Hospitality in Jungtosa and Getting Ready for Departure from Seoul

My last day in Seoul was a special day. It was Tuesday 29th July. Ven. Han Bo Kwang had invited Ven. Misan, Ven. Chongdok and me to visit his temple, Jungtosa, which is dedicated for Pure Land practices. At the time of our visit, the temple had begun 100,000 chanting of nembutsu (recitation of the name) of Amida Buddha of Western Paradise (sukhavati). When we arrived in Jungtosa, Ven. Bo Kwang, who is also the Director of Electronic Buddhist Text Institute (EBTI) and Professor of Department of Zen Studies with specialization of Dogen studies at Dongguk University, welcomed us and performed the traditional tea ceremony. Afterwards, we were invited for a special lunch offered on Lotus leaf with noodles made of Lotus. This was an extraordinary treat. As a Sri Lankan, I had heard that eating from Lotus leaf was very common in ancient Sri Lanka but had no previous experience of such a lunch. After lunch we returned to Dongguk University for Ven. Misan's lecture on Seon Meditation practice. I had a busy evening with farewell parties and meetings and receiving gifts. The patrons of Sangdo Meditation Center offered me a special cake, special music with Piano playing and a gift that reminds me of the search for bodhi.

Time to Say 'Good Bye' to Seoul

With long lasting memories, experiences and new friendships created over a one-month period, we left Seoul on 30th July at 11.15 a.m. by Finnair flight to Helsinki. We did not forget to record some of the things that we saw in the Incheon airport in Seoul. One could see the team is busy in negotiating packing issues and the things that want to buy at last minute. Duty Free shops still remain the temptation even after one-month of shopping in Seoul! Now we are safely back at home and plan to keep you informed of some of our memories in Seoul in the past month.

Dongguk University Students who Plan to Study at Bath Spa

Five undergraduate students from Dongguk University plan to study for a year at Bath Spa University in the Presessional Summer Programme and undergraduate programme in 2008-9. Today Bath Spa 'orange' team met Dongguk University students and had lunch together at the Italian Restaurant called 'Kitchen' located within the University premises. The Dongguk students who plan to travel to England this weekend are (i) Sung Il, (ii) Jung-ju, (iii) Kowa, (iv) Saehee, and (v) Ye Ji.

Visiting Chun-Ma Rehabilitation Center in Busan

From 25-27 July, I spent time in Busan. I was invited by Professor Soonil Hwang and his elder sister Ms. So Jin Hwang to visit Chun-Ma Rehabilitation Center which provides facilities for nearly 200 inmates with over 40 full-time staff. What is fascinating about this center is that the inmates are good at producing ceramics. All are participating in center's activities including the worship service at 7.45 am. I spend two nights in the center and was able to observe activities including taking one breakfast and lunch with the inmates. This center has its origin in 1960s. More can be obtained from http://www.chunmarc.com

Constructing the New Catalog for the Chinese Buddhist Canon

An international workshop sponsored by Institute of Electronic Buddhist Texts & Culture Content of Dongguk University was held today under the title of "Constructing the New Catalog for the Chinese Buddhist Canon." This workshop was attended by scholars from Taiwan, Korea, USA, Hungry and UK. The keynote speaker was Professor Lewis Lancaster of University of California and the guests were welcome by Professor Bokwang Sunim, Director of EBTI at Dongguk University.

Wednesday Rehearsal of Old Wounds

Again and again Seoul convinces me that as a modern city, it has become the ideal place for free expression. Of course, a bus load of police is guarding the protesters but perhaps it is for protesters' safety.

Today is Wednesday and I did not forget to visit the site of Japanese embassy in Seoul. We have less than seven days to stay in Seoul and witness the rich heritage.

My Wednesday witness was a rehearsal of old wounds in public as protests. It was the issue of comfort women. Protesters on one side and police surrounded the crowd on all sides. It was an impressive performance.

