It’s already September 8^th. Some of the delegation members had left for their visit to Blue Cloud Monastery in the early morning. Those who were visiting the Great Bodhi Monastery were also ready for their journey, and bid us farewell.

The biggest accomplishment today was to visit and pay respect to the president of the Chinese Buddhist Association, Dharma Master Yi Cheng; and to observe the historical Chinese Buddhist culture relics passed down through successive dynasties. These culture relics were not normally open to public viewing.

Stationed at Fayuan (Dharma Origin) Monastery, DM Yi Cheng is over 80 years old. He is the 10^th generation in the lineage of the Weiyang School. He was also one of the close attendants who saw Great Master Xu Yun pass into stillness. He was also one of the four monks who guarded Zhenru (True Suchness) Monastery during the Cultural Revolution.

During the Cultural Revolution, he suffered a great deal as a result of guarding Zhenru Monastery at Yunju (Cloud Abode) Mountain. However, his faith in the Buddhas and Bodhisattvas remained steadfast. Most of the sutras he wrote with blood in his youth were destroyed during the Cultural Revolution. Only one, securely stored away, was preserved until now. We are grateful to the Elder Master for giving us a copy of his handwritten copy of the book, Records of Reflections on Buddhist Schools, for commemoration.

Fayuan Monastery is a museum of Buddhist historical relics. The Buddhist statues and cultural relics from past dynasties have all been carefully preserved. One can see various styles of Buddhist statues as well as art from different dynasties. In particular, one cannot help but gasp in admiration at the care and precision of the artists in those years.

In Beijing, we met a group of Buddhist youth away from home, who gathered together every weekend to recite sutras, bow to the Buddha, exchange their experiences or invite scholars to speak the Dharma. They especially came to request the Dharma when they heard of the visiting DRBA Dharma Masters, who, despite their busy schedules, took the time to meet with them and speak the Dharma. The three sutra commentaries by the Venerable Master Hua, recently published in China, were just right for the occasion. Unfortunately, some of the youth couldn’t read Chinese, so hopefully in the future we’ll have Chinese-English bilingual sutra books to give them.

“He who doesn’t reach the Great Wall is not a true man.” Surely, the DRBA delegation could not be the exception either! Our group took advantage of the clear and refreshing weather and visited the Great Wall under the gentle breeze and beautiful sunshine. The young folks climbed up to the top without pausing to rest. The older ones walked more slowly but still made a valiant effort. They still wanted to climb up the Great Wall and be done with it. After all that physical activity, everybody was energetic and ready to visit the next city.

Qingdao is a refreshing, somewhat Europeanized island. The sparkling night lights seemed to be welcoming us. The abbot from Zhanshan Monastery, Elder Master Ming Zhe, was vigorous despite being over eighty. He got up at 4:00 a.m. for morning recitation and didn’t rest until 11:00 p.m. at night. He personally took care of numerous monastic affairs daily and was especially occupied with a Buddhist academy built over two years ago. However, the monastery was clean both inside and out, with flourishing flowers and plants, and birds singing everywhere.

The Elder Master received us in person at the gate when we arrived at Zhanshan Monastery, and had the local Sangha members and lay people lined up to welcome us. The delegation followed the Elder Master and walked at a slow pace to the Grand Buddha Hall. After the delegation bowed to the Buddha, the abbot introduced us to the monastics and laity there, and we exchanged gifts.

There are more than 170 monastics and laypeople studying at Zhanshan Buddhist Academy. They have a rigorous and solid curriculum. The DRBA Dharma Masters created Dharma affinities with the monastics and laity both at the Buddhist Academy and the Monastery.

When the delegation was about to leave Beijing for the Zhanshan Monastery in Qingdao, a long distance phone call came from Shenzhen inviting the DRBA delegation to visit the hundred year old senior, Elder Master Ben Huan. What an extraordinary commendable opportunity! Thus, the delegation made a quick decision to visit Hongfa (Propagating Dharma) Monastery in Shenzhen and added this trip to their itinerary.

Elder Master Ben Huan was born in 1907 and left home 70 years ago, in 1930. He has undergone tremendous difficulties in his life, even being in jail for over a decade. However, he never retreated from his original vows. He inherited the lineage of Linji School from Venerable Master Xu Yun and became the 44^th heir. He has written over 30 rolls of sutras with blood from his finger and tongue. Unfortunately, they were lost in the chaotic war times.

In 1948, the Venerable Master Hua met the Elder Master Benhuan at Nanhua Monastery in Guangdong. Due to this affinity, the Elder Master invited the delegation for a visit. The delegation of 27 people(some of whom joined the delegation at Nanchang) visited and stayed overnight at Hongfa Monastery. That day, we listened to an instructional talk by the Elder Master and were presented with a photocopy of his blood-written sutra, the Chapter of the Conduct and Vows of Universal Worthy Bodhisattva, which had been recovered after being lost for over 50 years.

Even though the Elder Master was almost 100 years old, he was still astute and competent, energetic and strong, and his speech was cheerful and humorous. It’s said that he still rose at 3:00 a.m. every day to recite the Chapter of Universal Worthy’s Conduct and Vows several dozen times, a practice he has kept up for decades. His perseverance in spiritual practice is truly worth emulating.

To be continued