Invited to dinner at the Zenkloster
N 11°56'29.9'' E 108°25'58.1''
Date:
06.03.2017 until 08.03.2017
Day: 615 -617
Country:
Vietnam
Province:
Lâm Đồng
Location:
Da Lat
Latitude N:
11°56’29.9”
Longitude E:
108°25’58.1”
Total kilometers:
22,487 km
Maximum height:
1.500 m
Total altitude meters:
67.529 m
Sunrise:
06:03 am
Sunset:
5:54 pm
Temperature day max:
25°C
(Photos of the diary entry can be found at the end of the text).
In the morning, we take the cable car to the Trúc Lâm Zen monastery. A really pleasant, extremely comfortable journey over and through a sea of resin-scented conifers. Although we have already visited many temples and monasteries in recent years and months, the culture of the country and its different religions remain interesting for us. We stroll past the many pavilions and temples. “Hello!”, a monk greets us. “Hello,” we reply to the friendly-looking man. “You live in a beautiful monastery,” I praise. “A peaceful place,” he replies with a laugh in good English. “Have you been a monk for a long time?” I ask. “Only for 20 years.” “Only?” “Yes, far too short to gain wisdom. Ha, ha, ha,” the answer is accompanied by infectious hearty laughter. “What did you do before you became a monk?” “I was a rice farmer. At some point, an inner voice called me to the monastery. I have never regretted coming here. It was my best decision and an important one.” “I bet it’s not always easy being a monk?” “Ha, ha, ha. No, it’s easier to become a company boss, minister or president than a monk striving for wisdom.” “I can imagine.” “What are you doing now? Do you have a little time?” “Yes, we’re going to enjoy the atmosphere here for a while.” “I’m responsible for looking after guests in the monastery. If you’d like, I’d like to invite you to lunch with us.” “We’ll gladly accept,” I say. Tanja nods her head.
An hour later, we are greeted by a Dutchman who is also on his way to becoming a monk. He greets us warmly and invites us to the table where three other guests in novice robes sit down in silence. “Just copy everything we do,” says the Dutch monk candidate, whereupon we try to synchronize each of the novices’ movements, which are strange to us. The guest monk rings a bell and recites verses that are incomprehensible to us. The novices at our table and another table also pray. The food bowl is raised in front of the forehead. The fingers of one hand are held in front of the bowl in a mudra that I am not unfamiliar with (mudra is a symbolic hand gesture that pleases the devatas (tutelary gods)). There are 108 mudras). After the food has been blessed and the common prayer has been said, the novices and monks begin to eat. Not a single word is spoken. We also eat the purely vegan, very tasty food in silence. Around 15 to 20 minutes later, everyone stands up and removes the dishes to wash them in front of the small dining room. “Would you like some more tea?” asks the Dutch novice. “Gladly”, we reply and start a very interesting conversation in which he tells us about his life and why he wants to become a monk in a Zen monastery. When we say goodbye an hour later, the guest monk speaks to us again. “How long are you staying in Da Lat?” “We’re waiting for an important spare part. It will arrive here on Friday at the earliest, but maybe not until next Monday,” I explain. “Oh, then you still have plenty of time. If you like, you can have breakfast and lunch with us every day. As you probably know, we don’t serve dinner at the monastery.” “Thank you very much for the invitation. We feel very honored,” we reply, saying goodbye…
If you would like to find out more about our adventures, you can find our books under this link.
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