See with your heart

This is a famous temple site near the ancient Korean capital of Silla. One of my Dharma brothers lives nearby, and visits this site when opportunity presents. While it’s unquestionably beautiful, what draws him is the feeling of living energy. Sometime, far in the past, people practiced very sincerely and deeply here. And the echos [...]

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The Message of the Stone Statue (Dharma song)

The Message of the Stone Statue(돌 장승 우는 소식, here’s a practice version Message of the Stone Statue(Korean 20111023). The levels for the piano are a bit off, but you can get a good feel for the song.) There’s a chill in the air, when the frost comes, white flowers will cover the earth. Those who have [...]

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Korean Dharma Songs

Some of the earliest Buddhist songs in Korea were actually work songs, sung by farmers and their wives.  I’m sure that the work songs were present long before Buddhism came to Korea (circa 500 C.E.), but gradually they became examples of skillful means, as lyrics were created that reflected deep truths. Imagine how deeply input [...]

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Dharma Songs

Koreans love to sing, and so the members of our temple have taken a number of poems and verses by Daehaeng Sunim and turned them into Dharma songs. This Saturday and Sunday we’ll even be having a festival of Dharma songs at the King Sejong Cultural Center in downtown Seoul. If you already have tickets, be [...]

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