A novice monk travels with his tutor, a master sculptor, to visit the stone Buddhas of north China. He is tormented by a vivid dream of an idyllic rural life outside the monastery, and is tempted to leave.
Yungang Caves, Datong, China (Photo: M. Griffiths)
Journey to the North
7500 words
Dust
Novice Tian huddled
under his robes in a small cave carved from the brown soil of the hillside.
Outside the frenzied wind swept vast clouds of dust over the barren landscape, entraining
the light soil of north China, parched and baked dry over two hundred years of
drought.
Beside him he heard the chant
of “Nan mo ah mi tuo fo”, repeated
over and over again in Master Shi’s low voice. Master Shi coughed.
While his own lips silently
repeated the same chant, Tian fingered the string of rough wooden beads in his
hand. Master Shi coughed again. “Master, you must see a doctor in Wutaishan.”
Master Shi stopped his
chanting. “I have breathed rock chips all my life, a little dust storm will not
harm me.”
Tian pulled his robe
tighter around him. It seemed to Tian like a lifetime had passed since he left
the monastery in Sichuan with his teacher, Master Shi, to visit the great stone
Buddhas of north China and make copies of their designs. He sometimes feared
that that they would never return and the project to build the largest stone
Buddha in China would never be completed.
During the night, Tian
dreamed of a small house surrounded by fields and hills. He could see the vivid
colours of rhododendron flowers, the bamboo that stretched several times his
height into the sky, the birds chirping as they flitted among the trees. Then
came the image that recurred often in his dreams: a farm with crops ripening in
the sunshine, a woman’s voice singing, a sense of peace and happiness. He felt
himself being drawn to it, looking for the people that dwelled there. But he
couldn’t find them. He often awoke with an agitation in his legs, an urge to
get up and walk as if to physically reach the place in his dream.
When they had finally
left Haishenwai in the far north east and began the trip back south Tian felt a
weight lift from his shoulders. With each day now home was getting closer. The
monastery north of Chengdu, the capital of the Kingdom of Sichuan in west China,
was the only home had known since he was six years old after his parents died
in an earthquake. A small bare room was not much, but for him it was adequate.
The monastery provided all his needs and filled his days with chanting and
ceremonies and, under Master Shi, he learned the skills of stone carving.
Master Shi told him
often: “You will have the opportunity to create a great work in the name of the
Buddha. You are very fortunate.” Tian glowed at the thought, yet the lure of
his strange recurring dream refused to fade.
In the morning, the
storm had blown itself out. They shouldered their packs and hiked south once
more through the dull brown landscape covered in fine brown powder. Tian walked
slowly alongside Master Shi. “My dream came again last night, Master. I think I
miss the monastery.”
Master Shi shook his
head. “Don’t be too quick to rush back.” Tian glanced at him. Shi looked at him
with a sly smile. “It is good to explore new places and see the wonderful
sights of the world. We should make the most of this opportunity.”
In the late afternoon
their weary legs hauled them to the top of a low ridge. In the distance,
glowing white in the sun, was the tall Tibetan style stupa of the temple in the
centre of the valley, nestled among the five rounded peaks. They had reached
Wutaishan, one of the four holy Buddhist mountains of China and home to over a
hundred monasteries and temples representing of all branches of Buddhism.
They walked down into
the small town in the valley and found a residence for visiting monks. Master
Shi rested while Tian went out to fetch food from a monastery dining hall.
Tian carried their bowls
in a small bag over his shoulder. He wandered across a paved courtyard and then
began to cross an arched stone bridge that spanned a trickle of a stream. A
shadow fell across the worn cobble stones in front of him. He looked up and saw
a nun walking towards him. She was young, perhaps a novice like him, and wore
long grey robes and brown cloth shoes. Her shaved head was like a ripe peach,
her ears small and delicate. But it was not those that clutched at his chest.
It was her smile. Her red lips curled up at each end, framing her small, even,
white teeth. It was a vision that reminded him of Guanyin, the Goddess of
Mercy, herself.
“Good evening brother,”
Novice Dai nodded to him, hands pressed together in front of her.
Tian stared, his mouth
hung open in slack silence. Then with great effort, he blinked.
Her eyes sparkled with
amusement. “I see you are dusty from your travels. Have you come far?”
He closed his mouth and
nodded. His face blushed crimson. He raised his hands in front of his chest,
palms together, then raised them to his forehead. “My apologies sister,” he
stammered, bowing his head. “I am not used to talking to...” He raised his eyes
to hers then lowered them again. “My master and I have just arrived from the Yungang
caves to the north. We were caught in a dust storm.”
“I have always wanted to
visit Yungang. I’ve heard it is magnificent. Have you eaten?” she asked.
