\n
\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Illustration by Maseol <\/p>\n","post_title":"Son over forty","post_excerpt":"","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","post_password":"","post_name":"son-over-forty","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2024-03-10 17:24:36","post_modified_gmt":"2024-03-10 22:24:36","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/www.jungtosociety.org\/?p=18136","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"}],"next":false,"prev":false,"total_page":1},"paged":1,"column_class":"jeg_col_2o3","class":"jnews_block_37"};

\n

Your son is over forty and
his main relationship is with someone else.
So, stop worrying about a grown man
who belongs with another woman
and be nice to the man next to you. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Illustration by Maseol <\/p>\n","post_title":"Son over forty","post_excerpt":"","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","post_password":"","post_name":"son-over-forty","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2024-03-10 17:24:36","post_modified_gmt":"2024-03-10 22:24:36","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/www.jungtosociety.org\/?p=18136","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"}],"next":false,"prev":false,"total_page":1},"paged":1,"column_class":"jeg_col_2o3","class":"jnews_block_37"};

\n

<\/p>\n","post_title":"The Sujata Academy Project: The Power of Hope and Compassion in India","post_excerpt":"The Korean Seon (Zen) master Venerable Pomnyun Sunim (\ubc95\ub95c\uc2a4\ub2d8) wears many hats: Buddhist monk, teacher, author, environmentalist, and social activist, to name a few. As a widely respected Dharma teacher and a tireless socially engaged activist in his native South Korea, Ven. Pomnyun Sunim has founded numerous Dharma-based organizations, initiatives, and projects that are active across the world. Among them, Jungto Society, a volunteer-based community founded on the Buddhist teachings and expressing equality, simple living, and sustainability, is dedicated to addressing modern social issues that lead to suffering, including environmental degradation, poverty, and conflict.\n\nThis column, shared by Jungto Society, presents a series of highlights from Ven. Pomnyun Sunim\u2019s writings, teachings, public talks, and regular live-streamed Dharma Q+A sessions, which are accessible across the globe.\n","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","post_password":"","post_name":"the-sujata-academy-project-the-power-of-hope-and-compassion-in-india","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2024-03-10 17:38:00","post_modified_gmt":"2024-03-10 22:38:00","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/www.jungtosociety.org\/?p=18140","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"},{"ID":18136,"post_author":"13","post_date":"2024-03-10 17:24:34","post_date_gmt":"2024-03-10 22:24:34","post_content":"\n

Your son is over forty and
his main relationship is with someone else.
So, stop worrying about a grown man
who belongs with another woman
and be nice to the man next to you. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Illustration by Maseol <\/p>\n","post_title":"Son over forty","post_excerpt":"","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","post_password":"","post_name":"son-over-forty","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2024-03-10 17:24:36","post_modified_gmt":"2024-03-10 22:24:36","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/www.jungtosociety.org\/?p=18136","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"}],"next":false,"prev":false,"total_page":1},"paged":1,"column_class":"jeg_col_2o3","class":"jnews_block_37"};

\n

<\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/p>\n","post_title":"The Sujata Academy Project: The Power of Hope and Compassion in India","post_excerpt":"The Korean Seon (Zen) master Venerable Pomnyun Sunim (\ubc95\ub95c\uc2a4\ub2d8) wears many hats: Buddhist monk, teacher, author, environmentalist, and social activist, to name a few. As a widely respected Dharma teacher and a tireless socially engaged activist in his native South Korea, Ven. Pomnyun Sunim has founded numerous Dharma-based organizations, initiatives, and projects that are active across the world. Among them, Jungto Society, a volunteer-based community founded on the Buddhist teachings and expressing equality, simple living, and sustainability, is dedicated to addressing modern social issues that lead to suffering, including environmental degradation, poverty, and conflict.\n\nThis column, shared by Jungto Society, presents a series of highlights from Ven. Pomnyun Sunim\u2019s writings, teachings, public talks, and regular live-streamed Dharma Q+A sessions, which are accessible across the globe.\n","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","post_password":"","post_name":"the-sujata-academy-project-the-power-of-hope-and-compassion-in-india","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2024-03-10 17:38:00","post_modified_gmt":"2024-03-10 22:38:00","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/www.jungtosociety.org\/?p=18140","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"},{"ID":18136,"post_author":"13","post_date":"2024-03-10 17:24:34","post_date_gmt":"2024-03-10 22:24:34","post_content":"\n

Your son is over forty and
his main relationship is with someone else.
So, stop worrying about a grown man
who belongs with another woman
and be nice to the man next to you. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Illustration by Maseol <\/p>\n","post_title":"Son over forty","post_excerpt":"","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","post_password":"","post_name":"son-over-forty","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2024-03-10 17:24:36","post_modified_gmt":"2024-03-10 22:24:36","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/www.jungtosociety.org\/?p=18136","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"}],"next":false,"prev":false,"total_page":1},"paged":1,"column_class":"jeg_col_2o3","class":"jnews_block_37"};

\n

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<\/p>\n","post_title":"The Sujata Academy Project: The Power of Hope and Compassion in India","post_excerpt":"The Korean Seon (Zen) master Venerable Pomnyun Sunim (\ubc95\ub95c\uc2a4\ub2d8) wears many hats: Buddhist monk, teacher, author, environmentalist, and social activist, to name a few. As a widely respected Dharma teacher and a tireless socially engaged activist in his native South Korea, Ven. Pomnyun Sunim has founded numerous Dharma-based organizations, initiatives, and projects that are active across the world. Among them, Jungto Society, a volunteer-based community founded on the Buddhist teachings and expressing equality, simple living, and sustainability, is dedicated to addressing modern social issues that lead to suffering, including environmental degradation, poverty, and conflict.\n\nThis column, shared by Jungto Society, presents a series of highlights from Ven. Pomnyun Sunim\u2019s writings, teachings, public talks, and regular live-streamed Dharma Q+A sessions, which are accessible across the globe.\n","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","post_password":"","post_name":"the-sujata-academy-project-the-power-of-hope-and-compassion-in-india","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2024-03-10 17:38:00","post_modified_gmt":"2024-03-10 22:38:00","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/www.jungtosociety.org\/?p=18140","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"},{"ID":18136,"post_author":"13","post_date":"2024-03-10 17:24:34","post_date_gmt":"2024-03-10 22:24:34","post_content":"\n

Your son is over forty and
his main relationship is with someone else.
So, stop worrying about a grown man
who belongs with another woman
and be nice to the man next to you. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Illustration by Maseol <\/p>\n","post_title":"Son over forty","post_excerpt":"","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","post_password":"","post_name":"son-over-forty","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2024-03-10 17:24:36","post_modified_gmt":"2024-03-10 22:24:36","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/www.jungtosociety.org\/?p=18136","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"}],"next":false,"prev":false,"total_page":1},"paged":1,"column_class":"jeg_col_2o3","class":"jnews_block_37"};

\n

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<\/p>\n","post_title":"The Sujata Academy Project: The Power of Hope and Compassion in India","post_excerpt":"The Korean Seon (Zen) master Venerable Pomnyun Sunim (\ubc95\ub95c\uc2a4\ub2d8) wears many hats: Buddhist monk, teacher, author, environmentalist, and social activist, to name a few. As a widely respected Dharma teacher and a tireless socially engaged activist in his native South Korea, Ven. Pomnyun Sunim has founded numerous Dharma-based organizations, initiatives, and projects that are active across the world. Among them, Jungto Society, a volunteer-based community founded on the Buddhist teachings and expressing equality, simple living, and sustainability, is dedicated to addressing modern social issues that lead to suffering, including environmental degradation, poverty, and conflict.\n\nThis column, shared by Jungto Society, presents a series of highlights from Ven. Pomnyun Sunim\u2019s writings, teachings, public talks, and regular live-streamed Dharma Q+A sessions, which are accessible across the globe.\n","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","post_password":"","post_name":"the-sujata-academy-project-the-power-of-hope-and-compassion-in-india","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2024-03-10 17:38:00","post_modified_gmt":"2024-03-10 22:38:00","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/www.jungtosociety.org\/?p=18140","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"},{"ID":18136,"post_author":"13","post_date":"2024-03-10 17:24:34","post_date_gmt":"2024-03-10 22:24:34","post_content":"\n

Your son is over forty and
his main relationship is with someone else.
So, stop worrying about a grown man
who belongs with another woman
and be nice to the man next to you. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Illustration by Maseol <\/p>\n","post_title":"Son over forty","post_excerpt":"","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","post_password":"","post_name":"son-over-forty","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2024-03-10 17:24:36","post_modified_gmt":"2024-03-10 22:24:36","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/www.jungtosociety.org\/?p=18136","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"}],"next":false,"prev":false,"total_page":1},"paged":1,"column_class":"jeg_col_2o3","class":"jnews_block_37"};

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<\/p>\n","post_title":"The Sujata Academy Project: The Power of Hope and Compassion in India","post_excerpt":"The Korean Seon (Zen) master Venerable Pomnyun Sunim (\ubc95\ub95c\uc2a4\ub2d8) wears many hats: Buddhist monk, teacher, author, environmentalist, and social activist, to name a few. As a widely respected Dharma teacher and a tireless socially engaged activist in his native South Korea, Ven. Pomnyun Sunim has founded numerous Dharma-based organizations, initiatives, and projects that are active across the world. Among them, Jungto Society, a volunteer-based community founded on the Buddhist teachings and expressing equality, simple living, and sustainability, is dedicated to addressing modern social issues that lead to suffering, including environmental degradation, poverty, and conflict.\n\nThis column, shared by Jungto Society, presents a series of highlights from Ven. Pomnyun Sunim\u2019s writings, teachings, public talks, and regular live-streamed Dharma Q+A sessions, which are accessible across the globe.\n","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","post_password":"","post_name":"the-sujata-academy-project-the-power-of-hope-and-compassion-in-india","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2024-03-10 17:38:00","post_modified_gmt":"2024-03-10 22:38:00","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/www.jungtosociety.org\/?p=18140","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"},{"ID":18136,"post_author":"13","post_date":"2024-03-10 17:24:34","post_date_gmt":"2024-03-10 22:24:34","post_content":"\n

Your son is over forty and
his main relationship is with someone else.
So, stop worrying about a grown man
who belongs with another woman
and be nice to the man next to you. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Illustration by Maseol <\/p>\n","post_title":"Son over forty","post_excerpt":"","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","post_password":"","post_name":"son-over-forty","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2024-03-10 17:24:36","post_modified_gmt":"2024-03-10 22:24:36","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/www.jungtosociety.org\/?p=18136","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"}],"next":false,"prev":false,"total_page":1},"paged":1,"column_class":"jeg_col_2o3","class":"jnews_block_37"};

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<\/p>\n","post_title":"The Sujata Academy Project: The Power of Hope and Compassion in India","post_excerpt":"The Korean Seon (Zen) master Venerable Pomnyun Sunim (\ubc95\ub95c\uc2a4\ub2d8) wears many hats: Buddhist monk, teacher, author, environmentalist, and social activist, to name a few. As a widely respected Dharma teacher and a tireless socially engaged activist in his native South Korea, Ven. Pomnyun Sunim has founded numerous Dharma-based organizations, initiatives, and projects that are active across the world. Among them, Jungto Society, a volunteer-based community founded on the Buddhist teachings and expressing equality, simple living, and sustainability, is dedicated to addressing modern social issues that lead to suffering, including environmental degradation, poverty, and conflict.\n\nThis column, shared by Jungto Society, presents a series of highlights from Ven. Pomnyun Sunim\u2019s writings, teachings, public talks, and regular live-streamed Dharma Q+A sessions, which are accessible across the globe.\n","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","post_password":"","post_name":"the-sujata-academy-project-the-power-of-hope-and-compassion-in-india","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2024-03-10 17:38:00","post_modified_gmt":"2024-03-10 22:38:00","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/www.jungtosociety.org\/?p=18140","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"},{"ID":18136,"post_author":"13","post_date":"2024-03-10 17:24:34","post_date_gmt":"2024-03-10 22:24:34","post_content":"\n

Your son is over forty and
his main relationship is with someone else.
So, stop worrying about a grown man
who belongs with another woman
and be nice to the man next to you. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Illustration by Maseol <\/p>\n","post_title":"Son over forty","post_excerpt":"","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","post_password":"","post_name":"son-over-forty","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2024-03-10 17:24:36","post_modified_gmt":"2024-03-10 22:24:36","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/www.jungtosociety.org\/?p=18136","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"}],"next":false,"prev":false,"total_page":1},"paged":1,"column_class":"jeg_col_2o3","class":"jnews_block_37"};

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<\/p>\n","post_title":"The Sujata Academy Project: The Power of Hope and Compassion in India","post_excerpt":"The Korean Seon (Zen) master Venerable Pomnyun Sunim (\ubc95\ub95c\uc2a4\ub2d8) wears many hats: Buddhist monk, teacher, author, environmentalist, and social activist, to name a few. As a widely respected Dharma teacher and a tireless socially engaged activist in his native South Korea, Ven. Pomnyun Sunim has founded numerous Dharma-based organizations, initiatives, and projects that are active across the world. Among them, Jungto Society, a volunteer-based community founded on the Buddhist teachings and expressing equality, simple living, and sustainability, is dedicated to addressing modern social issues that lead to suffering, including environmental degradation, poverty, and conflict.\n\nThis column, shared by Jungto Society, presents a series of highlights from Ven. Pomnyun Sunim\u2019s writings, teachings, public talks, and regular live-streamed Dharma Q+A sessions, which are accessible across the globe.\n","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","post_password":"","post_name":"the-sujata-academy-project-the-power-of-hope-and-compassion-in-india","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2024-03-10 17:38:00","post_modified_gmt":"2024-03-10 22:38:00","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/www.jungtosociety.org\/?p=18140","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"},{"ID":18136,"post_author":"13","post_date":"2024-03-10 17:24:34","post_date_gmt":"2024-03-10 22:24:34","post_content":"\n

Your son is over forty and
his main relationship is with someone else.
So, stop worrying about a grown man
who belongs with another woman
and be nice to the man next to you. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Illustration by Maseol <\/p>\n","post_title":"Son over forty","post_excerpt":"","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","post_password":"","post_name":"son-over-forty","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2024-03-10 17:24:36","post_modified_gmt":"2024-03-10 22:24:36","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/www.jungtosociety.org\/?p=18136","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"}],"next":false,"prev":false,"total_page":1},"paged":1,"column_class":"jeg_col_2o3","class":"jnews_block_37"};

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<\/p>\n","post_title":"The Sujata Academy Project: The Power of Hope and Compassion in India","post_excerpt":"The Korean Seon (Zen) master Venerable Pomnyun Sunim (\ubc95\ub95c\uc2a4\ub2d8) wears many hats: Buddhist monk, teacher, author, environmentalist, and social activist, to name a few. As a widely respected Dharma teacher and a tireless socially engaged activist in his native South Korea, Ven. Pomnyun Sunim has founded numerous Dharma-based organizations, initiatives, and projects that are active across the world. Among them, Jungto Society, a volunteer-based community founded on the Buddhist teachings and expressing equality, simple living, and sustainability, is dedicated to addressing modern social issues that lead to suffering, including environmental degradation, poverty, and conflict.\n\nThis column, shared by Jungto Society, presents a series of highlights from Ven. Pomnyun Sunim\u2019s writings, teachings, public talks, and regular live-streamed Dharma Q+A sessions, which are accessible across the globe.\n","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","post_password":"","post_name":"the-sujata-academy-project-the-power-of-hope-and-compassion-in-india","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2024-03-10 17:38:00","post_modified_gmt":"2024-03-10 22:38:00","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/www.jungtosociety.org\/?p=18140","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"},{"ID":18136,"post_author":"13","post_date":"2024-03-10 17:24:34","post_date_gmt":"2024-03-10 22:24:34","post_content":"\n

Your son is over forty and
his main relationship is with someone else.
So, stop worrying about a grown man
who belongs with another woman
and be nice to the man next to you. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Illustration by Maseol <\/p>\n","post_title":"Son over forty","post_excerpt":"","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","post_password":"","post_name":"son-over-forty","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2024-03-10 17:24:36","post_modified_gmt":"2024-03-10 22:24:36","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/www.jungtosociety.org\/?p=18136","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"}],"next":false,"prev":false,"total_page":1},"paged":1,"column_class":"jeg_col_2o3","class":"jnews_block_37"};

\n

\u25b6\ufe0f Read more: <\/a>https:\/\/www.buddhistdoor.net\/features\/the-sujata-academy-project-the-power-of-hope-and-compassion-in-india\/<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

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<\/p>\n","post_title":"The Sujata Academy Project: The Power of Hope and Compassion in India","post_excerpt":"The Korean Seon (Zen) master Venerable Pomnyun Sunim (\ubc95\ub95c\uc2a4\ub2d8) wears many hats: Buddhist monk, teacher, author, environmentalist, and social activist, to name a few. As a widely respected Dharma teacher and a tireless socially engaged activist in his native South Korea, Ven. Pomnyun Sunim has founded numerous Dharma-based organizations, initiatives, and projects that are active across the world. Among them, Jungto Society, a volunteer-based community founded on the Buddhist teachings and expressing equality, simple living, and sustainability, is dedicated to addressing modern social issues that lead to suffering, including environmental degradation, poverty, and conflict.\n\nThis column, shared by Jungto Society, presents a series of highlights from Ven. Pomnyun Sunim\u2019s writings, teachings, public talks, and regular live-streamed Dharma Q+A sessions, which are accessible across the globe.\n","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","post_password":"","post_name":"the-sujata-academy-project-the-power-of-hope-and-compassion-in-india","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2024-03-10 17:38:00","post_modified_gmt":"2024-03-10 22:38:00","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/www.jungtosociety.org\/?p=18140","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"},{"ID":18136,"post_author":"13","post_date":"2024-03-10 17:24:34","post_date_gmt":"2024-03-10 22:24:34","post_content":"\n

Your son is over forty and
his main relationship is with someone else.
So, stop worrying about a grown man
who belongs with another woman
and be nice to the man next to you. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Illustration by Maseol <\/p>\n","post_title":"Son over forty","post_excerpt":"","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","post_password":"","post_name":"son-over-forty","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2024-03-10 17:24:36","post_modified_gmt":"2024-03-10 22:24:36","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/www.jungtosociety.org\/?p=18136","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"}],"next":false,"prev":false,"total_page":1},"paged":1,"column_class":"jeg_col_2o3","class":"jnews_block_37"};

\n

\u25b6\ufe0f Published by BDG on March 8, 2024<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u25b6\ufe0f Read more: <\/a>https:\/\/www.buddhistdoor.net\/features\/the-sujata-academy-project-the-power-of-hope-and-compassion-in-india\/<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

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<\/p>\n","post_title":"The Sujata Academy Project: The Power of Hope and Compassion in India","post_excerpt":"The Korean Seon (Zen) master Venerable Pomnyun Sunim (\ubc95\ub95c\uc2a4\ub2d8) wears many hats: Buddhist monk, teacher, author, environmentalist, and social activist, to name a few. As a widely respected Dharma teacher and a tireless socially engaged activist in his native South Korea, Ven. Pomnyun Sunim has founded numerous Dharma-based organizations, initiatives, and projects that are active across the world. Among them, Jungto Society, a volunteer-based community founded on the Buddhist teachings and expressing equality, simple living, and sustainability, is dedicated to addressing modern social issues that lead to suffering, including environmental degradation, poverty, and conflict.\n\nThis column, shared by Jungto Society, presents a series of highlights from Ven. Pomnyun Sunim\u2019s writings, teachings, public talks, and regular live-streamed Dharma Q+A sessions, which are accessible across the globe.\n","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","post_password":"","post_name":"the-sujata-academy-project-the-power-of-hope-and-compassion-in-india","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2024-03-10 17:38:00","post_modified_gmt":"2024-03-10 22:38:00","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/www.jungtosociety.org\/?p=18140","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"},{"ID":18136,"post_author":"13","post_date":"2024-03-10 17:24:34","post_date_gmt":"2024-03-10 22:24:34","post_content":"\n

Your son is over forty and
his main relationship is with someone else.
So, stop worrying about a grown man
who belongs with another woman
and be nice to the man next to you. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Illustration by Maseol <\/p>\n","post_title":"Son over forty","post_excerpt":"","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","post_password":"","post_name":"son-over-forty","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2024-03-10 17:24:36","post_modified_gmt":"2024-03-10 22:24:36","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/www.jungtosociety.org\/?p=18136","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"}],"next":false,"prev":false,"total_page":1},"paged":1,"column_class":"jeg_col_2o3","class":"jnews_block_37"};

\n

Jungto Society Dharma teacher Doyeon Jang (Dharma name Bogwang), is the director of Sujata Academy. She has overseen the development of this ambitious project, facing numerous challenges, both personal and structural, in the process of bringing this expression of compassion and social transformation to fruition.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u25b6\ufe0f Published by BDG on March 8, 2024<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u25b6\ufe0f Read more: <\/a>https:\/\/www.buddhistdoor.net\/features\/the-sujata-academy-project-the-power-of-hope-and-compassion-in-india\/<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

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<\/p>\n","post_title":"The Sujata Academy Project: The Power of Hope and Compassion in India","post_excerpt":"The Korean Seon (Zen) master Venerable Pomnyun Sunim (\ubc95\ub95c\uc2a4\ub2d8) wears many hats: Buddhist monk, teacher, author, environmentalist, and social activist, to name a few. As a widely respected Dharma teacher and a tireless socially engaged activist in his native South Korea, Ven. Pomnyun Sunim has founded numerous Dharma-based organizations, initiatives, and projects that are active across the world. Among them, Jungto Society, a volunteer-based community founded on the Buddhist teachings and expressing equality, simple living, and sustainability, is dedicated to addressing modern social issues that lead to suffering, including environmental degradation, poverty, and conflict.\n\nThis column, shared by Jungto Society, presents a series of highlights from Ven. Pomnyun Sunim\u2019s writings, teachings, public talks, and regular live-streamed Dharma Q+A sessions, which are accessible across the globe.\n","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","post_password":"","post_name":"the-sujata-academy-project-the-power-of-hope-and-compassion-in-india","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2024-03-10 17:38:00","post_modified_gmt":"2024-03-10 22:38:00","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/www.jungtosociety.org\/?p=18140","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"},{"ID":18136,"post_author":"13","post_date":"2024-03-10 17:24:34","post_date_gmt":"2024-03-10 22:24:34","post_content":"\n

Your son is over forty and
his main relationship is with someone else.
So, stop worrying about a grown man
who belongs with another woman
and be nice to the man next to you. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Illustration by Maseol <\/p>\n","post_title":"Son over forty","post_excerpt":"","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","post_password":"","post_name":"son-over-forty","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2024-03-10 17:24:36","post_modified_gmt":"2024-03-10 22:24:36","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/www.jungtosociety.org\/?p=18136","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"}],"next":false,"prev":false,"total_page":1},"paged":1,"column_class":"jeg_col_2o3","class":"jnews_block_37"};

\n

The people of Dungeshwari are primarily Dalits, who face systemic social and economic exclusion as a result of the conservative Hindu social hierarchy. \u201cDalit,\u201d which translates as \u201cbroken\u201d in Sanskrit, is a term for the very lowest castes, whom members of the so-called \u201chigher\u201d castes still to this day deem \u201cuntouchable,\u201d despite the practice being prohibited in the Constitution of India. By working directly with disadvantaged communities, JTS aims to help them to mobilize their own capabilities and resources to create a more prosperous and sustainable future.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Jungto Society Dharma teacher Doyeon Jang (Dharma name Bogwang), is the director of Sujata Academy. She has overseen the development of this ambitious project, facing numerous challenges, both personal and structural, in the process of bringing this expression of compassion and social transformation to fruition.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u25b6\ufe0f Published by BDG on March 8, 2024<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u25b6\ufe0f Read more: <\/a>https:\/\/www.buddhistdoor.net\/features\/the-sujata-academy-project-the-power-of-hope-and-compassion-in-india\/<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

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<\/p>\n","post_title":"The Sujata Academy Project: The Power of Hope and Compassion in India","post_excerpt":"The Korean Seon (Zen) master Venerable Pomnyun Sunim (\ubc95\ub95c\uc2a4\ub2d8) wears many hats: Buddhist monk, teacher, author, environmentalist, and social activist, to name a few. As a widely respected Dharma teacher and a tireless socially engaged activist in his native South Korea, Ven. Pomnyun Sunim has founded numerous Dharma-based organizations, initiatives, and projects that are active across the world. Among them, Jungto Society, a volunteer-based community founded on the Buddhist teachings and expressing equality, simple living, and sustainability, is dedicated to addressing modern social issues that lead to suffering, including environmental degradation, poverty, and conflict.\n\nThis column, shared by Jungto Society, presents a series of highlights from Ven. Pomnyun Sunim\u2019s writings, teachings, public talks, and regular live-streamed Dharma Q+A sessions, which are accessible across the globe.\n","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","post_password":"","post_name":"the-sujata-academy-project-the-power-of-hope-and-compassion-in-india","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2024-03-10 17:38:00","post_modified_gmt":"2024-03-10 22:38:00","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/www.jungtosociety.org\/?p=18140","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"},{"ID":18136,"post_author":"13","post_date":"2024-03-10 17:24:34","post_date_gmt":"2024-03-10 22:24:34","post_content":"\n

Your son is over forty and
his main relationship is with someone else.
So, stop worrying about a grown man
who belongs with another woman
and be nice to the man next to you. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Illustration by Maseol <\/p>\n","post_title":"Son over forty","post_excerpt":"","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","post_password":"","post_name":"son-over-forty","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2024-03-10 17:24:36","post_modified_gmt":"2024-03-10 22:24:36","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/www.jungtosociety.org\/?p=18136","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"}],"next":false,"prev":false,"total_page":1},"paged":1,"column_class":"jeg_col_2o3","class":"jnews_block_37"};

\n

This region is surrounded by the Pragbodhi Hills where the historical Buddha, Shakyamuni, is said to have spent six years in a cave as an ascetic. And it\u2019s here that JTS India has been working to empower the villagers of Dungeshwari to live their lives free from hunger, illiteracy, and disease.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The people of Dungeshwari are primarily Dalits, who face systemic social and economic exclusion as a result of the conservative Hindu social hierarchy. \u201cDalit,\u201d which translates as \u201cbroken\u201d in Sanskrit, is a term for the very lowest castes, whom members of the so-called \u201chigher\u201d castes still to this day deem \u201cuntouchable,\u201d despite the practice being prohibited in the Constitution of India. By working directly with disadvantaged communities, JTS aims to help them to mobilize their own capabilities and resources to create a more prosperous and sustainable future.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Jungto Society Dharma teacher Doyeon Jang (Dharma name Bogwang), is the director of Sujata Academy. She has overseen the development of this ambitious project, facing numerous challenges, both personal and structural, in the process of bringing this expression of compassion and social transformation to fruition.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u25b6\ufe0f Published by BDG on March 8, 2024<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u25b6\ufe0f Read more: <\/a>https:\/\/www.buddhistdoor.net\/features\/the-sujata-academy-project-the-power-of-hope-and-compassion-in-india\/<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

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<\/p>\n","post_title":"The Sujata Academy Project: The Power of Hope and Compassion in India","post_excerpt":"The Korean Seon (Zen) master Venerable Pomnyun Sunim (\ubc95\ub95c\uc2a4\ub2d8) wears many hats: Buddhist monk, teacher, author, environmentalist, and social activist, to name a few. As a widely respected Dharma teacher and a tireless socially engaged activist in his native South Korea, Ven. Pomnyun Sunim has founded numerous Dharma-based organizations, initiatives, and projects that are active across the world. Among them, Jungto Society, a volunteer-based community founded on the Buddhist teachings and expressing equality, simple living, and sustainability, is dedicated to addressing modern social issues that lead to suffering, including environmental degradation, poverty, and conflict.\n\nThis column, shared by Jungto Society, presents a series of highlights from Ven. Pomnyun Sunim\u2019s writings, teachings, public talks, and regular live-streamed Dharma Q+A sessions, which are accessible across the globe.\n","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","post_password":"","post_name":"the-sujata-academy-project-the-power-of-hope-and-compassion-in-india","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2024-03-10 17:38:00","post_modified_gmt":"2024-03-10 22:38:00","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/www.jungtosociety.org\/?p=18140","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"},{"ID":18136,"post_author":"13","post_date":"2024-03-10 17:24:34","post_date_gmt":"2024-03-10 22:24:34","post_content":"\n

Your son is over forty and
his main relationship is with someone else.
So, stop worrying about a grown man
who belongs with another woman
and be nice to the man next to you. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Illustration by Maseol <\/p>\n","post_title":"Son over forty","post_excerpt":"","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","post_password":"","post_name":"son-over-forty","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2024-03-10 17:24:36","post_modified_gmt":"2024-03-10 22:24:36","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/www.jungtosociety.org\/?p=18136","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"}],"next":false,"prev":false,"total_page":1},"paged":1,"column_class":"jeg_col_2o3","class":"jnews_block_37"};

\n

JTS India began its work in Dungeshwari, some 12 kilometers northeast of the Buddhist pilgrimage hub of Bodh Gaya, in the early 1990s, aspiring to fulfill the mission: \u201cThe hungry should eat; the sick should be treated; children should be educated in time.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This region is surrounded by the Pragbodhi Hills where the historical Buddha, Shakyamuni, is said to have spent six years in a cave as an ascetic. And it\u2019s here that JTS India has been working to empower the villagers of Dungeshwari to live their lives free from hunger, illiteracy, and disease.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The people of Dungeshwari are primarily Dalits, who face systemic social and economic exclusion as a result of the conservative Hindu social hierarchy. \u201cDalit,\u201d which translates as \u201cbroken\u201d in Sanskrit, is a term for the very lowest castes, whom members of the so-called \u201chigher\u201d castes still to this day deem \u201cuntouchable,\u201d despite the practice being prohibited in the Constitution of India. By working directly with disadvantaged communities, JTS aims to help them to mobilize their own capabilities and resources to create a more prosperous and sustainable future.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Jungto Society Dharma teacher Doyeon Jang (Dharma name Bogwang), is the director of Sujata Academy. She has overseen the development of this ambitious project, facing numerous challenges, both personal and structural, in the process of bringing this expression of compassion and social transformation to fruition.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u25b6\ufe0f Published by BDG on March 8, 2024<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u25b6\ufe0f Read more: <\/a>https:\/\/www.buddhistdoor.net\/features\/the-sujata-academy-project-the-power-of-hope-and-compassion-in-india\/<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

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<\/p>\n","post_title":"The Sujata Academy Project: The Power of Hope and Compassion in India","post_excerpt":"The Korean Seon (Zen) master Venerable Pomnyun Sunim (\ubc95\ub95c\uc2a4\ub2d8) wears many hats: Buddhist monk, teacher, author, environmentalist, and social activist, to name a few. As a widely respected Dharma teacher and a tireless socially engaged activist in his native South Korea, Ven. Pomnyun Sunim has founded numerous Dharma-based organizations, initiatives, and projects that are active across the world. Among them, Jungto Society, a volunteer-based community founded on the Buddhist teachings and expressing equality, simple living, and sustainability, is dedicated to addressing modern social issues that lead to suffering, including environmental degradation, poverty, and conflict.\n\nThis column, shared by Jungto Society, presents a series of highlights from Ven. Pomnyun Sunim\u2019s writings, teachings, public talks, and regular live-streamed Dharma Q+A sessions, which are accessible across the globe.\n","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","post_password":"","post_name":"the-sujata-academy-project-the-power-of-hope-and-compassion-in-india","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2024-03-10 17:38:00","post_modified_gmt":"2024-03-10 22:38:00","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/www.jungtosociety.org\/?p=18140","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"},{"ID":18136,"post_author":"13","post_date":"2024-03-10 17:24:34","post_date_gmt":"2024-03-10 22:24:34","post_content":"\n

Your son is over forty and
his main relationship is with someone else.
So, stop worrying about a grown man
who belongs with another woman
and be nice to the man next to you. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Illustration by Maseol <\/p>\n","post_title":"Son over forty","post_excerpt":"","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","post_password":"","post_name":"son-over-forty","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2024-03-10 17:24:36","post_modified_gmt":"2024-03-10 22:24:36","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/www.jungtosociety.org\/?p=18136","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"}],"next":false,"prev":false,"total_page":1},"paged":1,"column_class":"jeg_col_2o3","class":"jnews_block_37"};

\n

Ven. Pomnyun Sunim established the international Buddhist humanitarian relief organization Join Together Society (JTS) as an expression of the compassion of engaged Buddhism and the belief that helping others is the best way to enrich one\u2019s own life. Headquartered in Seoul, JTS operates four branch offices in South Korea and the United States, along with field offices in India and the Philippines. JTS Korea and JTS America oversee fundraising, while JTS India and JTS Philippines conduct development projects in cooperation with local communities. The relief organization has also earned Special Consultative Status to the United Nations Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

JTS India began its work in Dungeshwari, some 12 kilometers northeast of the Buddhist pilgrimage hub of Bodh Gaya, in the early 1990s, aspiring to fulfill the mission: \u201cThe hungry should eat; the sick should be treated; children should be educated in time.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This region is surrounded by the Pragbodhi Hills where the historical Buddha, Shakyamuni, is said to have spent six years in a cave as an ascetic. And it\u2019s here that JTS India has been working to empower the villagers of Dungeshwari to live their lives free from hunger, illiteracy, and disease.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The people of Dungeshwari are primarily Dalits, who face systemic social and economic exclusion as a result of the conservative Hindu social hierarchy. \u201cDalit,\u201d which translates as \u201cbroken\u201d in Sanskrit, is a term for the very lowest castes, whom members of the so-called \u201chigher\u201d castes still to this day deem \u201cuntouchable,\u201d despite the practice being prohibited in the Constitution of India. By working directly with disadvantaged communities, JTS aims to help them to mobilize their own capabilities and resources to create a more prosperous and sustainable future.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Jungto Society Dharma teacher Doyeon Jang (Dharma name Bogwang), is the director of Sujata Academy. She has overseen the development of this ambitious project, facing numerous challenges, both personal and structural, in the process of bringing this expression of compassion and social transformation to fruition.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u25b6\ufe0f Published by BDG on March 8, 2024<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u25b6\ufe0f Read more: <\/a>https:\/\/www.buddhistdoor.net\/features\/the-sujata-academy-project-the-power-of-hope-and-compassion-in-india\/<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

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<\/p>\n","post_title":"The Sujata Academy Project: The Power of Hope and Compassion in India","post_excerpt":"The Korean Seon (Zen) master Venerable Pomnyun Sunim (\ubc95\ub95c\uc2a4\ub2d8) wears many hats: Buddhist monk, teacher, author, environmentalist, and social activist, to name a few. As a widely respected Dharma teacher and a tireless socially engaged activist in his native South Korea, Ven. Pomnyun Sunim has founded numerous Dharma-based organizations, initiatives, and projects that are active across the world. Among them, Jungto Society, a volunteer-based community founded on the Buddhist teachings and expressing equality, simple living, and sustainability, is dedicated to addressing modern social issues that lead to suffering, including environmental degradation, poverty, and conflict.\n\nThis column, shared by Jungto Society, presents a series of highlights from Ven. Pomnyun Sunim\u2019s writings, teachings, public talks, and regular live-streamed Dharma Q+A sessions, which are accessible across the globe.\n","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","post_password":"","post_name":"the-sujata-academy-project-the-power-of-hope-and-compassion-in-india","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2024-03-10 17:38:00","post_modified_gmt":"2024-03-10 22:38:00","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/www.jungtosociety.org\/?p=18140","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"},{"ID":18136,"post_author":"13","post_date":"2024-03-10 17:24:34","post_date_gmt":"2024-03-10 22:24:34","post_content":"\n

Your son is over forty and
his main relationship is with someone else.
So, stop worrying about a grown man
who belongs with another woman
and be nice to the man next to you. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Illustration by Maseol <\/p>\n","post_title":"Son over forty","post_excerpt":"","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","post_password":"","post_name":"son-over-forty","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2024-03-10 17:24:36","post_modified_gmt":"2024-03-10 22:24:36","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/www.jungtosociety.org\/?p=18136","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"}],"next":false,"prev":false,"total_page":1},"paged":1,"column_class":"jeg_col_2o3","class":"jnews_block_37"};

\n
\"\"<\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

Ven. Pomnyun Sunim established the international Buddhist humanitarian relief organization Join Together Society (JTS) as an expression of the compassion of engaged Buddhism and the belief that helping others is the best way to enrich one\u2019s own life. Headquartered in Seoul, JTS operates four branch offices in South Korea and the United States, along with field offices in India and the Philippines. JTS Korea and JTS America oversee fundraising, while JTS India and JTS Philippines conduct development projects in cooperation with local communities. The relief organization has also earned Special Consultative Status to the United Nations Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

