Woodenfish Part 1
- 1225spencerpark9
- Aug 4, 2024
- 4 min read
During the entire month of July, I was unable to post due to attending the Woodenfish Program at Woljeongsa. However, coming back, I seek to share with you a comprehensive overview of my experience there. For this first post, I will provide a factual description of what the Woodenfish Program was like.
The program stated that it aims to provide those interested in Buddhism with a first hand experience of life within a traditional Buddhist monastery, both from an academic and practice-oriented perspective. Its name, Woodenfish, signifies the wakefulness and awareness of a Buddhist cultivator as the Woodenfish instrument establishes a tempo for practice.
Initially, the most striking thing was the fact that I had to wake up at 4:30 AM. We had 30 minutes to prepare before 5 AM morning Tai Chi for 1 hour. Afterwards, we ate breakfast at 6:30 AM, and began our lectures at 7:30 until 10:30 AM, with breaks in between each hour. For these lectures, the program invited various speakers including a professor from Dongguk University , a professor who studied at Harvard and was now teaching at Yonsei University, Haemin Sunim, and a professor of art history and Korean culture.
At 11, we ate lunch, and starting at 11:45 AM, we had our first block of free time until 1 PM. From 1 to 2 PM, we meditated and from 2 to 3:30 PM, we had a lecture from Venerable Yifa or had a cultural immersion activity for Korean culture. From 3:30 to 5 PM, we had more free time, and at 5 PM, we ate dinner. From 6 to 7PM, we had a lecture from various speakers, such as one from the Kwan Um School of Zen, monks from Woljeongsa, and V. Yifa, and from 7 to 8 PM, we had Vespers, or evening chanting. From 8, we had free time, before bed at 9 PM.
The entire program was very rigid and ritualistic – with specific procedures we had to follow. For example, before every meal, we would line up 5 minutes before to do standing meditation in organized lines. In addition, the beginning and end of each section would be signified by the sound of a bell. Moreover, we were required to wear our Woodenfish uniforms throughout most of the program – we had two to rotate for cleanliness. All our other clothes, such as undergarments, socks, and such, had to be hand-washed and dried. We also had to keep Noble Silence, which was strictly no communication with others, from 8 to 9 PM everyday until the breakfast of the following day. Electronics were limited outside dorms except for specific purposes.
During eating, which was purely vegetarian, we followed very specific rituals. At the beginning, we would chant for breakfast and lunch, and at the end, we would also have a chant. During dinner, or the “medicine meal” – as in the original monastic setting dinner was not provided, but certain traditions provided it as a way to keep the body healthy like “medicine” – we would not chant but instead read the Five Contemplations. During the meal, we would eat from four bowls, each differing in size from big to small. The biggest sized bowl was for vegetables or banchan, the second bowl was for rice, the third bowl was for soup, and the smallest bowl was for dessert, which usually consisted of fruit. Alongside these, we would sometimes receive donations of food, such as dried seaweed, snacks, and more.
In terms of general conduct we were encouraged to be mindful at all times – walking like wind, standing like a pine tree, sitting like a bell, and laying like a bow. We also had a boundary of where we were allowed to enter – places such as walking paths were allowed but places like the temple gift store were not allowed. There were also some serious rules such as no violence, stealing, abusive language, or alcohol.
Overall, the Woodenfish Program was also adapting its original structure due to moving from Taiwan to Korea to avoid dangers regarding China and political pressure. As such, the process of incorporating both Chinese and Korean culture and procedures was interesting – which will be later expanded upon in another post.
In terms of logistics, the program seems to have underperformed – normally, the program has 10 staff, but due to resuming after Covid, there were only 6 staff on the Woodenfish side, with one leaving. However, working with Woljeongsa and Moonsoo Youth Association, the program was able to pull through. Moreover, it was also sponsored by Unlimited Light Academy (ULA), a Taiwanese organization dedicated to spreading Confucianism and Buddhism.
In terms of specific rituals, bowing towards monks was customary, and three prostrations towards the Buddha or an important monk like an abbot was also customary. We commonly chanted the Heart Sutra, the Three Refuges, the Dedication of Merit, and the Four Bodhisattva Vows.
After the first week of the program participants were able to participate in the head shaving ceremony and take the five precepts. Most of the men and some of the women shaved their heads, and we all took part in a long chanting ceremony to signify our transition into the monastic program. Besides that, we were also able to experience other culturally significant events and places like where Buddha’s bones were buried, 3 hours of a night-long chanting of the Diamond Sutra, and more.