Date

Destination

Significance

Fri 17 Jul

Arrive Shanghai

Astor House Hotel

We made it

Sat 18 Jul

Astor House Hotel

Explore Shanghai. Visit museum and the Bund.

Sun 19 Jul

Bus to Moganshan

Mon 20 Jul

Moganshan Loft

Visit Moganshan National Park

Tue 21 Jul

Moganshan Loft

Moganshan environs

Wed 22 July

Moganshan

Total Solar Eclipse 9:37 am

Thu 23 Jul

Travel to Jingshan, then on to Hangzhou that night

Jingshan is the location of Wan Shou (Long Life) Temple. This temple was key in transmitting both Zen and tea to Japan, having been the home of Dahui Zonggao. Wuzhun ShiFan was perhaps the most important transmitter of Zen and tea culture to monks visiting from Japan, and others. The “Tea Classic” was written near/by this mountain. It is intimately connected with two of Japan’s most famous Zen monasteries in Kyoto, namely Tofukuji and Daitokuji. The Rinzai masters Myoan Esai, Ennei Bennin, and Nampo Jomyo studied here between the years 1160 and 1240. Dogen also studied here for a few months, but decided he didn’t like the Rinzai tradition so much after studying here. The temple is in a nice mountain setting and has an abbot named Ding Kang (doesn’t speak English).

Fri 24 Jul

Hangzhou

In Hangzhou you can visit another temple instrumental to the transmission of Zen to Japan. That is Jingci Temple, where Nampo Jomyo learned much about tea and took his knowledge back to Daitokuji Temple in Kyoto – later the tea dojo for the famous Japanese tea master Sen Rikkyu. Jingci Temple is near the Lei Feng Pagoda and scenic West Lake. Visit Jizo’s sacred mountain, Jiuhua Shan

Sat 25 Jul

Hangzhou

Spend another day in Hangzhou

Sun 26 Jul

Huangshan

Take bus from Hangzhou to Huangshan (Yellow Mountain). Either stay overnight in the city of Huangshan, or go up to Huangshan mountain and stay there. There is a cable car to the summit.

Mon 27 Jul

Huangshan

Spend time at Huangshan

Tue 28 Jul

Huangshan

Spend time at Huangshan

Wed 29 Jul

Huangshan

Return to Hangzhou

Thu 30 Jul

Hangzhou; Overnight train to Nanchang.

Train #K751 leaves Hangzhou at 9:46 pm; arrives Nanchang at 6:18 am the next day.

Fri 31 Jul

Overnight on Mt Lu.

Take car to Mt Lu with a stop at Baofeng, the dharma seat of Zen Master Ma (Mazu). Overnight on Mt. Lu. In Nanchang you can consider visiting Youmin Temple, one of Master Ma’s dharma seats. This part of the trip you’ll need a private car to get to Baofeng (a quite grand and operating Zen temple) and Mt. Lu. I recommend a stop at the twin temples of West Woods and East Woods on the way to Mt. Lu. They are next to each other. East Woods (Donglin) Temple is the home of Pure Land Buddhism in China.

Sat 1 Aug

Mt Lu

Enjoy the scenery and cool summer ambience of the village on top of Mt Lu. Visit nearby scenic spots. There’s some nice scenery within walking distance or a short drive from the hotels on top of Mt Lu.

Sun 2 Aug

Mt Lu

Another day on Mt Lu

Mon 3 Aug

Huangmei

Travel to Huangmei, near the temples of the fourth and fifth Zen Ancestors. Take a taxi to the Fourth Ancestor’s temple. This was the site of the first Zen monastery in China. Read about the fourth and fifth ancestors in my book (Daoxin and Hongren). This is in a nice hilly setting (broken top mountain). Consider staying here overnight to experience the ambiance of a country Zen monastery. There are separate men’s and women’s quarters. Few people stay here and it is usually pretty quiet.

Tue 4 Aug

Visit Fifth Ancestor’s temple

Travel to the Fifth Ancestor’s temple, site of the legendary poetry contest between Huineng and Shenxiu. The stone on which the Sixth Patriarch pounded rice can be found here. Notice the unusual hall of the “mothers of the sages,” statues of the mothers of the first six Zen ancestors. Evening return to Nanchang for flight to Xian.

Wed 5 Aug

Fly from Nanchang to Xian

Driver takes us from hotel to the airport.

Air China #1582 Lv Nanchang 8:40 am, Arr Beijing 10:40 am;

Air China #1223 Lv Beijing 12:30 pm, Arr Xian 2:25 pm

Overnight in Xian.

