Monk for a day

For Christmas, my darling hubby gave me a video camera. And with much insisting from our parents to see videos we have conceded. So without further adieu here is our video of our temple stay.
Enjoy!!

The Treacherous Hike

After changing into our monk clothing, we made our way downstairs for our hike. Geared in my many layers to protect myself from the bone chilling cold and hiking boots, I felt confident this would be the highlight of our stay at the temple despite the record setting frigid temperature. How very wrong this prediction turned out to be.

A white toy tiger was held up to my ear as we waited by the office for our guide. “Listen to this” said a random laughing monk. The white tiger key chain growled a truculent growl. I laughed. Who was this silly monk I thought?

“Let me introduce myself.” He started. “I am….(I can’t remember his name, but he was the head Monk of the temple) “And this is my boyfriend.” He said laughingly pointing to another smaller Vietnamese monk. The smaller monk laughed and said, “Are you sure I’m not your girlfriend.” He said continuing the joke.

We introduced ourselves, and then headed out on our tour of the mountain. These silly monks were our first introduction to the monk-hood and I breathed a sigh of relief that they were so relaxed and goofy even.

At the ornate wooden bridge, the white tiger monk suggested we take a photo. We had debated whether to take our cameras. “Will they say, the hike is about the experience and not to concern yourself with photos?” We had pondered. In the end, we decided to take the camera regardless.

Our first clue that this hike would not be like others was a glimpse of what looked like clear glass beneath our feet covering the ground. But it wasn’t glass, I might of even been glad had it been, for most likely anything was better than ICE on a steep mountain side. The ice seemed to have implanted itself into the ground, sprouting roots, taking hold of every dirt molecule. It was my first experience seeing frozen solid ground. I had read about it in books, but I had never seen, let alone climbed a mountain on it first hand.

Our hiking boots, purchased in Italy, which are wonderfully light and perfect for gravel and rocks, proved to not handle icy ground well. In fact, one might say, that they are more appropriately ice skates when contacted with ice. One of the monks generously lent me his hiking stick, which I gratefully took. Towards the top, the ice lessoned long enough for us to enjoy the extraordinary view of Seoul in its concrete glory surrounded by nature. It was probably the best view of Seoul that I have ever witnessed. A sea of concrete buildings squashed together in a scene of ultimate “civilization” without a spec of green in between to destroy the urban-ness. Surrounded by trees and mountains, breathing the mountain air, it was a spectacular arena, but it reminded me that no matter where you are in Korea, the urban sprawl is nearby.

Our trip to the bottom, however made me think twice about the intelligence of climbing an icy mountain. Had I known the hike we were going on was a labyrinth of ice, I probably would have opted not to go on the treacherous mountain slip and slide. It is a wonder that we didn’t slip and plummet to our deaths. On a particularly steep section, I fell and was miraculously caught by a tree branch. It felt at times as if we were playing the game “lava” as we did when we were children, trying only to step on rocks to avoid the “lava.” However this game was real, and the “lava” was slippery ice.

Near the bottom, our friend Garret made the ultimate faux-pa, saying, “It is a wonder no one has actually fallen.” One more superstitious might credit my fall to his lack of knocking on wood. Whatever the case, not two minutes later, I was on my behind, nursing scratched hands and a sore tailbone. As luck would have it however, the section of my demise was flat, and served as a safe place for an ineluctable tumble.

The monks seemed unfazed by the ice, hiking in shoes that looked to be house shoes, jetting to the top and bottom as if attempting to win a race without any fear of plunging to their death. While I trembled in my MC Hammer monk pants and what I thought were well equipped HIKING BOOTS afraid for my life. We made it to the temple alive thank the good Lord, but I won’t be making that mistake again. Hiking is out of the question in South Korea until there is a serious turn in the weather.

Meditation

Meditative stream of consciousness:

Ok, we can do this. I can do this. Left leg up in the lotus position. Which way do my hands go again? Left over right or right over left? Let’s go with right over left because it is the opposite of my legs. Back straight. He said there should be a curve in my back, almost as if my back was pushing my belly button out. Ouch. That’s gonna be a hard position to keep for an hour. My back is not used to being so straight.

Ok, off to a good start. I am in the proper meditation stance. Clear the mind. Clear my mind. Stop thinking. Focus on the Hwa-du; “Mount Sumeru”

A student asked Venerable Master Yun-Men (d.949)

Not even a thought has arisen, is there still a sin or not?

