 | | xKorea Club Meetings Korea is a fascinating country with a 5,000 year history with so much to offer -- very healthful foods, very hot films, beautiful traditional attire and music, awesome heroes, the world's best alphabet (according to linguists), an inspiring tea ceremony, powerful martial arts, ancient wisdom, etc. It is so much fun exploring this rich culture! Club Meetings
Korea Club meetings have been suspended, but the website is being maintained.
The Korea Club meetings are held at the Brooklyn Heights Dahn Yoga center on the first Saturday each month at noon. They are preceded by a 30-minute healing session which starts right after class. During the first months, the Korea Club will show videos and DVDs about South Korea. After that, we will see top South Korean films that are winning prizes in Asia, Europe, and the US. At the Korea Club meetings, traditional Korean music is played and Korean pastries and/or other foods are served.
Arirang -- Our Theme Song (separate page)
We open and close the Korea Club meetings with the most famous Korean folk song called "Arirang". It is particularly appropriate for a Dahn Yoga club because it means "Finding Your True Self"!
Club Meetings
Korea Club Goals
     
Grand Master Ilchi Lee established Dahn Yoga to help create millions of "Earth Humans" to facilitate world peace. The Korea Club is a powerful means for implementing that vision by thinking globally, acting locally. The Korea Club helps facilitate Grand Master Ilchi Lee's vision for world peace as it allows Dahn Yoga students to learn about Korea. Click the Korean Culture page in the left panel to see how "HSP" (Health-Smile-Peace) relates the the Heavenly Code (Chun Bu Kyung) that is prominently displayed in every Dahn Yoga training room. Go to the Club Goals page to learn about the philosophy of Hongik Ingan Ewha Saegae (from the Heavenly Code) which means “widely benefit all humanity, rightfully harmonize all world”. Peace is is especially important now when there is increasing tension between the US and North Korea. Dahn Yoga has many amazing, influential students from around the world. As they learn to appreciate Korean culture, that knowledge can spread easily and may be a factor in increasing understanding in times of international tension. The peace and environmental movements encourage us to "think globally, act locally". The Korea Club facilitates that! The Korea Club provides Dahn Yoga students with three ways to experience Korean culture more deeply: Direct, personal experience of Korean music, foods, dress, etc. These meetings are spectacular and colorful. They may be at the Brooklyn Heights center or at another location. The May meeting was at the Brooklyn center and included a delicious traditional Korean lunch and a colorful fashion show of traditional Korean attire (hanbok). However, the June meeting took place at the Metropolitan Museum of Art where we heard a traditional Korean musician. For the August meeting, we will go with Master Jo and Kee Nam to Koreatown in NYC to eat at HanGawi -- an organic, vegetarian Korean restaurant. An in-depth overview through fascinating videos and DVDs about South Korea as well as hot, current South Korean films that are winning in international festivals! The films about South Korea (and later North Korea) provide the context that will make the direct experiences of Korean culture and the fascinating Korean films we will see later much more enjoyable! Just by watching a few videos and DVDs, you will be surprised how quickly you will learn about this multi-faceted culture that is getting so much attention around the world now. The Korea Club website supplements the insight into Korean culture provided by direct personal experience and films.
