Highlights

	On the slope of sacred Emei Mountain We will stay within walking distance to many budhist monasteries.
	Become an Internationally Certified Yoga Teacher SchoolYoga is Registered with Yoga Alliance and you can register as RYT-200 upon completion of the program.
	Massage and Hot Springs Massage are available at your hotel room and a visits to Hot Springs are only a short walk from the hotel.  You will love to be pampered on this program.

Join us for this increadible training in China

Buddhists regard the mountainsas being the 'Gateway to the Gods', and is their main reason for building their temples all the way up to the summit. As we progress through deepening our yoga practice we will visit the next temple up the mountain until the temple at the summit. Inclusive services include certified yoga teachers Vedantin, Gabby and others from SchoolYoga Institute led daily sadhana practice and guide daily events.

Other Highlights

• Located in the sacred Buddhist mountain (over 10,000 feet tall)
• Daily sadhana practice: asana (hatha flow in the morning and vinyasa flow in the afternoon), pranayama, meditation, chanting, kriya, yoga sutra, and yoga living in theory and practice
• Daily hike to scenic spot and monastery
• Mountain side starred accommodation
• Yoga living life style
• Special excursions to exquisite places (once a week not included)
• Daily pampering (message or hot spring not included)

Sacred Mountain Emei, China

Mount Emei lies in the southern area of the Sichuan basin in China and is one of the four sacred Buddhist Mountains in China. It is said that Mount Emei derived its name from two peaks that face each other and look like eyebrows. The whole mountain range extends over 200 kilometers in length and breadth. Ever since the introduction of Buddhism into China in the 1st century CE, Buddhist buildings have been built on the mountain. Now there are more than one hundred temples and monasteries. It is known as the place of the Buddhist Rites of Puxian.

Mount Emei is rich in natural and cultural heritage and carries several impressions and expressions: "Kingdom of Plants"," Paradise of Animals"," Geological Museum", "Buddhist Celestial Mountain", and " Elegance of Mt.Emei Under The Sun". The Four Wonders of Mt.Emei’s Golden Summit are Sunrise, Sea of clouds, Buddha's Halo, and the Holy Lamp. The main attractions include the Baoguo Temple, Fuhu Temple, Leiyin Temple and many other spots. In 1996, Mount Emei and the Grand Buddha in Leshan were included in the List of the World Famous Cultural Relics.

One passes through four seasons in a day in the 5 kilometers from the base to the summit. The hike takes most people a full day up and a full day back down, visiting the many monasteries along the way. As you make your way up, expect to encounter plenty of pilgrims trudging their way steadily upward. The stamina of some of the older pilgrims is sure to surprise you. The monkeys in the mountain are very playful. We will hike to and visit most of the monasteries.

Mount Emei is one of the most attractive destinations in China. It lies 150 kilometers (90 miles) away from Chengdu, the gateway to Tibet, in the Sichuan province, 130 kilometers from the Shuangliu International Airport (where you will fly into), and only 28 kilometers from Leshan City, which is home to the biggest Buddha statue in the world. We will take day trip to visit this sacred place.

Instructors

	Vedantin Ping Luo Turlock USA
	Dennis Hill Turlock USA
	Derek Marks Alamo USA

Registration and Payment

Also check out our Program in Tibet immediately following this program at Emei Mountain.

Baoguo Monastery

Baoguo Monastery is the biggest monastery at the base of the Mount Emei. This monastery was built in the 16th century, enlarged in the 17th century, and rebuilt in recent years. There are three treasures in this monastery: a 3.5 meter porcelain Buddha, a 7 meter, 14-story cupreous tower, and a 2.3 meter great cupreous bell weighing 25 tons. To the left of the gate is a rockery for potted miniature trees and rare plants. Many monks reside here and practice their rituals daily. We will meditate and chant in this monastery everyday with the residential monks. It is about five minute walk from our hotel.

Wannian Monastery

The Wannian Monastery is the largest of the eight monasteries found on Mount Emei. It is dedicated to Bodhisattva Puxian who was famous for his preaching. The monastery is where the majority of tourists will start out on their climb to the summit of Mount Emei. We will hike to there and pay a visit as one of our day trips.

The monastery was built originally during the Jin Dynasty (265-420) and was known as the Puxian Temple. It became known as the Baishui Temple during the Tang Dynasty (618-907) and was renamed Baishui Puxian Temple in the Song Dynasty (960-1279). In the 29th year of the Ming Dynasty (1368-1644), the name was changed to Wannian Monastery in honor of the queen mother's birthday and has gone by this name ever since.

The buildings have been severely damaged on a number of occasions over the centuries and the Brick Hall (built in 1601) is the only one to remain in its original form. This Hall is in the Indian architectural style. The domed ceiling over the quadrate body of the hall reflects the ancient concept of heaven being round and the earth being square. The entire hall is constructed from brick and stone without girders. Inside there is a magnificent bronze statue of Bodhisattva Puxian mounted on a white elephant. Despite several fires and earthquakes, the hall and the 62-ton statue have survived and are in a very good state of preservation. Together they are a wonderful reminder of the skills and artistry that for so many centuries has been a feature of China and its long established civilization.

Autumn adds its own spectacle at the Wannian Monastery as the red leaves on the trees are reflected in the pond. The breeze causes red ripples to run over the water as it glistens in the sunlight. So enthralling! Clap your hands and you may then hear the sound of the frogs, which is said to emulate an ancient zither.

