In case you were wondering, Map'ung is a Korean name meaning, "southern wind," or
"hope" (the south wind brings rain needed to make crops grow). This name was given
to me when I committed myself formally to Buddhist practice through the Society for
Compassionate Wisdom (Ann Arbor Zen Temple). (My given name is Ashley Pryor) If
you are interested in learning
more about this spiritual tradition you can access their site here at “my favorite links.”
I first became interested in Buddhism in conjunction with my graduate work in
Philosophy. I hold a Ph.D. in Philosophy and specialize in Ancient and Feminist
Philosophies, and work as an Assistant Professor of Women's and Gender Studies at
the University of Toledo. It wasn't until I developed some chronic health problems,
however, that my academic interest in Buddhism flowered into an active meditation
practice. I first turned to meditation as a means to control pain. Like many mediators, I
found that the benefits of meditation extended well beyond my initial purpose. In the
process of integrating mindfulness and meditation techniques into my everyday
routine, I was fortunate to find support for my practice with the Toledo Buddhist Sangha
(www.toledobuddhistsangha.org/). By reconnecting with explicitly Buddhist teachings
on the importance of community (sangha), I am now actively seeking ways of sharing
the benefits of mindfulness with others.
The idea for the Interfaith Knitting Sangha was inspired by Tara Manning’s
wonderful book on knitting and meditation. It was a natural extension both of my own
mindfulness training, as well as my decade long interest in knitting. I have been a
compulsive knitter for ten years now. Knitting has seen me through long sleepless
nights with a newborn, doctoral exams, long car rides—it has unquestionably served
as an outlet for nervous energy, but also, I have come to realize, as a significant means
of carving out a meditative space and time during my day. While, as mentioned
above, my own spiritual practice is Buddhist, I was interested in forming an Interfaith
Knitting group, as I believe that all great spiritual traditions value silence, meditation
and prayer as ways of connecting to something greater than our wonderful but limited
human embodiment.