“I am fetching food now
for my master. He is not well and I’m worried about him. I hope he will agree
to stay here and recover before we continue our journey home.” He blushed
again. “Forgive me for talking so much. I...” he spluttered.
“Not at all.” She smiled
again. “The monk’s dining hall is that way.” She turned and pointed. “I hope your
master’s health improves.”
“Thank you sister.” He
bowed deeply.
He gazed at her
retreating back as she descended the bridge and walked turned toward a cluster
of tile roofed buildings in the distance. His heart pounded in his chest.
Master Shi was right. One could see many wondrous sights while traveling.
Perhaps he should not be in such a hurry to go home after all.
Tea
The abbott perched
stiffly on the edge of an ornate wooden chair. ‘Ming Dynasty’ their host had
said waving a silk clad arm over the furniture in the elegant inner hall of the
residence, preserved from long before the wei
ji shi, the period of crisis.
Many countries had
suffered during the wei ji shi, not just
China The end of the Hong Chao in
China, the Red Dynasty, had come about like many others before it, through
economic decline, environmental degradation, political infighting and expensive
wars.
Beside the abbot sat
Master Shi and then Tian. The
abbot of the monastery had decided that the monastery would create the biggest
stone Buddha in China, bigger than the seventy one meeda tall rock carving at
Le Shan to the south of Chengdu. It would a great achievement and something
Tian could devote his energy to for years. But such a project required more
than just skilled sculptors, it required labour, equipment and money. And so they
had come to the home of Jia Shenyi to ask for a donation, a very large
donation, to fund the first years of work until word of its magnificence spread
and donations began to flow in from the population.
Jia was a merchant who
made his fortune from trading cotton, silk and tea from the south and east and
even products from overseas borne on ships of sail. He was also a collector of
furniture, old books and statues, which he displayed with pride. The abbot
gently chided him on his collection, reminding him he could not take it with
him to his next life. The merchant had laughed heartily and said he could give
it all up in a moment. Tian smiled, but at the same time saw a strange look in the
man’s eyes. He was not sure whether it was mirth, true disdain for the things
he had surrounded himself with, or, as Tian suspected, a deep and growing fear
for his fate in the afterlife.
An attendant refilled
their tea cups and Jia Shenyi spoke. “I am honoured by your visit venerable
masters. Business is challenging these days. The silk road to the west is
sometimes beset with brigands and thieves and sailing boats on the ocean are
subject to the whims of the winds, and even travel within the six kingdoms of
China is not without its complications. He rose and took them into a walled
garden and showed them a roofed grotto reached through an arbour overhung by
fruiting vines. “Master Shi, I would like to place a statue of Buddha here in
my garden to protect… to honour his benevolence and show my family’s reverence.”
Tian was not surprised.
Master Shi had been asked to do such carvings many times by wealthy families
eager to improve their fortunes in this life and the next. The abbot and Master
Shi exchanged glances as they walked back to the house to resume their
conversation. When they sat down again the abbot explained the grand project
for which they sought a commensurate donation. Of course they explained, for
such generosity the donor would attract great merit in this and future lives.
He also mentioned that Master Shi and his prentice planned to visit the great
stone Buddhas of China to study their designs in preparation.
Jia Shenyi sipped his
tea and thought for some time. “Venerable Abbot your visit has been most
timely. Since my thoughts have recently been given to statues of the Buddha,
and your monastery has a plan which needs support, I invite you to come with me
now and I will show you something. I have a proposal that I think may be
agreeable to all of us.”
Gold
Tian’s dream came again. The same
farm, stone house, crops in the fields. This time he also became aware of
himself. He was a grown up. This was not a dream from his childhood as his monk
teachers suggested. He heard the woman singing and was spellbound by the sound.
But yet again he could not see the source of the voice.
He awoke early but
Master Shi did not stir for morning prayers. When Tian brought him breakfast he
did not eat. He left him resting and rushed out to find a doctor.
When he returned Master
Shi began to tell him about the golden Buddha in south China. Of course Tian
already knew of the Donglin Temple, for it was there that their Pure Land sect
had originated over two thousand years before, in the year 386 in the old time
calendar.
The golden Buddha was
famous in all the six kingdoms as the biggest bronze Buddha in China, a
48-metre tall statue of Amitabha, gilded with many kilograms of pure gold. It
was constructed in the time of the Hong
Chao, with donations from many thousands of people, including from the
drowned cities of Hong Kong and Shanghai. Their largess had not saved their
cities from the sea but the result, his master enthused, was a sight to behold.
“I have never been there but I believe the Golden Buddha is the most wondrous
thing in the world.”
