The practitioner of Chan (zen) exposes intuitive consideration of his own flow of psyche, his "I ": feelings, thoughts, emotions, aspirations, etc., as a result of which he discovers that all these phenomenas do not have a separate independent existence and in this sense are unreal.

"I" can not be reduced to any one phenomenon of the psyche, nor to their sum, and therefore it is better to talk about "me" as something existing only conditionally, and even more so, about the "meaning of life of this “me”".

Through the absence of own independent essence of various mental formations: thinking, perception, emotion, Chan Buddhist comprehends "emptiness," "illusion," "lack of own independent essence" of all phenomenons, as well as of all external objects, and so-called "living beings," and his own nature.

There are many books, articles, lectures can be read on Buddhism, but the only book that the abbot of the Wu Wei temple recommends to disciples is Diamond Sutra, instructing to read it aloud every day.

But one day Shifu said: “Everyone should have their own Diamond Sutra. Diamond Sutra, written in their own consciousness, born of own life.”

-This is the Chan, this is Wu Wei, this is Dao, the essence of the teaching transmitted in the Wu Wei temple, - said disciple to the foreigners, after passing on those Shifu’s words, along with the apples from the big tray.

-Oh, thank you for the wisdom.

-And for the fruits!

-What is it all mean?

-Is this the fruits from the altar? There is so many today!

-What do you do with them when we are not here?

Foreign guests of the temple used any chance to talk to the English speaking disciple.

-Sometimes disciples brew kompot for the abbot. This drink in China is considered curative, but its preparation in the Wu Wei temple is not related to the health of Shifu, but with a large number of fruits donated to the temple, to prevent them from spoiling pointlessly, if there are not many people to eat the fruits.

In our kompot we never add sugar, it has to consist of more than three different ingredients, so if only two types of fruit available, then, dried fruits, dates, ginger, or goji berries could be put in the kompot. In traditional Chinese medicine goji, this sour orange berries, are very much appreciated and used as a general strengthening agent, so, we always have them at the temple’s kitchen.

The electric kompot-maker kept in the utility room behind the abbot's pavilion, as well as big buckets of spring water, which novice bringing there every morning. There is electricity in the room, so, it used as a water boiling place.

Fruits loaded into a ceramic kompot-maker, and when the time came, hot fruity water collected from there in a small teapot, which then carried to the abbot's pavilion. The fruits left inside the kompot-maker receive new portion of boiled water for the next portion of the drink.

It can be drunk for a few days in a row, without turning off the kompot-maker, until the fruits completely boiled out, turning into a homogeneous puree substance. Kompot in Chinese called "fruit tea", but there is no tea inside of it, just fruits and water, very humble, simple drink, so it is not served to the guests. The abbot’s pavilion visitors is always offered tea.

Sometimes in the Shifu’s pavilion gathered so many guests, that there was no place at a huge tea table, and all chairs and benches around the room occupied too. But it would never be over-crowded. The new coming guests understand that it is not appropriate to demand the attention of the abbot, seeing that there were already many people in the pavilion, so, they would respectfully bow out, deciding to walk around the temple surroundings, to wait outside for the other visitors to leave, and only then would came into the room.

The presence of Shifu has always influenced soothingly to everybody around him, and the strict and solemn atmosphere of the temple did the job for those who come to talk to the abbot. Even simple illiterate villagers who loved loud gatherings with hustle and bustle, felt sublime and naturally conducted calm, extremely respectfully, restrained and ceremonial.

-Our lives are run by emotions! - said the 21-year-old German guy Teis, who was studying economics and politics in university, and came to Chinese Wu Wei zen temple at the summer holiday for a few weeks to train kung fu.

Foreigners sat on the edge of the training ground in the forest below the buildings of the Wu Wei Temple and rested after a long stretch.

They started an argument about emotions that control all aspects in life, and became interested in learning the Buddhist’s point of view on that topic. They asked the novice, who was also participating in the training. He said:

- Life is governed by the Law of Cause and Result, which for simplicity can be called Karma.

And this is not some karma of past lives, acquired... not clear by whom, and not clear when. This is what YOU create yourself every moment, in every act and thought.

And at every particular moment you are conditioned by a combination of many factors. Do you think whole life are controlled by emotions? Look closely, any emotion is only a consequence of some event, emotions are not born on its own out of nowhere. It’s not primary. Emotion is only a small part of the chain of causes-results, by the law of which is all happens. And in nature too. The origin of the planet is not caused by emotions, the flight of this dragonfly is not caused by emotion, yellowing of the leaf on the branch is not caused by emotion, and much that happens to a person also is not caused by emotion.

Everything is conditioned by the Law of Cause and Result. In human life emotions are not the cause, but the result - reflection of something, that afterwards will be reflected in something else.

In Chinese, the Law of Cause and Result is Yingo 因果 - can be translated as “Cause – Fruit”, and although the fruit of our actions sometimes emotionally conditioned, but if you look closely, emotions are not the cause, not the “seed”, but only the result of the fermentation of some past fruits, some past acts and thoughts.

Emotions are part of complex “fertilizers,” but not the seed, not the soil, not the fruit.

Of course, emotions play some role in a person’s life, but they do not stand at the helm.

