Won Buddhism of Manhattan

I’ve been considering the importance of a name.  A couple of weeks ago, the temple gave me a new dharma name:  Won Seong. Since then, I’ve been trying to explain it to friends and family. The translation, meaning “one song, melody” seems to make sense in reference to my job in teaching kids music, but the reason for the name wasn’t as clear.

When Minju asked me to write an article discussing the new name, it seemed like a good opportunity to explore the significance for myself.

I started by reading the cover of the Dharma Record that I was given.
Underneath the familiar circle, I saw the words “New Mind, New Life”.

Like so many people (like almost everyone) I was unhappy a lot of the time.
For years, I thought that moving to New York would be the answer. I thought that the creative environment here was what I had lacked.  But soon after arriving, I discovered that the lacking was still there.

It was then that I remembered a book by Pema Chodron that my uncle had given me. I emailed my uncle a few times, and he gave me ideas about where I could start to look for Buddhist groups.

When I did an internet search, the Won Buddhist temple was the first site that came up! I am very grateful for this fact. The ministers and people who I met were wonderful and surprisingly open.

It is this openness that I wish to bring into my new life with my new name.
I want my world to become bigger.

I believe that the purpose of the dharma name is to give us a chance to experience oneness and openness for ourselves--separate from who we were in the past.

So, I will try to do this--not only for myself, but for the benefit of all living beings. That’s right, I finally made it to page two in my Record!

October, 2007