CHINATOUR Tempel Klöster und Heilige Berge/ Temples, Monasteries, Holy Mountains

 

     Auf den Spuren des Konfuzius, Daoismus, Buddhismus

     Fengshui ist verwurzelt in der klassischen chinesischen Weltsicht,

     maßgeblich bestimmt durch die Lehren und Sichtweisen des Konfuzianis-

     mus, Daoismus und Buddhismus. Auf unserer Tour wollen wir den Spuren

     des Daoismus und Konfuzianismus folgen, Bergklöster und Tempelanlagen

     besuchen, Mönche und Gelehrte treffen, Legenden und Geschichten über

     die Gottheiten und Geister hören- lebendige Tradition hautnah erleben

     und so die Wurzeln des Fengshui unmittelbar erfahren.

 

     Erfahrene Fachleute begleiten die Tour:

     Die Fengshui-Architekten Gyda Anders & Howard Choy vermitteln

     Hintergründe und Prinzipien des Feng Shui und bringen in Kloster-

     bergen und Tempeln Methoden und Anwendung „zum Greifen“ nahe .

    

     Dr. Volker Olles, der so zu sagen in den Tempeln und Klosterbergen

     Sichuans „zu Hause“ ist, wird uns auf der Reise begleiten und in die An-

     sätze des Chinesischen Denkens, der Philosophie und Religion einführen.

    

     Wir wollen philosophische und geschichtliche Hintergründe des Feng-

     shuis aus erster Hand vermitteln und zugleich seine gebaute und gelebte

     Anwendung unmittelbar erfahrbar machen.

 

     Die Tour verspricht einzigartige Eindrücke und einmalige Erlebnisse,

     sowie ein tiefes Verständnis für Feng Shui im klassischen Sinne.

    

     Die Lektionen und Führungen werden in Englisch und Deutsch

     durchgeführt.

 

 

 

     Wir beginnen unsere Reise in Sichuan, dem

     Wirkungskreis des Ersten Himmelsmeisters

     des Daoismus. Hier besuchen wir Klosterberge

     und Tempel.

     Am ersten Tag besichtigen wir den Wenshu 文殊院

     - Tempel in Chengdu und in unmittelbarer Nähe,

     versteckt im Gewirr enger Gassen den daois-

     tischen Tempel Niangniang Miao娘娘廟.

 

     Der Berg und der menschliche Körper wurden ein-

     ander gleichgestellt. Sie beide waren vollkommene

     Bilder dessen, was in den Augen der Chinesen ein

     Universum ausmacht: eine „Himmel-Erde“ 乾坤

     qián kūn, dem chinesischen Wort für Universum.

     (J.Lagerwey).

     Auf lokalen Klosterbergen können wir diese ein-

     malige Atmosphäre spüren und erkunden, Hinter-

     gründe und Einblicke in das religiöse Leben der

     Vergangenheit und Gegenwart erhalten, erfahren,

     welchen Einfluss diese Sichtweisen auf die Ent-

     wicklung des Fengshui haben und wie umgekehrt

     Fengshui Prinzipien die Anlage der Klöster beein-

     flusst haben.Der Bezug von Fengshui zu Philo-

     sophie, Religion und chinesischer Kosmologie ist

     hier unmittelbar erlebbar.

     Wir besichtigen den Klosterberg Baihe Shan

     白鶴山 nahe Qionglai mit seinen Tempeln, den

     Berg des Lord Lao (Laozi) Laojun Shan 老君山,

     den Berg der blaugrünen Stadt, Qingchengshan

     青城山: der 5. Große Höhlenhimmel der Daoisten,

     und das Kloster der schwarzen Ziege, Qingyang

     Gong 青羊宮: Erscheinungsort von Lao Zi.

 

     Von Chengdu reisen wir weiter zu dem sagenum-

     wobenen Wudangshan 武當山. Zwei Tage werden

     wir auf dem Berg verbringen, eintauchen in die

     Atmosphäre und das Leben einer lang zurück-

     reichende daoistischen Tradition. Schon in der

     Jin-Dynastie sollen sich hierhin Gelehrte als Ein-

     siedler zurückzogen haben.

     Wudangshan wird als einer der Ursprünge der

     Inneren Kampfkünste angesehen.Die Wudang-

     Daoisten pflegen auch heute noch eine Vielzahl

     traditioneller Kampftechniken und Methoden der

     Selbstkultivierung.