Some Chinese will tell you that more than emotions life is affected by 缘分 yuanfen - is an untranslatable term, which some foreigners use “Destiny” as the equivalent. Ordinary Chinese use the term yuanfen in relation to a meeting a personal partner, a business partner, and any important acquaintance, they say - it was yuanfen, if meeting someone seems like intended by fate.

But in the Law of Cause and Result there is no place for both randomness and pre-determined Destiny. Buddhists use yuanfen characters to define any events, not just interpersonal meetings. For example, about any event in the future is often said “will see yuanfeng” 看缘分吧, meaning we’ll see what kind of fruits according the Law of Cause and Result will appear.

-Time to training! – yelled coach and everybody smiled.

Such conversations about the “laws and meanings of life” were often conducted in the Wu Wei temple, but Buddhists usually did not participate in them. Some, because as Buddha, kept a noble silence on such topics; some, because did not know English; and some, because they knew nothing.

And as Shifu, the abbot, would say - they were the real Buddhists.

Shifu often said that those who know nothing are wise - they are open and empty. The expression “the Grief is from the Mind” may be explained as - the more collection of paradigms, formulations, schemes a person has in the “mind”, the more he is closed to reality, being cluttered with his “knowledge”.

Almost all Buddhist practices are aimed at calming the mind - to weaken the bindings to the usual mechanical process of juggling mental structures.

To see the cluttered mind, it is necessary to slow it down a little, and its mechanical, destructing elements become visible.

And as consciousness is freed from discursive thinking, habitual mechanical structures cease to play a main role in the process of perception, which becomes direct connection with the reality.

Wu Wei Temple seemed to attract amazing people from all over the world. Mohed, 29, was originally from India but had been living in New Zeeland for the past few years:

- I want to become a professional musician! I want to do what I love. For that I practice to play flutes every day for many hours, even in a trip to China I did not want to take a break, I took with me a few instruments that fit in a backpack. In Beijing I saw one very expensive bamboo flute and fell in love with it, I could not leave the store without buying it! And now I also practice playing on it, although the way of playing is different, I am very glad that I bought it!

Every day after lunch Mohed, having rested a little in the room, went to the lower gazebo in the forest and played there. He did not know that guests were not allowed to play musical instruments in the temple ground, but he felt that:

- I understand that there is a special atmosphere in the temple, I felt it when monks hit a big bell in the mornings and evenings, this sound seemed to create some kind of a “protective field” in the courtyard of the temple. I felt how the sound, reflecting off the wooden buildings, forms a funnel of benevolent energy. And I understood that this field existed in the temple all the time, and I did not want to bring an alien element here with my flute, although I was sure that I could not damage it, but still decided to go to practice playing the flute in the woods.

Mohed was very respectful of the temple rules, although he did not know much about Chinese Buddhism, he tried not to disturb the religious feelings of the inhabitants of Wu Wei si, and helped foreigners understand the system of the temple practice.

The German and English guys, who lived there at that time, were a little upset when the coach did not pay attention to them, he will show them an element of kung fu form, and was off to continue to train the Chinese novice, who was preparing for the role of another coach.

-In the West, you're not that familiar with the Guru-Apprentice training system, - Mohed said, helping the boys understand the situation. -Here, as we have in India too, everyone understands that the disciple must follow the guru's actions. And if one movement has been shown, it is necessary to continue repeating it as long as the Guru decides. For example, when I started playing the flute, I was asked to play just one note. And I blew only one note for a week, very bored, but I knew that this is what the Guru said to do. He knows why and how to teach.

This is in my opinion great Wisdom. I have a lot of respect for this approach to learning, it is clear to me and close to me, it is a pity that it is not common in the West.

English guy Dave was amazed by these words, starting to take a closer look at this way of training, and at Mohed, he said with delight:

- I am amazed! Mohed is respectful even to the place where he rehearses! I happened to see how before entering the forest gazebo with flutes, bearing them as jewels, Mohed bent down and touched the steps in front of the gazebo, and then touched up his forehead, apparently taking the blessing of a place to practice… or something like that.

I was very moved, I could not imagine how everything in everyday life can have more depth and meaning! I am very glad that I got to the temple at the same time as Mohed! I think I learned a lot from him.

Dave was also 29 years old, he was a professional boxer and said that he came to the temple to relax and recover from the problems in life:

“I have a six-month Chinese visa, I assume that it will take many weeks here to calm my thoughts, to find peace and resolve internal conflicts that prevent me from moving forward in life” said Dave when arrived at the temple. But after spending only two weeks in the temple, he was so inspired to "finding the key answer to the tormenting problem", as he said, he realized that he should return home as soon as possible, to correct the situation.

Leaving Wu Wei temple Dave thanked everyone in the temple, especially Mohed, and the coach, saying that by his simplicity and patience he was instrumental in his inner calming, and in his life.

On the road from the mountains forest around Wu Wei temple one can meet the "stacks on the legs" - going down back to the village old ladies, carrying on the backs collected pine needles, packed in a huge rectangular shaped stacks more than a meter high.

