Veena Schlegel

A Mountain in China: Living in a Small Rural Village in the Foothills of the Sacred Song Mountain Veena Schlegel

Publisher Marketing: 'A Mountain in China' is the fascinating account of an English woman's travels to Song Mountain, in Henan Province, China. Part memoir, part travelogue, Veena Schlegel takes us to the heart of what has made this mountain a place of pilgrimage for millenia. The peaks and valleys of Song Mountain gave refuge to Taoist mystics long before it became known as the home of Shaolin Kungfu. In the sixth century CE, it also gave birth to what we now refer to as Zen Buddhism, known in China as Chan, after the enlightened Indian master, Bodhidharm, meditated there alone for nine years in a secluded cave on one of its peaks. Living in a small village in the mountain's foothills, the author explored this little-known part of China over several years, and uncovered some of its historical and spiritual heritage as well as its ties to her own spiritual master, Osho. She learned about the local customs and traditions, and shared the turmoil and joy of daily life in the village. She encountered Qigung and Kungfu masters, students and seekers who had never met a westerner before, and felt the heartbreak many travellers will recognise as modern China inevitably clashes with its ancient heritage. In 2010, the mountain and the religious and historical monuments connected to it, was designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site. 'A Mountain in China' is a story of a love affair with a mountain an intimate and sometimes hilarious glimpse into the inner world of a seeker who has been on the path of Zen for more than forty years. Contributor Bio:  Schlegel, Veena After completing her university studies in 1966 in South Africa, where she was born and brought up, Veena Schlegel left home to see the world. In 1971 she travelled overland on an epic journey through unknown lands to India where she met her spiritual master, the enlightened mystic, Osho, in Mumbai and her life changed forever. This was a new and different journey. Until Osho died in 1991, she lived and worked in his various communes in India and around the world. After his death she travelled further east on her spiritual quest, first to Japan where she taught English and explored Zen, and more recently to China which she visits often to meditate on the sacred Song Mountain in Henan Province. She has discovered much of the historical and spiritual (particularly Zen) heritage of this area as well as learning in detail about local traditional customs and contemporary Chinese life. She has written about Osho and his life and work for many publications in paper or online and is now working on a trilogy of books detailing her travels on the path. The first book, 'A Vanished Road' is an account of her overland journey to India. The second book, 'Glimpses of my Master' is an account of her life as a disciple of Osho. ((Both are available as ebooks and paperbacks on Amazon) Veena is now in China researching and writing the third book, 'A Mountain in China' (to be published shortly) which will tell of her journeys, physical and spiritual, in China. For more details please check out her website: www.3books.co.uk (no direct link so please cut and paste into the toolbar)