Belief has long been foundational in China. Folk spirits, the teachings of Confucius and Mencius, Daoism, Buddhism, and often a combination thereof were worshiped and venerated. The Chinese people believed. They practiced. They lived closely with a connection to something beyond themselves. Many hundreds of millions still do. Prominent within this belief ecosystem is Buddhism and, more particularly, Manjusri, the Bodhisattva of Wisdom. Throughout much of Buddhism’s almost 2,0

I recently had the opportunity to explore the Great, Vast Walls of China with a breadth and intensity that blew me away, and almost broke me. How best to share the spirit of this journey? As with the hiking itself in Northern and Western China, I today once again step outside my comfort zone and present my experience by Ode. Photographs of the untamed and ruined beauty in this remote part of the world and additional narrative connected with several stanzas touching on history