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.
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