When asked why they were doing that, the old ladies answered with the

enthusiasm, but in their local dialect, which disciples of Wu Wei temple could not understand. And the answer remained a mystery until mandarin speaking local girl translated, that the fallen needles are used to make large incense sticks, which are then burn in temple.

Foreigners living at the Wu Wei temple were surprised, that huge incense sticks in a bright magenta color paper, which burning for many hours, local old ladies make from collected in the surrounding forest pine needles.

Residents of megapolises, especially from other countries, do not easily understand the ways of life of Chinese villagers, and some local traditions can lead foreigners to a slight shock.

Lara, a 23 years old girl from Novgorod, stayed few weeks at the Wu Wei temple, and witnessed the procedure, that consider simple and understandable by local, but greatly surprised Russian girl. Trip to China - the country of her childhood dream, was the gift from here parents. She had learned Chinese for a couple of years, which helped her a lot in the temple.

One morning, not going to training because of the slight pain in her stomach, Lara was secluded in the sun on a bench at the yard of the new part of the temple, and enjoyed loneliness. A monk that was staying at the guest room there, came outside, but her peace was not disturbed, monk never spoke to foreigners.

Lara heard that before coming to Wu Wei si, he trained in Shaolin temple, and his kung fu skills was very high, but he trains in the woods outside temple ground, and foreign guests only saw him during meals, and at prayers.

Silently passing Lara, he began to swept the yard, then removed the cobwebs from the tea bush, then hung a towel on the bush and sat down on a bench with a trash can in front of him.

- I secretly took a couple of shots on my phone, - Lara told the foreigners afterwards, - when the monk swept the tea bush with his outstretched arm at the height of his chest, holding a scoop in other hand. He looked like a semaphore - robot. It was funny, and I thought it is a cute photo for the collection of moments of life of the mountain temple.

When I noticed that the monk, slightly leaning over the plastic bucket standing at his feet, pierced his fingertip with some pen-type object, and pressing the finger, that blood shot into the bucket, I could not help to ask him “what are you doing?”

He said it was to get rid of stagnant blood. And that it should be done every 2-3 months to stay healthy. And that many people in China do so, especially if they get sick. For example, if a tooth hurts, he does so, and in the morning pain gone! Because there was a lot of fire in the tooth.

I said that in the West, too, this was done before. Many diseases were treated by bloodlettings. In the absence of other opportunities in the early stages of medicine, but I did not say this part, not knowing how to say it in Chinese.

But I knew how to talk about all kinds of other things, and grabbed the opportunity to communicate with this mysterious monk.

He is 44 years old, which was impossible to determine. Right?...

-Yep, we all wondered about their age, it is never easy to tell, - said guy from Israel.

- We talked about all kind of things, - continued Lara, - He spent six months in America, living near the Harvard University, teaching kung fu. In English he could say just "senkyu" and "noy", saying that he could not learn the language, because he was no longer a young man, and the language was not coming to him easy. But he mentioned that it was very easy to get a visa, in the embassy, as they saw that he is a monk, the visa was given without problems!

He is from the northeast, so his Chinese is clear, with a slight addition of "r" as the Beijiners do, and I understood him, unlike when talking to the locals, who speak not like our teacher in Novgorod! - smiled Lara and continued the story:

-He lived in Beijing for some time, where he ate a lot of "leb", referring to “hleb” (bread in Russian), and he liked this huge "leb," he showed it to me, spreading arms for half a meter. I doubted that the loaves were of this size, but he assured me, that in Beijing they are exactly that big, because “there are many Russians living there” he said.

Telling this he took turns to pierce his fingertips and shoot long bursts of blood into the bucket. Saying, that it is very useful and everybody from children to an old people are doing so.

I did not dare to take pictures of this process, but I asked if women do it too? The monk confidently said yes, everyone doing it! and squeezed his little finger, it was its turn for the blood fountain. Then he carefully put needle-pen in a nice little case, took out plastic bag from the bucket, and took it somewhere.

Lara sat in silence until lunchtime, rejoicing in such a multi-informative conversation on various unexpected topics, and that she was able to hold it in Chinese, for the first time talking to a monk in a Buddhist temple.

She was absolutly happy:

- Wu Wei temple is incredible place, and I am so glad that I learned Chinese! It is for such amazing conversations! I also remembered, that the monk said he plays the flute, - Lara turned to the guy from India, who came to the temple the day before, with a backpack full of a variety of flutes.

Tonight China celebrates new year ’s eve. Tomorrow by the Lunar calendar comes the first day of the first month, the onset of spring. This is the main family holiday of the year, but if you happen to be in China without a family, it is interesting to celebrate the new year at the Wu Wei Zen temple.

Foreign guests noted the uniqueness of this evening, everyone admitted that they did not expect such an amazing event, which will be surely remembered for life. And many were planning to come to the temple again to celebrate the Chinese New Year.

This is a lively and noisy event, although firecrackers and fireworks are not used in the temple for fire safety, but guests are served wine, that called "temple grape juice", it was made in the temple. Boxes of fresh grapes every summer were donated to the temple by the owner of vineyards near Kunming, one of the disciple of the abbot. Guests say that the wine turns out quite strong, but the abbot, monks and some disciples have never tried it, following the Buddhist charter.

