“Only when the mind is still can it see. And only when the mind can see can it reach the mystery of mysteries”
Yen-ch’eng (Yen-Chung)
Buddhist abbott
IMAGE SOURCE: Steven R Johnson. Road to Heaven: Encounters with Chinese Hermits. | QUOTE SOURCE: Bill Porter. Road to Heaven: Encounters with Chinese Hermits. Mercury House. 1993.
QUOTE CONTEXT: “The first time I hiked up Nanwutai our driver had stayed behind to listen to Yen-ch’eng explain what he and the other monks were doing on the mountain. I asked Yen-ch’eng what he had told the driver. He said, “I talked about meditation.”
QUOTE QUESTION: What do you do to help to still your mind?
IMAGE CONTEXT: Along the Nanwutai trail, this is the landscape Yen-ch’eng sees before he closes his eyes.
IMAGE QUESTION: What do you see just before you enter deep concentration?
MEDIA LITERACY CONTEXT: The quote and the photo are from a book by a U.S. born author and a photographer who each have extensive experience sharing words and images about ancient Chinese traditions and landscapes.
MEDIA LITERACY QUESTION: What are some guidelines for honorable exchange when sharing words and images of individuals who are not of your cultural tradition?
LEARN ABOUT THE ZHONGNAN MOUNTAIN HERMITS
Read Road to Heaven: encounters with Chinese Hermits by Bill Porter
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