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STAYS OVERNIGHT AT A SMALL INN #48 At the end of the twelfth month, the Master, continuing his prostrations, reached the T'ieh Hsieh crossing on the Yellow River. He passed by the tomb of Kuang Wu where there were not monasteries, and so there was no choice but to spend the evening at an inn. This was on the first of the month. The walking then became extraordinarily bleak and bitter, and making prostrations while climbing mountains and crossing rivers was even more difficult yet. The writer has also had this experience in the past, coming from afar in Manchuria travelling ten thousand miles in search of a clear teacher. The Gatha says: He explored the country travelling by foot, and underwent bitter suffering; By visiting mountains and making obeisance his character was improved. He rested on the dew and slept on mist, and he had no place of dwelling; Wearing the stars and donning the moon, he overcame his mind.
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