Zen Buddhism, take II

I took this sunday to begin reinvestigating my spiritual side and return to explore the Zen Buddhist Temple which I once knew so well as a child and have since almost forgotten. But I think real spirituality like knowing how to ride a bike can never be really lost but rather just becomes slightly rusty if not used or given much attention for quite some time. Well it's time to oil my spiritual gears again. It's only now, far away, without family close by and without the pressures of school or heaven forbit a secure place to live, that I feel abloe to take on this challenge. I was doing some reading on line about the Toronto Zen temple that I grew up in and I found it really interesting to see and read the information as an adult. I could make the connections with people and place and time, but everything was somehow scued. I really liked reading the biography about Samu Sunim. I never know that there was more than one Sunim. I thought he could be the only one really there was NO other ultimate being on this planet. And i consider myself a lucky little creature to have gotten to be around such a venerable person. www.zenbuddhisttemple.org

I managed to find this absolutely amazing Zen Centre here. The Hwagyesa International Zen Centre. This is no hokey temple stay for tourists. Practicing monks and individuals come here to study and for retreats from all over the planet. I would like to work my way up to be able to do a week long retreat here this winter. www.seoulzen.org The large draw is that they do offer services and meditation in English. This is a relief because it's been a long time since i was in a temple period never mind remembering how all of the services go. Strangely enough, or maybe not so strangly, it was not scarry at all to walk into this space and to ask where to go and to begin practicing once again. I did a small orientation with an Australian monk directing the meditation. And I remembered what it was to sit in real silence. I brought the prayer beeds that my mom had given me and i counted my beads with each breath in and out and I began to relax into meditation surrounded by the quiet of others doing the same thing. We sat, stretched and walked in meditation in cycles of 30, 3, 10 minutes for 2 hours!!!!!!!!!!!!! It was like getting into the zone where time goes by unnotticed and you wake up some time later feeling like you have just lost several hours of your life. Not quite as there is always a sense of accomplishment, of having done something worth while to you that you were able to focus on so deeply that ime somehow dissappeared from your consciousness and you were really able to live in the moment. IT WAS REALLLLLLLLY HARD! I mean reallly and by the end I was hurting all over from holding myself still for so long. After the sitting we heard a talk by the head monk. My BRAIN HURT A LOT ALSO BY THE END OF THAT ONE! :) :) :) Following the talk was fruit and tea with the monks and I thought to myself "this could really be a worthwhile way to spend Sunday" In a remote temple surrounded by good virtue and positive energy. what struck me most was how happy all of the monks seemed to be and how lightly they approached everything but also how deeply they observed and thought about everything. We are not used to strangers being so happy and welcoming \I think. We are in fact distrustful of such behavior in general. But I think I will make the effort to go back as much as I can and to take from it what I can also. On my way home I felt like I neeeeeded to talk to someone about this expreience, so i went over to Andrews' to chill out. We ended up talking to his parents (well they phoned and I was there so short of hiding out in the bathroom I had to be introduced.) LOL! Then we went over to the local convenience store to meet his friend Jo who is the owner! Hilarious guy! Educated in the UK, he is more British than Korean I find. Plus, knowing more Koreans who speek english well is really a good thing!

This week I have plans to go to a soccer match and possibly out to a brauhaus with some other SMOE teachers. I may also have a coffee date lined up with a new friend, but we shall see.

Cheeeers!