Things got bigger without me knowing

Preface: Lost in translation! I am not a student of Zen master Seung Sahn, but was trying to convey that Seung Sahn has a network of temples in the United States that will welcome him. I also do not live in New York. He did get the most important part of the message: That in the United States, he will have plenty of places to stay. Anyway, enjoy his post. - Adam Tebbe

Translated by Ian and Brennan Haight (original post: http://blog.naver.com/mahabira6061/70139611781)

Things got bigger without me knowing; I didn’t know I had friends.

When I got here I learned something new. David wanted to help me so he sent emails everywhere. Robert showed me the message being sent by email and it was a really long letter. The email said, “Helping a monk is like helping yourself.” I think Robert even sent an email to Catholics in South America, and it seems they responded. I was concerned because there is a lot of crime in South America so I should be careful there; the people from South America said they would try their best to be of help. On Facebook, there’s a page made by Adam Tebbe. Adam owns a website called “Sweeping Zen.” I learned Adam has written about helping me and is spreading the word to everyone through his website. The Facebook page is called “Journey of Spirit: a Buddhist Monk Bikes the Americas.”

On that same day I Skyped Adam for the first time and introduced myself to him. Adam said he was a student of the monk Seung Sahn and that he knew something about Buddhism. Adam used to live in New York, but I was surprised to learn there are students of Seung Sahn in America. Is it a Seung Sahn monk club? A temple? A meditation group? Anyway, Adam said he’d made a schedule for where I can stay while traveling, and that I shouldn’t worry about where to stay, and that I should come to America. I’m not the only one on a pilgrimage now.

David’s email message said, “This Korean monk can’t speak any English and is on a journey without any network to be of help. If you see a person with a safety jacket riding a bike on the road, it’s the monk, so we must help him.” Maybe people think we need to help for this reason, while others just want to give help.

When I passed Winnipeg there was a place called “Kenora,” which I knew was a “place to stay.” I called David and he said the place was ready for me. I thanked David but he said, “Thank you for letting me do this.” *Sigh* How did I meet someone like this?

Even today a lady from Winnipeg named Lorry came to see me again. As she was waiting she gave us blueberries as a present. I said I had to go to Robert’s bike shop for the bike, but she said she would help get the bike for us. Yesterday we saw an oriental clinic I wanted to go to, but I couldn’t really speak English so she couldn’t understand me. Surprisingly the bike shop turned out to be next to the oriental clinic that I saw (Am I lucky? Do I have some kind of divine power?).

I went to the oriental hospital and explained about my hand. The squeezing still hurt so the doctor said I had to be treated with acupuncture for 3 days. The doctor cured me for free and wished me luck on my trip.

Next door at the bike shop, Lorry explained about my trip so the shop gave me a free saddle. She took a picture and uploaded it to my Facebook page. Everything there is in English; I can’t even read it. I cannot read my own site! David, Adam, Lorry, and Robert know me so I guess they can write on it. It’s true: I can’t even read or write English. My friends are writing everything.

I don’t know if this is my fortune. Water doesn’t stagnate when it flows. In the same way, humans should move so they will find their relationships with others. If you take a test you’ll know how well you’ve studied. If you overcome a limitation you will know your heart; tears are opening my heart. My pilgrimage is not only my path, but also a journey to connect with the lives of others.