ways to love him: head priest kim
how many of you are following sweet sister's translation of that book, ways to love him? hehe, i know i am!although i'll be the first to admit that the last chapter on dentist kim did tell me abit more things about dentistry than i'd care to know, hee... anyhow, if you've missed any of the earlier chapters, you can find the links on the right sidebar of my blog.
this new chapter is interesting! or at least i thought so...
now the older fans may have heard about wuri yong joon's earlier days... am referring to the time before he entered showbiz. well, after high school, he had tried taking the university entrance exams twice. not sure if you know, but these entrance exams are really a big deal in korea. parents would get all anxious for their children and do everything they can to help create a conducive environment for them to do well. anyway, wuri yong joon had first tried for a place in hanyang uni, he was eying to be an architect. unfortunately, he didn't make it.
he decided to try again. the second time around, he had wanted to try the law faculty. and in preparation for the exam, he had sorta checked himself into a temple so that he could really concentrate on the exam. chapter 8 of the book is actually an interview with the head priest of the temple wuri yong joon went, jinwi temple.
like what sweet sister had said to me, it's quite an interesting read as "it gave us a picture of how life must have been for YJ during his 6 months there".
and oh, if you wanna read more about his earlier days, you can check out the my fave bae-links on the right sidebar. in particular, you can click here for the part about how he was trying to get into uni after high school. or there are also more interesting tidbits here, look out for parts 5 & 7.
original in japanese: ways to love yonsama
translated into english: a sweet sister / bb's blog
pics: yours truly, bb!
Ch 8 - A Lesson Learned in Solitude
'To Love Love'
Jinwi Buddhist Temple
Head Priest, Kim Dong Ho
Yong Joon Studied at a Temple
Deep in the Mountains Where Boars Appeared
BYJ arrived alone to visit this Jinwi Temple on March 1, 1991. You may ask why I clearly remember the exact date and that is because he was requested to submit a document, 'a letter of application' when he enrolled at this Temple.There is no requirement that an applicant enrol at the beginning of a new year. An applicant may enrol at anytime. The date that YJ wrote was March 1, 1991.
On the application there are details such as date of birth, parent’s names, birthplace, current residence at that time (Dongdaemun-Gu, Yongdu 2-Dong, Seoul) and telephone number. There was information to be completed on schools graduated to be filled in, but I see that YJ submitted the application with only the minimum necessary information completed.
This Temple had a square footage of about 13,000 tsubo (10 acres, 42,000 sq. metres) at the time YJ was here. Even that was a considerable size but we have now grown to 36,000 tsubo (29 acres, 119,000 sq. metres). The buildings that YJ stayed in were demolished eleven years ago and rebuilt so that the current buildings are not the same buildings as the ones during YJ’s time.
The building that YJ stayed in was an L-shaped two-story building, and YJ’s room number 205 was on the second floor. All the rooms are private rooms.
*bb: oh how interesting!! remember jaeho's cap? it's also 205!
When YJ was here, there were more than 80 rooms total. The bathrooms and bathtubs were communal and they were only located outside the building in the mountains. For children such as YJ who were used to the conveniences of city life, this condition may have been a hardship.
But despite that, this Temple was very popular back when YJ was here. As you can see, the Temple is located deep in the mountains. Previously, we used to see boars coming down from the mountains. That is why the Temple’s remote location was given as a good reason to give up all temptations.
Within the 4-5 series of buildings, there were 70-80 students studying for entrance exams that were either arriving or leaving here. Among those students are those who went on to become the backbone of government serving in the Foreign Service, and as public prosecutors, and judges.
There must be several hundred such people who went on to play an active role in society.
It is not for that reason that I say this, but I think that it is very praiseworthy for young people to give up all enjoyable pleasures to decide to come here to this Temple to study. Studying for the entrance exams is a battle with the self on how to contain your own ambitions and sexual desires with endurance, above all, being the key to success. Putting aside the end results, as a servant of Buddha, I am grateful for the young people that visit the Temple, with the desire to study after first discarding all worldly thoughts.
YJ was a Lonely Soul
At the Jinwi Temple, we still receive people who come to stay for self-study in preparation for the Foreign Service civil service examination, law studies to become judges or public prosecutors, and other legislative and administrative studies. I believe that YJ definitely came to study for some examination. That is because he had the dream of becoming a foreign diplomat or a high ranking bureaucrat.
The end result is that he did not become a diplomat or a bureaucrat but because he is currently somewhat in the role of an unofficial diplomat, it can be said that he has remarkably realized his dream.
The various examinations are not easily passed so that there are people in their late 30’s taking the tests, or there are people who are unable to study due to illness and long-term recovery. This applies mainly to middle aged women.
