An Adventure to the Mogao Grottoes

It was a moonlit night with a clear sky. As usual, I quickly fell into a sweet dream after
Mum said good night to me.

I was flying freely, and I finally landed in an exotic place with foreign vibes. I found
myself in an oasis city, enveloped by oceans of drifting sand. Just when I felt totally
confused, I saw people in queer outfits with bizarre behaviours walking towards me. I
couldn’t help but to wonder where I was.

Then, I saw a monk who looked like he was travelling around, so I asked, “Master,
may I ask where I am?” “Young benefactor, you must be foreign, aren’t you? This is
Dunhuang’s Mingsha Mountain, a place where traders must pass. It’s also called the
Silk Road.” The monk replied calmly. “What? This should be the Qian Qin Dynasty.
How come I’ve gone back in time?” I muttered anxiously in my mind, thinking what I
should do. Although I learned about Dunhuang in history books, being alone in this
ancient desert is unimaginable and disturbing!

Just as I was baffled and flooded with anxiety, the monk comforted me warmly, “My
name is Le Zun, please don’t panic. Look at the golden lining upon Mingsha
Mountain. It must be the Buddha’s appearance. The Bodhisattva shall bring you to
wherever you wish to go, Amitabha!” After hearing Master Le Zun’s kind words, I
immediately felt more secure, but I still didn’t quite know how and when would I go
back home.

That evening, Master Le Zun invited me to join him to look for a place to stay. I didn’t
know where to go, so I agreed. I told Master that I am from Hong Kong, and I come
from 2021, more than two thousand years from 366 BC. I also shared many stories
and anecdotes about Hong Kong. To my surprise, Master didn’t doubt what I told
him; instead, he seemed to be fascinated, as if he had been to a place called Hong
Kong himself a very, very long time ago.

Suddenly, we heard roosters crowing - it was already dawn. The hostess of the family
we were staying with prepared a piping hot breakfast for us. It reminded me of the
delicious bacon omelette Mum always makes for my breakfast. I felt like crying and
teared up a little bit......

“Don’t be sad, my young benefactor.” Master Le Zun said. “I shall take you to
Mingsha Mountain to chant sutras after breakfast. The Bodhisattva will surely try to
help when He hears your heartfelt words. Amitabha! Good indeed! Good indeed!”

Later, although not feeling entirely confident, I followed Master Le Zun to Mingsha
Mountain. All I could see were mountains surrounded by clouds and thousands of
golden rays, and I faintly saw an apsara with a light body and beautiful look. She had
long ribbons flying with her freely in the sky, and the Flower of Luck in her hand
drifted away with the wind. Then, one of its petals fell gently on my palm by
accident. Its fragrance gave me courage and strength and made me feel that the God
of Luck suddenly came to me. My heart trembled slightly, and some voices and
words in Sanskrit quietly reached my ears. My intuition told me that these Sanskritic
voices are revelations given by the Gods - a sacred mission given to me.

From then on, I temporarily let go of my family attachment and wholeheartedly

helped Master Le Zun to beg alms wherever we went. We also wrote copies of the
Bodhisattva’s wise words and distributed them to local families and business
travellers, hoping to get everyone’s help to dig the Buddhist caves.

After the news spread, many people donated money and helped us create the
grottoes. First, many artisans worked together to paint exquisite murals and make
human figure frames with sturdy wooden branches. Then, we wrapped the frames in
reeds, covered them with mud and painted colours on them. This is how we made
the coloured sculptures before their paint dried, and we carefully put them into the
grottoes.

Just like that, days and years flew by, and we went through a dozen long dynasties -
Northern Liang, Northern Wei, Western Wei, Northern Zhou, Sui, Tang, Five
Dynasties, Song, and so on. Every day I watched the sun rising from the east and
setting to the west, while witnessing the completion of the oldest and largest cultural
and historical treasure house.

“Wake up, Ramsey, wake up. We’re going to be late for school.” I suddenly heard
Mum’s voice. I struggled to open my tired eyes, and I could still vaguely see the
coloured sculptures and murals on my ceiling. The dream was just too real to
forget……

It was finally my school’s Christmas holiday. I sat upon my desk, searched on the
internet about the history of Dunhuang’s Mogao Grottoes, feeling genuinely
interested like never before. For the first time, I also carefully read different versions
of the historical documents of the Mogao Grottoes. “Dunhuang’s Mogao Grottoes,
also known as the Thousand Buddha Grottoes, is located at the eastern foot of the
Mingsha Mountain, 25 kilometres to the southeast of Dunhuang City in Gansu
Province, China. It is a mecca of architecture, sculpture and painting altogether.” I
enjoyed the texts while reminiscing the unforgettable moments and experiences
from the dream. Now it seemed even more intriguing and perplexing!

Afterwards, I asked Mum, “May we visit Dunhuang’s Mogao Grottoes when I’m on
holiday after the pandemic is over?” Mum looked at me in a doubtful way, but she
quickly agreed, “Of course! I very much hope that one day I could visit the sacred city
of Buddhism too.” “Let’s go then!” I proclaimed firmly, just like a well-studied
archaeologist whose eyes were filled with the eagerness and anticipation to learn
about ancient civilisations.