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.

Good luck and good fortune Sunim

By Dave Pope

After four days of hosting Sunim in Calgary we parted ways on the side of a highway just south of city limits. It was a suprisingly emotional parting for both of us.

My two toddlers, four year old Jimmy and three year old Ava, instantly became attached to him. Though lacking in language he communicated through gestures and smiles and within one day Jimmy and Ava would snuggle up to Sunim on the couch as the three of them watched Dora the Explorer and other interactive childrens shows. I think Sunim was learning more than the kids. It was a wonder to watch him repeating words and learning english while each of my children sat on either side of him with an arm wrapped around his, the three of them smiling and content.

Sunim was a gracious guest. He attempted to stay out of the way as much as possible. Many times I needed to go down to the basement room and urge him to come back up and join the family. He would always ask if it was OK and when I motioned him to join us the smile that came over his face told me he was glad to be included in simply being together as a family.

We performed some work on his bike and a big thank you goes out to the freindly people at Cycle Path for providing Sunim with parts discounts and free labour to get his bike in shape for the next leg of his journey.

When the time finally came for Sunim to resume his trek I drove him to the outskirts of the city, to avoid traffic, and once again we said our goodbye's. This time it was more heartfelt than after his two day stay with me in Vernon. As we drove towards the point where he would continue on with his Journey of Spirit Sunim softly said to me," God send you to me, but I afraid he not send anyone more. I afraid I lonely now."  That really choked me up. It told me that other than his time with me, my amazing family and my good friends Joe and Tanya in Fairmont Hot Springs, Sunim has been on his own since arriving in Canada. So in the last 6 weeks Sunim has had 9 days of companionship and human interaction. The long and winding road ahead for Sunim will be hard on him without doubt. I pray that other people will show a little kindness to him. He will spend days on end without speaking to another human being. Peddling and sleeping, sleeping and peddling. Hundreds upon hundreds of long cold nights inside his tiny tent on the side of some road somewhere between here and the edges of Antarctica. After long stretches just being in the presence of other people will lift Sunim's spirit and give him the courage to push on.

There is no better way to achieve happiness than to be a servant to others. To know that a simple gesture of kindness, in providing Sunim with a bed and some food, has elicited such heartfelt gratitude from him has made me feel happy about myself and the path that I am walking in life. He has helped me in many more ways than I have helped him. I am commited to following Sunim's progress and helping him however I can through to the end of his 30,000km journey. I wonder....has there been anyone else who completed such a task? Anyone else in history? 

We embraced on the side of the highway after unloading his bike and gear. It was a long, tight hug that suprised me because I squeezed just as hard as he did. Sunims eye's were watery when we let go of the hug and looked at each other again. I was pretty choked up too. We both knew, as we looked at each other, that we wouldn't be seeing each other again.  I do know that we will be good friends for the rest of our lives. The kinds of friends who can go a decade without meeting or speaking and when they meet up again it's as if no time has passed at all. It's amazing that such a bond can be created between two strangers, who are from completely different worlds, after six short days. As I drove away I kept one eye on the rear view mirror and saw that Sunim watched me for quite a while. When he was almost out of view he looked slowly over at his bike, then at the road ahead, and ever so slowly started to get ready to peddle. 

    Good Luck and good fortune Sunim.

Divine Intervention?

By Dave Pope

Since meeting Sunim a few days ago and relating the story of how we met to different people I've heard the comment," Divine Intervention" a few times. Lets examine that....step by step.

Step #1- Heading home and just about to reach the city limits of Kelowna I glimpsed a Costco and  CHEESE! jumped into my head. I needed some. Then I thought hey...I just ate dinner...I dont need cheese tonight....I can grab some tomorrow....bettter to get home before dark. I've always been a procrastinator, but trying to change that I stopped in and grabbed a brick of cheese. I thought I might do some snacking when I got home anyway and cheese is pretty high up on my list. It took about 10 minutes.

