Monk to test his endurance to discover "Emptiness"

by Dave Pope, The Buddhist Channel, May 31, 2012

Help Sunim cross The Americas by bicycle

Winnipeg, Canada -- Sunim Daeung is a 42 year old Korean Monk on an epic adventure of self discovery. His goal is to circumnavigate all of North America then travel down the west coast of Mexico and continue all the way to the southern tip of South America....on a bicycle!

<< Sunim Daeng in Vernon, British Columbia, April 26th 2012

He says he will camp whenever possible and stay in hostels when he can't. The members of his temple have been saving and donating to send him on this trip for a very long time.

I asked what motivated him to embark on such a trip. He humbly replied, in just four soft spoken words, while gently placing his open palm to his chest, "To test my spirit".

The immensity of the task facing Sunim as he treks across the American continent are as follows:

  • He has limited language skills for the countries that he will be travelling through.
  • He is on this side of the world for the first time of his life
  • He restricts himself to only what he can carry on a bicycle and sets out to peddle around two continents
  • He's unsure about how long it will take
  • He has no idea how far he will make each day, with no reservations and no itinerary
  • He has no contacts, no chase van and no support network.
  • He has willfully removed himself from family, friendship, a home, comfort, security and the ability to communicate easily, forsaking all that and replacin it with hardship, isolation, physical exhaustion, hunger, homelessness, uncertainty and danger.
  • In other words, he is completely and utterly alone in a strange world.

Sunim entered the monastic life at 19 years old and has spent the last 23 years of his life helping and teaching others. Sunim started his Journey Of Spirit in Vancouver and is presently heading through southern Saskatchewan and heading for Toronto, Ottawa, Montreal, Quebec City and then on to the east coast and St. Johns NB.

From there its down to New York City then west to California. Then it's south to Mexico, Guatemala, Honduras, San Salvador, Nicaragua, Costa Rica, Panama, Columbia, Ecuador, Peru, Bolivia, Chile and finally to the southern tip of Argentina. 
           
Through this endurance, Sunim is demonstrating the very essence of "emptiness" by offering to test the limits of his body and mind. Along the way, he believes he will discover some parts of this truth or Dharma as taught by Buddha.

This article is an appeal to readers who happen to stay along Sunim's path to make offerings to this monk, by allowing him to have a warm bed and a hot meal at every stop he makes.

In the east, making offerings to monks, where it is known as "dana" is a virtuous and meritorious deed. What more if the offering ends with some words of wisdom from the monk, and the synergy of this symbiotic relationship is thus complete.

Sunim is a kind and gracious monk, who will positively influence the lives of those he encounters, even if just for a day.

Sunim's route update page (on Facebook):
https://www.facebook.com/groups/339799639416148/doc/344166922312753/

 

WHAT YOU CAN DO TO HELP SUNIM

  • First, goto the Facebook page here: (https://www.facebook.com/groups/339799639416148/files/). Click on Photos and see what he, and his bike/gear looks like so you know what to look for. 
  • If you can offer Sunim a place to sleep for a night, or a meal, or even a cold drink, join this group and post it, or email Your kind offer to Dave at duhpope@hotmail.com
  • If you live along his route, and he is in your area at the time, put out a sign that says SUNIM PLACE TO STAY or SUNIM PLACE TO EAT, or SUNIM COLD DRINK. Accessing email is sporadic for Sunim so sometimes a sign is the only way to contact him if he is in your vicinity. You can keep track of his progress by clicking on docs and opening the ROUTE UPDATE page.
  • If you live off of his route but want to help, put your address on the sign, place it along his route and he'll find you with his little GPS unit. I'll update his whereabouts and his route whenever I hear from him. You can also post your kind offer or email it if he hasnt reached your vicinity yet.
  • If you know someone who lives along his route, forward this Facebook page to them and ask for their kind support.
  • If Sunim stays with you please join the group, take pictures and  post the experience/pics on this page.
  • If you see Sunim on the road, offer him a place for the night, or a meal, then post the experience.
  • Even if you just see him, post the sighting to help us keep track of his progress.
We Need Your Help to Train the
Buddhist AI Chat Bot
NORBU!
(Neural Operator for Responsible Buddhist Understanding)



For Malaysians and Singaporeans, please make your donation to the following account:

Account Name: Bodhi Vision
Account No:. 2122 00000 44661
Bank: RHB

The SWIFT/BIC code for RHB Bank Berhad is: RHBBMYKLXXX
Address: 11-15, Jalan SS 24/11, Taman Megah, 47301 Petaling Jaya, Selangor
Phone: 603-9206 8118

Note: Please indicate your name in the payment slip. Thank you.


