New member and Soldier

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micah
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Joined: Fri Jun 07, 2013 10:43 am

New member and Soldier

Post by micah »

Hi

My name is Micah

I am a soldier in Korea Texan by Birth age 29.

I found this site trying to find knowledge on last rites.
I know very little of Buddhism and just practice what little I know. I have recently visited small shrine in waegwan outside my base. but never saw a monk. temple empty save statues. I want to be better buddhist and find more buddhists too. but I never find them can somebody help?
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Nilasarasvati
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Location: Trāyastriṃśa. Just kidding. What a cool sanksrit word, huh?

Re: New member and Soldier

Post by Nilasarasvati »

You mean you can't find Buddhists in America?

I think the best place to start is actually by reading or listening to teachings. You might like Pema Chodron's stuff.

It's good if you're in Asia to visit temples and shrines. It can be a great source of inspiration and it may, most importantly, lead you to a teacher or lineage you feel connected to.
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DNS
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Re: New member and Soldier

Post by DNS »

Welcome to Dharma Wheel!

Here is the military blog, you might be interested in:
http://buddhistmilitarysangha.blogspot.com/
Admin_PC
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Re: New member and Soldier

Post by Admin_PC »

From one Texan to another, welcome to DharmaWheel! :)
David Snyder posted a great link for servicemen that you should check out.
I work on a (ch)Air Force base ;) myself, though I'm not military.
Grew up on Kadena, we used to play sports against Osan, Pusan, and I think even Taegu.
You might want to pick up a book to help get you started, like Thich Nhat Hanh's Old Path White Clouds.
plwk
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Joined: Thu Feb 25, 2010 10:41 am

Re: New member and Soldier

Post by plwk »

You can try to get in touch & connect with these prominent Buddhist organisations in Korea where you are for guidance and teachings (like if they have Buddhism classes, meditation sessions, chanting sessions & so forth). Above all, have lots of patience and perseverance with humans & their organisations & be prepared to travel beyond comfort zones and locality if further/extensive help and progress is in mind. Meanwhile, browse through this forum and start your journey with the introductory resources & the zen forum to pick up on learning and understanding. Here are some samples: Kwan Um School of Zen, Jogye Order & Misc Places
Son of Buddha
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Re: New member and Soldier

Post by Son of Buddha »

micah wrote:Hi

My name is Micah

I am a soldier in Korea Texan by Birth age 29.

I found this site trying to find knowledge on last rites.
I know very little of Buddhism and just practice what little I know. I have recently visited small shrine in waegwan outside my base. but never saw a monk. temple empty save statues. I want to be better buddhist and find more buddhists too. but I never find them can somebody help?
Hey ask around the general population,look for laity Korean Buddhists,they will be able to help you find a temple.

look up Namu Amitabul,read the Larger Amitabha sutra this should give you a foundation,Bhrama Net sutra should help you with a code of conduct.
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Huifeng
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Re: New member and Soldier

Post by Huifeng »

Welcome.

The US Military also has some Buddhist chaplains these days.
Maybe ask around, and see if there is one somewhere near you.

~~ Huifeng
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Paul
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Re: New member and Soldier

Post by Paul »

Hi Micah. You might want to have a look at this website: http://www.buddhanet.net/ They have a lot of very good information for people completely new to Buddhism. There is also a worldwide directory of Buddhist organisations, temples etc. Here is the Korean page: http://www.buddhanet.info/wbd/search.ph ... vince_id=0

All Buddhist traditions agree that it is good to share merit from positive actions with all beings, especially those that have died. If you do anything positive, mentally offer the benefits to all beings and make positive aspirations/prayers.
Look at the unfathomable spinelessness of man: all the means he's been given to stay alert he uses, in the end, to ornament his sleep. – Rene Daumal
the modern mind has become so limited and single-visioned that it has lost touch with normal perception - John Michell
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kirtu
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Re: New member and Soldier

Post by kirtu »

Hi Micah, welcome to Dharmawheel!

