Tis the Season!
Time for some damage control on my blog. What a naughty boy I've been. Let's hope Santa still shows up to our apartment! The holiday cheer isn't quite as noticeable here as it is in the US, but it's still around. There are a large number of Christians in Korea, and many people seem to celebrate Christmas (at least, most of the students at our school). There are decorations on major buildings and department stores, but not so much in other places. The director of our school told us there will be a Christmas tree that we can decorate, so that should be fun. About a month ago I was rummaging around the apartment and came across a long rectangular box which contained a small Christmas tree (fake, of course) crammed inside. I thought, "Ooooh cool!" and threw it aside. Just a few days ago I came across it again and also found another, bigger box which had two more trees and a bunch of other Christmas decorations. I guess they have accumulated from teachers of years past. So I spent an hour or so setting up the little trees, wrapping them in tinsel and lights, and hanging ornaments.
Our sweet Christmas setup.
Director's Wedding
All of the teachers at our school were invited to our director's wedding so we gladly obliged. Betty (our director) asked me if I would dance in front of everyone while Danni (another English teacher from the States) sang the Beatles song, "I Will." I said I would, but she made me promise. She even called our apartment the night before to make sure I was still going to dance. Then I asked how many people would be there and she said, "Maybe... 200?" Okaaaaaay. Anyway, all the foreign teachers assembled and we went downtown together to a large building called Novotel, which is essentially designed for weddings. There are many different wedding halls and smaller rooms and basically weddings just happen non-stop all day. Even while Betty's wedding was going on there were people walking around, talking, and standing around in the back waiting for the next wedding. Danni sang, and I danced in front of the large gathering of people. Everyone seemed to enjoy it and I was later thanked many times by Betty and her husband. After the Western-style wedding, the bride and groom changed into the traditional dress called "hanbok" and had a very small private ceremony with their parents. It was a fun experience and we were honored to have been invited.
Betty, the director of my school. What a beautiful bride!
Buddhist Temple Stay
Initially, I had a lot to say about my temple stay and I kept putting off a blog post because I just couldn't figure out what to say. When I got home the day after my mind was bursting with thoughts so I poured out about 6 pages into my journal. I'll just give a very brief synopsis here. I went with two other foreigners I know to a temple called Haeinsa, which is one of the largest and most well known in Korea. Haeinsa Temple is also about 1200 years old. An important distinction to note is that a temple is not a single building as I had thought, but it is better to think of it simply as a place designated for a special purpose. When you picture the temple, you might imagine a very secluded place, which it is. However, it is easy to reach and it is a popular destination among locals and foreigners. Haeinsa is only about an hour and a half from Daegu by bus. We arrived and checked in with the templestay program office. We were given some traditional clothes and shown to our rooms where we met the other people doing the templestay program (all foreigners save one Korean woman). The main purpose of the temple stay is to experience the life of a Buddhist monk. I wanted an authentic experience and a glimpse into the surprisingly hard life that these monks lead. I didn't want a tourist adaptation, though I figured it would be hard to find an expereince like that without actually becoming a monk myself. We were given a bit of free time before meeting with a few monks who run the program. We were lucky to have one monk who spoke fluent English as he had lived in the States for high school and college. One of the first things they asked us was whether anyone had a problem bowing to a statue of Buddha (none of us did). They explained that when you are bowing, you are not bowing to a person or a diety. Buddha represents the universe; everything, nothing, and yourself. So in essence you are bowing to the universe and everything that "is or was." They let that sink in for a few seconds.
We did a tour of the temple grounds and we were free to ask questions. We went to see the Tripitaka Koreana, which is on the UNESCO World Heritage List. It is a collection of over 80,000 wooden blocks onto which were carved the complete Buddhist teachings in Chinese characters. There are no known errors in over 52 million characters. The collection has survived numerous fires (including one that literally burned the rest of the temple to the ground) and was narrowly avoided being bombed during the Japanese invasions. A pilot remembered that the collection was housed there and refused a direct order to bomb the temple. After seeing the Tripitaka Koreana we went to eat dinner where we weren't allowed to speak. When eating you are supposed to reflect and meditate. The meals were simple: rice, kimchi, bean sprouts, some soup with rice cakes and mushrooms. Everything that they eat is organic and is quite healthy. After dinner we met with our tour guide for discussion. He told us about Buddhism in general, and we tried to grasp the concepts as we sipped on tea. The basic goal of Buddhism is to end suffering and attain enlightenment. The way to do this is to cut oneself off from wordly desires which cause suffering. Our host also told us stories of famous zen masters. Like one man who didn't lie down for 8 years; he would meditate instead of sleeping. Our host told us that there was a scientific study done to examine the brain waves when meditating. Apparently, brain wave patterns when meditating are almost identical to those of a person in deep/REM sleep. Or another zen master who had such control over his body that he would drink buckets of alcohol during his speeches and it wouldn't effect him.
We were allowed to ask questions and he gladly answered all of them, no matter how personal (one of the precepts of Buddhism is that you cannot lie). Below are some of the questions we asked and very brief answers (we talked for about 2 hours, so I won't go into too much depth).
