Introduction
Mìngyùn pulled in a long, slow breath as part of his morning meditations. It was the quiet, pre-dawn that he loved so much. Fog eerily draping the temple grounds, drifting up the side of the mountain, shrouding this sacred place in a mist like hanging ghosts. The silence at the dawning of the new day opened Mìngyùn's mind. With each breath, he felt his chi as it traveled from his center up to his head and back down again, forming a circle of energy engulfing his body and soul. The deeper the meditation dove, the faster his chi moved, gaining strength and tapping into the energies of the Earth. He could feel power of the Earth, flowing up from the molten core passing through layers of ancient rock, up the peaks of the mountain, through the dirt to the roots, and finally from the blades of grass into his skin, melding with his own chi. Then the images took shape, clear as a bright summer day behind the lids of his closed eyes.
First came the fire. In the canter of it all a pit, belching with smoke and undying thirst. Then the river. Dark, cold, and impossibly still yet hungry and eager. Finally a maze. Never-ending twists, turns, and judgements from kings. As his soul's eye raced from one horror to the next, the journey pulled him to three hidden doors: one in the side of a mountain, one crumbling temple by the sea, and one in a desert. Those images seared in his mind punctuated by a dark voice and two echoing words -- find them.
Mìngyùn's eyes shot open as the sun crested the horizon, taking flight for the day and chasing away the fog back to its ghostly home. Everything buzzed. He felt it from his hands through his heart to his feet. It rang softly in his ears, echoing faintly the sounds of his spirit's journey. But what did it all mean? Mìngyùn knew that he must find out.
Author's Note: This Storybook follows the journey of a Chinese Shaolin monk named Mìngyùn as he searches for three doorways to the underworld. The Shaolin Monastery is located in Dengfeng County, Henan Province, China and according to legend was founded in the 5th Century CE by the Buddhist monk Bodhidharma. Bodhidharma is also credited with creating Shaolin Kung Fu. The monastery's first abbot was Batuo, who has also been credited as an important figure in the establishment of the monastery and the martial art. The three "hells" alluded to in this story are Hell from Christianity, the River Styx from Greek and Roman mythology, and Diyu from Chinese mythology. Also, the main character's name, Mìngyùn, is the Chinese (Mandarin) word for destiny.