Tian wondered why Master
Shi was telling him about this now. He tried to quiet him and asked him to rest
until the doctor came. A senior medical monk and an assistant entered their
small room and asked him some questions. The monk took Master Shi’s pulses on
both wrists and made notes. They talked briefly to Master Shi then left. Tian
tried to judge from their words and expressions how serious it was but they
both remained encouraging but vague. Tian accompanied them back to the doctor’s
dispensary and waited until the medicine was ready. He carried back a pungent
brew and slowly spooned it into his master’s mouth. Master Shi screwed up his
face at the bitter taste but took it all. Then he settled back on his bed and
closed his eyes.
Tian sat with him for a
time until he seemed to drift off to sleep, then he ventured out. He looked to
the west and the small town that served the valley and its many pilgrims, and
then to the east. His eyes were drawn to the hill nearby and followed the stone
stairs leading up to the ancient temple at the top. There were one thousand and
eighty steps, ten times the sacred number of beads of his rosary.
He walked to the base of
the hill and began to climb. He enjoyed the feel of his legs pushing against
the stones. Up ahead he glimpsed a familiar grey robed figure. He sped up and
came alongside her.
Dai saw him and turned.
“Good morning brother.” She bowed slightly.
Tian bowed low. He felt
his face flush again and fought to control his laboured breathing. “Good morning
sister.” He looked up at her again and his face broke into a grin. “I am
pleased to see you. I wanted to thank for your assistance yesterday.” He looked
up the hill. “Perhaps we can climb together?”
She nodded with a trace
of a smile. “Is your master feeling better?” Dai asked, as they slowly climbed
the steps up the hill to the temple, careful to keep a distance between them.
Tian shrugged. “The
doctor has given him some medicine and he is resting. I hope he will recover his
strength soon.”
“Have your enjoyed your
trip?” she asked.
“We have visited many
places and seen some of the large stone Buddhas. Our monastery plans to build
the biggest in China. It will be a great monument to Buddha and to the
dedication of our monastery in honouring his wisdom. Hopefully it will inspire
people to follow the Buddha’s path. At Yungang we made drawings and notes on
their designs and construction methods. After Master Shi recovers we will go south
to Meng Shan, there is sixty three meeda high Buddha there.”
“Yes, we stopped there
on our way,” said Dai.
Tian nodded, “And then
we will go to Luoyang to view more stone Buddhas on our way back to Sichuan. Are
you here on a pilgrimage?” asked Tian.
Dai shook her head. “No.
I am here with the abbess of my order and several others. She has an important
meeting this afternoon. We are assisting her.”
“Oh.” Tian continued to
climb beside her until they reached the top. They lit incense in the temple and
bowed to the statues of the five Manjusri Bodhisattvas there, revered for their wisdom. They
strolled to a terrace overlooking the valley. “This is a beautiful place.”
“Yes.” After a few
minutes they began the climb down. At the bottom Tian stopped and turned to
Dai.
“I hope your meeting
goes well, sister.” He bowed his head.
“Thank you, brother.”
She returned the bow and smiled.
He watched her grey
robes glide away across the cobbles. He felt a lightness that made him giddy.
Silk
Jia Shenyi took the
abbot, Master Shi and Tian by carriage to the industrial district on the south
side of Chengdu. The carriage stopped in front of an imposing warehouse located
next the Jinjiang River that ran through the city. He motioned them through a
large side door and into a huge space stacked to the ceiling with bales of silk
cloth and wooden crates of tea. A team of workers was busy wrapping the bales
in layers of cotton and jute to protect them for shipping.
A man strutted among the
labourers and barked instructions. He looked over as Jia and the monks entered
the warehouse. Jia montioned him to join them. “This is Kong Que.” The man
bowed the monks. “He is my right hand man. He speaks fluent Rosh, a skill for
which he is richly rewarded.” He smiled.
“I am honoured to assist
you Master, as always.” Kong bowed low to Jia and held the positon just a little
longer than necessary. Tian stared at his embroidered silk jacket, bright red
decorated with peacock feathers, and even more magnificent than Jia’s.
Jia turned to the face
the merchandise. “This silk and tea is destined for export. In two days the
shipment will depart on barges down the river to the Yangtze and then all the
way downstream to Yangzhou. From there it will travel north up the Grand Canal
to Beijing then overland to the coast. Then it will sail on a coaster north
east to the port of Haishenwai. There it will be transferred to a Rosh vessel
equipped to sail across the northern ocean all the way to Genda.”
“Genda, really? Such a
large shipment and so far.” said the abbot.
