#haengja

Some Other Burning - THIRTEEN

I felt something in my throat in the morning and it only worsened. By the afternoon I could hardly speak, but I felt alright. I got a packet of Korean medicine and a turtleneck from one of the monks. Sometimes they were very motherly. The day was made of scenarios to endure. There were a few random moments, too small to be recorded. What I would need stop–motion cameras, some engineering…

Some Other Burning - TEN

In the kyoyuk anything could be reason enough to admonish us. More than likely we’d be doing extra prostrations at night because of it. The constant pressure and my poor abilities with the Korean language caused a lot of tension. I got in trouble a lot because I didn’t know what anyone was saying. I tried to relax and ease through the situations as if I were a human being, to operate as if the…

Some Other Burning - FIVE

As difficult as it was to study at Hwagyesa, at Musangsa it was even more difficult. We had a full schedule of work and weren’t allowed to be seen in public with a book. The only time we could sneak a few minutes was after lunch, when we were dog tired, and why were we sneaking? Part of the requirement for ordaining in the Chogye order was learning the Korean language. The problem was, if you…

Some Other Burning - THREE

After kyol–che I shaved my head and accepted my fate. I wore brown robes, again. Because it was the second time, and I was nearly 50, the Zen master pushed me to Hwagyesa in Seoul. It was wonderful to return there to live after all the years. I’d visited a few times since I’d been a haengja, but not as part of the tribe. I loved all of the new people. It was a thriving, busy place still dark…