Fill with Breath, Jar and Scent — Filling the Heart with Breath, a Moon Jar, and Fragrance

We got an early experience of ‘Hanjeom Seonmul’ (One Gift), a program combining ceramics, incense, and meditation, presented by Gallery Ilji.¹ Guided by the voice of Ven. Geumgang for 40 minutes, the program unfolds in three parts: settling the breath, gazing at a moon jar, and meditating while inhaling the scent of Ilji Incense’s agarwood. After holding a silent dialogue with yourself, the moon jar, or the fragrance, you may find yourself a step further removed from worry and desire.

Words Parc Jinmyoung
Photos Kim Yoonkyung
In collaboration with Gallery Ilji
Booking Pitch by Travel
1 Hanjeom Seonmul is a meditation program that merges contemporary art with mindfulness, running at Gallery Ilji from May 24 to 30. The name ‘Seonmul’ carries a double meaning: it refers to the process of finding the intangible ‘Seon’ (meditative insight) within tangible ‘mulseong’ (materiality) that can be applied to daily life, and it also means ‘gift,’ suggesting that this process can become a warm gift that transforms everyday life.

Part 1 — Breathing with a Full Heart Meditation

“Our minds are originally pure and already still. What clouds that mind, like a passing cloud, are the worries born of desire and every kind of emotion.”

Before the meditation began, we took a small sip of wild green tea handed out to us. A warm sensation spread through the body. Then Ven. Geumgang’s voice began to resonate. The former head monk of Mihwangsa Temple in Haenam, Ven. Geumgang has long spoken of how seated meditation can help us awaken to our true nature and original mind. By settling our worries through meditation and maintaining a calm mind, might we find freedom and happiness beyond suffering?

Part 2 — Moon Jar and Rooting Meditation

“This moon jar is named ‘Universe.’ It was made by master Dogok Jeong Jeomgyo, using good earth, water, wood, and fire from our own land. As you gaze upon the universe, try to feel the energy of the earth. That is what rooting meditation means.”

A moon jar was placed at the center of the space. We stared intently at its uneven, hand-shaped form. It is a work by master tea-bowl artist Dogok Jeong Jeomgyo. Born in 1951, he entered the world of ceramics at the age of 19 and is now regarded as one of the foremost ceramic artists in Korea. The Irabo tea bowl is known for its rough, coarse-grained texture, characterized by a blend of green and cool tones. Said to be the most favored tea bowl among the Japanese,² the Irabo bowl is also known by another name: Goryeo tea bowl, literally meaning ‘tea bowl of Korea.’ During the Japanese invasions of Korea in the late 16th century, most Korean potters were taken to Japan, severing the tradition in Korea itself (and during the colonial era, even the very soil of this land was taken to Japan). Descendants of Joseon-era tea bowl makers tried to recreate the Goryeo tea bowl, but none reportedly succeeded.
It’s only natural, then, that master Dogok’s renown extends to Japan as well. The prestigious Japanese house of Mushanokōji-senke even named him a designated artist. Master Dogok often gave his tea bowls the name ‘Universe.’ The moon jar unveiled this time at Gallery Ilji likewise bears the name Universe—a work made from our own earth, water, wood, and fire. Perhaps that’s why it carries the warmth of Korea’s nature, its unadorned dignity resembling the world of master Dogok himself, who shaped and reshaped what was called by another name in a foreign land until it was finally recognized as a masterwork.

Part 3 — Pure Fragrance Meditation

“As you breathe in, notice the presence of the fragrance lingering around you.”

Following Ven. Geumgang’s words, we took a deep breath. The agarwood incense from Ilji Incense, the fragrance brand run by Gallery Ilji, began to burn, and soon the scent filled the space, tickling the nose. Agarwood is a resin³ that forms when a wound in an agarwood tree secretes sap, which then hardens over time. It has long been used as a medicinal ingredient to restore vitality, and is considered the finest incense offered to the Buddha. According to records in the Samguk Sagi (History of the Three Kingdoms), it was reserved for exclusive use by royalty, making it a symbol of wealth and power as well. Ilji Incense harvests agarwood from deep in the forest, pounds it in a stone mortar, sifts it gently through a bamboo sieve, adds wild honey, and lets it sit for years as the fragrance builds. The agarwood incense, completed through this process, drifted through the air for three minutes.
Jeong Jindan, the founder, emphasized that becoming aware of scent during meditation can serve as a form of training. Paying attention to fragrance allows you to focus all your senses on smell. The sense of smell is closely tied to memory and emotion. The pleasant feelings and experiences that come with the scent are said to help build a lasting meditation habit.

2 The etymology of ‘Irabo’ has not been clearly established. Some speculate it may refer to a place name, though its exact location is unknown, while others trace it to the Japanese onomatopoeia ‘iraira (イライラ),’ describing the bowl’s rough surface texture.

3 A viscous liquid that trees secrete to protect and heal themselves from various infections that enter through wounds.

For 40 minutes, guided by Ven. Geumgang, we emptied our minds of distracting thoughts. We focused on our breath while drawing in the earth’s energy from the naturally shaped moon jar, and turned our attention to the deep sensations within the body as we inhaled the pleasant fragrance. After the meditation ended, we shared a simple tea conversation in the tea room. Stepping back out through that door meant returning to the complexities of daily life, but it left us hoping to carry forward the sense of balance we had gained during that time. For anyone wishing to experience something between art and meditation, this meditation program at Gallery Ilji will arrive like a true ‘Hanjeom Seonmul’—One Gift.