Welcome to Santa Clara Meditation! π§ββοΈ Are you preparing for a life-changing retreat at the Ma-eum Su-ryun Main Center? Packing for a meditation journey can be trickyβyou want to be comfortable, but you also want to embrace the spirit of “emptying the mind” by traveling light!
To help you prepare, we are sharing a vivid, highly specific, and incredibly helpful review written by a blogger named Haengja, who learned the art of “luggage subtraction” the hard way. Read on to discover the absolute must-haves and the items you should definitely leave behind for your upcoming meditation retreat! π§³πΏ
These days, you can find many reviews online from people who have personally visited the Ma-eum Su-ryun Main Center. π Among them, we brought over a vivid and highly specific review about “Must-Have Items to Pack for the Main Center” written by a blogger named Haengja. Thank you for the great review~~!
At the Ma-eum Su-ryun center in Nonsan, Level 1 is on the 3rd floor. The 3rd floor. There are no elevators, only stairs.
When I first came for Level 1, I brought a suitcase big enough to survive a one-month trip abroad. As soon as I arrived, complaints and curses immediately started spilling out of my mouth. How am I supposed to carry this up to the 3rd floor?? How can they be so inconsiderate? Grumbling, I barely dragged the suitcase up to the 3rd floor and entered my assigned room… only to find there was absolutely no space to even lay my huge suitcase open. π€¦ββοΈ
If you are planning to stay for a week, a backpack is probably the perfect size. But that’s not easy. You feel like you might need this, and you’ll regret not having that. So, after years of experience and agonizing over packing, I have developed the ability to distinguish between what is truly necessary and what is completely useless. Maybe it’s because I’ve constantly been discarding my mind through meditation, but my “luggage subtraction” skills have also leveled up. π
Let me share my stories on what you actually need and what you don’t when going to the Ma-eum Su-ryun Main Center.
(Ah, for reference, I am a woman in my 30s. I don’t know much about what guys pack, but a male friend of mine literally brought nothing but socks and underwear. So jealous. I had three cosmetic pouches alone. I wanted to live simply too, but women’s luggage just doesn’t make that easy. Please keep this in mind!)
β Truly Necessary Items
1. A Little Bit of Cash π΅ When doing laundry in the washing machines, you need 500-won coins. There is a bill exchange machine, so 1,000-won bills are fine. There is also a convenience store, so even if you have 10,000 or 50,000-won bills, you can buy snacks and use the change. But if you show up with zero cash and only a card, you’re in trouble. If it’s only a credit card, it’s a disaster. You’d either have to get close to the person next to you to borrow money (which is awkward since they also came to empty their mind, not lend money to a stranger) OR boldly give up on the washing machine and hand-wash everything (detergent is free). Cash is also needed for vending machines. You might suddenly get thirsty. The convenience store here opens briefly at 10 PM and then closes, but meditation usually ends at midnight. When it’s over and you want to quench a thirst that the water purifier just can’t fix, vending machine drinks are the best. If you have no cash then, you’ll suddenly feel very sad. π₯€
2. A Check Card with No Withdrawal Fees (a.k.a. SC Bank DoDream Card) π³ Following up on #1: even if you didn’t bring cash, you can withdraw it here. However, it’s a Nonghyup ATM. If you already have a Nonghyup check card, congratulations! If not, the fee is a whopping 800 won. I highly recommend bringing a check card that waives withdrawal fees at other banks (like the SC DoDream card). It saves so much money in fees!
3. Hair Dryer π¨ I don’t have thick hair, so it dries quickly, but I have a slight wave, meaning if it air-dries, I turn into a poodle. π© I can’t go anywhere without a hair dryer. I envy people with naturally straight hair who can walk into the meditation room with wet hair. But even if you have straight hair, most women carry a dryer, right? Travel-sized ones are essential.
4. Slippers π©΄ Even if you forget everything else, pack a pair of slippers you can just slide into. You’ll wear them the entire time you’re there. They sell classic striped slippers at the store, but I forget every time and end up spending 3,000 won, which feels like a waste. You wear them to eat and to the lecture hall, but you need them most when showering. Every time you have to shove wet feet into sneakers, you will desperately wish for slippers.
5. Hangers π While meditating, there are times when your mind flares up over the most trivial things. Hangers are one of them. During the subtraction process, irritation, anger, or tears that were buried deep down might surface. In the midst of that, if your roommate borrows one of your hangers, it can make you so incredibly annoyed. At Level 1, I just held it in and discarded my “hanger mind” during the next session. After that, I started bringing plenty of hangers. Enough so I wouldn’t even notice if someone took one. It prevents you from getting upset over nothing and suddenly missing your room at home.
6. Personal/Emergency Medicine π I always packed Tylenol Women’s and herbal digestive pills. The office has basic cold and digestive medicine, but I was worried it might not fit my body or work well for me. If there’s medicine you personally rely on, pack it generously. When you’re sick, you don’t want to meditate; you just want to go home, and it feels like a waste of money.
7. Favorite Indulgences (a.k.a. Coffee, specific cigarettes) β I spent as much on takeout coffee as smokers do on cigarettes. Thankfully, there is a “Coffeehouse” at the Main Center where you can buy lattes or mochas. But, buying Americanos every day feels like a waste. If you drink black coffee, buy a bulk box of instant coffee sticks (like Kanu mini) at the mart. I brought about 30 sticks (3 a day x 7 days). If you need coffee to survive the hazy half-asleep moments of meditation, definitely pack your own.