Young women are not admitted to the Temple. Previously, young women were accepted into the Temple, but because of a problem occurring between young women and men, we have been declining young women since that incident.
Of course, YJ was not the type of young man to cause problems. I do not have any memories that he stood out among the others; he was intelligent and was an excellent child, but I do have the impression that he was sociable, well-mannered and a neat child. YJ surely must have received abundant love from his parents when he was growing up. If he had gotten drunk and rowdy or used foul language to an employee, I would have remembered such an incident but I do not remember any such incident occurring.
Because he had a sociable nature, he had a tendency to socialize too much with his friends that I sometimes had to caution him about this. When I thought he was supposed to be studying in his room, I found him talking to another student in their room. I felt that YJ was a lonely person who seemed to need company. When a person enrolls in this temple, he is cut off from feeling his family’s love, the love from his lover or anything.
Despite this, I scolded him saying, "YJ, this is a place for studying. This is not a place for having fun or talking with your friends. Remember the reason you came here, and study like you’re supposed to." I did this for his sake.
It seems that YJ did not forget the way that I cautioned him. Because in an interview after becoming famous, he mentioned to the media, "I was severely scolded by the Chief Priest at Jinwi Temple."
*bb: i've a feeling wuri yong joon doesn't get scolded or chided all that much, and therefore he probably remembers every single occasion when he's scolded, hee...
Giving Up Sports to Concentrate on Studies
The Temple charged a monthly rent of 45-50,000 won (about 5,900-6,500 yen) at the time YJ enrolled and when he left, I think the rent was 70-80,000 won (about 9,000 – 10,000 yen). We are not a money-making venture but we need to cover the necessary food and operating expenses so that we collect the minimum payment from everyone.
The truth is that we do not collect payments from those who cannot pay. For those children who cannot pay, but have big goals that they want to study toward, we want to offer them the road so that they can study and reach their goals. But though they may say this and enroll in the Temple, once they are here, there are some children that only loaf and never study at all. We ask such children to leave at once.
There is no set daily routine at the Temple but meal times are set. Breakfast is at 7am, lunch is at noon, and dinner is at 6pm. The schedule is the same in summer and winter and for the past 30 some years, these times have not changed. If the students do not show up in the dining hall at these times, then they will miss their meals.
The meals have changed quite a bit since YJ was here. There are now tables in the dining hall where the students can serve themselves buffet style but when YJ was here, there were no tables and the students each sat on the floor with a tray full of food. Soups were served by an ajumma (Korean for older woman).
In the evening, if the students wanted to snack while studying, there was a gas stove located next to the bathtubs. The students would cook instant ramen there and eat kim chi to fill their empty stomachs.
When I look back on it now, I am impressed that YJ was also able to endure such outdated facilities.
Here at this Temple, each student is basically living a self-directed lifestyle but there are rules for living communally. Besides the previously mentioned meal times, excess conversation among students, drinking of alcohol, and sports are prohibited.
Other than the above items, the Temple does not interfere in the students’ lives. Cautioning by nagging and interfering would only cause unnecessary stress to the children. It is my wish for the children to be happy and that their days here are also happy.
It is understood why excess conversation and drinking of alcohol are prohibited but you may wonder why sports are prohibited? The reason for this is that when sports are engaged in, there are winners and losers. Then betting becomes a natural part of sports.
If students (studying for the civil service examination) were gambling, it would only lead to terrible things. That is why sports where children compete against each other are prohibited.
At the time of enrolment, each and every student must write an oath. It is an oath that says that the rules of Jinwi Temple will be upheld and that a student will not do anything that will disrupt the studies of another student… BYJ should have also written such an oath when he arrived.
He Listened Intently to Lectures on Love
Though there is no set daily routine here at the Temple, I give sermons or what you call simple lectures to the students, once or twice a month. The students and I drink tea and converse.
What I usually talk to them about is how important it is to be kind to others and that if you love others, then others will love you in return.
Love your family, love your parents, love your children, and love your friends, by doing that then they will return your love and begin to love you. Do not seek love from others but love others first and become a person that people want to be with.
If you want to become happy, I also told the students to make a lot of friends. By making many friends, you love many friends, and make them happy. I stressed that by loving and making your friends happy, you yourself also will become happy.
A person will find himself surrounded by many people in good times. But if that person fails in business or if he is an actor and loses popularity, there will be times when those people you thought were your friends will disappear.
But a true friend will never disappear no matter when or what happens. A true friend is one that will come to see you whenever and even if you live in a remote area, by climbing mountains and crossing valleys. That is why I also told YJ to make true friends that will stand by you. By doing that, you will be able to grasp true happiness.
Even now, I think that YJ certainly has not forgotten such a talk I gave.