- Why do monks shave their heads? -- He said it is kind of a way to remind yourself what you are doing. "Hey, I'm a monk!" He was a really funny guy with a great attitude about everything, and he truly wanted to share it all with us. He more seriously mentioned that hair is like "the grass of delusion" and that it's refreshing to shave it off.
- When monks reach enlightenment, what do they do? Do they have to prove it to a higher monk? Do they get a medallion (e.g. Ace Ventura 2!)? -- I felt silly asking this question but I was really curious. He said that you have to prove to a zen master what you know, how you perceieve the universe, etc. He said a very basic question would be, "What is Buddha?" If you answer too quickly, the zen master will hit you with a stick. If you don't say anything, the zen master will hit you with a stick. Presumably you will give the kind of answer that I have no way of understanding or even imagining. Apparently you also get some kind of ankh.
- Why did you become a monk? -- Our host told us about his life in great detail. It was very powerful and he didn't hold anything back. When he was in college in the US, he was in a horrible car accident with 4 friends and they were all lucky to be alive. He had lots of pain, physically and emotionally, and he first began to have questions about life and death. Eventually he came back to Korea and started his life as a monk (very short version).
- Do you miss things from before you became a monk? -- He said that sometimes he misses just sitting around with his friends, drinking and talking. As a Buddhist you learn that "nothing is real" (another one of those hard-to-grasp concepts) and so it doesn't really affect him.
- Is it common for monks to give up their practice and start families? -- He said that many people do quit the life of a monk and go start families. They still practice Buddhism, like many other people, but they are no longer monks who adhere to a strict set of rules.
- What are the rules that monks must live by? -- He explained to us the most important and most strictly followed precepts:
- refrain from taking life (of sentient life forms)
- refrain from taking that which is not given
- refrain from sex
- refrain from lying
- refrain from intoxicants (alcohol and drugs)
After our tea session, we went to bed at about 9:30. We slept on the floor with a simple mattress, pillow, and quilt. We woke up at 3:00 and got ready to go. It was freezing cold outside and that day was the first snow of the year. It didn't really stick but flakes were falling. We went to the morning drum ceremony which was held outside. I was surprised to see lots of other people there from nearby towns that had made the journey for the early morning service. After the drumming we went inside the main temple and bowed while people sang some mantras. It was very relaxing as we sat there meditating. I would have liked to stay for awhile longer but we left to move on. Our next experience was the 108 bows of repentance. These weren't simple half bows from a standing position. You start standing, then squat down, kneel forward with your hands and head on the ground, then stand back up. I didn't count because I thought that would only make it worse, but I think it took about 20 minutes. It was very hard work and we were all hot and tired by the end. We were told that each bow represents one of the distractions in life from which suffering stems. Bows are also used as a form of punishment. Our host told us that once he and 6 other freshman monks were in town and two of them ordered chicken which goes against one of the precepts of not eating meat (killing a sentient being). Some of the administration found out and kicked them all out of the temple. But they asked to stay and were instead given a punishment of 3000 bows a day for 7 days straight... some of them dropped out because they couldn't finish the week.
Immediately after our bows, we faced the wall and meditated for 50 minutes. It was the first time I had ever done any kind of serious medtation for any amount of time, and it was a very interesting experience. They told us some tips for meditating but of course we were such novices that they didn't really work. The goal of meditating is to clear your mind of thoughts and have literally no thoughts (and thinking "I'm not thinking" counts as a thought!). I have so much trouble comprehending this. I feel like if you reach this state then you would just be brian dead. How would you be able to snap back out of it if you don't have any thoughts? Another one of the deep mysteries that I can't unfold unless I spend a significant amount of time meditating and studying Buddhism. Anyway, the meditation was a good experience. It was a very personal experience as all I had was my own mind. I explored my life, past and present, and contemplated what directions my future would take. It went well for awhile, until I started to get uncomfortable and it was hard to concentrate. I'm not very flexible and sitting on a mat cross-legged for so long started to hurt my legs and back. Then it was so bad that I couldn't drift back into my mind and all I could focus on was being uncomfortable. But soon it ended and we got up to walk around for a few minutes and stretch. We learned that many monks go on long retreats for meditation. Our guide told about the 90-day retreat where you meditate for 12 hours every day! Halfway through the retreat, they meditate for a week straight-- 24 hours a day for 7 days, pausing only for a few minutes to eat.
After our own meditation we sat in a circle and reflected on our experiences with the group. We shared our thoughts of Haeinsa and our experiences. It was interesting to hear other peoples opinions. Finally, we made some prayer beads and learned a simple mantra: "kwan se um bosal," which means, "Perceiving the sounds of the universe." After that, we took a group picture and all parted ways. I explored the temple for a bit before reuniting with my Daegu compatriots and we headed home.
My temple stay experience was very much what I had expected and what I had hoped for. The program is intended to truly give you a good idea of what the daily life of a Buddhist monk consists of. Our stay was only one night, but there are also three and seven day stays. You can also do longer retreats which cost more money. There is more that I have to say, but I have already dragged on enough. Overall, I thought it was an excellent experience and I highly recommend it to everyone.
