James Baquet

    jamesbaquet@gmail.com

    DAILUO Peak (“Black Snail Peak”) is the name both of a mountain peak and a temple located on its side. The place is also sometimes called “Daluo” (“Big Snail”) because one part of the peak resembles a giant snail shell.

    Sunday morning crowds and an early afternoon rainstorm had kept me in my hotel room, so I started late in the day. I took a rickety “ropeway” (like a ski lift) to the top and planned to take a horse trail down since it seemed like a shorter trip — though muddier — and the sky was still threatening.

    Once inside the spacious compound, I noticed a cob of corn near the Drum Tower, half of its kernels scattered around. I saw a small, striped chipmunk emerge from the tower and eat his fill. Two nearby monks looked on with pleased expressions. I liked this place!

    The temple’s Hall of Manjushri of Five Directions holds five statues representing the five peaks of Wutai Mountain, which is dedicated to this bodhisattva.

    Reaching the main hall, I saw that, while the Chinese sign was correct, the English sign had misidentified two of the three main figures. When I brought this to the attention of the attendant monk, he thanked me and asked me to write down the proper English spellings. Then he took me into the Abbot’s Hall where I had tea with the abbot, who gave me a beautiful set of beads stamped with the temple’s name.

    Slipping down the horse trail, I stopped in at Jinjie Temple, which was under construction, before returning to my hotel. I had only crossed one temple off my list, but it had been a good one!