“Yes.” Jia moved closer
to a pile of silk. “The Rosh tell us the foreigners in Genda and Meriga have
strange tastes. They prefer plain colours - reds, yellows, blues and greens,
not like the intricate brocades our looms can produce for our robes, dresses, and
jackets. The foreigners too have wares to sell but on this occasion Rosh silver
is more convenient. This one shipment will fund both your project and my
household for a number of years.”
Master Shi nodded and
gazed over the bales with wonder. “Such trade must entail considerable risk,” he
said.
“Indeed Master Shi. Kong
will accompany it until it departs on the Rosh ship. But for this shipment I
have in mind an additional safeguard.”
Kong’s eyes narrowed.
“Master?”
Jia raised his hand and
Kong held his tongue. “If your abbot is agreeable I would like you and your
prentice to accompany it.”
Master Shi’s cast a glance
at the abbot and Tian. “What use are an old monk and a boy?”
Jia waved away the
comment. “You bring with you the protection of a higher power.” He turned to
the abbot. “Provide an escort for my shipment and the donation will be in your
account the day it leaves port for Genda.”
The abbot studied him
briefly. “Since Master Shi already plans to tour the stone Buddhas in the north
a small diversion would be no inconvenience. Isn’t that right Master Shi.
Master Shi licked his
lips meditatively. “Yes, Venerable Master.”
Wood
Tian again dreamed of
the farm in the country, the green of bamboo and the sound of birds and
crickets. The singing came again and this time when he looked for it he found
the source. It was Dai. She stood in the courtyard of the small stone house and
he smiled as he listened to her voice as they worked together winnowing grain.
He awoke in the darkness
and fingered his prayer beads. His dream was becoming more real with each
passing day. He trembled with excitement as he began to contemplate what it
meant.
He was interrupted by
Master Shi’s coughing. Tian leaned close, his face creased with worry. Master
Shi’s voice lacked its normal strength. He gripped his hand. “Don’t worry. I’ll
be fine.”
Tian nodded. “Yes,
Master.”
“I have made a decision.
When I am well again we will go south from Luoyang instead of west. We will
visit the Golden Buddha at the Donglin Temple. All my life I have dreamed of
seeing it and this will be my only chance.”
Tian’s eyebrows quivered
on his forehead. “But master, we promised the abbot we would return as soon as
possible. He wants to complete the plans for the giant stone Buddha this year
and start work next spring.”
Master Shi nodded. “Yes.
And we can still do that. It will not take long and the sight of such a
miraculous statue will inspire us in our work when we return home.”
Tian again fetched the
medicine then sat with Master Shi until he slept again. Then he quietly slipped
out of the room and strode quickly to the steps at the bottom of the hill. Soon
he saw Dai approaching. He stood and bowed. “Good morning sister.”
“Good morning brother,”
Dai answered with a nod, but no smile accompanied her greeting.
“Is something wrong?” Tian
asked.
At first she did not reply.
He matched her step for step slowly up the hill. Finally she relented. “The
meeting did not go well,” said Dai, casting a wary glance around her.
Tian frowned. “She
stopped and looked at him. Then her eyes flickered to the forest that clothed
the hillside and a narrow dirt path that wound among the trees. “Let’s walk
among the trees today.” Tian followed her at a distance until they were out of
sight of the steps.
“The abbess is most
disappointed,” said Dai once they were away from the steps.
Tian nodded solemnly.
Dai took a deep breath.
“Some time ago a wealthy woman, a friend of our order in the east, left a large
bequest to the temple in her will, to further our work in the community.” She
walked a while in silence. Tian watched her face keenly, seeing her jaws clench
and unclench.
“The bequest was a
quantity of precious jewels. The hierarchy of our Chan sect heard about the
matter and brought the jewels here, for ‘safe keeping’. Now they will not
return them. They have decided that the jewels should be sold and the money
used to construct new temples and statues of Buddha instead. They say this is
more important than our work.”
Tian saw her eyes
moisten. “I can see your work is very important to you sister.”
Dai nodded. “We help
families still affected by the radiation sickness. And one day we hope to
cleanse the land of the poisons.”
“The poison from the
explosions?”
“Yes, the ancient power
plants. The war with Japan and the wei ji
shi affected China as well.”
Tian nodded. He had
heard a story of the Japanese Empress flying over the ocean on a giant silver
bird toward the rising sun.
“My dream when I am
ordained is to travel to Japan to learn from our Zen colleagues about the fungi
and plants that can absorb the poisons and remove them from the soil. They have
experience with these things.” She bit her lip. “My ancestors were among those poisoned
many centuries ago. The survivors vowed that one person from every generation would
become a monk or a nun for one thousand generations until the poisons have
dissipated.” A tear ran down her cheek. “A long penance wouldn’t you say.”
Tian fought an urge to
grasp her hand. Instead he fingered his rosary and murmured a prayer.
