Sichuan: Academics and Epicness

From the bustling chatter of an active monastery – full of presence and thoughtful life that may seem quiet at first glance but is in fact teeming with, well, aliveness – to the sleek dark lacquer chairs and tables of the large lecture hall where we spend most of our time, the cheerful student volunteers who pour cup after cup of hot water for tea, the faces of tired students and scholars at the end of another fourteen hour day of lectures and seminars, we all made this a special time and place.

The cozy morning wake ups, the warm coconut milk at breakfast, cold morning walks to the temple, setting ins with tea and settling the mind to receive, negotiate, and process wisdom and intellect. Meals with the monks and nuns, their singing prayers and speedy appetites, delicious food prepared with love aplenty. The woman who scoops the rice gave me a special smile each time and said what I expect were endearing words, although I’ll never be sure. The young monk, petite and size with such long and beautiful eyelashes, always sneaking shy smiles in my direction.

So many words lost, to me in Mandarin and others in English, but so much gained in the collective experience of the journey. How fascinating to see what happens when roughly eighty balls of energy are brought together, each informed by his or her unique experiences of being alive, under a common theme and into a temporarily shared life.

Great joy from my meditative post-lunch walks, across temple plazas and around a pond with a central golden pillar image. I passed small groups of monks everyday, once a small group of smoking construction workers, a buck deer and two doe, two peacocks, and two chickens one black and one rust colored. Besides the monks and two men who are practicing meditative martial arts, there is nothing but peace and quietness.

Greatest joy from the mountain. Mountains of such grandeur I thought they could only exist in the imagination of a painter. Landscapes of such epic proportion walking tiny steps over them felt like a fantasy dream. But the mountain is real. My steps are real. What an enriching experience.

Truly, madly grateful. How lucky are we, as young people today, to be able to travel widely and experience broadly. One professor today told of his history as a scholar – when he was my age one couldn’t easily hop on a plane to China, or hop on the internet and find a digitized document of an ancient text. We certainly face a different set of challenges today, but it is a great reminder to reflect on what we have and probably take for granted.

Of course there is contrast to the beautifully epic days and hours and minutes. Most of the time, the sky is hazy and smells of different kinds of burning. People spit constantly, are a bit pushy, and smoke cigarettes everywhere at all times. Internet is severely restricted. These are all rather minor, and partially cultural, bits that honestly pale in comparison to the positives.

So many great moments, memories, and happenings! One of the first days, a surprise peacock flew in the lecture hall and joined us for several hours. An auspicious sign, I think (try telling that to the students it almost defecated on!). The monks playing basketball – wow do some of them have skills! I finally worked up enough courage to ask for a shot the last day. ‘Twas a crowning moment! The saga of misplacing my scarf and sending out search parties to retrace my steps throughout the expansive grounds (alas, it was found). Clanky bus rides to the mountain, past huddled groups of men and women around small fires, often in front of the many repair shops for cars and bikes (China is really on the move!). The peculiar color of green in the lower mountains (effects of air pollution?). Clusters of bamboo, the sound of water running all about, temples embedded in hillsides. Quiet. Calm, but alive. Moments of reflection, again and again. Tai chi in the library at dusk on the last day. Receiving a very unexpected prize for best essay, and then promptly (a little in shock, perhaps!) walking off the stage and straight into the wrong corridor, slightly embarrassing for me, humorous for the rest! Singing the Titanic song with a beautiful Chinese lady at the local Bar. Aggressive monkeys digging through my pockets, thrashing the backpacks of other unsuspecting visitors and/or jumping on their heads and backs! Scenery so incredible and severe I thought it only existed in painters’ imaginations. Journeying with my new friend Grace to see the world’s largest Buddha at Leshan, and then to Chengdu, where we shared possibly the most delicious meal of all time – our mouths were on fire and we loved every moment of it.

Most of all, I will remember the people. Okay, the people and the mountains and the food. Shanghai came next – a reunion with a dear friend and more adventures. With love and gratitude, Lindsey.