I served as Li Bai's page.

After offering incense at Tayuan Temple, the Zen master led us to Xiantong Temple behind it. We paid our respects at each temple and then headed towards Pusa Ding on Lingjiu Peak.

The Zen master explained to us, "Bodhisattva Peak is also known as Manjushri Temple, or Zhenrong Temple. Legend has it that Manjushri Bodhisattva resided here when he preached at Mount Wutai."

We followed the Zen master to the top of Bodhisattva Peak, where we saw a stone staircase leading to the temple gate. Countless pilgrims were kneeling and praying upwards. I asked:

"Master, why were such long stone steps built in front of this temple?"

"The construction of these stone steps certainly has a profound meaning. The Buddha believed that people have 108 kinds of afflictions, and the way to liberate oneself from these afflictions is called a 'Dharma Gate.' Each step in front of the temple symbolizes a 'Dharma Gate.' Stepping onto each step means being liberated from one kind of affliction, and completing the stone steps leads to the transcendent Buddhist land. Then your afflictions will also disappear," the Zen master said.

I pulled Li Bai and Yuan Yan up the stone steps, walking upwards step by step.

Yuan Yan and I couldn't contain our excitement. After only a few steps, we started running on the stone steps. After running up all 108 steps, I was so tired that I sat down on the last step.

Yuan Yan said, "Yuehua, sit down after you enter the Buddha's Pure Land, and sit away from all your troubles."

"Now that you've entered the Buddhist land, are you free from worries?" I asked Yuan Yan.

"Everything can only be understood intuitively, not explained in words." After saying this, Yuan Yan walked into the temple.

Li Bai and Zen Master Chang were the last to reach the summit. As they walked, they discussed Buddhist teachings, sometimes smiling at each other, sometimes holding hands, and they got along very well.

After they reached the mountaintop, I followed them into the temple. The three of us each lit three sticks of incense, knelt on the prayer mats before the Manjushri Bodhisattva, and bowed three times. Zen Master Chang and the monks in the temple then began chanting Buddhist scriptures. The ethereal and lingering chanting cleansed our souls.

After we finished our prayers, Li Bai led Yuan Yan and me out of the temple. We stood on Lingjiu Peak and gazed into the distance. It was dusk, and the light on the horizon was getting weaker and weaker. The peaks of Wutai Mountain were gradually shrouded in twilight.

At this moment, Zen Master Chang came out of the temple and said to us, "Three benefactors, please come with me; let's go have a meal."

We followed Zen Master Chang to the temple's dining hall. There were already about twenty people eating, all heads down, silent. The monk in charge of the meals brought us our food. Yuan Yan, seeing it, lost his appetite but dared not speak. He pushed the food towards me and turned his head away. I then pushed the food towards him and whispered in his ear:

"If we don't eat, we'll go hungry tonight. There's no meat or wine on this mountain."

Li Bai tugged at Yuan Yan, and Yuan Yan reluctantly picked up his chopsticks and started eating.

After finishing our vegetarian meal, it was completely dark. Standing atop Lingjiu Peak, the surrounding darkness enveloped us. Zen Master Chang led us, carrying lanterns, down the mountain. Yet, along the way, countless pilgrims continued their journey, prostrating themselves in the darkness. How much willpower it must take to do that!

When we returned to our guest room at Tayuan Temple, Xiaozhi arranged for another pilgrim to stay in our room. When we entered the room, the guest was sitting on the bed with his knees bent and legs crossed, muttering something under his breath.

Not wanting to disturb him, the three of us washed up quickly and went to bed.

The three of us wandered among the peaks of Wutai Mountain for nearly ten days. Wutai Mountain isn't a single mountain, but rather a collective name for a series of peaks in the area. Five peaks (East Peak Wanghai Peak, South Peak Jinxiu Peak, Central Peak Cuiyan Peak, West Peak Guayue Peak, and North Peak Yedou Peak) encircle the entire region. The mountaintops are treeless, flat, and wide, resembling earthen platforms, hence the name. Wutai Mountain is the only Buddhist site in China where both Han Chinese and Tibetan Buddhist temples coexist harmoniously. Numerous temples have been built on the mountain, and the number of monks in each temple is several times greater than before.

After touring the entire Wutai Mountain, Li Bai prepared to take me and Yuan Yan to Yanmen Pass. On the evening before our departure, Li Bai found Zen Master Chang and bid him farewell:

"Master, we've been staying at Mount Wutai for many days now, and we're leaving tomorrow. Thank you so much for your care and companionship during this time. We look forward to meeting you again."

"In this vast sea of ​​people, our meeting shows that we are destined to meet. Since we are destined, we will meet again. After this year, I will go to Jinling to preach, and I hope to see you there," said Zen Master Chang.

"If I have the chance, I will definitely go to Jinling to see you," Li Bai replied.

Yuan Yan said, "Master, come with us down the mountain tomorrow. Let's go to the town and have a couple of drinks before we leave."

The Zen master replied, "Very well, I'll escort you down the mountain tomorrow."

After speaking with the Zen master, we returned to our guest room. I lit the lantern, went to the stable to check on the horses, and then packed my luggage in preparation for our departure tomorrow.

The Zen master found a perfect excuse and followed us to the small town at the foot of the mountain. We went to the same restaurant again, and Yuan Yan ordered a table full of dishes, ostensibly to thank the Zen master. The three of us drank to our hearts' content. Having not been drunk for over ten days, I didn't hold back either. The Zen master, as usual, got drunk and fell asleep on the table. Li Bai and Yuan Yan were also quite tipsy. I asked the innkeeper for two cups of strong tea and replaced their wine with strong tea. They didn't even realize it, nor did they notice anything amiss.

Two hours later, the Zen master awoke, and Li Bai and Yuan Yan also came to their senses. Finding themselves holding tea, they asked the shopkeeper:

"When did you serve us tea? Are you out of wine?"

"I asked them to come up with this, to help you sober up," I said.

Yuan Yan said, "Yuehua, I'm impressed. I haven't had a drink in a long time, and you diluted it with tea after I just had a little. When we leave, buy three more jugs of wine to take with us, one for each of us."

After the meal, the Zen master walked ahead, and the three of us, each carrying a jug of wine, followed him out of the tavern. When we parted in the small town, I handed my jug of wine to the Zen master, saying, "Master, wine and meat pass through the intestines, but Buddha remains in the heart. Take this jug of wine back to the mountain and drink it."

"This won't do. If my senior brother finds out, I'll be punished by facing the wall in the scripture pavilion for at least half a year. This can't be done." The Zen master waved his hands repeatedly, but his eyes remained fixed on the wine pot.

Li Bai quickly stood before the Zen master, grasped his hand, and said, "Families have family rules, countries have laws, and temples have their own rules. We must abide by them. Don't listen to the words of a child who knows nothing."

"That's right, then we'll part ways here, and meet again." After saying this, the Zen master walked along the path towards Mount Wutai.

After the Zen master left, Yuan Yan said, "Yuehua, you must not tempt people to make mistakes like this again."

"I wasn't tempting him; I genuinely wanted to give him the wine, but he was too afraid to take it, so there was nothing I could do," I said.

"Yuehua, aren't you getting bolder and bolder, daring to tease a great Zen master from a sacred Buddhist site? When you get home, copy the Tao Te Ching a hundred times," Li Bai said angrily.