White Forest Zen Monastery

Main Temple / Pagoda / Nirvana Garden

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Construction on this magnificent building was begun in 1990 and took ten years to complete. It was finally finished in the year 2000. The distinction of this building is that it was built according to the ancient and unique Korean temple architectural style. This is the one and only Korean-style, Buddhist temple on the east coast of the United States, and is a superlative example of an authentic oriental Buddhist temple. The building consists of two floors. The upper floor is for main services of traditional worship and prayer. Its capacity is 200 people at one time. The lower level is used as a meditation room. The upper floor contains statues of Shakyamuni Buddha, Ji-Jang Bodhisattva, Kwan Yin Bodhisattva and also a picture of Shin-Jang-Nim. This beautiful Korean style temple gives great comfort to those who travel this country for a long time seeking enlightenment. It also gives tremendous peace to those who are traveling? on their own, unique spiritual journey. This type of building is also known for its mystical power. Many people who worship here believe that their prayers have been answered.

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The name of the Pagoda came from the word "Stupa" in Hindu. Inside the Pagoda rests Buddha's sari (a small, pearl-like sphere found in the cremated remains of spiritually advanced beings). These sari are extremely difficult to obtain and have the shape of a jewel-like stone. The sari results from endless training of Buddha's teachings based on the Six Paramitas and Precepts, Meditation, Wisdom. In Buddhism, we cremate our priests' bodies after they die. This "Sari" is a jewel-like stone that comes from a "Holy One's" ashes. Even in extremely high temperatures, it does not burn.? The most powerful impact will not break or crush it.? This "Sari" is the fruit of enormous spiritual and mind training. The mystical "Sari" cannot yet be explained by scientists as to why it occurs.? The Pagoda" has eight sides and nine stories and was erected in October of 1999. You must climb approximately one half mile up the mountain to visit the Pagoda.

This little, forest hut? was built in 1987 to invite and welcome our God/Spirit of this mountain. In eastern philosophy, we believe that different Gods/Spirits rule different areas such as the sky, ocean, and mountains. Therefore, we built this hut to thank the Gods for their help in keeping us in peace and without misfortune on this mountain. This place is especially famous for those who pray for business success and for a full recovery from illness. People say that, in this spot, answers to their prayers come very quickly to them.

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This little hut is also affiliated with our temple. It is similar to a public cemetery. This hut is only the beginning stages of a permanent building that will inter the ashes of our members and any others who might wish their remains to be placed and preserved here. Presently, we have a statue of Ji-Jang Bodhisattva and the remains of several departed souls. We have special ceremonies for the departed souls on July 15 and September 9 (by lunar calendar) each year. Here we not only? honor our departed souls but also help to lead other souls to enlightenment. This Nirvana Garden is open to everyone without discrimination. Phone or e-mail us if you would like more detailed information.

Mahayana Buddhism / Hinayana Buddhism / Zen Buddhism / Secret Buddhism

Buddhism represents one of the largest and most respected religions in Asian countries. In 589 B.C., Shakyamuni Buddha enlightened five monks after His attainment of Buddhahood. Thus began the religion of Buddhism. Buddhism is based upon human nature. Therefore, Buddhism views mundane interactions and consequences between human beings as the results of their free will. Buddhism promises the emancipation of human beings from suffering through the realization of their true nature. Therefore, Buddhism can be described as a religion with its vital elements being The Buddha, benevolence, compassion, and emancipation. The Buddha, Buddha's teachings (The Dharma), and Buddha's followers (The Sangha) are the three essential components of Buddhism. Buddhism represents The Buddha's teaching and enlightenment. Hence, to obtain enlightenment, one needs to be absolutely dependent upon and faithful to The Buddha's teachings, which contain fundamental truths of the Universe and human nature. Furthermore, one should trust and rely upon assistance from Buddhist monks, who are the disciples of The Buddha. Buddhist monks devote themselves to The Buddha and His teachings, and are thereby able to help countless people achieve enlightenment through the propagation of The Buddha's teachings. There are four types of Buddhism: Hinayana Buddhism, Mahayana Buddhism, Secrete Buddhism, and Zen Buddhism.

Compared to Hinayana Buddhism, Mahayana Buddhism is very practical. Mahayana Buddhism does not require people to enter the monkhood, nor does it cherish transcendence of desire as essential. Mahayana Buddhism, however, values mercy and compassion. Through the practice of compassion, Mahayana Buddhism believes that one can emancipate oneself, and, furthermore, provide help, peace, and happiness to the all people. In Mahayana Buddhism, compassion represents the love and acceptance of truth and human nature. Self-centered people are only interested in the achievement of their own worldly desires. They ignore values such as truth and the meaning of human nature. But pure compassion means to convey unconditional love toward the certainty of truth and human nature because, unlike our conventional lives, the truth is eternal and priceless. It is also important to care for human beings, since only a human can look after another human. Therefore, it is vital for human beings to unite, understand, and care for each other to obtain true brother/sisterhood and peace, and at last, compassion through the love of human nature. Furthermore, people who strictly follow this way of living are called Bodhisattvas (enlightened beings), ones who support the truth and adhere to the love of all human beings. Bodhisattvas are those who have reached spiritual perfection but choose to remain on earth to help their fellow beings rather than going to their final reward, Nirvana.? We can all learn to follow the Bodhisattva path.

