Fellow Virtual Travelers,
Amazing! Just amazing! We could not have possibly planned today, even if we'd tried! On our first trip to China in 1996, our first sacred mountain visit and cross cultural performance was at the Purple Cloud Temple on Wudangshan. We were to perform the Tai Chi Iron Fan form which had been lost in China for about 400 years. Very anxious and simultaneously honored!
Over the years of China adventures, we've returned to visit Purple Cloud. In 2002 with our expedition members, we got to interview the head abbot, Abbot Li Guangfu. At that time, the head monk, Master Shi was present and assisted with the interview as did the head nun, Master Zheng.
In 2003 we returned to this mountain to make another attempt to understand the 5,000 years of history at the mountain and again got to meet with Abbot Li, Master Shi and Master Zheng. During this time, the president of the Chinese Taoist Association gave us permission to tell the story of the Wudang Magic Sword, heretofore untold. There is a replica of the sacred bronze sword, which weighs well over 100 pounds, which was housed in a museum on the temple premises, but was too heavy to bring down to show us. Months later, Master Shi mailed us photos of the replica.
In 2012 we again returned to Wudangshan accompanied by Master Karl, who was one of the 2002 Expedition members. While Master Shi had left the Wudang area to become an abbot at another location, he travelled to Wudang to meet with us again. Upon inquiring about the old museum and sword, all remnants of those memories had disappeared. No sword and no museum with old artifacts!
This morning we returned to Purple Cloud with Victor to ask about the sword and museum, as well as to take more photographs of the temple complex. This was one location where we wanted to do a photo shoot of the four of us for the Wudang history book. So we rode the bus five minutes down the hill with Victor and started taking pictures as we moved into the complex.
Victor had been in touch with one of the nuns who seemed quite uncertain as to why we would want to see the sword replica, so we went on our way to look in the doorway where the museum had been in 2003 and discovered that some items had been brought back! After wandering around, Dennis spotted the end of the magic sword replica, hiding behind a curtain! The same nun allowed us to move it to the floor (it took the three men, with all their strength to move it!) and lay it on material to photograph it, then carefully put it back. Wow, just WOW! Like an Indiana Jones archeology discovery. We finally found the sword 11 years after being told the story in the courtyard of Purple Cloud Temple by the head abbot of China Taoism. (Kind of like the Pope).
After our great discovery, we were offered lunch at the Purple Cloud monastery. So we scooped up our bowls of rice and dishes of stir-fried tofu and vegetables. Then washed our own dishes as that is the custom of the temple lunch. Our heads were all still spinning with the blessing of the sword sighting!
After lunch we spent several hours photographing Purple Cloud -- again. As we were seated in the shade on wooden benches, talking about our great blessings, Victor suddenly gets a surprised look on his face, points and says 'Here comes Abbot Shi!'.
Abbot Shi was unexpectedly in the area and remembered us from previous visits. The five of us gathered for a commemorative photo. So, we are ending Monday, May 5th here in China with a sense of accomplishment that surpassed our greatest expectations!
Blessings,
Dennis&Anita