“I hope that my work might
shorten that time and make a better life for my family and others in the
future. The jewels will pay for the trip and for us grow the plants and
distribute them for many years to come.”
Tian rubbed his shaven
head and groped for words that could ease her suffering. “Will you have further
meetings? Perhaps they will change their minds.”
Dai nodded. “Yes we will
meet them again today. But I do not believe they will change their decision.”
She shook he head. “I never dreamed when I became a nun that there would be
such…politics.”
They reached small
clearing where they could see the valley spread out below them. Dai stared at
the view for a minute them looked around for a seat. She spied the remains of a
fallen tree beside the path, brushed dirt and leaves from the surface and sat
down. Tian joined her on the log. Dai absently traced the creases and knots in
the surface of the wood. Beside the log a small seedling stretched skyward. She
pointed to it. “The cycle of life, death and rebirth is everywhere.”
Tian nodded.
Dai slid her fingers
into a knot hole. “Oh, it’s hollow.” she said. She stood and crouched by the
end of the log. She brushed away some leaves and looked inside. “The soul has
flown.” she said with a faint smile.
She swept the leaves
back into place and sat down again. She twisted her prayer beads in her hands
and mouthed a prayer. Tian watched her silently. Eventually she stopped and
looked at him with a smile. “Thank you for your company. I feel better now.”
Tian blushed and nodded.
“I…” he started, then stopped.
She raised her eyebrows.
“I have a dream too. A real
dream that comes to me often in the night.”
Dai nodded for him to continue.
“I see a farm in the
country, a house, crops in the fields, trees all around. And I hear a woman
singing.” He looked at her for a moment. She returned his gaze calmly. “I feel
it is a sign for me to leave the monastery. I went there as an orphan and I’m
not sure it is the life that I…” He paused to take a deep breath. “Last night I
had the dream again, the woman was singing and I saw her face for the first
time. It was you.”
Dai gasped and clasped
her hands together.
Tian continued quickly. “I
believe we were meant to meet here, and we can have a wonderful life together.”
Dai opened to mouth to
speak, the closed it again. Finally she whispered. “Where would we live? How would
we support ourselves?”
“We will have a farm in
Sichuan and grow crops. And I will plant trees for fire wood and timber. And in
the winter when the farm work is quiet I will carve statues and you can
meditate. We will choose a village away from the earthquake fault lines, the
monastery has a big map from the Hong
Chao that shows them all.”
“Such a long way from my
home. What if you became sick? How will we support ourselves, without family
nearby?”
Tian recalled the
meeting with Mister Jia. “There are wealthy people who would appreciate a
Buddha statue on their courtyard.” Tian declared. “I will find special stones and
carve beautiful statues. I know where to look. We can bury money in a safe
place to support us if anything happens and surround the house with high
walls.”
Dai thought for a while,
then spoke. “You have given this much thought, but I am not sure any walls
could keep us safe. The community in the temples is our best security brother.”
She smiled and the sparkle in her eyes returned. “Are you sure you can sell so
many statues? Perhaps you overestimate your skills?”
Tian leapt up and
searched among the trees and returned with a broken piece of a branch. “Give me
a few days, I will show you what I can do.”
Dai laughed. “And I will
think about your words.” She patted the log between them. “You have helped me a
lot this morning brother, more than you know.” She stood up. “I should go now.”
Tian stood and they
exchanged bows. He watched Dai walk along the path, a smile on his face, then
sat down, pulled a knife from his bag and began to carve the wood.
Jewels
The next morning Tian
sat at the base of the hill again. He waited for an hour and began to pace
backwards and forwards around the bottom of the steps. He was just about to
return to sit beside Master Shi’s bed when he saw Dai limping towards him. He leapt
up and strode towards her.
“Are you all right
sister? What happened?”
“Nothing serious. I
turned my ankle.” She gave him rueful smile. “It will be fine in a few days. I was
a gymnast in school before I joined the order. I’m used to it.” She sat slowly on a bench. “I don’t think I
should climb the steps today.”
Tian sat down beside her
and nodded. “Did you hear? The jewels you spoke about were stolen. Monks came early
this morning to search our room and our bags.”
“Yes. They searched ours
too. My abbess has been arrested.”
“Surely she did not
steal them?”
Dai shook her head. “Of
course not.”
“They will search every
building in Wutaishan before the day is out.” said Tian.
“Yes. But I doubt they
will find them.”
Tian looked at her with
a frown, then slowly nodded. “Do you think so?”
Dai shrugged.
“How was your meeting yesterday?”
“Same as the day before.”
Tian pursed his lips. “So
what will become of the radiation project?”
Dai exhaled slowly. “We
will find a way.”
