I held a conversational gathering at Cafe Akira with my fellows today. Watching Master Idaki Shin’s film titled “Gojo Mountain City” in the beginning, I rejoiced, being filled with overwhelming energy from the land. I am happy that, since I started to envision the realization of “Dream of Mt. Gojo” this year, the mountain city felt closer than ever before through the film, making me feel like I was actually there. When I am at Mt. Gojo and other sites of ancient Koguryo, I enjoy everything, smiling from the bottom of my heart. My heart fills with light and becomes vibrant. I feel it is because the presence of a being is together with me. Inconvenience at the hotel where I did not have running water did not bother me, and I remained filled with joy. I experienced that when I was unified with a being, I could stay vibrant and happy at all times. I had felt that if I could visit the land of Koguryo at least once a year, I could live vigorously throughout the year, under any circumstances. I have not had a chance to go there for the past several years so I felt grateful to be able to experience the energy of the land by watching it on film. Even the wind that blew in the land revived within me. I was sincerely grateful to be filled with strength to overcome anything that might come in my way.
I feel blessed to be able to live together with the soul of King Tomei, who lived 2000 years ago, and the soul of King Kotai, whom I had longed to meet. I had lived yearning for a life that would not end with physical death. I am thankful to have experienced that souls live eternally and becoming enriched inside. This is what it means to be an authentic human being, leading to an eternal life. I have wished to live forever together with those I met. The wind blowing in Mt. Gojo taught me the eternity of souls. Acknowledging my new feeling that I will live together with this wind of eternity, the wind will always be with me in my heart.
After the screening yesterday of the “Legends of Koguryo Rediscovered” concert held in Kyoto on January 11th, I talked with my fellows about my poem expressing my father walking along the Kamo River. Together with those who had never met my late father in person, I was happy to be connected in our hearts, feeling together the presence of my father and talking about him. I was moved that by expressing him in the form of a poem, we could share the same experience. I will continue to express in my poems scenes and aromas I perceive, and I would be grateful if I could have deep talks from our souls with many people.