This temple, 宝峰寺BaoFengSi, built over 1200 years ago, was the home of the eighth patriarch Master MaZu DaoYi. Manu DaoYi was renowned as one of the most influential teachers of the Chan school. He’s famous for using the koan.
An key story about Master MaZu was when he was a young monk, he sat for days meditating. His teacher, the Seventh Patriarch Master HuaiRang, asked Master Mazu why he’s sitting there for days on end? Master Mazu answered that he planned to sit there until enlightenment. His teacher then sat down next to him and began polishing a brick without end. Master Mazu asked his teacher why he’s polishing the brick, to which his teacher replied that he planned to polish the brick into a mirror. Master MaZu said there is no way to make a brick into a mirror. To which his teachers answered there is no way you can achieve enlightenment just by sitting… Have fun digging into that story. We'll visit the mountain where the "mirror" event occurred as well.
Baofengchansi, Baofeng, Jing’an, Yichun, Jiangxi, China