JTS India began its work in Dungeshwari, some 12 kilometers northeast of the Buddhist pilgrimage hub of Bodh Gaya, in the early 1990s, aspiring to fulfill the mission: \u201cThe hungry should eat; the sick should be treated; children should be educated in time.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This region is surrounded by the Pragbodhi Hills where the historical Buddha, Shakyamuni, is said to have spent six years in a cave as an ascetic. And it\u2019s here that JTS India has been working to empower the villagers of Dungeshwari to live their lives free from hunger, illiteracy, and disease.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The people of Dungeshwari are primarily Dalits, who face systemic social and economic exclusion as a result of the conservative Hindu social hierarchy. \u201cDalit,\u201d which translates as \u201cbroken\u201d in Sanskrit, is a term for the very lowest castes, whom members of the so-called \u201chigher\u201d castes still to this day deem \u201cuntouchable,\u201d despite the practice being prohibited in the Constitution of India. By working directly with disadvantaged communities, JTS aims to help them to mobilize their own capabilities and resources to create a more prosperous and sustainable future.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Jungto Society Dharma teacher Doyeon Jang (Dharma name Bogwang), is the director of Sujata Academy. She has overseen the development of this ambitious project, facing numerous challenges, both personal and structural, in the process of bringing this expression of compassion and social transformation to fruition.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u25b6\ufe0f Published by BDG on March 8, 2024<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u25b6\ufe0f Read more: <\/a>https:\/\/www.buddhistdoor.net\/features\/the-sujata-academy-project-the-power-of-hope-and-compassion-in-india\/<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

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<\/p>\n","post_title":"The Sujata Academy Project: The Power of Hope and Compassion in India","post_excerpt":"The Korean Seon (Zen) master Venerable Pomnyun Sunim (\ubc95\ub95c\uc2a4\ub2d8) wears many hats: Buddhist monk, teacher, author, environmentalist, and social activist, to name a few. As a widely respected Dharma teacher and a tireless socially engaged activist in his native South Korea, Ven. Pomnyun Sunim has founded numerous Dharma-based organizations, initiatives, and projects that are active across the world. Among them, Jungto Society, a volunteer-based community founded on the Buddhist teachings and expressing equality, simple living, and sustainability, is dedicated to addressing modern social issues that lead to suffering, including environmental degradation, poverty, and conflict.\n\nThis column, shared by Jungto Society, presents a series of highlights from Ven. Pomnyun Sunim\u2019s writings, teachings, public talks, and regular live-streamed Dharma Q+A sessions, which are accessible across the globe.\n","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","post_password":"","post_name":"the-sujata-academy-project-the-power-of-hope-and-compassion-in-india","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2024-03-10 17:38:00","post_modified_gmt":"2024-03-10 22:38:00","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/www.jungtosociety.org\/?p=18140","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"},{"ID":18136,"post_author":"13","post_date":"2024-03-10 17:24:34","post_date_gmt":"2024-03-10 22:24:34","post_content":"\n

Your son is over forty and
his main relationship is with someone else.
So, stop worrying about a grown man
who belongs with another woman
and be nice to the man next to you. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Illustration by Maseol <\/p>\n","post_title":"Son over forty","post_excerpt":"","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","post_password":"","post_name":"son-over-forty","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2024-03-10 17:24:36","post_modified_gmt":"2024-03-10 22:24:36","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/www.jungtosociety.org\/?p=18136","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"}],"next":false,"prev":false,"total_page":1},"paged":1,"column_class":"jeg_col_2o3","class":"jnews_block_37"};

\n
\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\"\"<\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

Ven. Pomnyun Sunim established the international Buddhist humanitarian relief organization Join Together Society (JTS) as an expression of the compassion of engaged Buddhism and the belief that helping others is the best way to enrich one\u2019s own life. Headquartered in Seoul, JTS operates four branch offices in South Korea and the United States, along with field offices in India and the Philippines. JTS Korea and JTS America oversee fundraising, while JTS India and JTS Philippines conduct development projects in cooperation with local communities. The relief organization has also earned Special Consultative Status to the United Nations Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

JTS India began its work in Dungeshwari, some 12 kilometers northeast of the Buddhist pilgrimage hub of Bodh Gaya, in the early 1990s, aspiring to fulfill the mission: \u201cThe hungry should eat; the sick should be treated; children should be educated in time.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This region is surrounded by the Pragbodhi Hills where the historical Buddha, Shakyamuni, is said to have spent six years in a cave as an ascetic. And it\u2019s here that JTS India has been working to empower the villagers of Dungeshwari to live their lives free from hunger, illiteracy, and disease.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The people of Dungeshwari are primarily Dalits, who face systemic social and economic exclusion as a result of the conservative Hindu social hierarchy. \u201cDalit,\u201d which translates as \u201cbroken\u201d in Sanskrit, is a term for the very lowest castes, whom members of the so-called \u201chigher\u201d castes still to this day deem \u201cuntouchable,\u201d despite the practice being prohibited in the Constitution of India. By working directly with disadvantaged communities, JTS aims to help them to mobilize their own capabilities and resources to create a more prosperous and sustainable future.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Jungto Society Dharma teacher Doyeon Jang (Dharma name Bogwang), is the director of Sujata Academy. She has overseen the development of this ambitious project, facing numerous challenges, both personal and structural, in the process of bringing this expression of compassion and social transformation to fruition.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u25b6\ufe0f Published by BDG on March 8, 2024<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u25b6\ufe0f Read more: <\/a>https:\/\/www.buddhistdoor.net\/features\/the-sujata-academy-project-the-power-of-hope-and-compassion-in-india\/<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

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<\/p>\n","post_title":"The Sujata Academy Project: The Power of Hope and Compassion in India","post_excerpt":"The Korean Seon (Zen) master Venerable Pomnyun Sunim (\ubc95\ub95c\uc2a4\ub2d8) wears many hats: Buddhist monk, teacher, author, environmentalist, and social activist, to name a few. As a widely respected Dharma teacher and a tireless socially engaged activist in his native South Korea, Ven. Pomnyun Sunim has founded numerous Dharma-based organizations, initiatives, and projects that are active across the world. Among them, Jungto Society, a volunteer-based community founded on the Buddhist teachings and expressing equality, simple living, and sustainability, is dedicated to addressing modern social issues that lead to suffering, including environmental degradation, poverty, and conflict.\n\nThis column, shared by Jungto Society, presents a series of highlights from Ven. Pomnyun Sunim\u2019s writings, teachings, public talks, and regular live-streamed Dharma Q+A sessions, which are accessible across the globe.\n","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","post_password":"","post_name":"the-sujata-academy-project-the-power-of-hope-and-compassion-in-india","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2024-03-10 17:38:00","post_modified_gmt":"2024-03-10 22:38:00","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/www.jungtosociety.org\/?p=18140","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"},{"ID":18136,"post_author":"13","post_date":"2024-03-10 17:24:34","post_date_gmt":"2024-03-10 22:24:34","post_content":"\n

Your son is over forty and
his main relationship is with someone else.
So, stop worrying about a grown man
who belongs with another woman
and be nice to the man next to you. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Illustration by Maseol <\/p>\n","post_title":"Son over forty","post_excerpt":"","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","post_password":"","post_name":"son-over-forty","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2024-03-10 17:24:36","post_modified_gmt":"2024-03-10 22:24:36","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/www.jungtosociety.org\/?p=18136","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"}],"next":false,"prev":false,"total_page":1},"paged":1,"column_class":"jeg_col_2o3","class":"jnews_block_37"};

\n
\n
\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\"\"<\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

Ven. Pomnyun Sunim established the international Buddhist humanitarian relief organization Join Together Society (JTS) as an expression of the compassion of engaged Buddhism and the belief that helping others is the best way to enrich one\u2019s own life. Headquartered in Seoul, JTS operates four branch offices in South Korea and the United States, along with field offices in India and the Philippines. JTS Korea and JTS America oversee fundraising, while JTS India and JTS Philippines conduct development projects in cooperation with local communities. The relief organization has also earned Special Consultative Status to the United Nations Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

JTS India began its work in Dungeshwari, some 12 kilometers northeast of the Buddhist pilgrimage hub of Bodh Gaya, in the early 1990s, aspiring to fulfill the mission: \u201cThe hungry should eat; the sick should be treated; children should be educated in time.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This region is surrounded by the Pragbodhi Hills where the historical Buddha, Shakyamuni, is said to have spent six years in a cave as an ascetic. And it\u2019s here that JTS India has been working to empower the villagers of Dungeshwari to live their lives free from hunger, illiteracy, and disease.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The people of Dungeshwari are primarily Dalits, who face systemic social and economic exclusion as a result of the conservative Hindu social hierarchy. \u201cDalit,\u201d which translates as \u201cbroken\u201d in Sanskrit, is a term for the very lowest castes, whom members of the so-called \u201chigher\u201d castes still to this day deem \u201cuntouchable,\u201d despite the practice being prohibited in the Constitution of India. By working directly with disadvantaged communities, JTS aims to help them to mobilize their own capabilities and resources to create a more prosperous and sustainable future.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Jungto Society Dharma teacher Doyeon Jang (Dharma name Bogwang), is the director of Sujata Academy. She has overseen the development of this ambitious project, facing numerous challenges, both personal and structural, in the process of bringing this expression of compassion and social transformation to fruition.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u25b6\ufe0f Published by BDG on March 8, 2024<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u25b6\ufe0f Read more: <\/a>https:\/\/www.buddhistdoor.net\/features\/the-sujata-academy-project-the-power-of-hope-and-compassion-in-india\/<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

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<\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/p>\n","post_title":"The Sujata Academy Project: The Power of Hope and Compassion in India","post_excerpt":"The Korean Seon (Zen) master Venerable Pomnyun Sunim (\ubc95\ub95c\uc2a4\ub2d8) wears many hats: Buddhist monk, teacher, author, environmentalist, and social activist, to name a few. As a widely respected Dharma teacher and a tireless socially engaged activist in his native South Korea, Ven. Pomnyun Sunim has founded numerous Dharma-based organizations, initiatives, and projects that are active across the world. Among them, Jungto Society, a volunteer-based community founded on the Buddhist teachings and expressing equality, simple living, and sustainability, is dedicated to addressing modern social issues that lead to suffering, including environmental degradation, poverty, and conflict.\n\nThis column, shared by Jungto Society, presents a series of highlights from Ven. Pomnyun Sunim\u2019s writings, teachings, public talks, and regular live-streamed Dharma Q+A sessions, which are accessible across the globe.\n","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","post_password":"","post_name":"the-sujata-academy-project-the-power-of-hope-and-compassion-in-india","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2024-03-10 17:38:00","post_modified_gmt":"2024-03-10 22:38:00","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/www.jungtosociety.org\/?p=18140","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"},{"ID":18136,"post_author":"13","post_date":"2024-03-10 17:24:34","post_date_gmt":"2024-03-10 22:24:34","post_content":"\n

Your son is over forty and
his main relationship is with someone else.
So, stop worrying about a grown man
who belongs with another woman
and be nice to the man next to you. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Illustration by Maseol <\/p>\n","post_title":"Son over forty","post_excerpt":"","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","post_password":"","post_name":"son-over-forty","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2024-03-10 17:24:36","post_modified_gmt":"2024-03-10 22:24:36","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/www.jungtosociety.org\/?p=18136","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"}],"next":false,"prev":false,"total_page":1},"paged":1,"column_class":"jeg_col_2o3","class":"jnews_block_37"};

\n
\n
\n
\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\"\"<\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

Ven. Pomnyun Sunim established the international Buddhist humanitarian relief organization Join Together Society (JTS) as an expression of the compassion of engaged Buddhism and the belief that helping others is the best way to enrich one\u2019s own life. Headquartered in Seoul, JTS operates four branch offices in South Korea and the United States, along with field offices in India and the Philippines. JTS Korea and JTS America oversee fundraising, while JTS India and JTS Philippines conduct development projects in cooperation with local communities. The relief organization has also earned Special Consultative Status to the United Nations Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

JTS India began its work in Dungeshwari, some 12 kilometers northeast of the Buddhist pilgrimage hub of Bodh Gaya, in the early 1990s, aspiring to fulfill the mission: \u201cThe hungry should eat; the sick should be treated; children should be educated in time.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This region is surrounded by the Pragbodhi Hills where the historical Buddha, Shakyamuni, is said to have spent six years in a cave as an ascetic. And it\u2019s here that JTS India has been working to empower the villagers of Dungeshwari to live their lives free from hunger, illiteracy, and disease.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The people of Dungeshwari are primarily Dalits, who face systemic social and economic exclusion as a result of the conservative Hindu social hierarchy. \u201cDalit,\u201d which translates as \u201cbroken\u201d in Sanskrit, is a term for the very lowest castes, whom members of the so-called \u201chigher\u201d castes still to this day deem \u201cuntouchable,\u201d despite the practice being prohibited in the Constitution of India. By working directly with disadvantaged communities, JTS aims to help them to mobilize their own capabilities and resources to create a more prosperous and sustainable future.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Jungto Society Dharma teacher Doyeon Jang (Dharma name Bogwang), is the director of Sujata Academy. She has overseen the development of this ambitious project, facing numerous challenges, both personal and structural, in the process of bringing this expression of compassion and social transformation to fruition.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u25b6\ufe0f Published by BDG on March 8, 2024<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u25b6\ufe0f Read more: <\/a>https:\/\/www.buddhistdoor.net\/features\/the-sujata-academy-project-the-power-of-hope-and-compassion-in-india\/<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

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<\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/p>\n","post_title":"The Sujata Academy Project: The Power of Hope and Compassion in India","post_excerpt":"The Korean Seon (Zen) master Venerable Pomnyun Sunim (\ubc95\ub95c\uc2a4\ub2d8) wears many hats: Buddhist monk, teacher, author, environmentalist, and social activist, to name a few. As a widely respected Dharma teacher and a tireless socially engaged activist in his native South Korea, Ven. Pomnyun Sunim has founded numerous Dharma-based organizations, initiatives, and projects that are active across the world. Among them, Jungto Society, a volunteer-based community founded on the Buddhist teachings and expressing equality, simple living, and sustainability, is dedicated to addressing modern social issues that lead to suffering, including environmental degradation, poverty, and conflict.\n\nThis column, shared by Jungto Society, presents a series of highlights from Ven. Pomnyun Sunim\u2019s writings, teachings, public talks, and regular live-streamed Dharma Q+A sessions, which are accessible across the globe.\n","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","post_password":"","post_name":"the-sujata-academy-project-the-power-of-hope-and-compassion-in-india","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2024-03-10 17:38:00","post_modified_gmt":"2024-03-10 22:38:00","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/www.jungtosociety.org\/?p=18140","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"},{"ID":18136,"post_author":"13","post_date":"2024-03-10 17:24:34","post_date_gmt":"2024-03-10 22:24:34","post_content":"\n

Your son is over forty and
his main relationship is with someone else.
So, stop worrying about a grown man
who belongs with another woman
and be nice to the man next to you. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Illustration by Maseol <\/p>\n","post_title":"Son over forty","post_excerpt":"","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","post_password":"","post_name":"son-over-forty","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2024-03-10 17:24:36","post_modified_gmt":"2024-03-10 22:24:36","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/www.jungtosociety.org\/?p=18136","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"}],"next":false,"prev":false,"total_page":1},"paged":1,"column_class":"jeg_col_2o3","class":"jnews_block_37"};

\n

<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n
\n
\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\"\"<\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

Ven. Pomnyun Sunim established the international Buddhist humanitarian relief organization Join Together Society (JTS) as an expression of the compassion of engaged Buddhism and the belief that helping others is the best way to enrich one\u2019s own life. Headquartered in Seoul, JTS operates four branch offices in South Korea and the United States, along with field offices in India and the Philippines. JTS Korea and JTS America oversee fundraising, while JTS India and JTS Philippines conduct development projects in cooperation with local communities. The relief organization has also earned Special Consultative Status to the United Nations Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

JTS India began its work in Dungeshwari, some 12 kilometers northeast of the Buddhist pilgrimage hub of Bodh Gaya, in the early 1990s, aspiring to fulfill the mission: \u201cThe hungry should eat; the sick should be treated; children should be educated in time.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This region is surrounded by the Pragbodhi Hills where the historical Buddha, Shakyamuni, is said to have spent six years in a cave as an ascetic. And it\u2019s here that JTS India has been working to empower the villagers of Dungeshwari to live their lives free from hunger, illiteracy, and disease.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The people of Dungeshwari are primarily Dalits, who face systemic social and economic exclusion as a result of the conservative Hindu social hierarchy. \u201cDalit,\u201d which translates as \u201cbroken\u201d in Sanskrit, is a term for the very lowest castes, whom members of the so-called \u201chigher\u201d castes still to this day deem \u201cuntouchable,\u201d despite the practice being prohibited in the Constitution of India. By working directly with disadvantaged communities, JTS aims to help them to mobilize their own capabilities and resources to create a more prosperous and sustainable future.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Jungto Society Dharma teacher Doyeon Jang (Dharma name Bogwang), is the director of Sujata Academy. She has overseen the development of this ambitious project, facing numerous challenges, both personal and structural, in the process of bringing this expression of compassion and social transformation to fruition.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u25b6\ufe0f Published by BDG on March 8, 2024<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u25b6\ufe0f Read more: <\/a>https:\/\/www.buddhistdoor.net\/features\/the-sujata-academy-project-the-power-of-hope-and-compassion-in-india\/<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

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<\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/p>\n","post_title":"The Sujata Academy Project: The Power of Hope and Compassion in India","post_excerpt":"The Korean Seon (Zen) master Venerable Pomnyun Sunim (\ubc95\ub95c\uc2a4\ub2d8) wears many hats: Buddhist monk, teacher, author, environmentalist, and social activist, to name a few. As a widely respected Dharma teacher and a tireless socially engaged activist in his native South Korea, Ven. Pomnyun Sunim has founded numerous Dharma-based organizations, initiatives, and projects that are active across the world. Among them, Jungto Society, a volunteer-based community founded on the Buddhist teachings and expressing equality, simple living, and sustainability, is dedicated to addressing modern social issues that lead to suffering, including environmental degradation, poverty, and conflict.\n\nThis column, shared by Jungto Society, presents a series of highlights from Ven. Pomnyun Sunim\u2019s writings, teachings, public talks, and regular live-streamed Dharma Q+A sessions, which are accessible across the globe.\n","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","post_password":"","post_name":"the-sujata-academy-project-the-power-of-hope-and-compassion-in-india","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2024-03-10 17:38:00","post_modified_gmt":"2024-03-10 22:38:00","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/www.jungtosociety.org\/?p=18140","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"},{"ID":18136,"post_author":"13","post_date":"2024-03-10 17:24:34","post_date_gmt":"2024-03-10 22:24:34","post_content":"\n

Your son is over forty and
his main relationship is with someone else.
So, stop worrying about a grown man
who belongs with another woman
and be nice to the man next to you. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Illustration by Maseol <\/p>\n","post_title":"Son over forty","post_excerpt":"","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","post_password":"","post_name":"son-over-forty","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2024-03-10 17:24:36","post_modified_gmt":"2024-03-10 22:24:36","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/www.jungtosociety.org\/?p=18136","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"}],"next":false,"prev":false,"total_page":1},"paged":1,"column_class":"jeg_col_2o3","class":"jnews_block_37"};

\n

x<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n
\n
\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\"\"<\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

Ven. Pomnyun Sunim established the international Buddhist humanitarian relief organization Join Together Society (JTS) as an expression of the compassion of engaged Buddhism and the belief that helping others is the best way to enrich one\u2019s own life. Headquartered in Seoul, JTS operates four branch offices in South Korea and the United States, along with field offices in India and the Philippines. JTS Korea and JTS America oversee fundraising, while JTS India and JTS Philippines conduct development projects in cooperation with local communities. The relief organization has also earned Special Consultative Status to the United Nations Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

JTS India began its work in Dungeshwari, some 12 kilometers northeast of the Buddhist pilgrimage hub of Bodh Gaya, in the early 1990s, aspiring to fulfill the mission: \u201cThe hungry should eat; the sick should be treated; children should be educated in time.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This region is surrounded by the Pragbodhi Hills where the historical Buddha, Shakyamuni, is said to have spent six years in a cave as an ascetic. And it\u2019s here that JTS India has been working to empower the villagers of Dungeshwari to live their lives free from hunger, illiteracy, and disease.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The people of Dungeshwari are primarily Dalits, who face systemic social and economic exclusion as a result of the conservative Hindu social hierarchy. \u201cDalit,\u201d which translates as \u201cbroken\u201d in Sanskrit, is a term for the very lowest castes, whom members of the so-called \u201chigher\u201d castes still to this day deem \u201cuntouchable,\u201d despite the practice being prohibited in the Constitution of India. By working directly with disadvantaged communities, JTS aims to help them to mobilize their own capabilities and resources to create a more prosperous and sustainable future.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Jungto Society Dharma teacher Doyeon Jang (Dharma name Bogwang), is the director of Sujata Academy. She has overseen the development of this ambitious project, facing numerous challenges, both personal and structural, in the process of bringing this expression of compassion and social transformation to fruition.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u25b6\ufe0f Published by BDG on March 8, 2024<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u25b6\ufe0f Read more: <\/a>https:\/\/www.buddhistdoor.net\/features\/the-sujata-academy-project-the-power-of-hope-and-compassion-in-india\/<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

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<\/p>\n","post_title":"The Sujata Academy Project: The Power of Hope and Compassion in India","post_excerpt":"The Korean Seon (Zen) master Venerable Pomnyun Sunim (\ubc95\ub95c\uc2a4\ub2d8) wears many hats: Buddhist monk, teacher, author, environmentalist, and social activist, to name a few. As a widely respected Dharma teacher and a tireless socially engaged activist in his native South Korea, Ven. Pomnyun Sunim has founded numerous Dharma-based organizations, initiatives, and projects that are active across the world. Among them, Jungto Society, a volunteer-based community founded on the Buddhist teachings and expressing equality, simple living, and sustainability, is dedicated to addressing modern social issues that lead to suffering, including environmental degradation, poverty, and conflict.\n\nThis column, shared by Jungto Society, presents a series of highlights from Ven. Pomnyun Sunim\u2019s writings, teachings, public talks, and regular live-streamed Dharma Q+A sessions, which are accessible across the globe.\n","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","post_password":"","post_name":"the-sujata-academy-project-the-power-of-hope-and-compassion-in-india","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2024-03-10 17:38:00","post_modified_gmt":"2024-03-10 22:38:00","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/www.jungtosociety.org\/?p=18140","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"},{"ID":18136,"post_author":"13","post_date":"2024-03-10 17:24:34","post_date_gmt":"2024-03-10 22:24:34","post_content":"\n

Your son is over forty and
his main relationship is with someone else.
So, stop worrying about a grown man
who belongs with another woman
and be nice to the man next to you. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Illustration by Maseol <\/p>\n","post_title":"Son over forty","post_excerpt":"","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","post_password":"","post_name":"son-over-forty","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2024-03-10 17:24:36","post_modified_gmt":"2024-03-10 22:24:36","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/www.jungtosociety.org\/?p=18136","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"}],"next":false,"prev":false,"total_page":1},"paged":1,"column_class":"jeg_col_2o3","class":"jnews_block_37"};

\n

The academy is named after Sujata, the young woman who is said to have nourished the ailing and emaciated Siddhartha Gautama with a bowl of milk-rice, thus ending his six years of extreme asceticism. Tuition at the academy is provided free of charge. The school\u2019s principal goal is to educate every student in basic literacy and numeracy. Classes are taught from kindergarten to secondary level, alongside adult literacy classes and skills training. Students who wish to continue beyond elementary education and attend secondary school are required to teach kindergarteners or to help out in the onsite Jivaka Hospital in the mornings and to attend classes in the afternoon, working in the spirit of giving back to the community. The campus also includes a warehouse, a dormitory, a large playing field, and sports equipment for the children.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

x<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n
\n
\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\"\"<\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

Ven. Pomnyun Sunim established the international Buddhist humanitarian relief organization Join Together Society (JTS) as an expression of the compassion of engaged Buddhism and the belief that helping others is the best way to enrich one\u2019s own life. Headquartered in Seoul, JTS operates four branch offices in South Korea and the United States, along with field offices in India and the Philippines. JTS Korea and JTS America oversee fundraising, while JTS India and JTS Philippines conduct development projects in cooperation with local communities. The relief organization has also earned Special Consultative Status to the United Nations Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

JTS India began its work in Dungeshwari, some 12 kilometers northeast of the Buddhist pilgrimage hub of Bodh Gaya, in the early 1990s, aspiring to fulfill the mission: \u201cThe hungry should eat; the sick should be treated; children should be educated in time.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This region is surrounded by the Pragbodhi Hills where the historical Buddha, Shakyamuni, is said to have spent six years in a cave as an ascetic. And it\u2019s here that JTS India has been working to empower the villagers of Dungeshwari to live their lives free from hunger, illiteracy, and disease.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The people of Dungeshwari are primarily Dalits, who face systemic social and economic exclusion as a result of the conservative Hindu social hierarchy. \u201cDalit,\u201d which translates as \u201cbroken\u201d in Sanskrit, is a term for the very lowest castes, whom members of the so-called \u201chigher\u201d castes still to this day deem \u201cuntouchable,\u201d despite the practice being prohibited in the Constitution of India. By working directly with disadvantaged communities, JTS aims to help them to mobilize their own capabilities and resources to create a more prosperous and sustainable future.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Jungto Society Dharma teacher Doyeon Jang (Dharma name Bogwang), is the director of Sujata Academy. She has overseen the development of this ambitious project, facing numerous challenges, both personal and structural, in the process of bringing this expression of compassion and social transformation to fruition.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u25b6\ufe0f Published by BDG on March 8, 2024<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u25b6\ufe0f Read more: <\/a>https:\/\/www.buddhistdoor.net\/features\/the-sujata-academy-project-the-power-of-hope-and-compassion-in-india\/<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

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<\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/p>\n","post_title":"The Sujata Academy Project: The Power of Hope and Compassion in India","post_excerpt":"The Korean Seon (Zen) master Venerable Pomnyun Sunim (\ubc95\ub95c\uc2a4\ub2d8) wears many hats: Buddhist monk, teacher, author, environmentalist, and social activist, to name a few. As a widely respected Dharma teacher and a tireless socially engaged activist in his native South Korea, Ven. Pomnyun Sunim has founded numerous Dharma-based organizations, initiatives, and projects that are active across the world. Among them, Jungto Society, a volunteer-based community founded on the Buddhist teachings and expressing equality, simple living, and sustainability, is dedicated to addressing modern social issues that lead to suffering, including environmental degradation, poverty, and conflict.\n\nThis column, shared by Jungto Society, presents a series of highlights from Ven. Pomnyun Sunim\u2019s writings, teachings, public talks, and regular live-streamed Dharma Q+A sessions, which are accessible across the globe.\n","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","post_password":"","post_name":"the-sujata-academy-project-the-power-of-hope-and-compassion-in-india","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2024-03-10 17:38:00","post_modified_gmt":"2024-03-10 22:38:00","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/www.jungtosociety.org\/?p=18140","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"},{"ID":18136,"post_author":"13","post_date":"2024-03-10 17:24:34","post_date_gmt":"2024-03-10 22:24:34","post_content":"\n

Your son is over forty and
his main relationship is with someone else.
So, stop worrying about a grown man
who belongs with another woman
and be nice to the man next to you. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Illustration by Maseol <\/p>\n","post_title":"Son over forty","post_excerpt":"","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","post_password":"","post_name":"son-over-forty","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2024-03-10 17:24:36","post_modified_gmt":"2024-03-10 22:24:36","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/www.jungtosociety.org\/?p=18136","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"}],"next":false,"prev":false,"total_page":1},"paged":1,"column_class":"jeg_col_2o3","class":"jnews_block_37"};

\n

This year\u2019s pilgrimage was particularly notable for two reasons: first was the participation, for the first time in the Jungto pilgrimage\u2019s 33-year history, of non-Korean practitioners: the 500-plus Korean Buddhist pilgrims were accompanied nine practitioners from Italy, Japan, Thailand, the United Kingdom, the United States, and Vietnam. Second, the pilgrimage also coincided with celebrations for the 30th anniversary of Sujata Academy, a remarkable community school and social empowerment project established by Ven. Pomnyun Sunim in Dungeshwari, in the northeastern Indian state of Bihar. This project has transformed the lives of an entire community of people who have faced systemic social and economic exclusion as a result of India\u2019s conservative Hindu caste hierarchy.2<\/sup><\/p>\n\n\n\n

The academy is named after Sujata, the young woman who is said to have nourished the ailing and emaciated Siddhartha Gautama with a bowl of milk-rice, thus ending his six years of extreme asceticism. Tuition at the academy is provided free of charge. The school\u2019s principal goal is to educate every student in basic literacy and numeracy. Classes are taught from kindergarten to secondary level, alongside adult literacy classes and skills training. Students who wish to continue beyond elementary education and attend secondary school are required to teach kindergarteners or to help out in the onsite Jivaka Hospital in the mornings and to attend classes in the afternoon, working in the spirit of giving back to the community. The campus also includes a warehouse, a dormitory, a large playing field, and sports equipment for the children.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

x<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n
\n
\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\"\"<\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

Ven. Pomnyun Sunim established the international Buddhist humanitarian relief organization Join Together Society (JTS) as an expression of the compassion of engaged Buddhism and the belief that helping others is the best way to enrich one\u2019s own life. Headquartered in Seoul, JTS operates four branch offices in South Korea and the United States, along with field offices in India and the Philippines. JTS Korea and JTS America oversee fundraising, while JTS India and JTS Philippines conduct development projects in cooperation with local communities. The relief organization has also earned Special Consultative Status to the United Nations Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

JTS India began its work in Dungeshwari, some 12 kilometers northeast of the Buddhist pilgrimage hub of Bodh Gaya, in the early 1990s, aspiring to fulfill the mission: \u201cThe hungry should eat; the sick should be treated; children should be educated in time.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This region is surrounded by the Pragbodhi Hills where the historical Buddha, Shakyamuni, is said to have spent six years in a cave as an ascetic. And it\u2019s here that JTS India has been working to empower the villagers of Dungeshwari to live their lives free from hunger, illiteracy, and disease.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The people of Dungeshwari are primarily Dalits, who face systemic social and economic exclusion as a result of the conservative Hindu social hierarchy. \u201cDalit,\u201d which translates as \u201cbroken\u201d in Sanskrit, is a term for the very lowest castes, whom members of the so-called \u201chigher\u201d castes still to this day deem \u201cuntouchable,\u201d despite the practice being prohibited in the Constitution of India. By working directly with disadvantaged communities, JTS aims to help them to mobilize their own capabilities and resources to create a more prosperous and sustainable future.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Jungto Society Dharma teacher Doyeon Jang (Dharma name Bogwang), is the director of Sujata Academy. She has overseen the development of this ambitious project, facing numerous challenges, both personal and structural, in the process of bringing this expression of compassion and social transformation to fruition.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u25b6\ufe0f Published by BDG on March 8, 2024<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u25b6\ufe0f Read more: <\/a>https:\/\/www.buddhistdoor.net\/features\/the-sujata-academy-project-the-power-of-hope-and-compassion-in-india\/<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

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<\/p>\n","post_title":"The Sujata Academy Project: The Power of Hope and Compassion in India","post_excerpt":"The Korean Seon (Zen) master Venerable Pomnyun Sunim (\ubc95\ub95c\uc2a4\ub2d8) wears many hats: Buddhist monk, teacher, author, environmentalist, and social activist, to name a few. As a widely respected Dharma teacher and a tireless socially engaged activist in his native South Korea, Ven. Pomnyun Sunim has founded numerous Dharma-based organizations, initiatives, and projects that are active across the world. Among them, Jungto Society, a volunteer-based community founded on the Buddhist teachings and expressing equality, simple living, and sustainability, is dedicated to addressing modern social issues that lead to suffering, including environmental degradation, poverty, and conflict.\n\nThis column, shared by Jungto Society, presents a series of highlights from Ven. Pomnyun Sunim\u2019s writings, teachings, public talks, and regular live-streamed Dharma Q+A sessions, which are accessible across the globe.\n","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","post_password":"","post_name":"the-sujata-academy-project-the-power-of-hope-and-compassion-in-india","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2024-03-10 17:38:00","post_modified_gmt":"2024-03-10 22:38:00","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/www.jungtosociety.org\/?p=18140","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"},{"ID":18136,"post_author":"13","post_date":"2024-03-10 17:24:34","post_date_gmt":"2024-03-10 22:24:34","post_content":"\n

Your son is over forty and
his main relationship is with someone else.
So, stop worrying about a grown man
who belongs with another woman
and be nice to the man next to you. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Illustration by Maseol <\/p>\n","post_title":"Son over forty","post_excerpt":"","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","post_password":"","post_name":"son-over-forty","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2024-03-10 17:24:36","post_modified_gmt":"2024-03-10 22:24:36","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/www.jungtosociety.org\/?p=18136","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"}],"next":false,"prev":false,"total_page":1},"paged":1,"column_class":"jeg_col_2o3","class":"jnews_block_37"};

\n

Jungto Society, the international Buddhist community founded by the revered Korean Dharma master and social activist Venerable Pomnyun Sunim (\ubc95\ub95c\uc2a4\ub2d8), recently conducted its 33rd annual pilgrimage across India and to Nepal. Held under the theme \u201cFollowing in the Footsteps of the Buddha,\u201d the pilgrimage, which ran from 19 January to 2 February, was attended by more 500 practitioners.1<\/sup><\/p>\n\n\n\n

This year\u2019s pilgrimage was particularly notable for two reasons: first was the participation, for the first time in the Jungto pilgrimage\u2019s 33-year history, of non-Korean practitioners: the 500-plus Korean Buddhist pilgrims were accompanied nine practitioners from Italy, Japan, Thailand, the United Kingdom, the United States, and Vietnam. Second, the pilgrimage also coincided with celebrations for the 30th anniversary of Sujata Academy, a remarkable community school and social empowerment project established by Ven. Pomnyun Sunim in Dungeshwari, in the northeastern Indian state of Bihar. This project has transformed the lives of an entire community of people who have faced systemic social and economic exclusion as a result of India\u2019s conservative Hindu caste hierarchy.2<\/sup><\/p>\n\n\n\n

The academy is named after Sujata, the young woman who is said to have nourished the ailing and emaciated Siddhartha Gautama with a bowl of milk-rice, thus ending his six years of extreme asceticism. Tuition at the academy is provided free of charge. The school\u2019s principal goal is to educate every student in basic literacy and numeracy. Classes are taught from kindergarten to secondary level, alongside adult literacy classes and skills training. Students who wish to continue beyond elementary education and attend secondary school are required to teach kindergarteners or to help out in the onsite Jivaka Hospital in the mornings and to attend classes in the afternoon, working in the spirit of giving back to the community. The campus also includes a warehouse, a dormitory, a large playing field, and sports equipment for the children.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

x<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n
\n
\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\"\"<\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

Ven. Pomnyun Sunim established the international Buddhist humanitarian relief organization Join Together Society (JTS) as an expression of the compassion of engaged Buddhism and the belief that helping others is the best way to enrich one\u2019s own life. Headquartered in Seoul, JTS operates four branch offices in South Korea and the United States, along with field offices in India and the Philippines. JTS Korea and JTS America oversee fundraising, while JTS India and JTS Philippines conduct development projects in cooperation with local communities. The relief organization has also earned Special Consultative Status to the United Nations Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