Thu 6 Aug

Xian

Visit the Terra Cotta Warriors, plus the Wild Goose Pagoda (where the famous monk Xuan Zang, who went to India in a harrowing journey, stayed and translated scriptures after he returned to China. He started the Faxiang (Yogacara) school of Buddhism which had great influence on Zen.

Fri 7 Aug

Xian

You can visit the Provincial Museum and wander around the old city and market. The mosque is beautiful and interesting (it is a Tang Dynasty Chinese style Architecture).

Sat 8 Aug

Xian

Possible hiking in the Chungnan mountains

Sun 9 Aug

Xian

One more day in Xian region

Mon 10 Aug

Take Bus to Sanmenxia.

Overnight in Sanmenxia or Luoyang.

Take Bus to Sanmenxia. From there you can take a taxi to Kongxiang Si, Bodhidharma’s burial temple. Then, depending on the cost, you may continue with the taxi to Luoyang or return to Sanmenxia and take a bus to Luoyang.

Tue 11 Aug

Visit Luoyang area.

Take early morning taxi to Bai Ma (White Horse) Temple is where Buddhism first arrived in China. The Longmen Grottos are a UNESCO World Heritage site not to be missed. Optional again overnight in Luoyang or evening drive (about 60 miles on freeway) to Dengfeng, near Shaolin Temple.

Wed 12 Aug

Visit Shaolin Temple

Take taxi to visit the Shaolin Temple at Songshan, where Bodhidharma sat in the cave.  Possible hike to Bodhidharma’s cave, and even if you don’t climb the hill to the cave take the trail as far as the Bodhidharma hermitage (now a small nunnery – you can’t visit where the nuns actually live but the little temple there is very very old, decorated with fascinating art detail you won’t see elsewhere. Also, the big Cypress tree in front of the little temple is said to have been planted by the Second Ancestor.  Later, consider visiting the Kong Fu demonstration show.

Thu 13 Aug

Travel to Shijiazhuang

Travel from Dengfeng to Shijiazhuang via Zhengzhou and Handan

Fri 14 Aug

Shijiazhuang

Bus, car, or train to Shijiazhuang, then taxi to Bailin (Cypress Grove) Temple at Zhao Xian. This temple is the main place where we take groups to practice in China. It has a lay sitting hall where local people come to sit in the evening and you can join them. Meet English speaking Chinese abbot Ming Hai (Bright Sea). Do zazen Chinese style here (face away from the wall). This temple was Zhaozhou (Joshu)’s dharma seat, the great Zen master of the Mu koan, the Cypress tree in the garden story (hence the name of the temple) and other important Zen koans (go drink tea!). Possibly stay overnight at Bailin Temple.

Sat 15 Aug

Shijiazhuang; arrive Beijing

See Yunju Temple at Fangshan, near Zhoukoudian. Yunju Temple, built about 625 AD, is a repository for the Buddhist Canon that was carved into stone tablets to preserve the Dharma from destruction. This massive project took a total of nearly 800 years to complete. Visit Linji (Rinzai's) dharma seat and temple at Zhengding. Linji's temple contains his burial stupa and it is also a working monastery. Visit Zhaozhou's (Joshu's) bridge.

Sun 16 Aug

Beijing

Plan your own time here. For Buddhist things we recommend Yong He Temple, Great Bell Temple (now a museum of Buddhist bells), and possible, for authentic flavor, Fayuan Temple (nice sculpture in the rear hall).

Mon 17 Aug

Beijing

Tue 18 Aug

Beijing

Wed 19 Aug

David and Cynthia fly from Beijing to Lhasa

Air China #4112 Beijing (PEK) Lv 9:00 am to Chengdu (CTU) Arr 11:30 am; Air China #4112 Chengdu Lv 10:50 pm to Lhasa (LXA) Arr 2:40 pm

Thu 20 Aug

Explore Lhasa on our own

Fri 21 Aug

Explore Lhasa on our own

Sat 22 Aug

Explore Lhasa on our own

Sun 23 Aug

Explore Lhasa on our own

Mon 24 Aug

Explore Lhasa on our own

Tue 25 Aug

Drive to Gyantse via Yamdrok Lake 265 km

Wed 26 Aug

Tour Gyantse; drive to Shigatse, visit Talunpo monastery 90 km

Thu 27 Aug

Return to Lhasa

Fri 28 Aug

David and Cynthia fly from Lhasa to Kathmandu

Air China #407 Lhasa (LXA) Lv 10:40 am to Kathmandu (KTM) Arr 9:45 am