“I don’t think you should
do it. The nuclear poison is dangerous. Do you not fear the hair falling out
disease?”
She smiled. “They wear
special metal clothing when they go into the poisoned areas. They have learned
a lot about dealing with these matters themselves and from other countries. My
abbess is a scientist. She believes their techniques can be successful in the
eastern kingdom too.”
Tian gazed at her face. Finally
he could restrain himself no more. “Sister. Have you thought about my…my proposal
from yesterday?”
Dai stared down at the uneven
cobbles beneath their feet. “I need more time to mediate on it. What you are
asking is a very big decision. For years I have dedicated my life to the order
and achieving enlightenment through meditation and service. I have grown used
to being with my sisters and serving the community. I fear trying to survive
alone in the country away from others as you suggest would be very difficult for
me. Wouldn’t you miss your monastery too? Are you sure you want to leave that,
and the giant Buddha project?”
Tian nodded slowly. “I
will miss it a little, but I’m sure we can do it sister. Sichuan is fertile and
the rain is sufficient. And I promise you will have time to meditate. We don’t
have to be in monastery to achieve the Buddha’s Pure Land.”
She nodded. “I don’t
doubt your sincerity brother.” She gazed out at the hills that surrounded the
valley. Finally she spoke again. “Is your master better?”
Tian shook his head. “His
recovery is very slow.” He tried to push aside the guilty feeling that crept up
on him that if his master passed away it would make leaving the monastery much
easier.
Dai nodded and stood
gingerly. “I should go now. It is better if we are not seen together too much.”
Tian leapt to his feet
and bowed. “I hope your leg is better tomorrow.” She nodded and shuffled away. Tian
strode quickly back to the sit beside Master Shi. Master Shi coughed violently,
doubling over. Beads of sweat broke out on his forehead but his hands felt cold.
“I will get the doctor.”
Tian began to stand up.
“Wait.” The master’s
voice was weak and his breathing laboured. Tian leant close to him. “There is
something I want to tell you. I think perhaps it is time for me to go the Pure Land.
If I leave this world I want you to go to Donglin Temple and finish your
training with the master there. Then return to our monastery to build the giant
stone Buddha.”
“Don’t say that Master.
You will be fine.” Tian dropped his eyes.
“Go to Donglin. Do you
hear me?” Master Shi whispered.
“I hear you Master.” Tian nodded reflexively
but his mind flew to Dai.
He rose and ran to the
doctors rooms. He returned with them after a few minutes and found Master Shi
still struggling to breathe. The doctor felt his pulses and gave him some
medicine. The lines on Shi’s face relaxed. He sat with the doctor and his
assistant for some time but no one spoke. Tian sensed from the frown on the
doctor’s face that maybe there was little more even he could do.
Master Shi opened his
eyes. He coughed again them settled back. His breath came in wheezy gasps but
he smiled. “I can see it, the Pure Land, bright lights and beautiful music.
Buddha is coming to welcome me!" He turned his head slightly to Tian.
“Remember what I said.”
Tian nodded as a
tightness gripped his chest. Master Shi settled back and closed his eyes. Tian
saw the small round burn marks on his shaved scalp from his initiation many
decades ago fade from brown to white. The doctor grasped his wrist and felt for
his pulse. He looked up at Tian and shook his head.
Tian’s eyes were
instantly field with tears. He took his rosary in both hands and began to
chant. He and other monks would chant for three days until the soul had
departed his master’s body to ensure his passage to the Buddha’s Pure Land was
smooth.
Silver
The coaster tied up at
the dock in Haishenwai just after noon. Master Shi heaved a sigh of relief and
stopped his chanting. A large dark haired Rosh man stood on the dock observing
the deck hands. Once the gangplank was in place Kong strode down it and extended
his arms. “Gospodin Polzin. Kak zhizn?”
“Very good my friend. And
you?”
“Very good. Gospodin Jia sends his warmest
greetings.”
They hugged and Kong turned
to the monks. “These monks accompanied the shipment all the way from Sichuan.
Mister Jia wanted to make sure it arrived undamaged.”
“Very thoughtful of
him.” Polzin smiled and spoke in passable Chinese. “Welcome to Haishenwai, or I
should say, ‘Vladivostok’. We Rosh have long memories you know.” He bowed and
the monks bowed in return.
Kong laughed. “Chinese
memories are equally long tovarisch.
Rosh took this land many centuries ago and we merely took it back.”
Polzin shrugged and turned,
pointing. “That is my ship. We will start loading right away. It should be
finished this afternoon and we can complete our transaction. The northern ocean
is now free of ice all the way to Genda. It should be plain sailing.”
