This past weekend I went to a Buddhist meditation retreat conducted by the Buddhist Society for Compassionate Wisdom in Chicago, IL. The retreat lasted from 7pm on Friday the 13th until Saturday the 14th at 12pm and covered the basics of Zen meditation as taught by the Korean Zen tradition.
The Buddhist Society for Compassionate Wisdom is a Korean Zen Buddhist temple in the Chicago area that was founded by Venerable Samu Sunim. This retreat focused on introducing the core methods used in basic concentration meditation practice. Led by Bopkyong, the seminar was a very relaxing and captivating experience.
Shi Xiong Thomas Johnson and I arrived fairly early at the temple after driving to Chicago from St. Louis. We dropped of our sleeping bags, pillows and toiletries at the temple and then walked down the street to get a bite to eat. When we returned people were beginning to arrive for the retreat. There were approximately twenty people participating in the retreat which was a fair number. The building functions as a full Buddhist temple and provides quarters for live in monks and monks in training. As such, the women and men, including married couples, were separated with the women on the top floor and the men sleeping on mats in the common area on the ground floor of the temple. The temple keeps the temperature fairly low to conserve energy so it was a little chilly at times but not uncomfortable. When everyone had arrived and finished signing in we wasted no time.
We went up and entered the Dharma Hall on the second floor and found meditation mats and cushions arranged for us. We each found a mat and waited while Bopkyong instructed us on some basic observances while in the temple. After a discussion on some basic protocol, we sat comfortably on the mats and she led us through our first meditation. We began by sitting comfortably on the cushion and being aware of our breathing. As we exhaled, we would count in our heads from 1 to 36, saying the number for the duration of the exhale and then starting over. The first meditation was fairly short and gave us an opportunity to get accustomed and settle down our thoughts.
We then listened as Bopkyong instructed us on some very basic concepts, such as breathing and making sure not to attach to the thoughts that arise in our minds while we meditate, but to let them come and go. We meditated again in the same manner for a time and then took a small break to get some water or tea and stretch our legs from being seated in stillness. During the break, and for the remainder of the retreat, we did not speak to anyone on the retreat except in the Dharma Hall while asking questions and we kept our gaze downward on the floor. This aided us in staying mindful in our practice and to not get distracted during the times we were not learning or meditating.
When the short break was over, we went back to the Dharma hall and Bopkyong led us through a series of Yoga stretches. These stretches are designed to help open up the hips and knees and stretch the body. This is important for helping the body both prepare for meditating for longer periods and also for recovering from sitting in meditation postures for so long. The stretches were very helpful and if felt good to stretch after having been seated for about 40 minutes through the two meditations.
We sat back down on our mats and learned the familiar Lotus postures that are most often used by monks during meditation. These postures were taught from most difficult to most comfortable. The more difficult the posture is, the better support it provides and creates better alignment and posture for the meditation. As you move to more comfortable postures it becomes less taxing on the body, but at the expense of proper alignment and posture. We then resumed our meditation assuming one of the new postures.
We meditated for the majority of the evening and then it was time to retire. In silence we left the Dharma Hall and went to bed. I was not sure how well I would sleep, but soon fell into a deeps sleep and slept restfully until morning.
We awoke to the sound of the wooden fish keeping rhythm for Bopkyong as she chanted the Great Compassion Dharani. We rose quickly and quietly and brushed our teeth and washed our faces and then went out into the brisk Chicago morning to stretch in front of the temple. After stretching for a bit we took a quick jog around the block to help our bodies wake up and get the blood flowing and then immediately went back up to the Dharma Hall.
We spent the morning alternating between 20 minutes of meditation and learning more meditation postures, meanings and dealing with questions on our practice. We also learned some meditative prostration practice and walking meditation. We ate a delicious vegetarian breakfast in silence. We ate keeping our gaze down and trying to be mindful while we ate. We were directed to only take what we could finish. We each took one bowl and spoon and filled the bowl with various things. We ate everything together and when we were finished we poured tea into our bowls, cleaned them and scraped the remaining bits of food into the tea and drank it all so that nothing was wasted.
The retreat was a great experience. The learning and meditating were intense and I feel I learned a lot. The concentration meditation was slightly different than I was used to. Instead of trying to separate yourself from things and your thoughts we kept our eyes partially open and through concentrating on our breath worked on awakening to the present moment. Being fully aware and present during the meditation.
When the retreat was over we took some time to discuss as a group our experiences and thoughts on the retreat. It was interesting being able to look up and to speak again. Everything seemed brighter and more vibrant after keeping my gaze directed towards the ground for so long. The retreat was a great experience and I feel I learned a lot about basic concentration meditation. The Buddhist Society for Compassionate Wisdom periodically holds this seminar as it is required for anyone interested in becoming a member of their congregation. If you are interested in basic meditation or Zen Buddhism I highly recommend checking out their website and attending one of these retreats.
Afterwards Thomas and I went to visit the Chicago Shaolin Temple. I got the opportunity to meet with Shi Yan Ju the head monk at the temple. It was great to see the temple and speak with Shi Yan Ju. He speaks very little English and I speak very little Chinese. I greeted him in the traditional Chinese Buddhist greeting and he invited us to sit. I asked some questions about his school and what he teaches and told him a little of myself and my training in Kung fu. We had some difficulty communicating and then one of the students arrived for his afternoon class, and his mother was kind enough to do some translating for us. When we were finished I thanked him for taking the time to talk with us. He said that it was no trouble at all that we were family and of a similar mind. It was nice to talk with him and he encouraged Thomas and I to think about coming up periodically to train Qigong with him.
Afterwards we met one of Thomas’ friends, Jonathan Walton who is an acupuncturist. We had lunch in Chicago’s China Town with Jonathan and went with him to a local herb shop to pick up some prescriptions. Afterwards it was time to get back on the road for home as it was already late afternoon and we had a long drive ahead of us.
It was a great weekend. The insights provided by Bopkyong during the retreat were great and the meditation practice itself was much needed. Having the opportunity to speak with Shi Yan Ju and make a new friend really put it over the top. I intend to meditate on a more regular, hopefully daily, basis and increase my practice.
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