autumn leaves

chris, jun, and barb....."welcome to the happy cable car!"here we are inside the gondola of happinessapproaching the top of mt. polgangmountain ranges as far as the eye can see....guardians of naturescaling the mountain with great determination (actually i was just getting into position for a photoshoot!!there you have it!we came upon a soju and rice wine party! they are a dime a dozen up in the mountains on the weekends!this is a golf coursethey obviously didn't put a kickass nature guardian like this over on the mountain with the golf coursea temple nestled amongst the trees on the side of the mountain"when death comes
like the hungry bear in autumn;
when death comes and takes all the bright coins from his purse
to buy me, and snaps the purse shut;
when death comes
like the measles-pox;

when death comes
like an iceberg between the shoulder blades,

i want to step through the door full of curiosity, wondering:
what is it going to be like, that cottage of darkness?

and therefore i look upon everything
as a brotherhood and a sisterhood,
and i look upon time as no more than an idea,
and i consider eternity as another possibility,

and i think of each life as a flower, as common
as a field daisy, and as singular,

and each name a comfortable music in the mouth
tending as all music does, toward silence,

and each body a lion of courage, and something
precious to the earth.

when it's over, i want to say: all my life
i was a bride married to amazement.
i was the bridegroom, taking the world into my arms.

when it is over, i don't want to wonder
if i have made of my life something particular, and real.
i don't want to find myself sighing and frightened,
or full of argument.

i don't want to end up simply having visited this world."

-mary oliver "when death comes"

november: body/mind awareness month

that is my declaration! my body is crying out for regular, consistent attention. what i have given her in the last two and half months has been sporadic. the ice cream bar phase was a low point! however, now someone has mowed down the sunflower fields (a dreadful sight) and the gate is shut and locked, so i've temporarily lost access to the nature sanctuary in the middle of the city that i had come to spend a great deal of time in.....but i can still hike all over the campus.yesterday, i received my first korean acupuncture treatment. "oriental medicine" is covered with my korean health insurance policy, so for 5000 won (about $5.50) i met with the doctor...he checked my pulse and asked me a few questions (my friend sandy's husband, yatren, was kind enough to translate for us)....then i received heat treatment (laying on a heated table) while at the same time getting needles in my feet and hands for about 45 minutes....then the doctor drew a little bit of blood from each of my fingers to release the pressure in my hands (it is believed that the hands hold the most pressure in all of the body)....then for 15 or 20 minutes i laid on a water-bed sort of thing that massaged the backside of my entire body with jets of water pressure (AMAZING!!! i could have stayed there forever...if it weren't for the florescent ceiling lights shining in my eyes)...after that, i was taken to a table where i laid down on my back and placed my ankles in a contraption that securely clamped down on them. it was clearly evident that i wasn't going anywhere! at that point i was a little anxious about what was going to happen to me next. i had a feeling it might be some sort of traction treatment....so i waited in slightly fearful but mostly curious suspense. the nurse pressed a button and the table began to violently shake to the point that my teeth were chattering! then the upper part of the table (underneath my torso) started to twist from side to side. immediately i shouted, "ANIEYO!!!" which means "NO!!!" it felt way too uncontrolled and actually hurt my low back a little, so that part of the treatment stopped and then the table slowly began to tilt so that my feet were in the air and my head near the ground (luckily i hung there sercurely due to the ankle clamps!). i hung in traction for god only knows how long. maybe 15 minutes.....i am not sure. i left my body for part of it!! it was my first experience with traction, so i was a little nervous. as i was hanging there, i remembered one of my high school teachers who had back problems telling me about his visits to the chiropractor for traction and that it felt amazing during the treatment but afterward he'd be flattened out on the floor for at least two days. great. that's just great. so needless to say, i was a little worried, but also sincerely hoping that this form of treatment would have a positive effect on my back, as i know it can for some. well, after i was brought back to a horizontal position, i slowly got up.....i realized i could still stand up and walk....and i felt like i have not felt in years....i felt light as a feather....my spine felt spacious and long....and there was no pain. (this photograph is a mild, peaceful version of what i experienced hanging upside down, shaking in midair!)after my session, sandy, her baby (ananda) and i took a bus to the yoga center that she and her husband own. we arrived just in time for the 5:30pm yoga class, so i joined in. i rolled out a yoga mat and took a seat upon it....i felt myself drop into a very familiar and beautiful state....i breathed a deep sigh and knew amidst the soft lighting and serene, equanimous surroundings that november was to be the month that i establish a healthy routine that fosters body/mind wellbeing and balance. the survival part of my journey of settling into living here in korea has passed, i now have everything i NEED and know the ropes so i can begin to seek out routine wellness activities and sangha. i'm signing up for a membership at the yoga center. i find it very, very, very difficult to cultivate a daily yoga practice on my own....but if there are classes i can attend, i will show up every single day. i think it's the part about community (the sangha) that i love and that i miss when i'm on my own day after day.....i love to do yoga and meditate in the company of others. the buddha (awakened state), the dharma (teachings) and the sangha (community)....the three jewels or refuges within buddhism.tonight after a full and boisterous day with the children in goryeong (my 6th grade class gave me a breakdancing performance and horsetail instrument recital! the action never stops!), i went straight to another doctor's office. there's a physical therapy clinic two minutes walk from my apartment. after i checked in and paid 3700 won ($4), i laid on hot packs for about half an hour which was utter bliss as i felt the tension of the day drain out of my body.....after the heat therapy i received electrical nerve stimulation for about 15 minutes, which is a type of therapy where electrodes are applied to a particular area of the body and a mild electrical current is sent to specific nerves...it also helps the muscles relax. after that i felt like a limp noodle! the doctor then worked on me for about 45 minutes. he is trained in many modalities, but my favorite is myofascial release, which is sustained, gentle pressure that allows the soft tissue to release and return to a normal, relaxed state. the time he spends on a patient is anywhere from 10 - 45 minutes, depending on how busy it is, or what he feels like i suppose! after my first visit several weeks ago, he went out and bought english study books so that he could more effectively communicate with us wayguks (foreigners). since then, i have spread the word about his office to many of the foreign professors and a few of them have already become regulars. he is thrilled and will be getting lots of english practice! on my walk home tonight after the appointment, i felt elated....and so blessed to have such a wealth of healing resources so close to my new home....