There are quite a lot of guests in the New Year period in the Wu Wei temple, Shifu’s disciples from different cities come to visit the Master, as well as their children, who would spend the winter holidays there.

And although Christmas trees are not in the Chinese tradition, green needles in this holiday quite a lot. A few days before the celebration, the inhabitants of the temple - novices, disciples, monks, and sometimes foreign guests wander through the surrounding forest collecting pines needles, then putting it on the floor in the temple dining room.

Pines in the Cangshan Mountains grow with long soft needles, it’s not prickly, and a thick layer of them on the floor forms a soft scented carpet. Tables and benches are taken out of the hall to cover the entire floor with bright green needles, turning the room into a fragrant cozy space, where the New Year's picnic dinner takes place in the evening with the candle light.

Foreigners, seeing such a delight for the first time, call it a "paradise room".

On this pine meadow guests sit in a circle of 10 people, forming a 5-6 cheerful companies, in some years even more. Foreigners in this period in the temple usually not many, almost all the guests are Chinese disciples of the Master.

In the midst of the picnic shifu passes over to everyone "red envelopes" as a gift, with a 101 yuan in each, which means 一心一意 the meaning can be translated as a wish to be focused on one thing that you are doing at the moment.

In some years, the New Year picnic consisted of 15-20 festive dishes placed in the middle of each circle, but sometimes there was a "Hot Pot" - in the middle of each circle on the floor is a vessel of unusual shape with a shifu's recipe-cooked soup, which shifu pours over each vessel in the kitchen, blessing it.

There are hot coals in the central cylindrical part of this vessel, and on the sides is hot soup, in which each of the guests puts raw vegetables, mushrooms, tofu, greens, and then takes out as they are cooked.

In winter at night in the mountains is quite chilly, and guests are happy to have such a hot treat, but for the foreigners who are not accustomed to sit cross-legged at the floor for a long time, and prepare their own food, it can be a little uncomfortable, but the holiday does not spoil. Everyone rejoices in such an unusual adventure.

The feast continues until 11 o'clock in the evening, and then, after little rest, the inhabitants of the temple gather in the main hall for a prayer, at the end of which everyone takes turns to come to the bell outside of the hall, and with the blessing of Shifu, hits the bell for three times. Many make wishes during ringing.

The next morning, as if there was no festive night, temple life begins at 5:20 .

At breakfast of the first day of the first month always have small rice balls with sweet filling, and guests again sit on the floor on spruce needles. But by lunchtime tables are brought back into the dining room, placing them on the slightly faded conifer carpet, which is swept out on the third day of the new year.

- The bad energy and mental pollution goes down from you to the pine needles, - explain temple novice, – It is believed that when meeting the new year sitting on the needles is helping to do a "cleansing". Spruce needles has the ability to free people from accumulated undesirable consequences of thoughts, absorbing it in themselves, refreshing and healing.

This green needles on the floor can be found not only on New Year's holidays, in Buddhist temples they cover the halls and courtyards for important events in any season. And outside the religious institution needles on the floor can be seen at the opening of a restaurant or a shopping hall and even in a bank branch.

- What kind of prayer of the moon was here today? - Danish girl asked the novice of the Wu Wei zen temple, - Do Buddhists believe in the moon? What a strange paganism.

-Ha-ha-ha-ha, - the novice laughed at the seriousness of the foreigner face. - On the first and fifteenth lunar days all the Buddhist temples of China, and maybe the world, about this I am not sure, have prayers. And all over China the same time zone, so, at the same time all Chinese Buddhist temples begin the same ritual! It's hard to imagine! - novice paused for a moment, trying to imagine it.

-But it is not praying to the moon, - she said, - We don't pray to anything. Temple rituals are important both as the structuring of life and as a joint meditation practice. There are many meanings of it, I will not go into it now, I will just say that the main thing in the temple is work with consciousness.

But the moon affects our planet, the water on the planet, the water in human cells, so, it’s affects the body, and, indirectly, the consciousness.

-But today is not the first!? - The Danish girl frowned.

-According to the solar calendar is not the first, but by the moon calendar it is the first, the beginning of the new month, the new moon.

In Chinese solar calendar is called "public," "official," and the lunar - "peasant," "field" - all festivals in China is held by it, and all Buddhist dates too.

-What about Christmas? It is by what calendar? And it is holiday here? - The Danish girl remembered her favorite holiday.

-In China? Christ's Birthday? - the novice smiled, -No, it's not a day off here. But actually, in the temple it was celebrated once! - she laughed, remembering:

In that December, unusually many foreigners lived in the temple. There were people from Finland and Sweden, also Estonian, Irish, Dutch, a couple from Sri Lankans, and a guys from Colombia and Israel.

Usually in winter we having here just 1-2 guests, but that year came 15. Some were going to spend in the Wu Wei temple quite a long time, "winter" foreigners often stay for several weeks, even months, knowing that at this time of the year will not be an influx of tourists.

-Oh, 15 people in winter! Very unusual! – said French girl.

-And what is even more unusual, -smiled novice, - Christmas in a Buddhist temple!

