A Wonderful Gift

When Zen Master Man Gong took a flower petal and wrote “The whole world is a single flower,” I’m not sure he understood how far-reaching those words would be, or if he ever intended them to reverberate throughout the world. But reverberate they did, and what was a simple but profound sentence for him became, for me and others, an embodied experience of interdependence and trust. When Zen Master Soeng Hyang called and asked me to be a part of the planning for the 2023 Whole World Is a Single Flower conference, of course I said yes, but with a big don’t-know about where that yes would take me.

The international planning team for the conference met every month, and every meeting started at 6 a.m. Kansas time. I would get online and say “good morning,” and the committee members in Asia would laugh, having already gone through their day and getting ready for the nighttime rest. We often would ask one another about the weather on each side of the world, curious about the lives and environments of the others. It is thoroughly wonderful to make good dharma friends from the other side of the planet, and there is wonder in working with global companions for a singular purpose—to create and implement a program that would draw us even closer and let our dharma light shine to the world.

The planning committee began meeting in July 2022. Zen Master Tan Wol was the head of our team, which also included Senior Dharma Teacher Carol Boudreau and me from the United States; Senior Dharma Teacher Avital Seebag and Jiri Hazlbauer JDPSN from Europe; Do Hwa Sunim from Malaysia; Moonsook Kim from Korea; Natalie Cheng from Hong Kong; and Beop Hwa Sunim at Musangsa Temple. Our first discussion was about whether to go ahead with the conference in 2023 or to wait another few years. Many expressed concern about the environmental issues of global traveling. COVID was waning, but still a concern. After consulting with the international teachers committee, it was decided that the needs of the sangha to be together in person outweighed the concerns, and so the planning team began working in earnest. Usually, the planning for a Whole World Is a Single Flower conference starts two years in advance, but now we had only fifteen months to put the conference together.

Soon we were plunged into discussions of the different accommodations available to everyone, the costs for each level of accommodation, the process for registration, and advertising for the conference. Money left over from the last conference was available for scholarships for Kwan Um School members and for monastics to attend, making the conference more affordable for everyone. So Young Lee at Providence Zen Center created a promotional video to build interest and enthusiasm.

The Korean planning team had an enormous task of providing lodging, food, and entertainment for everyone, and they worked with a travel agency in South Korea to help. Hotels had to be booked months in advance. Plans were made for visits to other temples, and arrangements made for those temples to provide meals. A small shop at Musangsa was provided to buy Buddhist items as well as t-shirts. During our stay at Musangsa, the team planned activities such as lantern making, hiking around the temple grounds, a day at the nearby spa, dancing, and a kido. Evening entertainment was planned as well—not just at Musangsa, but also during the conference at the Korean Cultural Training Institute and at Magoksa Temple. And, of course, it was important to make space for everyone to practice together. 

One of the first tasks for the international planning committee was to develop a theme for the conference. On a train coming home from Chicago with my husband that summer, I was talking freely about the conference and what shape it was taking. I talked about how our world is changing, and wondered how the Kwan Um School of Zen can rise up to meet those challenges while still bringing forth Zen Master Seung Sahn’s teaching and honoring our heritage. My husband piped up and said, “Why don’t you call it ‘Zen Traditions in an Ever-Changing World?’” That’s it! Who knew my husband, who doesn’t practice Zen, would have such good ideas about a Zen conference!

Do Hwa Sunim, Beop Hwa Sunim, Moonsook Kim, and I comprised the program committee for the conference, and our theme helped us to develop the sessions for the conference. Do Hwa Sunim and I had already discussed some of the subjects we thought would be good to include. When Beop Hwa Sunim and Moonsook joined us, they helped to elaborate on those ideas, and soon the conference began taking shape in earnest.

The overall arc of the conference was one of looking into the past and seeing what lessons it had for us in the future. We all felt strongly that we needed to reaffirm our commitment to the roots of our teaching. Zen Master Seung Sahn’s teaching was strong and clear. How do we bring that teaching into a new world? We decided that those lessons could be seen through the lens of how he brought that teaching to different countries and cultures that were so unlike his own. How did he adapt his teaching to each place? What skillful means did he use? We knew we wanted to take a look at that aspect of his teaching, and then perhaps the lessons there would help us move forward as a school. As we talked, it became apparent that there were already teachers and Zen centers doing innovative things to bring the dharma to others, and we reached out to those teachers to participate in our program. Lastly, the committee felt strongly that we should have small group discussions that would take advantage of group creativity in looking at our school and how we can help this changing world. We also felt that assigning these small groups randomly would help our global sangha to get to know one another better and allow sharing of how different regions of our sangha are spreading the dharma.