Presently, YJ has been more than sufficiently blessed financially. To sustain this good fortune, he should love many people and make many people happy. He will certainly put that thought into practice.
TWSSG Training Close to Jinwi Temple
The truth is that YJ did not make that much of a strong impression on me among the many students that enroll here. One day, an acquaintance informed me, "The media is reporting how popular star BYJ who once stayed at this Temple was scolded by the Head Priest," so I dug out the 'application form', which was enough to bring back fond memories of him, 'ah, he was that quiet child.'
Seeing him on TV and in magazines, I remembered it was definitely him. Then when I saw him after a long absence, I thought that his face hadn’t changed at all from the past. He has changed a bit but his basic facial structure has remained the same as in the past.
I call the people studying at the Temple children (iyedori) and show them affection and YJ is also one of my cute iyedori.
I saw YJ on TV talking about momjjang, is that what you call it, about his own body building and I remembered him fondly. He was saying body building was very difficult and how he learned endurance at Jinwi Temple.
I was happy when I heard him say that. I realized that YJ has never forgotten the memory of the days he spent here.
Speaking of that, there was this incident.
The students at this Temple, in order to pay their financial obligations, have part-time jobs in the bee-keeping industry. They have worked for the Royal Jelly operations and in livestock farming. For such work, I’ve traveled to far off Taejon and Taegu and YJ and I have also traveled to nearby Shin Tang Jin to collect honey.
Also, there was this incident.
There was an ill-natured student who had bad study habits, drank alcohol, bothered the other students, didn’t pay for his meals, and everyone was at a loss at what to do with this student. So I told that student to leave the Temple.
Then that child pulled out a knife and turned his hate on me by trying to stab me. Thinking I couldn’t back off here, I said, "It’s alright. Go ahead and stab me!" as I dared that child to stab me. That child was overshadowed by my determination, threw down the knife, and left this Temple.
I do not know if YJ was at the Temple or not during this time. But here at this Temple during the course of studying, once a twice a year there is a child that will scream as a result of drinking alcohol to relieve the stress and loneliness. I wonder if YJ also did not see such a scene when he was here.
Many things happened but after six months YJ left the Temple. But I do not remember the date he left. I do not have any memory of speaking with him before he left the Temple. I think that when YJ left the Temple, I was away from the Temple. I would often have to travel here and there to resolve problems with the Temple’s operational funds.
But I heard that YJ properly washed and hung his bedding out to dry and paid his fees before he left. He was a very well-mannered child. There were many children that, unable to pay the temple fees, fled in the night.
The truth is that before the filming of YJ’s new drama TWSSG, I heard the rumor that YJ rented a matsutake (mushroom) plot of 1,500 tsubo (1.2 acres, 4958 sq. metres) for 1.5m won (about 200m yen) a month. It was said that he was doing various types of training in secret there. Perhaps he remembered how he studied here at the Temple and thought, "because it is so deep in the mountains, I can concentrate on training without anyone knowing about it."
I do not know exactly what type of training he did but the farming family that rented the land to him said the money really helped them a lot and they were grateful to YJ.
They were extremely grateful because it is impossible to have sales of 1.5m won a month from a matsutake (mushroom) farm. For YJ to pay such a large amount shows that he is generous.
There is the saying, 'There is nothing in this world that is free (i-se sang-e gong-jja-neun oppuda)', and for YJ to maintain his current success, he is probably thinking that it’s natural for him to pay compensation in his own way. Rather than expecting others to treat him well, the action of first treating others well, perhaps my love sermon being put into practice.
If YJ thinks that he was able to achieve his current success because he studied at the Temple and made efforts at this Temple, then this would make me very happy. Just as he studied so hard here, my wish for him is to continue to live an earnest life, love others, and to continue to learn until the end.
p.s. if you're interested to try out templestay when you next visit korea, click here, here and here to find out more. there're some 20 temples for you to choose from, and there're also programs with english translation. and oh, if you don't have the luxury of time, there're also condensed version of the a buddhism experience, for about 3-4 hours.
p.p.s. was half-hesitant about posting this link... but what the heck... basically there're some tourists who have tried the templestay and not all find it, err... enlightening. of course there're some who did enjoy the experience and love being away from it all. but anyway, here's one chap who didn't enjoy his.
posted by bb @ 11/11/2007 04:21:00 PM
2 Comments:
Hi bb, thanks for sharing this book and this chapter. First time heard about this book, been busy for so long, and busy on TWSSG viewing, heehee... it seems a good book, will read your links bit by bit, thanks so much for persistent work.
Love,
-H.
bb
thanks so much for the story of temple life that wuri YJ had chosen when he was a young man. Again, admirable of his determination as a young man and I believe such as his disciplinary self managent would help him to succeed in life.
byjglobal
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