Blog Profile / Wake Up and Laugh!
| URL : | http://wakeupandlaugh.wordpress.com/ | |
|---|---|---|
| Filed Under: | Religion / Buddhism | |
| Posts on Regator: | 162 | |
| Posts / Week: | 1.2 | |
| Archived Since: | November 5, 2010 | |
Blog Post Archive
Rest Deeply
Here’s a letter from Michael, a very nice practitioner from Australia. Greetings to you all I have noticed a bit of a gap in recent postings, the last being Feb13. I have been a student of Chong Go Sunim for about two or so years (I think) and have thoroughly enjoyed and learnt from the [...]
Daegu Hanmaum
On Saturday, I finally decided to pay a visit to the Hanmaum centre in Daegu. Standing along one of Daegu’s main streams, in the southern part of the city, I’d passed it dozens of times, going from one place to another, but never finding away to stop by. As I mentioned in a post a [...]
An experiement with sitting meditation
Simon is a regular at my Saturday Dharma talk at the Buddhist English library of Seoul. Here’s his experience with trying to sit everyday for a year. While I enjoy sitting meditation, and feel that it is of benefit to me, I have found that making time in my daily life for sitting practice is [...]
The new year
Happy New Year, everyone! I hope it has found you all well. Things have been a bit hectic the last year, with us doing a lot of translation work, and trying to get a lot more done during the year. We now have several great new books and Dharma talks that have been translated, and [...]
your own Dharma Hall
“Within yourself you have your own Dharma Hall, which is always filled with light and where the Buddha is always present”. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ - (words slightly adapted from) Seon Master Daehaeng Sunim, No River to Cross, p.82 - picture of Kokubunji Pagoda, ???, Japan, by unknown artist
Tea and Dharma in Frankfurt
Tea and reading from the German edition of “My Heart is a Golden Buddha,” at the Frankfurt book fair.
Magok Temple
I recently returned from a stay near one of the oldest extent temples in Korea, Magok Sa. It’s near Kongju, in South Chung Chong Province, and if you’re nearby, be sure to stop in.
Continuing Education for Monks and Nuns
I recently returned from a new(ish) continuing education program that’s been instituted within the Jogye Order. They’re now offering nearly 50 3 day classes throughout the year, covering topics from managing temples to social welfare projects to counseling skills. Everyone’s now required to take one class a year, but I’ve taken two so far, and [...]
A prayer for Bangladesh
This weekend in southeastern Bangladesh Buddhist homes and temples were robbed and destroyed on a huge scale. Newspaper reports vary, some say four Buddist temples were burnt down, others put the figure at eleven. Some reports say 15 homes were torched, others say forty. The fact is, they came under a sustained attack from a huge [...]
Seoul: city of Dharma
Last week I re-visited Seoul and was struck, once again, by what a great place it is for anyone interested in Buddhism. In fact, in my opinion, it is the best, and certainly the most welcoming, place to go for anyone from the west who is interested in the Dharma but is limited to English-language only [...]
Two of a Kind
This photo always touches something deep inside me. I think there are many things that apply to both people here. In allowing her picture to be taken like this, I also suspect that Kun Sunim thought there was something very deep and special about Abraham Lincoln. It was taken around 1995 when our center near Washington [...]
The Spark
I’m currently working on the introduction for a collection of Dharma songs, but some of the songs are so beautiful and profound that it’s hard for me to know where to begin. Anything I write about them seems shallow by comparison. Sometimes all I can do is exhale and say “thank you.” At [...]
Unconditionally Letting Go
Some of you may be wondering what’s happened to me (or not!) but this is the time of year when we get ready for the Frankfurt book fair. Book contents have to be finished so that layouts and artwork have to be finished in August in order for everything to get to the printer’s in [...]
Building a New Dharma Hall
For the last several years, my Dharma brothers have been working on building a new Dharma Hall. I’m quite proud of them both because they’ve been doing such an incredible job, and because they’ve been waiting untill they have all of the money necessary before starting each phase. (No borrowing money!) It’s taken seven or [...]
Founder’s Alter
Temples in Korea will often have a “founder’s alter” on the left side of the Dharma Hall. Sometimes this to honor the founder of the temple, and sometimes it’s to honor a great teacher of the temple. In our case, it’s both. This is the alter that was installed a couple of days ago in our [...]
49th Day Memorial Service
This past Monday (July 9) was the 49th day memorial service for Daehaeng Kun Sunim. Traditionally, these services are to help the spirit of the dead move on, to help free them from what they may be caught up in. But for an awakened being, it is more truly a memorial service for those of us [...]
“I” is just a composite, and doesn’t actually exist
One of the very first Buddhist texts I read explained how the idea of “I” or “Me” is just a composite, just a shadow that arises from the interaction of the material world and our senses. It’s always changing, coming and going, and yet we can build up such desire, hope, and anger based upon [...]
You and I as One
Here’s another spectacular Dharma song that gives me goosebumps every time I hear it. (Click on the link below to listen to it being sung by our choir at the Dharma song festival last autumn.) You and I as One Even a small, ignored weed is also myself. There’s not a single thing that isn’t [...]
A Spiritual Biography of Daehaeng Kun Sunim
Although these are traditionally known as the Ox Herding Verses, I think they are also a fairly good spiritual biography of Daehaeng Kun Sunim. 1. Searching for the Ox On plains that stretch forward without end, pushing through the tall grass and brush, looking for the ox. Going here and there, following a nameless [...]
Herding the Ox (part 1)
Reblogged from Wake Up and Laugh!: The Ten Ox Herding verses describe the process of uncovering our inherent, enlightened Buddha-nature, represented here by the ox. Variations of these are popular throughout East Asia as a way of describing the spiritual path. This translation is from Daehaeng Kun Sunim’s Korean version. For Barry, at Ox Herding :-) [...]