    

      Über Wudangshan setzen wir unsere Reise fort

     nach Wuhan.Dort treffen wir Prof. Wang Yude,

     der sich seit Jahren klassische Schriften des

     Fengshui studiert und bereits mehrer Bücher da-

     zu veröffentlicht hat. Gemeinsam werden wir den 

     kleinen innerstädtischen Tempel, Changchun

     Guan 長春觀 besichtigen.

     Im Anschluß fliegen wir nach Taian und fahren

     zum Berg Taishan 泰山, dem  berühmtesten der

     fünf heiligen Bergen des Daoismus. Über eine

     9km lange Treppe werden wir zum Gipfel auf-

     steigen, auf dem Weg die Klöster und Pavillons

     besichtigen. Auf dem Gipfel des Berges werden

     wir übernachten.

     Nach dem Taishan führt unsere Route nach Qufu

     曲阜 wo wir die Tempelanlage von Konfuzius 孔廟

     besichtigen, die als Weltkulturerbe gelistet ist.

     Weiter geht es nach Qingdao und von da auf den

     Heiligen Berg Laoshan 嶗山 .

     Die letzten zwei Tage der Tour verbringen wir in

     Beijing und mit der Besichtigung des Konfuzius

     Tempels 孔廟, des Lamatempels, des daoisti-

     schen Klosters Baiyun Guan 白云觀 und der

     Dongyue Miao 東岳廟, einem der größten daois-

     tischen Tempel der Stadt, bekommen wir einen

     weiteren Einblick in die reiche und vielfältige

     Geschichte der chinesischen  Denkweisen und

     Religionen.

 

 

     (Vorläufige Reiseplanung, Änderungen vorbehalten)

 

JOURNEY TO THE FENG SHUI SOURCES –

Sacred Mountains, Monasteries and Temples of Confucianism, Daoism and Buddhism

Feng Shui is rooted in the classical Chinese world-view, reinforced by certain aspects of the teachings of Confucianism, Daoism and Buddhism.

On this trip, we will trace these historical sources, especially in Confucianism and Daoism. We will experience their living traditions, feel their divinities, in the company of monks and scholars, and touch the spirit of the mountains, monasteries and temples, as we travel.

You will be accompanied by three specialists on this trip - Dr. Volker Olles is a Sinologist specialized in Daoism; Gyda Anders and Howard Choy are both practicing Feng Shui Architects, with a deep knowledge of Feng Shui. They will ensure that the experience and the knowledge you are about to obtain is an authentic and genuine one.

All lectures and talks will be conducted in English and German.

The tour will begin in Sichuan, where Zhang Daoling 張道陵, the Great Heavenly Master, founded Daoism as a religion. We will visit the birthplace of Daoist religion and see how the Feng Shui of the place played a role in its development.

We will look at the mutual influence of the different religions in the Chengdu area by visiting the Buddhist Wenshu Temple 文殊院 in Chengdu, and the hidden Daoist Niangniang Miao temple 娘娘廟 nearby. They are places for meditation and contemplation connected to Heaven (Tian 天), with the quality of place making the task achievable through its Feng Shui.

In these places we can feel the unique atmosphere of Daoism and Buddhism and we can explore their tradition from th

e past to the present, see how the monks lived their religious life and experience at first hand, how the influence of Feng Shui affected the planning of temples and monasteries in practice. In this trip, Chinese cosmology is made visible.

While in Sichuan, we will visit the White Crane Monastery at Baihe Shan 白鶴山 and close by in Qionglai, the Laojun Shan 老君山 and Qingcheng Shan 青城山 all being sacred mountains of Daoism. Also we will visit the Monastery of Qingyang Gong 青羊觀 in the City of Chengdu.

Laojun Shan is located in Xinjin District, south of Chengdu. This mountain has been identified as the center of the former diocese Chougeng (Chougeng Zhi) and, furthermore, has a long history as sanctuary for the worship of Laozi. The temple on Mt. Laojun is today a very active and flourishing institution that belongs to the Dragon Gate (Longmen) order of Complete Perfection (Quanzhen) Daoism.

Qingcheng Shan, located 65km west of Chengdu, is one of the birthplaces of the Taoist religion. With over 20 temples and religious sites for Taoism, it exudes a strong flavor of Taoist culture and the buildings demonstrate the Sichuan style of architecture. Mt. Qingcheng is a representative site of Taoist culture. Major religious sites here include the Jianfu Palace, the Tianshi Cave, the Zushi Palace, and the Shangqing Palace. All structures are shaded by dense woods and embraced by nature.

