“Monks or nuns who can preach live in the city. I can't preach so I live in the mountains and practice by myself.

Hui Yuan (hway-yuan)

Buddhist nun

IMAGE SOURCE: Steven R Johnson. Cover photo. Road to Heaven: Encounters with Chinese Hermits. | QUOTE SOURCE: Bill Porter. Road to Heaven: Encounters with Chinese Hermits. Mercury House. 1993.

IMAGE SOURCE: Steven R Johnson. Cover photo. Road to Heaven: Encounters with Chinese Hermits. | QUOTE SOURCE: Bill Porter. Road to Heaven: Encounters with Chinese Hermits. Mercury House. 1993.

QUOTE CONTEXT: “Question: Why do you live in the mountains? Answer: I like quiet. Anyone who becomes a monk or a nun prefers quiet.”

QUOTE QUESTION: How does your solitary practice support your resilience?


IMAGE CONTEXT: Hui-yuan with her disciple beside her apple tree.

IMAGE QUESTION: Who do you stand by to offer support when they are in need?


MEDIA LITERACY CONTEXT: The quote and the photo are both from a book by non-Chinese about Chinese hermits.

MEDIA LITERACY QUESTION: Where would you travel and who would you visit to learn more about how to live in these times?


LEARN ABOUT THE ZHONGNAN MOUNTAIN HERMITS

Read Road to Heaven: encounters with Chinese Hermits by Bill Porter

DOWNLOAD THE ZHONGNAN MOUNTAIN HERMIT SLIDE DECK FOR EDUCATIONAL PURPOSES:

Previous
Previous

“Life is transient, like a flash of lightning or a dream. Eighty years pass like a cloud. We're born and then we die.”

Next
Next

“After Liberation we weren't supposed to read old books anymore. But I managed to collect quite a few Taoist books and I hid all the important ones away.”