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I got some great responses in my topic about expats learning Tai Chi in China, so I would like to expand the topic to anything spiritual.
I am greatly interested in spirituality. Technically I know that you don’t have to travel anywhere for spirituality, that “the only mindfulness you will find in the mountains are the ones you brought up there”, but I admit I like the slightly more pretentious part of spirituality, such as nature, temples, mountains etc.
I thought I would find plenty of such in the sichuan mountains, but for all 3 mountains I’ve been to so far it’s been just trails filled with coca cola and chips vendors, and when you finally reach the temple at the top there’s just a bunch of people smoking by the budda statue, and any temple is more about donating money then turning around rather than allowing people to meditate.
Has anyone been on any spiritual journeys in China?
Definitely, you just have to either hit the lesser known areas, or the lesser traveled portions of the well-known mountains and temples. The local temples in Chengdu aren’t bad, there is tranquility to be found in all of them I think. I particularly like Qingchen Shan, but much moreso Qingcheng 后山 (the back of the mountain) which has far fewer people. Another great place that I enjoy is the temple in Longquan, the name eludes me but there are almost no people that go there from what I can tell. It’s about a 30 minute climb to the top of the mountain where the temple is.
I used to join a meditation group in Chengdu, this was years ago, but there are probably still groups of people meditating somewhere. After not meditating for years I found it a lot easier to get back into the habit with a group.
This morning I listened to a podcast with Sam Harris about nonsecular spirituality, which is very interesting. That’s almost what China is – craving spirituality but bereft of any kind of secular order. Since you mention Tai Chi, the late night women doing quiet time tai chi in the park strikes me as pretty spiritual. Occasionally you’ll see old men with swords and ribbons practicing Tai Chi, especially nearby the river. Pretty cool.
Qingchengshan is said to be one of the centers of Taoism. I’ve heard there’s also a museum of some sorts to be found there filled with stuff about Tao and Lao Zi. That’s all I know though.
I’m a huge fan of finding spiritual enlightenment within oneself myself, I especially like Eckhart Tolle’s work. It’s by far the clearest language to me. I also like delving into Alan Watts and obviously the Buddha, but half of the time I have no clue what they are talking about.
Not incredibly interested in temples and mountains, though. Psychedelics work better if you ask me. 😀
…but I admit I like the slightly more pretentious part of spirituality, such as nature, temples, mountains etc.
I’m not so sure these are ‘more pretentious’ elements, but rather the elements we’re so frequently detached from whilst living in an urban environment. Any enlightenment is only ever going to come from within, and in doing so (hopefully) re/connect you to ‘what’ you are at your core… An animal evolved of a natural landscape, tuned into your surroundings with ultra-high definition clarity, in order that you may fight for your survival and arrive present day courtesy of your ancestors. It is possible to touch on that in the city under altered states of consciousness, but you’ll find yourself eminently closer out in the wilderness, even if that’s just a quiet corner of a park away from the noise.
(hopefully) re/connect you to ‘what’ you are at your core… An animal evolved of a natural landscape, tuned into your surroundings with ultra-high definition clarity, in order that you may fight for your survival and arrive present day courtesy of your ancestors.
What about when the PM2.5 is really high and it’s a bad idea to go outside, should I just do other animal things to help me get enlightened?
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