18 TUESDAY
JANUARY 13, 2009
Buddhism in Korea
Cedar Bough Saeji: Buddhist, Korean culture expert
This is the second part in a series looking into
religion in Korea. The first objective is to give ex-
patriates a springboard from which you can de-
velop spiritually. Feature articles will examine
Christianity, Buddhism, Islam, Hinduism,
Judaism and Sikhism. — Ed.
By Regina Walton
At times being a foreigner in Korea can be a lit-
tle challenging. There is both an immense lan-
guage barrier and a cultural barrier. But once you
get past the culture shock, both can be overcome.
Cedar Bough Saeji is a good example of a for-
eigner who has successfully managed to immerse
herself in both the language and culture of Korea.
One of the ways she did that was through the
practice of Buddhism.
“I feel that I became much stronger in my prac-
tice after moving to Korea, and specifically I
found the Korean Jogye-jong way of practicing
Buddhism to meld nicely with the various things
in the tradition that I had picked up on,” she said.
If you’re interested in meeting other Buddhists,
but you do not speak Korean fluently, Cedar
Bough recommends visiting one of the country’s
many temples. “There are temples everywhere in
Korea; if you go to one, you can expect to meet
other Buddhists. You don’t need to speak Korean,
you just need to be respectful and observe temple
etiquette. If you just do that, they’ll like you al-
ready.”
She also talks highly of temple stays. If expats
are seriously interested in Buddhism, she recom-
mends going on a temple stay program at a re-
mote temple. She says it’s cheap and proper in-
struction is provided on how to participate in the
ceremony and temple etiquette.
“In Seoul there are Dharma talks advertised in
the religion section of the newspaper, in English.
There are also some temples that are being run
by foreign-born abbots, or abbots that speak good
English. If you contact the Jogye Order they will
put you in touch with everything you need,” she
said.
What is it about Buddhism that appeals to her?
“Everything, really. My favorite sutra is per-
haps that of Vimalakirti, reading it is out of this
world — Thurman’s translation is supposed to be
the best. I like impermanence and reincarnation
— I like that I can keep improving myself
through multiple lifetimes. I’m not a meditator. A
lot of Westerners think of Buddhism and they im-
mediately think of sitting meditation. That’s not
for me,” she said.
“But I love bowing, prostrating, chanting.
Right now, working on my Ph.D., I feel very con-
nected to Manjusri. It can be hard to explain but
I feel the rightness of Buddhism inside of me as I
practice. I took a three month dedicated Buddhist
pilgrimage, and I visit a lot of Buddhist sites as
part of less Buddhist focused travels — most of
the major sites in Asia, actually. It’s also impor-
tant to me that Buddhism does not negate the
truth in other doctrines/religions — it is not dog-
matic.”
Regarding English accessibility, she said you
probably won’t find good Dharma talks in English
near your home, “but there may be a nearby tem-
ple. I suggest that you read up on Buddhism at
home and go to the temple for the uplifting feel-
ing you get when you start the day with 108
bows.”
I met Cedar Bough seven years ago. We were
both busy with our own things here but ended up
in graduate school at international studies pro-
grams across the road from each other. I was at
Ewha Womans University and she was at Yonsei
University. Now she’s in Los Angeles pursuing
her doctorate at UCLA.
Cedar Bough first arrived in Korea in 1996.
Her reasons for coming to Korea sound similar to
others who’ve come: She wasn’t particularly in-
Benjamin Bell: U.S. Buddhist in Seoul
By Matthew Lamers
When Benjamin V. Bell tells people he is a
Buddhist, the reaction from most is: “Pure sur-
prise, and usually laughter and smiles, because
we literally are all one in the universe (and) they
know that.
“But because I’m American, maybe they expect
me to be like a certain outgoing cowboy from
Texas who uses ‘strategery’ to become the ‘de-
cider,’” he said.
Being a foreign Buddhist in Korea, especially if
you are from North America or Europe, can have
some tremendous advantages. Foremost is the
accessibility to temples and monks.
“I wholeheartedly recommend visiting any
temple in Korea. There are hundreds in Seoul
and thousands all over the countryside of
Korea. Check out www.templestay.org for a
chance to spend some time with a monk/nun,”
said Bell.
Bell points to the Buddhist English library of
Seoul as somewhere to find more information
on Buddhism, and more specifically, Buddhism
in Korea. “The Buddhist English library of
Seoul is located near Insadong and Jogyesa
Temple. They have a diverse and wonderful se-
lection of Dharma texts and also offer Dharma
talks in English from foreign sunims/monks,”
said Bell.
Bell was first drawn to Buddhism when he was
in the U.S. Peace Corps in Zambia, Africa, in
2003. He said serendipity brought him a book
called “In the lap of the Buddha” by Gavin
Harrison, which he found in the Luapula
province library. “Reading it and meditating in a
mud hut with a grass thatched roof in rural
Africa for two years will certainly change one’s
perspective — for the better.”
COMMUNITY
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To share stories about your life abroad,
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or clarity.
Cedar Bough Saeji
terested in Korea, but had a goal of paying off stu-
dent loans and a desire to see the world. “I had no
special reason to come to Korea. I had no special
previous knowledge of Korea or interest in Korea.
So, until I showed up, Korea was basically a
blank slate for me ... I found that I really loved
Korea and I felt like it was my fate to come to
Korea and that I had been led to come to Korea
for a reason because I felt everything about
Korea, even the air, which some people may com-
plain about, even breathing in the air made me
feel like I was at home.
“There was a tremendous feeling of comfort in
Korea that I felt like I hadn’t experienced in oth-
er places. So from the moment I arrived in Korea
I really knew it was a good place for me to be.