8. Sanitary Pads (Men can skip this) πΈ They sell them, but most women have a specific brand they prefer. Organic cotton pads are sold but are expensive because they come in small packs. I recommend buying a bulk pack online and bringing it with you.
9. My Favorite Snacks π« The convenience store has almost every snack a regular mart has. Bread, chips, coffee, ice cream, almonds, etc. But if there is a specific healthy snack you love (like dried sweet potatoes or jujube chips) that you know you’ll crave, bringing a small stash isn’t a bad idea. (Honestly, you can survive by just bringing your body. Packing these things just raises your quality of life.)
β Items You MUST Leave Behind
The really important thing is leaving the useless stuff behind. Don’t repeat my regrets. Here is what you need to take OUT of your suitcase. π ββοΈ
1. Jeans π “Legging-jeans” are barely acceptable. Actually, even leggings eventually feel too tight, and the reality is you will only look for baggy sweatpants with stretched-out knees. Why did I keep bringing jeans? It’s a mystery. I never wore them. Not even once. If it’s clothing you can’t sit cross-legged in for over an hour, boldly take it out.
2. Color Cosmetics (a.k.a. Eyeshadow, Highlighter) π Makeup used to be really important to me. But based on years of experience, there are no “emergencies” here. You won’t suddenly run into a crush, have an urgent client meeting, or have a junior coworker ask, “Why does your face look like that?” at 3 PM. There is zero reason to look pretty. Don’t let color cosmetics anywhere near your suitcase. Sunscreen is the only absolute must. 𧴠In subtraction meditation, you reflect on how you’ve lived, which means you cry a lot. Any foundation you put on will get washed away by tears and a runny nose anyway. Also, the air and water in Nonsan are so good that your skin naturally clears up and brightens from the inside out after a week. Leave the makeup on your vanity! β¨
3. Books π If you’re thinking, “I’ll read in my free time,” let me tell you: You will have no free time. Reviewing my own life takes up every second. Your life is an epic novel, and looking back on it from an omniscient perspective is far more entertaining than any book. Books are just heavy. (Reminder: Level 1 is on the 3rd floor!)
4. DSLR Camera π· The area around Gyeryongsan is gorgeous, and you’ll want to take pictures. But a DSLR is overkill. A smartphone is more than enough. Once, I used my 1.5-hour dinner break to go take photos, skipped dinner, got starving by midnight, ate a cup noodle, and got severe indigestion the next day. Just use your phone. π±
5. Notebooks & Pens π At first, I wrote down all the methods during the lectures, thinking I’d practice alone at home. Everyone dreams that dream. But if I were the type to focus alone at home, I’d already be living perfectly according to all the self-help books I’ve read. You don’t need to take notes to subtract your mind; after doing it for a week, your body and mind just memorize the method naturally. π§
π‘ Bonus: Tips for Long-Term Stayers
- Bang-cutting scissors: If you have bangs, they will poke your eyes after 2 weeks. Bring cheap hair-cutting scissors. (Just clean up after yourself for your roommate’s sake!) βοΈ
- Hanging organizers: If you like staying tidy, those fabric storage organizers that hang from the closet rod are amazing. π§Ί
π‘ Bonus: Level 1 Tip
- Wristwatch: Level 1 is the only level where they collect your smartphones. I highly recommend actually taking a break from your phone for the week! But since you’ll still want to know the time without accidentally scrolling for an hour, a wristwatch is incredibly useful. β
π‘ Bonus: Recommendations from My Acquaintances
I asked my meditation friends in a group chat: “What is your absolute essential item?” π¬
- Male, 29: “Underwear, sweatpants, socks. Done.” π§¦
- Female, 31: “A tumbler! And a lap blanket for winter. A cardigan is great for chilly weather.” π§£
- Female, 27: “Towels! People pack toiletries but often forget towels… sob.” π
- Male, 35: “Soft tissues for when you cry. The bathroom toilet paper is too rough. LOL.” π€§
- Female, 32: “Nail clippers! Put this on the main list. It’s so necessary but people never pack it.” π
- Female, 36: “A small eco-bag or tote. Women need a tiny bag to carry lip balm, phones, and cash around the center.” π
π The Ultimate TIP OF TIP
Have you ever gone backpacking or on a school trip? Looking back, you don’t remember the discomfort of forgetting an item. You remember: “The trip was so fun.” “The people I met were great.” “My heart fluttered.” π
You are going there to unload the heavy baggage of your mind, so don’t be anxious about your physical baggage before you even leave. Empty your mind. What kind of journey it becomes depends entirely on your mindset! (Plus, you can genuinely procure almost anything you actually need there). πΏ
I wrap up this post cheering on everyone starting this new experience!
P.S. A Suggestion to the Ma-eum Su-ryun Center: Please help tall, sturdy-looking women like me carry their luggage for Level 1 too. The helpers were so busy, did they just not see me…? (Tears) π₯²
(Blog Editor’s Reply): Thank you for the post! We will take your suggestion to heart!! π γ γ The biggest advantage of coming to the Main Center to meditate is that you do not need to be conscious of how others see you. Your comfort is the most important thing, so please pack comfortable clothes and weather-appropriate items!
This post was uploaded with the permission of blogger Haengja. Thank you. π