JTS India began its work in Dungeshwari, some 12 kilometers northeast of the Buddhist pilgrimage hub of Bodh Gaya, in the early 1990s, aspiring to fulfill the mission: \u201cThe hungry should eat; the sick should be treated; children should be educated in time.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This region is surrounded by the Pragbodhi Hills where the historical Buddha, Shakyamuni, is said to have spent six years in a cave as an ascetic. And it\u2019s here that JTS India has been working to empower the villagers of Dungeshwari to live their lives free from hunger, illiteracy, and disease.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The people of Dungeshwari are primarily Dalits, who face systemic social and economic exclusion as a result of the conservative Hindu social hierarchy. \u201cDalit,\u201d which translates as \u201cbroken\u201d in Sanskrit, is a term for the very lowest castes, whom members of the so-called \u201chigher\u201d castes still to this day deem \u201cuntouchable,\u201d despite the practice being prohibited in the Constitution of India. By working directly with disadvantaged communities, JTS aims to help them to mobilize their own capabilities and resources to create a more prosperous and sustainable future.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Jungto Society Dharma teacher Doyeon Jang (Dharma name Bogwang), is the director of Sujata Academy. She has overseen the development of this ambitious project, facing numerous challenges, both personal and structural, in the process of bringing this expression of compassion and social transformation to fruition.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u25b6\ufe0f Published by BDG on March 8, 2024<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u25b6\ufe0f Read more: <\/a>https:\/\/www.buddhistdoor.net\/features\/the-sujata-academy-project-the-power-of-hope-and-compassion-in-india\/<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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<\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/p>\n","post_title":"The Sujata Academy Project: The Power of Hope and Compassion in India","post_excerpt":"The Korean Seon (Zen) master Venerable Pomnyun Sunim (\ubc95\ub95c\uc2a4\ub2d8) wears many hats: Buddhist monk, teacher, author, environmentalist, and social activist, to name a few. As a widely respected Dharma teacher and a tireless socially engaged activist in his native South Korea, Ven. Pomnyun Sunim has founded numerous Dharma-based organizations, initiatives, and projects that are active across the world. Among them, Jungto Society, a volunteer-based community founded on the Buddhist teachings and expressing equality, simple living, and sustainability, is dedicated to addressing modern social issues that lead to suffering, including environmental degradation, poverty, and conflict.\n\nThis column, shared by Jungto Society, presents a series of highlights from Ven. Pomnyun Sunim\u2019s writings, teachings, public talks, and regular live-streamed Dharma Q+A sessions, which are accessible across the globe.\n","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","post_password":"","post_name":"the-sujata-academy-project-the-power-of-hope-and-compassion-in-india","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2024-03-10 17:38:00","post_modified_gmt":"2024-03-10 22:38:00","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/www.jungtosociety.org\/?p=18140","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"},{"ID":18136,"post_author":"13","post_date":"2024-03-10 17:24:34","post_date_gmt":"2024-03-10 22:24:34","post_content":"\n

Your son is over forty and
his main relationship is with someone else.
So, stop worrying about a grown man
who belongs with another woman
and be nice to the man next to you. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Illustration by Maseol <\/p>\n","post_title":"Son over forty","post_excerpt":"","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","post_password":"","post_name":"son-over-forty","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2024-03-10 17:24:36","post_modified_gmt":"2024-03-10 22:24:36","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/www.jungtosociety.org\/?p=18136","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"}],"next":false,"prev":false,"total_page":1},"paged":1,"column_class":"jeg_col_2o3","class":"jnews_block_37"};

\n

<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Jungto Society, the international Buddhist community founded by the revered Korean Dharma master and social activist Venerable Pomnyun Sunim (\ubc95\ub95c\uc2a4\ub2d8), recently conducted its 33rd annual pilgrimage across India and to Nepal. Held under the theme \u201cFollowing in the Footsteps of the Buddha,\u201d the pilgrimage, which ran from 19 January to 2 February, was attended by more 500 practitioners.1<\/sup><\/p>\n\n\n\n

This year\u2019s pilgrimage was particularly notable for two reasons: first was the participation, for the first time in the Jungto pilgrimage\u2019s 33-year history, of non-Korean practitioners: the 500-plus Korean Buddhist pilgrims were accompanied nine practitioners from Italy, Japan, Thailand, the United Kingdom, the United States, and Vietnam. Second, the pilgrimage also coincided with celebrations for the 30th anniversary of Sujata Academy, a remarkable community school and social empowerment project established by Ven. Pomnyun Sunim in Dungeshwari, in the northeastern Indian state of Bihar. This project has transformed the lives of an entire community of people who have faced systemic social and economic exclusion as a result of India\u2019s conservative Hindu caste hierarchy.2<\/sup><\/p>\n\n\n\n

The academy is named after Sujata, the young woman who is said to have nourished the ailing and emaciated Siddhartha Gautama with a bowl of milk-rice, thus ending his six years of extreme asceticism. Tuition at the academy is provided free of charge. The school\u2019s principal goal is to educate every student in basic literacy and numeracy. Classes are taught from kindergarten to secondary level, alongside adult literacy classes and skills training. Students who wish to continue beyond elementary education and attend secondary school are required to teach kindergarteners or to help out in the onsite Jivaka Hospital in the mornings and to attend classes in the afternoon, working in the spirit of giving back to the community. The campus also includes a warehouse, a dormitory, a large playing field, and sports equipment for the children.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

x<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n
\n
\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\"\"<\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

Ven. Pomnyun Sunim established the international Buddhist humanitarian relief organization Join Together Society (JTS) as an expression of the compassion of engaged Buddhism and the belief that helping others is the best way to enrich one\u2019s own life. Headquartered in Seoul, JTS operates four branch offices in South Korea and the United States, along with field offices in India and the Philippines. JTS Korea and JTS America oversee fundraising, while JTS India and JTS Philippines conduct development projects in cooperation with local communities. The relief organization has also earned Special Consultative Status to the United Nations Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

JTS India began its work in Dungeshwari, some 12 kilometers northeast of the Buddhist pilgrimage hub of Bodh Gaya, in the early 1990s, aspiring to fulfill the mission: \u201cThe hungry should eat; the sick should be treated; children should be educated in time.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This region is surrounded by the Pragbodhi Hills where the historical Buddha, Shakyamuni, is said to have spent six years in a cave as an ascetic. And it\u2019s here that JTS India has been working to empower the villagers of Dungeshwari to live their lives free from hunger, illiteracy, and disease.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The people of Dungeshwari are primarily Dalits, who face systemic social and economic exclusion as a result of the conservative Hindu social hierarchy. \u201cDalit,\u201d which translates as \u201cbroken\u201d in Sanskrit, is a term for the very lowest castes, whom members of the so-called \u201chigher\u201d castes still to this day deem \u201cuntouchable,\u201d despite the practice being prohibited in the Constitution of India. By working directly with disadvantaged communities, JTS aims to help them to mobilize their own capabilities and resources to create a more prosperous and sustainable future.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Jungto Society Dharma teacher Doyeon Jang (Dharma name Bogwang), is the director of Sujata Academy. She has overseen the development of this ambitious project, facing numerous challenges, both personal and structural, in the process of bringing this expression of compassion and social transformation to fruition.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u25b6\ufe0f Published by BDG on March 8, 2024<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u25b6\ufe0f Read more: <\/a>https:\/\/www.buddhistdoor.net\/features\/the-sujata-academy-project-the-power-of-hope-and-compassion-in-india\/<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

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<\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/p>\n","post_title":"The Sujata Academy Project: The Power of Hope and Compassion in India","post_excerpt":"The Korean Seon (Zen) master Venerable Pomnyun Sunim (\ubc95\ub95c\uc2a4\ub2d8) wears many hats: Buddhist monk, teacher, author, environmentalist, and social activist, to name a few. As a widely respected Dharma teacher and a tireless socially engaged activist in his native South Korea, Ven. Pomnyun Sunim has founded numerous Dharma-based organizations, initiatives, and projects that are active across the world. Among them, Jungto Society, a volunteer-based community founded on the Buddhist teachings and expressing equality, simple living, and sustainability, is dedicated to addressing modern social issues that lead to suffering, including environmental degradation, poverty, and conflict.\n\nThis column, shared by Jungto Society, presents a series of highlights from Ven. Pomnyun Sunim\u2019s writings, teachings, public talks, and regular live-streamed Dharma Q+A sessions, which are accessible across the globe.\n","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","post_password":"","post_name":"the-sujata-academy-project-the-power-of-hope-and-compassion-in-india","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2024-03-10 17:38:00","post_modified_gmt":"2024-03-10 22:38:00","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/www.jungtosociety.org\/?p=18140","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"},{"ID":18136,"post_author":"13","post_date":"2024-03-10 17:24:34","post_date_gmt":"2024-03-10 22:24:34","post_content":"\n

Your son is over forty and
his main relationship is with someone else.
So, stop worrying about a grown man
who belongs with another woman
and be nice to the man next to you. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Illustration by Maseol <\/p>\n","post_title":"Son over forty","post_excerpt":"","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","post_password":"","post_name":"son-over-forty","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2024-03-10 17:24:36","post_modified_gmt":"2024-03-10 22:24:36","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/www.jungtosociety.org\/?p=18136","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"}],"next":false,"prev":false,"total_page":1},"paged":1,"column_class":"jeg_col_2o3","class":"jnews_block_37"};

\n

Regardless of the funeral ritual that is performed, once a person dies, it\u2019s the end. By saying \u201cthe end\u201d I am not implying that there is no heaven or an afterlife; I am simply saying the person who draws his last breath will no longer exist in this world. From a Christian viewpoint, the spirits go to heaven, and from a Buddhist perspective, the spirits are reborn, so there is nothing we can do for them. Therefore, the best farewell for those who pass away is to let them go from our hearts.<\/p>\n","post_title":"The Best Farewell For The Deceased","post_excerpt":"","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","post_password":"","post_name":"the-best-farewell-for-the-deceased-2","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2024-03-02 14:50:59","post_modified_gmt":"2024-03-02 19:50:59","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/www.jungtosociety.org\/?p=18125","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"},{"ID":18140,"post_author":"13","post_date":"2024-03-10 17:37:58","post_date_gmt":"2024-03-10 22:37:58","post_content":"\n

<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Jungto Society, the international Buddhist community founded by the revered Korean Dharma master and social activist Venerable Pomnyun Sunim (\ubc95\ub95c\uc2a4\ub2d8), recently conducted its 33rd annual pilgrimage across India and to Nepal. Held under the theme \u201cFollowing in the Footsteps of the Buddha,\u201d the pilgrimage, which ran from 19 January to 2 February, was attended by more 500 practitioners.1<\/sup><\/p>\n\n\n\n

This year\u2019s pilgrimage was particularly notable for two reasons: first was the participation, for the first time in the Jungto pilgrimage\u2019s 33-year history, of non-Korean practitioners: the 500-plus Korean Buddhist pilgrims were accompanied nine practitioners from Italy, Japan, Thailand, the United Kingdom, the United States, and Vietnam. Second, the pilgrimage also coincided with celebrations for the 30th anniversary of Sujata Academy, a remarkable community school and social empowerment project established by Ven. Pomnyun Sunim in Dungeshwari, in the northeastern Indian state of Bihar. This project has transformed the lives of an entire community of people who have faced systemic social and economic exclusion as a result of India\u2019s conservative Hindu caste hierarchy.2<\/sup><\/p>\n\n\n\n

The academy is named after Sujata, the young woman who is said to have nourished the ailing and emaciated Siddhartha Gautama with a bowl of milk-rice, thus ending his six years of extreme asceticism. Tuition at the academy is provided free of charge. The school\u2019s principal goal is to educate every student in basic literacy and numeracy. Classes are taught from kindergarten to secondary level, alongside adult literacy classes and skills training. Students who wish to continue beyond elementary education and attend secondary school are required to teach kindergarteners or to help out in the onsite Jivaka Hospital in the mornings and to attend classes in the afternoon, working in the spirit of giving back to the community. The campus also includes a warehouse, a dormitory, a large playing field, and sports equipment for the children.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

x<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n
\n
\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\"\"<\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

Ven. Pomnyun Sunim established the international Buddhist humanitarian relief organization Join Together Society (JTS) as an expression of the compassion of engaged Buddhism and the belief that helping others is the best way to enrich one\u2019s own life. Headquartered in Seoul, JTS operates four branch offices in South Korea and the United States, along with field offices in India and the Philippines. JTS Korea and JTS America oversee fundraising, while JTS India and JTS Philippines conduct development projects in cooperation with local communities. The relief organization has also earned Special Consultative Status to the United Nations Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

JTS India began its work in Dungeshwari, some 12 kilometers northeast of the Buddhist pilgrimage hub of Bodh Gaya, in the early 1990s, aspiring to fulfill the mission: \u201cThe hungry should eat; the sick should be treated; children should be educated in time.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This region is surrounded by the Pragbodhi Hills where the historical Buddha, Shakyamuni, is said to have spent six years in a cave as an ascetic. And it\u2019s here that JTS India has been working to empower the villagers of Dungeshwari to live their lives free from hunger, illiteracy, and disease.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The people of Dungeshwari are primarily Dalits, who face systemic social and economic exclusion as a result of the conservative Hindu social hierarchy. \u201cDalit,\u201d which translates as \u201cbroken\u201d in Sanskrit, is a term for the very lowest castes, whom members of the so-called \u201chigher\u201d castes still to this day deem \u201cuntouchable,\u201d despite the practice being prohibited in the Constitution of India. By working directly with disadvantaged communities, JTS aims to help them to mobilize their own capabilities and resources to create a more prosperous and sustainable future.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Jungto Society Dharma teacher Doyeon Jang (Dharma name Bogwang), is the director of Sujata Academy. She has overseen the development of this ambitious project, facing numerous challenges, both personal and structural, in the process of bringing this expression of compassion and social transformation to fruition.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u25b6\ufe0f Published by BDG on March 8, 2024<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u25b6\ufe0f Read more: <\/a>https:\/\/www.buddhistdoor.net\/features\/the-sujata-academy-project-the-power-of-hope-and-compassion-in-india\/<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/p>\n","post_title":"The Sujata Academy Project: The Power of Hope and Compassion in India","post_excerpt":"The Korean Seon (Zen) master Venerable Pomnyun Sunim (\ubc95\ub95c\uc2a4\ub2d8) wears many hats: Buddhist monk, teacher, author, environmentalist, and social activist, to name a few. As a widely respected Dharma teacher and a tireless socially engaged activist in his native South Korea, Ven. Pomnyun Sunim has founded numerous Dharma-based organizations, initiatives, and projects that are active across the world. Among them, Jungto Society, a volunteer-based community founded on the Buddhist teachings and expressing equality, simple living, and sustainability, is dedicated to addressing modern social issues that lead to suffering, including environmental degradation, poverty, and conflict.\n\nThis column, shared by Jungto Society, presents a series of highlights from Ven. Pomnyun Sunim\u2019s writings, teachings, public talks, and regular live-streamed Dharma Q+A sessions, which are accessible across the globe.\n","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","post_password":"","post_name":"the-sujata-academy-project-the-power-of-hope-and-compassion-in-india","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2024-03-10 17:38:00","post_modified_gmt":"2024-03-10 22:38:00","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/www.jungtosociety.org\/?p=18140","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"},{"ID":18136,"post_author":"13","post_date":"2024-03-10 17:24:34","post_date_gmt":"2024-03-10 22:24:34","post_content":"\n

Your son is over forty and
his main relationship is with someone else.
So, stop worrying about a grown man
who belongs with another woman
and be nice to the man next to you. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Illustration by Maseol <\/p>\n","post_title":"Son over forty","post_excerpt":"","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","post_password":"","post_name":"son-over-forty","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2024-03-10 17:24:36","post_modified_gmt":"2024-03-10 22:24:36","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/www.jungtosociety.org\/?p=18136","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"}],"next":false,"prev":false,"total_page":1},"paged":1,"column_class":"jeg_col_2o3","class":"jnews_block_37"};

\n

Each of these funeral rituals has its unique meaning and significance. Tibetans feed the dead to birds because they believe that the spirit of the dead will fly to heaven with the birds. Some cultures bury the dead in the ground because of the belief that the spiritual world exists underground. Meanwhile, Indians believe in reincarnation, so they cremate the corpse to help the spirits to quickly sever their attachment to their worldly bodies so that they can be reborn.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Regardless of the funeral ritual that is performed, once a person dies, it\u2019s the end. By saying \u201cthe end\u201d I am not implying that there is no heaven or an afterlife; I am simply saying the person who draws his last breath will no longer exist in this world. From a Christian viewpoint, the spirits go to heaven, and from a Buddhist perspective, the spirits are reborn, so there is nothing we can do for them. Therefore, the best farewell for those who pass away is to let them go from our hearts.<\/p>\n","post_title":"The Best Farewell For The Deceased","post_excerpt":"","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","post_password":"","post_name":"the-best-farewell-for-the-deceased-2","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2024-03-02 14:50:59","post_modified_gmt":"2024-03-02 19:50:59","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/www.jungtosociety.org\/?p=18125","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"},{"ID":18140,"post_author":"13","post_date":"2024-03-10 17:37:58","post_date_gmt":"2024-03-10 22:37:58","post_content":"\n

<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Jungto Society, the international Buddhist community founded by the revered Korean Dharma master and social activist Venerable Pomnyun Sunim (\ubc95\ub95c\uc2a4\ub2d8), recently conducted its 33rd annual pilgrimage across India and to Nepal. Held under the theme \u201cFollowing in the Footsteps of the Buddha,\u201d the pilgrimage, which ran from 19 January to 2 February, was attended by more 500 practitioners.1<\/sup><\/p>\n\n\n\n

This year\u2019s pilgrimage was particularly notable for two reasons: first was the participation, for the first time in the Jungto pilgrimage\u2019s 33-year history, of non-Korean practitioners: the 500-plus Korean Buddhist pilgrims were accompanied nine practitioners from Italy, Japan, Thailand, the United Kingdom, the United States, and Vietnam. Second, the pilgrimage also coincided with celebrations for the 30th anniversary of Sujata Academy, a remarkable community school and social empowerment project established by Ven. Pomnyun Sunim in Dungeshwari, in the northeastern Indian state of Bihar. This project has transformed the lives of an entire community of people who have faced systemic social and economic exclusion as a result of India\u2019s conservative Hindu caste hierarchy.2<\/sup><\/p>\n\n\n\n

The academy is named after Sujata, the young woman who is said to have nourished the ailing and emaciated Siddhartha Gautama with a bowl of milk-rice, thus ending his six years of extreme asceticism. Tuition at the academy is provided free of charge. The school\u2019s principal goal is to educate every student in basic literacy and numeracy. Classes are taught from kindergarten to secondary level, alongside adult literacy classes and skills training. Students who wish to continue beyond elementary education and attend secondary school are required to teach kindergarteners or to help out in the onsite Jivaka Hospital in the mornings and to attend classes in the afternoon, working in the spirit of giving back to the community. The campus also includes a warehouse, a dormitory, a large playing field, and sports equipment for the children.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

x<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n
\n
\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\"\"<\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

Ven. Pomnyun Sunim established the international Buddhist humanitarian relief organization Join Together Society (JTS) as an expression of the compassion of engaged Buddhism and the belief that helping others is the best way to enrich one\u2019s own life. Headquartered in Seoul, JTS operates four branch offices in South Korea and the United States, along with field offices in India and the Philippines. JTS Korea and JTS America oversee fundraising, while JTS India and JTS Philippines conduct development projects in cooperation with local communities. The relief organization has also earned Special Consultative Status to the United Nations Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

JTS India began its work in Dungeshwari, some 12 kilometers northeast of the Buddhist pilgrimage hub of Bodh Gaya, in the early 1990s, aspiring to fulfill the mission: \u201cThe hungry should eat; the sick should be treated; children should be educated in time.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This region is surrounded by the Pragbodhi Hills where the historical Buddha, Shakyamuni, is said to have spent six years in a cave as an ascetic. And it\u2019s here that JTS India has been working to empower the villagers of Dungeshwari to live their lives free from hunger, illiteracy, and disease.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The people of Dungeshwari are primarily Dalits, who face systemic social and economic exclusion as a result of the conservative Hindu social hierarchy. \u201cDalit,\u201d which translates as \u201cbroken\u201d in Sanskrit, is a term for the very lowest castes, whom members of the so-called \u201chigher\u201d castes still to this day deem \u201cuntouchable,\u201d despite the practice being prohibited in the Constitution of India. By working directly with disadvantaged communities, JTS aims to help them to mobilize their own capabilities and resources to create a more prosperous and sustainable future.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Jungto Society Dharma teacher Doyeon Jang (Dharma name Bogwang), is the director of Sujata Academy. She has overseen the development of this ambitious project, facing numerous challenges, both personal and structural, in the process of bringing this expression of compassion and social transformation to fruition.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u25b6\ufe0f Published by BDG on March 8, 2024<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u25b6\ufe0f Read more: <\/a>https:\/\/www.buddhistdoor.net\/features\/the-sujata-academy-project-the-power-of-hope-and-compassion-in-india\/<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/p>\n","post_title":"The Sujata Academy Project: The Power of Hope and Compassion in India","post_excerpt":"The Korean Seon (Zen) master Venerable Pomnyun Sunim (\ubc95\ub95c\uc2a4\ub2d8) wears many hats: Buddhist monk, teacher, author, environmentalist, and social activist, to name a few. As a widely respected Dharma teacher and a tireless socially engaged activist in his native South Korea, Ven. Pomnyun Sunim has founded numerous Dharma-based organizations, initiatives, and projects that are active across the world. Among them, Jungto Society, a volunteer-based community founded on the Buddhist teachings and expressing equality, simple living, and sustainability, is dedicated to addressing modern social issues that lead to suffering, including environmental degradation, poverty, and conflict.\n\nThis column, shared by Jungto Society, presents a series of highlights from Ven. Pomnyun Sunim\u2019s writings, teachings, public talks, and regular live-streamed Dharma Q+A sessions, which are accessible across the globe.\n","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","post_password":"","post_name":"the-sujata-academy-project-the-power-of-hope-and-compassion-in-india","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2024-03-10 17:38:00","post_modified_gmt":"2024-03-10 22:38:00","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/www.jungtosociety.org\/?p=18140","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"},{"ID":18136,"post_author":"13","post_date":"2024-03-10 17:24:34","post_date_gmt":"2024-03-10 22:24:34","post_content":"\n

Your son is over forty and
his main relationship is with someone else.
So, stop worrying about a grown man
who belongs with another woman
and be nice to the man next to you. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Illustration by Maseol <\/p>\n","post_title":"Son over forty","post_excerpt":"","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","post_password":"","post_name":"son-over-forty","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2024-03-10 17:24:36","post_modified_gmt":"2024-03-10 22:24:36","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/www.jungtosociety.org\/?p=18136","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"}],"next":false,"prev":false,"total_page":1},"paged":1,"column_class":"jeg_col_2o3","class":"jnews_block_37"};

\n

Funeral customs vary greatly from religion to religion and country to country. In India, the dead are cremated, and in Tibet, they are left to be eaten by birds. The corpse is cut up and placed on big rocks high in the mountain, so that it is eaten by falcons and eagles. In desert regions, the dead are \u201cburied in the wind.\u201d That is, they are nailed on a wooden board and exposed to the elements for one year until only the bones remain after which the funeral ceremony is performed. In regions with many islands, the dead are dropped into the sea.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Each of these funeral rituals has its unique meaning and significance. Tibetans feed the dead to birds because they believe that the spirit of the dead will fly to heaven with the birds. Some cultures bury the dead in the ground because of the belief that the spiritual world exists underground. Meanwhile, Indians believe in reincarnation, so they cremate the corpse to help the spirits to quickly sever their attachment to their worldly bodies so that they can be reborn.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Regardless of the funeral ritual that is performed, once a person dies, it\u2019s the end. By saying \u201cthe end\u201d I am not implying that there is no heaven or an afterlife; I am simply saying the person who draws his last breath will no longer exist in this world. From a Christian viewpoint, the spirits go to heaven, and from a Buddhist perspective, the spirits are reborn, so there is nothing we can do for them. Therefore, the best farewell for those who pass away is to let them go from our hearts.<\/p>\n","post_title":"The Best Farewell For The Deceased","post_excerpt":"","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","post_password":"","post_name":"the-best-farewell-for-the-deceased-2","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2024-03-02 14:50:59","post_modified_gmt":"2024-03-02 19:50:59","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/www.jungtosociety.org\/?p=18125","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"},{"ID":18140,"post_author":"13","post_date":"2024-03-10 17:37:58","post_date_gmt":"2024-03-10 22:37:58","post_content":"\n

<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Jungto Society, the international Buddhist community founded by the revered Korean Dharma master and social activist Venerable Pomnyun Sunim (\ubc95\ub95c\uc2a4\ub2d8), recently conducted its 33rd annual pilgrimage across India and to Nepal. Held under the theme \u201cFollowing in the Footsteps of the Buddha,\u201d the pilgrimage, which ran from 19 January to 2 February, was attended by more 500 practitioners.1<\/sup><\/p>\n\n\n\n

This year\u2019s pilgrimage was particularly notable for two reasons: first was the participation, for the first time in the Jungto pilgrimage\u2019s 33-year history, of non-Korean practitioners: the 500-plus Korean Buddhist pilgrims were accompanied nine practitioners from Italy, Japan, Thailand, the United Kingdom, the United States, and Vietnam. Second, the pilgrimage also coincided with celebrations for the 30th anniversary of Sujata Academy, a remarkable community school and social empowerment project established by Ven. Pomnyun Sunim in Dungeshwari, in the northeastern Indian state of Bihar. This project has transformed the lives of an entire community of people who have faced systemic social and economic exclusion as a result of India\u2019s conservative Hindu caste hierarchy.2<\/sup><\/p>\n\n\n\n

The academy is named after Sujata, the young woman who is said to have nourished the ailing and emaciated Siddhartha Gautama with a bowl of milk-rice, thus ending his six years of extreme asceticism. Tuition at the academy is provided free of charge. The school\u2019s principal goal is to educate every student in basic literacy and numeracy. Classes are taught from kindergarten to secondary level, alongside adult literacy classes and skills training. Students who wish to continue beyond elementary education and attend secondary school are required to teach kindergarteners or to help out in the onsite Jivaka Hospital in the mornings and to attend classes in the afternoon, working in the spirit of giving back to the community. The campus also includes a warehouse, a dormitory, a large playing field, and sports equipment for the children.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

x<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n
\n
\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\"\"<\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

Ven. Pomnyun Sunim established the international Buddhist humanitarian relief organization Join Together Society (JTS) as an expression of the compassion of engaged Buddhism and the belief that helping others is the best way to enrich one\u2019s own life. Headquartered in Seoul, JTS operates four branch offices in South Korea and the United States, along with field offices in India and the Philippines. JTS Korea and JTS America oversee fundraising, while JTS India and JTS Philippines conduct development projects in cooperation with local communities. The relief organization has also earned Special Consultative Status to the United Nations Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

JTS India began its work in Dungeshwari, some 12 kilometers northeast of the Buddhist pilgrimage hub of Bodh Gaya, in the early 1990s, aspiring to fulfill the mission: \u201cThe hungry should eat; the sick should be treated; children should be educated in time.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This region is surrounded by the Pragbodhi Hills where the historical Buddha, Shakyamuni, is said to have spent six years in a cave as an ascetic. And it\u2019s here that JTS India has been working to empower the villagers of Dungeshwari to live their lives free from hunger, illiteracy, and disease.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The people of Dungeshwari are primarily Dalits, who face systemic social and economic exclusion as a result of the conservative Hindu social hierarchy. \u201cDalit,\u201d which translates as \u201cbroken\u201d in Sanskrit, is a term for the very lowest castes, whom members of the so-called \u201chigher\u201d castes still to this day deem \u201cuntouchable,\u201d despite the practice being prohibited in the Constitution of India. By working directly with disadvantaged communities, JTS aims to help them to mobilize their own capabilities and resources to create a more prosperous and sustainable future.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Jungto Society Dharma teacher Doyeon Jang (Dharma name Bogwang), is the director of Sujata Academy. She has overseen the development of this ambitious project, facing numerous challenges, both personal and structural, in the process of bringing this expression of compassion and social transformation to fruition.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u25b6\ufe0f Published by BDG on March 8, 2024<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u25b6\ufe0f Read more: <\/a>https:\/\/www.buddhistdoor.net\/features\/the-sujata-academy-project-the-power-of-hope-and-compassion-in-india\/<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/p>\n","post_title":"The Sujata Academy Project: The Power of Hope and Compassion in India","post_excerpt":"The Korean Seon (Zen) master Venerable Pomnyun Sunim (\ubc95\ub95c\uc2a4\ub2d8) wears many hats: Buddhist monk, teacher, author, environmentalist, and social activist, to name a few. As a widely respected Dharma teacher and a tireless socially engaged activist in his native South Korea, Ven. Pomnyun Sunim has founded numerous Dharma-based organizations, initiatives, and projects that are active across the world. Among them, Jungto Society, a volunteer-based community founded on the Buddhist teachings and expressing equality, simple living, and sustainability, is dedicated to addressing modern social issues that lead to suffering, including environmental degradation, poverty, and conflict.\n\nThis column, shared by Jungto Society, presents a series of highlights from Ven. Pomnyun Sunim\u2019s writings, teachings, public talks, and regular live-streamed Dharma Q+A sessions, which are accessible across the globe.\n","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","post_password":"","post_name":"the-sujata-academy-project-the-power-of-hope-and-compassion-in-india","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2024-03-10 17:38:00","post_modified_gmt":"2024-03-10 22:38:00","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/www.jungtosociety.org\/?p=18140","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"},{"ID":18136,"post_author":"13","post_date":"2024-03-10 17:24:34","post_date_gmt":"2024-03-10 22:24:34","post_content":"\n

Your son is over forty and
his main relationship is with someone else.
So, stop worrying about a grown man
who belongs with another woman
and be nice to the man next to you. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Illustration by Maseol <\/p>\n","post_title":"Son over forty","post_excerpt":"","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","post_password":"","post_name":"son-over-forty","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2024-03-10 17:24:36","post_modified_gmt":"2024-03-10 22:24:36","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/www.jungtosociety.org\/?p=18136","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"}],"next":false,"prev":false,"total_page":1},"paged":1,"column_class":"jeg_col_2o3","class":"jnews_block_37"};

\n

What happens to the people in the eighth and ninth categories? Ultimately, people in all nine categories will all be reborn in paradise. However, those in the eighth and ninth categories have to spend some time in hell before that. Every year, Buddhists perform the Buddhist All Soul\u2019s Day ceremony on July 15th of the lunar calendar to save the souls of those in the two categories from hell. There is no point in debating whether this is true or not because it is a religious belief, so people are free to choose whether to believe it or not.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Funeral customs vary greatly from religion to religion and country to country. In India, the dead are cremated, and in Tibet, they are left to be eaten by birds. The corpse is cut up and placed on big rocks high in the mountain, so that it is eaten by falcons and eagles. In desert regions, the dead are \u201cburied in the wind.\u201d That is, they are nailed on a wooden board and exposed to the elements for one year until only the bones remain after which the funeral ceremony is performed. In regions with many islands, the dead are dropped into the sea.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Each of these funeral rituals has its unique meaning and significance. Tibetans feed the dead to birds because they believe that the spirit of the dead will fly to heaven with the birds. Some cultures bury the dead in the ground because of the belief that the spiritual world exists underground. Meanwhile, Indians believe in reincarnation, so they cremate the corpse to help the spirits to quickly sever their attachment to their worldly bodies so that they can be reborn.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Regardless of the funeral ritual that is performed, once a person dies, it\u2019s the end. By saying \u201cthe end\u201d I am not implying that there is no heaven or an afterlife; I am simply saying the person who draws his last breath will no longer exist in this world. From a Christian viewpoint, the spirits go to heaven, and from a Buddhist perspective, the spirits are reborn, so there is nothing we can do for them. Therefore, the best farewell for those who pass away is to let them go from our hearts.<\/p>\n","post_title":"The Best Farewell For The Deceased","post_excerpt":"","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","post_password":"","post_name":"the-best-farewell-for-the-deceased-2","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2024-03-02 14:50:59","post_modified_gmt":"2024-03-02 19:50:59","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/www.jungtosociety.org\/?p=18125","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"},{"ID":18140,"post_author":"13","post_date":"2024-03-10 17:37:58","post_date_gmt":"2024-03-10 22:37:58","post_content":"\n

<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Jungto Society, the international Buddhist community founded by the revered Korean Dharma master and social activist Venerable Pomnyun Sunim (\ubc95\ub95c\uc2a4\ub2d8), recently conducted its 33rd annual pilgrimage across India and to Nepal. Held under the theme \u201cFollowing in the Footsteps of the Buddha,\u201d the pilgrimage, which ran from 19 January to 2 February, was attended by more 500 practitioners.1<\/sup><\/p>\n\n\n\n

This year\u2019s pilgrimage was particularly notable for two reasons: first was the participation, for the first time in the Jungto pilgrimage\u2019s 33-year history, of non-Korean practitioners: the 500-plus Korean Buddhist pilgrims were accompanied nine practitioners from Italy, Japan, Thailand, the United Kingdom, the United States, and Vietnam. Second, the pilgrimage also coincided with celebrations for the 30th anniversary of Sujata Academy, a remarkable community school and social empowerment project established by Ven. Pomnyun Sunim in Dungeshwari, in the northeastern Indian state of Bihar. This project has transformed the lives of an entire community of people who have faced systemic social and economic exclusion as a result of India\u2019s conservative Hindu caste hierarchy.2<\/sup><\/p>\n\n\n\n

The academy is named after Sujata, the young woman who is said to have nourished the ailing and emaciated Siddhartha Gautama with a bowl of milk-rice, thus ending his six years of extreme asceticism. Tuition at the academy is provided free of charge. The school\u2019s principal goal is to educate every student in basic literacy and numeracy. Classes are taught from kindergarten to secondary level, alongside adult literacy classes and skills training. Students who wish to continue beyond elementary education and attend secondary school are required to teach kindergarteners or to help out in the onsite Jivaka Hospital in the mornings and to attend classes in the afternoon, working in the spirit of giving back to the community. The campus also includes a warehouse, a dormitory, a large playing field, and sports equipment for the children.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

x<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n
\n
\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\"\"<\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

Ven. Pomnyun Sunim established the international Buddhist humanitarian relief organization Join Together Society (JTS) as an expression of the compassion of engaged Buddhism and the belief that helping others is the best way to enrich one\u2019s own life. Headquartered in Seoul, JTS operates four branch offices in South Korea and the United States, along with field offices in India and the Philippines. JTS Korea and JTS America oversee fundraising, while JTS India and JTS Philippines conduct development projects in cooperation with local communities. The relief organization has also earned Special Consultative Status to the United Nations Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

JTS India began its work in Dungeshwari, some 12 kilometers northeast of the Buddhist pilgrimage hub of Bodh Gaya, in the early 1990s, aspiring to fulfill the mission: \u201cThe hungry should eat; the sick should be treated; children should be educated in time.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This region is surrounded by the Pragbodhi Hills where the historical Buddha, Shakyamuni, is said to have spent six years in a cave as an ascetic. And it\u2019s here that JTS India has been working to empower the villagers of Dungeshwari to live their lives free from hunger, illiteracy, and disease.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The people of Dungeshwari are primarily Dalits, who face systemic social and economic exclusion as a result of the conservative Hindu social hierarchy. \u201cDalit,\u201d which translates as \u201cbroken\u201d in Sanskrit, is a term for the very lowest castes, whom members of the so-called \u201chigher\u201d castes still to this day deem \u201cuntouchable,\u201d despite the practice being prohibited in the Constitution of India. By working directly with disadvantaged communities, JTS aims to help them to mobilize their own capabilities and resources to create a more prosperous and sustainable future.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Jungto Society Dharma teacher Doyeon Jang (Dharma name Bogwang), is the director of Sujata Academy. She has overseen the development of this ambitious project, facing numerous challenges, both personal and structural, in the process of bringing this expression of compassion and social transformation to fruition.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u25b6\ufe0f Published by BDG on March 8, 2024<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u25b6\ufe0f Read more: <\/a>https:\/\/www.buddhistdoor.net\/features\/the-sujata-academy-project-the-power-of-hope-and-compassion-in-india\/<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/p>\n","post_title":"The Sujata Academy Project: The Power of Hope and Compassion in India","post_excerpt":"The Korean Seon (Zen) master Venerable Pomnyun Sunim (\ubc95\ub95c\uc2a4\ub2d8) wears many hats: Buddhist monk, teacher, author, environmentalist, and social activist, to name a few. As a widely respected Dharma teacher and a tireless socially engaged activist in his native South Korea, Ven. Pomnyun Sunim has founded numerous Dharma-based organizations, initiatives, and projects that are active across the world. Among them, Jungto Society, a volunteer-based community founded on the Buddhist teachings and expressing equality, simple living, and sustainability, is dedicated to addressing modern social issues that lead to suffering, including environmental degradation, poverty, and conflict.\n\nThis column, shared by Jungto Society, presents a series of highlights from Ven. Pomnyun Sunim\u2019s writings, teachings, public talks, and regular live-streamed Dharma Q+A sessions, which are accessible across the globe.\n","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","post_password":"","post_name":"the-sujata-academy-project-the-power-of-hope-and-compassion-in-india","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2024-03-10 17:38:00","post_modified_gmt":"2024-03-10 22:38:00","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/www.jungtosociety.org\/?p=18140","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"},{"ID":18136,"post_author":"13","post_date":"2024-03-10 17:24:34","post_date_gmt":"2024-03-10 22:24:34","post_content":"\n

Your son is over forty and
his main relationship is with someone else.
So, stop worrying about a grown man
who belongs with another woman
and be nice to the man next to you. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Illustration by Maseol <\/p>\n","post_title":"Son over forty","post_excerpt":"","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","post_password":"","post_name":"son-over-forty","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2024-03-10 17:24:36","post_modified_gmt":"2024-03-10 22:24:36","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/www.jungtosociety.org\/?p=18136","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"}],"next":false,"prev":false,"total_page":1},"paged":1,"column_class":"jeg_col_2o3","class":"jnews_block_37"};

