Teacher Profile: Louije Kim
Louije is one of my favorite people in the world. They have one of the most brilliant minds I have come into contact, which manifests as mind-blowing insights about Buddhist teachings, oppressive systems or the funniest jokes one will ever hear.
Of course, this Q&A won’t capture all of their charm, but I hope it piques your interest enough to say yes to any class or retreat they may be teaching.
What does a typical practice entail?
Lately, a lot of my practice has simply been waking up into the moment and then taking it as an opportunity to relax. I’ll be hunched over my laptop, totally absorbed, then wake up and realize, “hey, my chest doesn’t have to be held quite so tightly…”, I’ll relax, forget again, rinse, repeat.
There’s also been a natural inclining toward metta (lovingkindness). Sometimes, it will just be a subtle flavor in the mind that gets foregrounded with attention. Oftentimes, I notice it manifesting as a little added patience--with myself, with the traffic I’m sitting in, with the general mess of the mind.
Who are your major inspirations? Why?
I once heard Norman Fischer give a teaching where he was cautioning against holding certain individuals up as examples of spiritual advancement or attainment. On the one hand, it’s really important to see and feel what’s possible for the human heart, to allow ourselves to be moved by each other’s beautiful acts of compassion and wisdom, and yet, it’s easy to fall into the trap of thinking that those qualities are only located in specific, remarkable individuals. We each have a set of conditions that we are endowed with, a karmic knapsack that we steward through our lifetime. We might be going through some intense emotional or physical pain or dealing with a profound loss and it might take everything we have to just be minimally non-harming in a moment. On the outside, we can’t know what internal storms a person is having to weather in order to show up. So, rather than hold up grand acts as the measure, perhaps there can be more respect paid to small gestures. It might be a very big deal when our friend lets us have the last french fry...
That being said, I tend to admire quiet, unsung types, so my inspirations aren’t famous, maybe even in the circles they run in. I have deep respect and a tender spot in my heart for the nuns of Aloka Vihara, a small, training monastery in Placerville, CA. They and many monastics, some since disrobed, have acted with integrity and courage in the face of great uncertainty and patriarchal suppression regarding the ordination of female monastics in the Theravaden lineages. I also deeply admire the community workers and members at the non-profit mental health agency I work for in Oakland, CA. The community is mainly comprised of refugees from the Cambodian genocide and their decendants, but also many other displaced Asian community members. I frequently can’t believe how much energy and heart they bring to their work considering how many tides of intense suffering they’ve navigated. You’d never know it by meeting any of the folks I’ve named what remarkable things they do--they’re just humble, regular folks with beautiful qualities flowing through, showing up every day to face into the floods.
What are you practicing for?
Initially, I came to dharma practice to alleviate the suffering I’d felt, it seemed, since childhood--lots of psychological and cultural wounding. As those layers are slowly being released, the scope of concern is broadening naturally to include every being. From the contracted perspective that had been my home for decades, I would have never imagined the degree of care that I feel for all beings, even creepy crawlies. I’m no saint by any stretch of the imagination--I still have many, many moments of being selfish, miserly and difficult. But, more and more, my practice is motivated by a care for all beings and a wish to know how to act in wise ways towards the alleviation of suffering for all.
Where can we find you?
I live in the Bay Area in California and teach at various local sanghas, most frequently at the East Bay Meditation Center. I’ll be assisting some retreats in the next year, mostly at Spirit Rock, and one at Insight Retreat Center in Santa Cruz.
