The Monastery of Jade Mountain.
Mar 22, 2010 12:03:04 GMT 1
Post by Shi Da Dao on Mar 22, 2010 12:03:04 GMT 1
This is a gem of a book, written by the Russian Daoist Peter Goullart. Richard Hunn presented two copies of this book to us in 2004, acquired, I believe from a book shop in London's Chinatown. It is an important glimpse into a lost world. Goullart, who could speak Chinese, spent 30 years in old China and witnessed the transition from the Republic to a Communist State. Goullart left Russia to escape the Bolshevik Revolution and the social upheaval it caused. The book is extraordinary, and tells the tail of Goullart's travelling thhrough China's many Daoist temples, and how he acquired a deep and profound love and respect for Chinese culture and the religion of Daoism.
More than this however, Goullart's understanding was not of the usual superficiality. Not a mere collection of snap-shots and half-understood truths, but rather he, as a foreigner, experienced China from the 'inside', that makes his account all the more inspiring and poignant int he modern age. He shows clearly the beauty of China's traditional inner and outer landscape as of yet unsullied by the confusions, intrigues and misrepresentation that is common in the China of today. Goullart spent much of his time on or around the Yuhuangshan, or Jade Emperor's Mountain, situated near the city of Hangzhou - Zhejiang province. He received instruction in Lungmen Daoism at the Monastery of the Lucky Star, under Abbot Lee Lisan.
There follows here a reproduction of the photographic plates contained within the book. They show the kind of buildings, dress and landscapes that were familiar to master Xu Yun. In 1916-17, whilst in his 77th year, master Xu Yun travelled to Burma to arrange for a very large statue - the so-called Jade Buddha - kindly donated by Upasaka Gao, to be brought back to China. In the next three decades he worked tirelessly to re-build monasteries and transmit precepts. Although there are no stories of Xu Yun or Peter Goullart actually meeting - as some Westerners did with Xu Yun - nevertheless, the two stories do occupy traditional Chinese space, and both men shared the changing times. As Ch'an Buddhists, Daoism is as much apart of our being as breathing is natural.
The book entitled 'The Monastery of Jade Mountain' maybe purchased here:
www.llanerchpress.com/book/category/daoism-amp-chinese/5/the-monastery-of-jade-mountain/peter-goullart/1861430795
All materials in the book are copyrighted to Peter Goullart (1961). Interestingly however, of the 16 photographic plates contained within the book, 14 appear with the kind permission of Mrs Hedda Morrison, whilst only 2 are attributed to the author himself - these are Plates 11 and 12 described as 'Photograph by the author', and 'Author's photograph' respectively.
Throughout the book, the pictures are placed more or less inaccordance with the author's experiences - although two pictures - Plates 1 and 2 - appear in the first chapter dealing with the author's early life in pre-Soviet Russia, the pictures are of mountains scenes of rural China. Beyond this, the pictures tend to directly reflect the author's experience. As Mrs Hedda Morrison does not appear in Peter Goullart's book, it is something of a mystery as to who this lady actually is. Presumably Mrs Morrison had visited the places she photographed, and Goullart was re-tracing her steps. A process that ended in him borrowing her photographic plates for his work. On the other hand, the pictures, unless where otherwise stated, could be an approximation of the author's experience. Whatever the case surrounding these pictures, they nevertheless serve as a crucial visual record of old China.
More than this however, Goullart's understanding was not of the usual superficiality. Not a mere collection of snap-shots and half-understood truths, but rather he, as a foreigner, experienced China from the 'inside', that makes his account all the more inspiring and poignant int he modern age. He shows clearly the beauty of China's traditional inner and outer landscape as of yet unsullied by the confusions, intrigues and misrepresentation that is common in the China of today. Goullart spent much of his time on or around the Yuhuangshan, or Jade Emperor's Mountain, situated near the city of Hangzhou - Zhejiang province. He received instruction in Lungmen Daoism at the Monastery of the Lucky Star, under Abbot Lee Lisan.
There follows here a reproduction of the photographic plates contained within the book. They show the kind of buildings, dress and landscapes that were familiar to master Xu Yun. In 1916-17, whilst in his 77th year, master Xu Yun travelled to Burma to arrange for a very large statue - the so-called Jade Buddha - kindly donated by Upasaka Gao, to be brought back to China. In the next three decades he worked tirelessly to re-build monasteries and transmit precepts. Although there are no stories of Xu Yun or Peter Goullart actually meeting - as some Westerners did with Xu Yun - nevertheless, the two stories do occupy traditional Chinese space, and both men shared the changing times. As Ch'an Buddhists, Daoism is as much apart of our being as breathing is natural.
The book entitled 'The Monastery of Jade Mountain' maybe purchased here:
www.llanerchpress.com/book/category/daoism-amp-chinese/5/the-monastery-of-jade-mountain/peter-goullart/1861430795
All materials in the book are copyrighted to Peter Goullart (1961). Interestingly however, of the 16 photographic plates contained within the book, 14 appear with the kind permission of Mrs Hedda Morrison, whilst only 2 are attributed to the author himself - these are Plates 11 and 12 described as 'Photograph by the author', and 'Author's photograph' respectively.
Throughout the book, the pictures are placed more or less inaccordance with the author's experiences - although two pictures - Plates 1 and 2 - appear in the first chapter dealing with the author's early life in pre-Soviet Russia, the pictures are of mountains scenes of rural China. Beyond this, the pictures tend to directly reflect the author's experience. As Mrs Hedda Morrison does not appear in Peter Goullart's book, it is something of a mystery as to who this lady actually is. Presumably Mrs Morrison had visited the places she photographed, and Goullart was re-tracing her steps. A process that ended in him borrowing her photographic plates for his work. On the other hand, the pictures, unless where otherwise stated, could be an approximation of the author's experience. Whatever the case surrounding these pictures, they nevertheless serve as a crucial visual record of old China.