The majority of the Chinese people do not go into the details of the Christmas. In Chinese characters it means "holy, sage" + "birth", and the evening celebration is called "Evening of Peace". On the play of a similar sound of the characters "peace" and "apple" it was customary among young people to give each other apples, wrapped in a beautiful paper, to wish peaceful life.

But foreigners decided to celebrate the evening of the birth of Jesus in the usual way.

The abbot of Wu Wei zen temple was not confused, when asked by the novice, whether foreign guests can be allowed to throw a Christmas party. Shifu smilingly allowed.

A novice from Guangzhou said that some of her Chinese friends and relatives are Christians, so for her this holiday was familiar. She knew which cake to buy for the occasion, she chose with sugar snowmen and the inscription in English "Merry Christmas". She did it as a gift from the temple to foreign guests.

And they already had pre-purchased ginger bread cookies, wiped cream, hot chocolate powder, and red caps with white edges, in which trained kung fu on December 24.

After the usual evening temple prayer, foreigners invited all the inhabitants of the temple, monks and the abbot into the room next to the dining room, where usually tables and benches were stored, but now it was equipped for the party. They put together several tables, prepared paper plates, plastic forks and poured hot chocolate in a small ceramic rice bowls.

Some of the cookies were already decorated with cream hearts, leaves, spirals and Yin-Yang signs. Seeing how they squeezing the cream from the tube, abbot also took a try, to the joyful laughter of everyone. Then he was asked to cut the cake. Everybody was filming it on phones and cameras, rejoicing in this adventure - the abbot of the Buddhist temple celebrates Christmas.

At some point they started singing.

The Estonian guy sang several Christmas songs in Estonian, German, Finnish, English and even tried in Russian, but nothing came to mind on this topic. After, he sang along with the Finnish girl, who looks like a snow flake, and a dark-skinned couple from Sri Lanka. Then the Swedish and the Dutch sang too. The Israeli guy said that he did not know the Christmas tunes, but took part in the party with interest. Like the abbot of a Buddhist temple and Chinese monks, he also "celebrated Christmas" for the first time in his life.

Picking up the singing mood, the Chinese novice performed several romances in the local language of the Bai people, unrelated to Christmas, but there were a little sad, for the foreigners’ taste.

Then he sang a song about Jesus in Chinese, and another song, corresponding to the celebrations, looking at the phone screen, finding the text online. He had a powerful baritone, which the temple’s inhabitants were unaware of, even Shifu was surprised, smiling and looking at the foreigners, he deflected a little away from the sound above his head - the novice sang standing, folded his hands in front of him. Foreigners filmed and applauded.

The evening ended with a choral rendition of "Jingle Bells", which Shifu conducted, first hearing this motif. And at the end he said: "Amituofo"!

Asked if it was strange to celebrate Christmas in a Buddhist temple, the abbot replied: "At the heart of the everything is Void. Everything is void at its core. Everything is relative. And benevolence is the strongest martial art. The wisest thing is the absence of disputes and contradictions."

- I recently learned that Chinese people say that there are two departments in the heart: "bitterness" and "joy", and they need to be balanced, so don't laugh too much if you're happy, because it can wake up grief! - Ukrainian novice Olga shared facts about China's culture with foreigners living in the Wu Wei temple.

- Yes! We have many fairy tales about it, - the Chinese disciple entered the conversation. - We all know from childhood, that too much laugh is not good. For example, there is a story that one monkey too much rejoiced in his cunning, clapped with joy, excitedly jumped on a branches, and fell, severely hitting the lower part of the back. And the hare, seeing this, started laughing, and tore up his lip. So, since then the hares have a dissected upper lip, and the monkeys have a red butt. This tale teaches that we should rejoice with moderation, or you can stumble. And during the fun time it is necessary to remember the hare with his lip torn from laughter.

- Olga, you are needed at the abbot's pavilion! - A chinese novice shouted to her from a distance.

Another Olga’s obedience in the temple was to serve tea to the guests in the Master's study room, and she learned a lot there. Although, her Chinese was not yet very developed, but when Shifu spoke, Ukrainian girl understood everything. This phenomenon was noted by many foreigners who "communicated" with the abbot of the Wu Wei si, many said, that somehow they receive the meaning of the abbot’s speech, although they did not know a word in Chinese.

At the tea table Olga observed many conversations, and being sensitive, penetrated to their essence: Once, a man, who wanted to become an official, told Shifu that when he retires, he would definitely start practicing meditations. Shifu half-jokingly replied that it is a good idea, but then it would be a little late, it would be better to start now, and to apply the wisdom received from the zen practice to the benefit of a huge number of people, to improve the life of the whole society.

Another time, woman complained about her naughty child, and that teachers at school are not trying to fix it. Shifu said, that before managing children, it is necessary to educate parents. Parents entrust their children's development to teachers, even though it is their first responsibility, parents must learn how to raise their children, they must first understand main things about it. After all, their role is the most important in education, and parents need to realize it, and learn it, - remembered Olga some moments of the conversations, simplifying the topics.