Korea has almost always treated me very well, so
I have had all these amazing experiences and a
lot of stuff has led me to want to stay there.”
She left for a year in 2003 and spent time in
China. There she was reunited with her then-fi-
Benjamin V. Bell
His early perceptions of Buddhism, those be-
fore his time spent in Africa, were not unlike
most Westerners’. “It seemed to be all about
peace, simplicity, and kindness. I remember
studying about E.F. Schumacker’s “Buddhist
Economics” and “Small is Beautiful” in high
school.
ance, now husband, Tibetan musician Karjam
Saeji. After spending a year in China, she came
back to Korea and enrolled in Yonsei’s Graduate
School of International Studies. There she earned
a master’s degree in Korean Studies with a focus
on Korean culture, society and religion.
“I realized I really enjoyed academia and that I
wanted to perhaps have a future in academia,”
she said.
However, after Yonsei she took a year off to
take a pilgrimage from Eastern Tibet to Lhasa
with her husband. Because her Ph. D. focuses on
Korean performance arts, when finished, she’ll
have a doctorate in culture and performance with
a focus on Korean folklore.
“Most particularly, I like the Korean mask
dance dramas, but all folk performance arts are
interesting to me, even court arts are fascinating.
Preservation of traditional culture has to be done
in the right way so that it’s not turned into a reen-
actment, but is still part of Korean consciousness.
I become quite distressed when I see how little
younger Koreans — and I can’t blame very young
Koreans, but college age Korean students —
know about Korean traditions. Typical Korean
college students may know a little about tradi-
tional Korean culture, but maybe they can’t even
tie the bow on a hanbok.”
Cedar Bough is a great example of how an ex-
pat can learn more about Korean culture and the
language. Her advice to others who want to learn
more is pretty straight forward: “In general, if
Koreans see a sincere desire to learn about
Korean traditions then the people that know
about them are very happy to teach foreigners.
When you sometimes get a sense that Koreans
don’t want to teach you about something tradi-
tional, it is generally when they’ve run into the
limit of their own knowledge and they’re embar-
rassed. Because how embarrassing is it to have a
foreigner interested in something about your own
culture that you do not know? So people will shut
down and give a foreigner a feeling of being closed
out.”
She then talked about specific places in Seoul
where expats could learn about Korean arts and
culture. She said one of the best ways for expats to
get a taste is at the National Center for Korean
Performing Arts. Twice a year they run free, or low
fee, classes that give expats a chance to learn
gayageum, or janggu. “It’s a good way to get an ini-
tial idea if you’d be interested in taking it further.
It is free and it is on the weekends. There are ac-
tually hagwon for Korean traditional dance and
music.”
She said city governments run cultural and ed-
ucational programs. She added that, while there
might be a language barrier for a lot of these
classes, you can listen, watch, follow along and
still learn.
If you’re interested in getting deeper into
Buddhism, Cedar Bough said that you should
stick with the same temple, so that people get
used to your presence. “I think that foreigners
should know that if you go and practice respect-
fully in Korea, in the course of only a few visits to
a temple ... people will get used to you and wel-
come you. It will take longer if you skip around
and come to different services at different tem-
ples, of course. If you live in Seoul, you should go
to the 4 a.m. service at Jogyesa at least once. Resources on the Web
During my M.A. in Seoul and now every summer
when I visit Korea for research I go there as often Temple stay
www.templestay.org
as I can.
“If your own learning has only taken you so far Jogye Order of Korean Buddhism
and you really want to go deeper, there are retreats www.koreanbuddhism.net
at several temples, including ones run in English,
you can get more information at seoulzen.org Buddhist English Library of Seoul
www.bells.kr
about those.”
Ahnkook Zen Center
www.ahnkookzen.org
Regina can be reached through her blog at ex-
patjane.blogspot.com — Ed. Seoul International Zen Center
www.seoulzen.org
Lotus Lantern Buddhist Community
www.lotuslantern.kr
Buddhapia
http://eng.buddhapia.com
The Buddhist Channel
So what was he wrong about? www.buddhistchannel.tv
“Everything and nothing,” he said. “Surprises
constantly occur and continue to enlighten me.”
Bell said the inner journey of constantly think-
ing and checking negative thoughts struck a cord
with him. “Sometimes no thought is best
thought,” he said.” Also, I strongly feel the
Buddha’s Dharma can be a mediator between
Christian crusaders and Muslim jihadists, thus
creating more dialogue, diplomacy, and peace in
the world.”
Being from Montgomery, Alabama, it has not
always been an easy journey through Buddhism.
His family are devout Christians; “they often
don’t identify with thinking in terms of Dharma,”
he said, but they are understanding of his new-
found passion.
“But like I mentioned, Jesus and Buddha prob-
ably would be best friends since they both taught
love, peace, kindness, gentleness.”
Being an American Buddhist in Korea, accord-
ing to Bell, can be challenging yet rewarding.
He said there are some English monks around,
but it will take some effort to track them down.
“Venerable Hyung Gak Sunim ... is an
American who went to Harvard and then (was)
ordained as a monk here in Korea with the gray
robes. Not sure where he is these days, saw (him)
on Buddhist Television Network here on Korean
cable TV.”
If it’s a foreign community of Buddhists you’re
The Buddha stands tall at
after, Bell said, “Community is where you find it.”
Bongeunsa, Gangnam-gu, in Seoul.
He recommends Hwagyesa Temple in Seoul. The
Photo by Matthew Lamers/The Korea Herald
International Zen Center hosts a large gathering
of English speakers for meditation and Dharma
talks every Sunday.
Another good place to visit is Bongeunsa
Temple, near COEX, southern Seoul, said Bell.
(mattlamers@heraldm.com)