\n

It is believed that people in the very first category are reborn in paradise immediately after their death. It is comparable to leaving a room and entering another room. Those in the second category are reborn within 12 hours. It takes one day for those in the third category, three days for those in the fourth, a week for those in the fifth, 21 days for those in the sixth, and finally, it takes 49 days for those in the seventh category to be reborn in paradise. This is reason that people hold the 49-day posthumous ceremony. This ritual provides an opportunity for people to do good deeds on behalf of their deceased family members and help them be reborn in paradise within 49 days.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

What happens to the people in the eighth and ninth categories? Ultimately, people in all nine categories will all be reborn in paradise. However, those in the eighth and ninth categories have to spend some time in hell before that. Every year, Buddhists perform the Buddhist All Soul\u2019s Day ceremony on July 15th of the lunar calendar to save the souls of those in the two categories from hell. There is no point in debating whether this is true or not because it is a religious belief, so people are free to choose whether to believe it or not.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Funeral customs vary greatly from religion to religion and country to country. In India, the dead are cremated, and in Tibet, they are left to be eaten by birds. The corpse is cut up and placed on big rocks high in the mountain, so that it is eaten by falcons and eagles. In desert regions, the dead are \u201cburied in the wind.\u201d That is, they are nailed on a wooden board and exposed to the elements for one year until only the bones remain after which the funeral ceremony is performed. In regions with many islands, the dead are dropped into the sea.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Each of these funeral rituals has its unique meaning and significance. Tibetans feed the dead to birds because they believe that the spirit of the dead will fly to heaven with the birds. Some cultures bury the dead in the ground because of the belief that the spiritual world exists underground. Meanwhile, Indians believe in reincarnation, so they cremate the corpse to help the spirits to quickly sever their attachment to their worldly bodies so that they can be reborn.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Regardless of the funeral ritual that is performed, once a person dies, it\u2019s the end. By saying \u201cthe end\u201d I am not implying that there is no heaven or an afterlife; I am simply saying the person who draws his last breath will no longer exist in this world. From a Christian viewpoint, the spirits go to heaven, and from a Buddhist perspective, the spirits are reborn, so there is nothing we can do for them. Therefore, the best farewell for those who pass away is to let them go from our hearts.<\/p>\n","post_title":"The Best Farewell For The Deceased","post_excerpt":"","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","post_password":"","post_name":"the-best-farewell-for-the-deceased-2","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2024-03-02 14:50:59","post_modified_gmt":"2024-03-02 19:50:59","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/www.jungtosociety.org\/?p=18125","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"},{"ID":18140,"post_author":"13","post_date":"2024-03-10 17:37:58","post_date_gmt":"2024-03-10 22:37:58","post_content":"\n

<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Jungto Society, the international Buddhist community founded by the revered Korean Dharma master and social activist Venerable Pomnyun Sunim (\ubc95\ub95c\uc2a4\ub2d8), recently conducted its 33rd annual pilgrimage across India and to Nepal. Held under the theme \u201cFollowing in the Footsteps of the Buddha,\u201d the pilgrimage, which ran from 19 January to 2 February, was attended by more 500 practitioners.1<\/sup><\/p>\n\n\n\n

This year\u2019s pilgrimage was particularly notable for two reasons: first was the participation, for the first time in the Jungto pilgrimage\u2019s 33-year history, of non-Korean practitioners: the 500-plus Korean Buddhist pilgrims were accompanied nine practitioners from Italy, Japan, Thailand, the United Kingdom, the United States, and Vietnam. Second, the pilgrimage also coincided with celebrations for the 30th anniversary of Sujata Academy, a remarkable community school and social empowerment project established by Ven. Pomnyun Sunim in Dungeshwari, in the northeastern Indian state of Bihar. This project has transformed the lives of an entire community of people who have faced systemic social and economic exclusion as a result of India\u2019s conservative Hindu caste hierarchy.2<\/sup><\/p>\n\n\n\n

The academy is named after Sujata, the young woman who is said to have nourished the ailing and emaciated Siddhartha Gautama with a bowl of milk-rice, thus ending his six years of extreme asceticism. Tuition at the academy is provided free of charge. The school\u2019s principal goal is to educate every student in basic literacy and numeracy. Classes are taught from kindergarten to secondary level, alongside adult literacy classes and skills training. Students who wish to continue beyond elementary education and attend secondary school are required to teach kindergarteners or to help out in the onsite Jivaka Hospital in the mornings and to attend classes in the afternoon, working in the spirit of giving back to the community. The campus also includes a warehouse, a dormitory, a large playing field, and sports equipment for the children.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

x<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n
\n
\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\"\"<\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

Ven. Pomnyun Sunim established the international Buddhist humanitarian relief organization Join Together Society (JTS) as an expression of the compassion of engaged Buddhism and the belief that helping others is the best way to enrich one\u2019s own life. Headquartered in Seoul, JTS operates four branch offices in South Korea and the United States, along with field offices in India and the Philippines. JTS Korea and JTS America oversee fundraising, while JTS India and JTS Philippines conduct development projects in cooperation with local communities. The relief organization has also earned Special Consultative Status to the United Nations Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

JTS India began its work in Dungeshwari, some 12 kilometers northeast of the Buddhist pilgrimage hub of Bodh Gaya, in the early 1990s, aspiring to fulfill the mission: \u201cThe hungry should eat; the sick should be treated; children should be educated in time.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This region is surrounded by the Pragbodhi Hills where the historical Buddha, Shakyamuni, is said to have spent six years in a cave as an ascetic. And it\u2019s here that JTS India has been working to empower the villagers of Dungeshwari to live their lives free from hunger, illiteracy, and disease.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The people of Dungeshwari are primarily Dalits, who face systemic social and economic exclusion as a result of the conservative Hindu social hierarchy. \u201cDalit,\u201d which translates as \u201cbroken\u201d in Sanskrit, is a term for the very lowest castes, whom members of the so-called \u201chigher\u201d castes still to this day deem \u201cuntouchable,\u201d despite the practice being prohibited in the Constitution of India. By working directly with disadvantaged communities, JTS aims to help them to mobilize their own capabilities and resources to create a more prosperous and sustainable future.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Jungto Society Dharma teacher Doyeon Jang (Dharma name Bogwang), is the director of Sujata Academy. She has overseen the development of this ambitious project, facing numerous challenges, both personal and structural, in the process of bringing this expression of compassion and social transformation to fruition.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u25b6\ufe0f Published by BDG on March 8, 2024<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u25b6\ufe0f Read more: <\/a>https:\/\/www.buddhistdoor.net\/features\/the-sujata-academy-project-the-power-of-hope-and-compassion-in-india\/<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/p>\n","post_title":"The Sujata Academy Project: The Power of Hope and Compassion in India","post_excerpt":"The Korean Seon (Zen) master Venerable Pomnyun Sunim (\ubc95\ub95c\uc2a4\ub2d8) wears many hats: Buddhist monk, teacher, author, environmentalist, and social activist, to name a few. As a widely respected Dharma teacher and a tireless socially engaged activist in his native South Korea, Ven. Pomnyun Sunim has founded numerous Dharma-based organizations, initiatives, and projects that are active across the world. Among them, Jungto Society, a volunteer-based community founded on the Buddhist teachings and expressing equality, simple living, and sustainability, is dedicated to addressing modern social issues that lead to suffering, including environmental degradation, poverty, and conflict.\n\nThis column, shared by Jungto Society, presents a series of highlights from Ven. Pomnyun Sunim\u2019s writings, teachings, public talks, and regular live-streamed Dharma Q+A sessions, which are accessible across the globe.\n","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","post_password":"","post_name":"the-sujata-academy-project-the-power-of-hope-and-compassion-in-india","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2024-03-10 17:38:00","post_modified_gmt":"2024-03-10 22:38:00","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/www.jungtosociety.org\/?p=18140","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"},{"ID":18136,"post_author":"13","post_date":"2024-03-10 17:24:34","post_date_gmt":"2024-03-10 22:24:34","post_content":"\n

Your son is over forty and
his main relationship is with someone else.
So, stop worrying about a grown man
who belongs with another woman
and be nice to the man next to you. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Illustration by Maseol <\/p>\n","post_title":"Son over forty","post_excerpt":"","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","post_password":"","post_name":"son-over-forty","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2024-03-10 17:24:36","post_modified_gmt":"2024-03-10 22:24:36","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/www.jungtosociety.org\/?p=18136","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"}],"next":false,"prev":false,"total_page":1},"paged":1,"column_class":"jeg_col_2o3","class":"jnews_block_37"};

\n

It is said that the deceased person has 49 days to be saved and is classified into one of nine levels based on his deeds during his life. \u201cAnyone can be reborn in paradise after he dies if he sincerely hopes for it. However, not everyone can be reborn in paradise right away since people fall into one of the nine categories based on their deeds.\u201d Specifically, people are divided into three categories of high, middle and low, and those in each of the three categories are again divided into high, middle and low, so there are a total of nine categories.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

It is believed that people in the very first category are reborn in paradise immediately after their death. It is comparable to leaving a room and entering another room. Those in the second category are reborn within 12 hours. It takes one day for those in the third category, three days for those in the fourth, a week for those in the fifth, 21 days for those in the sixth, and finally, it takes 49 days for those in the seventh category to be reborn in paradise. This is reason that people hold the 49-day posthumous ceremony. This ritual provides an opportunity for people to do good deeds on behalf of their deceased family members and help them be reborn in paradise within 49 days.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

What happens to the people in the eighth and ninth categories? Ultimately, people in all nine categories will all be reborn in paradise. However, those in the eighth and ninth categories have to spend some time in hell before that. Every year, Buddhists perform the Buddhist All Soul\u2019s Day ceremony on July 15th of the lunar calendar to save the souls of those in the two categories from hell. There is no point in debating whether this is true or not because it is a religious belief, so people are free to choose whether to believe it or not.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Funeral customs vary greatly from religion to religion and country to country. In India, the dead are cremated, and in Tibet, they are left to be eaten by birds. The corpse is cut up and placed on big rocks high in the mountain, so that it is eaten by falcons and eagles. In desert regions, the dead are \u201cburied in the wind.\u201d That is, they are nailed on a wooden board and exposed to the elements for one year until only the bones remain after which the funeral ceremony is performed. In regions with many islands, the dead are dropped into the sea.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Each of these funeral rituals has its unique meaning and significance. Tibetans feed the dead to birds because they believe that the spirit of the dead will fly to heaven with the birds. Some cultures bury the dead in the ground because of the belief that the spiritual world exists underground. Meanwhile, Indians believe in reincarnation, so they cremate the corpse to help the spirits to quickly sever their attachment to their worldly bodies so that they can be reborn.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Regardless of the funeral ritual that is performed, once a person dies, it\u2019s the end. By saying \u201cthe end\u201d I am not implying that there is no heaven or an afterlife; I am simply saying the person who draws his last breath will no longer exist in this world. From a Christian viewpoint, the spirits go to heaven, and from a Buddhist perspective, the spirits are reborn, so there is nothing we can do for them. Therefore, the best farewell for those who pass away is to let them go from our hearts.<\/p>\n","post_title":"The Best Farewell For The Deceased","post_excerpt":"","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","post_password":"","post_name":"the-best-farewell-for-the-deceased-2","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2024-03-02 14:50:59","post_modified_gmt":"2024-03-02 19:50:59","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/www.jungtosociety.org\/?p=18125","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"},{"ID":18140,"post_author":"13","post_date":"2024-03-10 17:37:58","post_date_gmt":"2024-03-10 22:37:58","post_content":"\n

<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Jungto Society, the international Buddhist community founded by the revered Korean Dharma master and social activist Venerable Pomnyun Sunim (\ubc95\ub95c\uc2a4\ub2d8), recently conducted its 33rd annual pilgrimage across India and to Nepal. Held under the theme \u201cFollowing in the Footsteps of the Buddha,\u201d the pilgrimage, which ran from 19 January to 2 February, was attended by more 500 practitioners.1<\/sup><\/p>\n\n\n\n

This year\u2019s pilgrimage was particularly notable for two reasons: first was the participation, for the first time in the Jungto pilgrimage\u2019s 33-year history, of non-Korean practitioners: the 500-plus Korean Buddhist pilgrims were accompanied nine practitioners from Italy, Japan, Thailand, the United Kingdom, the United States, and Vietnam. Second, the pilgrimage also coincided with celebrations for the 30th anniversary of Sujata Academy, a remarkable community school and social empowerment project established by Ven. Pomnyun Sunim in Dungeshwari, in the northeastern Indian state of Bihar. This project has transformed the lives of an entire community of people who have faced systemic social and economic exclusion as a result of India\u2019s conservative Hindu caste hierarchy.2<\/sup><\/p>\n\n\n\n

The academy is named after Sujata, the young woman who is said to have nourished the ailing and emaciated Siddhartha Gautama with a bowl of milk-rice, thus ending his six years of extreme asceticism. Tuition at the academy is provided free of charge. The school\u2019s principal goal is to educate every student in basic literacy and numeracy. Classes are taught from kindergarten to secondary level, alongside adult literacy classes and skills training. Students who wish to continue beyond elementary education and attend secondary school are required to teach kindergarteners or to help out in the onsite Jivaka Hospital in the mornings and to attend classes in the afternoon, working in the spirit of giving back to the community. The campus also includes a warehouse, a dormitory, a large playing field, and sports equipment for the children.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

x<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n
\n
\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\"\"<\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

Ven. Pomnyun Sunim established the international Buddhist humanitarian relief organization Join Together Society (JTS) as an expression of the compassion of engaged Buddhism and the belief that helping others is the best way to enrich one\u2019s own life. Headquartered in Seoul, JTS operates four branch offices in South Korea and the United States, along with field offices in India and the Philippines. JTS Korea and JTS America oversee fundraising, while JTS India and JTS Philippines conduct development projects in cooperation with local communities. The relief organization has also earned Special Consultative Status to the United Nations Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

JTS India began its work in Dungeshwari, some 12 kilometers northeast of the Buddhist pilgrimage hub of Bodh Gaya, in the early 1990s, aspiring to fulfill the mission: \u201cThe hungry should eat; the sick should be treated; children should be educated in time.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This region is surrounded by the Pragbodhi Hills where the historical Buddha, Shakyamuni, is said to have spent six years in a cave as an ascetic. And it\u2019s here that JTS India has been working to empower the villagers of Dungeshwari to live their lives free from hunger, illiteracy, and disease.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The people of Dungeshwari are primarily Dalits, who face systemic social and economic exclusion as a result of the conservative Hindu social hierarchy. \u201cDalit,\u201d which translates as \u201cbroken\u201d in Sanskrit, is a term for the very lowest castes, whom members of the so-called \u201chigher\u201d castes still to this day deem \u201cuntouchable,\u201d despite the practice being prohibited in the Constitution of India. By working directly with disadvantaged communities, JTS aims to help them to mobilize their own capabilities and resources to create a more prosperous and sustainable future.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Jungto Society Dharma teacher Doyeon Jang (Dharma name Bogwang), is the director of Sujata Academy. She has overseen the development of this ambitious project, facing numerous challenges, both personal and structural, in the process of bringing this expression of compassion and social transformation to fruition.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u25b6\ufe0f Published by BDG on March 8, 2024<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u25b6\ufe0f Read more: <\/a>https:\/\/www.buddhistdoor.net\/features\/the-sujata-academy-project-the-power-of-hope-and-compassion-in-india\/<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/p>\n","post_title":"The Sujata Academy Project: The Power of Hope and Compassion in India","post_excerpt":"The Korean Seon (Zen) master Venerable Pomnyun Sunim (\ubc95\ub95c\uc2a4\ub2d8) wears many hats: Buddhist monk, teacher, author, environmentalist, and social activist, to name a few. As a widely respected Dharma teacher and a tireless socially engaged activist in his native South Korea, Ven. Pomnyun Sunim has founded numerous Dharma-based organizations, initiatives, and projects that are active across the world. Among them, Jungto Society, a volunteer-based community founded on the Buddhist teachings and expressing equality, simple living, and sustainability, is dedicated to addressing modern social issues that lead to suffering, including environmental degradation, poverty, and conflict.\n\nThis column, shared by Jungto Society, presents a series of highlights from Ven. Pomnyun Sunim\u2019s writings, teachings, public talks, and regular live-streamed Dharma Q+A sessions, which are accessible across the globe.\n","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","post_password":"","post_name":"the-sujata-academy-project-the-power-of-hope-and-compassion-in-india","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2024-03-10 17:38:00","post_modified_gmt":"2024-03-10 22:38:00","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/www.jungtosociety.org\/?p=18140","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"},{"ID":18136,"post_author":"13","post_date":"2024-03-10 17:24:34","post_date_gmt":"2024-03-10 22:24:34","post_content":"\n

Your son is over forty and
his main relationship is with someone else.
So, stop worrying about a grown man
who belongs with another woman
and be nice to the man next to you. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Illustration by Maseol <\/p>\n","post_title":"Son over forty","post_excerpt":"","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","post_password":"","post_name":"son-over-forty","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2024-03-10 17:24:36","post_modified_gmt":"2024-03-10 22:24:36","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/www.jungtosociety.org\/?p=18136","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"}],"next":false,"prev":false,"total_page":1},"paged":1,"column_class":"jeg_col_2o3","class":"jnews_block_37"};

\n

The Dharma is a teaching about truth, so it does not contain cultural aspects. However, since Buddhism originated from India, its traditions, customs, and culture were integrated into the Buddhist culture. Strictly speaking, neither cremation nor the 49-day posthumous ceremony is a fundamental tradition of Buddhism. They are in fact part of the of Indian cultural tradition.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

It is said that the deceased person has 49 days to be saved and is classified into one of nine levels based on his deeds during his life. \u201cAnyone can be reborn in paradise after he dies if he sincerely hopes for it. However, not everyone can be reborn in paradise right away since people fall into one of the nine categories based on their deeds.\u201d Specifically, people are divided into three categories of high, middle and low, and those in each of the three categories are again divided into high, middle and low, so there are a total of nine categories.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

It is believed that people in the very first category are reborn in paradise immediately after their death. It is comparable to leaving a room and entering another room. Those in the second category are reborn within 12 hours. It takes one day for those in the third category, three days for those in the fourth, a week for those in the fifth, 21 days for those in the sixth, and finally, it takes 49 days for those in the seventh category to be reborn in paradise. This is reason that people hold the 49-day posthumous ceremony. This ritual provides an opportunity for people to do good deeds on behalf of their deceased family members and help them be reborn in paradise within 49 days.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

What happens to the people in the eighth and ninth categories? Ultimately, people in all nine categories will all be reborn in paradise. However, those in the eighth and ninth categories have to spend some time in hell before that. Every year, Buddhists perform the Buddhist All Soul\u2019s Day ceremony on July 15th of the lunar calendar to save the souls of those in the two categories from hell. There is no point in debating whether this is true or not because it is a religious belief, so people are free to choose whether to believe it or not.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Funeral customs vary greatly from religion to religion and country to country. In India, the dead are cremated, and in Tibet, they are left to be eaten by birds. The corpse is cut up and placed on big rocks high in the mountain, so that it is eaten by falcons and eagles. In desert regions, the dead are \u201cburied in the wind.\u201d That is, they are nailed on a wooden board and exposed to the elements for one year until only the bones remain after which the funeral ceremony is performed. In regions with many islands, the dead are dropped into the sea.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Each of these funeral rituals has its unique meaning and significance. Tibetans feed the dead to birds because they believe that the spirit of the dead will fly to heaven with the birds. Some cultures bury the dead in the ground because of the belief that the spiritual world exists underground. Meanwhile, Indians believe in reincarnation, so they cremate the corpse to help the spirits to quickly sever their attachment to their worldly bodies so that they can be reborn.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Regardless of the funeral ritual that is performed, once a person dies, it\u2019s the end. By saying \u201cthe end\u201d I am not implying that there is no heaven or an afterlife; I am simply saying the person who draws his last breath will no longer exist in this world. From a Christian viewpoint, the spirits go to heaven, and from a Buddhist perspective, the spirits are reborn, so there is nothing we can do for them. Therefore, the best farewell for those who pass away is to let them go from our hearts.<\/p>\n","post_title":"The Best Farewell For The Deceased","post_excerpt":"","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","post_password":"","post_name":"the-best-farewell-for-the-deceased-2","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2024-03-02 14:50:59","post_modified_gmt":"2024-03-02 19:50:59","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/www.jungtosociety.org\/?p=18125","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"},{"ID":18140,"post_author":"13","post_date":"2024-03-10 17:37:58","post_date_gmt":"2024-03-10 22:37:58","post_content":"\n

<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Jungto Society, the international Buddhist community founded by the revered Korean Dharma master and social activist Venerable Pomnyun Sunim (\ubc95\ub95c\uc2a4\ub2d8), recently conducted its 33rd annual pilgrimage across India and to Nepal. Held under the theme \u201cFollowing in the Footsteps of the Buddha,\u201d the pilgrimage, which ran from 19 January to 2 February, was attended by more 500 practitioners.1<\/sup><\/p>\n\n\n\n

This year\u2019s pilgrimage was particularly notable for two reasons: first was the participation, for the first time in the Jungto pilgrimage\u2019s 33-year history, of non-Korean practitioners: the 500-plus Korean Buddhist pilgrims were accompanied nine practitioners from Italy, Japan, Thailand, the United Kingdom, the United States, and Vietnam. Second, the pilgrimage also coincided with celebrations for the 30th anniversary of Sujata Academy, a remarkable community school and social empowerment project established by Ven. Pomnyun Sunim in Dungeshwari, in the northeastern Indian state of Bihar. This project has transformed the lives of an entire community of people who have faced systemic social and economic exclusion as a result of India\u2019s conservative Hindu caste hierarchy.2<\/sup><\/p>\n\n\n\n

The academy is named after Sujata, the young woman who is said to have nourished the ailing and emaciated Siddhartha Gautama with a bowl of milk-rice, thus ending his six years of extreme asceticism. Tuition at the academy is provided free of charge. The school\u2019s principal goal is to educate every student in basic literacy and numeracy. Classes are taught from kindergarten to secondary level, alongside adult literacy classes and skills training. Students who wish to continue beyond elementary education and attend secondary school are required to teach kindergarteners or to help out in the onsite Jivaka Hospital in the mornings and to attend classes in the afternoon, working in the spirit of giving back to the community. The campus also includes a warehouse, a dormitory, a large playing field, and sports equipment for the children.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

x<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n
\n
\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\"\"<\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

Ven. Pomnyun Sunim established the international Buddhist humanitarian relief organization Join Together Society (JTS) as an expression of the compassion of engaged Buddhism and the belief that helping others is the best way to enrich one\u2019s own life. Headquartered in Seoul, JTS operates four branch offices in South Korea and the United States, along with field offices in India and the Philippines. JTS Korea and JTS America oversee fundraising, while JTS India and JTS Philippines conduct development projects in cooperation with local communities. The relief organization has also earned Special Consultative Status to the United Nations Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

JTS India began its work in Dungeshwari, some 12 kilometers northeast of the Buddhist pilgrimage hub of Bodh Gaya, in the early 1990s, aspiring to fulfill the mission: \u201cThe hungry should eat; the sick should be treated; children should be educated in time.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This region is surrounded by the Pragbodhi Hills where the historical Buddha, Shakyamuni, is said to have spent six years in a cave as an ascetic. And it\u2019s here that JTS India has been working to empower the villagers of Dungeshwari to live their lives free from hunger, illiteracy, and disease.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The people of Dungeshwari are primarily Dalits, who face systemic social and economic exclusion as a result of the conservative Hindu social hierarchy. \u201cDalit,\u201d which translates as \u201cbroken\u201d in Sanskrit, is a term for the very lowest castes, whom members of the so-called \u201chigher\u201d castes still to this day deem \u201cuntouchable,\u201d despite the practice being prohibited in the Constitution of India. By working directly with disadvantaged communities, JTS aims to help them to mobilize their own capabilities and resources to create a more prosperous and sustainable future.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Jungto Society Dharma teacher Doyeon Jang (Dharma name Bogwang), is the director of Sujata Academy. She has overseen the development of this ambitious project, facing numerous challenges, both personal and structural, in the process of bringing this expression of compassion and social transformation to fruition.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u25b6\ufe0f Published by BDG on March 8, 2024<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u25b6\ufe0f Read more: <\/a>https:\/\/www.buddhistdoor.net\/features\/the-sujata-academy-project-the-power-of-hope-and-compassion-in-india\/<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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<\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/p>\n","post_title":"The Sujata Academy Project: The Power of Hope and Compassion in India","post_excerpt":"The Korean Seon (Zen) master Venerable Pomnyun Sunim (\ubc95\ub95c\uc2a4\ub2d8) wears many hats: Buddhist monk, teacher, author, environmentalist, and social activist, to name a few. As a widely respected Dharma teacher and a tireless socially engaged activist in his native South Korea, Ven. Pomnyun Sunim has founded numerous Dharma-based organizations, initiatives, and projects that are active across the world. Among them, Jungto Society, a volunteer-based community founded on the Buddhist teachings and expressing equality, simple living, and sustainability, is dedicated to addressing modern social issues that lead to suffering, including environmental degradation, poverty, and conflict.\n\nThis column, shared by Jungto Society, presents a series of highlights from Ven. Pomnyun Sunim\u2019s writings, teachings, public talks, and regular live-streamed Dharma Q+A sessions, which are accessible across the globe.\n","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","post_password":"","post_name":"the-sujata-academy-project-the-power-of-hope-and-compassion-in-india","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2024-03-10 17:38:00","post_modified_gmt":"2024-03-10 22:38:00","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/www.jungtosociety.org\/?p=18140","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"},{"ID":18136,"post_author":"13","post_date":"2024-03-10 17:24:34","post_date_gmt":"2024-03-10 22:24:34","post_content":"\n

Your son is over forty and
his main relationship is with someone else.
So, stop worrying about a grown man
who belongs with another woman
and be nice to the man next to you. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Illustration by Maseol <\/p>\n","post_title":"Son over forty","post_excerpt":"","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","post_password":"","post_name":"son-over-forty","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2024-03-10 17:24:36","post_modified_gmt":"2024-03-10 22:24:36","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/www.jungtosociety.org\/?p=18136","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"}],"next":false,"prev":false,"total_page":1},"paged":1,"column_class":"jeg_col_2o3","class":"jnews_block_37"};

\n

Lay Buddhists are those who take refuge in the Three Jewels and practice the Five Precepts without becoming monks or nuns. When the Buddha said they will take care of it, he meant that his funeral would be conducted based on customs of the lay people in India. So, after the Buddha died, the Lay Buddhists cremated the Buddha\u2019s body according to the Indian tradition. If he had lived in Korea, he would have been buried in the ground as is the custom in Korea.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Dharma is a teaching about truth, so it does not contain cultural aspects. However, since Buddhism originated from India, its traditions, customs, and culture were integrated into the Buddhist culture. Strictly speaking, neither cremation nor the 49-day posthumous ceremony is a fundamental tradition of Buddhism. They are in fact part of the of Indian cultural tradition.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

It is said that the deceased person has 49 days to be saved and is classified into one of nine levels based on his deeds during his life. \u201cAnyone can be reborn in paradise after he dies if he sincerely hopes for it. However, not everyone can be reborn in paradise right away since people fall into one of the nine categories based on their deeds.\u201d Specifically, people are divided into three categories of high, middle and low, and those in each of the three categories are again divided into high, middle and low, so there are a total of nine categories.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

It is believed that people in the very first category are reborn in paradise immediately after their death. It is comparable to leaving a room and entering another room. Those in the second category are reborn within 12 hours. It takes one day for those in the third category, three days for those in the fourth, a week for those in the fifth, 21 days for those in the sixth, and finally, it takes 49 days for those in the seventh category to be reborn in paradise. This is reason that people hold the 49-day posthumous ceremony. This ritual provides an opportunity for people to do good deeds on behalf of their deceased family members and help them be reborn in paradise within 49 days.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

What happens to the people in the eighth and ninth categories? Ultimately, people in all nine categories will all be reborn in paradise. However, those in the eighth and ninth categories have to spend some time in hell before that. Every year, Buddhists perform the Buddhist All Soul\u2019s Day ceremony on July 15th of the lunar calendar to save the souls of those in the two categories from hell. There is no point in debating whether this is true or not because it is a religious belief, so people are free to choose whether to believe it or not.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Funeral customs vary greatly from religion to religion and country to country. In India, the dead are cremated, and in Tibet, they are left to be eaten by birds. The corpse is cut up and placed on big rocks high in the mountain, so that it is eaten by falcons and eagles. In desert regions, the dead are \u201cburied in the wind.\u201d That is, they are nailed on a wooden board and exposed to the elements for one year until only the bones remain after which the funeral ceremony is performed. In regions with many islands, the dead are dropped into the sea.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Each of these funeral rituals has its unique meaning and significance. Tibetans feed the dead to birds because they believe that the spirit of the dead will fly to heaven with the birds. Some cultures bury the dead in the ground because of the belief that the spiritual world exists underground. Meanwhile, Indians believe in reincarnation, so they cremate the corpse to help the spirits to quickly sever their attachment to their worldly bodies so that they can be reborn.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Regardless of the funeral ritual that is performed, once a person dies, it\u2019s the end. By saying \u201cthe end\u201d I am not implying that there is no heaven or an afterlife; I am simply saying the person who draws his last breath will no longer exist in this world. From a Christian viewpoint, the spirits go to heaven, and from a Buddhist perspective, the spirits are reborn, so there is nothing we can do for them. Therefore, the best farewell for those who pass away is to let them go from our hearts.<\/p>\n","post_title":"The Best Farewell For The Deceased","post_excerpt":"","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","post_password":"","post_name":"the-best-farewell-for-the-deceased-2","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2024-03-02 14:50:59","post_modified_gmt":"2024-03-02 19:50:59","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/www.jungtosociety.org\/?p=18125","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"},{"ID":18140,"post_author":"13","post_date":"2024-03-10 17:37:58","post_date_gmt":"2024-03-10 22:37:58","post_content":"\n

<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Jungto Society, the international Buddhist community founded by the revered Korean Dharma master and social activist Venerable Pomnyun Sunim (\ubc95\ub95c\uc2a4\ub2d8), recently conducted its 33rd annual pilgrimage across India and to Nepal. Held under the theme \u201cFollowing in the Footsteps of the Buddha,\u201d the pilgrimage, which ran from 19 January to 2 February, was attended by more 500 practitioners.1<\/sup><\/p>\n\n\n\n

This year\u2019s pilgrimage was particularly notable for two reasons: first was the participation, for the first time in the Jungto pilgrimage\u2019s 33-year history, of non-Korean practitioners: the 500-plus Korean Buddhist pilgrims were accompanied nine practitioners from Italy, Japan, Thailand, the United Kingdom, the United States, and Vietnam. Second, the pilgrimage also coincided with celebrations for the 30th anniversary of Sujata Academy, a remarkable community school and social empowerment project established by Ven. Pomnyun Sunim in Dungeshwari, in the northeastern Indian state of Bihar. This project has transformed the lives of an entire community of people who have faced systemic social and economic exclusion as a result of India\u2019s conservative Hindu caste hierarchy.2<\/sup><\/p>\n\n\n\n

The academy is named after Sujata, the young woman who is said to have nourished the ailing and emaciated Siddhartha Gautama with a bowl of milk-rice, thus ending his six years of extreme asceticism. Tuition at the academy is provided free of charge. The school\u2019s principal goal is to educate every student in basic literacy and numeracy. Classes are taught from kindergarten to secondary level, alongside adult literacy classes and skills training. Students who wish to continue beyond elementary education and attend secondary school are required to teach kindergarteners or to help out in the onsite Jivaka Hospital in the mornings and to attend classes in the afternoon, working in the spirit of giving back to the community. The campus also includes a warehouse, a dormitory, a large playing field, and sports equipment for the children.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

x<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n
\n
\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\"\"<\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

Ven. Pomnyun Sunim established the international Buddhist humanitarian relief organization Join Together Society (JTS) as an expression of the compassion of engaged Buddhism and the belief that helping others is the best way to enrich one\u2019s own life. Headquartered in Seoul, JTS operates four branch offices in South Korea and the United States, along with field offices in India and the Philippines. JTS Korea and JTS America oversee fundraising, while JTS India and JTS Philippines conduct development projects in cooperation with local communities. The relief organization has also earned Special Consultative Status to the United Nations Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

JTS India began its work in Dungeshwari, some 12 kilometers northeast of the Buddhist pilgrimage hub of Bodh Gaya, in the early 1990s, aspiring to fulfill the mission: \u201cThe hungry should eat; the sick should be treated; children should be educated in time.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This region is surrounded by the Pragbodhi Hills where the historical Buddha, Shakyamuni, is said to have spent six years in a cave as an ascetic. And it\u2019s here that JTS India has been working to empower the villagers of Dungeshwari to live their lives free from hunger, illiteracy, and disease.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The people of Dungeshwari are primarily Dalits, who face systemic social and economic exclusion as a result of the conservative Hindu social hierarchy. \u201cDalit,\u201d which translates as \u201cbroken\u201d in Sanskrit, is a term for the very lowest castes, whom members of the so-called \u201chigher\u201d castes still to this day deem \u201cuntouchable,\u201d despite the practice being prohibited in the Constitution of India. By working directly with disadvantaged communities, JTS aims to help them to mobilize their own capabilities and resources to create a more prosperous and sustainable future.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Jungto Society Dharma teacher Doyeon Jang (Dharma name Bogwang), is the director of Sujata Academy. She has overseen the development of this ambitious project, facing numerous challenges, both personal and structural, in the process of bringing this expression of compassion and social transformation to fruition.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u25b6\ufe0f Published by BDG on March 8, 2024<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u25b6\ufe0f Read more: <\/a>https:\/\/www.buddhistdoor.net\/features\/the-sujata-academy-project-the-power-of-hope-and-compassion-in-india\/<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/p>\n","post_title":"The Sujata Academy Project: The Power of Hope and Compassion in India","post_excerpt":"The Korean Seon (Zen) master Venerable Pomnyun Sunim (\ubc95\ub95c\uc2a4\ub2d8) wears many hats: Buddhist monk, teacher, author, environmentalist, and social activist, to name a few. As a widely respected Dharma teacher and a tireless socially engaged activist in his native South Korea, Ven. Pomnyun Sunim has founded numerous Dharma-based organizations, initiatives, and projects that are active across the world. Among them, Jungto Society, a volunteer-based community founded on the Buddhist teachings and expressing equality, simple living, and sustainability, is dedicated to addressing modern social issues that lead to suffering, including environmental degradation, poverty, and conflict.\n\nThis column, shared by Jungto Society, presents a series of highlights from Ven. Pomnyun Sunim\u2019s writings, teachings, public talks, and regular live-streamed Dharma Q+A sessions, which are accessible across the globe.\n","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","post_password":"","post_name":"the-sujata-academy-project-the-power-of-hope-and-compassion-in-india","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2024-03-10 17:38:00","post_modified_gmt":"2024-03-10 22:38:00","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/www.jungtosociety.org\/?p=18140","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"},{"ID":18136,"post_author":"13","post_date":"2024-03-10 17:24:34","post_date_gmt":"2024-03-10 22:24:34","post_content":"\n

Your son is over forty and
his main relationship is with someone else.
So, stop worrying about a grown man
who belongs with another woman
and be nice to the man next to you. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Illustration by Maseol <\/p>\n","post_title":"Son over forty","post_excerpt":"","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","post_password":"","post_name":"son-over-forty","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2024-03-10 17:24:36","post_modified_gmt":"2024-03-10 22:24:36","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/www.jungtosociety.org\/?p=18136","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"}],"next":false,"prev":false,"total_page":1},"paged":1,"column_class":"jeg_col_2o3","class":"jnews_block_37"};

\n

\u201cHow would you like us to conduct your funeral?\u201d The Buddha answered, \u201cYou don\u2019t need to worry about my funeral because the lay Buddhists will take care of it.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Lay Buddhists are those who take refuge in the Three Jewels and practice the Five Precepts without becoming monks or nuns. When the Buddha said they will take care of it, he meant that his funeral would be conducted based on customs of the lay people in India. So, after the Buddha died, the Lay Buddhists cremated the Buddha\u2019s body according to the Indian tradition. If he had lived in Korea, he would have been buried in the ground as is the custom in Korea.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Dharma is a teaching about truth, so it does not contain cultural aspects. However, since Buddhism originated from India, its traditions, customs, and culture were integrated into the Buddhist culture. Strictly speaking, neither cremation nor the 49-day posthumous ceremony is a fundamental tradition of Buddhism. They are in fact part of the of Indian cultural tradition.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