Step #2- Getting back out on the road I passed a Home Depot and PAINT! jumped into my head. I needed some paint for a project and thought I might do a little painting when I got home.....after some snacking. I had actually sourced the type of paint I wanted (at the Vernon Home Depot) a week earlier. I didn't buy it so that when I started the project I'd have a freshly shaken can, but really I think I was just procrastinating. It even went through my head, with the can of paint in my hand at the paint counter, that I was procrastinating. I still didn't buy it citing the freshly shaken can reasoning. I came really close to buying that can of paint.

Step#3- When I got to the paint department in the Kelowna store they couldnt find the type of paint I wanted. We searched up and down the aisles 3 times. The friendly clerk apologized stating that the store was almost closed, that she had been left alone in the department and wasnt familiar with the type of paint I wanted. I explained to her that Vernon had it so they got on the phone and called the Vernon Store and found the skew#. But no bin# and we still couldnt find it until, low and behold, it was there all along hidden behind a hanging sign that was a little askew and blocking my cans of paint on the shelf. Five minutes later I grabbed my freshly shaken can of paint and headed out to the parking lot. It took me 30 minutes to get in and out of there.

It was dark now, I try to avoid driving at night, but the highway between Kelowna and Vernon has a fair amount of lighting so I was OK with that. The stops at Costco and Home Depot had me leaving Kelowna 40 minutes later.

Just shy of Vernon, in one of the dark and unlighted stretches of highway, I glimpsed a flash of what looked like a person hunched over the wheel of a bicycle. A dangerous situation is what came to my mind. It could have been a breakdown or it could have been someone just taking a rest. Either way it was a dangerous situation becuase the last stretch of highwway leading into Vernon is unlighted and no shoulder to speak of due to curb barriers. I almost didn't see this person at all...no reflective gear.....a dangerous situation indeed. So I turned around a few kms down the road, at a break in the center line barrier, and went back to investigate. When I pulled off the highway and got out I could tell right away that this person didnt speak fluent english. And sure enough it was a flat tire. When I offered to give him a lift into town the relief on his face was clearly evident. We loaded up his bike and his gear and off we went in search of an address he had.

Step#4 - When we got there the lights were on and a truck was in the driveway but no one answered the door as Sunim rang the bell a few times. Thinking that the bell might be broken I knocked on the door but still no answer. Maybe they were in the shower....maybe they were asleep, maybe they just didn't want to answer the door because it was late at night. So when Sunim asked about a hostel I said he was more than welcome to stay at my home and he graciously accepted.

It was during dinner that I found out he was a Monk and about the monumental test he is putting himself through. Later that night, after filling his belly and just before laying down to sleep, he quietly said that God had sent me to him. I thought about that for a  minute then asked him how long he was broken down on the side of the highway for. He looked upwards for a few secounds then replied,"40 minutes". It was the exact amount of time I had delayed my departure from Kelowna by. Had I not made those two stops? Had someone opened the door at the address Sunim got from a hostel guest in Vancouver? Had I bought that can of paint a week earlier?

I believe Sunim was right, that God did bring our paths together, and for more than just a road side rescue, a meal and a place to sleep. The next morning, as the gravity of Sunim's goals really started to sink in, ideas started forming in my head about how I could help him with his Journey Of Spirit. We were both in the kitchen, enjoying the morning sunshine after a breakfast of strawberries, grapes, apples, CHEESE, toast and coffee. I started to create this page while Sunim was working out a new route and entering addresses from my family and friends into his route computer. I was careful not to let him see what I was up to fearing he might ask me not to...then I would've abided by his wishes.  

I hope I can do right by Sunim, help him to find warm beds and hot meals through the kindness of others and I pray that the steps he takes lead him towards achieving his goals and away from danger.    

The layout of this article is based on one of my favorite Bible verses.

God directs every step we take, so how can we possibly know which direction we are headed in?

Book of Proverb