Sit With Me - Zen Meditation (Paris Meetup 3)

My name is Hari Kim and I am from Seoul.

Last year, I spent a full year in an intensive Zen retreat in Korea. A traditional Korean Zen retreat lasts 90 days through the heat of summer and the cold of winter. We wake at 4 a.m., go to bed at 9 p.m., and sit for 7–8 hours each day—facing the wall in silence. Morning begins with 108 bows, the evening with chanting. Apart from that, there are no words.

I was born into a Buddhist family—we even have a family temple centuries old—and from a young age, I was introduced to sitting by my parents, who took me to the temple. But only in this retreat did I discover what sitting truly is. What could this simple, passive act of sitting really do for the ache of being?

The answer for me was: everything.
After the retreat, I wrote: “It is like conducting an operation on my karma. I was both the patient and the doctor.”

The writer in me longs to go on, to shape the experience into words—but I know better than that. Zen cannot be explained—it can only be experienced. As one Korean monk once said about Kimchi, the pickled cabbage on every Korean table: “You can write a Ph.D. thesis on Kimchi without ever tasting it, but who would want that, if you can simply eat it? One single taste is better than a thousand words.”

I am naturally inward, and I cherish solitude. Yet I know two things that become richer when shared: a meal, and sitting. To sit together is to be alone—together. We meet each other, so we may meet ourselves. And the energy of sitting side by side is vital.

I arrived in Paris a month ago, and soon I will return to Korea. My days here are now numbered. Before I go, I would love to sit with you. Whoever feels called—please come.

There is no Zen center address. I believe Paris itself is a Zen center. Wherever we are truly here and now is Zen. I will sit in Jardin du Luxembourg.

How We Sit

• We sit for one hour: two 30-minute sessions with a 10-minute walking/stretching break.
• You may sit, lie on a mat, or move gently—so long as it honors the stillness of others.
• If you wish, I can share breathing methods, posture, or the Korean Zen practice of Hwadu (a single-point question asked silently). But there are no rules. Simply being with yourself for one hour—that is Zen.

What to Bring

Please bring your cushion, mat, or anything you feel you will need for your sitting.

After Sitting

For those who would like, we may go to a café to share reflections, or practice mindful eating together. Nothing is obligatory.

So let us meet, and let us sit.
🪷 Whoever is called, please come.