Hinayana Buddhism concentrates on unleashing oneself from desire. Hinayana Buddhism views the cravings and desires of human beings as the reason for their agony, and believes that one can reach emancipation through introspection and the control of one's desires. Thus, Hinayana Buddhism's philosophy and organization focuses on transcendence of desire, and seeks deep forests or the insides of caves as the venue for ascetic practices. Hinayana Buddhism also recommends that one enter monkhood, so that one can separate oneself from luxuries, and even essentials, such as clothing and housing. The monk would then make robes out of used clothes and beg for meals. Consequently, the monk would experience emancipation.

Zen Buddhism can cause some confusion since there are inherent differences between Zen and Buddhism. Some would even argue that it should be called Zen Meditation. However, Zen Buddhism sees Zen meditation as an integral part of Buddhism. Zen Meditation will be covered in detail later. Zen is disciplined action taken to train one's mind. Humans make decisions or choices by using their minds. Action is precipitated by the thought of the mind. Therefore, an unethical mind will cause undesirable and sometimes catastrophic results. Zen meditation concentrates on mind training so that, throughout the training, people can realize the foundations of the mind's function. To understand human nature or one's own, true identity, one must open the mind. As people master their minds, they come to understand the principles of the Universe, and at last, obtain freedom and peacefulness. Therefore, Zen is a very important aspect of Buddhism. The question one must pose then, is "How can one train one's own mind?" The answer is simply to return to an "empty mind". In Dharma Sunim's Zen of China, an empty mind is the critical element. Empty mind represents complete detachment from thoughts, such as worries, anxieties, anger, fear, greed, resentment, etc., and a return to the original, unadulterated status of the mind. Empty mind does not mean a mind without thoughts, rather, a mind which is empty of the usual and disturbing reactions to thoughts. Thoughts are good servants, but bad masters. It does not mean that the mind does not exist, but that it is like a mirror to all that is perceived from the outside world. Or, like an empty bottle that is without content but ready to receive anything that is poured into it.

Secrete Buddhism concentrates on religious faith. Some say that " Buddhism is close to philosophy," or that " Buddhism is not a religion." However, those points of view are incorrect. Buddhism is identical and formal, and it is true that Buddhism is highly developed in philosophical dogma. Secrete Buddhism is characterized by its faithful and dignified religious ceremonies. Thus, one can obtain religious wishes through the dedication of body and mind in the ceremonies. The services involve prayers, chants and so on. The basic faith of Buddhism can be seen in the word, "Namu" (praise). Namu represents the object to please, respect, support, and depend upon. Thus, Namu only arise from sincere adherence of religious faith to The Buddha. Recitation of phrases such as "Namu Shakyamuni," or "Namu Avalokitesvara" could be examples. Namu Avalokitesvara is a Bodhisattva who looks down on mankind with unconditional compassion. Religion or non-religion can be distinguished by the existence or absence of faith. Through Secrete Buddhism's faith, one can experience the unknown world of the Universe.

The Origin of Zen / The Way of Zen / The Reality of Zen Practice

A human being is composed of a body and a mind. A body without a mind is simply a dead corpse. A mind without a body is simply pure spirit. Someone who, although endowed with both a body and a mind, only is aware of his or her body, but not the mind, is called a sentient being. In general, a sentient being is understood as any being possessing consciousness of life. Humans, birds, animals, fish, as well as the tiniest organisms, are all sentient beings.

Human beings are said to be superior to all other creatures. But how can a human being be considered superior if he or she knows the body but is ignorant of the nature of his or her mind? One who knows the body but not the mind is an incomplete person. However, if a human being searches earnestly for his or her true mind and awakens to it, he or she will realize completeness and his or her true nature.

Such an awakened person is regarded as a Buddha (Enlightened or Awakened One), a master of all things, and a noble human being. He or she is one who has transcended the commonplace and awakened from the shared "bad dream" that we call normal waking reality. We are all Buddhas in spirit upon being born. But if the mind of a Buddha is obscured by "normal" upbringing or trauma, he or she will lose awareness of Buddhahood and function as a sentient being. As long as one is only concerned with the body and enslaved by the idea of separation, desire and dependence on satisfaction from the environment, this world will remain as a "defiled" realm, full of uncertainty, fear and suffering. But upon awakening to one's inherent Buddhahood, this very same world becomes a "Pure Land".

