My dear friends, from Beijing to Lhasa, Mt. Kailas to Canton, China is a wondrous land of infinite wisdom. With the most temples, highest mountains, largest monasteries and grandest palaces in the world, it is also home to many of most powerful martial, medicinal and spiritual masters in the world. Relatively unchanged since ancient times there are thousands of different tribes in China, Tibet, Xinjiang, Mongolia and Manchuria that are still living as their ancestors have since the noble dynasties of the golden age. Their temples and caves are full of chanting monks and nuns, houses full of grain, and there is a fresh air of peace and prosperity radiating throughout the land. That's why right now is the best time in modern history to go and see for yourself. The revolutions are long over and the shopping malls haven't taken over yet. A brief moment in modern time where people still wear tribal clothing, sing songs of spiritual liberation and journey from temple to temple amongst the vast array of snow peaked mountains that reach out into the heavens. Whether your Sacred Journey is to study the wisdom traditions of health, healing and enlightenment, make a pilgrimage to the sacred mountains, or just for the adventure may you attain the everlasting state of joyous luminosity!!!

During the seventies the founder of Sacred Journeys Linhai began learning the sacred martial, medicinal, and wisdom traditions of the Far East in his home town of New York City. He was captivated by the exploration of qi, channels, chakras, mind, Zen, Dzog Chen, Mahamudra and the stories of the legendary masters of antiquity who could fly through the sky, walk through mountains, crush rocks, heal people with a wave of their hand and so on. Linhai was told many times though that during the Cultural Revolution all of the temples in China were destroyed and all of the great masters had fled to the West. Never-the-less Linhai was unwaveringly drawn to the magic of the Orient and by the time he reached twenty three China's bamboo curtain was just lifting, so in 1984 he went to see for himself what China was really like. After all, "you gotta go to know", and what he found was vastly different than what he expected. Though they were just cleaning up after the hurricane of Western Globalization and the Cultural Revolution he found that you didn't have to have a view of the Great Perfection to see that China was the most expansive Dharma nation in the world. Temples, palaces, monks and nuns covered the landscape in every direction from Lhasa to Beijing and the great masters with their special abilities and siddhi powers were everywhere. Soon after arriving in China Linhai made it to the legendary Shaolin Temple. He received the Sudden Enlightenment Qianneng Empowerment and immidiately realized the material reality and life force of qi energy; ki or prana. Then the late great Abbot Dechan grabbed him by the hand and while telling him his past, present, and future gave him a transmission of Bodhicitta that opened his eyes to the great compassion of the Buddha's light and set the future course of his life.

As the years rolled by Linhai continued his Sacred Journey through the four corners of the Central Kingdom from Manchuria to Tibet, Xin Jiang to Hong kong. He found and endless array of hill tribes, high plains nomads, hidden valleys, villages, temples and hermits that had no contact with the outside world and still lived in nature like the American Indians used before the Europeans arrived four or five generation ago. Hiking, hitching and treking on horseback Linhai met hundreds of great martial, medicinal and spiritual masters that have all helped ripen his being and found that the ones with the legendary powers were still in China sitting like a mountain with a view like the sky. Protected by the dharmapalas they were undisturbed by the karmic winds of revolution demonstrating the highest levels of skillful means and wisdom.

During the 1700's the West began invading China by 1912 was eventually overthrown by America ending the noble Qing Dynasty. The Communists liberated China in 1949 but the Cultural Revolution began in 1965 and lasted until 1976. These extremely turbulent times created tremendous destruction and an exodus from the central kingdom. Some were refugees and some went to the West to fulfill the prophesy of Shakyamuni and Padmasambhava. However, where less than a fraction of one percent of the population left the vast majority stayed behind to put the power of their Dharma realization to the test saving their lives, communities, monasteries and carry on the wisdom traditions in the sacred mandala of their homeland. Martial arts masters like Huang Feihong, Wang Xiangzhai, Wan Lisheng and millions of others didn't just practice the martial arts in the dojo recreationally, they perfected it by really using it to survive the chaos of western invasions and revolutions where hundreds of millions of their countrymen have died. Medicine masters like Zhou Qianchuan and abbot Juzan perfected their healing arts by treating the constant stream of patients with their spiritual energy and traditional medical systems. Spiritual masters such as Tsewang Rimpoche didn't flee when the Red Guards came the Huang Long Monastery. He flew above the temple and after they couldn't shoot him down with their machine guns they ran away in repentance. The temple remains unscathed to this day as the symbol of a real Dharmapala at work. The Panchen Lama is another great master who stayed behind to work with the powers that be to resurrect the Vajrayana teachings and rebuild temples and became know as "the light of Tibet" for his magnanimous work. In the great expanse of mind's treasure China is an indestructible mandala of the great perfection and a renaissance of their ancient culture and wisdom traditions are currently in bloom.

Sacred Journeys grew from these grass root experiences of bodhicitta and a yearning to help others gain access to the rich and wonderful experiences the Far East has to offer. Right now as you read this introduction there are great living Buddhas, Bodhisattvas, Maha Siddhis, Immortals, Dakinis, and masters of all kinds bestowing the highest levels of blessings, empowerments and teachings the Dharma has to offer. Great Zen masters such as Yongxin has thousands of visitors every day. Great tertons like Jigme Puntsog has ten thousand monks in residence practicing the freshly revealed terma treasures of Padmasambhava. Gatuo Rimpoche has guided over ten thousand people in obtaining the rainbow body and a new generation of masters such as Adzom Rimpoche gathers tens of thousands of people for his empowerments and teachings. Where else can you find such wonder? Sacred Mountains like Emei, Kailas, Wutai, Wudang, and thousands of others have many great masters guiding innumerable sentinent being into the vast expanse as we speak, and if you have fortunate karma to meet with one of them, you too can receive the blessings of the East.

Whether you are going sight seeing, horse back riding or mountain climbing Sacred Journeys would like to help you realize your goal. If you are going on pilgrimage this is where you have to go. Whether you are organizing a private tour or going with one of our groups the journey of a thousand miles begins with the first step. So give us a call!!!

In the sphere of ultimate reality this is Dewachen !!!
Land of Supreme Bliss.