In April this year, I spent a week in China with Master Gary Lim for a spiritual excursion. It was my first. I figured, what better way to spend my Indirect Resource year. And along the way, I met a Deity, an Immortal and a Buddha. Here are the highlights from the trip.
FIRST, A DEITY
First stop of the trip was to Wudang Mountain, considered as one of the base of Taoism. It was also home to an important shrine to the Black Tortoise.
The mountains were primarily rocky and sharp. The energy, fierce and intense. Without doubt, a highly spiritual place. Where else would you see a White Crane Formation? Or a 5 Elements Mountain? The climb was arduous.
March is the month where the Black Tortoise’s ‘feast day’ (for lack of a better word) is celebrated. Hence, even though this is not a holiday month, the mountain saw throngs of devotees coming from all over. They carried the sacred statues from their own temples on palanquins, and hiked up the mountain on foot to reach the peak.
For the rest of us, thank goodness for the cable car that halved the ordeal. But it was still quite a climb. This is how it looks like. It was not a pleasant climb. The steps were uneven, and you are constantly jostled by the crowd. But determined to get to the Golden Peak, we soldier on!
There are quite a few interesting shrines along the way. None of which I photographed. It’s respect. How would you like it if I shoved a camera in your face? They’re deities, not celebrities. Perhaps now would be a good time to explain the use of idolatry in Taoism.
Firstly, let’s all agree that Taoism (along with Hinduism), are two of the oldest remaining mainstream religions or spiritual beliefs. The practice of both Taoism and Hinduism dates back more than 3,000 years. Both share two particular attributes. Firstly, there is a plethora of deities and gods. Consider them to be different manifestations of the universal energy. Because the ancients knew one thing – spiritual practice is never one-size-fits-all. We humans vibrate to different energies. Hence, the different deities and gods.
Secondly, the ancients know that when we have a human face in front of us, it is easier to connect. Again, these are different vibrations or manifestations of the universal energy. They are an energy form. But it’s hard for us to connect with something formless. So the ancients gave them names, genders, and even personalities.
To wrap up our day, we headed to the Temple of the Purple Heaven. There, I was fortunate to witness a prayer ceremony. During that hour, the air was literally thrumming with energy.
NEXT, AN IMMORTAL
From Wudang, we headed to Lushan for the next leg of our trip. A change of scenery, a change of energy. The energy of Lushan is so very different. Less intense, calming and relaxing, but still spiritual.
Our first afternoon in Lushan, we went to a look-out point where right before us, was a textbook example of how Qi is released from the mountains.
The next day, brace for a long trek to pay our respects to one of the eight immortals. We were heading to the grotto where Lu Dong Bin cultivated his skills, yonkers ago. It was an interesting trek. Unfortunately, the day was rather foggy, and much of the scenery was hidden from us. No matter, we grab what we can.
To get to the grotto, there are two ways – trek through the valley (the scenic route) or take the bus to the official stop, a short flight of stairs down, and voila! Obviously, we had to take the scenic route, because apparently, suffering is de rigueur when it comes to spiritual enlightenment.
FINALLY, THE BUDDHA
The final destination of our trip took us to the Donglin Temple at the base of the Lushan Mountains. 999 stairs stand between us and the giant Buddha at the top of the mountain. Some say it’s actually 949 steps. But seriously, at that number, what’s the difference?
For some, the climb was easy. For me, not so. I have a bum knee that hurts every time I climb stairs. The higher I climbed, the harder it got, the more pain I felt.
At the halfway point of the climb, the Lotus Platform, the voices in my head clamouring to give up was becoming too beguiling. “This is too hard, it’s too much. What’s the point anyway? You get to the top and then what? Listen, you’ve come halfway, if you turn around now, you’ve completed the 999 steps!” And so on and so forth.
Taunting didn’t work, so the voices turned logical. “Have you realized that the closer you get, the harder the journey becomes? Look at those clumps of people sitting on the stairs. The higher you climb, the more obstacles stand in your way!”
With a resolute “Shut up!” to those annoying inner voices, I gripped my walking stick and carried on. Suddenly, two of the members of our group came walking past me. Correction: blazing past me. I looked at them in envy. How could they climb so effortlessly while I struggled with every step? But within the envy was an analytical part of me that was watching their technique.
In truth, I was already aware of the technique. I’m embedding the video here for your reference (in case you are curious).
But the entire week, I had been so hyper focused on my bum knee to the point that I was not using the technique at all. Every step was calculated to avoid the pain. By that point of the journey, I had nothing left to lose. Let’s give the technique a try… without the walking stick.
Holding my ‘crutch’ aloft, I tentatively tried a few steps. What? The pain disappeared. What the hell? OK, let’s do it again. Take a deep breath! Look up, look at the Buddha, now go! It was like wings grew on my feet. Suddenly so much lighter, I flew up the remaining steps. It must have taken more than 800 steps for me to figure out the literal weight of my ‘cannots’. That weight that was holding me back was the weight of my misguided self-limiting beliefs. What can I say, I can be rather obtuse where universal signs were concerned.
By the time I was ready to head back down hill, I had already dismantled the hiking stick. Freed from encumbrances, the walk downhill was a breeze. And that was how I climbed 999 steps with a crutch, but came downhill without.
THANK YOU FOR READING
Thank you for reading this far. I promise, this will not turn into a self-indulgent travel blog. I’m simply grateful for the opportunity to take this once in a lifetime trip. I’ve seen things I never thought I would see. Next week, we’ll get back on track with our Bazi, Qimen and Feng Shui content.
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DISCLAIMER:
Disclaimer: Paulynne is NOT a Medical, Legal, Financial advisor or Councilor. She is a Bazi and Feng Shui Consultant who utilises her knowledge of Bazi, Qimendunjia and Feng Shui to look at the energy imprint surrounding events, situations or people. These readings are for ENTERTAINMENT PURPOSES ONLY and should NOT BE TAKEN as absolute proof or concrete evidence or advice. Please treat them as such and enjoy your time on the channel.