The purpose of practicing Zen meditation is to awaken the mind to the reality that we and the universe we experience are not separate, but One. Such practice does not involve just sitting quietly and trying to calm and pacify the mind, as in other types of meditation. Nor does it entail just contemplating the breath. Instead it involves direct inquiry into a "hwadu", or Kong-An (Koan in Japanese). A hwadu is a problem with no logical solution, assigned to students of Zen Buddhism as a subject for meditation. The hwadu is intended to break through the limitations of ego and intellect, and lead to an intuitive flash of enlightenment, an "Aha" experience. On a smaller scale, it is like trying to remember a name you've forgotten. When you stop thinking about it, all of a sudden it pops into your mind. An example of a hwadu would be a question such as "What is this?" or "What is this mind?" What you are searching for can be called by many different names; mind, spirit, soul, true nature, Nature Mind, and so forth. But such designations are merely labels. You should put aside all of these names and reflect on the fact that the true master of the body is not the Buddha, for it is not yet awakened. Nor is it anything material, because it cannot be physically given away or received. Nor is it simply empty space, for empty space cannot pose questions or have knowledge of good and evil.

Hence there is a master who rules this body of yours which is neither of the labels, "mind", "the Buddha", a material thing nor empty space. Having negated these four possibilities, a question will arise as to what this master really is. If you continue relentlessly inquiring in this way, the questioning will become more intense. Finally, when the mass of questioning enlarges to a critical point, it will suddenly burst open. The entire universe will be shattered and only your original nature will appear before you.? In this way you will awaken.

Meditation first began with the practice of Yoga in India. Yoga is recognized as the oldest method of meditation. It existed even before Shakyamuni Buddha was born. Shakyamuni Buddha adopted Yoga for his meditation. Therefore, we say that Yoga is the origin of Zen meditation.

However, the purpose of The Buddha's meditation was very different from those who practiced Yoga. Before The Buddha's lifetime, people used meditation to pray for the attainment of heaven after death and to pray that one would maintain good physical health while on this earth. The Buddha changed the purpose of meditation to be that of seeking enlightenment, so that we could reach "Nirvana". "Nirvana", however, is not some paradise to be entered after death, but the direct, awakened experience of this very world in which we live at this moment and in our physical bodies. We call this true meditation.

Secondly, a meditation method know as "Chun-Tae-Sun", was introduced by Chun-Tae Sun-sa (a Chinese Zen master, 538-597), who founded the Lotus Sutra Order. Chun-Tae-Sun adopted the Lotus Sutra for its theory and used Yoga meditation for its method. It is safe to say that Chun-Tae-Sun is the result of the union between Lotus Sutra theory and Yoga meditation.

The next type of meditation is Bodhidharma Meditation. There are many theories regarding Bodhidharma Meditation. However, the majority of opinions indicate that it came from Shakyamuni Buddha's 'Sam-chu-jun-sim'. This form of meditation became the root of Korean Meditation. Sam-chu-jun-sim means that Buddha transmitted his Dharma (enlightenment) to Mahakasyapa (one of His major disciples, and His first successor as the Patriarch of Buddhism) three times and in three places. The first time, when Shakyamuni Buddha was teaching, Mahakasyapa could not find his seat, as he had arrived late to the teachings. Shakyamuni Buddha gave half of his own seat to him and said, "let us sit together". The Buddha gave his seat as he transferred his mind to Mahakasyapa. The second time occurred when The Buddha showed a flower to his students, without saying a word. Nobody understood the Buddha's gesture except Mahakasyapa, who fully understood and smiled. The third and last time this happened was when The Buddha was leaving his physical body for "Nirvana". Mahakasyapa arrived after the Buddha had passed away. He was extremely sorry that he wasn't in attendance for the Buddha's final moment. At that very moment, the Buddha set his foot out of casket for Mahakasyapa to see. This is referred to as transferring one's mind to another. This Essence of Zen Meditation is transmitted directly by one mind to another. It is the origin of the Bodhidharma Meditation, and called "Sam-chu-jun-sim, through which Shakyamuni Buddha transmitted his Dharma to Mahakasyapa? three times and in three places.

Zen is the study of one's self arriving at the "True Self". Upon his enlightenment, the Buddha was in seated meditation. For two thousand five hundred years the teaching of seated meditation was passed from generation to generation.

When meditating, the first thing to focus on in Zen is the position of the body. How you position your body is critical to what happens with your mind and breath. The most effective positioning of the body for the practice of Zen has been the pyramid-like position of the seated Buddha. It is recommended that one sits on the floor because it is very stable. We use a small pillow - called "zafu" in Japanese - to raise the buttocks a little higher than the knees, so that the knees can touch the ground and make a stable triangular position.