It is said that the deceased person has 49 days to be saved and is classified into one of nine levels based on his deeds during his life. \u201cAnyone can be reborn in paradise after he dies if he sincerely hopes for it. However, not everyone can be reborn in paradise right away since people fall into one of the nine categories based on their deeds.\u201d Specifically, people are divided into three categories of high, middle and low, and those in each of the three categories are again divided into high, middle and low, so there are a total of nine categories.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

It is believed that people in the very first category are reborn in paradise immediately after their death. It is comparable to leaving a room and entering another room. Those in the second category are reborn within 12 hours. It takes one day for those in the third category, three days for those in the fourth, a week for those in the fifth, 21 days for those in the sixth, and finally, it takes 49 days for those in the seventh category to be reborn in paradise. This is reason that people hold the 49-day posthumous ceremony. This ritual provides an opportunity for people to do good deeds on behalf of their deceased family members and help them be reborn in paradise within 49 days.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

What happens to the people in the eighth and ninth categories? Ultimately, people in all nine categories will all be reborn in paradise. However, those in the eighth and ninth categories have to spend some time in hell before that. Every year, Buddhists perform the Buddhist All Soul\u2019s Day ceremony on July 15th of the lunar calendar to save the souls of those in the two categories from hell. There is no point in debating whether this is true or not because it is a religious belief, so people are free to choose whether to believe it or not.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Funeral customs vary greatly from religion to religion and country to country. In India, the dead are cremated, and in Tibet, they are left to be eaten by birds. The corpse is cut up and placed on big rocks high in the mountain, so that it is eaten by falcons and eagles. In desert regions, the dead are \u201cburied in the wind.\u201d That is, they are nailed on a wooden board and exposed to the elements for one year until only the bones remain after which the funeral ceremony is performed. In regions with many islands, the dead are dropped into the sea.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Each of these funeral rituals has its unique meaning and significance. Tibetans feed the dead to birds because they believe that the spirit of the dead will fly to heaven with the birds. Some cultures bury the dead in the ground because of the belief that the spiritual world exists underground. Meanwhile, Indians believe in reincarnation, so they cremate the corpse to help the spirits to quickly sever their attachment to their worldly bodies so that they can be reborn.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Regardless of the funeral ritual that is performed, once a person dies, it\u2019s the end. By saying \u201cthe end\u201d I am not implying that there is no heaven or an afterlife; I am simply saying the person who draws his last breath will no longer exist in this world. From a Christian viewpoint, the spirits go to heaven, and from a Buddhist perspective, the spirits are reborn, so there is nothing we can do for them. Therefore, the best farewell for those who pass away is to let them go from our hearts.<\/p>\n","post_title":"The Best Farewell For The Deceased","post_excerpt":"","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","post_password":"","post_name":"the-best-farewell-for-the-deceased-2","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2024-03-02 14:50:59","post_modified_gmt":"2024-03-02 19:50:59","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/www.jungtosociety.org\/?p=18125","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"},{"ID":18140,"post_author":"13","post_date":"2024-03-10 17:37:58","post_date_gmt":"2024-03-10 22:37:58","post_content":"\n

<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Jungto Society, the international Buddhist community founded by the revered Korean Dharma master and social activist Venerable Pomnyun Sunim (\ubc95\ub95c\uc2a4\ub2d8), recently conducted its 33rd annual pilgrimage across India and to Nepal. Held under the theme \u201cFollowing in the Footsteps of the Buddha,\u201d the pilgrimage, which ran from 19 January to 2 February, was attended by more 500 practitioners.1<\/sup><\/p>\n\n\n\n

This year\u2019s pilgrimage was particularly notable for two reasons: first was the participation, for the first time in the Jungto pilgrimage\u2019s 33-year history, of non-Korean practitioners: the 500-plus Korean Buddhist pilgrims were accompanied nine practitioners from Italy, Japan, Thailand, the United Kingdom, the United States, and Vietnam. Second, the pilgrimage also coincided with celebrations for the 30th anniversary of Sujata Academy, a remarkable community school and social empowerment project established by Ven. Pomnyun Sunim in Dungeshwari, in the northeastern Indian state of Bihar. This project has transformed the lives of an entire community of people who have faced systemic social and economic exclusion as a result of India\u2019s conservative Hindu caste hierarchy.2<\/sup><\/p>\n\n\n\n

The academy is named after Sujata, the young woman who is said to have nourished the ailing and emaciated Siddhartha Gautama with a bowl of milk-rice, thus ending his six years of extreme asceticism. Tuition at the academy is provided free of charge. The school\u2019s principal goal is to educate every student in basic literacy and numeracy. Classes are taught from kindergarten to secondary level, alongside adult literacy classes and skills training. Students who wish to continue beyond elementary education and attend secondary school are required to teach kindergarteners or to help out in the onsite Jivaka Hospital in the mornings and to attend classes in the afternoon, working in the spirit of giving back to the community. The campus also includes a warehouse, a dormitory, a large playing field, and sports equipment for the children.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

x<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n
\n
\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\"\"<\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

Ven. Pomnyun Sunim established the international Buddhist humanitarian relief organization Join Together Society (JTS) as an expression of the compassion of engaged Buddhism and the belief that helping others is the best way to enrich one\u2019s own life. Headquartered in Seoul, JTS operates four branch offices in South Korea and the United States, along with field offices in India and the Philippines. JTS Korea and JTS America oversee fundraising, while JTS India and JTS Philippines conduct development projects in cooperation with local communities. The relief organization has also earned Special Consultative Status to the United Nations Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

JTS India began its work in Dungeshwari, some 12 kilometers northeast of the Buddhist pilgrimage hub of Bodh Gaya, in the early 1990s, aspiring to fulfill the mission: \u201cThe hungry should eat; the sick should be treated; children should be educated in time.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This region is surrounded by the Pragbodhi Hills where the historical Buddha, Shakyamuni, is said to have spent six years in a cave as an ascetic. And it\u2019s here that JTS India has been working to empower the villagers of Dungeshwari to live their lives free from hunger, illiteracy, and disease.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The people of Dungeshwari are primarily Dalits, who face systemic social and economic exclusion as a result of the conservative Hindu social hierarchy. \u201cDalit,\u201d which translates as \u201cbroken\u201d in Sanskrit, is a term for the very lowest castes, whom members of the so-called \u201chigher\u201d castes still to this day deem \u201cuntouchable,\u201d despite the practice being prohibited in the Constitution of India. By working directly with disadvantaged communities, JTS aims to help them to mobilize their own capabilities and resources to create a more prosperous and sustainable future.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Jungto Society Dharma teacher Doyeon Jang (Dharma name Bogwang), is the director of Sujata Academy. She has overseen the development of this ambitious project, facing numerous challenges, both personal and structural, in the process of bringing this expression of compassion and social transformation to fruition.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u25b6\ufe0f Published by BDG on March 8, 2024<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u25b6\ufe0f Read more: <\/a>https:\/\/www.buddhistdoor.net\/features\/the-sujata-academy-project-the-power-of-hope-and-compassion-in-india\/<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/p>\n","post_title":"The Sujata Academy Project: The Power of Hope and Compassion in India","post_excerpt":"The Korean Seon (Zen) master Venerable Pomnyun Sunim (\ubc95\ub95c\uc2a4\ub2d8) wears many hats: Buddhist monk, teacher, author, environmentalist, and social activist, to name a few. As a widely respected Dharma teacher and a tireless socially engaged activist in his native South Korea, Ven. Pomnyun Sunim has founded numerous Dharma-based organizations, initiatives, and projects that are active across the world. Among them, Jungto Society, a volunteer-based community founded on the Buddhist teachings and expressing equality, simple living, and sustainability, is dedicated to addressing modern social issues that lead to suffering, including environmental degradation, poverty, and conflict.\n\nThis column, shared by Jungto Society, presents a series of highlights from Ven. Pomnyun Sunim\u2019s writings, teachings, public talks, and regular live-streamed Dharma Q+A sessions, which are accessible across the globe.\n","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","post_password":"","post_name":"the-sujata-academy-project-the-power-of-hope-and-compassion-in-india","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2024-03-10 17:38:00","post_modified_gmt":"2024-03-10 22:38:00","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/www.jungtosociety.org\/?p=18140","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"},{"ID":18136,"post_author":"13","post_date":"2024-03-10 17:24:34","post_date_gmt":"2024-03-10 22:24:34","post_content":"\n

Your son is over forty and
his main relationship is with someone else.
So, stop worrying about a grown man
who belongs with another woman
and be nice to the man next to you. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Illustration by Maseol <\/p>\n","post_title":"Son over forty","post_excerpt":"","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","post_password":"","post_name":"son-over-forty","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2024-03-10 17:24:36","post_modified_gmt":"2024-03-10 22:24:36","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/www.jungtosociety.org\/?p=18136","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"}],"next":false,"prev":false,"total_page":1},"paged":1,"column_class":"jeg_col_2o3","class":"jnews_block_37"};

\n

P:<\/strong> When the Buddha was close to death, his disciples came to him and asked,<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cHow would you like us to conduct your funeral?\u201d The Buddha answered, \u201cYou don\u2019t need to worry about my funeral because the lay Buddhists will take care of it.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Lay Buddhists are those who take refuge in the Three Jewels and practice the Five Precepts without becoming monks or nuns. When the Buddha said they will take care of it, he meant that his funeral would be conducted based on customs of the lay people in India. So, after the Buddha died, the Lay Buddhists cremated the Buddha\u2019s body according to the Indian tradition. If he had lived in Korea, he would have been buried in the ground as is the custom in Korea.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Dharma is a teaching about truth, so it does not contain cultural aspects. However, since Buddhism originated from India, its traditions, customs, and culture were integrated into the Buddhist culture. Strictly speaking, neither cremation nor the 49-day posthumous ceremony is a fundamental tradition of Buddhism. They are in fact part of the of Indian cultural tradition.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

It is said that the deceased person has 49 days to be saved and is classified into one of nine levels based on his deeds during his life. \u201cAnyone can be reborn in paradise after he dies if he sincerely hopes for it. However, not everyone can be reborn in paradise right away since people fall into one of the nine categories based on their deeds.\u201d Specifically, people are divided into three categories of high, middle and low, and those in each of the three categories are again divided into high, middle and low, so there are a total of nine categories.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

It is believed that people in the very first category are reborn in paradise immediately after their death. It is comparable to leaving a room and entering another room. Those in the second category are reborn within 12 hours. It takes one day for those in the third category, three days for those in the fourth, a week for those in the fifth, 21 days for those in the sixth, and finally, it takes 49 days for those in the seventh category to be reborn in paradise. This is reason that people hold the 49-day posthumous ceremony. This ritual provides an opportunity for people to do good deeds on behalf of their deceased family members and help them be reborn in paradise within 49 days.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

What happens to the people in the eighth and ninth categories? Ultimately, people in all nine categories will all be reborn in paradise. However, those in the eighth and ninth categories have to spend some time in hell before that. Every year, Buddhists perform the Buddhist All Soul\u2019s Day ceremony on July 15th of the lunar calendar to save the souls of those in the two categories from hell. There is no point in debating whether this is true or not because it is a religious belief, so people are free to choose whether to believe it or not.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Funeral customs vary greatly from religion to religion and country to country. In India, the dead are cremated, and in Tibet, they are left to be eaten by birds. The corpse is cut up and placed on big rocks high in the mountain, so that it is eaten by falcons and eagles. In desert regions, the dead are \u201cburied in the wind.\u201d That is, they are nailed on a wooden board and exposed to the elements for one year until only the bones remain after which the funeral ceremony is performed. In regions with many islands, the dead are dropped into the sea.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Each of these funeral rituals has its unique meaning and significance. Tibetans feed the dead to birds because they believe that the spirit of the dead will fly to heaven with the birds. Some cultures bury the dead in the ground because of the belief that the spiritual world exists underground. Meanwhile, Indians believe in reincarnation, so they cremate the corpse to help the spirits to quickly sever their attachment to their worldly bodies so that they can be reborn.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Regardless of the funeral ritual that is performed, once a person dies, it\u2019s the end. By saying \u201cthe end\u201d I am not implying that there is no heaven or an afterlife; I am simply saying the person who draws his last breath will no longer exist in this world. From a Christian viewpoint, the spirits go to heaven, and from a Buddhist perspective, the spirits are reborn, so there is nothing we can do for them. Therefore, the best farewell for those who pass away is to let them go from our hearts.<\/p>\n","post_title":"The Best Farewell For The Deceased","post_excerpt":"","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","post_password":"","post_name":"the-best-farewell-for-the-deceased-2","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2024-03-02 14:50:59","post_modified_gmt":"2024-03-02 19:50:59","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/www.jungtosociety.org\/?p=18125","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"},{"ID":18140,"post_author":"13","post_date":"2024-03-10 17:37:58","post_date_gmt":"2024-03-10 22:37:58","post_content":"\n

<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Jungto Society, the international Buddhist community founded by the revered Korean Dharma master and social activist Venerable Pomnyun Sunim (\ubc95\ub95c\uc2a4\ub2d8), recently conducted its 33rd annual pilgrimage across India and to Nepal. Held under the theme \u201cFollowing in the Footsteps of the Buddha,\u201d the pilgrimage, which ran from 19 January to 2 February, was attended by more 500 practitioners.1<\/sup><\/p>\n\n\n\n

This year\u2019s pilgrimage was particularly notable for two reasons: first was the participation, for the first time in the Jungto pilgrimage\u2019s 33-year history, of non-Korean practitioners: the 500-plus Korean Buddhist pilgrims were accompanied nine practitioners from Italy, Japan, Thailand, the United Kingdom, the United States, and Vietnam. Second, the pilgrimage also coincided with celebrations for the 30th anniversary of Sujata Academy, a remarkable community school and social empowerment project established by Ven. Pomnyun Sunim in Dungeshwari, in the northeastern Indian state of Bihar. This project has transformed the lives of an entire community of people who have faced systemic social and economic exclusion as a result of India\u2019s conservative Hindu caste hierarchy.2<\/sup><\/p>\n\n\n\n

The academy is named after Sujata, the young woman who is said to have nourished the ailing and emaciated Siddhartha Gautama with a bowl of milk-rice, thus ending his six years of extreme asceticism. Tuition at the academy is provided free of charge. The school\u2019s principal goal is to educate every student in basic literacy and numeracy. Classes are taught from kindergarten to secondary level, alongside adult literacy classes and skills training. Students who wish to continue beyond elementary education and attend secondary school are required to teach kindergarteners or to help out in the onsite Jivaka Hospital in the mornings and to attend classes in the afternoon, working in the spirit of giving back to the community. The campus also includes a warehouse, a dormitory, a large playing field, and sports equipment for the children.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

x<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n
\n
\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\"\"<\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

Ven. Pomnyun Sunim established the international Buddhist humanitarian relief organization Join Together Society (JTS) as an expression of the compassion of engaged Buddhism and the belief that helping others is the best way to enrich one\u2019s own life. Headquartered in Seoul, JTS operates four branch offices in South Korea and the United States, along with field offices in India and the Philippines. JTS Korea and JTS America oversee fundraising, while JTS India and JTS Philippines conduct development projects in cooperation with local communities. The relief organization has also earned Special Consultative Status to the United Nations Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

JTS India began its work in Dungeshwari, some 12 kilometers northeast of the Buddhist pilgrimage hub of Bodh Gaya, in the early 1990s, aspiring to fulfill the mission: \u201cThe hungry should eat; the sick should be treated; children should be educated in time.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This region is surrounded by the Pragbodhi Hills where the historical Buddha, Shakyamuni, is said to have spent six years in a cave as an ascetic. And it\u2019s here that JTS India has been working to empower the villagers of Dungeshwari to live their lives free from hunger, illiteracy, and disease.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The people of Dungeshwari are primarily Dalits, who face systemic social and economic exclusion as a result of the conservative Hindu social hierarchy. \u201cDalit,\u201d which translates as \u201cbroken\u201d in Sanskrit, is a term for the very lowest castes, whom members of the so-called \u201chigher\u201d castes still to this day deem \u201cuntouchable,\u201d despite the practice being prohibited in the Constitution of India. By working directly with disadvantaged communities, JTS aims to help them to mobilize their own capabilities and resources to create a more prosperous and sustainable future.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Jungto Society Dharma teacher Doyeon Jang (Dharma name Bogwang), is the director of Sujata Academy. She has overseen the development of this ambitious project, facing numerous challenges, both personal and structural, in the process of bringing this expression of compassion and social transformation to fruition.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u25b6\ufe0f Published by BDG on March 8, 2024<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u25b6\ufe0f Read more: <\/a>https:\/\/www.buddhistdoor.net\/features\/the-sujata-academy-project-the-power-of-hope-and-compassion-in-india\/<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/p>\n","post_title":"The Sujata Academy Project: The Power of Hope and Compassion in India","post_excerpt":"The Korean Seon (Zen) master Venerable Pomnyun Sunim (\ubc95\ub95c\uc2a4\ub2d8) wears many hats: Buddhist monk, teacher, author, environmentalist, and social activist, to name a few. As a widely respected Dharma teacher and a tireless socially engaged activist in his native South Korea, Ven. Pomnyun Sunim has founded numerous Dharma-based organizations, initiatives, and projects that are active across the world. Among them, Jungto Society, a volunteer-based community founded on the Buddhist teachings and expressing equality, simple living, and sustainability, is dedicated to addressing modern social issues that lead to suffering, including environmental degradation, poverty, and conflict.\n\nThis column, shared by Jungto Society, presents a series of highlights from Ven. Pomnyun Sunim\u2019s writings, teachings, public talks, and regular live-streamed Dharma Q+A sessions, which are accessible across the globe.\n","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","post_password":"","post_name":"the-sujata-academy-project-the-power-of-hope-and-compassion-in-india","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2024-03-10 17:38:00","post_modified_gmt":"2024-03-10 22:38:00","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/www.jungtosociety.org\/?p=18140","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"},{"ID":18136,"post_author":"13","post_date":"2024-03-10 17:24:34","post_date_gmt":"2024-03-10 22:24:34","post_content":"\n

Your son is over forty and
his main relationship is with someone else.
So, stop worrying about a grown man
who belongs with another woman
and be nice to the man next to you. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Illustration by Maseol <\/p>\n","post_title":"Son over forty","post_excerpt":"","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","post_password":"","post_name":"son-over-forty","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2024-03-10 17:24:36","post_modified_gmt":"2024-03-10 22:24:36","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/www.jungtosociety.org\/?p=18136","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"}],"next":false,"prev":false,"total_page":1},"paged":1,"column_class":"jeg_col_2o3","class":"jnews_block_37"};

\n

Illustration by Maseol <\/p>\n","post_title":"Becoming an adult","post_excerpt":"","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","post_password":"","post_name":"becoming-an-adult","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2024-03-13 22:47:48","post_modified_gmt":"2024-03-14 03:47:48","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/www.jungtosociety.org\/?p=18197","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"},{"ID":18125,"post_author":"40","post_date":"2024-03-12 07:00:00","post_date_gmt":"2024-03-12 12:00:00","post_content":"\n

P:<\/strong> When the Buddha was close to death, his disciples came to him and asked,<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cHow would you like us to conduct your funeral?\u201d The Buddha answered, \u201cYou don\u2019t need to worry about my funeral because the lay Buddhists will take care of it.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Lay Buddhists are those who take refuge in the Three Jewels and practice the Five Precepts without becoming monks or nuns. When the Buddha said they will take care of it, he meant that his funeral would be conducted based on customs of the lay people in India. So, after the Buddha died, the Lay Buddhists cremated the Buddha\u2019s body according to the Indian tradition. If he had lived in Korea, he would have been buried in the ground as is the custom in Korea.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Dharma is a teaching about truth, so it does not contain cultural aspects. However, since Buddhism originated from India, its traditions, customs, and culture were integrated into the Buddhist culture. Strictly speaking, neither cremation nor the 49-day posthumous ceremony is a fundamental tradition of Buddhism. They are in fact part of the of Indian cultural tradition.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

It is said that the deceased person has 49 days to be saved and is classified into one of nine levels based on his deeds during his life. \u201cAnyone can be reborn in paradise after he dies if he sincerely hopes for it. However, not everyone can be reborn in paradise right away since people fall into one of the nine categories based on their deeds.\u201d Specifically, people are divided into three categories of high, middle and low, and those in each of the three categories are again divided into high, middle and low, so there are a total of nine categories.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

It is believed that people in the very first category are reborn in paradise immediately after their death. It is comparable to leaving a room and entering another room. Those in the second category are reborn within 12 hours. It takes one day for those in the third category, three days for those in the fourth, a week for those in the fifth, 21 days for those in the sixth, and finally, it takes 49 days for those in the seventh category to be reborn in paradise. This is reason that people hold the 49-day posthumous ceremony. This ritual provides an opportunity for people to do good deeds on behalf of their deceased family members and help them be reborn in paradise within 49 days.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

What happens to the people in the eighth and ninth categories? Ultimately, people in all nine categories will all be reborn in paradise. However, those in the eighth and ninth categories have to spend some time in hell before that. Every year, Buddhists perform the Buddhist All Soul\u2019s Day ceremony on July 15th of the lunar calendar to save the souls of those in the two categories from hell. There is no point in debating whether this is true or not because it is a religious belief, so people are free to choose whether to believe it or not.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Funeral customs vary greatly from religion to religion and country to country. In India, the dead are cremated, and in Tibet, they are left to be eaten by birds. The corpse is cut up and placed on big rocks high in the mountain, so that it is eaten by falcons and eagles. In desert regions, the dead are \u201cburied in the wind.\u201d That is, they are nailed on a wooden board and exposed to the elements for one year until only the bones remain after which the funeral ceremony is performed. In regions with many islands, the dead are dropped into the sea.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Each of these funeral rituals has its unique meaning and significance. Tibetans feed the dead to birds because they believe that the spirit of the dead will fly to heaven with the birds. Some cultures bury the dead in the ground because of the belief that the spiritual world exists underground. Meanwhile, Indians believe in reincarnation, so they cremate the corpse to help the spirits to quickly sever their attachment to their worldly bodies so that they can be reborn.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Regardless of the funeral ritual that is performed, once a person dies, it\u2019s the end. By saying \u201cthe end\u201d I am not implying that there is no heaven or an afterlife; I am simply saying the person who draws his last breath will no longer exist in this world. From a Christian viewpoint, the spirits go to heaven, and from a Buddhist perspective, the spirits are reborn, so there is nothing we can do for them. Therefore, the best farewell for those who pass away is to let them go from our hearts.<\/p>\n","post_title":"The Best Farewell For The Deceased","post_excerpt":"","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","post_password":"","post_name":"the-best-farewell-for-the-deceased-2","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2024-03-02 14:50:59","post_modified_gmt":"2024-03-02 19:50:59","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/www.jungtosociety.org\/?p=18125","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"},{"ID":18140,"post_author":"13","post_date":"2024-03-10 17:37:58","post_date_gmt":"2024-03-10 22:37:58","post_content":"\n

<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Jungto Society, the international Buddhist community founded by the revered Korean Dharma master and social activist Venerable Pomnyun Sunim (\ubc95\ub95c\uc2a4\ub2d8), recently conducted its 33rd annual pilgrimage across India and to Nepal. Held under the theme \u201cFollowing in the Footsteps of the Buddha,\u201d the pilgrimage, which ran from 19 January to 2 February, was attended by more 500 practitioners.1<\/sup><\/p>\n\n\n\n

This year\u2019s pilgrimage was particularly notable for two reasons: first was the participation, for the first time in the Jungto pilgrimage\u2019s 33-year history, of non-Korean practitioners: the 500-plus Korean Buddhist pilgrims were accompanied nine practitioners from Italy, Japan, Thailand, the United Kingdom, the United States, and Vietnam. Second, the pilgrimage also coincided with celebrations for the 30th anniversary of Sujata Academy, a remarkable community school and social empowerment project established by Ven. Pomnyun Sunim in Dungeshwari, in the northeastern Indian state of Bihar. This project has transformed the lives of an entire community of people who have faced systemic social and economic exclusion as a result of India\u2019s conservative Hindu caste hierarchy.2<\/sup><\/p>\n\n\n\n

The academy is named after Sujata, the young woman who is said to have nourished the ailing and emaciated Siddhartha Gautama with a bowl of milk-rice, thus ending his six years of extreme asceticism. Tuition at the academy is provided free of charge. The school\u2019s principal goal is to educate every student in basic literacy and numeracy. Classes are taught from kindergarten to secondary level, alongside adult literacy classes and skills training. Students who wish to continue beyond elementary education and attend secondary school are required to teach kindergarteners or to help out in the onsite Jivaka Hospital in the mornings and to attend classes in the afternoon, working in the spirit of giving back to the community. The campus also includes a warehouse, a dormitory, a large playing field, and sports equipment for the children.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

x<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n
\n
\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\"\"<\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

Ven. Pomnyun Sunim established the international Buddhist humanitarian relief organization Join Together Society (JTS) as an expression of the compassion of engaged Buddhism and the belief that helping others is the best way to enrich one\u2019s own life. Headquartered in Seoul, JTS operates four branch offices in South Korea and the United States, along with field offices in India and the Philippines. JTS Korea and JTS America oversee fundraising, while JTS India and JTS Philippines conduct development projects in cooperation with local communities. The relief organization has also earned Special Consultative Status to the United Nations Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

JTS India began its work in Dungeshwari, some 12 kilometers northeast of the Buddhist pilgrimage hub of Bodh Gaya, in the early 1990s, aspiring to fulfill the mission: \u201cThe hungry should eat; the sick should be treated; children should be educated in time.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This region is surrounded by the Pragbodhi Hills where the historical Buddha, Shakyamuni, is said to have spent six years in a cave as an ascetic. And it\u2019s here that JTS India has been working to empower the villagers of Dungeshwari to live their lives free from hunger, illiteracy, and disease.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The people of Dungeshwari are primarily Dalits, who face systemic social and economic exclusion as a result of the conservative Hindu social hierarchy. \u201cDalit,\u201d which translates as \u201cbroken\u201d in Sanskrit, is a term for the very lowest castes, whom members of the so-called \u201chigher\u201d castes still to this day deem \u201cuntouchable,\u201d despite the practice being prohibited in the Constitution of India. By working directly with disadvantaged communities, JTS aims to help them to mobilize their own capabilities and resources to create a more prosperous and sustainable future.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Jungto Society Dharma teacher Doyeon Jang (Dharma name Bogwang), is the director of Sujata Academy. She has overseen the development of this ambitious project, facing numerous challenges, both personal and structural, in the process of bringing this expression of compassion and social transformation to fruition.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u25b6\ufe0f Published by BDG on March 8, 2024<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u25b6\ufe0f Read more: <\/a>https:\/\/www.buddhistdoor.net\/features\/the-sujata-academy-project-the-power-of-hope-and-compassion-in-india\/<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/p>\n","post_title":"The Sujata Academy Project: The Power of Hope and Compassion in India","post_excerpt":"The Korean Seon (Zen) master Venerable Pomnyun Sunim (\ubc95\ub95c\uc2a4\ub2d8) wears many hats: Buddhist monk, teacher, author, environmentalist, and social activist, to name a few. As a widely respected Dharma teacher and a tireless socially engaged activist in his native South Korea, Ven. Pomnyun Sunim has founded numerous Dharma-based organizations, initiatives, and projects that are active across the world. Among them, Jungto Society, a volunteer-based community founded on the Buddhist teachings and expressing equality, simple living, and sustainability, is dedicated to addressing modern social issues that lead to suffering, including environmental degradation, poverty, and conflict.\n\nThis column, shared by Jungto Society, presents a series of highlights from Ven. Pomnyun Sunim\u2019s writings, teachings, public talks, and regular live-streamed Dharma Q+A sessions, which are accessible across the globe.\n","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","post_password":"","post_name":"the-sujata-academy-project-the-power-of-hope-and-compassion-in-india","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2024-03-10 17:38:00","post_modified_gmt":"2024-03-10 22:38:00","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/www.jungtosociety.org\/?p=18140","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"},{"ID":18136,"post_author":"13","post_date":"2024-03-10 17:24:34","post_date_gmt":"2024-03-10 22:24:34","post_content":"\n

Your son is over forty and
his main relationship is with someone else.
So, stop worrying about a grown man
who belongs with another woman
and be nice to the man next to you. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Illustration by Maseol <\/p>\n","post_title":"Son over forty","post_excerpt":"","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","post_password":"","post_name":"son-over-forty","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2024-03-10 17:24:36","post_modified_gmt":"2024-03-10 22:24:36","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/www.jungtosociety.org\/?p=18136","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"}],"next":false,"prev":false,"total_page":1},"paged":1,"column_class":"jeg_col_2o3","class":"jnews_block_37"};

\n
\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Illustration by Maseol <\/p>\n","post_title":"Becoming an adult","post_excerpt":"","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","post_password":"","post_name":"becoming-an-adult","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2024-03-13 22:47:48","post_modified_gmt":"2024-03-14 03:47:48","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/www.jungtosociety.org\/?p=18197","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"},{"ID":18125,"post_author":"40","post_date":"2024-03-12 07:00:00","post_date_gmt":"2024-03-12 12:00:00","post_content":"\n

P:<\/strong> When the Buddha was close to death, his disciples came to him and asked,<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cHow would you like us to conduct your funeral?\u201d The Buddha answered, \u201cYou don\u2019t need to worry about my funeral because the lay Buddhists will take care of it.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Lay Buddhists are those who take refuge in the Three Jewels and practice the Five Precepts without becoming monks or nuns. When the Buddha said they will take care of it, he meant that his funeral would be conducted based on customs of the lay people in India. So, after the Buddha died, the Lay Buddhists cremated the Buddha\u2019s body according to the Indian tradition. If he had lived in Korea, he would have been buried in the ground as is the custom in Korea.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Dharma is a teaching about truth, so it does not contain cultural aspects. However, since Buddhism originated from India, its traditions, customs, and culture were integrated into the Buddhist culture. Strictly speaking, neither cremation nor the 49-day posthumous ceremony is a fundamental tradition of Buddhism. They are in fact part of the of Indian cultural tradition.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

It is said that the deceased person has 49 days to be saved and is classified into one of nine levels based on his deeds during his life. \u201cAnyone can be reborn in paradise after he dies if he sincerely hopes for it. However, not everyone can be reborn in paradise right away since people fall into one of the nine categories based on their deeds.\u201d Specifically, people are divided into three categories of high, middle and low, and those in each of the three categories are again divided into high, middle and low, so there are a total of nine categories.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

It is believed that people in the very first category are reborn in paradise immediately after their death. It is comparable to leaving a room and entering another room. Those in the second category are reborn within 12 hours. It takes one day for those in the third category, three days for those in the fourth, a week for those in the fifth, 21 days for those in the sixth, and finally, it takes 49 days for those in the seventh category to be reborn in paradise. This is reason that people hold the 49-day posthumous ceremony. This ritual provides an opportunity for people to do good deeds on behalf of their deceased family members and help them be reborn in paradise within 49 days.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

What happens to the people in the eighth and ninth categories? Ultimately, people in all nine categories will all be reborn in paradise. However, those in the eighth and ninth categories have to spend some time in hell before that. Every year, Buddhists perform the Buddhist All Soul\u2019s Day ceremony on July 15th of the lunar calendar to save the souls of those in the two categories from hell. There is no point in debating whether this is true or not because it is a religious belief, so people are free to choose whether to believe it or not.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Funeral customs vary greatly from religion to religion and country to country. In India, the dead are cremated, and in Tibet, they are left to be eaten by birds. The corpse is cut up and placed on big rocks high in the mountain, so that it is eaten by falcons and eagles. In desert regions, the dead are \u201cburied in the wind.\u201d That is, they are nailed on a wooden board and exposed to the elements for one year until only the bones remain after which the funeral ceremony is performed. In regions with many islands, the dead are dropped into the sea.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Each of these funeral rituals has its unique meaning and significance. Tibetans feed the dead to birds because they believe that the spirit of the dead will fly to heaven with the birds. Some cultures bury the dead in the ground because of the belief that the spiritual world exists underground. Meanwhile, Indians believe in reincarnation, so they cremate the corpse to help the spirits to quickly sever their attachment to their worldly bodies so that they can be reborn.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Regardless of the funeral ritual that is performed, once a person dies, it\u2019s the end. By saying \u201cthe end\u201d I am not implying that there is no heaven or an afterlife; I am simply saying the person who draws his last breath will no longer exist in this world. From a Christian viewpoint, the spirits go to heaven, and from a Buddhist perspective, the spirits are reborn, so there is nothing we can do for them. Therefore, the best farewell for those who pass away is to let them go from our hearts.<\/p>\n","post_title":"The Best Farewell For The Deceased","post_excerpt":"","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","post_password":"","post_name":"the-best-farewell-for-the-deceased-2","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2024-03-02 14:50:59","post_modified_gmt":"2024-03-02 19:50:59","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/www.jungtosociety.org\/?p=18125","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"},{"ID":18140,"post_author":"13","post_date":"2024-03-10 17:37:58","post_date_gmt":"2024-03-10 22:37:58","post_content":"\n

<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Jungto Society, the international Buddhist community founded by the revered Korean Dharma master and social activist Venerable Pomnyun Sunim (\ubc95\ub95c\uc2a4\ub2d8), recently conducted its 33rd annual pilgrimage across India and to Nepal. Held under the theme \u201cFollowing in the Footsteps of the Buddha,\u201d the pilgrimage, which ran from 19 January to 2 February, was attended by more 500 practitioners.1<\/sup><\/p>\n\n\n\n

This year\u2019s pilgrimage was particularly notable for two reasons: first was the participation, for the first time in the Jungto pilgrimage\u2019s 33-year history, of non-Korean practitioners: the 500-plus Korean Buddhist pilgrims were accompanied nine practitioners from Italy, Japan, Thailand, the United Kingdom, the United States, and Vietnam. Second, the pilgrimage also coincided with celebrations for the 30th anniversary of Sujata Academy, a remarkable community school and social empowerment project established by Ven. Pomnyun Sunim in Dungeshwari, in the northeastern Indian state of Bihar. This project has transformed the lives of an entire community of people who have faced systemic social and economic exclusion as a result of India\u2019s conservative Hindu caste hierarchy.2<\/sup><\/p>\n\n\n\n

The academy is named after Sujata, the young woman who is said to have nourished the ailing and emaciated Siddhartha Gautama with a bowl of milk-rice, thus ending his six years of extreme asceticism. Tuition at the academy is provided free of charge. The school\u2019s principal goal is to educate every student in basic literacy and numeracy. Classes are taught from kindergarten to secondary level, alongside adult literacy classes and skills training. Students who wish to continue beyond elementary education and attend secondary school are required to teach kindergarteners or to help out in the onsite Jivaka Hospital in the mornings and to attend classes in the afternoon, working in the spirit of giving back to the community. The campus also includes a warehouse, a dormitory, a large playing field, and sports equipment for the children.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

x<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n
\n
\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\"\"<\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

Ven. Pomnyun Sunim established the international Buddhist humanitarian relief organization Join Together Society (JTS) as an expression of the compassion of engaged Buddhism and the belief that helping others is the best way to enrich one\u2019s own life. Headquartered in Seoul, JTS operates four branch offices in South Korea and the United States, along with field offices in India and the Philippines. JTS Korea and JTS America oversee fundraising, while JTS India and JTS Philippines conduct development projects in cooperation with local communities. The relief organization has also earned Special Consultative Status to the United Nations Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

