Travelogue: Cultivating Abundance

Gods of Wealth on Beigao Peak

The God of Wealth awaits you at Beigao Peak. Throw down!

We needed every moment of the twenty minutes to get from Taoguang to the summit of Beigao. Not having any idea what to expect from Lingshun Temple (灵顺寺), we had pushed through the dusk and the rain which had become an ever-thicker fog as we strayed into the clouds. A surreal atmosphere awaited us at the top. From a few stragglers making the trek from the bottom, the mist revealed a crowded and a live place where we least expected it.

I wonder how many visitors to Lingyin give Lingshun a miss, not even aware it exists. There are no clues to Lingshun at the entrance or inside the park, because the temple lies outside the bounds of the park. Is that odd?

Lingshun Temple is known as the “Number One Temple of the God of Wealth” and the “First Temple under Heaven”. Any and all beliefs to do with wealth, broadly defined, mingle here. Buddhist, Taoist, Confucian, and folk beliefs, you name it. For the price of your time to get here by car, cable, or hike, plus the 8 yuan ticket, one can satisfy all your business needs under a single roof.

Entrance to Lingshun Temple on Beigao Peak

An energized crowd ignores the fog and rain. There is purpose in the air. People have reasons for coming here. There is a distinctly younger feel to the atmosphere. These are not the long-retired rural tour groups we brushed against at Lingyin, nor the relaxed trekkers stumbling on an interesting sight. No, there is motivated intention here. This is the business of personal strategy. An important component of crafting a successful life.

和氣生財

Placed before the entrance exposed to the elements is a shiny, more tickled than usual Maitreya. He displays the proceeds of success, inviting his guests to rub the large ingot that proclaims 廣種福田, or “Sow Your Blessings Far and Wide.” As a first salvo of financial advice you could do worse. When we are generous with what Fortune grants us, we find multiples return to us. Strong advice to be heeded, for markets and relationships.

His own pedestal reminds us that a rising tide lifts all boats, 和氣生財, “Harmony Generates Wealth.” There may not be equality of outcome, but a positive return for the vast majority, nearly all of us, IS possible and should be the goal we all work towards. Let’s see that he stays happy.

佛光普照

The Radiance of Buddha Illuminates All (佛光普照) amid the construction that lines both sides of the walk up to the Main Hall of the Buddha of Universal Radiance. I like this aspect of Buddhist thought, that the light of illumination — knowledge, the perception of the world as it really is — shines the same on everyone. No picking and choosing, no gatekeeping. At least in this instance, every individual can step forward and start their path.

买真神財, or 財神真买?

I confess to some confusion over the meaning of this phrase above Guanyin(?). I’ve ran it left to right and right to left with slightly different results. Mostly the apps are just confused and pretend not to be.

Left to right, 財神真买 literally means “God of Wealth really buys,” which I suppose could stand in for encouragement? Like, he’s-really-here so step-right-up?

Right to left, 买真神財 kind of doesn’t make sense. My translation app says this is incorrect and should be “买真神财”, meaning “genuine blessed items here”. I have doubts about both. On one hand, right to left is typically how to approach these plaques, but on the other, it’s clear what the rightmost character is.

I’m going to take a big leap and speculate that this means, “Invest in the gods mercy to gain prosperity.”

From here, my confusion intensifies as we drop into the rabbit hole of wealth and the many gods who collectively represent it.

Somewhat obstructed by construction are long low-ceilinged side rooms on both sides of the main hall containing walls lined with row upon row of small Caishen (god of wealth) figures. Each represents a donation and a blessing for some individuals hopes for the future. There are thousands of these here and lining the main hall.

There are all sorts of wealth deities. Like markets, segmentation allows better service and tailored financial vehicles. Wikipedia tells us there are two main groupings, the Five Routes and the Four Directions. Just a few examples to get the idea, the East Route God of Wealth is known for integrity and wisdom in finance, the West Route God of Wealth is Guan Yu (remember him?) known for loyalty and business ethics, and Southeast God of Wealth for sound financial policies.

I also saw references to a Civil God of Wealth and a Martial God of Wealth, even an Evil God of Wealth. A subject to study for days.

All of these version or sides of Caishen have names, some attached to historical people, others to myth, some a mixture of both. I readily confess to not understanding, but there’s a lot of time to encounter some other place and time. We’ve met Caishan before on the way to the Dragon’s Gate in Kunming, where he was performing with his tiger on the road…

Might be a controversial and limited impression, and my words fail me, but there is a wholesale feel here. A bit like a bazaar, a kind of church bazaar, pulling together all the deities of varying functions for maximum synergy. Another demonstration of savvy investment strategy. Bundling!

I’m getting a lot wrong here, take it in stride…

Inside the Main Hall.