-And this is one of the tasks of the new school at the Wu Wei temple, that soon will be reconstructed by abbot, - continued Olga, - Where young Chinese people will be able to come during the vacations, to take few weeks courses, to learn not about Buddhism, but "How to become a full-fledged responsible person." This is plans for the future. But at this time, up the hill, the last preparations are almost complete for the official opening of the restored buildings on the Ge Lao cliff: temple, meditation center, living rooms, gazebos, bell tower, ponds and bridges. Construction was carried out for more than three years. The final touches are planting bushes and the activation of the dragon head's "fountain" in the wall behind the abbot's pavilion.

The purest water of mountain peaks will pour from the mouth of the dragon to a small pond, and then on a stone-covered canal along the rock penetrated into a larger pond on the other side of the pavilion. Then, through next canal, into the pond with a flat bridge in the center, that have an access to the foot of the cliff with the Buddha statues carved from the rock. Then the water will round the gate and pour down the channel along the stairs, into the next pond, over which the beautiful curved bridge rose as a continuation of the stairs, and again, down into the channel along the cliff.

On the other side of the next majestic gate, the water continued to flow along the canal, but then hide after another little pond with the waterfall, landing on a beautiful stone ledge in the center of the pond. A few meters away, passing a flat area, visitor of this beautiful place will again receive water dragon as a fellow traveler. The canal for the mountain stream wriggling along the stairs to the bottom of the site, in the center of which is the largest pond of the temple complex, with a majestic stone in the middle.

Stepping along these water cascades Shifu smiles with warm joy:

-Where there is water, there is life and beauty!

Guests admired this landscape idea, listened to the cheerful water’s murmur, and praised the complex of buildings that connected by a live silver thread of the flowing water.

In Chinese culture, water is an essential element of the landscape. The concept of "landscape" in Chinese often translates as “shanshui” – 山水 -"mountain" ，"water", the combination of mountains and rivers is the most important factor in the perception of nature, a sign of harmonious balance in the Chinese understanding of the landscape.

- Such a magnificent view should not be wasted, - repeated Shifu many times before starting to rebuild this complex, - It is necessary to give people opportunity to rediscover this place high up in the mountains, to continue use this perfect combination of mountains and waters for the practice of calming consciousness, internal development, inspiration for a harmonious existence, the reality of which reminds us this unique place.

Mountains, forest, rivers and lake - the basis of the life of the inhabitants of Dali, they perceive these elements as their home, the most important parts of the well-being of their families, ancestors and descendants. And they are protecting it in all possible ways. On the long red fabric banners above the village roads, on the bridges, on the walls of houses, one can see inscriptions, that foreigners perceived as "communist slogans", thinking that these banners saying something like: "Together to the bright communist future." But in fact, it is a social advertising, most of which - environmental and fire-fighting poetic lines, for example: "If spark not get to the mountain realm, forest life will be safe and calm."

One of the foreigners, who came to the Wu Wei temple for kung fu, but then stayed for a long time, and became disciple of the Master, was 29-year-old Ukrainian girl Olga. On her first visit, she lived in the temple for few months, and before leaving, took the Buddhist initiation, and became one of the followers of the abbot of the temple.

Then she had to fly to Kiev, but promised to come back to the Wu Wei temple as soon as possible.

However, she was able to do it only a year and a half later.

Olga was back to temple during the full moon’s prayer at noon.

The jubilation on her arrival exceeded all possible expectations. The disciple Liu, that been waiting for the return of her friend for such a long time, threw herself on the Olga's neck right in the main altar hall, still dressed in the prayer robe” haiqin”, for a moment forgetting all the ceremonies.

Olga herself, and those who knew her - disciples, coaches, monks, were overjoyed. No one could hide their emotions, it was clear that this encounter was really long waited for - she was originally planned to return to the temple in a few weeks.

Seeing the warm greeting by abbot in the temple yard, Olga three times knelt in front of him, and entered into a conversation. This was the first conversation with Master in her life - she began to seriously learn Chinese after returning to Kiev, so now she could talk to her Buddhist Teacher without the help of translators:

-I've been constantly thinking about Wu Wei si, about Shifu, and coaches. Not a day went by that I did not remember my life in the mountain temple. I didn't take off the Master’s gifts – the Guanyin jade pendant and mala of 108 beads, and I walked around Kiev with a yellow monastic bag, I am so happy to be here again, this time, if Shifu allowed me, I wish to spend here as long as I could… - she said.

The gong for lunch interrupted them, Shifu with a delighted smile called everyone to go to the dining room, where he invited the returned disciple join at his table, as an honorary guest.

The atmosphere in the temple stood cheerful on that day. Usually calm and balanced inhabitants of the Wu Wei si were in high spirits, even those who had never met Olga before, but has heard about her, also waited for a meeting, because not so often a foreigner who came to the temple "for the sake of studying kung fu" converts to Buddhism and becomes a full part of the life of Wu Wei si, and its history.

Olga was euphoric, she was back to the place of her dreams, to an amazing simple and calm world where she can be herself, where she can learn a lot, and where she can help with simple things - clean up the dining room and wash dishes, serve tea to the abbot, teach young coaches English, explain to the foreign guests unusual rules of life of the temple. And just be.

She had no idea that her name later would be literally inscribed in the history of the temple. In golden letters. She was mentioned as one of the disciples of Buddha, who donated a certain amount for the restoration of the Wu Wei temple.