One area of Haeinsa Temple.
A 25-year monk helping me tie off the prayer beads.
The main prayer hall.
New Friends
The same weekend I did my templestay, our new co-workers arrived. Max and Jeremy came together from Atlanta to replace our friends Timber and Alison, who finished their year contracts. It's nice to have some guys my age around the office (no offense ladies!) as I was the only male staff member before they arrived. Two other new guys named John and Brendan also arrived to work at the other branch of our school. Along with them, I've constantly been meeting new people and making connections. Most of the people I meet here are foreigners, and all of them are also teachers. We usually meet through mutual friends or at expat/foreigner bars downtown. Before I arrived, I imagined myself meeting many Koreans, but without a shared language, it's much harder than I expected. I have been taking Korean lessons and I'm learning new phrases and words all the time, but I'm nowhere near being able to have a real conversation.
We Give Thanks Here Too!
I have some friends with a very large and awesome apartment. Luckily they happened to be having Thanksgiving at their house and inviting many people! It was a potluck so everyone had to bring something. I said I would bring desserts. Where to find American-style Thanksgiving desserts? COSTCO! Yes, there is a Costco right here in Daegu. Some others were planning on going to look for other things so I tagged along. I ended up getting my own membership for about 30 bucks. We ate at the foodcourt and it was so amazing to have HUGE slices of pizza and a real cesear salad. The Costco here mostly has what you would expect to find-- except Cheez-its. Very angry that they didn't have my three pound box of Cheez-its. Anyway, I looked around and found a pumpkin pie cheese cake and a huge apple pie. The real pumpkin pies had already been taken. But I took them and they were very good. There were tons of people there and a general good time was had all around! Everyone was too full after dinner though to eat much dessert. Lucky for the hosts who got all the leftovers! Most of us turned in early because we were going skiing the next morning.
Getting in line for the feast!
A happy camper.
Hitting the Slopes
The morning after our Thanksgiving dinner, I got up at about 3am to get ready to go skiing. A bunch of us had signed up through a tour company. They were giving a discount because it was the first trip of the season. So I got up and went down to where the bus picked me up just after 4am. I was one of the first stops so I got a good seat in the back. More friends got on later and we more or less filled up the back of the bus. The ride was about four hours to High One Resort. We stopped at the snow shop to pick up our rentals and then on to the bottom of the mountain.... Only, where was the snow? Actually, is that rain?! Since it was still early in the season there wasn't much snow on the ground, and at lower altitudes it was a bit rainy. Though lower down it was rainy, at the very top of the mountain the snow was falling hard and thick. Snow machines were also going on the mountain. Anyway, we geared up and hit the slopes. To my best recollection, it had been about 6 years or so since I had last gone skiing, but I picked it back up straight away and was cruising around in no time. We had a fun day of it and then hopped back on the bus around 5:00 to head home. A long day indeed. It was a Sunday, so the next day at work was a bit rough. Sore and tired.
But the snow fun isn't over yet! The very next weekend we had planned another ski trip for our friend Bruce's 30th birthday. Bruce planned and booked everything himself so we had our own private bus this time. We all met downtown on Friday night and got on our private bus at about 11:30 (some people don't finish work until about 11pm!). What a crazy bus ride it was. Plenty of beer and singing (the bus had it's own karaoke machine)! We arrived to Phoenix Park Resort at about 4am and checked into our hostel. We walked into our rooms and opened the blinds and were amazed. What a location! We were literally right at the foot of the mountain. The slopes were right there and people were actually skiing at four in the morning. I guess the park is open all night. We went to sleep and woke up around nine. Got our ski lift tickets, skis, snow suit and headed out to enjoy the day. Here it was much colder and windier. I had to buy some goggles and a face mask to stem the frosty attacks. It was cloudy most of the day but it was still fun. Our lift tickets stopped around 4 so we headed in to warm up and regroup. Some people had found a Dominoes Pizza so we headed over there, ordered a bunch of pizzas, got some beer and went next door to the bowling alley! We bowled a few games and then headed back to the rooms. We hung out there for a bit before some people went out to look for a bar. I went to sleep so I would feel refreshed in the morning. The next day was absolutely gorgeous. Not a cloud in the sky and almost no wind. It seemed like a new mountain! Some of us went to the buffet for breakfast and had an amazing meal to start the day. Another fabulous day of skiing on Sunday and then we all boarded the bus back to Daegu.
The lizard ski suit I rented.
The crowded runs.
View from the gondola.
View from the top.
Palgongsan Mountain
Last Sunday I went with a few friends up to a big mountain about an hour outside of Daegu. There are tons of hiking trails and temples. What it's most famous for are the giant stone Buddha statues. We went to see one of them, which was probably about 50 feet tall or higher. Quite amazing and I hope to go back to Palgongsan to see more of the temples and the other statue at the peak of the mountain.
Walk to the giant Buddha.
Max bowing to the giant Buddha.
Well that just about catches me up to now. If you are still reading this then congratulations! Don't forget to check out my Picasa photo album, which has even more pictures! Bookmark it!
http://picasaweb.google.com/evan.richards/EvanInKorea
