Tea with Gagan: Finding Flow, Compassion, and the Middle Way at Fountain House

On a cold, rainy Sunday afternoon, Zen monk Gagan arrived at Fountain House to guide ten members and friends through a series of practices designed to quiet the mind and open the heart. The gathering included sitting and walking meditations, Kung Fu exercises, and a wide-ranging spiritual discussion. Despite the dreary weather outside, the atmosphere inside was warm, reflective, and alive with curiosity.

Gagan began by emphasizing the power of focusing awareness on one task at a time. He explained that when we devote 100 percent of our energy and attention to a single activity, we enter a flow state where the task feels effortless and time seems to dissolve. One participant, whose son has autism, shared how his child becomes flustered when presented with multiple options. This experience taught him to channel his own energy into one thing at a time, whether at work or at home. Gagan affirmed this insight, noting that simplicity and focus are gateways to peace.

The conversation then turned to the life of the Buddha. Gagan reminded the group that the Buddha was not a prince, as is sometimes believed, but rather a young man from a wealthy family shielded from life’s harsher realities. When he eventually encountered old age, sickness, and death, he left home in search of answers. He joined ascetics who practiced extreme deprivation—starvation, physical punishments, and sleepless nights lasting days or weeks. Yet the Buddha realized that such extremes were not the path to enlightenment. His awakening led him to teach the “middle way”: not too little, not too much. Food, sleep, exercise, and all aspects of life are best approached in moderation.

To illustrate this principle, Gagan offered the image of the lotus flower. Its seed germinates in mud, muck, and filth, yet these very conditions provide the nutrients essential for growth. In the same way, pain and suffering are the mud through which we must grow in order to bloom and share our beauty with the world. The metaphor resonated deeply with the group, offering a perspective that reframes hardship as fertile ground for transformation.

After meditation and discussion, participants enjoyed warm herbal tea with Gagan, a simple pleasure that underscored the day’s theme of mindfulness and presence. The gathering concluded with Korean Buddhist chanting. Together, the group chanted the name of the multi-headed, multi-armed Buddha of compassion 108 times—one for each bead on Gagan’s mala. The rhythmic repetition created a sense of unity and reverence, leaving participants both grounded and uplifted.

Gagan visits Fountain House once a month, whenever his schedule allows, bringing with him practices that blend physical discipline, spiritual wisdom, and compassionate community. Each session is a reminder that mindfulness is not about escaping life’s challenges but about meeting them with clarity, balance, and heart.

For those interested in joining future events, please reach out by email at daniel.frey@fountainhouse.org or text 929‑884‑3564. Tea with Gagan is more than a gathering—it is an invitation to grow through the mud, to find balance in the middle way, and to share the beauty of our own blooming with the world.