or cleaned in awhile. It was a humble abode. Han did her best to make me feel comfortable and well taken cared of with proper blankets and hot water. I learned how to wash myself from a bucket of 2 gallons of water. I was shocked to see how both genders used the same restroom with no partitions from the male toilets. I questioned out of shock and the male monk told me I could not use the restroom if I was so disturbed. I wasn’t disturbed with sharing the restroom but the lack of privacy for monks who were using the restroom too.
While I got ready to rest, room number 14 resident volunteers were also reciting the Eighty Eight Buddhas ceremony in their room. I really enjoy that one. It felt really good as I listened in through the paper thin walls. Then in room number 12 Han was reciting the Vajra Sutra. The vibrations coming through the walls were nice. I felt a calm realignment through me. I felt really comfortably sandwiched between two rooms of practitioners and their recitations. I didn't have to meditate or recite myself. I just loafed off their good chi.
