News and Photos
Korean Temple Spring Retreat
March and April, 2008
Did minds blossom like lotus flowers at the Spring Retreat?
Winter snows fell heavily, green grass grows deep.
Pohwa Sunim led members in the Spring Retreat at the Seoul Zen Center, located at beautiful Hwa Gye Temple (http://www.seoulzen.org/information.html). Hwa Gye Sa was built in 1522 by Zen Master Shin Wol. Members meditated for ten hours a day, hiked in the adjacent mountain park and visited nearby temples.
Kasa Night
October 14, 2007
French Embassy's La Maison Française
In the deep forest of ancient India, wisdom seekers meditated on the true meaning of life and death. To protect themselves from the bitter cold, they collected shrouds from the dead and sewed them into robes. This practice became a part of the Buddhist tradition known as Kasa, a symbol of enlightenment and compassion.
In this fast paced, material world, most of us would like to recover some heartfelt original truth. On Kasa Night, we celebrated meditation in its various forms, as a path to ancient wisdom and perfect compassion.
Zen Master Ven. Pohwa Sunim gave a special talk entitled: "The World Turning Word".
Zen Teacher Wisdom Moon gave an amazing Zen Drum performance that captivated the audience.
Roland and a friend painted the evening with delicate brush-strokes of French poetry.
A wonderful time was shared by all.
THE UTMOST ZEN EXPERIENCE
Annual Rocky Mountain retreat
Saturday 15- Saturday 22, September 2007
Turn inside out the whole Universe.
Swallow the rocky mountains with one mouth,
Vomit the starry blue sky through the sweat-poles of the Sun.
Say something that you are here
When even thunder-light can not peek in you.
Buddha's Birthday Celebration and Precepts Ceremony
Was held Sunday, May 20th, 2007; 11:00 am
at the Baltimore Zen Center
When Buddha said that he has never born nor gone, why do we celebrate his birthday? It is entertaining where there is no entertaining.
Also held was the 9th annual Precepts Ceremony. Congratulations to everyone who took the precepts!
When we take the Precepts, we receive a Kasa and become a Blue Mountain Sangha Member. As such, we become full members of our Zen community. The Kasa is a symbol of our freedom from life and death and of the great wisdom of Zen practice. If you want to take Precepts, please call Sunim at (703)608-0900 or E-mail to potomaczen@yahoo.com.