JTS India began its work in Dungeshwari, some 12 kilometers northeast of the Buddhist pilgrimage hub of Bodh Gaya, in the early 1990s, aspiring to fulfill the mission: \u201cThe hungry should eat; the sick should be treated; children should be educated in time.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This region is surrounded by the Pragbodhi Hills where the historical Buddha, Shakyamuni, is said to have spent six years in a cave as an ascetic. And it\u2019s here that JTS India has been working to empower the villagers of Dungeshwari to live their lives free from hunger, illiteracy, and disease.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The people of Dungeshwari are primarily Dalits, who face systemic social and economic exclusion as a result of the conservative Hindu social hierarchy. \u201cDalit,\u201d which translates as \u201cbroken\u201d in Sanskrit, is a term for the very lowest castes, whom members of the so-called \u201chigher\u201d castes still to this day deem \u201cuntouchable,\u201d despite the practice being prohibited in the Constitution of India. By working directly with disadvantaged communities, JTS aims to help them to mobilize their own capabilities and resources to create a more prosperous and sustainable future.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Jungto Society Dharma teacher Doyeon Jang (Dharma name Bogwang), is the director of Sujata Academy. She has overseen the development of this ambitious project, facing numerous challenges, both personal and structural, in the process of bringing this expression of compassion and social transformation to fruition.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u25b6\ufe0f Published by BDG on March 8, 2024<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u25b6\ufe0f Read more: <\/a>https:\/\/www.buddhistdoor.net\/features\/the-sujata-academy-project-the-power-of-hope-and-compassion-in-india\/<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/p>\n","post_title":"The Sujata Academy Project: The Power of Hope and Compassion in India","post_excerpt":"The Korean Seon (Zen) master Venerable Pomnyun Sunim (\ubc95\ub95c\uc2a4\ub2d8) wears many hats: Buddhist monk, teacher, author, environmentalist, and social activist, to name a few. As a widely respected Dharma teacher and a tireless socially engaged activist in his native South Korea, Ven. Pomnyun Sunim has founded numerous Dharma-based organizations, initiatives, and projects that are active across the world. Among them, Jungto Society, a volunteer-based community founded on the Buddhist teachings and expressing equality, simple living, and sustainability, is dedicated to addressing modern social issues that lead to suffering, including environmental degradation, poverty, and conflict.\n\nThis column, shared by Jungto Society, presents a series of highlights from Ven. Pomnyun Sunim\u2019s writings, teachings, public talks, and regular live-streamed Dharma Q+A sessions, which are accessible across the globe.\n","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","post_password":"","post_name":"the-sujata-academy-project-the-power-of-hope-and-compassion-in-india","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2024-03-10 17:38:00","post_modified_gmt":"2024-03-10 22:38:00","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/www.jungtosociety.org\/?p=18140","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"},{"ID":18136,"post_author":"13","post_date":"2024-03-10 17:24:34","post_date_gmt":"2024-03-10 22:24:34","post_content":"\n

Your son is over forty and
his main relationship is with someone else.
So, stop worrying about a grown man
who belongs with another woman
and be nice to the man next to you. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Illustration by Maseol <\/p>\n","post_title":"Son over forty","post_excerpt":"","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","post_password":"","post_name":"son-over-forty","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2024-03-10 17:24:36","post_modified_gmt":"2024-03-10 22:24:36","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/www.jungtosociety.org\/?p=18136","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"}],"next":false,"prev":false,"total_page":1},"paged":1,"column_class":"jeg_col_2o3","class":"jnews_block_37"};

\n

It\u2019s simple to become an adult.
Wake up earlier than your mom
and prepare breakfast for your parents,
wash the dishes,
and clean your room after school or work. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Illustration by Maseol <\/p>\n","post_title":"Becoming an adult","post_excerpt":"","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","post_password":"","post_name":"becoming-an-adult","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2024-03-13 22:47:48","post_modified_gmt":"2024-03-14 03:47:48","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/www.jungtosociety.org\/?p=18197","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"},{"ID":18125,"post_author":"40","post_date":"2024-03-12 07:00:00","post_date_gmt":"2024-03-12 12:00:00","post_content":"\n

P:<\/strong> When the Buddha was close to death, his disciples came to him and asked,<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cHow would you like us to conduct your funeral?\u201d The Buddha answered, \u201cYou don\u2019t need to worry about my funeral because the lay Buddhists will take care of it.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Lay Buddhists are those who take refuge in the Three Jewels and practice the Five Precepts without becoming monks or nuns. When the Buddha said they will take care of it, he meant that his funeral would be conducted based on customs of the lay people in India. So, after the Buddha died, the Lay Buddhists cremated the Buddha\u2019s body according to the Indian tradition. If he had lived in Korea, he would have been buried in the ground as is the custom in Korea.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Dharma is a teaching about truth, so it does not contain cultural aspects. However, since Buddhism originated from India, its traditions, customs, and culture were integrated into the Buddhist culture. Strictly speaking, neither cremation nor the 49-day posthumous ceremony is a fundamental tradition of Buddhism. They are in fact part of the of Indian cultural tradition.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

It is said that the deceased person has 49 days to be saved and is classified into one of nine levels based on his deeds during his life. \u201cAnyone can be reborn in paradise after he dies if he sincerely hopes for it. However, not everyone can be reborn in paradise right away since people fall into one of the nine categories based on their deeds.\u201d Specifically, people are divided into three categories of high, middle and low, and those in each of the three categories are again divided into high, middle and low, so there are a total of nine categories.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

It is believed that people in the very first category are reborn in paradise immediately after their death. It is comparable to leaving a room and entering another room. Those in the second category are reborn within 12 hours. It takes one day for those in the third category, three days for those in the fourth, a week for those in the fifth, 21 days for those in the sixth, and finally, it takes 49 days for those in the seventh category to be reborn in paradise. This is reason that people hold the 49-day posthumous ceremony. This ritual provides an opportunity for people to do good deeds on behalf of their deceased family members and help them be reborn in paradise within 49 days.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

What happens to the people in the eighth and ninth categories? Ultimately, people in all nine categories will all be reborn in paradise. However, those in the eighth and ninth categories have to spend some time in hell before that. Every year, Buddhists perform the Buddhist All Soul\u2019s Day ceremony on July 15th of the lunar calendar to save the souls of those in the two categories from hell. There is no point in debating whether this is true or not because it is a religious belief, so people are free to choose whether to believe it or not.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Funeral customs vary greatly from religion to religion and country to country. In India, the dead are cremated, and in Tibet, they are left to be eaten by birds. The corpse is cut up and placed on big rocks high in the mountain, so that it is eaten by falcons and eagles. In desert regions, the dead are \u201cburied in the wind.\u201d That is, they are nailed on a wooden board and exposed to the elements for one year until only the bones remain after which the funeral ceremony is performed. In regions with many islands, the dead are dropped into the sea.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Each of these funeral rituals has its unique meaning and significance. Tibetans feed the dead to birds because they believe that the spirit of the dead will fly to heaven with the birds. Some cultures bury the dead in the ground because of the belief that the spiritual world exists underground. Meanwhile, Indians believe in reincarnation, so they cremate the corpse to help the spirits to quickly sever their attachment to their worldly bodies so that they can be reborn.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Regardless of the funeral ritual that is performed, once a person dies, it\u2019s the end. By saying \u201cthe end\u201d I am not implying that there is no heaven or an afterlife; I am simply saying the person who draws his last breath will no longer exist in this world. From a Christian viewpoint, the spirits go to heaven, and from a Buddhist perspective, the spirits are reborn, so there is nothing we can do for them. Therefore, the best farewell for those who pass away is to let them go from our hearts.<\/p>\n","post_title":"The Best Farewell For The Deceased","post_excerpt":"","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","post_password":"","post_name":"the-best-farewell-for-the-deceased-2","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2024-03-02 14:50:59","post_modified_gmt":"2024-03-02 19:50:59","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/www.jungtosociety.org\/?p=18125","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"},{"ID":18140,"post_author":"13","post_date":"2024-03-10 17:37:58","post_date_gmt":"2024-03-10 22:37:58","post_content":"\n

<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Jungto Society, the international Buddhist community founded by the revered Korean Dharma master and social activist Venerable Pomnyun Sunim (\ubc95\ub95c\uc2a4\ub2d8), recently conducted its 33rd annual pilgrimage across India and to Nepal. Held under the theme \u201cFollowing in the Footsteps of the Buddha,\u201d the pilgrimage, which ran from 19 January to 2 February, was attended by more 500 practitioners.1<\/sup><\/p>\n\n\n\n

This year\u2019s pilgrimage was particularly notable for two reasons: first was the participation, for the first time in the Jungto pilgrimage\u2019s 33-year history, of non-Korean practitioners: the 500-plus Korean Buddhist pilgrims were accompanied nine practitioners from Italy, Japan, Thailand, the United Kingdom, the United States, and Vietnam. Second, the pilgrimage also coincided with celebrations for the 30th anniversary of Sujata Academy, a remarkable community school and social empowerment project established by Ven. Pomnyun Sunim in Dungeshwari, in the northeastern Indian state of Bihar. This project has transformed the lives of an entire community of people who have faced systemic social and economic exclusion as a result of India\u2019s conservative Hindu caste hierarchy.2<\/sup><\/p>\n\n\n\n

The academy is named after Sujata, the young woman who is said to have nourished the ailing and emaciated Siddhartha Gautama with a bowl of milk-rice, thus ending his six years of extreme asceticism. Tuition at the academy is provided free of charge. The school\u2019s principal goal is to educate every student in basic literacy and numeracy. Classes are taught from kindergarten to secondary level, alongside adult literacy classes and skills training. Students who wish to continue beyond elementary education and attend secondary school are required to teach kindergarteners or to help out in the onsite Jivaka Hospital in the mornings and to attend classes in the afternoon, working in the spirit of giving back to the community. The campus also includes a warehouse, a dormitory, a large playing field, and sports equipment for the children.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

x<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n
\n
\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\"\"<\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

Ven. Pomnyun Sunim established the international Buddhist humanitarian relief organization Join Together Society (JTS) as an expression of the compassion of engaged Buddhism and the belief that helping others is the best way to enrich one\u2019s own life. Headquartered in Seoul, JTS operates four branch offices in South Korea and the United States, along with field offices in India and the Philippines. JTS Korea and JTS America oversee fundraising, while JTS India and JTS Philippines conduct development projects in cooperation with local communities. The relief organization has also earned Special Consultative Status to the United Nations Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

JTS India began its work in Dungeshwari, some 12 kilometers northeast of the Buddhist pilgrimage hub of Bodh Gaya, in the early 1990s, aspiring to fulfill the mission: \u201cThe hungry should eat; the sick should be treated; children should be educated in time.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This region is surrounded by the Pragbodhi Hills where the historical Buddha, Shakyamuni, is said to have spent six years in a cave as an ascetic. And it\u2019s here that JTS India has been working to empower the villagers of Dungeshwari to live their lives free from hunger, illiteracy, and disease.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The people of Dungeshwari are primarily Dalits, who face systemic social and economic exclusion as a result of the conservative Hindu social hierarchy. \u201cDalit,\u201d which translates as \u201cbroken\u201d in Sanskrit, is a term for the very lowest castes, whom members of the so-called \u201chigher\u201d castes still to this day deem \u201cuntouchable,\u201d despite the practice being prohibited in the Constitution of India. By working directly with disadvantaged communities, JTS aims to help them to mobilize their own capabilities and resources to create a more prosperous and sustainable future.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Jungto Society Dharma teacher Doyeon Jang (Dharma name Bogwang), is the director of Sujata Academy. She has overseen the development of this ambitious project, facing numerous challenges, both personal and structural, in the process of bringing this expression of compassion and social transformation to fruition.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u25b6\ufe0f Published by BDG on March 8, 2024<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u25b6\ufe0f Read more: <\/a>https:\/\/www.buddhistdoor.net\/features\/the-sujata-academy-project-the-power-of-hope-and-compassion-in-india\/<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/p>\n","post_title":"The Sujata Academy Project: The Power of Hope and Compassion in India","post_excerpt":"The Korean Seon (Zen) master Venerable Pomnyun Sunim (\ubc95\ub95c\uc2a4\ub2d8) wears many hats: Buddhist monk, teacher, author, environmentalist, and social activist, to name a few. As a widely respected Dharma teacher and a tireless socially engaged activist in his native South Korea, Ven. Pomnyun Sunim has founded numerous Dharma-based organizations, initiatives, and projects that are active across the world. Among them, Jungto Society, a volunteer-based community founded on the Buddhist teachings and expressing equality, simple living, and sustainability, is dedicated to addressing modern social issues that lead to suffering, including environmental degradation, poverty, and conflict.\n\nThis column, shared by Jungto Society, presents a series of highlights from Ven. Pomnyun Sunim\u2019s writings, teachings, public talks, and regular live-streamed Dharma Q+A sessions, which are accessible across the globe.\n","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","post_password":"","post_name":"the-sujata-academy-project-the-power-of-hope-and-compassion-in-india","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2024-03-10 17:38:00","post_modified_gmt":"2024-03-10 22:38:00","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/www.jungtosociety.org\/?p=18140","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"},{"ID":18136,"post_author":"13","post_date":"2024-03-10 17:24:34","post_date_gmt":"2024-03-10 22:24:34","post_content":"\n

Your son is over forty and
his main relationship is with someone else.
So, stop worrying about a grown man
who belongs with another woman
and be nice to the man next to you. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Illustration by Maseol <\/p>\n","post_title":"Son over forty","post_excerpt":"","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","post_password":"","post_name":"son-over-forty","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2024-03-10 17:24:36","post_modified_gmt":"2024-03-10 22:24:36","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/www.jungtosociety.org\/?p=18136","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"}],"next":false,"prev":false,"total_page":1},"paged":1,"column_class":"jeg_col_2o3","class":"jnews_block_37"};

\n

<\/a><\/p>\n","post_title":"[Meditation Q&A] \u201cHow can I value serenity but not give up caring when I am practicing…. ?","post_excerpt":"","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","post_password":"","post_name":"meditation-qa-how-can-i-value-serenity-but-not-give-up-caring-when-i-am-practicing","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2024-02-27 19:02:33","post_modified_gmt":"2024-02-28 00:02:33","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/www.jungtosociety.org\/?p=18045","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"},{"ID":18197,"post_author":"13","post_date":"2024-03-13 22:47:47","post_date_gmt":"2024-03-14 03:47:47","post_content":"\n

It\u2019s simple to become an adult.
Wake up earlier than your mom
and prepare breakfast for your parents,
wash the dishes,
and clean your room after school or work. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Illustration by Maseol <\/p>\n","post_title":"Becoming an adult","post_excerpt":"","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","post_password":"","post_name":"becoming-an-adult","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2024-03-13 22:47:48","post_modified_gmt":"2024-03-14 03:47:48","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/www.jungtosociety.org\/?p=18197","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"},{"ID":18125,"post_author":"40","post_date":"2024-03-12 07:00:00","post_date_gmt":"2024-03-12 12:00:00","post_content":"\n

P:<\/strong> When the Buddha was close to death, his disciples came to him and asked,<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cHow would you like us to conduct your funeral?\u201d The Buddha answered, \u201cYou don\u2019t need to worry about my funeral because the lay Buddhists will take care of it.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Lay Buddhists are those who take refuge in the Three Jewels and practice the Five Precepts without becoming monks or nuns. When the Buddha said they will take care of it, he meant that his funeral would be conducted based on customs of the lay people in India. So, after the Buddha died, the Lay Buddhists cremated the Buddha\u2019s body according to the Indian tradition. If he had lived in Korea, he would have been buried in the ground as is the custom in Korea.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Dharma is a teaching about truth, so it does not contain cultural aspects. However, since Buddhism originated from India, its traditions, customs, and culture were integrated into the Buddhist culture. Strictly speaking, neither cremation nor the 49-day posthumous ceremony is a fundamental tradition of Buddhism. They are in fact part of the of Indian cultural tradition.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

It is said that the deceased person has 49 days to be saved and is classified into one of nine levels based on his deeds during his life. \u201cAnyone can be reborn in paradise after he dies if he sincerely hopes for it. However, not everyone can be reborn in paradise right away since people fall into one of the nine categories based on their deeds.\u201d Specifically, people are divided into three categories of high, middle and low, and those in each of the three categories are again divided into high, middle and low, so there are a total of nine categories.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

It is believed that people in the very first category are reborn in paradise immediately after their death. It is comparable to leaving a room and entering another room. Those in the second category are reborn within 12 hours. It takes one day for those in the third category, three days for those in the fourth, a week for those in the fifth, 21 days for those in the sixth, and finally, it takes 49 days for those in the seventh category to be reborn in paradise. This is reason that people hold the 49-day posthumous ceremony. This ritual provides an opportunity for people to do good deeds on behalf of their deceased family members and help them be reborn in paradise within 49 days.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

What happens to the people in the eighth and ninth categories? Ultimately, people in all nine categories will all be reborn in paradise. However, those in the eighth and ninth categories have to spend some time in hell before that. Every year, Buddhists perform the Buddhist All Soul\u2019s Day ceremony on July 15th of the lunar calendar to save the souls of those in the two categories from hell. There is no point in debating whether this is true or not because it is a religious belief, so people are free to choose whether to believe it or not.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Funeral customs vary greatly from religion to religion and country to country. In India, the dead are cremated, and in Tibet, they are left to be eaten by birds. The corpse is cut up and placed on big rocks high in the mountain, so that it is eaten by falcons and eagles. In desert regions, the dead are \u201cburied in the wind.\u201d That is, they are nailed on a wooden board and exposed to the elements for one year until only the bones remain after which the funeral ceremony is performed. In regions with many islands, the dead are dropped into the sea.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Each of these funeral rituals has its unique meaning and significance. Tibetans feed the dead to birds because they believe that the spirit of the dead will fly to heaven with the birds. Some cultures bury the dead in the ground because of the belief that the spiritual world exists underground. Meanwhile, Indians believe in reincarnation, so they cremate the corpse to help the spirits to quickly sever their attachment to their worldly bodies so that they can be reborn.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Regardless of the funeral ritual that is performed, once a person dies, it\u2019s the end. By saying \u201cthe end\u201d I am not implying that there is no heaven or an afterlife; I am simply saying the person who draws his last breath will no longer exist in this world. From a Christian viewpoint, the spirits go to heaven, and from a Buddhist perspective, the spirits are reborn, so there is nothing we can do for them. Therefore, the best farewell for those who pass away is to let them go from our hearts.<\/p>\n","post_title":"The Best Farewell For The Deceased","post_excerpt":"","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","post_password":"","post_name":"the-best-farewell-for-the-deceased-2","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2024-03-02 14:50:59","post_modified_gmt":"2024-03-02 19:50:59","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/www.jungtosociety.org\/?p=18125","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"},{"ID":18140,"post_author":"13","post_date":"2024-03-10 17:37:58","post_date_gmt":"2024-03-10 22:37:58","post_content":"\n

<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Jungto Society, the international Buddhist community founded by the revered Korean Dharma master and social activist Venerable Pomnyun Sunim (\ubc95\ub95c\uc2a4\ub2d8), recently conducted its 33rd annual pilgrimage across India and to Nepal. Held under the theme \u201cFollowing in the Footsteps of the Buddha,\u201d the pilgrimage, which ran from 19 January to 2 February, was attended by more 500 practitioners.1<\/sup><\/p>\n\n\n\n

This year\u2019s pilgrimage was particularly notable for two reasons: first was the participation, for the first time in the Jungto pilgrimage\u2019s 33-year history, of non-Korean practitioners: the 500-plus Korean Buddhist pilgrims were accompanied nine practitioners from Italy, Japan, Thailand, the United Kingdom, the United States, and Vietnam. Second, the pilgrimage also coincided with celebrations for the 30th anniversary of Sujata Academy, a remarkable community school and social empowerment project established by Ven. Pomnyun Sunim in Dungeshwari, in the northeastern Indian state of Bihar. This project has transformed the lives of an entire community of people who have faced systemic social and economic exclusion as a result of India\u2019s conservative Hindu caste hierarchy.2<\/sup><\/p>\n\n\n\n

The academy is named after Sujata, the young woman who is said to have nourished the ailing and emaciated Siddhartha Gautama with a bowl of milk-rice, thus ending his six years of extreme asceticism. Tuition at the academy is provided free of charge. The school\u2019s principal goal is to educate every student in basic literacy and numeracy. Classes are taught from kindergarten to secondary level, alongside adult literacy classes and skills training. Students who wish to continue beyond elementary education and attend secondary school are required to teach kindergarteners or to help out in the onsite Jivaka Hospital in the mornings and to attend classes in the afternoon, working in the spirit of giving back to the community. The campus also includes a warehouse, a dormitory, a large playing field, and sports equipment for the children.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

x<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n
\n
\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\"\"<\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

Ven. Pomnyun Sunim established the international Buddhist humanitarian relief organization Join Together Society (JTS) as an expression of the compassion of engaged Buddhism and the belief that helping others is the best way to enrich one\u2019s own life. Headquartered in Seoul, JTS operates four branch offices in South Korea and the United States, along with field offices in India and the Philippines. JTS Korea and JTS America oversee fundraising, while JTS India and JTS Philippines conduct development projects in cooperation with local communities. The relief organization has also earned Special Consultative Status to the United Nations Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

JTS India began its work in Dungeshwari, some 12 kilometers northeast of the Buddhist pilgrimage hub of Bodh Gaya, in the early 1990s, aspiring to fulfill the mission: \u201cThe hungry should eat; the sick should be treated; children should be educated in time.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This region is surrounded by the Pragbodhi Hills where the historical Buddha, Shakyamuni, is said to have spent six years in a cave as an ascetic. And it\u2019s here that JTS India has been working to empower the villagers of Dungeshwari to live their lives free from hunger, illiteracy, and disease.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The people of Dungeshwari are primarily Dalits, who face systemic social and economic exclusion as a result of the conservative Hindu social hierarchy. \u201cDalit,\u201d which translates as \u201cbroken\u201d in Sanskrit, is a term for the very lowest castes, whom members of the so-called \u201chigher\u201d castes still to this day deem \u201cuntouchable,\u201d despite the practice being prohibited in the Constitution of India. By working directly with disadvantaged communities, JTS aims to help them to mobilize their own capabilities and resources to create a more prosperous and sustainable future.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Jungto Society Dharma teacher Doyeon Jang (Dharma name Bogwang), is the director of Sujata Academy. She has overseen the development of this ambitious project, facing numerous challenges, both personal and structural, in the process of bringing this expression of compassion and social transformation to fruition.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u25b6\ufe0f Published by BDG on March 8, 2024<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u25b6\ufe0f Read more: <\/a>https:\/\/www.buddhistdoor.net\/features\/the-sujata-academy-project-the-power-of-hope-and-compassion-in-india\/<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/p>\n","post_title":"The Sujata Academy Project: The Power of Hope and Compassion in India","post_excerpt":"The Korean Seon (Zen) master Venerable Pomnyun Sunim (\ubc95\ub95c\uc2a4\ub2d8) wears many hats: Buddhist monk, teacher, author, environmentalist, and social activist, to name a few. As a widely respected Dharma teacher and a tireless socially engaged activist in his native South Korea, Ven. Pomnyun Sunim has founded numerous Dharma-based organizations, initiatives, and projects that are active across the world. Among them, Jungto Society, a volunteer-based community founded on the Buddhist teachings and expressing equality, simple living, and sustainability, is dedicated to addressing modern social issues that lead to suffering, including environmental degradation, poverty, and conflict.\n\nThis column, shared by Jungto Society, presents a series of highlights from Ven. Pomnyun Sunim\u2019s writings, teachings, public talks, and regular live-streamed Dharma Q+A sessions, which are accessible across the globe.\n","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","post_password":"","post_name":"the-sujata-academy-project-the-power-of-hope-and-compassion-in-india","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2024-03-10 17:38:00","post_modified_gmt":"2024-03-10 22:38:00","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/www.jungtosociety.org\/?p=18140","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"},{"ID":18136,"post_author":"13","post_date":"2024-03-10 17:24:34","post_date_gmt":"2024-03-10 22:24:34","post_content":"\n

Your son is over forty and
his main relationship is with someone else.
So, stop worrying about a grown man
who belongs with another woman
and be nice to the man next to you. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Illustration by Maseol <\/p>\n","post_title":"Son over forty","post_excerpt":"","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","post_password":"","post_name":"son-over-forty","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2024-03-10 17:24:36","post_modified_gmt":"2024-03-10 22:24:36","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/www.jungtosociety.org\/?p=18136","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"}],"next":false,"prev":false,"total_page":1},"paged":1,"column_class":"jeg_col_2o3","class":"jnews_block_37"};

\n

<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/a><\/p>\n","post_title":"[Meditation Q&A] \u201cHow can I value serenity but not give up caring when I am practicing…. ?","post_excerpt":"","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","post_password":"","post_name":"meditation-qa-how-can-i-value-serenity-but-not-give-up-caring-when-i-am-practicing","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2024-02-27 19:02:33","post_modified_gmt":"2024-02-28 00:02:33","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/www.jungtosociety.org\/?p=18045","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"},{"ID":18197,"post_author":"13","post_date":"2024-03-13 22:47:47","post_date_gmt":"2024-03-14 03:47:47","post_content":"\n

It\u2019s simple to become an adult.
Wake up earlier than your mom
and prepare breakfast for your parents,
wash the dishes,
and clean your room after school or work. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Illustration by Maseol <\/p>\n","post_title":"Becoming an adult","post_excerpt":"","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","post_password":"","post_name":"becoming-an-adult","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2024-03-13 22:47:48","post_modified_gmt":"2024-03-14 03:47:48","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/www.jungtosociety.org\/?p=18197","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"},{"ID":18125,"post_author":"40","post_date":"2024-03-12 07:00:00","post_date_gmt":"2024-03-12 12:00:00","post_content":"\n

P:<\/strong> When the Buddha was close to death, his disciples came to him and asked,<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cHow would you like us to conduct your funeral?\u201d The Buddha answered, \u201cYou don\u2019t need to worry about my funeral because the lay Buddhists will take care of it.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Lay Buddhists are those who take refuge in the Three Jewels and practice the Five Precepts without becoming monks or nuns. When the Buddha said they will take care of it, he meant that his funeral would be conducted based on customs of the lay people in India. So, after the Buddha died, the Lay Buddhists cremated the Buddha\u2019s body according to the Indian tradition. If he had lived in Korea, he would have been buried in the ground as is the custom in Korea.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Dharma is a teaching about truth, so it does not contain cultural aspects. However, since Buddhism originated from India, its traditions, customs, and culture were integrated into the Buddhist culture. Strictly speaking, neither cremation nor the 49-day posthumous ceremony is a fundamental tradition of Buddhism. They are in fact part of the of Indian cultural tradition.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

It is said that the deceased person has 49 days to be saved and is classified into one of nine levels based on his deeds during his life. \u201cAnyone can be reborn in paradise after he dies if he sincerely hopes for it. However, not everyone can be reborn in paradise right away since people fall into one of the nine categories based on their deeds.\u201d Specifically, people are divided into three categories of high, middle and low, and those in each of the three categories are again divided into high, middle and low, so there are a total of nine categories.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

It is believed that people in the very first category are reborn in paradise immediately after their death. It is comparable to leaving a room and entering another room. Those in the second category are reborn within 12 hours. It takes one day for those in the third category, three days for those in the fourth, a week for those in the fifth, 21 days for those in the sixth, and finally, it takes 49 days for those in the seventh category to be reborn in paradise. This is reason that people hold the 49-day posthumous ceremony. This ritual provides an opportunity for people to do good deeds on behalf of their deceased family members and help them be reborn in paradise within 49 days.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

What happens to the people in the eighth and ninth categories? Ultimately, people in all nine categories will all be reborn in paradise. However, those in the eighth and ninth categories have to spend some time in hell before that. Every year, Buddhists perform the Buddhist All Soul\u2019s Day ceremony on July 15th of the lunar calendar to save the souls of those in the two categories from hell. There is no point in debating whether this is true or not because it is a religious belief, so people are free to choose whether to believe it or not.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Funeral customs vary greatly from religion to religion and country to country. In India, the dead are cremated, and in Tibet, they are left to be eaten by birds. The corpse is cut up and placed on big rocks high in the mountain, so that it is eaten by falcons and eagles. In desert regions, the dead are \u201cburied in the wind.\u201d That is, they are nailed on a wooden board and exposed to the elements for one year until only the bones remain after which the funeral ceremony is performed. In regions with many islands, the dead are dropped into the sea.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Each of these funeral rituals has its unique meaning and significance. Tibetans feed the dead to birds because they believe that the spirit of the dead will fly to heaven with the birds. Some cultures bury the dead in the ground because of the belief that the spiritual world exists underground. Meanwhile, Indians believe in reincarnation, so they cremate the corpse to help the spirits to quickly sever their attachment to their worldly bodies so that they can be reborn.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Regardless of the funeral ritual that is performed, once a person dies, it\u2019s the end. By saying \u201cthe end\u201d I am not implying that there is no heaven or an afterlife; I am simply saying the person who draws his last breath will no longer exist in this world. From a Christian viewpoint, the spirits go to heaven, and from a Buddhist perspective, the spirits are reborn, so there is nothing we can do for them. Therefore, the best farewell for those who pass away is to let them go from our hearts.<\/p>\n","post_title":"The Best Farewell For The Deceased","post_excerpt":"","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","post_password":"","post_name":"the-best-farewell-for-the-deceased-2","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2024-03-02 14:50:59","post_modified_gmt":"2024-03-02 19:50:59","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/www.jungtosociety.org\/?p=18125","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"},{"ID":18140,"post_author":"13","post_date":"2024-03-10 17:37:58","post_date_gmt":"2024-03-10 22:37:58","post_content":"\n

<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Jungto Society, the international Buddhist community founded by the revered Korean Dharma master and social activist Venerable Pomnyun Sunim (\ubc95\ub95c\uc2a4\ub2d8), recently conducted its 33rd annual pilgrimage across India and to Nepal. Held under the theme \u201cFollowing in the Footsteps of the Buddha,\u201d the pilgrimage, which ran from 19 January to 2 February, was attended by more 500 practitioners.1<\/sup><\/p>\n\n\n\n

This year\u2019s pilgrimage was particularly notable for two reasons: first was the participation, for the first time in the Jungto pilgrimage\u2019s 33-year history, of non-Korean practitioners: the 500-plus Korean Buddhist pilgrims were accompanied nine practitioners from Italy, Japan, Thailand, the United Kingdom, the United States, and Vietnam. Second, the pilgrimage also coincided with celebrations for the 30th anniversary of Sujata Academy, a remarkable community school and social empowerment project established by Ven. Pomnyun Sunim in Dungeshwari, in the northeastern Indian state of Bihar. This project has transformed the lives of an entire community of people who have faced systemic social and economic exclusion as a result of India\u2019s conservative Hindu caste hierarchy.2<\/sup><\/p>\n\n\n\n

The academy is named after Sujata, the young woman who is said to have nourished the ailing and emaciated Siddhartha Gautama with a bowl of milk-rice, thus ending his six years of extreme asceticism. Tuition at the academy is provided free of charge. The school\u2019s principal goal is to educate every student in basic literacy and numeracy. Classes are taught from kindergarten to secondary level, alongside adult literacy classes and skills training. Students who wish to continue beyond elementary education and attend secondary school are required to teach kindergarteners or to help out in the onsite Jivaka Hospital in the mornings and to attend classes in the afternoon, working in the spirit of giving back to the community. The campus also includes a warehouse, a dormitory, a large playing field, and sports equipment for the children.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

x<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n
\n
\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\"\"<\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

Ven. Pomnyun Sunim established the international Buddhist humanitarian relief organization Join Together Society (JTS) as an expression of the compassion of engaged Buddhism and the belief that helping others is the best way to enrich one\u2019s own life. Headquartered in Seoul, JTS operates four branch offices in South Korea and the United States, along with field offices in India and the Philippines. JTS Korea and JTS America oversee fundraising, while JTS India and JTS Philippines conduct development projects in cooperation with local communities. The relief organization has also earned Special Consultative Status to the United Nations Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

JTS India began its work in Dungeshwari, some 12 kilometers northeast of the Buddhist pilgrimage hub of Bodh Gaya, in the early 1990s, aspiring to fulfill the mission: \u201cThe hungry should eat; the sick should be treated; children should be educated in time.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This region is surrounded by the Pragbodhi Hills where the historical Buddha, Shakyamuni, is said to have spent six years in a cave as an ascetic. And it\u2019s here that JTS India has been working to empower the villagers of Dungeshwari to live their lives free from hunger, illiteracy, and disease.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The people of Dungeshwari are primarily Dalits, who face systemic social and economic exclusion as a result of the conservative Hindu social hierarchy. \u201cDalit,\u201d which translates as \u201cbroken\u201d in Sanskrit, is a term for the very lowest castes, whom members of the so-called \u201chigher\u201d castes still to this day deem \u201cuntouchable,\u201d despite the practice being prohibited in the Constitution of India. By working directly with disadvantaged communities, JTS aims to help them to mobilize their own capabilities and resources to create a more prosperous and sustainable future.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Jungto Society Dharma teacher Doyeon Jang (Dharma name Bogwang), is the director of Sujata Academy. She has overseen the development of this ambitious project, facing numerous challenges, both personal and structural, in the process of bringing this expression of compassion and social transformation to fruition.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u25b6\ufe0f Published by BDG on March 8, 2024<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u25b6\ufe0f Read more: <\/a>https:\/\/www.buddhistdoor.net\/features\/the-sujata-academy-project-the-power-of-hope-and-compassion-in-india\/<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/p>\n","post_title":"The Sujata Academy Project: The Power of Hope and Compassion in India","post_excerpt":"The Korean Seon (Zen) master Venerable Pomnyun Sunim (\ubc95\ub95c\uc2a4\ub2d8) wears many hats: Buddhist monk, teacher, author, environmentalist, and social activist, to name a few. As a widely respected Dharma teacher and a tireless socially engaged activist in his native South Korea, Ven. Pomnyun Sunim has founded numerous Dharma-based organizations, initiatives, and projects that are active across the world. Among them, Jungto Society, a volunteer-based community founded on the Buddhist teachings and expressing equality, simple living, and sustainability, is dedicated to addressing modern social issues that lead to suffering, including environmental degradation, poverty, and conflict.\n\nThis column, shared by Jungto Society, presents a series of highlights from Ven. Pomnyun Sunim\u2019s writings, teachings, public talks, and regular live-streamed Dharma Q+A sessions, which are accessible across the globe.\n","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","post_password":"","post_name":"the-sujata-academy-project-the-power-of-hope-and-compassion-in-india","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2024-03-10 17:38:00","post_modified_gmt":"2024-03-10 22:38:00","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/www.jungtosociety.org\/?p=18140","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"},{"ID":18136,"post_author":"13","post_date":"2024-03-10 17:24:34","post_date_gmt":"2024-03-10 22:24:34","post_content":"\n

Your son is over forty and
his main relationship is with someone else.
So, stop worrying about a grown man
who belongs with another woman
and be nice to the man next to you. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Illustration by Maseol <\/p>\n","post_title":"Son over forty","post_excerpt":"","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","post_password":"","post_name":"son-over-forty","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2024-03-10 17:24:36","post_modified_gmt":"2024-03-10 22:24:36","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/www.jungtosociety.org\/?p=18136","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"}],"next":false,"prev":false,"total_page":1},"paged":1,"column_class":"jeg_col_2o3","class":"jnews_block_37"};

\n

<\/a><\/gwmw><\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/a><\/p>\n","post_title":"[Meditation Q&A] \u201cHow can I value serenity but not give up caring when I am practicing…. ?","post_excerpt":"","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","post_password":"","post_name":"meditation-qa-how-can-i-value-serenity-but-not-give-up-caring-when-i-am-practicing","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2024-02-27 19:02:33","post_modified_gmt":"2024-02-28 00:02:33","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/www.jungtosociety.org\/?p=18045","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"},{"ID":18197,"post_author":"13","post_date":"2024-03-13 22:47:47","post_date_gmt":"2024-03-14 03:47:47","post_content":"\n

It\u2019s simple to become an adult.
Wake up earlier than your mom
and prepare breakfast for your parents,
wash the dishes,
and clean your room after school or work. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Illustration by Maseol <\/p>\n","post_title":"Becoming an adult","post_excerpt":"","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","post_password":"","post_name":"becoming-an-adult","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2024-03-13 22:47:48","post_modified_gmt":"2024-03-14 03:47:48","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/www.jungtosociety.org\/?p=18197","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"},{"ID":18125,"post_author":"40","post_date":"2024-03-12 07:00:00","post_date_gmt":"2024-03-12 12:00:00","post_content":"\n

P:<\/strong> When the Buddha was close to death, his disciples came to him and asked,<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cHow would you like us to conduct your funeral?\u201d The Buddha answered, \u201cYou don\u2019t need to worry about my funeral because the lay Buddhists will take care of it.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Lay Buddhists are those who take refuge in the Three Jewels and practice the Five Precepts without becoming monks or nuns. When the Buddha said they will take care of it, he meant that his funeral would be conducted based on customs of the lay people in India. So, after the Buddha died, the Lay Buddhists cremated the Buddha\u2019s body according to the Indian tradition. If he had lived in Korea, he would have been buried in the ground as is the custom in Korea.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Dharma is a teaching about truth, so it does not contain cultural aspects. However, since Buddhism originated from India, its traditions, customs, and culture were integrated into the Buddhist culture. Strictly speaking, neither cremation nor the 49-day posthumous ceremony is a fundamental tradition of Buddhism. They are in fact part of the of Indian cultural tradition.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

It is said that the deceased person has 49 days to be saved and is classified into one of nine levels based on his deeds during his life. \u201cAnyone can be reborn in paradise after he dies if he sincerely hopes for it. However, not everyone can be reborn in paradise right away since people fall into one of the nine categories based on their deeds.\u201d Specifically, people are divided into three categories of high, middle and low, and those in each of the three categories are again divided into high, middle and low, so there are a total of nine categories.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