I don’t know who any of these characters are, but I do love what the plaque has to say above. Loved it so much we rubbed the gold for him.

We want to remember this one. “生財有道” (shēngcái yǒudào), means:

There is a right way to generate wealth. Wealth should acquire through the proper means.

So while greed might be good, and anyone is free to devote themselves to getting rich or die trying, if we find fortune has smiled on us, we still have to live with ourselves and sleep at night.

生財有道

Now walking around the central features of the Main Hall, we arrive at the back wall and notice this space for the Medicine Buddha, the King of Sapphire Light and Master of the Eastern Pure Land of Lapis Lazuli. This is the Master of Physicians.

The blue ornamentation is particular to this Buddha, often his face and skin are blue. Sapphire and Lapis Lazuli are radiant blue, but are not the same stones! Lapis Lazuli is a metamorphic rock, a mix of minerals, and softer than sapphire.

The Medicine Buddha’s right hand will always be pointed down, a gesture of blessing, while the left will be holding a bowl of herbs and medicinal stuff. A plant representing the superior medicines of the world will be sitting somewhere, here it is being held. Another complex subject to dip into one day. Traditional Chinese Medicine has interested me for some time…

Shrine to the Medicine Buddha

Mad Ji is here, of course, patron saint of the working man and woman, scourge of the corrupt and unscrupulous wealthy. Here he is in full regalia with his fan in one hand and wine bottle in the other, decked out in fully polished gold, naturally.

Golden JiGong

In researching the Mad Monk, I came across a wonderful book of his stories, “Adventures of the Mad Monk, JiGong”, by Guo Xiaoting. Find it here on the free Internet Archive.

The stories are complex and entertaining. Ji Gong is an example of a trickster character. All cultures seem to have examples of clever underdogs who show up the rich and powerful with their cunning and wits. Think of guys like Robin Hood, Odysseus, Loki, or more modern examples like The Mask and Deadpool. How’s this for a deep cut: Br’er Rabbit. Now who remembers seeing that in theatres?

Unsure if this was the place to try for a fortune reading. Maybe it was the late hour, our final few moments and chance in Hangzhou that made us try here. Maybe because Guanyu had set his broadsword aside for the night and was contenting himself with a light reading. He holds his beard to the side with such tact and style, don’t you think?

Sitting disinterestedly just to the left of Guanyu is a young bloke in street clothes managing the fortune station. For a donation of 30 yuan, pull a number out of a bowl and he will shove a greenish strip of paper at you.

The small wooden piece is the number picked out of the bowl.

We got a 63, apparently a good number. To know what your fortune really means, you gotta to continue walking back to the front of Main Hall to scan a QR code. Seems a bit elaborate. Maybe they don’t want people griping about their fortune standing so near the QR code? The gist of ours was that our business ventures would be successful but take time to bear fruit. So we have that going for us, which is nice. The idea grows in me that the fortune telling has much to reveal about culture.

Speaking of revealing, a quote by Mao graces a polished granite plaque beside our unmoved fortune facilitator. During a visit to Lingyin and Beigao, I believe what he said is,

“May the magnificent teachings of Buddha protect the peace under Heaven” — Mao ZeDong

Mao visited Hangzhou for the first time in 1921, and then again in 1953 on his 60th birthday. He may have said this around that time.

From there, yes, the shop. This was a good shop, above average I suppose, but it should be, right? The God of Wealth has to represent. We picked up some personal items and a few things for family friends.

From here, everyone, all of us together en masse, moved to the cable car for the brief ride through the gloam down to base camp where the warm lights of a thousand food vendors awaited us.

We returned to Qingchun Perma, 慶春樸門, a vegetarian restaurant chain that started here in Hangzhou. We’ve seen branches in Shenzhen but have only tried this oversized one here at Lingyin — now twice! The aesthetic is clean and modern, reflected in the dishes also which are said to be Buddhist-inspired.

We are told Perma stands for Permanence, the philosophy of sustainability and simplicity. I don’t know about all that, but the spicy tofu and the two different noodles in soup that we tried were quite enjoyable.

Qingchun Perma is not over-priced but not budget either, solidly mid-range. While there is no Michelin star yet, they have been recognized as a “Michelin Selected Restaurant”. A down-to-earth honest good meal, and a great ending to our long day at Lingyin.

So ends our couple’s trip in Hangzhou, our third following Quanzhou and Qingchengshan. Every trip has differences: the place, especially the weather, and the challenges that surprise us along the way. Even we are different trip to trip, moment to moment, but what doesn’t change is our intention and appreciation for each other. I hope we continue growing and pushing each other for a long time to come.

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[Author’s Note: Thank you for taking the time to visit. All pictures were taken by the author or family member, unless otherwise noted.]