On Nov. 23, 2011 Ven. Myong-Ahn along with Ven. Hae-In from Washington received the Bhikkhu Precepts at the Bop Ryun Sa Headquarter Temple of the Taego Order in Seoul South Korea. The training and, lectures and the ceremony itself began on the 21st and culminated on the 23rd. The Ceremony was presided over by Supreme Patriarch Most Ven. Hae-Cho, President of the Order Most Ven. In-Gong, Most Ven. Prof. Oun-Gok. Ven. Myong-Ahn was honored to have his UnsaNim (Ven. Il-Cho), his Ordination UnsaNim (Ven. Sang-Muk Sunim) and Yeon-Hwa Bosal attended the Ordination in a show of support. Total of 95 male and 32 female monks took the Bodhisattva Precepts that day. An excerpt of an interview with Ven. Myong-Ahn can be found in Korean on http://www.bulgyofocus.net/news/articleView.html?idxno=64386. Ven. Myong-Ahn is quoted saying that" It is a great honor to be a part of this traditional ceremony in which we become inducted into the long historical lineage of the Taego Order. The feeling can only be understood through first-hand experience, which my two Doban (Ven. Mooh-Sang and Ven. Duhk-Song) will soon have a chance to experience for themselves". We all congratulate Ven. Myong-Ahn on this memorable occasion.
On Monday, June 22 nd Soshima Zen Center presented “Life, Death, Bardo, Next... a Meditative Journey Cloaked in Music”, a dramatic representation of the universal human journey as reflected in Mahayana Buddhist teachings. Attendees entered a darkened room to encounter a circle of cushions surrounded by a ring of electric candles. As they lay supine in the silent hall, the reverberation of the meditation bell signaled the beginning of the journey. Then, a dramatic narration began, accompanied by musical selections chosen to inspire the listener to imagine each stage of the process. The narrative told the story of a person transitioning from living mundane everyday life, unmindful of death, through sudden diagnosis of serious illness, struggle with disease, gradual acceptance of death, passing away of the body, the migration of the spirit, wandering in the bardo, liberation from the wheel of samsara, and the attainment of the Bodhisattva ideal. The conclusion of the prog...
