Taking inspiration from inscribed clay tiles that were often used to
construct temple walls and roofs of ancient Korean monasteriesis, the
Detroit Zen Center is building a wall of its own. The Zen Center's wall of refuge will be made from 4,200 historic mission tiles salvaged from a Grosse Pointe Park roof. A grant from the Kresge Community Arts Foundation will fund the construction; the wall will stand three to four feet tall and is intended to provide a sense of protection and beauty rather than functioning as a boundary between the Zen Center and the community.
Before being built into the refuge, or spirit wall, the 1917 tiles are being etched by monks with inscriptions written by passersby. "The concept is that tiles get inscribed with a collective spirit ... that endures long past the lifetimes of people," says Hillary Myungju, the Zen Center's head monk and director. The past couple of weeks have seen "hundreds of people passing through from all corners of the community." Nov. 21 will be the last Saturday that the public will have the opportunity to have their inscription etched into the tiles by monks.
The Detroit Zen Center is located at 11464 Mitchell St. at Casmere in Hamtramck. Its calendar, including yoga practice, can be found
online. The Living Zen Cafe and Co-op, which serves organic food and sells organic produce, bulk goods and natural healthcare and home products, is open Wednesday 11 a.m to 3:30 p.m. and Thursday through Saturday 11 a.m. to 9 p.m.
Source: Hillary Myungju, Detroit Zen Center
Writer: Kelli B. Kavanaugh
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