This is cool!:

[www.zenhall.org]

Sharrhan:


[www.facebook.com]

I wonder if he is still raw. It says 'there he ate a raw diet' referring to living in mountain seclusion. Would be great if he was still raw.

that was really nifty thanks

...Jodi, the banana eating buddhist

Yeah, thanks for this. I've never heard or read of this man. I'll ask some friends here and a monk. Many people who come here to this temple consider this monk (the monk I'll ask, not the guy in the link) if he knows of this monk. I've been asking around for a raw monk. Asking in various places. Haven't heard of anyone. Nobody in Korea or anyone else. I will send an email to the temple in Berkeley and / or the one in Seoul to ask about this monk.

Thanks. Troy.



This way is not compatible with Zen practice. This way IS Zen practice. - Dr. Doug Graham

Nothing whatsoever should be attached to. - Buddha

Hi Troy,

There's a monk named Guang-Qin (广&#38054, who ate just raw fruits from age of 55 to 84. He used to live in Taiwan before he passed away at age of 95 in 1986. Since he was eating fruits for many years, he was also given another name as "fruitarian master".

One of his pic: [www.bfnn.org]

I'm very glad to see that you're learning Buddhism as well. Both you and Sharrhan are doing great!

All the Best,
Wong

Thanks, Wong--
I'm always really happy to find spiritual teachers who eat raw food. That's a pretty impressive age he lived to.

I know there have been some spiritual masters in India who ate raw food/fruit, but it's been considerably harder to find them in the Orient, with its cooler climate and cultural inclination toward heavier food.

Sharrhan:


[www.facebook.com]

Just got off the phone with He was at his temple in Berkeley CA. He spends most of his time at his temple in Seoul though.

Anyway, first I talked with a woman. Then she went to see if Hyeon-oong Sunim was free. He came to the phone and we talked for a few minutes.

He doesn't eat raw anymore. He eats what people offer. I didn't push him a lot about eating raw. He says that he should accept what people offer him. Most monks, I think, take this view. (The Buddhist group I lived with in Thailand though, the monks and female novices accept everything, but if they're offered anything non-vegetarian, they'll give it back after accepting it with an explanation that they only eat veg. Now, if they could only take that one step further and say that they only eat raw!!)

The lady I talked with mentioned the body thing he does where Sunim recommends a way of eating suited to the individual. She said that a raw diet isn't good for some people. My guess is that he'd say the diet is too cooling for some people. I didn't want to press her either on the raw food thing.

Anyway, I finally got around to finding out about this, as I said I would. Sunim invited me to see him when he returns to Seoul on July 25th. So, if you're interested in hearing what this man has to say and you can get to Berkeley before then, head on over.

Last thing, he told me that since he was living in the forest, like a hermit, he didn't cook. I told him he could have cooked. Just make a fire and cook the foods. I didn't ask what he ate for calories, carbohydrates. I suppose he ate tubers and a few wild fruits. Tubers I suppose were his main calorie source.

Troy.



This way is not compatible with Zen practice. This way IS Zen practice. - Dr. Doug Graham

Nothing whatsoever should be attached to. - Buddha

Thanks, Troy! That's so cool that you went to the trouble to track the guy down and find out if he's still raw. I suspected as much, but it was still interesting to read about him eating raw food in the forest.

I'll still eat raw 99 percent of the time, because for me it just feels so great and my mind feels so much fresher and more clear! ;-)

Sharrhan:


[www.facebook.com]

I agree with you. If it's better for you, why not? The monk didn't say raw is bad or anything, didn't say it's not right for some people. He only said he's not eating raw now because he should eat what people give him. I guess he hasn't said he'd prefer to eat raw. Don't know.

I really liked your post about how even enlightened people have their own cultural understandings. This rings true to me.



This way is not compatible with Zen practice. This way IS Zen practice. - Dr. Doug Graham

Nothing whatsoever should be attached to. - Buddha