It is believed that people in the very first category are reborn in paradise immediately after their death. It is comparable to leaving a room and entering another room. Those in the second category are reborn within 12 hours. It takes one day for those in the third category, three days for those in the fourth, a week for those in the fifth, 21 days for those in the sixth, and finally, it takes 49 days for those in the seventh category to be reborn in paradise. This is reason that people hold the 49-day posthumous ceremony. This ritual provides an opportunity for people to do good deeds on behalf of their deceased family members and help them be reborn in paradise within 49 days.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

What happens to the people in the eighth and ninth categories? Ultimately, people in all nine categories will all be reborn in paradise. However, those in the eighth and ninth categories have to spend some time in hell before that. Every year, Buddhists perform the Buddhist All Soul\u2019s Day ceremony on July 15th of the lunar calendar to save the souls of those in the two categories from hell. There is no point in debating whether this is true or not because it is a religious belief, so people are free to choose whether to believe it or not.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Funeral customs vary greatly from religion to religion and country to country. In India, the dead are cremated, and in Tibet, they are left to be eaten by birds. The corpse is cut up and placed on big rocks high in the mountain, so that it is eaten by falcons and eagles. In desert regions, the dead are \u201cburied in the wind.\u201d That is, they are nailed on a wooden board and exposed to the elements for one year until only the bones remain after which the funeral ceremony is performed. In regions with many islands, the dead are dropped into the sea.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Each of these funeral rituals has its unique meaning and significance. Tibetans feed the dead to birds because they believe that the spirit of the dead will fly to heaven with the birds. Some cultures bury the dead in the ground because of the belief that the spiritual world exists underground. Meanwhile, Indians believe in reincarnation, so they cremate the corpse to help the spirits to quickly sever their attachment to their worldly bodies so that they can be reborn.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Regardless of the funeral ritual that is performed, once a person dies, it\u2019s the end. By saying \u201cthe end\u201d I am not implying that there is no heaven or an afterlife; I am simply saying the person who draws his last breath will no longer exist in this world. From a Christian viewpoint, the spirits go to heaven, and from a Buddhist perspective, the spirits are reborn, so there is nothing we can do for them. Therefore, the best farewell for those who pass away is to let them go from our hearts.<\/p>\n","post_title":"The Best Farewell For The Deceased","post_excerpt":"","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","post_password":"","post_name":"the-best-farewell-for-the-deceased-2","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2024-03-02 14:50:59","post_modified_gmt":"2024-03-02 19:50:59","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/www.jungtosociety.org\/?p=18125","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"},{"ID":18140,"post_author":"13","post_date":"2024-03-10 17:37:58","post_date_gmt":"2024-03-10 22:37:58","post_content":"\n

<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Jungto Society, the international Buddhist community founded by the revered Korean Dharma master and social activist Venerable Pomnyun Sunim (\ubc95\ub95c\uc2a4\ub2d8), recently conducted its 33rd annual pilgrimage across India and to Nepal. Held under the theme \u201cFollowing in the Footsteps of the Buddha,\u201d the pilgrimage, which ran from 19 January to 2 February, was attended by more 500 practitioners.1<\/sup><\/p>\n\n\n\n

This year\u2019s pilgrimage was particularly notable for two reasons: first was the participation, for the first time in the Jungto pilgrimage\u2019s 33-year history, of non-Korean practitioners: the 500-plus Korean Buddhist pilgrims were accompanied nine practitioners from Italy, Japan, Thailand, the United Kingdom, the United States, and Vietnam. Second, the pilgrimage also coincided with celebrations for the 30th anniversary of Sujata Academy, a remarkable community school and social empowerment project established by Ven. Pomnyun Sunim in Dungeshwari, in the northeastern Indian state of Bihar. This project has transformed the lives of an entire community of people who have faced systemic social and economic exclusion as a result of India\u2019s conservative Hindu caste hierarchy.2<\/sup><\/p>\n\n\n\n

The academy is named after Sujata, the young woman who is said to have nourished the ailing and emaciated Siddhartha Gautama with a bowl of milk-rice, thus ending his six years of extreme asceticism. Tuition at the academy is provided free of charge. The school\u2019s principal goal is to educate every student in basic literacy and numeracy. Classes are taught from kindergarten to secondary level, alongside adult literacy classes and skills training. Students who wish to continue beyond elementary education and attend secondary school are required to teach kindergarteners or to help out in the onsite Jivaka Hospital in the mornings and to attend classes in the afternoon, working in the spirit of giving back to the community. The campus also includes a warehouse, a dormitory, a large playing field, and sports equipment for the children.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

x<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n
\n
\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\"\"<\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

Ven. Pomnyun Sunim established the international Buddhist humanitarian relief organization Join Together Society (JTS) as an expression of the compassion of engaged Buddhism and the belief that helping others is the best way to enrich one\u2019s own life. Headquartered in Seoul, JTS operates four branch offices in South Korea and the United States, along with field offices in India and the Philippines. JTS Korea and JTS America oversee fundraising, while JTS India and JTS Philippines conduct development projects in cooperation with local communities. The relief organization has also earned Special Consultative Status to the United Nations Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

JTS India began its work in Dungeshwari, some 12 kilometers northeast of the Buddhist pilgrimage hub of Bodh Gaya, in the early 1990s, aspiring to fulfill the mission: \u201cThe hungry should eat; the sick should be treated; children should be educated in time.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This region is surrounded by the Pragbodhi Hills where the historical Buddha, Shakyamuni, is said to have spent six years in a cave as an ascetic. And it\u2019s here that JTS India has been working to empower the villagers of Dungeshwari to live their lives free from hunger, illiteracy, and disease.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The people of Dungeshwari are primarily Dalits, who face systemic social and economic exclusion as a result of the conservative Hindu social hierarchy. \u201cDalit,\u201d which translates as \u201cbroken\u201d in Sanskrit, is a term for the very lowest castes, whom members of the so-called \u201chigher\u201d castes still to this day deem \u201cuntouchable,\u201d despite the practice being prohibited in the Constitution of India. By working directly with disadvantaged communities, JTS aims to help them to mobilize their own capabilities and resources to create a more prosperous and sustainable future.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Jungto Society Dharma teacher Doyeon Jang (Dharma name Bogwang), is the director of Sujata Academy. She has overseen the development of this ambitious project, facing numerous challenges, both personal and structural, in the process of bringing this expression of compassion and social transformation to fruition.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u25b6\ufe0f Published by BDG on March 8, 2024<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u25b6\ufe0f Read more: <\/a>https:\/\/www.buddhistdoor.net\/features\/the-sujata-academy-project-the-power-of-hope-and-compassion-in-india\/<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/p>\n","post_title":"The Sujata Academy Project: The Power of Hope and Compassion in India","post_excerpt":"The Korean Seon (Zen) master Venerable Pomnyun Sunim (\ubc95\ub95c\uc2a4\ub2d8) wears many hats: Buddhist monk, teacher, author, environmentalist, and social activist, to name a few. As a widely respected Dharma teacher and a tireless socially engaged activist in his native South Korea, Ven. Pomnyun Sunim has founded numerous Dharma-based organizations, initiatives, and projects that are active across the world. Among them, Jungto Society, a volunteer-based community founded on the Buddhist teachings and expressing equality, simple living, and sustainability, is dedicated to addressing modern social issues that lead to suffering, including environmental degradation, poverty, and conflict.\n\nThis column, shared by Jungto Society, presents a series of highlights from Ven. Pomnyun Sunim\u2019s writings, teachings, public talks, and regular live-streamed Dharma Q+A sessions, which are accessible across the globe.\n","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","post_password":"","post_name":"the-sujata-academy-project-the-power-of-hope-and-compassion-in-india","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2024-03-10 17:38:00","post_modified_gmt":"2024-03-10 22:38:00","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/www.jungtosociety.org\/?p=18140","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"},{"ID":18136,"post_author":"13","post_date":"2024-03-10 17:24:34","post_date_gmt":"2024-03-10 22:24:34","post_content":"\n

Your son is over forty and
his main relationship is with someone else.
So, stop worrying about a grown man
who belongs with another woman
and be nice to the man next to you. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Illustration by Maseol <\/p>\n","post_title":"Son over forty","post_excerpt":"","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","post_password":"","post_name":"son-over-forty","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2024-03-10 17:24:36","post_modified_gmt":"2024-03-10 22:24:36","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/www.jungtosociety.org\/?p=18136","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"}],"next":false,"prev":false,"total_page":1},"paged":1,"column_class":"jeg_col_2o3","class":"jnews_block_37"};

\n

<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/a><\/gwmw><\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/a><\/p>\n","post_title":"[Meditation Q&A] \u201cHow can I value serenity but not give up caring when I am practicing…. ?","post_excerpt":"","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","post_password":"","post_name":"meditation-qa-how-can-i-value-serenity-but-not-give-up-caring-when-i-am-practicing","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2024-02-27 19:02:33","post_modified_gmt":"2024-02-28 00:02:33","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/www.jungtosociety.org\/?p=18045","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"},{"ID":18197,"post_author":"13","post_date":"2024-03-13 22:47:47","post_date_gmt":"2024-03-14 03:47:47","post_content":"\n

It\u2019s simple to become an adult.
Wake up earlier than your mom
and prepare breakfast for your parents,
wash the dishes,
and clean your room after school or work. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Illustration by Maseol <\/p>\n","post_title":"Becoming an adult","post_excerpt":"","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","post_password":"","post_name":"becoming-an-adult","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2024-03-13 22:47:48","post_modified_gmt":"2024-03-14 03:47:48","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/www.jungtosociety.org\/?p=18197","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"},{"ID":18125,"post_author":"40","post_date":"2024-03-12 07:00:00","post_date_gmt":"2024-03-12 12:00:00","post_content":"\n

P:<\/strong> When the Buddha was close to death, his disciples came to him and asked,<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cHow would you like us to conduct your funeral?\u201d The Buddha answered, \u201cYou don\u2019t need to worry about my funeral because the lay Buddhists will take care of it.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Lay Buddhists are those who take refuge in the Three Jewels and practice the Five Precepts without becoming monks or nuns. When the Buddha said they will take care of it, he meant that his funeral would be conducted based on customs of the lay people in India. So, after the Buddha died, the Lay Buddhists cremated the Buddha\u2019s body according to the Indian tradition. If he had lived in Korea, he would have been buried in the ground as is the custom in Korea.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Dharma is a teaching about truth, so it does not contain cultural aspects. However, since Buddhism originated from India, its traditions, customs, and culture were integrated into the Buddhist culture. Strictly speaking, neither cremation nor the 49-day posthumous ceremony is a fundamental tradition of Buddhism. They are in fact part of the of Indian cultural tradition.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

It is said that the deceased person has 49 days to be saved and is classified into one of nine levels based on his deeds during his life. \u201cAnyone can be reborn in paradise after he dies if he sincerely hopes for it. However, not everyone can be reborn in paradise right away since people fall into one of the nine categories based on their deeds.\u201d Specifically, people are divided into three categories of high, middle and low, and those in each of the three categories are again divided into high, middle and low, so there are a total of nine categories.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

It is believed that people in the very first category are reborn in paradise immediately after their death. It is comparable to leaving a room and entering another room. Those in the second category are reborn within 12 hours. It takes one day for those in the third category, three days for those in the fourth, a week for those in the fifth, 21 days for those in the sixth, and finally, it takes 49 days for those in the seventh category to be reborn in paradise. This is reason that people hold the 49-day posthumous ceremony. This ritual provides an opportunity for people to do good deeds on behalf of their deceased family members and help them be reborn in paradise within 49 days.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

What happens to the people in the eighth and ninth categories? Ultimately, people in all nine categories will all be reborn in paradise. However, those in the eighth and ninth categories have to spend some time in hell before that. Every year, Buddhists perform the Buddhist All Soul\u2019s Day ceremony on July 15th of the lunar calendar to save the souls of those in the two categories from hell. There is no point in debating whether this is true or not because it is a religious belief, so people are free to choose whether to believe it or not.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Funeral customs vary greatly from religion to religion and country to country. In India, the dead are cremated, and in Tibet, they are left to be eaten by birds. The corpse is cut up and placed on big rocks high in the mountain, so that it is eaten by falcons and eagles. In desert regions, the dead are \u201cburied in the wind.\u201d That is, they are nailed on a wooden board and exposed to the elements for one year until only the bones remain after which the funeral ceremony is performed. In regions with many islands, the dead are dropped into the sea.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Each of these funeral rituals has its unique meaning and significance. Tibetans feed the dead to birds because they believe that the spirit of the dead will fly to heaven with the birds. Some cultures bury the dead in the ground because of the belief that the spiritual world exists underground. Meanwhile, Indians believe in reincarnation, so they cremate the corpse to help the spirits to quickly sever their attachment to their worldly bodies so that they can be reborn.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Regardless of the funeral ritual that is performed, once a person dies, it\u2019s the end. By saying \u201cthe end\u201d I am not implying that there is no heaven or an afterlife; I am simply saying the person who draws his last breath will no longer exist in this world. From a Christian viewpoint, the spirits go to heaven, and from a Buddhist perspective, the spirits are reborn, so there is nothing we can do for them. Therefore, the best farewell for those who pass away is to let them go from our hearts.<\/p>\n","post_title":"The Best Farewell For The Deceased","post_excerpt":"","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","post_password":"","post_name":"the-best-farewell-for-the-deceased-2","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2024-03-02 14:50:59","post_modified_gmt":"2024-03-02 19:50:59","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/www.jungtosociety.org\/?p=18125","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"},{"ID":18140,"post_author":"13","post_date":"2024-03-10 17:37:58","post_date_gmt":"2024-03-10 22:37:58","post_content":"\n

<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Jungto Society, the international Buddhist community founded by the revered Korean Dharma master and social activist Venerable Pomnyun Sunim (\ubc95\ub95c\uc2a4\ub2d8), recently conducted its 33rd annual pilgrimage across India and to Nepal. Held under the theme \u201cFollowing in the Footsteps of the Buddha,\u201d the pilgrimage, which ran from 19 January to 2 February, was attended by more 500 practitioners.1<\/sup><\/p>\n\n\n\n

This year\u2019s pilgrimage was particularly notable for two reasons: first was the participation, for the first time in the Jungto pilgrimage\u2019s 33-year history, of non-Korean practitioners: the 500-plus Korean Buddhist pilgrims were accompanied nine practitioners from Italy, Japan, Thailand, the United Kingdom, the United States, and Vietnam. Second, the pilgrimage also coincided with celebrations for the 30th anniversary of Sujata Academy, a remarkable community school and social empowerment project established by Ven. Pomnyun Sunim in Dungeshwari, in the northeastern Indian state of Bihar. This project has transformed the lives of an entire community of people who have faced systemic social and economic exclusion as a result of India\u2019s conservative Hindu caste hierarchy.2<\/sup><\/p>\n\n\n\n

The academy is named after Sujata, the young woman who is said to have nourished the ailing and emaciated Siddhartha Gautama with a bowl of milk-rice, thus ending his six years of extreme asceticism. Tuition at the academy is provided free of charge. The school\u2019s principal goal is to educate every student in basic literacy and numeracy. Classes are taught from kindergarten to secondary level, alongside adult literacy classes and skills training. Students who wish to continue beyond elementary education and attend secondary school are required to teach kindergarteners or to help out in the onsite Jivaka Hospital in the mornings and to attend classes in the afternoon, working in the spirit of giving back to the community. The campus also includes a warehouse, a dormitory, a large playing field, and sports equipment for the children.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

x<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n
\n
\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\"\"<\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

Ven. Pomnyun Sunim established the international Buddhist humanitarian relief organization Join Together Society (JTS) as an expression of the compassion of engaged Buddhism and the belief that helping others is the best way to enrich one\u2019s own life. Headquartered in Seoul, JTS operates four branch offices in South Korea and the United States, along with field offices in India and the Philippines. JTS Korea and JTS America oversee fundraising, while JTS India and JTS Philippines conduct development projects in cooperation with local communities. The relief organization has also earned Special Consultative Status to the United Nations Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

JTS India began its work in Dungeshwari, some 12 kilometers northeast of the Buddhist pilgrimage hub of Bodh Gaya, in the early 1990s, aspiring to fulfill the mission: \u201cThe hungry should eat; the sick should be treated; children should be educated in time.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This region is surrounded by the Pragbodhi Hills where the historical Buddha, Shakyamuni, is said to have spent six years in a cave as an ascetic. And it\u2019s here that JTS India has been working to empower the villagers of Dungeshwari to live their lives free from hunger, illiteracy, and disease.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The people of Dungeshwari are primarily Dalits, who face systemic social and economic exclusion as a result of the conservative Hindu social hierarchy. \u201cDalit,\u201d which translates as \u201cbroken\u201d in Sanskrit, is a term for the very lowest castes, whom members of the so-called \u201chigher\u201d castes still to this day deem \u201cuntouchable,\u201d despite the practice being prohibited in the Constitution of India. By working directly with disadvantaged communities, JTS aims to help them to mobilize their own capabilities and resources to create a more prosperous and sustainable future.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Jungto Society Dharma teacher Doyeon Jang (Dharma name Bogwang), is the director of Sujata Academy. She has overseen the development of this ambitious project, facing numerous challenges, both personal and structural, in the process of bringing this expression of compassion and social transformation to fruition.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u25b6\ufe0f Published by BDG on March 8, 2024<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u25b6\ufe0f Read more: <\/a>https:\/\/www.buddhistdoor.net\/features\/the-sujata-academy-project-the-power-of-hope-and-compassion-in-india\/<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/p>\n","post_title":"The Sujata Academy Project: The Power of Hope and Compassion in India","post_excerpt":"The Korean Seon (Zen) master Venerable Pomnyun Sunim (\ubc95\ub95c\uc2a4\ub2d8) wears many hats: Buddhist monk, teacher, author, environmentalist, and social activist, to name a few. As a widely respected Dharma teacher and a tireless socially engaged activist in his native South Korea, Ven. Pomnyun Sunim has founded numerous Dharma-based organizations, initiatives, and projects that are active across the world. Among them, Jungto Society, a volunteer-based community founded on the Buddhist teachings and expressing equality, simple living, and sustainability, is dedicated to addressing modern social issues that lead to suffering, including environmental degradation, poverty, and conflict.\n\nThis column, shared by Jungto Society, presents a series of highlights from Ven. Pomnyun Sunim\u2019s writings, teachings, public talks, and regular live-streamed Dharma Q+A sessions, which are accessible across the globe.\n","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","post_password":"","post_name":"the-sujata-academy-project-the-power-of-hope-and-compassion-in-india","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2024-03-10 17:38:00","post_modified_gmt":"2024-03-10 22:38:00","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/www.jungtosociety.org\/?p=18140","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"},{"ID":18136,"post_author":"13","post_date":"2024-03-10 17:24:34","post_date_gmt":"2024-03-10 22:24:34","post_content":"\n

Your son is over forty and
his main relationship is with someone else.
So, stop worrying about a grown man
who belongs with another woman
and be nice to the man next to you. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Illustration by Maseol <\/p>\n","post_title":"Son over forty","post_excerpt":"","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","post_password":"","post_name":"son-over-forty","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2024-03-10 17:24:36","post_modified_gmt":"2024-03-10 22:24:36","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/www.jungtosociety.org\/?p=18136","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"}],"next":false,"prev":false,"total_page":1},"paged":1,"column_class":"jeg_col_2o3","class":"jnews_block_37"};

\n

<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/a><\/gwmw><\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/a><\/p>\n","post_title":"[Meditation Q&A] \u201cHow can I value serenity but not give up caring when I am practicing…. ?","post_excerpt":"","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","post_password":"","post_name":"meditation-qa-how-can-i-value-serenity-but-not-give-up-caring-when-i-am-practicing","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2024-02-27 19:02:33","post_modified_gmt":"2024-02-28 00:02:33","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/www.jungtosociety.org\/?p=18045","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"},{"ID":18197,"post_author":"13","post_date":"2024-03-13 22:47:47","post_date_gmt":"2024-03-14 03:47:47","post_content":"\n

It\u2019s simple to become an adult.
Wake up earlier than your mom
and prepare breakfast for your parents,
wash the dishes,
and clean your room after school or work. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Illustration by Maseol <\/p>\n","post_title":"Becoming an adult","post_excerpt":"","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","post_password":"","post_name":"becoming-an-adult","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2024-03-13 22:47:48","post_modified_gmt":"2024-03-14 03:47:48","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/www.jungtosociety.org\/?p=18197","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"},{"ID":18125,"post_author":"40","post_date":"2024-03-12 07:00:00","post_date_gmt":"2024-03-12 12:00:00","post_content":"\n

P:<\/strong> When the Buddha was close to death, his disciples came to him and asked,<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cHow would you like us to conduct your funeral?\u201d The Buddha answered, \u201cYou don\u2019t need to worry about my funeral because the lay Buddhists will take care of it.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Lay Buddhists are those who take refuge in the Three Jewels and practice the Five Precepts without becoming monks or nuns. When the Buddha said they will take care of it, he meant that his funeral would be conducted based on customs of the lay people in India. So, after the Buddha died, the Lay Buddhists cremated the Buddha\u2019s body according to the Indian tradition. If he had lived in Korea, he would have been buried in the ground as is the custom in Korea.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Dharma is a teaching about truth, so it does not contain cultural aspects. However, since Buddhism originated from India, its traditions, customs, and culture were integrated into the Buddhist culture. Strictly speaking, neither cremation nor the 49-day posthumous ceremony is a fundamental tradition of Buddhism. They are in fact part of the of Indian cultural tradition.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

It is said that the deceased person has 49 days to be saved and is classified into one of nine levels based on his deeds during his life. \u201cAnyone can be reborn in paradise after he dies if he sincerely hopes for it. However, not everyone can be reborn in paradise right away since people fall into one of the nine categories based on their deeds.\u201d Specifically, people are divided into three categories of high, middle and low, and those in each of the three categories are again divided into high, middle and low, so there are a total of nine categories.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

It is believed that people in the very first category are reborn in paradise immediately after their death. It is comparable to leaving a room and entering another room. Those in the second category are reborn within 12 hours. It takes one day for those in the third category, three days for those in the fourth, a week for those in the fifth, 21 days for those in the sixth, and finally, it takes 49 days for those in the seventh category to be reborn in paradise. This is reason that people hold the 49-day posthumous ceremony. This ritual provides an opportunity for people to do good deeds on behalf of their deceased family members and help them be reborn in paradise within 49 days.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

What happens to the people in the eighth and ninth categories? Ultimately, people in all nine categories will all be reborn in paradise. However, those in the eighth and ninth categories have to spend some time in hell before that. Every year, Buddhists perform the Buddhist All Soul\u2019s Day ceremony on July 15th of the lunar calendar to save the souls of those in the two categories from hell. There is no point in debating whether this is true or not because it is a religious belief, so people are free to choose whether to believe it or not.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Funeral customs vary greatly from religion to religion and country to country. In India, the dead are cremated, and in Tibet, they are left to be eaten by birds. The corpse is cut up and placed on big rocks high in the mountain, so that it is eaten by falcons and eagles. In desert regions, the dead are \u201cburied in the wind.\u201d That is, they are nailed on a wooden board and exposed to the elements for one year until only the bones remain after which the funeral ceremony is performed. In regions with many islands, the dead are dropped into the sea.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Each of these funeral rituals has its unique meaning and significance. Tibetans feed the dead to birds because they believe that the spirit of the dead will fly to heaven with the birds. Some cultures bury the dead in the ground because of the belief that the spiritual world exists underground. Meanwhile, Indians believe in reincarnation, so they cremate the corpse to help the spirits to quickly sever their attachment to their worldly bodies so that they can be reborn.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Regardless of the funeral ritual that is performed, once a person dies, it\u2019s the end. By saying \u201cthe end\u201d I am not implying that there is no heaven or an afterlife; I am simply saying the person who draws his last breath will no longer exist in this world. From a Christian viewpoint, the spirits go to heaven, and from a Buddhist perspective, the spirits are reborn, so there is nothing we can do for them. Therefore, the best farewell for those who pass away is to let them go from our hearts.<\/p>\n","post_title":"The Best Farewell For The Deceased","post_excerpt":"","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","post_password":"","post_name":"the-best-farewell-for-the-deceased-2","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2024-03-02 14:50:59","post_modified_gmt":"2024-03-02 19:50:59","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/www.jungtosociety.org\/?p=18125","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"},{"ID":18140,"post_author":"13","post_date":"2024-03-10 17:37:58","post_date_gmt":"2024-03-10 22:37:58","post_content":"\n

<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Jungto Society, the international Buddhist community founded by the revered Korean Dharma master and social activist Venerable Pomnyun Sunim (\ubc95\ub95c\uc2a4\ub2d8), recently conducted its 33rd annual pilgrimage across India and to Nepal. Held under the theme \u201cFollowing in the Footsteps of the Buddha,\u201d the pilgrimage, which ran from 19 January to 2 February, was attended by more 500 practitioners.1<\/sup><\/p>\n\n\n\n

This year\u2019s pilgrimage was particularly notable for two reasons: first was the participation, for the first time in the Jungto pilgrimage\u2019s 33-year history, of non-Korean practitioners: the 500-plus Korean Buddhist pilgrims were accompanied nine practitioners from Italy, Japan, Thailand, the United Kingdom, the United States, and Vietnam. Second, the pilgrimage also coincided with celebrations for the 30th anniversary of Sujata Academy, a remarkable community school and social empowerment project established by Ven. Pomnyun Sunim in Dungeshwari, in the northeastern Indian state of Bihar. This project has transformed the lives of an entire community of people who have faced systemic social and economic exclusion as a result of India\u2019s conservative Hindu caste hierarchy.2<\/sup><\/p>\n\n\n\n

The academy is named after Sujata, the young woman who is said to have nourished the ailing and emaciated Siddhartha Gautama with a bowl of milk-rice, thus ending his six years of extreme asceticism. Tuition at the academy is provided free of charge. The school\u2019s principal goal is to educate every student in basic literacy and numeracy. Classes are taught from kindergarten to secondary level, alongside adult literacy classes and skills training. Students who wish to continue beyond elementary education and attend secondary school are required to teach kindergarteners or to help out in the onsite Jivaka Hospital in the mornings and to attend classes in the afternoon, working in the spirit of giving back to the community. The campus also includes a warehouse, a dormitory, a large playing field, and sports equipment for the children.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

x<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n
\n
\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\"\"<\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

Ven. Pomnyun Sunim established the international Buddhist humanitarian relief organization Join Together Society (JTS) as an expression of the compassion of engaged Buddhism and the belief that helping others is the best way to enrich one\u2019s own life. Headquartered in Seoul, JTS operates four branch offices in South Korea and the United States, along with field offices in India and the Philippines. JTS Korea and JTS America oversee fundraising, while JTS India and JTS Philippines conduct development projects in cooperation with local communities. The relief organization has also earned Special Consultative Status to the United Nations Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

JTS India began its work in Dungeshwari, some 12 kilometers northeast of the Buddhist pilgrimage hub of Bodh Gaya, in the early 1990s, aspiring to fulfill the mission: \u201cThe hungry should eat; the sick should be treated; children should be educated in time.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This region is surrounded by the Pragbodhi Hills where the historical Buddha, Shakyamuni, is said to have spent six years in a cave as an ascetic. And it\u2019s here that JTS India has been working to empower the villagers of Dungeshwari to live their lives free from hunger, illiteracy, and disease.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The people of Dungeshwari are primarily Dalits, who face systemic social and economic exclusion as a result of the conservative Hindu social hierarchy. \u201cDalit,\u201d which translates as \u201cbroken\u201d in Sanskrit, is a term for the very lowest castes, whom members of the so-called \u201chigher\u201d castes still to this day deem \u201cuntouchable,\u201d despite the practice being prohibited in the Constitution of India. By working directly with disadvantaged communities, JTS aims to help them to mobilize their own capabilities and resources to create a more prosperous and sustainable future.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Jungto Society Dharma teacher Doyeon Jang (Dharma name Bogwang), is the director of Sujata Academy. She has overseen the development of this ambitious project, facing numerous challenges, both personal and structural, in the process of bringing this expression of compassion and social transformation to fruition.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u25b6\ufe0f Published by BDG on March 8, 2024<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u25b6\ufe0f Read more: <\/a>https:\/\/www.buddhistdoor.net\/features\/the-sujata-academy-project-the-power-of-hope-and-compassion-in-india\/<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/p>\n","post_title":"The Sujata Academy Project: The Power of Hope and Compassion in India","post_excerpt":"The Korean Seon (Zen) master Venerable Pomnyun Sunim (\ubc95\ub95c\uc2a4\ub2d8) wears many hats: Buddhist monk, teacher, author, environmentalist, and social activist, to name a few. As a widely respected Dharma teacher and a tireless socially engaged activist in his native South Korea, Ven. Pomnyun Sunim has founded numerous Dharma-based organizations, initiatives, and projects that are active across the world. Among them, Jungto Society, a volunteer-based community founded on the Buddhist teachings and expressing equality, simple living, and sustainability, is dedicated to addressing modern social issues that lead to suffering, including environmental degradation, poverty, and conflict.\n\nThis column, shared by Jungto Society, presents a series of highlights from Ven. Pomnyun Sunim\u2019s writings, teachings, public talks, and regular live-streamed Dharma Q+A sessions, which are accessible across the globe.\n","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","post_password":"","post_name":"the-sujata-academy-project-the-power-of-hope-and-compassion-in-india","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2024-03-10 17:38:00","post_modified_gmt":"2024-03-10 22:38:00","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/www.jungtosociety.org\/?p=18140","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"},{"ID":18136,"post_author":"13","post_date":"2024-03-10 17:24:34","post_date_gmt":"2024-03-10 22:24:34","post_content":"\n

Your son is over forty and
his main relationship is with someone else.
So, stop worrying about a grown man
who belongs with another woman
and be nice to the man next to you. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Illustration by Maseol <\/p>\n","post_title":"Son over forty","post_excerpt":"","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","post_password":"","post_name":"son-over-forty","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2024-03-10 17:24:36","post_modified_gmt":"2024-03-10 22:24:36","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/www.jungtosociety.org\/?p=18136","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"}],"next":false,"prev":false,"total_page":1},"paged":1,"column_class":"jeg_col_2o3","class":"jnews_block_37"};

\n

<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/a><\/gwmw><\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/a><\/p>\n","post_title":"[Meditation Q&A] \u201cHow can I value serenity but not give up caring when I am practicing…. ?","post_excerpt":"","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","post_password":"","post_name":"meditation-qa-how-can-i-value-serenity-but-not-give-up-caring-when-i-am-practicing","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2024-02-27 19:02:33","post_modified_gmt":"2024-02-28 00:02:33","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/www.jungtosociety.org\/?p=18045","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"},{"ID":18197,"post_author":"13","post_date":"2024-03-13 22:47:47","post_date_gmt":"2024-03-14 03:47:47","post_content":"\n

It\u2019s simple to become an adult.
Wake up earlier than your mom
and prepare breakfast for your parents,
wash the dishes,
and clean your room after school or work. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Illustration by Maseol <\/p>\n","post_title":"Becoming an adult","post_excerpt":"","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","post_password":"","post_name":"becoming-an-adult","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2024-03-13 22:47:48","post_modified_gmt":"2024-03-14 03:47:48","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/www.jungtosociety.org\/?p=18197","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"},{"ID":18125,"post_author":"40","post_date":"2024-03-12 07:00:00","post_date_gmt":"2024-03-12 12:00:00","post_content":"\n

P:<\/strong> When the Buddha was close to death, his disciples came to him and asked,<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cHow would you like us to conduct your funeral?\u201d The Buddha answered, \u201cYou don\u2019t need to worry about my funeral because the lay Buddhists will take care of it.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Lay Buddhists are those who take refuge in the Three Jewels and practice the Five Precepts without becoming monks or nuns. When the Buddha said they will take care of it, he meant that his funeral would be conducted based on customs of the lay people in India. So, after the Buddha died, the Lay Buddhists cremated the Buddha\u2019s body according to the Indian tradition. If he had lived in Korea, he would have been buried in the ground as is the custom in Korea.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Dharma is a teaching about truth, so it does not contain cultural aspects. However, since Buddhism originated from India, its traditions, customs, and culture were integrated into the Buddhist culture. Strictly speaking, neither cremation nor the 49-day posthumous ceremony is a fundamental tradition of Buddhism. They are in fact part of the of Indian cultural tradition.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

It is said that the deceased person has 49 days to be saved and is classified into one of nine levels based on his deeds during his life. \u201cAnyone can be reborn in paradise after he dies if he sincerely hopes for it. However, not everyone can be reborn in paradise right away since people fall into one of the nine categories based on their deeds.\u201d Specifically, people are divided into three categories of high, middle and low, and those in each of the three categories are again divided into high, middle and low, so there are a total of nine categories.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

It is believed that people in the very first category are reborn in paradise immediately after their death. It is comparable to leaving a room and entering another room. Those in the second category are reborn within 12 hours. It takes one day for those in the third category, three days for those in the fourth, a week for those in the fifth, 21 days for those in the sixth, and finally, it takes 49 days for those in the seventh category to be reborn in paradise. This is reason that people hold the 49-day posthumous ceremony. This ritual provides an opportunity for people to do good deeds on behalf of their deceased family members and help them be reborn in paradise within 49 days.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

What happens to the people in the eighth and ninth categories? Ultimately, people in all nine categories will all be reborn in paradise. However, those in the eighth and ninth categories have to spend some time in hell before that. Every year, Buddhists perform the Buddhist All Soul\u2019s Day ceremony on July 15th of the lunar calendar to save the souls of those in the two categories from hell. There is no point in debating whether this is true or not because it is a religious belief, so people are free to choose whether to believe it or not.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Funeral customs vary greatly from religion to religion and country to country. In India, the dead are cremated, and in Tibet, they are left to be eaten by birds. The corpse is cut up and placed on big rocks high in the mountain, so that it is eaten by falcons and eagles. In desert regions, the dead are \u201cburied in the wind.\u201d That is, they are nailed on a wooden board and exposed to the elements for one year until only the bones remain after which the funeral ceremony is performed. In regions with many islands, the dead are dropped into the sea.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Each of these funeral rituals has its unique meaning and significance. Tibetans feed the dead to birds because they believe that the spirit of the dead will fly to heaven with the birds. Some cultures bury the dead in the ground because of the belief that the spiritual world exists underground. Meanwhile, Indians believe in reincarnation, so they cremate the corpse to help the spirits to quickly sever their attachment to their worldly bodies so that they can be reborn.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Regardless of the funeral ritual that is performed, once a person dies, it\u2019s the end. By saying \u201cthe end\u201d I am not implying that there is no heaven or an afterlife; I am simply saying the person who draws his last breath will no longer exist in this world. From a Christian viewpoint, the spirits go to heaven, and from a Buddhist perspective, the spirits are reborn, so there is nothing we can do for them. Therefore, the best farewell for those who pass away is to let them go from our hearts.<\/p>\n","post_title":"The Best Farewell For The Deceased","post_excerpt":"","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","post_password":"","post_name":"the-best-farewell-for-the-deceased-2","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2024-03-02 14:50:59","post_modified_gmt":"2024-03-02 19:50:59","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/www.jungtosociety.org\/?p=18125","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"},{"ID":18140,"post_author":"13","post_date":"2024-03-10 17:37:58","post_date_gmt":"2024-03-10 22:37:58","post_content":"\n

<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Jungto Society, the international Buddhist community founded by the revered Korean Dharma master and social activist Venerable Pomnyun Sunim (\ubc95\ub95c\uc2a4\ub2d8), recently conducted its 33rd annual pilgrimage across India and to Nepal. Held under the theme \u201cFollowing in the Footsteps of the Buddha,\u201d the pilgrimage, which ran from 19 January to 2 February, was attended by more 500 practitioners.1<\/sup><\/p>\n\n\n\n

This year\u2019s pilgrimage was particularly notable for two reasons: first was the participation, for the first time in the Jungto pilgrimage\u2019s 33-year history, of non-Korean practitioners: the 500-plus Korean Buddhist pilgrims were accompanied nine practitioners from Italy, Japan, Thailand, the United Kingdom, the United States, and Vietnam. Second, the pilgrimage also coincided with celebrations for the 30th anniversary of Sujata Academy, a remarkable community school and social empowerment project established by Ven. Pomnyun Sunim in Dungeshwari, in the northeastern Indian state of Bihar. This project has transformed the lives of an entire community of people who have faced systemic social and economic exclusion as a result of India\u2019s conservative Hindu caste hierarchy.2<\/sup><\/p>\n\n\n\n

