Korean Buddhist monk Daeung Sunim is on the spiritual journey of a lifetime as he cycles across North and South America, relying on the kindness of strangers for a bite to eat or a place to stay.

But on a recent stop in Toronto, Sunim met with harsh hospitality when a car his belongings were in was broken into and his laptop, GPS and $200 cash stolen — crucial items for his journey.

Sunim, 42, was visiting Chinatown on Wednesday with host Jenny Choi, who met the monk through the Toronto Buddhist Church in North York, where she is the only Korean-speaking member.

Sunim’s backpack was the only thing taken from Choi’s red Jeep Liberty, which was parked on Huron St. south of Dundas St. W.

The laptop and GPS were invaluable in getting Sunim across Canada and eventually down to Argentina, Choi explained. Altogether the contents of the backpack totalled nearly $2,000.

Sunim also used the laptop to post on a Korean blog documenting his journey, keep in touch with the strangers he’s met, and save pictures of memories along the way.

“He said he learned his lesson,” Choi said, translating for the monk. “No matter what it’s still a material good . . . so it doesn’t really make him angry.”

But she added: “He really needed the two items.”

Luckily, Sunim’s strangers haven’t let him down.

On Thursday, Choi drove the monk to a computer store where he was able to purchase new equipment with money raised for him by his temple in Seoul.

Sunim was all smiles as he clutched the new items to his chest.

But the money spent was meant for emergencies and necessary expenses, which means Sunim will be on a much tighter budget for the remaining trip, expected to last two years.

Sunim said he became a monk at age 19, giving up his worldly possessions and saying goodbye to family and friends. He also renounced his given name, adopting one the temple gave him.

But as he grew older, Sunim said he wanted to leave the temple to see the world and reaffirm his Buddhist beliefs in the “kindness of mankind.”

Apart from the brief glitch in Toronto, Sunim said he has been successful in realizing that goal.

During his first leg in British Columbia, which began in April, his bicycle tires burst on the side of the road near the city of Vernon. A local man, David Pope, stopped to help.

“For him, that was the beginning of his journey and the most important thing so far,” Choi translated.

Pope now runs a Facebook page chronicling Sunim’s journey and using the power of social media to help him find contacts in cities along his route to help out, Choi said.

Loading... Loading... Loading... Loading... Loading... Loading...

“I believe Sunim was right, that God did bring our paths together, and for more than just a roadside rescue, a meal and a place to sleep,” Pope wrote on Facebook after their meeting in June.

From Toronto, Sunim will travel to Ottawa starting Friday morning and then on to Quebec City where he’s sure another kind stranger is waiting to take him in.

With files from Tim Alamenciak