There are several different leg positions that are possible while seated this way. The half lotus position is where the left foot is placed up onto the right thigh and the right leg is tucked under. This position is slightly asymmetrical and sometimes the upper body needs to compensate in order to keep itself absolutely straight. By far the most stable of all the position is the full lotus, where each foot is placed up on the opposite thigh. This is perfectly symmetrical and very solid, but is the most difficult position to maintain comfortably. Stability and efficiency are the important reasons why sitting cross-legged on the floor works so well. There is absolutely no esoteric significance in the different positions. What is most important in Zen is what you do with your mind, not what you do with your feet or legs.

Once you've positioned yourself, there are a few other things to check on. The mouth is kept closed. Breathe both in and out through the nose. The tongue is pressed lightly against the upper palate. This reduces the need to salivate and swallow. The eyes are kept lowered, with your gaze resting on the ground about two or three feet in front of you. Your eyelids will be half-closed, which reduces the necessity to blink repeatedly. The chin is slightly tucked in. the nose is centered in line with the navel, ears in line with the shoulders, the upper torso leaning neither forward nor back, spine is erect and elongated with a proper lumbar curve.

The hands are folded in the "cosmic mudra" (hand and finger position). The right hand, on the bottom, is held palm up with the left hand on top, also palm up, so that the knuckles of both hands overlap. The thumbs are lightly touching, thus the hands form an oval, which can rest on the upturned soles of your feet if one is sitting in full lotus position, or on the lap in half-lotus position. This cosmic mudra tends to turn one's attention inward. Although Zen may appear very disciplined and rigid, the muscles should be relaxed. There should be no tension in the body. It doesn't take strength to keep the body straight, just proper position. Align your body with gravity properly and let the skeleton and spine do the work.

Cosmic mudra position

We begin working on ourselves by counting the breath, counting each inhalation and each exhalation. Upon beginning the first inhalation count (in the mind, not aloud) "one". Upon exhaling, count "two". Continue counting each in-and-out-breath with three, four etc., up to ten. When you get to ten, start over with "one". The only agreement that you make with yourself in this process is that if your mind begins to wander- if you become aware that what you're doing is chasing thoughts- you will look at the thought, acknowledge it, and then deliberately and consciously let it go and begin the count again at one.? This is a very important concept in achieving success with Zen.

It is very important to know how to apply meditation to our everyday life. In these modern times, our lives are very complicated and we are constantly faced with uncertainty. So it is vital that people include meditation in their complicated lives and apply the meditative process to all its complexities. How can one,? while? living a normal worldly life, and being faced with everyday challenges and demands, incorporate meditation into daily living without avoiding ordinary activities and responsibilities?

One Chinese Zen master Dae-hae Sun-sa said, "Everyday life is meditation." Meditation should not be separated from our daily lives. We should "meditate" while we do everyday activities, and meditation should coexist with our everyday life. If meditation and our daily life remain apart, true meditation will not occur. For example, when we have visitors, we should be a good host, and when we meditate, we should sit quietly and do meditation. It is not right or helpful if we insist only on doing meditation while sitting on a cushion, avoiding the activities of our daily life. Also, we cannot find truth in this type of meditation, because truth does not exist apart from physical phenomenon and the mind cannot exist apart from physical reality. Therefore, we should utilize meditation for a better and more abundant life. A true Zen master knows how to live and die comfortably and meditatively.

True adaptation of meditation into our life means that we focus our consciousness into whatever we are doing. So, we can reduce and eventually eliminate all distracting thoughts in our mind. This type of ongoing, daily-life meditation is called "Mindfulness". Most people exist in ignorance of what they are doing in the present moment because they dwell on past memories or they focus on the fear of future outcomes. Consequently, people are unable to function effectively because they do not have the ability to fully concentrate on what they're doing when they're doing it. Their minds are split, and inefficient, and they suffer because of it.

The true application of Zen Meditation is when people apply Zen in all daily activities and focus the mind to a fine point. That "point" is the present moment. For instance, if we pray without any disturbing thoughts, we call it 'Meditation in Prayer." If we let our thoughts wander aimlessly while we pray, this is an improper and ineffective way to pray. If we become one with whatever we are doing, this is true and practical meditation which brings about true liberation, inner peace and fulfillment.

Letting our consciousness merge with the present moment is the real application of Zen Meditation. It is a way to live a better and fully enhanced life. When we live our life with this type of practical meditation, we can completely and effortlessly apply ourselves to the current moment. Therefore, we can clean out those negative emotions such as emptiness, frustration, fear, anger, and self-pity. Ultimately, we can reach a contiguous state of true meditation. We feel hollowness and emptiness when we act with an undisciplined mind, but when we are fully focused in a task, we feel accomplished and satisfied. The end result is that our lives become a continuing flow of effortless, enlightened action, joy, compassion and peace.