Master said;

Mount Sumeru!

When thought arises, sin also arises. If no thought arises, there should be no kind of sin or error. But why did the Master say that sin, that is, error, is as big as Mount Sumeru?

According to string theory there are multiple universes. So many in fact, that our universe has been compared to a tiny spec of sand in the Ganges River. Mount Sumeru is the name for all of the universes combined at least in Buddism.

Does it mean I’m stupid if I don’t understand the question? He said not to focus on the word sin, sin in this instance is more like mistake.

Is that Kyle’s stomach growling. Wow, it is so loud. I wonder if anyone else heard it?

My eyes are getting heavy. I wonder how long I have been sitting here already. Stop it. Focus. Mount Sumeru, Mount Sumeru, Mount Sumeru.

What just happened? Did I nod off for a second. Focus Vanessa focus. It’s just so hard to focus when all I want to do is sleep though. That hike this afternoon was really hard. It’s nap time. How do these monks sit here for an entire hour?

Wow, I’m impressed with Kyle. Normally he is so fidgety. He hasn’t exactly stopped, but he is more still than normal. There is his stomach rumbling again.

Clear my mind. I know, I will repeat the words in the Hwa-du. Maybe I will focus better that way. Hwa-du, Hwa-du, hwa-du, hwa-du.

How much longer? I’ve got to move my legs.

Hwa-du, hwa-du.

The lady next to me has one leg laying out straight. It must be okay. One leg out. Oh so much better. It is harder to sit up like this. Back straight Vanessa.

Mount Sumeru. Mount Sumeru. Mount Sumeru. Mount Sumeru. Clear my mind of thoughts. Mount Sumeru, Mount Sumeru.

I hope dinner is better than lunch. Lunch wasn’t bad, just VERY KOREAN. Focus!!

A student. A student. Concentrate on saying the words with my breathing. A student. A student.

How do the monks sit like this for an entire hour. What am I doing wrong? The master said if you are focused one hour feels like five minutes. If you aren’t focused it can feel like five years. I guess I am in the second category.

Ahh. What was that loud clapping noise. Is the torture over? Everyone seems to be stretching. That feels so good. Now we’re standing up. And walking in a circle. I like this part. (glancing at the clock) We have an entire hour more. It’s okay. I think I am getting better. I can do it. I can meditate. Let’s just hope I don’t start snoring this time though.

Temple Stay: Seoul International Zen Center

Vanessa and I along with our co-workers/friends, Katie and Garret, took an amazing journey 3 days ago into the heart of Korea, metaphysically speaking. Geographically we were in the North of Seoul, pretty close to the “oh so scary” border. To be honest, I don’t even know the name of the town but the destination was the Seoul International Zen Temple. The goal; to spend 24 hours living as the monks do.

It all began at the suggestion of our friend Katie. She told us one day as we were all sitting down to lunch in the school cafeteria that she was considering doing a temple stay. Temple stays are quite common around here and Vanessa had a few friends that had done one and found it an unique experience so we were game from the get go. Our other friend Garret was down too but the other 2 weren’t quite as hyped on the idea so they sat this one out. It’s certainly not for everyone.

To be honest, it wasn’t what I had expected. I thought we would be spending a few days doing some 30 minute meditation sessions here and there and maybe tending to a garden and just kind of touring the temple. I was not prepared for the 4 sets of 2 hour meditation, (especially not the 3 am one) or the 108 full body bows we ATTEMPTED to do. My legs are still hurting. None the less, it was an experience I will truly never forget. Here’s a quick run down of the our time at the temple.

Wed. 8:00 am. Met at Sub station to get to our destination by 10:30. (Public transportation will you get you anywhere, but not quickly)

10:45am. Arrived at Temple. Looks BEA Utiful. Got confusing instructions about what floor to go to but with some persistence, found the right person to talk with.

11:ish am. Changed into our hammertime pj uniforms and ate a surprisingly tasty vegetarian meal in the zen cafeteria.

Noonish Mountain hike with Zen Master and 2 other monks. Great view and hilarious monks. Off to a good start. Expected Mr. Miagi style serious monks and got a super smily, fun loving monk who laughed out loud and loudly at his own corny jokes Buddhisatva. Off to a very good start.