Dear Friends in the Dharma,

We seek your generous support to help us train NORBU, the word's first Buddhist AI Chat Bot.

Here are some ways you can contribute to this noble cause:

One-time Donation or Loan: A single contribution, regardless of its size, will go a long way in helping us reach our goal and make the Buddhist LLM a beacon of wisdom for all.

How will your donation / loan be used? Download the NORBU White Paper for details.



For Malaysians and Singaporeans, please make your donation to the following account:

Account Name: Bodhi Vision
Account No:. 2122 00000 44661
Bank: RHB

The SWIFT/BIC code for RHB Bank Berhad is: RHBBMYKLXXX
Address: 11-15, Jalan SS 24/11, Taman Megah, 47301 Petaling Jaya, Selangor
Phone: 603-9206 8118

Note: Please indicate your purpose of payment (loan or donation) in the payment slip. Thank you.

Once payment is banked in, please send the payment slip via email to: editor@buddhistchannel.tv. Your donation/loan will be published and publicly acknowledged on the Buddhist Channel.

Spread the Word: Share this initiative with your friends, family and fellow Dharma enthusiasts. Join "Friends of Norbu" at: https://www.facebook.com/groups/norbuchatbot. Together, we can build a stronger community and create a positive impact on a global scale.

Volunteer: If you possess expertise in AI, natural language processing, Dharma knowledge in terms of Buddhist sutras in various languages or related fields, and wish to lend your skills, please contact us. Your knowledge and passion could be invaluable to our project's success.

Your support is part of a collective effort to preserve and disseminate the profound teachings of Buddhism. By contributing to the NORBU, you become a "virtual Bodhisattva" to make Buddhist wisdom more accessible to seekers worldwide.

Thank you for helping to make NORBU a wise and compassionate Buddhist Chatbot!

May you be blessed with inner peace and wisdom,

With deepest gratitude,

Kooi F. Lim
On behalf of The Buddhist Channel Team


Note: To date, we have received the following contributions for NORBU:
US$ 75 from Gary Gach (Loan)
US$ 50 from Chong Sim Keong
MYR 300 from Wilson Tee
MYR 500 from Lim Yan Pok
MYR 50 from Oon Yeoh
MYR 200 from Ooi Poh Tin
MYR 300 from Lai Swee Pin
MYR 100 from Ong Hooi Sian
MYR 1,000 from Fam Sin Nin
MYR 500 from Oh teik Bin
MYR 300 from Yeoh Ai Guat
MYR 300 from Yong Lily
MYR 50 from Bandar Utama Buddhist Society
MYR 1,000 from Chiam Swee Ann
MYR 1,000 from Lye Veei Chiew
MYR 1,000 from Por Yong Tong
MYR 80 from Lee Wai Yee
MYR 500 from Pek Chee Hen
MYR 300 from Hor Tuck Loon
MYR 1,000 from Wise Payments Malaysia Sdn Bhd
MYR 200 from Teo Yen Hua
MYR 500 from Ng Wee Keat
MYR 10,000 from Chang Quai Hung, Jackie (Loan)
MYR 10,000 from K. C. Lim & Agnes (Loan)
MYR 10,000 from Juin & Jooky Tan (Loan)
MYR 100 from Poh Boon Fong (on behalf of SXI Buddhist Students Society)
MYR 10,000 from Fam Shan-Shan (Loan)
MYR 10,000 from John Fam (Loan)
MYR 500 from Phang Cheng Kar
MYR 100 from Lee Suat Yee
MYR 500 from Teo Chwee Hoon (on behalf of Lai Siow Kee)
MYR 200 from Mak Yuen Chau

We express our deep gratitude for the support and generosity.

If you have any enquiries, please write to: editor@buddhistchannel.tv


TOP