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The great earthquake that hit Taiwan on September 21, 1999 wasextremely frightful and shocking. The number of people killed andwounded devastates one, and the falling and collapsing of tallbuildings have further caused inexplicable doubts and misgivings inpeople's minds. After all, what kind of evil power has reared its head from the earth realm to send forth such violent vibrations? The epicenter of the earthquake was at the town of Chichi inNantou. Although I am not from Nantou, my first shifu [teacher], Rev. Liao-ming (Taoist Master Ch'ing Chen), had lived in a that ched cottage at Liantai-feng [Lotus Platform Peak] in the Chichi mountains. Chichi was a place I often frequented some thirty years ago. I have also visited many of the cities and towns around Chichi: Shuili, the Sun and Moon Lake, Puli, Yuchi, Minchien, Tungpu, Chushan, and Lugu etc.. I was greatly saddened to learn that ninety percent of the buildings in Chichi had been completely destroyed by the quake. Most out of towners probably found the Chichi of thirty years ago unattractive and even disappointing a small mountain town that did not have any special features except for the one road that intersected it. At the end of the road stood a historical small train station which was the town's busiest area. Apart from shops, many vendors selling vegetables and daily necessities also had setup their stalls in front of the station. Traffic traversing both north and south directions was quite busy; trucks loaded with huge logs had to slow down specially at this section of the road to avoid hitting any pedestrians. Chichi's train station has left a deep impression in me. I remember walking through its waiting room furnished with long wooden bleachers and watching the grand daddy style, black smoke puffing locomotive and its tugging carriages galloping at mid-mountain. Now the old train station has caved in. The Matzu Temple also has collapsed. Even the noodle shop that shifu, Rev. Liao-ming, and I had eaten noodles has also fallen. I still remember the noodle shop in front of the train station from thirty years ago. I cannot recall its name now, but in addition to noodles, it also served rice dishes and a kind of snack called "tiger biting pork" which was a slice of pork sandwiched between two pieces of steamed buns. Shifu and I had each ordered a bowl of noodles. I remember shifu had the "wonton noodle," and I had the Taiwanese "jou-geng noodle." The two of us, one old, one young, were noisily slurping up the noodle and soup. While eating, I saw shifu had fewer teeth than before, and the thought that shifu was getting older saddened me. Rev. Liao-ming spoke to me repeatedly, "Lian-sheng, this world is constantly undergoing changes. One will grow old and disappear, it is unavoidable." Shifu pointed at the train station outside the window and said, "This will disappear, and everything will be gone." He continued, "I will disappear, the town of Chichi will also disappear, and eventually you will also disappear. In this world, everything will disappear!" I responded, "I know, this is the Buddhist tenet that things go through formation, abiding, destruction, and annihilation." I thought I was being young and smart. "What do you know?" Shifu gave me a stare. Thirty years have flown by and gone. For a long time, I was notable to understand why there is nothing "eternal" in this world. I contemplated on the inquiry. The train station has caved in, the town of Chichi has disappeared, and this ordinary outer shell of mine also will die. The phenomena of the world are entirely being reincarnated by the same objects and events. And I, shall follow and pursue the eternal light of shifu.
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