The first two meetings of the Korea Club provided members with a direct experience of Korean culture -- food, dress, and music. Our opening meeting on May 5 allowed Korea Club members to experience traditional Korean food and to see a wonderful fashion show of traditional Korean attire (called "hanbok"). For the second meeting on June 2, the Brooklyn Heights members of the Korea Club were joined by 17 Dahn Yoga masters from around New York as we went to the Metropolitan Museum of Art to hear the traditional Korean musician, Hwang Byungki whose music is played at each of our Korea Club meetings (and is played on the home page of this site). After the concert, the group had dinner at HanGawi, the organic, vegetarian restaurant in Koreatown and some members of the groups went to KoryoDong for dessert. Our July 7 Korea Club meeting is just as important as our first two meetings! In a sense, it may be even more important because it is the first step in getting an overview of this rich 5,000 year-old-culture. That background will provide a context for the direct experiences of Korean culture -- and also help put Dahn Yoga in context! The July 7 meeting will feature the 55-minute film South Korea: Land of Morning Calm which provides a fascinating insight into traditional and modern Korea. "Land of the Morning Calm" the name by which Korea was known during the Choson Dynasty which lasted from 1392 until 1910 when modern-day Korea was born. Through the Korea Club, students have the opportunity to: Gain a deeper appreciation of HSP and how it relates to the Heavenly Code and world peace Understand more about why students are called "do-oo-nim"!  Gain a deeper appreciation of the tea ceremony  Experience a traditional Korean lunch at the Dahn Yoga center Learn about the health benefits of delicious Korean foods See a "fashion show" of traditional Korean attire (hanbok) Hear traditional Korean music at club meetings Learn the "Arirang" traditional folksong of Korea Watch films about Korea to gain a deeper understanding of the culture quickly and easily See fantastic Korean films that are winning in film festivals around the world Go to Koreatown in NYC with Master Jo and Kee Nam Eat at wonderful traditional Korean restaurants Visit Korean bookstores and pastry shops Use the Dahn Yoga Korea Club website to learn much more Learn the Korean alphabet (hangeul) -- considered the best in the world by linguists Learn about the Korean Wave that is weeping Asia and hitting the West now! Begin to read simple Korean words and enrich your understanding of Dahn Yoga and the Korean culture
Meeting Dates May 5 -- Spectacular launch of the Korea Club! The Diamond Sutra Recitation Group served the Korea Club members a traditional Korean lunch and gave us a beautiful fashion show on traditional Korean attire (called "hanbok"). We learned "Arirang", an important folksong of Korea that serves as our club theme song! We saw a fascinating DVD and closed with the drawing for the Gift Certificate! Click the link to see the amazing photos!
June 2 -- A concert of Korean music at the Metropolitan Museum of Art where traditional musician Hwang Byungki performed with five colleagues. Hwang and another musician played the kayagum. In addition, there was a drummer, a wonderful singer, and a musician who performed on an awesome flute-like instrument. Hwang is touring the East coast with a stop in NYC after playing in Boston and before going on to Washington. DC. Hwang's CDs are played at the Korea Club meetings and one of his tunes plays on the home page of this site! After the concert, we all went to HanGawi, the organic, vegetarian restaurant in Koreatown! Then several members of the group went to the Koryod@ng pastry shop for dessert! Click the link to see the great photos!
Suspended Meetings
July 7 -- View South Korea: Land of Morning Calm, the exciting video held over from the jam-packed May 5 meeting. This is the first in a series of films about South Korea. These films (and later North Korea) provide the context that will make the direct experiences of Korean culture and the hot Korean films we will see later much more enjoyable!
August 4 -- Have lunch with Master Jo and Kee Nam at HanGawi, an awesome organic, vegetarian Korean restaurant! We will also go to KoryoDong, the Korean pastry shop where Korea Club pastries are purchased. The meeting will conclude with a tour of KoryoBooks next door to see their amazing collection of books, magazines, pottery, Buddhist bells, kimchee pots, etc.
September 1 -- DVD: Cloud Path, Journey of a Wandering Monk. Fascinating journey of Hyon Gak (Paul Muenzen), an American raised in New Jersey in a Catholic family that expected him to become a priest! Instead, after attending Yale and Harvard Divinity School, he chose Buddhism and moved to Korea to become a monk! he is now the head teacher at the Hwagyesa Temple in Seoul. His book “From Harvard to Hwagyesa” is credited with fueling the revival of interested in Korean Zen Buddhism!
October 6 -- DVD: Spring, Summer, Fall, Winter, and Spring This award-winning film by famed director Kim Ki-duk is a classic, artistic, deeply-moving story about a Buddhist monk and the growth of his young student at a beautiful island monastery. The surprise ending makes the movie especially haunting!
November 3 -- Watch two fascinating DVDs to learn the Korean alphabet (called "hangeul")! Once you know the alphabet, your appreciation of Dahn Yoga will increase immeasurably! Linguists consider hangeul the best alphabet in the world. The videos show that people around the world are learning it now. The Korean alphabet has only 24 letters (like our 26) and can be learned in half a day. If you would like to see a bit of "hangeul" before the meeting, check out the Korean Language page of this website!
December 1 -- DVD: Chi-Hwa-Seon: Painted Fire This colorful, searing drama directed by the acclaimed Im Kwon-Taek recounts the rise of painter Chang Sung-up (Choi Min-Sik) during the late Choson Dynasty. With the help of the affluent and generous Kim Byong-moon (Ahn Seong-Gi, Chang grows as an artist, but never quite belongs in the world of his mentor. See the Korean Culture page of this website and check the South Korean Films link for more information.
This page was last updated on: 06/08/2008.
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