Insight Travel Buddhist Pilgrimages: China – Journey to the Middle Kingdom

Bodhi never was a Tree
Nor is there a stand for this mirror bright-
From the start not one thing exists,
Where can this dust alight?
Hui neng, Sixth Patriarch

Buddhism arrived in China nearly 2,000 years ago, brought by traders and monks along the Silk Road from India. Sometimes the target for persecution, it has nonetheless exerted an indelible influence on the religious, aesthetic, and cultural life of China. Even more significantly, Buddhism is undergoing a revival today, as monasteries and temples are being transformed from factories, museums or simply rubble and ruin back into centers of religious pilgrimage and practice.

During our journey we will have the opportunity to visit the ancient sites and temples where the Dharma first flourished in China, integrating the flavor of the country's age-old Confucian ethics and Taoist interpretations. We go straight to the heart of Zen when we visit Bodhidharma’s Cave and the Shaolin Temple. Hikes into mountain areas to the monastery temple complex of the Fourth and Fifth Patriarchs will open the gates for meditation in places were the Dharma has been in practice for centuries. Sitting in silence here we may experience the meaning of the words Hui Neng uttered at this site so long ago. In the Zhongnan Mountains we taste the hermit lifestyle that dates back thousands of years. Sipping tea, walking silently through bamboo forests, participating in ritual and culture and resting in monastery guesthouses and country inns along the way, bring us to the true heart of China and the roots of the Zen traditions.

Roots of Zen: Buddhist Pilgrimage to China
Date: April 17-May 9, 2009 Cost: $3,450 for a group of 10 or more

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