Running into the Zuohai Monastery

W hen I recall my trip to Gannan last winter， I am most impressed and touched by a one thousand-year-old Zuohai Monastery. In this temple， I participated in an annual Mandala Buddhist ritual of Wasai Vajra Yidam， got close to a dignifi ed， intelligent and benevolent Living Buddha and become acquainted with the Living Buddha’s real daily life.

It is extremely cold in Gannan in December. We make our way to the Lapuleng Temple in Xiahe County， where we look down at Daxia River and look far away to the Sangkho Prairie. Unique Tibetan scenery and open prairie landscape unfold before our eyes. When we get out from the Lapuleng Temple， we encounter a lama from the Zuohai Monastery in a small shop. His name is Kelsang Drakpa and he speaks Mandarin. He comes here to buy rice. Thanks to Kelsang Drakpa’s introduction， we get to know that there is a one thousand-year-old monastery called the Zuohai Monastery not far away. It is located at the foot of Daxiang Mountain in the northeast of Xiahe County and is 34 kilometers away from the downtown. It is an important religious site for Buddhist believers to venerate， worship， pray and hold other activities in order to accumulate merits.

Kelsang Drakpa explains elaborately that the Zuohai Monastery， with a history of more than 900 years， was founded in early of the 12th century by Master Zexiudongni Xiapu. It is one of Yungdrung Bonpo’s eighteen Xiuqin sites of Buddhist Ritual， which attach the same importance to Sutra and Tantra in the Amdo Tibetan area. Every year， the Zuohai Monastery holds a number of religious activities. Luckily， we just encounter the most magnifi cent activity named Mandala Buddhist ritual of Wasai Vajra Yidam.

After we get in Kelsang Drakpa’s old jeep， we feel the car dashing along like greased lighting. Kelsang Drakpa teaches himself to drive and he makes the car run away like a wild horse. Buddhist believers donated this jeep in order to make it convenient for monks who need to handle errands in the downtown of the county.

The Zuohai Monastery is a Yungdrung Bonist monastery. Yungdrung Bonism， the source of Tibetan culture， embodies Tibetan people’s deep understanding of the origin of the universe， the operation of galaxy， the formation of nature， the birth of life， the reproduction of human beings， and the relationship between nature and the rest of the world. In the meantime， it is one of the most time-honored Tibetan Buddhist Temples in Gannan Tibetan inhabited area.

On our way to the monastery， we learn that the Zuohai Monastery has gone through diffi culties in history thanks to Kelsang Drakpa’s explanation. At present， the monastery enshrines and worships a series of holy articles， including the tooth holy relic of Master Zexiudongni Xiapu， which has the image of Samantabhadra by nature and is regarded as the “treasure of the temple”； the skull holy relic of Jema Ocuo Master， which has a character in Tibetan on it； the holy relics of great achievers in history， which were saved by numerous Buddhist believers； almost three thousand Buddhist statues made of gold， silver， copper， santal， and clay； exquisite and informative paintings， embroidery， Thangka and vivid wall paintings； fi ve highest Sutra Yidam Mandala and various Buddhist instruments with great Buddhist power； more than three hundred and sixty precious Thangka including episodes from Bon religion’s founder Shenrab Miwo’s life， achievement pictures of sixteen Arhat， Mandala drawings of twelve Buddhist rituals； every generation of Master Zexiu’s spiritual body pagoda and more than seven hundred classics of Sutra and Tantra great completion.

Kelsang Drakpa becomes very devout when it comes to the present Living Budda of Zuohai Monastery. Drakpa says that the Living Buddha， also called the fourth Zexiucang？ Sherab Tenpai Dawa Rinpoche， is the descendant of Master Zexiudongni Xiapu and is also the reincarnation of the third Sherab Yungdrung Lhundrup Living Buddha. He came to the Zuohai Monastery at the age of eleven and inherited Zexiucang’s lineage. In the next thirty years， the Living Buddha studied hard and mortifi es himself. He has studied in several Buddhist temples in Gansu Province， Qinghai Province， and Tibet. He not only does in-depth researches on Tripitaka but also becomes the practitioner of Three Training. Every year， he undergoes meditation in retreat in various forms， including Tantra Yidam and great completion. He is a wellrespected fi gure.

