궁궁/GoongGoong

A Story of Arrival, Living, and Return

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Life has been called a journey. That’s why people say we come and go. We come into this world empty-handed, and we leave it the same way. But is that really true? When this journey ends, is there truly nothing left? Is that what it means to be free? And what exactly is that freedom?

So we end up living, hoping that nothing strange or bad happens, gradually wishing that nothing at all happens. Yes, in the material world—the world we can see with our eyes—we are indeed born with nothing. But if we talk about what’s unseen, then from the moment we’re born, we actually possess a great deal.

We’re born with the genes passed down from our parents, but also feelings about an unknown soul—something we can’t name, just sense. As we live, we create and receive the results of cause and effect in countless ways.

Time passes. And then we return to that unknown place. We disappear. But when we vanish, it won’t be as if we were never here. The traces of memory, the things that made our hearts ache or sing—those will be taken along with our soul. So don’t fall into despair or think it’s meaningless. Everything follows the law of cause and effect.

This life is not simply about this life, or past lives, or next lives. It’s a life woven into the vast fabric of time and space—intertwined like the countless stars in the universe. So don’t judge your life as good or bad based on a single moment or chapter. Instead, with your breath, try to feel and understand the greater meaning—perhaps even the will of the heavens. Where am I now? 

The Heart of the Bean

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Image from Pixabay

Sometimes, I take out Hwanyeok (a Korean book by Alexander Choi) and open it to random pages, reading them as my heart desires. When I read the book, I am often grateful for how the words on the pages deeply etch themselves in my mind, depending on what I am learning at that time. I end up reading it over and over again. Anyway, there’s a proverb that says, “Where you plant beans, beans will grow.” However, sometimes, worthless beans grow as well. Let me elaborate on what a “bad bean” exactly is.

In Hwanyeok, there are various theories about whether the “bad bean” was inherently flawed or if other variables were at play. Through several experiments, it suggests that one of the factors contributing to a worthless bean could be the state of the mind. With the same sun, water, wind, and soil, while some beans pour all their energy into growing and flourishing, others may not grow enough because their hearts are somewhere else, eventually becoming worthless. Indeed, this makes me nod in agreement!

I always thought I was a good bean, but I never seriously considered the possibility that I could become a worthless one as well. Even if you plant identical seedlings in the same tray, they won’t grow to be identical twins. Just because someone is human doesn’t mean they are the same as everyone else. I want to be someone with fragrance, someone who leaves a trace. I want to grow like a bean.

Fragrance, traces, beans… What is it I’m talking about? Let’s be curious about it! Goonggoong!

Unapologetic Fragility

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We love trees in the spring
Green leaves appearing, flower buds peeking
Birds building nests and singing in the branches.
We enjoy trees in the summer
Luscious crowns providing much needed shade
Rich green colored leaves softly rustling in the summer breeze.
We admire trees in the fall for their beautiful colors, sun bouncing off them.
But the winter is when trees are most vulnerable
With no leaves, no birds, no colors, they are exposed
They cannot hide their uneven trunk, a branch bent or broken by the wind,
weathered bark, holes made by woodpeckers
They show themselves unapologetically, for everyone to see and judge, as they have no choice.
Let us not be harsh in our judgement
It is in the winter that they allow sun to shine through them bringing warmth and light
We can find beauty in their fragility

Thinking of Limits

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In mathematics we have a notion of Limit going from zero to infinity. Lim f(x), x->∞. We really do not know that it is truly infinity but we accept that we do not know where the limit is. And, we are comfortable with this notion, we build theorems and theories based on it. Greatest inventions have been made because the inventors did not set up limits to their imaginations. So, why don’t we apply this notion of “no limit” to ourselves, to our own growth? What if we lose all prenotions of what is expected and what is “normal”, and what is good enough, and keep going wanting more. We will not know if we reach our limits, but it is exciting to believe that there is always more, we can really have fun with this!

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