Qingyin Pavilion

Qingyin Pavilion, also called Woyun Temple, is located at the junction of Heilong and Bailong Streams. It is one of the famous spots on Mount Emei about 710 meters or 2,367 feet above sea level and 15 kilometres from Baoguo Monastery. Nearby the pavilion is a huge "cattle-heart" shaped rock, hence the name "Cattle Heart Stone". Underneath the stone is a "Double Flying Kiosk" around which lie two bridges on both sides. The two bridges seem to look like the wings of the kiosk, so it was named "Double Flying Bridges". The cascading waters of the two streams under the bridges impinges against the "Cattle Heart Stone" and splashes on all directions like broken pieces of crystal pearls and jade which also emits the sweetest and purest sound of nature.

Visitors will appreciate the beautiful scenery and find great joy in hearing the music of nature. We will hike here, take a dip if you are brave enough to jump into a mountain stream, and have a meditation session there while listening to the sound of waterfalls, birds, and the forest.

Golden Summit

Spending some time on the Golden Summit is a must when people visit the mountain. We, as matter of fact, will even spend the night here and experience the wonders and energy at above 13,000 feet. This location earns its name "Golden Summit" because the roof of the original temple here was coated with bronze. The site is a prime tourist attraction as many people come to the summit to see four marvelous spectacles: Sunrise, Sea of clouds, Buddha's Halo, and Divine Lights.

We will get up early to see the sun rise from a bird’s eye view. The best time to watch is 5:00-6:00 am. The Sea of Clouds is also wonderful. If weather permits, you can clearly observe the different movements of these lovely clouds. Sometimes they form into a soft "cloud blanket", sometimes "cloud billows", "clouds peaks", or a cotton-like "cloud regiment". It seems the clouds have minds of their own and want to play games with us. The supernatural Buddha's Halo occurs when sunlight diffracts onto the clouds. After a snow or rainstorm, you will find your shadow covered with a colorful halo that moves with you. At night you will notice millions of tiny dot-like lights twinkling and wavering, as if you were in the middle of the Milky Way. The source of these "Divine Lights" is still unknown - are they from fireflies, wildfire, or something else?

Climbing to the summit and getting up early can be a bit of work, but when you experience these rare wonders of the world you can't help but marvel at them. They are certainly worth the effort!

History

In 600 BCE, an Indian monk ventured along what is known as the 'Tibetan Silk Road' into China (or Cinisthana as it was called then). While in the vicinity of Chentu (Chengtu), Szechwan province, he discovered and climbed a mountain. When he got to the top, he was fascinated by the beautiful scenery and said 'This is the number one mountain in Cinisthana'. Ever since then, Mount Emei has been one of the four sacred Buddhist mountains in China. The other three sacred mountains of Chinese Buddhism are in the provinces of Shansi (Wutai), Chekiang (Putuo), and Anhui (Jiuhua).

The Emei Monasteries are very isolated from the rest of the world, 150 miles to the south-southwest of Chentu in a remote part of the Szechwan province in western China.
Buddhists regard mountains as the 'Gateway to the Gods', and this is their main reason for building their temples at mountain summits. Once there were one hundred temples or monasteries built on Mount Emei, but now these have been reduced to twenty. This drastic reduction took place during the Taiping Rebellion in 1850 to 1864 when Chinese Christians destroyed most of the Buddhist monasteries and temples.

Historically, the location of each monastery corresponded with the spiritual progression of the monks who lived there. As the monks progressed through their religious education, they moved to the next temple up the mountain. When they had attained their highest position and could go no further, they found themselves at the temple at the summit. At the summit of Mount Emei is the monastery known as the 'Golden Summit' or 'Huacang Temple'. This temple originally had a roof made entirely of copper bronze which reflected the sun's rays making it appear golden and hence its name. Because the temple has suffered the ravages of fire three times, the roof is now made of tiles.

At the foot of Mount Emei is a very fertile region known as the Szechuan Basin. Through this Basin runs the famous Yangtze River (or Yangtze Kiang) before making its long journey across China to join the sea at Shanghai. The Yangtze River is a natural dividing line separating north and south China.

Buddhist Faith

Chinese Buddhism was formed from a mixture of the original (Indian) Buddhism and Nestorian Christianity. This link was established when Genghis Khan captured the Keraits, who were devout Nestorians, and his son (Tuli) married one of their princesses. She later became the mother of three Mongol rulers, one of who, Kublai Khan, became the first Mongol Emperor of all China. Genghis was an ardent Buddhist. It was decided to name the capital of China, Cumbulac, which is now known as Peking (Beijing). Cumbulac also became the seat of Nestorian Christianity at the same time.

In 1908, Pelliot discovered a Christian manuscript, of Nestorian origin in a Buddhist Grotto at Tunhang. The manuscript was written in Chinese from the northwestern corner of Kansu province during the 8th century. It contained a hymn to the Holy Trinity and a list of 35 Christian books, proving the close relationship between the two religions.

The two Buddhist faiths, Hinyana (the original Indian doctrine) and Mahayana (the Chinese version) were known as 'The little Ferry boat' and 'The great Ferry boat' respectively. Because of the more liberal attitude of the Mahayana faith, it was considered that it would carry more people to the farthest shore of enlightenment, whereas the restrictive teachings of the Hinyana would not carry as many into the faith.

One of the Buddhist commandments, of which they also had ten, says 'Thou shall not kill'. This commandment means that no animal, fish, or fowl should be killed for food, and results in all Buddhists being vegetarians.

Many reference works use the word - monastics - as the collective noun for monks and nuns, but in the Buddhist faith there are very few nuns.

Questions and More Information

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