Visiting temples as a practice can have a great impact and can be very meritorious. You are apparently only 23 km. from Daegu/Taegu, the site of a major Jogye temple, Donghwasa.

In the past couple of decades more and more Korean Buddhist laypeople have begun practicing meditation. Having never been to Korea I don't personally know if the Jogye order has extended meditation retreats to non-Koreans as well. But it would be well-worth checking that out. There is also a temple stay program in many temples now.Chinul was the historic founder of the Jogye order, following both Zen (Seon) and Pure Land traditions. Chinul is a very impressive person historically and a very deeply enlightened Zen master. Korean Buddhism is excellent. Robert Buswell was a Jogye monk (and his books are really excellent) so there is some access to Jogye activities at least in some places around Korea. There is also more than one Western Sunin (Zen monk/teacher) and Soen Sa Nim (Zen master/teacher) now. Hyon Gak Sunim, for example, has many Youtube videos and teaches in Korea. Here's a series of his teaching on the Diamond Sutra.

Kwan Seum Boesal!

Kirt

Korean Buddhist Temples, Wikipedia
Secrets of Cultivating the Mind, Chinul
“Where do atomic bombs come from?”
Zen Master Seung Sahn said, “That’s simple. Atomic bombs come from the mind that likes this and doesn’t like that.”

"Even if you practice only for an hour a day with faith and inspiration, good qualities will steadily increase. Regular practice makes it easy to transform your mind. From seeing only relative truth, you will eventually reach a profound certainty in the meaning of absolute truth."
Kyabje Dilgo Khyentse Rinpoche.

"Only you can make your mind beautiful."
HH Chetsang Rinpoche
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kirtu
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Re: New member and Soldier

Post by kirtu »

Here's another temple rundown from the official Korean tourist agency. This has a lot of information about temple stays and some practice information for non-Koreans.

"Cultivate virtue, abandon non-virtue, tame your mind" or "Do good, do not do evil, purify your mind" this is the summarized teaching of all the Buddhas. This is taken directly from the Dharmapada (Dhammapada), verse teachings of Shakyamuni Buddha. Doing good, etc. stem from habits of helping others, conventional morality, etc. This is undertaken through introspection and interaction with other people also on the path (to support one another since we are social beings). Taming/purifying the mind is undertaken through mindfulness, introspection and meditation.

Kirt
“Where do atomic bombs come from?”
Zen Master Seung Sahn said, “That’s simple. Atomic bombs come from the mind that likes this and doesn’t like that.”

"Even if you practice only for an hour a day with faith and inspiration, good qualities will steadily increase. Regular practice makes it easy to transform your mind. From seeing only relative truth, you will eventually reach a profound certainty in the meaning of absolute truth."
Kyabje Dilgo Khyentse Rinpoche.

"Only you can make your mind beautiful."
HH Chetsang Rinpoche
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kirtu
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Location: Baltimore, MD

Re: New member and Soldier

Post by kirtu »

Turns out that you are about 124 km from the Mu Sang Sa Seung Sahn International Zen Center near Gye-Ryong. They are in the middle of an intensive three month winter retreat but it may be possible to take the train there for Sunday meditation.

Kirt
“Where do atomic bombs come from?”
Zen Master Seung Sahn said, “That’s simple. Atomic bombs come from the mind that likes this and doesn’t like that.”

"Even if you practice only for an hour a day with faith and inspiration, good qualities will steadily increase. Regular practice makes it easy to transform your mind. From seeing only relative truth, you will eventually reach a profound certainty in the meaning of absolute truth."
Kyabje Dilgo Khyentse Rinpoche.

"Only you can make your mind beautiful."
HH Chetsang Rinpoche
plwk
Posts: 2932
Joined: Thu Feb 25, 2010 10:41 am

Re: New member and Soldier

Post by plwk »

Last visited:Sun Jun 09, 2013 10:43 pm
Let's hope he has found what he's looking for.... :smile:
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Zen Mantra
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Location: United Kingdom

Re: New member and Soldier

Post by Zen Mantra »

Hello and welcome to Dharma Wheel. :hi:
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