Day 2: Downtown Tour - Part 5

Translated by Ian Haight and Hwajin Kang (orginal: http://blog.naver.com/mahabira6061/70135008080)

If you got all seven answers correct for these works of art, you must be normal. If you missed one or two, you must thank the person next to you. If you missed three or more, you must appreciate that you at least look human. I will kindly tell you one of the answers. The last one is a dog. I wish I had that work of art. I would not have to worry about starvation for a year. I could take it too, because it has feet to walk with me.

This is a map of downtown. I was wandering around, often lost, in an area in that circle. The blue mark indicates the station I disembarked from, and the red point is where I transferred. Can you see a tiny red mark within the small blue circle? (If you can’t, you’d better go see an eye doctor. It is not my fault that I drew it small. It is your problem you can’t find it.  J) At that red mark is a book store, which is the only place I didn’t stop and take a look. I might go again, but my $5 for public transportation will then have to leave me. I would like to ride my bicycle there; however there are so many thieves who steal even tires. I am excited to go to Stanly Park by bike tomorrow. It is 10km (= 6.2 miles) away. Hopefully the weather doesn’t change its mind like a teenage girl. Why is it so changeable?

Day 2: Downtown Tour - Part 4

Translated by Ian Haight and Hwajin Kang (orginal: http://blog.naver.com/mahabira6061/70135008080)

If you look at the chairs closely, they are arranged in an oval shape. I think it is a good idea to grab the attention of an audience. If you look above the chairs, there are some thick hymn books. The thickness of the books must surprise most any Buddhist monk. Buddhist hymns are difficult to sing and, frankly, uninteresting. It may be because they are overly solemn. 




I entered this place while I was lost downtown. Canned food companies were displaying art works made of cans. No correct answers for what these works of art are were given, but luckily I already knew. You should try to guess as well. However, there will be no answers attached from me.

 

 

Day 2: Downtown Tour – Part 3

Translated by Ian Haight and Hwajin Kang (orginal: http://blog.naver.com/mahabira6061/70135005135)

It was my first time observing a pipe organ. It was also the first time visiting an authentic church. The grandeur and magnificence of the building inspired me to study more Buddhist writing. I was touched and moved just by sitting there for a while. I like buildings that have history.

There are two types of buses. One is explained above, and the other kind, this one, runs on gasoline. Exhaust pipes are located on the shoulders of these buses in order to reduce harmful exhaust fumes. Canada has two types of people as well, I guess: those who are foolish like the ticket inspectors, and those who think of this clever idea.

Another fascinating factor is this huge truck with what looks like a tail. It’s almost like a walking cane for the truck. I do not know if it is for balance or to prevent falling, but I praise their effort in improving safety and protecting the environment.

Day 2: Downtown Tour – Part 2

Translated by Ian Haight and Hwajin Kang (orginal: http://blog.naver.com/mahabira6061/70135005135)

This is the starting point of downtown Vancouver. I was lucky that it is still only the 1zon from my inn to here.

It is very clean and neat here. I didn’t see that many signs. Streets were smooth too.

This bus is known as an electric bus and is common. Because it is connected to the lines above, it sometimes makes a sparkling sound of electricity, which scares me, but I think it is interesting. I have seen some cases of two buses running together, attached.

This is Vancouver Art Gallery. I did not step inside.

I don’t know why I was attracted to this Church, but I went in after I saw the word “free.”

Day 2: Downtown Tour – Part 1

Translated by Ian Haight and Hwajin Kang (orginal: http://blog.naver.com/mahabira6061/70135005135)

I don’t know how these two pictures are attached together. It is not my work…the top one is taken from my room. I like the feeling of it. But the room is in a mess now. I am pretty sure even if a robber comes to visit my room he will just turn and run away, surprised by the mess. Please don’t tell anyone that Korean monks are all dirty. The bottom picture is a sign which indicates special “bicycle access” streets. Those roads are usually very smooth with few bumps. There are also bicycle-only lines in the middle of crosswalks. I find crows and seagulls more often than people and cars.