Distinguished Lectures at Dongguk University

Our stay in Seoul has been very productive. Within the last three weeks, in addition to our regular study programme, we had three special lectures by three distinguished international scholars. The Electronic Buddhist Texts & Culture Content / International Association for Buddhist Thought and Culture, BK21 Buddhist Studies in a Global Age sponsored the special lecture series.
(i) Professor Jens Braavig of Department of Cultural Studies and Oriental Languages of University of Oslo presented a paper on "Instruction to the Manuscripts of the Schoyen Collection" on 3 July 2008 and (ii) Professor Torkel Brekke of the same Department discussed a paper on "The Political Use of Buddhist Relics in Modern South Asia" on 2 July and (iii) Dr Peter Skilling of Ecole Française D'Extreme-Orient presented a paper on "The Life of the Buddha at Phanigiri in Andhra Pradesh" on 18 July.

Tuesday in Seoul

Tuesday began with an early waking up. I arrived at Dongguk University at 9 a.m. to meet the guest lecturer, Mr. Hwangbo Jin (MA student in Indian Philosophy and Current Affairs and Documentaries Dept. Organizer of Munhwa Broadcasting Corp.) who lectured on Confucianism for our students. We had lunch with Professor Sun-Keun Kim (Professor of Indian Philosophy and President of Korea Association for Buddhist Studies) who has written extensively on Mahatma Gandhi, including The Philosophical Thoughts of Mahatma Gandhi (Vikas Publishing). Afternoon was the time to meet to Dr. Hanrok Kang who lectured on "Comfort Women" of Korea during foreign occupation. Our team met briefly to plan the rest of the week. I had a friendly conversation and tea with Professor Hwang and Professor Lewis Lancaster, formerly University of California, Berkeley. I spent evening walking around Myeong-dong area and captured popular culture and music of modern Korea. Everyone is dressed well in a festive fashion.

Nationalism and Democracy in Seoul

Throughout history, Korea faced threats from her neighbours. Dongdaemun (Great East Gate) Park commemorates the national heroes. The prison in the park is a stark reminder of atrocities and memories of independence fighters. Even today, in the heart of Seoul, I witnessed a bold Korean expression of protest just beginning to get its shape before the arrival of riot Police in bus loads. Democracy is alive in this city!

Kasan Institute of Buddhist Culture and Nuns' Cafe

Since we arrived in Seoul on 30th June, we have been very busy. We visited many places and met many people who are interested in us. I have been late in reporting some of those important encounters and events. One of the first things that I did when I arrived in Seoul was meeting Ven. Dr. Misan Sunim. In the afternoon of 30th June, Professor Stephen F. Teiser (D.T. Suzuki Professor in Buddhist Studies, Princeton University, USA) who was teaching a summer course at Seoul National University, visited Sangdo Meditation Center and we were served tea by Misan Sunim in a traditional Buddhist manner. After visiting Sunim's temple, both of us were taken to Nuns' cafe located in another part of Seoul where we were served coffee by Buddhist nuns. This is a new development in modern Korean Buddhism to make Buddhism accessible to the public. The nuns' cafe is a very attractive place like the Sangdo Meditation Center. Both places are new. Misan Sunim invited both of us join him to visit Kasan Institute of Buddhist Culture on 2nd July 2008. This research institute is a very special place. It was founded in 1990 by His Holiness Jikwan Sunim, the current President of Jogye Order of Korean Buddhism. Its important research activity is compiling Kasan Encyclopedia of Buddhism. When we arrived at the Kasan Institute of Buddhist Culture we were welcome by the Venerable nun Go OK, the present Director of the institute. We were given a warm reception. We had a tour of the research library and brief meetings with Korean researchers who work there. Our day there ended with an exquisite lunch. As a research institute, I was fascinated to learn about its resources. To my surprise, I learnt that the late Professor Heinz Bechert of University of Gottingen in Germany, who had contributed immensely to the study of Theravada Buddhism, had donated his vast collection of Sinhala, Pali, Sanskrit and other library materials to Kasan Institute of Buddhist Culture. We had a fruitful day in the company of a warm and generous gathering.