"Ukraine Olga Pu Ren" (her Buddhist name) - this, along with several other names, in chinese characters was carved in the stone of the Ge Lao Cliff, under the sculpture of Buddha.

Upon her second arrival at the temple, Olga donated some of the money she received on the sale of her travel agency in Kiev, and was very happy:

-The money that we give to the Wu Wei temple is needed to continue and development of the temple, to allowing more people of many generations to join Buddhism, to become calmer, peaceful, happier, - she mused.

However, she was upset when she heard about inscription:

-Now people will know that I gave the money, but I wanted it to remain confidential.

But she calmed down when learned that it was a chinese tradition to carve the names of donors, and that it was not a special privilege, but a common practice.

- Oh, I do not know so much yet, do not understand so much of this culture! – Olga was telling to the foreigners, - But I love everything in the temple life! However, I should stop washing my feet with the girls, or I do not get enough sleep!

Hearing this foreigner laughed. Ukrainian disciple explained:

- You don’t know it, but every evening the novices gather with their plastic basins in someone's room and put their feet in hot water, as all the Chinese temple dwellers do, each in their room. This is a common Chinese practice, almost all Chinese do it in their homes. It's calms the nervous system, balances blood flow, there is many other useful stuff in this procedure. Many adds medicinal herbs in the water. It is part of Chinese traditional medicine.

But my neighboring girls started doing it together to have a little chat before going to bed, and the procedure is turned up to be very long, they are chatting forever... So, I decided to stop joining them, I am getting so tired during the day, and don't get enough rest, I need an extra time of sleep, - Olga lamented.

Another nuance of temple life also confused her, and she told foreign guests about it, sharing new knowledge about Chinese culture:

- They like the to give “Smell of the Sun” to the beddings!

Have you noticed sometimes they hang out blankets and mattresses in the backyard?

This is to make them bask in the sun. And they advise me to do the same. I don't get it yet. But maybe in a while I'll start doing that too. After all, in our women's rooms there are no windows, and although there is no dampness, but probably sometimes it is pleasant to warm up fillers of blankets and mattresses, adding the smell of sun to it! Actually, all guest blankets and mattresses are also hung out in the sun, when there are no guests in the temple.

Ukrainian disciple studied quickly, her sincere wish to help people assisted her to grasped on the fly all the obvious and not obvious lessons that temple life presented her every day.

After some time, when Olga passed the first adaptation, she was told to start new everyday practice - walking for two hours in a circle in the Main Altar Hall of the temple, pronouncing Na Mo A Mi Tuo Fo (the Name of the Buddha Amida), then copy chinese Diamond Sutra in the study, and then meditate in her room.

Olga gladly perceived everything that happened to her and was amazed about practices that were assigned to her:

- I love to walk in circles pronouncing Na Mo A Mi Tuo Fo, it is so soothing, and gives strength. At first I thought it would be boring, but I found myself immediately falling into some kind of trance, and get incredible pleasure from this monotonous walking on the rhythmic beats of a “wooden fish”. I'm starting to calm down in my head, and I'm starting to pay attention to things I've seen many, many times, but never actually seen.

For example, a carved pattern on the shutters of the Hall. I suddenly saw and realized with what care and attention this carving was made, I felt how carefully and scrupulously the young woodcarver removes layer upon layer. It felt as I was by his side at that moment, and I was unspeakably grateful to him for his work, for these beautiful doors of the temple.

Two tourist women from different European countries talked on a bench in front of the main gate of the zen temple Wu Wei. One of them lived in the temple for several weeks and told the newcomer about the other guests:

- For example, there was a guy from Egypt. I’ve heard that guests from Arab countries rarely visit a Buddhist temple, so, I was very glad to be able to meet him. He turned out to be such an incredible person!

He told me that he worked in Cairo in a bank, had brilliant career prospects, but two years ago almost simultaneously he lost two closest friends, one died in a car accident, the other - of heart problems, and these guys were not even 30 years old! This greatly influenced him, he began to think about Life, left his job, and went to travel in Asia. He hasn’t returned to Egypt since.

Several times he visited Thailand, lived there for six months and did a Vipassana meditation, was in Laos, Burma, Vietnam, and now in China, he wanted to live in a Buddhist temple, so, found information on the Internet about Wu Wei si.

After Vipassana he began to show interest in Buddhism, because he noticed that Thai people very cheerful, smiling, calm, and he wanted to understand why, to learn the secret of their happy life - as he put it. Later he decided to undergo different meditations in other countries, it was his plan for the near future.

This bearded Egyptian was amazing, something in him attracted all of us here, especially his eyes, it was clear, that he is a kind and sincere person. Yes, it is his sincerity, that can be noted as his main feature. He was very modest, balanced, and I think it was these qualities that helped him in communicating with a group of Israelis who lived in the temple at the same time.

He spoke to people from Israel in person for the first time in his life, and told that he couldn’t imagine before, how different were their views about the situation in that region, and it was incredibly important for all of them to talk to each other, even though it was quite difficult emotionally.

In the temple, young boys from Israel and Egypt lived side by side, sat at the same table to have food, trained together, having a unique opportunity to look into each other’s eyes and talk.