I took this picture at a grocery store. I see not even one skyscraper. In the midst of little hills, I found some houses that could be found in Seongbuk-dong in Seoul. The store looks gigantic and had pretty much everything. The products were pricey (the cheapest toothbrush cost $3) and were usually single-units. Once I came out of the store, it was drizzling outside. My backpack got heavier and my wallet got lighter; the weight had shifted from my wallet to my backpack. I experienced the feeling of “no gain, no loss” Prajñā-Paramitā (trans. note: Prajñā-Paramitā means “The Perfection of Wisdom”). It is unfair to pay so much for just a couple of products. I have been taking it easy on bread and juice that I purchased at this store, so that I could eat for a while. It’s been three days of eating only juice and bread. I need to thank my parents for giving me a healthy stomach. 

I don’t know if the subways were clean because they had just been built, but they seemed quite small. They are called “skytrains” in Vancouver, but they are similar to regular Seoul subways, except for the fact that they usually run above ground. They have three different lines, but I don’t recall the names of them. Also, there is a bus called “Sea Bus” which goes to North Vancouver. Regular buses of course exist on this side of the world.  The bus routes are broken into three zones according to distance. One zone named 1zon cost $2.50 (Canadian) and has no limit on the number of transfers, including buses, subways, and Sea Buses.

I went into the station without having passed through a ticket gate, but those ticket inspectors were standing nearby. They randomly come to you and ask for your tickets. They even came up to me and asked for my ticket, so I thought, “How come they don’t notice this good-and-kind-looking face? They must not have gotten married yet because of their heartlessness.” If you have an expired ticket, as you go through a machine that looks like a vending machine, the machine will sound an alarm, give off a red light and spit out your ticket.

Day 1: Entered Canada

Translated by Ian Haight and Hwajin Kang (original: http://blog.naver.com/mahabira6061/70135000180) 

This was taken just after I passed through immigration customs. Because I had my bicycle equipment in my carry-bag, every time I went through security I had to take my bike out of the bag out and then after the check put it back in. In Beijing, particularly, after making me open the bag, they informed me they owned no tape to reseal the bag. If I had known ahead of time, I would have taken tape from Incheon. After the initial check, the Chinese customs official put a “security check” sticker on my body and I forgot to take it off until I got on the flight. People must have thought of me as a dangerous monk. I hope I did not scare anyone. ^^;; Anyhow, because this precious bag was heavy, I had to drag it around later. I had to force myself to smile because I was nervous and lost in a foreign country. Fortunately, I succeeded in entering Canada!

It seems like cherry blossoms are already falling. Don’t confuse yourself because of the photo with spring flowers. It is extremely cold. I have seen no sun for three days. We had rain this evening and it was seriously windy at night. The house you see on the right side of this picture is the place I am staying at. It has a double room for me. It cost $49 a night, but since people hardly come in March, I got a discount. So, I paid $39 a night. I was planning on staying only for four days, but due to the unexpected cold, I decided to stay for a week. Luckily, I received a discount for all seven days. In addition, the house’s airport pick-up fee of $20 was waived, so they picked me up for free. 

I’m Finally Starting My Blog

Translated by Ian Haight and Hwajin Kang (original: http://blog.naver.com/mahabira6061/70134997836)

I am sorry for causing worries to those who have been waiting for my updates. I arrived in Canada safely on the 28^th, a Wednesday, at 2:00 pm Vancouver, Canada time. I have been trying to get over jet lag. Let me introduce my bicycle “Geum Gang Lyun,” who will travel with me. In hopes that the bike will help me understand ideas explained in The Diamond Sutra (Geum Gang Gyeong in Korean) and protect me until then, I took the word “Geum Gang” as part of my bicycle’s name. “Lyun” has two meanings: the Chinese character for lyun, “輪” means a tire, and also means “the doctrine and pedagogy of Buddhism.” My bike’s name is bombastic because I wish for having him as my “comrade who accompanies and supports me with the power of the Diamond Sutra until I become aware of the true meanings of Buddhist doctrine.”