He began talking in Rosh
to Kong. Tian heard only a jumble of exotic sounds except for shelk, and chay which seemed to come up often in the conversation. A gang of
Chinese dockers assembled next to the coaster. Kong talked with the foreman who
began issuing instructions. The gang sprang into action and the goods began the
short trip from one ship to the other.
The monks walked to a
monastery on a small hill north of the docks to rest. In the afternoon they
returned to watch the last of the goods loaded into the hold of the Rosh vessel.
Polzin had not yet returned but Kong Que was on board and Tian heard his
strident voice ordering the dockers to move the cargo here and there in the
hold of the ship, rearranging it to suit his whims, then a few minutes later he
would change his mind and demand another reshuffle.
It was past dusk before
the loading was completed. Polzin had arrived to check the load and he and Kong
emerged from the hold deep in conversation. Kong strode over to them. “I have
discussed the situation with Gospardin
Polzin. It is too late to go to the bank now. We will go before lunch tomorrow.
Then we shall eat with our friend and depart on the coaster in the afternoon.”
Master Shi nodded slowly.
“Very well Mister Kong. We will see you tomorrow.”
Kong rushed off. Master
Shi and Tian wandered towards the monastery. They stopped in at a Sichuan
restaurant for rice and spicy vegetables. Afterwards, back on the street they were
surrounded by a throng of merchants, street peddlers and passers-by in the dim glow
of street lamps. In the half-light Tian thought he recognised Kong wearing Rosh
clothes hurrying out of a building and across the street. He saw him walk up
the steps into a garish building, its windows covered with brightly coloured curtains.
As he disappeared
through the doors, another man came out, a middle aged Rosh man with long brown
hair and beard, fine clothes encasing his rotund belly. On his arm was a young
Chinese woman. She glanced at the monks as they walked past, whispered to the
man and laughed loudly as they climbed into a horse drawn carriage. Tian flushed
and dropped his eyes. The carriage door closed and a clopping of hooves on the
cobbles bore the couple away.
Ashes
When the third day of
chanting was over monks removed Master Shi’s body to prepare it for cremation.
Tian sat in his room and packed the plans of the stone Buddha statues they had
visited into his bag along with his few possessions. Then he worked on
completing the little wooden statue he had promised Dai, half convinced that
the quality of his work would persuade to accompany him, half aware that to
even ask such a question was unreasonable, and in the eyes of his former
master, unforgiveable.
The next morning he
attended prayers and then slipped the little wooden statue into his small bag
and strode to the bottom of the steps up the hill. He saw Dai walking across
the cobbles slowly towards the steps, still with a slight limp. She kept her
eyes down and began to climb the stairs holding the rail for support as she
went. Tian waited half a minute then began to follow her. Eventually he drew abreast
on the opposite side the steps. He looked ahead and behind to make sure no one
was within earshot.
“Good morning sister.
Your ankle is better.”
“Good morning brother.
Yes, thank you. Much better.” She stole a quick glance at him. “I have not seen
you for several days. Is everything all right?”
Tian shook his head. “My
master passed away. I have been chanting for him.”
Dai nodded.
Tian reached into his
bag. “I have something for you.” She looked behind them and momentarily stepped
closer. Tian handed her the wooden caving he had made. “It is the Bodhisattva
Guanyin.”
Dai looked it over. “You
are skilled brother. I should never have doubted you.”
Tian smiled. Dai
focussed on the face of the carving. “Something looks different though.”
Tian nodded. “I changed
it slightly. Her face is yours. At least a little.”
Dai’s cheeks coloured.
She continued to climb the steps. “My abbess was released yesterday. The jewels
have not been found but there is no evidence that she had anything to do with
it.” She paused and let go a deep breath. “We will leave for the east tomorrow.”
“Then we must go early in
the morning.” Tian whispered.
“How can we travel
together?”
“You can dress as a
monk. I will get you some clothes. We can go north to the Yungang caves and
then west.”
Dai’s face twisted. “I…I
am not sure brother.”
Tian heart pounded. “I
believe we can have a good life together.”
Dai stopped climbing. “I
think I should not go any further today. My ankle is still a little sore. I
will spend today in meditation and I will meet you at dawn tomorrow on the
bridge.”
Tian stared at her, searching
for her meaning.
Dai pressed her hands
together in front of her. “I will be there, I promise.” She bowed her head and
began to walk down.
In the afternoon a monk
came to Tian with an urn. He accepted it with both hands and nodded in silence.
It felt heavy in his grasp. He put it down and stared at it before going to a
temple to chant until dusk. He went to bed early but slept little. He could
think only of tomorrow.
****
The monks returned to
the dock late in the morning. Master Shi had enjoyed a longer than usual sleep.