the fourteen mindfulness trainings

the mindfulness trainings were enumerated by thich nhat hanh in 1966. they expand on the traditional buddhist precepts, serving as a guide for political and social action.

1. do not be bound to any doctrine, theory or ideology, even buddhist ones. buddhist systems of thought are guiding means, they are not absolute truth.

2. do not think the knowledge you presently possess is changeless, absolute truth. avoid being narrow-minded and bound to present views. learn and practice nonattachment from views in order to be open to receive others' viewpoints. truth is to be found in life and not merely in conceptual knowledge. be ready to learn throughout your entire life and to observe reality in yourself and in the world at all times.

3. do not force others, including children, by any means whatsoever, to adopt your views, whether by authority, threat, money, propaganda, or even education. however, through compassionate dialogue, help others renounce fanaticism and narrowness.

4. do not avoid contact with suffering or close your eyes before suffering. do not lose awareness of the existence of suffering in the life of the world. find ways to be with those who are suffering. by such means, awaken yourself and others to the reality of suffering in the world.
















5. do not take as the aim of your life fame, profit, or wealth. live simply and share time, energy, and material resources with those who are in need.

6. do not maintain anger or hatred. learn to penetrate and transform them when they are still seeds in your consciousness. as soon as they arise, turn your attention to your breath in order to see and understand the nature of your anger and hatred and the nature of the persons who have caused your anger and hatred.

7. do not lose yourself in dispersion and in your surroundings. practice mindful breathing to come back to what is happening in the present moment. be in touch with what is wondrous, refreshing, and healing both inside you and around you. plant seeds of joy, peace, and understanding in yourself in order to facilitate the work of transformation in the depths of your consciousness.
8. do not utter words that can create discord and cause community to break. make every effort to reconcile and resolve all conflicts, however small.

9. do not say untruthful things for the sake of personal interest or to impress people. do not utter words that cause division and hatred. do not spread news that you do not know to be certain. do not criticize or condemn things of which you are not sure. always speak truthfully and constructively. have the courage to speak out about situations of injustice, even when doing so may threaten your own safety.

10. do not use the buddhist community for personal gain or profit or to transform your community into a political party. a religious community, however, should take a clear stand against oppression and injustice and should strive to change the situation without engaging in partisan conflicts.

11. do not live with a vocation that is harmful to humans and nature. do not invest in companies that deprive others of their chance to live. select a vocation that helps you realize your ideal of compassion.

12. do not kill. do not let others kill. find whatever means possible to protect life and prevent war.

13. possess nothing that should belong to others. respect the property of others, but prevent others from profiting from human suffering or the suffering of other species on earth.

14. do not mistreat your body. learn to handle it with respect. preserve vital energies for the realization of the way.
-the fourteen mindfulness trainings can be found in the book: "learning true love: practicing buddhism in a time of war" by sister chang khong (2007) - this excerpt can also be found in the september 2007 issue of "shambhala sun" magazine

"prayer beads dangling
a harvest moon prayer....
mountain home."
~issa

night sky over hwaeom temple on jiri mountain - oct. 19, 2007

prospective immigrants please note

"either you will
go through this door
or you will not go through.

if you go through
there is always the risk
of remembering your name.

things look at you doubly
and you must look back
and let them happen.

if you do not go through
it is possible
to live worthily

to maintain your attitudes
to hold your position
to die bravely

but much will blind you,
much will evade you,
at what cost who knows?

the door itself
makes no promises.
It is only a door."

by: adrienne rich

october 20, 2007: hwaeomsa spiritual music ritual: "on the path"

