At the end of the stone steps, the clouds began to draw back. The three of them turned past a grove of ancient pines, and the world before them suddenly opened wide. There stood a mountain gate of blue-gray stone, rising solemnly between two sheer cliffs that faced each other like a natural portal. The…

After they had paid their respects to the Buddha and left the rear hall, Huile escorted the mother and her sons to a small path paved with blue stone. The path turned to the right, wound past a grove of slender bamboo, and suddenly revealed a quiet little courtyard. The courtyard gate was not large. Above…