Geri Larkin is an ordained dharma teacher from Ann Arbor, Michigan, and the author of Stumbling Toward Enlightenment and Tap Dancing in Zen. Anyone familiar with her writing knows that she possesses a wry sense of humor and a keen ability to distill spiritual meanings from everyday life. Both of these gifts come to vivid life in this account of her 30-day pilgrimage in 1999 to South Korea with her meditation teacher Samu Sunim, who taught at the seminary she attended.
Of course, the first jolt to her high expectations comes when she's ordered to shave her head. Larkin is nailed to the mat by her attachment to her hair. Then she begins worrying about what it will be like to be surrounded by Buddhism 24 hours a day in temples and hermitages over a thousand years old.
Traditionally in all religions, pilgrimages put us to the test. Larkin's judging, angsting, fantasizing, and comparing mind gets a full workout once she hits South Korea where she's forced to deal with sweating all the time, spicy foods, a typhoon, lugging books for Sunim, peeing in holes in the ground, climbing mountains, following rigid temple protocol, lack of sleep, and a urinary tract infection! This account of her journey doesn't veil Larkin's flashes of anger, resentment, and self-pity, which are all part and parcel of her active ego.
Eventually, the author's heart opens up and Sunim becomes more than a grinch, many monks demonstrate their Buddha nature, and she realizes that misery can be a gateway to spiritual growth and maturity. Larkin comes to see the importance of the spiritual practice of being present with whatever shows up in the moment. Here difficulty is a hard taskmaster but a profound teacher.
