Wu Wei Zheng Dao 62

One of the foreigners, who came to the Wu Wei temple for kung fu, but then stayed for a long time, and became disciple of the Master, was 29-year-old Ukrainian girl Olga. On her first visit, she lived in the temple for few months, and before leaving, took the Buddhist initiation, and became one of the followers of the abbot of the temple.

Then she had to fly to Kiev, but promised to come back to the Wu Wei temple as soon as possible.

However, she was able to do it only a year and a half later.

Olga was back to temple during the full moon’s prayer at noon.

The jubilation on her arrival exceeded all possible expectations. The disciple Liu, that been waiting for the return of her friend for such a long time, threw herself on the Olga's neck right in the main altar hall, still dressed in the prayer robe” haiqin”, for a moment forgetting all the ceremonies.

Olga herself, and those who knew her - disciples, coaches, monks, were overjoyed. No one could hide their emotions, it was clear that this encounter was really long waited for - she was originally planned to return to the temple in a few weeks.

Seeing the warm greeting by abbot in the temple yard, Olga three times knelt in front of him, and entered into a conversation. This was the first conversation with Master in her life - she began to seriously learn Chinese after returning to Kiev, so now she could talk to her Buddhist Teacher without the help of translators:

-I've been constantly thinking about Wu Wei si, about Shifu, and coaches. Not a day went by that I did not remember my life in the mountain temple. I didn't take off the Master’s gifts – the Guanyin jade pendant and mala of 108 beads, and I walked around Kiev with a yellow monastic bag, I am so happy to be here again, this time, if Shifu allowed me, I wish to spend here as long as I could… - she said.

The gong for lunch interrupted them, Shifu with a delighted smile called everyone to go to the dining room, where he invited the returned disciple join at his table, as an honorary guest.

The atmosphere in the temple stood cheerful on that day. Usually calm and balanced inhabitants of the Wu Wei si were in high spirits, even those who had never met Olga before, but has heard about her, also waited for a meeting, because not so often a foreigner who came to the temple "for the sake of studying kung fu" converts to Buddhism and becomes a full part of the life of Wu Wei si, and its history.

Olga was euphoric, she was back to the place of her dreams, to an amazing simple and calm world where she can be herself, where she can learn a lot, and where she can help with simple things - clean up the dining room and wash dishes, serve tea to the abbot, teach young coaches English, explain to the foreign guests unusual rules of life of the temple. And just be.

She had no idea that her name later would be literally inscribed in the history of the temple. In golden letters. She was mentioned as one of the disciples of Buddha, who donated a certain amount for the restoration of the Wu Wei temple.

"Ukraine Olga Pu Ren" (her Buddhist name) - this, along with several other names, in chinese characters was carved in the stone of the Ge Lao Cliff, under the sculpture of Buddha.

Upon her second arrival at the temple, Olga donated some of the money she received on the sale of her travel agency in Kiev, and was very happy:

-The money that we give to the Wu Wei temple is needed to continue and development of the temple, to allowing more people of many generations to join Buddhism, to become calmer, peaceful, happier, - she mused.

However, she was upset when she heard about inscription:

-Now people will know that I gave the money, but I wanted it to remain confidential.

But she calmed down when learned that it was a chinese tradition to carve the names of donors, and that it was not a special privilege, but a common practice.

- Oh, I do not know so much yet, do not understand so much of this culture! – Olga was telling to the foreigners, - But I love everything in the temple life! However, I should stop washing my feet with the girls, or I do not get enough sleep!

Hearing this foreigner laughed. Ukrainian disciple explained:

- You don’t know it, but every evening the novices gather with their plastic basins in someone's room and put their feet in hot water, as all the Chinese temple dwellers do, each in their room. This is a common Chinese practice, almost all Chinese do it in their homes. It's calms the nervous system, balances blood flow, there is many other useful stuff in this procedure. Many adds medicinal herbs in the water. It is part of Chinese traditional medicine.

But my neighboring girls started doing it together to have a little chat before going to bed, and the procedure is turned up to be very long, they are chatting forever... So, I decided to stop joining them, I am getting so tired during the day, and don't get enough rest, I need an extra time of sleep, - Olga lamented.

Another nuance of temple life also confused her, and she told foreign guests about it, sharing new knowledge about Chinese culture:

- They like the to give “Smell of the Sun” to the beddings!

Have you noticed sometimes they hang out blankets and mattresses in the backyard?

This is to make them bask in the sun. And they advise me to do the same. I don't get it yet. But maybe in a while I'll start doing that too. After all, in our women's rooms there are no windows, and although there is no dampness, but probably sometimes it is pleasant to warm up fillers of blankets and mattresses, adding the smell of sun to it! Actually, all guest blankets and mattresses are also hung out in the sun, when there are no guests in the temple.

Ukrainian disciple studied quickly, her sincere wish to help people assisted her to grasped on the fly all the obvious and not obvious lessons that temple life presented her every day.

After some time, when Olga passed the first adaptation, she was told to start new everyday practice - walking for two hours in a circle in the Main Altar Hall of the temple, pronouncing Na Mo A Mi Tuo Fo (the Name of the Buddha Amida), then copy chinese Diamond Sutra in the study, and then meditate in her room.

Olga gladly perceived everything that happened to her and was amazed about practices that were assigned to her:

- I love to walk in circles pronouncing Na Mo A Mi Tuo Fo, it is so soothing, and gives strength. At first I thought it would be boring, but I found myself immediately falling into some kind of trance, and get incredible pleasure from this monotonous walking on the rhythmic beats of a “wooden fish”. I'm starting to calm down in my head, and I'm starting to pay attention to things I've seen many, many times, but never actually seen.

For example, a carved pattern on the shutters of the Hall. I suddenly saw and realized with what care and attention this carving was made, I felt how carefully and scrupulously the young woodcarver removes layer upon layer. It felt as I was by his side at that moment, and I was unspeakably grateful to him for his work, for these beautiful doors of the temple.