2:00 pm. Meditation round one. 50 minutes of contemplating this Hwan Du (Buddhist proverb);

“A student asked Venerable Master Yun Men, “Not even a thought has arisen, is there still a sin or not?” Master replied, “Mt. Sumeru!” When thought arises sin also arises. If not a thought arises there should be no kind of sin or error. But why did the master say that sin, that is error, is as big as Mt. Sumeru?”

When you think you have the answer, you probably don’t. If you do, then you will know but don’t talk to anyone about it! It’s the Buddhist way.

4:00 pm. Work time. Sweep the halls and rooms.

4:30 pm. Dinnertime comes early here! Same food as lunch pretty much. Tasty, but we Americans are a little spoiled with our variety methinks. Van is definitely fed up with the rice and weird veggies at this point. I have to admit, the fermented grass sprouts are a little to perky.

5:00 pm. Tea ceremony with Zen Master. This was quite nice. He gave us some very expensive tea from Taiwan and taught us the proper way to meditate and bow. A little awkward at first but fun all the same and just what we had come for.

6:00 pm. Evening Chants. The chanting hall was gorgeous. Traditional Korean Buddhism doesn’t focus on the statues but loves them as decorations. Zen Master wasn’t much into them but he seemed to appreciate traditions for what they are. This was the highlight of the trip for me. We got print outs of the chants for us to try to go along with it. I’m not sure how well we did with the words but the rhythm and melody was easy to keep up with and almost hypnotic. The monk leading the chants was no Liberaci but the sounds were so foreign and evocative, the experience was almost mystical. You almost couldn’t help but feel you were being transported to another time and place entirely. This for me was the true heart of Korea. Our little window into Zen. A little taste of Nirvana.

6:30 pm. Meditation round two. 2 and 1/2 hours more of focusing on the Hwan Du. My mind is extremely difficult to quite down I discovered.

9:00 pm. Break time.

9:20 pm. Lights out. Slept like a baby. Van, not so much.

Thurs. Morning

3:00 am. Rise and shine for the START of the day (in the middle of the night!) and prepare for round three.

3:20 am. Round 3 Meditation. Slightly shorter round this time. Still no answer has arisen for the Hwan Du though. Concentration was surprisingly good this time however. To be honest, I did a lot of looking around during the last couple meditation rounds. These monks are incredible. How they stay so still and so focused for so long is just beyond me. Clearly I’m not as Zen as I thought I was.

4:10 am. 108 Bows. Full body bows for about 20 minutes. Give that one a try sometime. I got to 66. I think I did the most of the 4 of us. These monks are not only in peak mental condition, they’re in incredible physical shape as well!

4:30 am. Morning Chants. Again, just mesmerizing.

5:00 Meditation round four. SERIOUSLY AGAIN!? I cheated this time around. Took our translation sheets for the chants with me this time just so I could have something new to think about. Say what you will about how un-monkish I was. I did it for the sake of my sanity.

5:50 am. Breakfast. Thank Buddha. Different mushrooms this time. Other than that, pretty much the same as yesterday’ lunch and dinner.

9:00 am. Optional meditation round five. Van and I opted out of that one. We were a little Zenned out at that point. Katie and Garret apparently had a little bit more they needed to meditate over I guess. Props to them for doing it. Buddha rewarded them for it too. They got to have cheesecake with the monks afterwards to celebrate the first day of Spring in the solar calendar.

10:30 am. One last tea time with Zen Master. Talked a little about Buddhism, if we want to join the community which is filled with many different religious types including Christians and told us we were more than welcome to email him to check our answers to the Hwan Du. Also, if we wanted to skype with him, he gives lectures Tuesdays and Thursdays. Coolest monk I’ve ever met. But thank goodness we went when we did and not last week. For some insane reason only understood by the monks, they didn’t sleep all last week, choosing to meditate in place of sleep. Seven and a half hours of meditation was more than enough meditating for me; I don’t think we would have been able to handle extra meditation and no sleep on top of everything else.

All in all, this was truly an experience of a lifetime. Van and I have seen a lot of the world and we’ve done some amazing things but this was definitely one of those rare moments in life that leaves you knowing the impact of it will far exceed the 24 hours we spent there. I have a new found respect for those shiny headed loonies up there in the mountains. Perhaps they aren’t as crazy as I always took them to be. I’ve always thought it was a bit of a cop out to run off into the hills and spend your days sitting on cushy little pillows thinking the time away, waiting for the chaos to pass. Now I feel that maybe Zen Master has it right. How can you still the chaos without, never having faced the chaos within?