On becoming a monk 4. Sue

All great Teachings come from the Heart; there are no words for it. 

Hi my name is Sue King. I am 43 and a Liverpool Lass born and bred.

I currently run the Mushin martial arts academy in Liverpool where I spend most of my days teaching youngsters, something which I thoroughly enjoy and find very rewarding.

Meditation is something I always been interested in, at different times for different reasons.  However, in 2008 my father passed away and I was going through a difficult time.  I was fortunate enough to meet a counsellor who recommended mediation and my journey with StoneWater began at this time.

Tokudo is something I have been interested in since watching John & Paul back in 2011.  When I saw them receive their monks vows I felt very emotional and heart felt.  But at that stage I had only been practicing three years and I didn’t know much about it.  As time went on, I was asked to help with service positions and I found this really challenging.  I really enjoyed looking at the form aspect of our training as this has made me look at lot deeper into my practice, looking at form wherever it is in my life: home, training, teaching etc… Tokudo is a commitment to work at all these different forms.

But for me becoming a monk is also about the psychological aspects.  About making a commitment to face my Demons, and to face the difficult parts of my life, both on and off the cushion.  I hope that receiving Tokudo will make me a “better” person, and enable me to help other members of the sangha with the emotional difficulties they encounter in practice.  I think for me Tokudo is a full-on commitment, both to be there to help the sangha and teacher whenever help is needed, and to serve, not just the group but outside too. I have made a decision to “pay it forward” more and I have become involved with trying to raise funds for Alder Hey Children’s Charities. (Editors note: Sue was treated for burns as a child at Alder Hey. See the link below.)

Some people have asked how I feel about being one of the first two Liverpool women to receive the vows and in all honesty for me its not about gender, its about being there for sangha whenever they need me.

Hopefully the link below will explain more of what led me here:

http://splitdecisionmmauk.com/2013/11/27/raisingawarenessanddonations-for-alder-hey-childrens-charity/