SOSHIMSA ZEN CENTER - BLOG

  On Sunday, May 24, members of Soshima Zen Center assembled to honor the anniversary of the birth of the Buddha, said to be in the area of modern-day Nepal or India about 2,500 years ago. The service included the Six Offerings (Yook Gong-Yang), corresponding to the Six Perfections (Yook Baramil). Each offering was led by a woman of the Center wearing traditional Korean dress called Han-Bok.  The offering of fruit included a mandala of blueberries, strawberries, grapes and oranges that had been created by the children. The Lotus Buds, or youngsters, sang a happy birthday to the Buddha. Afterwards, the congregation walked in a circular procession, pausing to bathe the statue of the Buddha as a baby, and reciting the name of the Buddha. Following the service, a repast of a variety of food was available, as colorful and diverse as is the Soshimsa Sangha.

On Tuesday, May 19, the Ven. Myong-Ahn Sunim, abbot of Soshima Zen Center, delivered the presentation “Happiness Here and Now” at the South Plainfield Public Library in the township of that name. The discourse, which began at 7 pm and lasted for about 75 minutes, was introduced by SZC Secretary General Aimee Goyette and about ten people were in attendance.  Ven. Myong-Ahn Sunim articulated on numerous topics, alternating serious points with humorous asides. He expounded on the nature of suffering, on the universal drive of sentient beings for happiness; about the cycle of wanting what is perceived as pleasant and of not wanting what is unpleasant, about opposites being aspects of the same thing, about the crucial role of the mind in defining these terms; about the pitfalls of emotional extremes; and about the importance of taking specific individual action - with diligence - to escape this seemingly endless “treadmill” of gratification and avoidance. During the address,

On Monday, May 18, a dozen or so secondary-school-age students from nearby Wardlaw-Hartridge School, a PreK-12 college preparatory academy in Edison, NJ, arrived at Soshima Zen Center to participate in a Day of Community Service. After pulling on work gloves, they industriously applied themselves to the tasks of beautifying the grounds around the center, refreshing the interior, and setting out flowering bulbs and perennials in the planter located at the entrance to the center.  The students were joined by some SZC members. Robert Davey,  Mi-Kyung  Park and her daughter Yae-jin contributed to the cleanup portion of the day. An anonymous SZC member donated a selection of flowers and shrubs for the planter, just in time for the Buddha's Birthday Celebration to take place on Sunday, May 24.

On Sunday, May 17 the Ven. Myong-Ahn, Duhk-Song, Mooh-Sang Sunim,  and members of Soshima Zen Center traveled from New Jersey to the Buddha Birthday Celebration at Baek Lim Sa (White Forest Zen Monastery) in Summitville, New York. Baek Lim Sa was founded by Zen Master and Abbot Ven. Gae San Hye-Seon Sunim   in 1979 and is intimately associated with Soshimsa Zen Center. Ven. Il-Cho Dosanim (Shim Hyok-Kun) was instrumental in the development of Baek Lim Sa and all three SZC Sunims trained there, to varying degrees. Traveling north, the dense suburban sprawl of central New Jersey gradually changes to the lush, green hills and rural townships and villages of upstate New York. Nearing our destination, we left behind the world of the mundane and everyday, ascending a road to the summit of an unnamed mountain to reach the 180-acre monastery. A bright sun in a clear blue sky illuminated magnificent statues of Buddha in meditation and sleeping lion's posture, and the mountain

On Monday May 11, Soshimsa abbot the Venerable Myong-Ahn Sunim offered the Korean tea ceremony workshop at the Soshimsa Zen Center in Plainfield, NJ. In a light yet serious atmosphere, accompanied by soothing Korean flute music, attendees had the opportunity to, first, view a demonstration of the ceremony with commentary by V. Myong-Ahn Sunim. Then, using their own (SZC provided) utensils, attendees attempted to reproduce the graceful ordered motions pf preparing and pouring in a “dry run” before actually making tea. A helpful “cheat sheet” was provided as an additional guide. Throughout the seminar, education was given on many aspects of tea preparation; history, fable, water sources, heating of water, utensil type, grip, pouring technique, and timing of movements were some. Then, body and spirit were united as each attendee added purified water to cha  (second flush green tea, hand-harvested from the slopes of volcanic Jeju Island off the coast of South

On Saturday, May 9, members of Soshimsa Zen Center traveled through weather that was misty and just a bit chilly to the 2015 International Peace Day Celebration at the New Jersey Buddhist Society Vihara and Meditation Center in Princeton, which was established in 2003. The event was sponsored by a host of civic and faith organizations including, but not limited to, the Rotary Clubs of Branchburg and Plainsboro, the Somerset County Cultural Diversity Coalition, and Friends Of Nepal New Jersey (FONNJ). As the event began, the attendees were welcomed; there was a moment of silence for the victims of the recent earthquake in Nepal, followed by brief proclamations from local political authorities. Sunims Myong-Ahn and Duhk-Song led the attendees in a walking meditation along an asphalt path through the shady, wooded grounds, circling an imposing 28-foot statue of the Buddha in samadhi meditation posture. As the weather gradually turned clear and semi-tropical, there were

On Tuesday April 28 th , the South Plainfield Public Library was transformed into a tranquil setting and the backdrop for a traditional Korean Zen Buddhist tea ceremony.   Ven.  Myong Ahn Sunim spoke on the history of tea and how it is cultivated and has evolved over centuries in the Korean culture.    He also performed a traditional tea ceremony to demonstrate how the simple act of mindfulness can transform each and every moment and action in an ordinary day into something extraordinary and bursting with life.    Participants were able to sample tea from the beautiful JeJu Island in South Korea and were invited to participate in a tea workshop at So Shim Sa to deepen their experience.