Located on the western side of First Ring Road in Chengdu, Qingyang Gong is a sprawling center of Taoist studies that still has a very active community of monks, traditional doctors, music teachers, Taijiquan classes, and an excellent vegetarian restaurant. According to legend, this is the place where Lao Tzu, the author of the Tao Te Ching descended from the heavens. The temple was first established though in the Tang dynasty around 880 AD, but was destroyed in the Ming Dynasty. Since then it has undergone many re-constructions and phases, but it has always been an important center in the birthplace for Taoism

From Chengdu we continue to Wudang Shan 武當山 and we will spend two days there to dive into an ancient Daoist atmosphere and a traditional way of life in a sacred mountain, just like the hermits of Jin dynasty first made their retreats there back in the mist of time.

Wudang Shan is a sacred mountain area in northwest Hubei. The range of 72 peaks stretches for 400km (250 miles). At 1,600 meters (5,250ft) Tianzhu Feng peak is the highest of Wudang Shan peaks. Its name means pillar to the sky. M

any of the hills in Wudang Shan have Daoist temples scattered on their slopes which date back to the Ming dynasty (1368-1644) and this is one of the most sacred mountain areas for Daoists. Wudangshan is also the birthplace of Wudang Pai Kungfu, a famous Daoist form of self-cultivation cum martial arts.

After Wudangshan we continue our journey to the City of Wuhan and we will meet Professor Wang Yude, 王玉德, who is an expert in the field of Feng Shui studies and he is the Head of the Historical Research Institute in Huazhong (Central China) Normal University. While in Wuhan, we will visit the Daoist Changchun Guan Temple 長春觀.

Changchun Taoist Temple is the largest and the best-preserved Taoist Temple in Wuhan. The temple consists of numerous corridors and stone staircases, with grand eaves and arches suspended from the ceiling. Many of the buildings and religious relics were destroyed during the Cultural Revolution, but in recent years, they have been restored and today it has the widest range of Taoist cultural relics in Wuhan.

From Wuhan we will board a connecting flight to the City of Taian 太安, where we will travel to Mount Taishan 泰山, the most famous of the five sacred mountains of Daoism. We will walk up to the summit and visit monasteries and temples on our way; then we will spend the night on top of the mountain before we descend down the next morning.

The sacred Taishan was the object of an imperial cult for nearly 2,000 years, and the artistic masterpieces found there are in perfect harmony with the natural landscape. It has always been a source of inspiration for Chinese artists and scholars and symbolizes ancient Chinese civilizations and beliefs. It is included in the UNESCO World Cultural Heritage List.

After Taishan we will continue to Qufu 曲阜, the birthplace of Confucius (Kongzi) and Confucianism and visit the famous Temple of Confucius 孔廟, which is listed as an item of world cultural heritage as well. 

Located inside the south gate of Qufu, the Temple of Confucius, together with the Summer Palace in Beijing and the Mountain Resort of Chengde, is considered one of the three largest ancient architectural complexes in China.
The grand temple started off as three ancestrial houses in the year of 478 BC, the second year after the death of Confucius. Each year, as Confucianism became increasingly the official philosophy of Chinese culture, the scale of the temple was expanded accordingly until the size today.

Our journey continues to the City of Qingdao 青島 and from there onto the sacred mountain of Laoshan 嶗山 which is located on the shore of the Yellow Sea. The highest peak of Laoshan is 1133 meters. Overlooking the sea, the mountain is characterized by the imposing canyon and undulating peaks often hidden in the mist. 

Laoshan has a reputation of being "the place of the second largest Quanzhen Group of Taoism" in history. In its prosperous time, there were 9 great palaces, 8 great temples, and 72 nunneries. The Taoists from Laoshan are famous for their knowledge of the Dao and their legendary skills in medicine and Daoist cultivation.

We will spend the last two days of our trip in Beijing and will visit the Confucius Temple 孔廟, the Lama Temple, the Daoistd Monastery Baiyun Guan 白云觀 and Dongyue Miao 東岳廟, two of the largest Daoist temples of the city, and get a further glimpse of the rich and vibrant history of Chinese religion and philosophy.

Baiyun Guan is said to have been built in 739 AD and was once the most influential Taoist temple in China. After the Cultural Revolution it was used for a long time as a military barracks, but today it houses the China Taoism Association and 30 resident monks. The White Cloud Temple is an active place of Taoist ritual and pilgrimage and has a thriving feel to it. It is generally laid out like a Buddhist temple but with some unique features, such as the three gateways at the entrance that symbolize the Taoist three worlds: Desire, Substance and Emptiness.

The tour will finish in Beijing on the eve of the Chinese National Day, so if you want to stay on for the grand occasion, then here is a unique opportunity to participate in the most important annual celebration in China.