Even so the people were a relief, given that the tour itinerary otherwise consisted solely of Korea's recent industrial achievements - a model cement factory, an immaculate motorway service station (surreally devoid of cars) and an immense tidal barrage. "You really can't beat a major maritime engineering achievement for a good day out, in my book," said Kershaw, before exploring the souvenir shop, whose sole stock consisted of plastic washing-up bowls and videos in which the Dear Leader pointed knowledgeably at blueprints, passing on his peerless expertise in ferro- concrete construction techniques. Even Kershaw's famously open-minded musical tastes had been defeated by what passed for the local culture. In a land where the top 10 hits include "Song of Industrial Rehabilitation for Nation Building" and "I Love an Unmarried Disabled Soldier", it was barely worth getting out the tape- recorder.Out in the streets, the locals were doing mass callisthenics, limbering up for the spontaneous outbursts of affection for the Dear Leader, which accompanied Kershaw's tour-bus wherever it went. Kershaw, a connoisseur of unbeaten tracks and global backyards, a man you naturally associate with coffee-tin guitars and loose goats, found himself at the heart of an oriental Legoland, a country in which contentment is measured in tons of concrete poured and in which the citizens are treated like interchangeable bricks.

Korea is one of those countries that actually looks like an architect's model - uncluttered, pristine and unnervingly sterile. In the past, he would have had his video tapes confiscated and spent the next 48 hours "confessing" that he was an accomplice of the Aggressor Hyenas of American Capitalism. On this occasion the tone was more plaintive: "Please," begged the official, "tell your country Korea is opening its doors". On the evidence of the preceding 30 minutes, the immigration officials are unlikely to be knocked over in the rush. Thomas Sutcliffe As he was leaving North Korea, Andy Kershaw, who delivered an enjoyably tongue-in-cheek report on the republic's dubious pleasures for Travelog (C4), was accosted by a senior government official. You see, you don't have to fight off your so-called negative tendencies.

If you practice meditation and watch, your negative thoughts get ashamed and run away by themselves, because they don't want to be seen."ALIX SHARKEY'Obstacles as Path', 19-21 Jan, at the London Shambhala Centre, 27 Belmont Close, London, SW4 Details: 0171-720 3207. You can be the kind of person that people can talk to, a genuine, authentic presence, as opposed to someone who's superficially kind The difference is subtle, but it's very easy to feel. Certainly, it's instantly apparent to the person who's in pain."Of course, all of this requires a certain discipline. But it's hard to argue with Schneider's belief that 20 minutes a day is a small investment, especially since a lot of the hard work is done for you: apparently, the knack is in not making so much of an effort."Out of meditation, awareness arises, and that is probably more powerful than any attempt to change your mind. "You can allow moods to occur without denying them, without having to rearrange your whole day You're not pushed around by your feelings in the same way.

You don't have to stop, or go off and find something to distract yourself. You can continue, you can allow yourself to be what you are, without getting dragged down - or overly excited."Another consequence of this openness is a heightened appreciation of others' difficulties which, says Schneider, makes for closer relationships. "If you are open to the obstacles in your own life - the frustrations, the pain, the grief - you can be a better friend when someone comes to you with their troubles. The stability of the posture, and the technique of letting thoughts flow in and out, gives you all the space, allows you to see - but not be swayed - by what occurs."Schneider says that this detachment - he calls it "spaciousness" - can alleviate petty aggravation. You have to sit upright, and that gives you a feeling of being solid, strong, unshakeable, immovable. This solidity allows you to relax your mind, see things directly, accept them as they are, and let them go. Called "Obstacles as Path", the course will involve instruction from experienced teachers, guided meditation sessions, discussion groups, individual interviews, and Schneider's three keynote lectures.Meditation is not about creating a cosy New Age cocoon, says Schneider.

Rather, it equips the practitioner to deal with the grit and frustration of everyday life "The posture is very important. They are just ideals which we can find in every culture."Though based in Germany, Schneider will be in London this weekend leading an intensive seminar in meditation practice and the cultivation of awareness. "You can retain your Christianity, your Judaism, your Catholicism, your atheism, whatever, and still meditate. The core teachings of the Shambhala path are really about meditation, courage, and gentleness. These are just human qualities, not inherently Buddhist or Asian qualities.