10/6

At The World Is A Single Flower celebration, DSSN receives an enthusiastic standing ovation when he enters the Meditation Hall at Musangsa (the new international Zen center on Kye Ryong Sahn Mountain, 100 miles south of Seoul). There are 36 of us from the United States, Canada, France, and Germany, plus representatives from the Hong Kong and Singapore sanghas. Standing in front of me is an old friend of DSSN’s, Rinzai Zen Master Noritake Kotoku, who has temples in Osaka and Kyoto. 

When it is time for the Zen masters’ and JDPSNs’ traditional responses, ZMWK says, “From the top of National Teacher’s Peak, the view is wide and open. Nevertheless, on the path down, you still have to watch your step. That is our life.” ZM Wu Bong tells a story about a rabbi and his student: As they are running from a fierce dog the student reminds the rabbi that he had told him not be afraid of anything. “Yes, that’s true,” says the rabbi, “but this dog hasn’t read our book!” Dennis Duermeier, JDPSN, steps forward and thumps his chest, then offers his heart to us: Same or different?

After the ceremony we are entertained by magnificent performers: An accomplished musician plays on a 24-stringed kayagnum. Then with equal skill, a singer presents an example of pansori, a distinct style of Korean opera. Next, a dancer who carries a changgo, the traditional hourglass drum, dances and drums with great vigor, constantly changing the rhythm. When a band of drummers accompany a flutist, ZMWK nods in time to the beat. That evening, attired in suits, collars and ties, we attend a banquet. While waiting to be served, the nuns have fun making witches’ hats for their bald pates with the red napkins.

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