-Wow, it gives me goosebumps!

-Yes, it was incredibly interesting to watch. And also, I realized that the temple enhances and reveals the potential hidden in us! I used to think that I could just casually understand other people’s feelings, and that everyone could do so, but thanks to the temple and its inhabitants, I began to realize that this is my unique feature, and that it should be used to help people!

And I’m happy because of it, I feel like I want to help, because I was ashamed to admit that I’ve hardly been able to stand people before, I’ve been angry, easily annoyed and upset, and I’ve been afraid that this state will be with me all my life. But here in the temple, I felt nothing like those awful things. On the contrary, I want to help everyone, I see that everyone is amazing and interesting. And I see how everyone opening up their abilities.

-What other abilities have you discovered in yourself here?

-Well, for example, just a month after arriving at the Wu Wei temple, I found that my body had an incredible flexibility, that had never existed before. As a child, I enrolled several times in dance school and all sorts of sports sections, but had to give up because of not plasticity of muscles, clumsiness and incoordination, and now in 30 years I suddenly out of the blue began to sit on the twine!

And now I can with ease perform exercises that I never dreamed of doing before. Of the sporting achievements I had only half marathons, which I ran the last few years, and hiking. Other physical stuff I never could do, all I had, is just run and hike. It’s some incredible phenomenon, look! – the woman rises her leg up to her head, - I could never do that even when I was young!

A few weeks in the Wu Wei temple trained Leo, a German guy, born and raised in Kazakhstan. He was a huge movie-fan, and constantly quoted all sorts of funny phrases from different films and TV series, with a Russian accent, which added comicality in training.

Initially, he planned to spend a week in Wu Wei si, but befriending the disciples and the coaches, he stayed until the end of the visa, and then went to Laos for a few days, to open a new Chinese visa, and returned to the temple.

Leaving for the second time, Leo said that he would definitely return for the third, and fourth, and fifth. He went to personally say goodbye to the temple abbot, sincerely thanking him "for the unique place that is open to people from all over the world."

Shifu gave him a sandalwood prayer beads from the wrist, and praised Leo’s work with his consciousness, saying that this is the most important practice, that helps to deal with everything. And gave some apples for the trip.

Leo was not surprised that Shifu knew about his practice of tracking thoughts and concentration, which by itself began in the temple on the first week. He somehow knew that Shifu had seen his inner work, and was just happy about it, and determined to continue this practice.

Wu Wei temple was the last point of Leo’s journey through Asia, which he arranged after leaving Australia, where he worked in a construction site and factories:

- But before that I worked in Germany for about 10 years as an actor, having finished acting school, but it did not bring much professional satisfaction, the work was not that interesting, I would even say lousy, tiresome and low-paid, they shoot all sorts of nonsense, I was so tired of all this, exhausted. So, decided to go to the end of the world, to think about the future, about what I would like to do. In Australia I learned a lot, then travel to other countries, and here, in the Wu Wei temple, all my thoughts and past experience formed into a whole picture, I began to come to the understanding.

And also I realized, that only here is still most important attitude of the teacher to the student can be seen, Master is really serious about the transfer of knowledge, he is responsibly, wisely and sincerely guides the student. I can see it! I have never seen such a thing anywhere else, usually, teachers are just going through the established programs. But the unique atmosphere of the temple, the people I have met here, helped me incredibly, I feel that now I can definitely deal with everything, - said Leo. - I feel that it is not by chance that I got here, at the time that I need to make a choice of the direction of life, which should become decisive for many years to come, perhaps for rest of my life. I didn't discuss it with anyone here, but even simple friendly conversations on different topics, interaction in training, observations, enriched me with understanding of many things.

-Yes, you are absolutely right, - the disciple replied, -The Wu Wei Temple strangely gives a person what he really needs. And sometimes it is very different from what a person assumed, sometimes it's diametrically opposed, that person expected, completely unexpected things are happening here.

Watching foreigners week after week, coming and going, lingering and coming back, hearing many amazing stories, noting many unexpected situations I realized this.

Thinking that they come just to practice kung fu, all receiving very important experience in various areas of life, and indirect, and, sometimes direct, advice to help solve the pressing problems waiting for them at home, or the strong impulse, so to speak "kick in the ass" for moving forward. And also receiving the warmest attitude from everyone around, just for being yourself, which some rarely experienced before.

Many opened their eyes to themselves, to the hidden traits of their character, to their abilities, and there was a new view of what is happening in life. There was an opportunity to see themselves, internal conflicts were resolved, someone found his calling, someone understood how to unravel the old problems, someone made the most important decisions.

Here everything happens not by chance, all meetings, conversations, events, or absence of events, dreams, casually dropped phrases - everything transforms us, helps us to gain understanding, clarity of perception, acceptance, release. Some will say that in everyday life it is also happens, in one way or another, yes, of course, but here everything is in a very high concentration, not diluted by domestic fuss. No mysticism, just the opportunity to spend time in a natural healthy atmosphere, isolated from internet, advertising, news, parties, family commitments, social roles and masks. Just by being yourself. Among the trees, - smiled the disciple looking around, walking with Leo to the car park.