October 2023 came quickly, and I found myself on a flight to South Korea, a country that I’d heard so much about—the very ground upon which my spiritual ancestors walked. We stayed at the Golden Tulip Hotel for the first night in Korea. The next morning my husband and I went down to breakfast, and there we began to see all our global dharma family! Before we could even get our food from the buffet, there were hugs and enthusiastic greetings to all the people we’d only seen on Zoom, and others we hadn’t seen in months or years. Across the room, I could see old friends and new ones greeting each another. The glow of faces brought great happiness. As I sat down to eat, my husband leaned over and whispered, “There is so much love in this room!” Yes, there was.

The Korean planning team had chartered buses to take all of us from place to place, and it was the perfect way to get a glimpse of life in South Korea. South Korea is half the size of Kansas, where I live. Kansas has a population of 3 million while the population of South Korea is 52 million. My husband and I are used to spaciousness and an open sky, so we were amazed at the apartment buildings in the larger cities that seemed to extend into the sky, and we wondered what it would be like to live there in such close proximity to others. In the countryside, the mountains were still green and beautiful, and it seemed that we could be riding in the mountains of West Virginia or the Smoky Mountains. Rice paddies and gardens were everywhere, all seemingly cared for by hand.

Our first stop was at Hwagyesa Temple, where Zen Master Seung Sahn lived for many years. Here we were greeted by temple officials and treated to a feast of Korean food. Afterward, there was a big ceremony with many speeches given honoring our practice. Many gifts were exchanged, some so beautifully elaborate, including a calligraphy etched in wood, a painting to be hung on a temple wall. After the ceremony, the monks gave each one of us a small gift of a tiny ceramic moktak. We walked through the grounds admiring the buildings and Buddha statues, and, amid the natural beauty of this amazing place, a marble pagoda with etched calligraphy dedicated to Zen Master Seung Sahn.

There was an opening ceremony the first morning at Musangsa. After talks by some of the teachers, each of us introduced ourselves and said where we were from. The altar was alight with golden Buddhas, which matched the morning sun lighting the faces of those who spoke—Buddhas from the Czech Republic to Brazil, from the United States to Malaysia, from Germany to Israel.

Practice was held every morning, with a hundred voices chanting together and sitting in silence together. Tables that were shaded from the autumn sun by large tents provided a place for us to eat, hang out, share stories of our lives, meet new dharma friends, and bond. The meals were of traditional Korean food provided by the bosalnims—lay women who support the temple. The building that housed the kitchen was always buzzing with activity. These wonderful women also provided a small store so that we could purchase Buddhist items and souvenirs of our time there. They also helped everyone make lotus lanterns.

One day during our stay at Musangsa, we were treated to a daylong bus tour of the nearby temples, Gapsa, Shinwonsa, and Donghaksa. These are the three main temples on Gyeryongsan Mountain.

Shinwonsa sits to the south of the mountain. Before Musangsa was built in 2000, Shinwonsa provided accommodations for international students to sit Kyol Che. The early students told stories of no running water, squat toilets, little heat, no air conditioning, and little sleep. The married couples were separated. As I listened to these stories, gratitude appeared for the teachers in our school who had the grit to put up with a little discomfort so they could find their true selves and help those who came after.

Gapsa is one of the oldest temples in South Korea. Uisang (who wrote the “Song of Dharma Nature”) helped to enlarge this temple in 600 AD. We were treated to a wonderful lunch there and then a tour of the grounds. 

Donghaksa was the last temple we visited that day, and for me the most beautiful. The tree-lined path from the parking lot followed a small river up the mountainside. All along the walk were places to rest and enjoy the peacefulness where temple and nature came together. Donghaksa is now a nun’s temple, but during the late nineteenth century, Donghaksa was the teaching temple for Zen Master Kyong Ho, the great-grandteacher of Zen Master Seung Sahn. The place of his enlightenment is up the mountain behind Donghaksa. Many of us hiked up this steep mountain to find a well of silent, powerful energy. No one could speak as we looked out on the beauty of the surrounding mountains and paid silent homage to Kyong Ho’s presence there. 

My husband and I were awestruck by the artistry and long history of all the temples we visited. Zen Master Tan Wol explained that in Western countries, the churches have spires on top to reach toward God, but that in Asia, temple roofs have flared edges in order to be in harmony with nature. The intricate patterns on the walls are hand drawn by artists trained to decorate the temples. In many cases, the artists are all part of one family, and the tradition is carried down through the generations. We were told that the outside of one building at Musangsa took seven artists two months to decorate, the inside took 4 months—all by hand! As we passed through the gates of each temple, we placed our hands in hapchang and bowed as we entered and again when we left.