As I listen to Kelsang Drakpa’s introduction， our car reachs the foot of Daxiang Mountain. When I look up to the Zuohai Monastery， I fi nd its construction very magnifi cent， covering the whole of the hillside. Its architecture is gorgeous， solemn and well proportioned. After a bumpy trip， we fi nally reach the Zuohai Monastery. It is really beyond our imagination to see its magnifi cent buildings， including the Tara Hall， the Manjushri Hall， the Jambhala Hall， the temple of protective deities， library chapel， Buddhist College， and the main scripture hall that can hold more than three hundred people. The glass surrounding of the Tara Hall is especially fashionable. We are surprised to see architecture like this in such a primitive place. It is rather unexpected to fi nd that such an avant-guard design coexists harmoniously with the surrounding mountains.

As wished， we get the chance to meet the Living Buddha， a kind and easy-going man， in the monastery. When I kowtow to him on my knees， he does not stop me. And when we chat together， he does not have any air of arrogance. As Kelsang Drakpa said earlier， the Living Buddha speaks fl uent Mandarin and his Chinese calligraphy is so handsome that makes us ethnic Han embarrassed.

Zexiucang Living Buddha is a scholar stylist. Because of his cultivation， his believers can feel his mighty benevolent spiritual power. The herdsmen in the neighborhood not only live and work in peace and contentment by behaving themselves， but also enthusiastic about the renovation of the Zuohai Monastery. We are very lucky to spend three days with the Living Buddha in the temple. At fi rst， we are afraid to get too close with him out of veneration. As we get to know him better， especially when we see him keep calm in the face of tedious daily chores， we admire him very much.

The next morning， we are invited to the monastery’s dinning hall and have Tsampa and buttered tea for breakfast with the monks. To our surprise， the Living Buddha， who has founded this large monastery himself， eats the same food as the rest of us. We also see an interesting scene in the dinning hall. There is a cat nearby. Everyday， the cat comes to dine as soon as it hears the bell of the dinning hall. The monks save some Tsampa to feed the cat. The cat， with pure expressions in its eyes， is very fat. The Living Buddha says that the cat has the Buddha reason since it hears sutras everyday and cultivates itself according to religious doctrines. In the temple， we fi nd many young acolytes. These kids look very smart and cute. I ask Kelsang Drakpa that if they become so special and handsome because they are blessed by the Buddha. Kelsang Drakpa replies that only smart and pretty kids could be selected into the monastery as monks because the Tibetan people believe in Buddhism. It is the honor for a child and his family to be able to serve the Buddha. After breakfast， a villager invites the Living Buddha home. Kelsang Drakpa tells us that the villager has a patient at home and the Living Buddha is needed for chanting scriptures. We also ask for permission to go together with the Living Buddha. The Living Buddha and the naive local villager approve our request. After some preparation，the Living Buddha starts off with us. In fact， the Living Buddha may have to deal with ordinary and trivial matters everyday. For example， he goes to a villager’s home for several reasons. The Living Buddha is invited for childbirth， old age， sickness and death. He is also needed to solve pasture disputes. As we talk， we arrive at the herdsman’s home. The room has been arranged properly and a khada is placed on the bed， where the Living Buddha will sit and chant scriptures. The whole family kneels on the fl oor when the Living Buddha recites scriptures. Afterwards， some family members ask a few questions in Tibetan language and the Living Buddha answers them one by one with patience. I fi nd the patient starts to grin in better spirits.