1500 people eagerly awaiting the concert ritual to begin! bundled up in hats and scarves to keep warm on such a cold and blustery autumn afternoon....sarah, chris, dr. lee and taeokbased on my personal experience and understanding of this ritual, i would describe it as being a collective prayer for the awakening of all beings....a reminder of the truth....that each and every person has the capacity to awaken their innate buddha (awakened/conscious) nature, bringing freedom and liberation from suffering and delusion. i felt this ritual also served as warm tea and bread for the journey....strengthening and deepening one's passion for and devotion to the bodhisattva path.
the ritual began with the monks processing in to the sweet sound of the wooden bamboo flute.once the monks were gathered in the common area, they began chanting the prajnaparamita sutra....as the hwaeomsa ritual program describes: "this sutra illuminates the path to guide us from a world of illusion to that of enlightenment, from a world of discrimination to that of equality....it sounds like a bell to awaken us to the wisdom of emptiness, as there is nothing certain in this world, there is nothing to be hidden in the mind."and as if it were perfectly choreographed, a flock of birds began to circle in the sky above us....

after the chanting of the sutra, some monks began drumming. "as if responding to the sutra, the drum, played in motions of the shape of a heart, expresses desire to return to the original state of the mind...spreading the sound, the teachings of buddha, even to the souls of wild beasts. the wooden fish creates music, sending us a message to make constant effort without rest, just like the fish sleeping without closing their eyes. the cloud shaped panel is struck to comfort even the birds in the sky. the echo of the bell spreads far out into the valleys and villages awakening the souls from deep slumbers."

"songs for embarking on the path: the three women who perform in this ritual, dechen shak-dagsay, joanne shenandoah, and jennifer berezan sing of their departure to be on the path. having lost the land of their ancestors and a temple to pray in, they set forth on a journey to find the meaning of their existence. they found music along the way. their songs resemble the voices of the advanced masters who brought enlightenment and inspired others to embrace the truth and walk the bodhisattva path." (quotations taken from the ritual program)"dechen is from the high mountains of tibet...she left her homeland in childhood after her father's temple was set on fire (chinese occupation - 1959). she sings of the wisdom of the water. "may the memory of wounds burning like fire from life's journey be washed away and may you discover the truth that is as endless as the ocean.""joanne shenandoah, her tribe had their own name 'iroquois' taken away, and now live under unwanted protection with the name 'native american indian.' she sings of the wisdom of the wind. 'life's conditions may be limiting, but let us, like the wind, rise freely above all boundaries and awaken to the never-ending universe....'"sage smoke rising in the air.....joanne singing "the prophecy."
"we are now reminded to be aware of our place upon this earth and to fulfill our obligations to ourselves, our families, nations, the natural world, and to the creator. the words say we are to awaken, stand up, be counted....for we are being recognized in the spirit world." (from: "the prophecy")

"jennifer berezan....her songs awaken the divinity in temples, lying in the depths of caves, the barren desert and deep within the human body...she sings of the practice of the way of the bodhisattva. 'whenever you may be in pain, there is a being who will come running to you with flowers to dry your tears. so may you further dedicate yourself to the task of saving yourself, others, and the world....'"the sounding of the bell.....awaken.....awaken.....awakenjennifer singing "she carries me:"
"....a thousand arms, a thousand eyes, a thousand ears to hear my cries.
she is the gate, she is the door, she leads me through and back once more.
when day has dawned and death is nigh, she'll carry me to the other side.
she carries me, she carries me, she carries me to the other side.
she is the first, she is the last, she is the future and the past.
mother of all, of earth and sky, she carries me to the other side."

"om tara tuttare ture soha"

"in search of the sound of origin: emptiness of the mind drives one to set out on the path. the sound of elder cho soon ae embodies that emptiness at the source. her music precedes language, the sound of instinct and love, prayer for the wellbeing of the living and the dead, indifferent yet passionate like reverberations rising out of the earth. elder cho's music takes us to a place at the very depth of source, where prayers and souls grow, thus telling us to get in touch with our own divinity."


manish vyas

chium park - singing "nimegero"the head monk shared some closing wordspost ritual tea party in the temple yard....reminded me of the part i used to love most about church - the "fellowship" time with snacks after the service! we all gathered and sipped many different wonderful kinds of tea and had our fill of brilliantly colored rice cakes and kimbap (veggie sushi rolls). jungmyung led about 100 of us, including some western reporters for "the voice of america" (who just happened to be at the temple that day) in a spiral dance!! it was another one of those "pinch me, i must be dreaming" moments!lotus blossom tea.....delicate and divine!
may all beings be free from suffering.
may all beings be peaceful.
may all beings live with ease.

for more information on the performers and ritual:
jennifer berezan: http://www.edgeofwonder.com
joanne shenandoah: http://www.joanneshenandoah.com
dechen: http://www.dechen-shak.com
manish vyas: http://www.manishvyas.com
the hwaeom spiritual music ritual website: http://www.hwaeom.org