Tian looked around for Kong but there was no sign of him. They walked over the
Rosh ship. The crew were on deck busy preparing to set sail. Polzin appeared
and greeted them in Chinese. “Where is Kong?”
Master Shi shook his
head. “We have not seen him.”
They chatted in a
stilted fashion for a while before Polzin began to get concerned. Tian
whispered to Master Shi. Shi’s eyebrows rose and then he nodded. Tian looked at
Polzin. “Mister Polzin,” the unfamiliar sounds of the name rolled awkwardly off
his tongue, “I think I saw Mister Kong last night dressed in Rosh clothes.”
Polzin’s bushy eyebrows
rose. “Please show me where.” Tian guided them back up the street that had
walked the night before and stopped outside the building he had seen Kong come
out of.
Polzin pointed to a
sign, written in both Rosh and Chinese. “This is a bank. A Rosh bank. Mister Jia
uses a Chinese bank. Come with me.” They followed him to his office and used a
radio set to contact Mister Jia in Chengdu. After several messages had passed
to and fro it was clear no money had been received at Jia’s bank and there had been
no communication from Kong.
Polzin lead them to a
hotel where Kong usually stayed. Polzin spoke rapidly to the hotel receptionist.
Polzin turned to the monks. “He has gone. But no ships have left port this
morning so he must still be somewhere in the city.”
Tian looked at him and
then at Master Shi. He blushed. “I think I might know where he is.”
****
Tian rose early in the morning
and filed through the darkness to a temple with dozens of other monks.
He emerged as a pale grey
light began to creep into the edges of the sky, returned to his room, picked up
his bags and walked slowly out of the building toward the bridge. He climbed the
gentle arch of stone and stopped in the centre. Small dots of light showed in
the windows of the shadowy buildings around him.
What if she didn’t come?
A dull ache in his stomach nagged at him. What good was a dream with no-one
else in it?
“Brother?” Dai walked
slowly up the bridge carrying a bag over her shoulder.
His heart leapt into his
throat. “You came.”
She smiled. “Good
morning.”
Her features were soft
in the half light, more beautiful than ever. He thanked the shadows for hiding
the flush of heat in his face. He fought his urge to hold her.
“Are you ready to go?”
She paused and then
shook her head. His expression froze, his smile dying slowly as he tried to
comprehend her gesture. He recited the name of Buddha in his mind to calm his
racing thoughts. Please let this be just a small delay.
She took a breath. “Brother,
we are both dedicated to achieving nirvana in our own ways. We cannot change
that. You know the saying: ‘A broken mirror never reflects again; fallen
flowers never go back to the old branches.’ We would be foolish to think we can
leave our communities and create some promised land of our own.”
Tian’s face fell. He
tried to speak but his throat was dry and his voice refused to obey his
command.
She lifted an object
from her bag. “I have something for you.”
Dai held out a silk swathed
bundle. Tian took it and slowly unwrapped the cloth. Inside lay the wooden
statue of Guanyin he had given her the day before. In its abdomen rested a
ruby-red stone. The jewel glinted in the first thread of light that crept over
the mist shrouded peak behind her. “We cannot escape our fate brother. We can
only do what we are called to do and trust that we and others will benefit from
our efforts.”
Tian still could not
utter a word.
Dai placed her hands on
his. “Safe travels, wherever your path takes you. You have helped me in my
journey brother. I thank you for that. Remember to leave me here. Don’t carry
me with you.” She smiled. “May Guanyin protect you …”she glanced down at the
statue, “and provide for you always.” She let go his hands and took several
steps back.
The sun broke over the
ridge behind her and blinded him. He looked away then angled his head to look
at her once more. In the bright orange glow she seemed to float on the bridge
in a shimmering ball of light. She raised one hand in a wave. He looked away,
his eyes full of leaping stars. He blinked and lifted his head once more to look
back over the bridge.
She was gone.
Tian closed his eyes
again to dispel the lights still flashing in his vision. The sun’s glow warmed
his face. He breathed slowly, recited the name of the Buddha and counted off
the prayer beads in his hand. Finally he opened his eyes and smiled as he descended
the bridge and turned south.
Glossary
Stars
Reach words used
|
Other words
used in this story (in order of use)
|
||
Meeda
|
metre
|
Wei ji shi
|
Period of crisis
|
Genda
|
Canada
|
Pure Land
|
Chinese Buddhist sect
|
Rosh
|
Russia
|
Chan
|
Chinese Buddhist Sect (related to Japanese Zen)
|
Meriga
|
the former United States
|
Haishenwai
|
Chinese name for Vladivostok (Taken from China by
Russia via treaty in 1860)
|
Prentice
|
apprentice
|
||
Constructive comments welcome :-)
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