This Saturday is Teachers’ Day in Korea, when people go to pay their respects to those teachers who’ve had an impact in their lives. Seeing a group middle-aged men, made up of sun-burnt farmers in cheap suits and manicured business men all laughing and joking together, everyone passing by knows they were once fellow students, now come together to greet their old teacher.
Korea’s Song for a Teacher
My teacher’s heart is like the sky above,
the more I see of it, the more noble and wonderful it seems.
Teaching us what’s true and upright
like a loving parent,
how can I express my gratitude?
Ah, how can I repay such kindness and love?
(Well, in Korean, and with the melody, it’s much more touching!) It actually has a lot of the same feeling as To Sir, With Love.
Thank you to all who have been my teachers
to all the Buddhas and Bodhisattvas,
as well as the heretics and demons.
From a mountain in Korea,
I bow to you all.
Wake Up and Laugh! 
Wow, Chong Go, that hits me so deep, thank you. Ya know, I was just feeling this way and wanted to express this to you as well as to others, yet, I lacked the words to do so. Thank you for giving me words and I will supply my energy and love to all….
With Something Beyond Words, Steeped in Love to All,
Rachael
having numerous teachers from regular education (and I had it in four different fields and in two countries), I cannot really find any that had any special impact on me, they just did their job teaching and many of them were nice, but that’s about it.
In education that I consider the most important, I was fortunate to find a teacher with unsurpassable qualities, who never turned away from me, when others did, who never betrayed me, when others did, who never stopped loving me, when others did, who never considered me separate, when others did.
Of course, everything can be your teacher, and your inner teacher can manifest in different ways, but having a special teacher in your practice is extremely important.
In one of the Tantras, Buddha said: ” of all the buddhas who have ever attained enlightment, not a single one accomplished this without relying upon a master…”
“Not only is the master the direct spokeperson of your own inner teacher, he or she is also the bearer, channel, and transmitter of all the blessings of all the enlightened beings” (Sogyal Rinpoche)
I am eternally greatful to Kun Sunim, my great teacher, who is beautiful like the Light of the Buddha and who is always supporting me.