Search ContentOn that day, eyes lowered upon my meditation cushion
Then, you appeared! You—under the bodhi tree
Stately, your countenance
At that moment, tears streamed down my face
A search spanning thousands of lifetimes
Just for this moment, to encounter you
Your compassionate gaze
Your soft smile
On that day, I turned the scriptural pages
Not for lavish golden palaces or jade chariots
Not for illustrious gardens of boundless flowers
Countless times traversing and scaling these sutras
Just to encounter your hidden profound truth
Vast as the ocean
Deep as the skies
On that day, I prostrated at Mount Putuo
Mountain roads stretched afar
Their peaks waned in and out
With every three steps, I prostrated
Sweat and tears dried by the passing wind
Passersby and the scenery never capture my gaze
All this, just to throw myself into your compassionate embrace
Feeling your presence in that moment
Feeling your presence in front of me
Your great love and compassion
Warming my heart
On that day, I quietly listened
Within the depths of the universe
Within the expanse of my mind
Within the profoundness of tranquility
The sound of joy’s gently fluttering wings
The sound of thoughts trickling gracefully through my mind
Listening
To that sound of silence
To that sound of no intrinsic nature
Come! that gentle wind of samādhi
Come! that clear light of awareness
Not for supernatural abilities—
Flying to the skies or escaping into the earth
But only to see what you have seen
Hear what you have heard
Void what you have voided
Attain what you have attained
To truly
encounter you!
On that day, eyes lowered upon my meditation cushion
Then, you appeared! You—under the bodhi tree
Stately, your countenance
At that moment, tears streamed down my face
A search spanning thousands of lifetimes
Just for this moment, to encounter you
Your compassionate gaze
Your soft smile
On that day, I turned the scriptural pages
Not for lavish golden palaces or jade chariots
Not for illustrious gardens of boundless flowers
Countless times traversing and scaling these sutras
Just to encounter your hidden profound truth
Vast as the ocean
Deep as the skies
On that day, I prostrated at Mount Putuo
Mountain roads stretched afar
Their peaks waned in and out
With every three steps, I prostrated
Sweat and tears dried by the passing wind
Passersby and the scenery never capture my gaze
All this, just to throw myself into your compassionate embrace
Feeling your presence in that moment
Feeling your presence in front of me
Your great love and compassion
Warming my heart
On that day, I quietly listened
Within the depths of the universe
Within the expanse of my mind
Within the profoundness of tranquility
The sound of joy’s gently fluttering wings
The sound of thoughts trickling gracefully through my mind
Listening
To that sound of silence
To that sound of no intrinsic nature
Come! that gentle wind of samādhi
Come! that clear light of awareness
Not for supernatural abilities—
Flying to the skies or escaping into the earth
But only to see what you have seen
Hear what you have heard
Void what you have voided
Attain what you have attained
To truly
encounter you!
Background
Written by editors
For many people, meditation is a sanctuary of inner peace in the busy world we live in today. More than that, when it is joined with a comprehensive guidance in Buddhist cultivation, meditation is a powerful practice able to dispel every kind of suffering.
“An Encounter, A Pilgrimage” presents us a glimpse of Zhen-Ru's inner world, as she brings together her spiritual learning and meditation, and paints them through the lens of her sights and experiences on a pilgrimage journey of her own. Throughout her life, Zhen-Ru devotes herself to following her spiritual teachers, studying the scriptural teachings, and practicing them in her life and meditation. To her, this is all for one purpose: to one day witness the stunning wonders of spiritual awakening herself -- to tap into the gentle wind of samādhi and the clear light of awareness -- and share these wonders with others.
This melodic piece was composed around the same time as “The Great Eagle's Dream” and “In This Moment” -- in April, 2020. Zhen-Ru was deeply saddened by the devastations of the Covid-19 pandemic, which was beginning to spread around the world at the time. Thinking of and touched by the Buddhas' endless kindness for living beings who are suffering, she composed this piece as a way to offer hope and consolation to those who are affected by the pandemic.
As the first two stanzas of this piece are not included in the song of spiritual praise “Pilgrimage”, the entirety of “An Encounter, A Pilgrimage” is included here in Lotus Recollections, in its original completeness.
Background
Written by editors
For many people, meditation is a sanctuary of inner peace in the busy world we live in today. More than that, when it is joined with a comprehensive guidance in Buddhist cultivation, meditation is a powerful practice able to dispel every kind of suffering.
“An Encounter, A Pilgrimage” presents us a glimpse of Zhen-Ru's inner world, as she brings together her spiritual learning and meditation, and paints them through the lens of her sights and experiences on a pilgrimage journey of her own. Throughout her life, Zhen-Ru devotes herself to following her spiritual teachers, studying the scriptural teachings, and practicing them in her life and meditation. To her, this is all for one purpose: to one day witness the stunning wonders of spiritual awakening herself -- to tap into the gentle wind of samādhi and the clear light of awareness -- and share these wonders with others.
This melodic piece was composed around the same time as “The Great Eagle's Dream” and “In This Moment” -- in April, 2020. Zhen-Ru was deeply saddened by the devastations of the Covid-19 pandemic, which was beginning to spread around the world at the time. Thinking of and touched by the Buddhas' endless kindness for living beings who are suffering, she composed this piece as a way to offer hope and consolation to those who are affected by the pandemic.
As the first two stanzas of this piece are not included in the song of spiritual praise “Pilgrimage”, the entirety of “An Encounter, A Pilgrimage” is included here in Lotus Recollections, in its original completeness.
2nd Edition @Oct 2025. Translated by Amrita Translation Foundation
Author: Zhen-Ru
Translator: Ven. Tina
Editors: Ven. Alick, Ven. Sabrina, Ven. Joanna, Ven. Elena, Ven. Sonia, Ven. Jingli
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