Fuddland

Right next door to the hostel I was staying at in Chēngdu (成都) was the Buddhist temple of Wénshū Yuàn (文殊院); it is a Chán (禅) temple, Chán being the Chinese for what is more popularly known as Zen Buddhism. Although initial visual impressions resemble any of the numerous restored dynastic palaces you might find in China, one key difference here [aside from being a temple not a palace of course] is that the temple is still in use, so mingling with tourists like myself are Buddhists monks and Buddhist Buddhists, paying their respects to the many statues housed within the temple walls, lighting incense, or chanting in procession.

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I’m not sure if it was the inner calm of the monks, pervading my very being, or a mild high from the amount of incense smoke that drifted through the open spaces, or some kind of temporary mood-alteration brought on by my very-blocked sinuses pressing on a key area of my brain, but I did feel a very soothing sense of peace and tranquility as I wandered around — as well as the halls that comprise the temple, there is a large garden, reminiscent of the classical gardens in Sūzhōu (苏州), in which many people were enjoying a sit-down and a chat despite the chilly temperatures. I spent much longer than I thought I would, happy to discover hidden nooks, and not at all irritated on the occasions when I accidentally doubled-back on myself.

If all the heavy Buddhistry is making you peckish, there is a highly-recommended restaurant at the centre of the garden, run by the monks — but unfortunately it’s completely vegetarian, so there was no opportunity for me to order a hot-dog and ask the guy to make me one with everything.

[More photos tagged with Wénshū Yuàn (文殊院) in my Flickr ‘stream.]