16 - Seeking the Way

Summary

Looking for the cow – Shim’ujang– (modern shijo)

THE IDEA OF LOOKING FOR A COW that hasn't been lost delights all those who search after truth. Han Yong’un's house was known as Shim’ujang, literally search-cow-house. Looking for the cow means searching for enlightenment. Most readers will be familiar with the ten panel screen depicting the theme. The cow gradually changes colour until it becomes white and finally disappears. The boy also disappears.

Han Yong’un's house was on the mountain behind the residence of the Governor-General but facing the other way so that the patriot monk wouldn't have the daily necessity of looking at national disgrace. His poem sums up the contradictions inherent in the search for transcendence.

No cow's been lost;

It's silly to look.

Were it really lost,

would it be finders keepers?

Better not look at all;

that way I won't lose it again.

Han Yong’un (1879–1944)

All My Life

All my life I’ve sought the Way,

not, I must admit, with much success.

Merton was once my master,

then Yi Kyubo, then Sŏ Chŏngju.

I’ve known most of Korea's modern literary greats

and one or two of Ireland’s.

Super egos and pettiness,

twin art maladies

dulled their burnish.

Kyeshim-sa (Open the Heart Temple)

Kyeshim-sa (open the heart temple), a delightful temple in North Ch’ungch’ŏng Province, is built with twisted pillars and beams that create an extraordinary harmony. I formulated some lovely theories on the art intentions of the builders that were beautifully blown away by the monk's simple explanation: there were no straight trees when the temple was being built.

Open the heart,

empty the heart!

You open the heart

presumably to see what's inside;

you empty it of what you opened it to see.

Then what?

I try some nice temple speculations:

endless art possibilities on the gothic twists

of pillars and beams.