Things got bigger without me knowing; I didn’t know I had friends.
On that same day I Skyped Adam for the first time and introduced myself to him. Adam said he was a student of the monk Seung Sahn and that he knew something about Buddhism. Adam used to live in New York, but I was surprised to learn there are students of Seung Sahn in America. Is it a Seung Sahn monk club? A temple? A meditation group? Anyway, Adam said he’d made a schedule for where I can stay while traveling, and that I shouldn’t worry about where to stay, and that I should come to America. I’m not the only one on a pilgrimage now.
David’s email message said, “This Korean monk can’t speak any English and is on a journey without any network to be of help. If you see a person with a safety jacket riding a bike on the road, it’s the monk, so we must help him.” Maybe people think we need to help for this reason, while others just want to give help.
When I passed Winnipeg there was a place called “Kenora,” which I knew was a “place to stay.” I called David and he said the place was ready for me. I thanked David but he said, “Thank you for letting me do this.” *Sigh* How did I meet someone like this?
Even today a lady from Winnipeg named Lorry came to see me again. As she was waiting she gave us blueberries as a present. I said I had to go to Robert’s bike shop for the bike, but she said she would help get the bike for us. Yesterday we saw an oriental clinic I wanted to go to, but I couldn’t really speak English so she couldn’t understand me. Surprisingly the bike shop turned out to be next to the oriental clinic that I saw (Am I lucky? Do I have some kind of divine power?).
I went to the oriental hospital and explained about my hand. The squeezing still hurt so the doctor said I had to be treated with acupuncture for 3 days. The doctor cured me for free and wished me luck on my trip.
Next door at the bike shop, Lorry explained about my trip so the shop gave me a free saddle. She took a picture and uploaded it to my Facebook page. Everything there is in English; I can’t even read it. I cannot read my own site! David, Adam, Lorry, and Robert know me so I guess they can write on it. It’s true: I can’t even read or write English. My friends are writing everything.
I don’t know if this is my fortune. Water doesn’t stagnate when it flows. In the same way, humans should move so they will find their relationships with others. If you take a test you’ll know how well you’ve studied. If you overcome a limitation you will know your heart; tears are opening my heart. My pilgrimage is not only my path, but also a journey to connect with the lives of others.
I'd like to know if and when Sunim finished his journey? or is he still going? I can't find this information. thanks,
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