My Trip to Meditation Main Centre in South Korea

I just came back from a short trip to South Korea. I was there for two weeks, and I spent the first week at the Meditation Main Centre in Nonsan. It was a precious time to slow down, breathe, and simply focus on meditation.

Because it was summer break, the centre was filled with people from all over the world. To my surprise, I even ran into a friend from America whom I had helped with translation at the centre nearly ten years ago. Meeting her again after all those years felt like such a gift, and it reminded me of how special this place has been in my life.

Me and Maria

Grass field at the centre

dancer pose in the field

I won’t go on about the usual benefits of meditation—things like less stress, inner peace, and a clearer mind. Those are all true, of course, but what really struck me this time was something deeper: the realisation of just how much love the universe has for every single being.

You might call it God, Buddha, Allah, the Creator, or simply the universe—it doesn’t matter the name. What matters is that this existence beyond us is constantly giving love to everything. The difference, though, lies in whether we are aware of it.

To put it simply, imagine parents who love their two children equally. One child deeply knows and feels that love, so even when life gets tough, that child has a sense of security and strength to lean on. The other child, unaware of the parents’ love, feels lost, unhappy, and often blames the world when difficulties arise.

Glorious morning, Meditation Main Centre, South Korea

While meditating at the main centre, I felt the reality of that universal love—the love that has always been there, is still here now, and will continue forever. Realizing this was both humbling and comforting, not just for me but for everyone. Because if the universe loves all equally, then no one is higher or lower, better or worse. We are all the same—we are all precious children of the universe.

That realization gave me such a sense of relief and gratitude. And it inspired me to keep doing my best to help others discover it too, in whatever way I can.

At the end, I think I’ll add the poem The Universe’s Mind here, and I hope more and more people come to realize the love the Universe is always giving us!