In Tibetan Buddhism， the Living Buddha is like a patriarch， who is responsible for explaining， disabusing， comforting and judging. Herdsmen come to the Living Buddha with any questions and he answers in the most appropriate way. Although the Living Buddha is very knowledgeable， he answers herdsmen’s questions in a very plain way. On our way back， we chat with the Living Buddha as we become acquainted with him. What impresses me most is the fact that the Living Buddha can explain abstruse issues in the most accessible way. He chooses different talking methods depending on his listeners. We benefi t a lot through our brief talk with the Living Buddha.

After we get back to the monastery， the Living Buddha continues his obligations while we have a tour of the monastery guided by Kelsang Drakpa. There are two more Living Buddhas in this monastery： Tsultrim Namgyal Living Buddha （usually lives in the Dongqu Temple， Guide County， Qinghai Province） and Padma Living Buddha， Dunqun Shazong’s reincarnation， usually lives in the Agongduoxi Temple， Hualong County， Qinghai Province）. These two Living Buddhas always make their appearances in the Zuohai Monastery and care about the monks and matters concerned with the monastery. It turns out that one Living Buddha is the monk who helps us with cooking in the dining hall this morning. At fi rst， I thought he was a common monk who took care of cooking matters.

Not far away from the monastery， there is a cave， where Master Zexiudongni Xiapu practices Tantra’s Heat Cultivation and Great Completion on the white cliff mountain. In the biting wind， we see some monks wearing cassocks sit in meditation on the bare mountaintop in the distance. I am astonished by what I have seen. Kelsang Drakpa says， monks would even sit almost naked in meditation wearing wet cassocks in a snowfi eld on the coldest days to practice Heat Cultivation. When the meditation is over， their cassock dries and the snow around them melts. To be honest， I still feel chilly wearing two down jackets at nightfall. It is unimaginable for monks to sit quietly on top of the mountain. Probably， this is the difference brought about by spiritual power.

The Mandala Buddhist Ritual of Wasai Vajra Yidam the next day is the most important religious activity for the Zuohai Monastery every year. On the ritual， the Living Buddha wears a red cassock， a Buddha’s crown and a yellow Buddhist robe， which stands for discipline and heritage. Sitting up on the highest Buddhist pedestal in the middle of the main scripture hall with a dignifi ed and solemn look on his face， the Living Buddha recites scriptures with powerful impacts and deterrent forces and makes various fi nger marks with different implications. The monks play musical instruments used in a Buddhist mass. The combination of recitation and rhythmic music gives people spiritual purifi cation and detachment. Buddhist believers swarm inside and outside of the scripture hall and pray devoutly with palms put together. The tranquility in this lively atmosphere dwarfs the fi ckleness and recklessness of us city fellows. I cannot help but gasp at the power of belief in admiration.

In the afternoon， we travel more than ten kilometers to a meditation cell named Nyimalong White Conch Meditation Hall， which is located in the northwest of Zuohai Monastery. According to local people， Master Zexiudongni Xiapu followed Xigongchixiu Guru’s instructions and practiced Tantra in this place devoutly. At last， he gets the magical power of fl ying. At present， you can clearly see Three Buddha-bodies that are formed naturally and Master Zexiudongni Xiapu’s hand and foot prints on local hard rocks. Unfortunately， these natural holy articles have suffered from serious damages. It is said that Zexiucang Living Buddha goes on meditation in retreat in this place every year. From my point of view， it is not possible for common people to keep on with meditation in retreat in this isolated cave. Meditation must have helped the practitioner to have a close connection with the universe. Probably nature is the spiritual force behind the Living Buddha， who recovers from his original simplicity. In the end， we have to leave in the morning of our fourth day in the Zuohai Monastery. At the gate of the monastery， the Living Buddha， pointing at the bare mountain， tells us that there is going to be green grass and mountain fl owers all over the place from July to September every year. As I gaze towards that direction， it seems that I have seen flowers blooming like a piece of brocade. I say in my heart， “I am going to visit you again in summer， respectful Zexiucang Living Buddha and the sacred Zuohai Monastery.”