211-The 108 Temples Tour or the Journey of the Chan Knights - Buddhism in daily life

The 108 Temples Tour or the Journey of the Chan Knights


108 TT


or the journey of the Chan Knights


"Sometimes I am a master, sometimes a disciple, it depends with
whom I exchange my energy," said the wise monk.


The 108 Temples Tour is to visit the 108 sacred Buddhist sites in
Nepal, India, China, Tibet, Korea, Bhutan, Taiwan, Vietnam,
Japan, and will end at Shaolin Temple China. It traces the
journey of the Buddhist teaching, from its foundation by the
historical Buddha Siddharta Gautama, to its expression in modern
times, following both historical routes and dates, and
contemporary development.


Protagonists:


Protagonists of the journey are Shi Heng Zong, Taema Jun as well
as Rainer Deyhle (Shaolin Rainer), and other Chan followers.
Taema Jun is a Korean meditation master who, following a dream,
meditated for seven years in the Shaolin Temple China, striving
for "enlightenment". There he met Rainer Deyhle, who founded the
Shaolin Temple Germany and also meditates himself. Shi Heng Zong
leads the Shaolin Temple Europe in Kaiserslautern as abbot. Today
these disparate people are brothers in spirit and follow the
teachings of Buddha and the teachings of his 28th patriarch,
Bodhidharma, who is considered the founder of Chan (Zen)
Buddhism.


Why a 108 Temple Tour?


The Buddhists Shi Heng Zong, Taema Jun and Rainer Deyhle want to
look at the work and teachings of the historical Buddha and his
28th successor (Bodhidharma) in a new light. They see this
journey as a kind of "Buddhist Dr.", want to absorb the energy of
the holy sites, meet wise masters on the journey, exchange and
meditate with them, and then carry this energy back home with
them. At each temple, the protagonists want to make "108
prostrations" to honor Buddha.


Locomotion:


The participants of the 108 temples tour will travel together by
bus (tour bus).


Start:


The journey will start from the birthplace of Buddha,
Kavilavatsu, in the foothills of the Himalayas, in present-day
Nepal. Another important stop will be the "Buddha Tree" under
which Siddharta once found his enlightenment. The tree stands on
the banks of the Nairanjana River, near the village of Uruvela,
now Bodh Gaya.


Other possible stops on the trip:


The 108 temples tour will include Varanasi (first proclamation of
Buddha's teachings, the first Sangha), the bamboo forest at
Rajagrita (King Bimbisara gave Buddha a bamboo forest), the town
of Shravatsi (Buddha taught there; today Jetavana Monastery), the
place of Kushinagara near Lambini (Buddha's place of death), the
8 stupas with Buddha's relics (Buddha's relics were distributed
in eight stupas in Rajagriha, Vaishali, Kapilavastu, Allakappa,
Ramagrama, Pava, Kushinagar and Vethapida).


After venerating the most important sites of the Buddha, the
protagonists follow the life path of Bodhidharma. The birthplace
of the monk, the temple where he became a monk and other
important sites of his life in India will be visited.


Furthermore, the protagonists will follow the journey of
Bodhidharma to China, from India by ship to Guangdong (Canton) to
the former imperial city of Nanking, to the Shaolin Temple China.


The climax and end point of the journey is the arrival at the
Shaolin Temple China, where Bodhidharma meditated for nine years.
In the cave of Bodhidharma, the protagonists will now make 1080
prostrations to absorb the special energy of the place.


Copyright: https://shaolin-rainer.de


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