At the end of our lovely week at Musangsa, we traveled by bus to Magoksa Temple and from there walked a short distance to the Korean Cultural Training Institute where the conference was to be held. The institute is dedicated to promoting traditional Korean culture and Buddhist practice. The rooms were simple, with mats provided for sleeping. The food was traditional Korean fare with rice, vegetables, soups, and of course kimchi! The main building had many classrooms, rooms for tea ceremonies, and a lovely dharma room upstairs that we used for morning practice. The conference was held in the main hall. And here again, the staff of the Korean planning team excelled! From registration to all the technical details of microphones, recordings, Zoom, and lighting were all done so smoothly.

As with any event, there are always some problems, and our conference was no exception. On the last day at Musangsa, COVID began to appear, first with one person then another and another. By the time the conference was underway, more than twenty people were ill. Some of them were supposed to be presenters. In this situation, as in everything, the staff at Musangsa had a “just do it” mind. Those who were ill were sent back to Musangsa to isolate. The staff there provided their meals and saw to their needs. Sick people at the hotel close to Musangsa isolated there, and meals were brought to them. Everyone put their masks on, tried not to congregate too closely (especially at mealtimes), and the conference went on. The staff provided microphone covers that were changed between speakers. And if one of the speakers were ill, someone filled in for them so that there were no big changes to the program. As the time for the conference approached, I found myself letting go of any expectations or control I might have thought I had and just trusting that the creative spirit of our Buddha nature would take over. And that creative spirit manifested in such wonderful ways!

Our two-day conference was exceptionally uplifting. Zen Master Jok Um said in the opening ceremony at Hwagyesa that a plant cannot thrive and grow unless its roots are strong. The presentation of Zen Master Seung Sahn’s teaching at the conference made us all realize that the roots of the Kwan Um School of Zen are healthy and vigorous and can support the growth and changes that are already occurring. One of the participants in the conference commented that a plant also cannot thrive unless the leaves were green and growing. It was heartening to see the students step forward to bring their ideas of new ways to bring Zen Master Seung Sahn’s dharma to the world. Hearing what other Zen centers around the globe are doing to spread his teaching was inspiring, and the small group discussions and subsequent presentations were wonderful! So many good ideas sprang out of those discussions. The teachers participated in their own group so that the small groups consisted of Kwan Um sangha members. As the teachers listened, the members of the Kwan Um School of Zen shared what they liked about our school and our practice, what needs work, and then shared ideas for bringing our practice to the world at large.

The next morning, we got on the bus and headed to the beach for a few hours of rest and relaxation, and then on to Seoraksan National Park and the Delpino resort. The Delpino was lovely, with a Stonehenge replica on manicured grounds, an underground grocery, and even a Starbucks! My American sensibilities were finally satisfied. The next morning we went to Shinheungsa Temple. The path to the temple was lined with small shops and cafes, and after exploring the temple and trails, many of us found ourselves at the outdoor tables enjoying conversation and some tea. A cable car was available to take one to the top of the mountain. And some people hiked the trail to the top and entered Diamond Cave. Those who hiked up to the top were surprised by a monk chanting in the cave. They chanted the Great Dharani with him before making their way back down. At the entrance to Shinheungsa, we were awed by the large bronze Buddha. This Buddha stands fifteen meters tall and was built in the hope of the reunification of North and South Korea. Our group gathered and had our photograph taken there.

Finally, our time in Korea was coming to an end. We made our way back to Seoul, where the Korean planning team had booked hotel rooms near the area where we could buy Buddhist items. Many of us went to Mr. Kim’s shop to buy meditation pants and jackets. Mr. Kim has made many of the robes that we still use. He had a book with all the robes he had made for the Kwan Um students and teachers over the last few decades. He had made the long robes I received as a new dharma teacher in 2001. Much gratitude for Mr. Kim’s dedication to his craft and his contribution to our school!

I hadn’t realized how much our Buddhist practice is supported by the wider sangha until I came to Korea. Here, one strongly feels the spirit of Zen Master Seung Sahn and our spiritual ancestors. This spirit informs and upholds us in our meditation practice. There in the monasteries and countryside are our spiritual roots, where the men and women have all committed to the Buddha Way and shared it with the world. They are the pillars upon which we can continue to build. The Kwan Um School of Zen global sangha is the gift that Zen Master Seung Sahn gave us. The 2023 Whole World Is a Single Flower conference showed us just how wonderful a gift it is.