Dhr. Seven and Ashley Wells, Wisdom Quarterly, PasaDharma Zen Group
Zen novice, a future roshi, in a Catholic cardinal's lap, South Korea (Zen Mirror) |
Child's novice ordination (buddhism.about.com) |
(IBTimesTV) Young Buddhist novices are usually seen
mediating or doing chores for their monastery. However, instead of learning or meditating, these little "monks"
played as 37 novices from across the country
gathered in Seoul to attend the event at South Korea's biggest Buddhist
order "Jogye." The religion with around 10 million followers is about a fifth of South Korea's population. After chanting, the game began, and the kids could not have been happier. A
seven year old said he always dreamed of playing soccer. "I prayed
to Buddha [actually Amitabha], hoping to play soccer well. And I am happy to score a goal,"
he said. Seongjin, a monk at Jogye Temple, said the soccer match
encapsulated the true meaning of Buddha's birthday: "As we watch novice
monks play innocently, we can feel their innocence and happiness as if
we feel the heart of [the] Buddha. Also our novices can have fun and their
happiness can bring happiness and peace to the world. This is an event
where we can share the true meaning of Buddha's birthday," he explained.
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