Wu Wei Zheng Dao 61

Two tourist women from different European countries talked on a bench in front of the main gate of the zen temple Wu Wei. One of them lived in the temple for several weeks and told the newcomer about the other guests:

- For example, there was a guy from Egypt. I’ve heard that guests from Arab countries rarely visit a Buddhist temple, so, I was very glad to be able to meet him. He turned out to be such an incredible person!

He told me that he worked in Cairo in a bank, had brilliant career prospects, but two years ago almost simultaneously he lost two closest friends, one died in a car accident, the other - of heart problems, and these guys were not even 30 years old! This greatly influenced him, he began to think about Life, left his job, and went to travel in Asia. He hasn’t returned to Egypt since.

Several times he visited Thailand, lived there for six months and did a Vipassana meditation, was in Laos, Burma, Vietnam, and now in China, he wanted to live in a Buddhist temple, so, found information on the Internet about Wu Wei si.

After Vipassana he began to show interest in Buddhism, because he noticed that Thai people very cheerful, smiling, calm, and he wanted to understand why, to learn the secret of their happy life - as he put it. Later he decided to undergo different meditations in other countries, it was his plan for the near future.

This bearded Egyptian was amazing, something in him attracted all of us here, especially his eyes, it was clear, that he is a kind and sincere person. Yes, it is his sincerity, that can be noted as his main feature. He was very modest, balanced, and I think it was these qualities that helped him in communicating with a group of Israelis who lived in the temple at the same time.

He spoke to people from Israel in person for the first time in his life, and told that he couldn’t imagine before, how different were their views about the situation in that region, and it was incredibly important for all of them to talk to each other, even though it was quite difficult emotionally.

In the temple, young boys from Israel and Egypt lived side by side, sat at the same table to have food, trained together, having a unique opportunity to look into each other’s eyes and talk.

-Wow, it gives me goosebumps!

-Yes, it was incredibly interesting to watch. And also, I realized that the temple enhances and reveals the potential hidden in us! I used to think that I could just casually understand other people’s feelings, and that everyone could do so, but thanks to the temple and its inhabitants, I began to realize that this is my unique feature, and that it should be used to help people!

And I’m happy because of it, I feel like I want to help, because I was ashamed to admit that I’ve hardly been able to stand people before, I’ve been angry, easily annoyed and upset, and I’ve been afraid that this state will be with me all my life. But here in the temple, I felt nothing like those awful things. On the contrary, I want to help everyone, I see that everyone is amazing and interesting. And I see how everyone opening up their abilities.

-What other abilities have you discovered in yourself here?

-Well, for example, just a month after arriving at the Wu Wei temple, I found that my body had an incredible flexibility, that had never existed before. As a child, I enrolled several times in dance school and all sorts of sports sections, but had to give up because of not plasticity of muscles, clumsiness and incoordination, and now in 30 years I suddenly out of the blue began to sit on the twine!

And now I can with ease perform exercises that I never dreamed of doing before. Of the sporting achievements I had only half marathons, which I ran the last few years, and hiking. Other physical stuff I never could do, all I had, is just run and hike. It’s some incredible phenomenon, look! – the woman rises her leg up to her head, - I could never do that even when I was young!