The academy is named after Sujata, the young woman who is said to have nourished the ailing and emaciated Siddhartha Gautama with a bowl of milk-rice, thus ending his six years of extreme asceticism. Tuition at the academy is provided free of charge. The school\u2019s principal goal is to educate every student in basic literacy and numeracy. Classes are taught from kindergarten to secondary level, alongside adult literacy classes and skills training. Students who wish to continue beyond elementary education and attend secondary school are required to teach kindergarteners or to help out in the onsite Jivaka Hospital in the mornings and to attend classes in the afternoon, working in the spirit of giving back to the community. The campus also includes a warehouse, a dormitory, a large playing field, and sports equipment for the children.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

x<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n
\n
\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\"\"<\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

Ven. Pomnyun Sunim established the international Buddhist humanitarian relief organization Join Together Society (JTS) as an expression of the compassion of engaged Buddhism and the belief that helping others is the best way to enrich one\u2019s own life. Headquartered in Seoul, JTS operates four branch offices in South Korea and the United States, along with field offices in India and the Philippines. JTS Korea and JTS America oversee fundraising, while JTS India and JTS Philippines conduct development projects in cooperation with local communities. The relief organization has also earned Special Consultative Status to the United Nations Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

JTS India began its work in Dungeshwari, some 12 kilometers northeast of the Buddhist pilgrimage hub of Bodh Gaya, in the early 1990s, aspiring to fulfill the mission: \u201cThe hungry should eat; the sick should be treated; children should be educated in time.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This region is surrounded by the Pragbodhi Hills where the historical Buddha, Shakyamuni, is said to have spent six years in a cave as an ascetic. And it\u2019s here that JTS India has been working to empower the villagers of Dungeshwari to live their lives free from hunger, illiteracy, and disease.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The people of Dungeshwari are primarily Dalits, who face systemic social and economic exclusion as a result of the conservative Hindu social hierarchy. \u201cDalit,\u201d which translates as \u201cbroken\u201d in Sanskrit, is a term for the very lowest castes, whom members of the so-called \u201chigher\u201d castes still to this day deem \u201cuntouchable,\u201d despite the practice being prohibited in the Constitution of India. By working directly with disadvantaged communities, JTS aims to help them to mobilize their own capabilities and resources to create a more prosperous and sustainable future.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Jungto Society Dharma teacher Doyeon Jang (Dharma name Bogwang), is the director of Sujata Academy. She has overseen the development of this ambitious project, facing numerous challenges, both personal and structural, in the process of bringing this expression of compassion and social transformation to fruition.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u25b6\ufe0f Published by BDG on March 8, 2024<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u25b6\ufe0f Read more: <\/a>https:\/\/www.buddhistdoor.net\/features\/the-sujata-academy-project-the-power-of-hope-and-compassion-in-india\/<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/p>\n","post_title":"The Sujata Academy Project: The Power of Hope and Compassion in India","post_excerpt":"The Korean Seon (Zen) master Venerable Pomnyun Sunim (\ubc95\ub95c\uc2a4\ub2d8) wears many hats: Buddhist monk, teacher, author, environmentalist, and social activist, to name a few. As a widely respected Dharma teacher and a tireless socially engaged activist in his native South Korea, Ven. Pomnyun Sunim has founded numerous Dharma-based organizations, initiatives, and projects that are active across the world. Among them, Jungto Society, a volunteer-based community founded on the Buddhist teachings and expressing equality, simple living, and sustainability, is dedicated to addressing modern social issues that lead to suffering, including environmental degradation, poverty, and conflict.\n\nThis column, shared by Jungto Society, presents a series of highlights from Ven. Pomnyun Sunim\u2019s writings, teachings, public talks, and regular live-streamed Dharma Q+A sessions, which are accessible across the globe.\n","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","post_password":"","post_name":"the-sujata-academy-project-the-power-of-hope-and-compassion-in-india","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2024-03-10 17:38:00","post_modified_gmt":"2024-03-10 22:38:00","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/www.jungtosociety.org\/?p=18140","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"},{"ID":18136,"post_author":"13","post_date":"2024-03-10 17:24:34","post_date_gmt":"2024-03-10 22:24:34","post_content":"\n

Your son is over forty and
his main relationship is with someone else.
So, stop worrying about a grown man
who belongs with another woman
and be nice to the man next to you. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Illustration by Maseol <\/p>\n","post_title":"Son over forty","post_excerpt":"","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","post_password":"","post_name":"son-over-forty","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2024-03-10 17:24:36","post_modified_gmt":"2024-03-10 22:24:36","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/www.jungtosociety.org\/?p=18136","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"}],"next":false,"prev":false,"total_page":1},"paged":1,"column_class":"jeg_col_2o3","class":"jnews_block_37"};

\n

<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/a><\/gwmw><\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/a><\/p>\n","post_title":"[Meditation Q&A] \u201cHow can I value serenity but not give up caring when I am practicing…. ?","post_excerpt":"","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","post_password":"","post_name":"meditation-qa-how-can-i-value-serenity-but-not-give-up-caring-when-i-am-practicing","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2024-02-27 19:02:33","post_modified_gmt":"2024-02-28 00:02:33","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/www.jungtosociety.org\/?p=18045","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"},{"ID":18197,"post_author":"13","post_date":"2024-03-13 22:47:47","post_date_gmt":"2024-03-14 03:47:47","post_content":"\n

It\u2019s simple to become an adult.
Wake up earlier than your mom
and prepare breakfast for your parents,
wash the dishes,
and clean your room after school or work. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Illustration by Maseol <\/p>\n","post_title":"Becoming an adult","post_excerpt":"","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","post_password":"","post_name":"becoming-an-adult","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2024-03-13 22:47:48","post_modified_gmt":"2024-03-14 03:47:48","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/www.jungtosociety.org\/?p=18197","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"},{"ID":18125,"post_author":"40","post_date":"2024-03-12 07:00:00","post_date_gmt":"2024-03-12 12:00:00","post_content":"\n

P:<\/strong> When the Buddha was close to death, his disciples came to him and asked,<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cHow would you like us to conduct your funeral?\u201d The Buddha answered, \u201cYou don\u2019t need to worry about my funeral because the lay Buddhists will take care of it.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Lay Buddhists are those who take refuge in the Three Jewels and practice the Five Precepts without becoming monks or nuns. When the Buddha said they will take care of it, he meant that his funeral would be conducted based on customs of the lay people in India. So, after the Buddha died, the Lay Buddhists cremated the Buddha\u2019s body according to the Indian tradition. If he had lived in Korea, he would have been buried in the ground as is the custom in Korea.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Dharma is a teaching about truth, so it does not contain cultural aspects. However, since Buddhism originated from India, its traditions, customs, and culture were integrated into the Buddhist culture. Strictly speaking, neither cremation nor the 49-day posthumous ceremony is a fundamental tradition of Buddhism. They are in fact part of the of Indian cultural tradition.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

It is said that the deceased person has 49 days to be saved and is classified into one of nine levels based on his deeds during his life. \u201cAnyone can be reborn in paradise after he dies if he sincerely hopes for it. However, not everyone can be reborn in paradise right away since people fall into one of the nine categories based on their deeds.\u201d Specifically, people are divided into three categories of high, middle and low, and those in each of the three categories are again divided into high, middle and low, so there are a total of nine categories.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

It is believed that people in the very first category are reborn in paradise immediately after their death. It is comparable to leaving a room and entering another room. Those in the second category are reborn within 12 hours. It takes one day for those in the third category, three days for those in the fourth, a week for those in the fifth, 21 days for those in the sixth, and finally, it takes 49 days for those in the seventh category to be reborn in paradise. This is reason that people hold the 49-day posthumous ceremony. This ritual provides an opportunity for people to do good deeds on behalf of their deceased family members and help them be reborn in paradise within 49 days.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

What happens to the people in the eighth and ninth categories? Ultimately, people in all nine categories will all be reborn in paradise. However, those in the eighth and ninth categories have to spend some time in hell before that. Every year, Buddhists perform the Buddhist All Soul\u2019s Day ceremony on July 15th of the lunar calendar to save the souls of those in the two categories from hell. There is no point in debating whether this is true or not because it is a religious belief, so people are free to choose whether to believe it or not.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Funeral customs vary greatly from religion to religion and country to country. In India, the dead are cremated, and in Tibet, they are left to be eaten by birds. The corpse is cut up and placed on big rocks high in the mountain, so that it is eaten by falcons and eagles. In desert regions, the dead are \u201cburied in the wind.\u201d That is, they are nailed on a wooden board and exposed to the elements for one year until only the bones remain after which the funeral ceremony is performed. In regions with many islands, the dead are dropped into the sea.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Each of these funeral rituals has its unique meaning and significance. Tibetans feed the dead to birds because they believe that the spirit of the dead will fly to heaven with the birds. Some cultures bury the dead in the ground because of the belief that the spiritual world exists underground. Meanwhile, Indians believe in reincarnation, so they cremate the corpse to help the spirits to quickly sever their attachment to their worldly bodies so that they can be reborn.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Regardless of the funeral ritual that is performed, once a person dies, it\u2019s the end. By saying \u201cthe end\u201d I am not implying that there is no heaven or an afterlife; I am simply saying the person who draws his last breath will no longer exist in this world. From a Christian viewpoint, the spirits go to heaven, and from a Buddhist perspective, the spirits are reborn, so there is nothing we can do for them. Therefore, the best farewell for those who pass away is to let them go from our hearts.<\/p>\n","post_title":"The Best Farewell For The Deceased","post_excerpt":"","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","post_password":"","post_name":"the-best-farewell-for-the-deceased-2","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2024-03-02 14:50:59","post_modified_gmt":"2024-03-02 19:50:59","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/www.jungtosociety.org\/?p=18125","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"},{"ID":18140,"post_author":"13","post_date":"2024-03-10 17:37:58","post_date_gmt":"2024-03-10 22:37:58","post_content":"\n

<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Jungto Society, the international Buddhist community founded by the revered Korean Dharma master and social activist Venerable Pomnyun Sunim (\ubc95\ub95c\uc2a4\ub2d8), recently conducted its 33rd annual pilgrimage across India and to Nepal. Held under the theme \u201cFollowing in the Footsteps of the Buddha,\u201d the pilgrimage, which ran from 19 January to 2 February, was attended by more 500 practitioners.1<\/sup><\/p>\n\n\n\n

This year\u2019s pilgrimage was particularly notable for two reasons: first was the participation, for the first time in the Jungto pilgrimage\u2019s 33-year history, of non-Korean practitioners: the 500-plus Korean Buddhist pilgrims were accompanied nine practitioners from Italy, Japan, Thailand, the United Kingdom, the United States, and Vietnam. Second, the pilgrimage also coincided with celebrations for the 30th anniversary of Sujata Academy, a remarkable community school and social empowerment project established by Ven. Pomnyun Sunim in Dungeshwari, in the northeastern Indian state of Bihar. This project has transformed the lives of an entire community of people who have faced systemic social and economic exclusion as a result of India\u2019s conservative Hindu caste hierarchy.2<\/sup><\/p>\n\n\n\n

The academy is named after Sujata, the young woman who is said to have nourished the ailing and emaciated Siddhartha Gautama with a bowl of milk-rice, thus ending his six years of extreme asceticism. Tuition at the academy is provided free of charge. The school\u2019s principal goal is to educate every student in basic literacy and numeracy. Classes are taught from kindergarten to secondary level, alongside adult literacy classes and skills training. Students who wish to continue beyond elementary education and attend secondary school are required to teach kindergarteners or to help out in the onsite Jivaka Hospital in the mornings and to attend classes in the afternoon, working in the spirit of giving back to the community. The campus also includes a warehouse, a dormitory, a large playing field, and sports equipment for the children.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

x<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n
\n
\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\"\"<\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

Ven. Pomnyun Sunim established the international Buddhist humanitarian relief organization Join Together Society (JTS) as an expression of the compassion of engaged Buddhism and the belief that helping others is the best way to enrich one\u2019s own life. Headquartered in Seoul, JTS operates four branch offices in South Korea and the United States, along with field offices in India and the Philippines. JTS Korea and JTS America oversee fundraising, while JTS India and JTS Philippines conduct development projects in cooperation with local communities. The relief organization has also earned Special Consultative Status to the United Nations Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

JTS India began its work in Dungeshwari, some 12 kilometers northeast of the Buddhist pilgrimage hub of Bodh Gaya, in the early 1990s, aspiring to fulfill the mission: \u201cThe hungry should eat; the sick should be treated; children should be educated in time.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This region is surrounded by the Pragbodhi Hills where the historical Buddha, Shakyamuni, is said to have spent six years in a cave as an ascetic. And it\u2019s here that JTS India has been working to empower the villagers of Dungeshwari to live their lives free from hunger, illiteracy, and disease.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The people of Dungeshwari are primarily Dalits, who face systemic social and economic exclusion as a result of the conservative Hindu social hierarchy. \u201cDalit,\u201d which translates as \u201cbroken\u201d in Sanskrit, is a term for the very lowest castes, whom members of the so-called \u201chigher\u201d castes still to this day deem \u201cuntouchable,\u201d despite the practice being prohibited in the Constitution of India. By working directly with disadvantaged communities, JTS aims to help them to mobilize their own capabilities and resources to create a more prosperous and sustainable future.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Jungto Society Dharma teacher Doyeon Jang (Dharma name Bogwang), is the director of Sujata Academy. She has overseen the development of this ambitious project, facing numerous challenges, both personal and structural, in the process of bringing this expression of compassion and social transformation to fruition.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u25b6\ufe0f Published by BDG on March 8, 2024<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u25b6\ufe0f Read more: <\/a>https:\/\/www.buddhistdoor.net\/features\/the-sujata-academy-project-the-power-of-hope-and-compassion-in-india\/<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/p>\n","post_title":"The Sujata Academy Project: The Power of Hope and Compassion in India","post_excerpt":"The Korean Seon (Zen) master Venerable Pomnyun Sunim (\ubc95\ub95c\uc2a4\ub2d8) wears many hats: Buddhist monk, teacher, author, environmentalist, and social activist, to name a few. As a widely respected Dharma teacher and a tireless socially engaged activist in his native South Korea, Ven. Pomnyun Sunim has founded numerous Dharma-based organizations, initiatives, and projects that are active across the world. Among them, Jungto Society, a volunteer-based community founded on the Buddhist teachings and expressing equality, simple living, and sustainability, is dedicated to addressing modern social issues that lead to suffering, including environmental degradation, poverty, and conflict.\n\nThis column, shared by Jungto Society, presents a series of highlights from Ven. Pomnyun Sunim\u2019s writings, teachings, public talks, and regular live-streamed Dharma Q+A sessions, which are accessible across the globe.\n","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","post_password":"","post_name":"the-sujata-academy-project-the-power-of-hope-and-compassion-in-india","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2024-03-10 17:38:00","post_modified_gmt":"2024-03-10 22:38:00","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/www.jungtosociety.org\/?p=18140","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"},{"ID":18136,"post_author":"13","post_date":"2024-03-10 17:24:34","post_date_gmt":"2024-03-10 22:24:34","post_content":"\n

Your son is over forty and
his main relationship is with someone else.
So, stop worrying about a grown man
who belongs with another woman
and be nice to the man next to you. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Illustration by Maseol <\/p>\n","post_title":"Son over forty","post_excerpt":"","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","post_password":"","post_name":"son-over-forty","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2024-03-10 17:24:36","post_modified_gmt":"2024-03-10 22:24:36","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/www.jungtosociety.org\/?p=18136","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"}],"next":false,"prev":false,"total_page":1},"paged":1,"column_class":"jeg_col_2o3","class":"jnews_block_37"};

\n

It\u2019s not easy for people to earn money in their old age. Since they don\u2019t have a source of income, they may expect their children to give them some spending money and end up resenting them if they don\u2019t. To avoid such an outcome, it\u2019s necessary for people to keep some financial assets to live on in their old age. This way, parents can live independently from their children without expecting too much from their children or be overly attached to them.<\/p>\n","post_title":"You Should Hold Onto Enough Financial Assets To Live On After Retirement","post_excerpt":"","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","post_password":"","post_name":"you-should-hold-onto-enough-financial-assets-to-live-on-after-retirement","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2024-03-02 14:55:05","post_modified_gmt":"2024-03-02 19:55:05","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/www.jungtosociety.org\/?p=18131","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"},{"ID":18045,"post_author":"40","post_date":"2024-03-15 07:00:00","post_date_gmt":"2024-03-15 12:00:00","post_content":"\n

<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/a><\/gwmw><\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/a><\/p>\n","post_title":"[Meditation Q&A] \u201cHow can I value serenity but not give up caring when I am practicing…. ?","post_excerpt":"","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","post_password":"","post_name":"meditation-qa-how-can-i-value-serenity-but-not-give-up-caring-when-i-am-practicing","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2024-02-27 19:02:33","post_modified_gmt":"2024-02-28 00:02:33","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/www.jungtosociety.org\/?p=18045","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"},{"ID":18197,"post_author":"13","post_date":"2024-03-13 22:47:47","post_date_gmt":"2024-03-14 03:47:47","post_content":"\n

It\u2019s simple to become an adult.
Wake up earlier than your mom
and prepare breakfast for your parents,
wash the dishes,
and clean your room after school or work. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Illustration by Maseol <\/p>\n","post_title":"Becoming an adult","post_excerpt":"","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","post_password":"","post_name":"becoming-an-adult","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2024-03-13 22:47:48","post_modified_gmt":"2024-03-14 03:47:48","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/www.jungtosociety.org\/?p=18197","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"},{"ID":18125,"post_author":"40","post_date":"2024-03-12 07:00:00","post_date_gmt":"2024-03-12 12:00:00","post_content":"\n

P:<\/strong> When the Buddha was close to death, his disciples came to him and asked,<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cHow would you like us to conduct your funeral?\u201d The Buddha answered, \u201cYou don\u2019t need to worry about my funeral because the lay Buddhists will take care of it.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Lay Buddhists are those who take refuge in the Three Jewels and practice the Five Precepts without becoming monks or nuns. When the Buddha said they will take care of it, he meant that his funeral would be conducted based on customs of the lay people in India. So, after the Buddha died, the Lay Buddhists cremated the Buddha\u2019s body according to the Indian tradition. If he had lived in Korea, he would have been buried in the ground as is the custom in Korea.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Dharma is a teaching about truth, so it does not contain cultural aspects. However, since Buddhism originated from India, its traditions, customs, and culture were integrated into the Buddhist culture. Strictly speaking, neither cremation nor the 49-day posthumous ceremony is a fundamental tradition of Buddhism. They are in fact part of the of Indian cultural tradition.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

It is said that the deceased person has 49 days to be saved and is classified into one of nine levels based on his deeds during his life. \u201cAnyone can be reborn in paradise after he dies if he sincerely hopes for it. However, not everyone can be reborn in paradise right away since people fall into one of the nine categories based on their deeds.\u201d Specifically, people are divided into three categories of high, middle and low, and those in each of the three categories are again divided into high, middle and low, so there are a total of nine categories.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

It is believed that people in the very first category are reborn in paradise immediately after their death. It is comparable to leaving a room and entering another room. Those in the second category are reborn within 12 hours. It takes one day for those in the third category, three days for those in the fourth, a week for those in the fifth, 21 days for those in the sixth, and finally, it takes 49 days for those in the seventh category to be reborn in paradise. This is reason that people hold the 49-day posthumous ceremony. This ritual provides an opportunity for people to do good deeds on behalf of their deceased family members and help them be reborn in paradise within 49 days.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

What happens to the people in the eighth and ninth categories? Ultimately, people in all nine categories will all be reborn in paradise. However, those in the eighth and ninth categories have to spend some time in hell before that. Every year, Buddhists perform the Buddhist All Soul\u2019s Day ceremony on July 15th of the lunar calendar to save the souls of those in the two categories from hell. There is no point in debating whether this is true or not because it is a religious belief, so people are free to choose whether to believe it or not.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Funeral customs vary greatly from religion to religion and country to country. In India, the dead are cremated, and in Tibet, they are left to be eaten by birds. The corpse is cut up and placed on big rocks high in the mountain, so that it is eaten by falcons and eagles. In desert regions, the dead are \u201cburied in the wind.\u201d That is, they are nailed on a wooden board and exposed to the elements for one year until only the bones remain after which the funeral ceremony is performed. In regions with many islands, the dead are dropped into the sea.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Each of these funeral rituals has its unique meaning and significance. Tibetans feed the dead to birds because they believe that the spirit of the dead will fly to heaven with the birds. Some cultures bury the dead in the ground because of the belief that the spiritual world exists underground. Meanwhile, Indians believe in reincarnation, so they cremate the corpse to help the spirits to quickly sever their attachment to their worldly bodies so that they can be reborn.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Regardless of the funeral ritual that is performed, once a person dies, it\u2019s the end. By saying \u201cthe end\u201d I am not implying that there is no heaven or an afterlife; I am simply saying the person who draws his last breath will no longer exist in this world. From a Christian viewpoint, the spirits go to heaven, and from a Buddhist perspective, the spirits are reborn, so there is nothing we can do for them. Therefore, the best farewell for those who pass away is to let them go from our hearts.<\/p>\n","post_title":"The Best Farewell For The Deceased","post_excerpt":"","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","post_password":"","post_name":"the-best-farewell-for-the-deceased-2","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2024-03-02 14:50:59","post_modified_gmt":"2024-03-02 19:50:59","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/www.jungtosociety.org\/?p=18125","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"},{"ID":18140,"post_author":"13","post_date":"2024-03-10 17:37:58","post_date_gmt":"2024-03-10 22:37:58","post_content":"\n

<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Jungto Society, the international Buddhist community founded by the revered Korean Dharma master and social activist Venerable Pomnyun Sunim (\ubc95\ub95c\uc2a4\ub2d8), recently conducted its 33rd annual pilgrimage across India and to Nepal. Held under the theme \u201cFollowing in the Footsteps of the Buddha,\u201d the pilgrimage, which ran from 19 January to 2 February, was attended by more 500 practitioners.1<\/sup><\/p>\n\n\n\n

This year\u2019s pilgrimage was particularly notable for two reasons: first was the participation, for the first time in the Jungto pilgrimage\u2019s 33-year history, of non-Korean practitioners: the 500-plus Korean Buddhist pilgrims were accompanied nine practitioners from Italy, Japan, Thailand, the United Kingdom, the United States, and Vietnam. Second, the pilgrimage also coincided with celebrations for the 30th anniversary of Sujata Academy, a remarkable community school and social empowerment project established by Ven. Pomnyun Sunim in Dungeshwari, in the northeastern Indian state of Bihar. This project has transformed the lives of an entire community of people who have faced systemic social and economic exclusion as a result of India\u2019s conservative Hindu caste hierarchy.2<\/sup><\/p>\n\n\n\n

The academy is named after Sujata, the young woman who is said to have nourished the ailing and emaciated Siddhartha Gautama with a bowl of milk-rice, thus ending his six years of extreme asceticism. Tuition at the academy is provided free of charge. The school\u2019s principal goal is to educate every student in basic literacy and numeracy. Classes are taught from kindergarten to secondary level, alongside adult literacy classes and skills training. Students who wish to continue beyond elementary education and attend secondary school are required to teach kindergarteners or to help out in the onsite Jivaka Hospital in the mornings and to attend classes in the afternoon, working in the spirit of giving back to the community. The campus also includes a warehouse, a dormitory, a large playing field, and sports equipment for the children.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

x<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n
\n
\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\"\"<\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

Ven. Pomnyun Sunim established the international Buddhist humanitarian relief organization Join Together Society (JTS) as an expression of the compassion of engaged Buddhism and the belief that helping others is the best way to enrich one\u2019s own life. Headquartered in Seoul, JTS operates four branch offices in South Korea and the United States, along with field offices in India and the Philippines. JTS Korea and JTS America oversee fundraising, while JTS India and JTS Philippines conduct development projects in cooperation with local communities. The relief organization has also earned Special Consultative Status to the United Nations Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

JTS India began its work in Dungeshwari, some 12 kilometers northeast of the Buddhist pilgrimage hub of Bodh Gaya, in the early 1990s, aspiring to fulfill the mission: \u201cThe hungry should eat; the sick should be treated; children should be educated in time.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This region is surrounded by the Pragbodhi Hills where the historical Buddha, Shakyamuni, is said to have spent six years in a cave as an ascetic. And it\u2019s here that JTS India has been working to empower the villagers of Dungeshwari to live their lives free from hunger, illiteracy, and disease.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The people of Dungeshwari are primarily Dalits, who face systemic social and economic exclusion as a result of the conservative Hindu social hierarchy. \u201cDalit,\u201d which translates as \u201cbroken\u201d in Sanskrit, is a term for the very lowest castes, whom members of the so-called \u201chigher\u201d castes still to this day deem \u201cuntouchable,\u201d despite the practice being prohibited in the Constitution of India. By working directly with disadvantaged communities, JTS aims to help them to mobilize their own capabilities and resources to create a more prosperous and sustainable future.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Jungto Society Dharma teacher Doyeon Jang (Dharma name Bogwang), is the director of Sujata Academy. She has overseen the development of this ambitious project, facing numerous challenges, both personal and structural, in the process of bringing this expression of compassion and social transformation to fruition.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u25b6\ufe0f Published by BDG on March 8, 2024<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u25b6\ufe0f Read more: <\/a>https:\/\/www.buddhistdoor.net\/features\/the-sujata-academy-project-the-power-of-hope-and-compassion-in-india\/<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/p>\n","post_title":"The Sujata Academy Project: The Power of Hope and Compassion in India","post_excerpt":"The Korean Seon (Zen) master Venerable Pomnyun Sunim (\ubc95\ub95c\uc2a4\ub2d8) wears many hats: Buddhist monk, teacher, author, environmentalist, and social activist, to name a few. As a widely respected Dharma teacher and a tireless socially engaged activist in his native South Korea, Ven. Pomnyun Sunim has founded numerous Dharma-based organizations, initiatives, and projects that are active across the world. Among them, Jungto Society, a volunteer-based community founded on the Buddhist teachings and expressing equality, simple living, and sustainability, is dedicated to addressing modern social issues that lead to suffering, including environmental degradation, poverty, and conflict.\n\nThis column, shared by Jungto Society, presents a series of highlights from Ven. Pomnyun Sunim\u2019s writings, teachings, public talks, and regular live-streamed Dharma Q+A sessions, which are accessible across the globe.\n","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","post_password":"","post_name":"the-sujata-academy-project-the-power-of-hope-and-compassion-in-india","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2024-03-10 17:38:00","post_modified_gmt":"2024-03-10 22:38:00","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/www.jungtosociety.org\/?p=18140","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"},{"ID":18136,"post_author":"13","post_date":"2024-03-10 17:24:34","post_date_gmt":"2024-03-10 22:24:34","post_content":"\n

Your son is over forty and
his main relationship is with someone else.
So, stop worrying about a grown man
who belongs with another woman
and be nice to the man next to you. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Illustration by Maseol <\/p>\n","post_title":"Son over forty","post_excerpt":"","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","post_password":"","post_name":"son-over-forty","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2024-03-10 17:24:36","post_modified_gmt":"2024-03-10 22:24:36","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/www.jungtosociety.org\/?p=18136","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"}],"next":false,"prev":false,"total_page":1},"paged":1,"column_class":"jeg_col_2o3","class":"jnews_block_37"};

\n

Of course, there is the option of practicing according to the teachings of the Buddha and letting go of all your worldly possessions. People may think that an enlightened person does not need to have a cent to his name and just needs a space in the common room of a temple to sleep. Most people, however, can\u2019t live this way, which is why they need to hold on to enough assets to live on. Those living in the countryside need a place to live, a piece of land to grow various vegetables, and rice fields, while those living in the city need to have a principal amount in the bank that will yield enough monthly interest for them to live comfortably.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

It\u2019s not easy for people to earn money in their old age. Since they don\u2019t have a source of income, they may expect their children to give them some spending money and end up resenting them if they don\u2019t. To avoid such an outcome, it\u2019s necessary for people to keep some financial assets to live on in their old age. This way, parents can live independently from their children without expecting too much from their children or be overly attached to them.<\/p>\n","post_title":"You Should Hold Onto Enough Financial Assets To Live On After Retirement","post_excerpt":"","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","post_password":"","post_name":"you-should-hold-onto-enough-financial-assets-to-live-on-after-retirement","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2024-03-02 14:55:05","post_modified_gmt":"2024-03-02 19:55:05","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/www.jungtosociety.org\/?p=18131","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"},{"ID":18045,"post_author":"40","post_date":"2024-03-15 07:00:00","post_date_gmt":"2024-03-15 12:00:00","post_content":"\n

<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/a><\/gwmw><\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/a><\/p>\n","post_title":"[Meditation Q&A] \u201cHow can I value serenity but not give up caring when I am practicing…. ?","post_excerpt":"","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","post_password":"","post_name":"meditation-qa-how-can-i-value-serenity-but-not-give-up-caring-when-i-am-practicing","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2024-02-27 19:02:33","post_modified_gmt":"2024-02-28 00:02:33","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/www.jungtosociety.org\/?p=18045","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"},{"ID":18197,"post_author":"13","post_date":"2024-03-13 22:47:47","post_date_gmt":"2024-03-14 03:47:47","post_content":"\n

It\u2019s simple to become an adult.
Wake up earlier than your mom
and prepare breakfast for your parents,
wash the dishes,
and clean your room after school or work. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Illustration by Maseol <\/p>\n","post_title":"Becoming an adult","post_excerpt":"","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","post_password":"","post_name":"becoming-an-adult","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2024-03-13 22:47:48","post_modified_gmt":"2024-03-14 03:47:48","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/www.jungtosociety.org\/?p=18197","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"},{"ID":18125,"post_author":"40","post_date":"2024-03-12 07:00:00","post_date_gmt":"2024-03-12 12:00:00","post_content":"\n

P:<\/strong> When the Buddha was close to death, his disciples came to him and asked,<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cHow would you like us to conduct your funeral?\u201d The Buddha answered, \u201cYou don\u2019t need to worry about my funeral because the lay Buddhists will take care of it.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Lay Buddhists are those who take refuge in the Three Jewels and practice the Five Precepts without becoming monks or nuns. When the Buddha said they will take care of it, he meant that his funeral would be conducted based on customs of the lay people in India. So, after the Buddha died, the Lay Buddhists cremated the Buddha\u2019s body according to the Indian tradition. If he had lived in Korea, he would have been buried in the ground as is the custom in Korea.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Dharma is a teaching about truth, so it does not contain cultural aspects. However, since Buddhism originated from India, its traditions, customs, and culture were integrated into the Buddhist culture. Strictly speaking, neither cremation nor the 49-day posthumous ceremony is a fundamental tradition of Buddhism. They are in fact part of the of Indian cultural tradition.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

It is said that the deceased person has 49 days to be saved and is classified into one of nine levels based on his deeds during his life. \u201cAnyone can be reborn in paradise after he dies if he sincerely hopes for it. However, not everyone can be reborn in paradise right away since people fall into one of the nine categories based on their deeds.\u201d Specifically, people are divided into three categories of high, middle and low, and those in each of the three categories are again divided into high, middle and low, so there are a total of nine categories.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

It is believed that people in the very first category are reborn in paradise immediately after their death. It is comparable to leaving a room and entering another room. Those in the second category are reborn within 12 hours. It takes one day for those in the third category, three days for those in the fourth, a week for those in the fifth, 21 days for those in the sixth, and finally, it takes 49 days for those in the seventh category to be reborn in paradise. This is reason that people hold the 49-day posthumous ceremony. This ritual provides an opportunity for people to do good deeds on behalf of their deceased family members and help them be reborn in paradise within 49 days.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

What happens to the people in the eighth and ninth categories? Ultimately, people in all nine categories will all be reborn in paradise. However, those in the eighth and ninth categories have to spend some time in hell before that. Every year, Buddhists perform the Buddhist All Soul\u2019s Day ceremony on July 15th of the lunar calendar to save the souls of those in the two categories from hell. There is no point in debating whether this is true or not because it is a religious belief, so people are free to choose whether to believe it or not.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Funeral customs vary greatly from religion to religion and country to country. In India, the dead are cremated, and in Tibet, they are left to be eaten by birds. The corpse is cut up and placed on big rocks high in the mountain, so that it is eaten by falcons and eagles. In desert regions, the dead are \u201cburied in the wind.\u201d That is, they are nailed on a wooden board and exposed to the elements for one year until only the bones remain after which the funeral ceremony is performed. In regions with many islands, the dead are dropped into the sea.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Each of these funeral rituals has its unique meaning and significance. Tibetans feed the dead to birds because they believe that the spirit of the dead will fly to heaven with the birds. Some cultures bury the dead in the ground because of the belief that the spiritual world exists underground. Meanwhile, Indians believe in reincarnation, so they cremate the corpse to help the spirits to quickly sever their attachment to their worldly bodies so that they can be reborn.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Regardless of the funeral ritual that is performed, once a person dies, it\u2019s the end. By saying \u201cthe end\u201d I am not implying that there is no heaven or an afterlife; I am simply saying the person who draws his last breath will no longer exist in this world. From a Christian viewpoint, the spirits go to heaven, and from a Buddhist perspective, the spirits are reborn, so there is nothing we can do for them. Therefore, the best farewell for those who pass away is to let them go from our hearts.<\/p>\n","post_title":"The Best Farewell For The Deceased","post_excerpt":"","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","post_password":"","post_name":"the-best-farewell-for-the-deceased-2","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2024-03-02 14:50:59","post_modified_gmt":"2024-03-02 19:50:59","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/www.jungtosociety.org\/?p=18125","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"},{"ID":18140,"post_author":"13","post_date":"2024-03-10 17:37:58","post_date_gmt":"2024-03-10 22:37:58","post_content":"\n

<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Jungto Society, the international Buddhist community founded by the revered Korean Dharma master and social activist Venerable Pomnyun Sunim (\ubc95\ub95c\uc2a4\ub2d8), recently conducted its 33rd annual pilgrimage across India and to Nepal. Held under the theme \u201cFollowing in the Footsteps of the Buddha,\u201d the pilgrimage, which ran from 19 January to 2 February, was attended by more 500 practitioners.1<\/sup><\/p>\n\n\n\n

This year\u2019s pilgrimage was particularly notable for two reasons: first was the participation, for the first time in the Jungto pilgrimage\u2019s 33-year history, of non-Korean practitioners: the 500-plus Korean Buddhist pilgrims were accompanied nine practitioners from Italy, Japan, Thailand, the United Kingdom, the United States, and Vietnam. Second, the pilgrimage also coincided with celebrations for the 30th anniversary of Sujata Academy, a remarkable community school and social empowerment project established by Ven. Pomnyun Sunim in Dungeshwari, in the northeastern Indian state of Bihar. This project has transformed the lives of an entire community of people who have faced systemic social and economic exclusion as a result of India\u2019s conservative Hindu caste hierarchy.2<\/sup><\/p>\n\n\n\n

The academy is named after Sujata, the young woman who is said to have nourished the ailing and emaciated Siddhartha Gautama with a bowl of milk-rice, thus ending his six years of extreme asceticism. Tuition at the academy is provided free of charge. The school\u2019s principal goal is to educate every student in basic literacy and numeracy. Classes are taught from kindergarten to secondary level, alongside adult literacy classes and skills training. Students who wish to continue beyond elementary education and attend secondary school are required to teach kindergarteners or to help out in the onsite Jivaka Hospital in the mornings and to attend classes in the afternoon, working in the spirit of giving back to the community. The campus also includes a warehouse, a dormitory, a large playing field, and sports equipment for the children.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

x<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n
\n
\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\"\"<\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

Ven. Pomnyun Sunim established the international Buddhist humanitarian relief organization Join Together Society (JTS) as an expression of the compassion of engaged Buddhism and the belief that helping others is the best way to enrich one\u2019s own life. Headquartered in Seoul, JTS operates four branch offices in South Korea and the United States, along with field offices in India and the Philippines. JTS Korea and JTS America oversee fundraising, while JTS India and JTS Philippines conduct development projects in cooperation with local communities. The relief organization has also earned Special Consultative Status to the United Nations Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

JTS India began its work in Dungeshwari, some 12 kilometers northeast of the Buddhist pilgrimage hub of Bodh Gaya, in the early 1990s, aspiring to fulfill the mission: \u201cThe hungry should eat; the sick should be treated; children should be educated in time.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This region is surrounded by the Pragbodhi Hills where the historical Buddha, Shakyamuni, is said to have spent six years in a cave as an ascetic. And it\u2019s here that JTS India has been working to empower the villagers of Dungeshwari to live their lives free from hunger, illiteracy, and disease.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The people of Dungeshwari are primarily Dalits, who face systemic social and economic exclusion as a result of the conservative Hindu social hierarchy. \u201cDalit,\u201d which translates as \u201cbroken\u201d in Sanskrit, is a term for the very lowest castes, whom members of the so-called \u201chigher\u201d castes still to this day deem \u201cuntouchable,\u201d despite the practice being prohibited in the Constitution of India. By working directly with disadvantaged communities, JTS aims to help them to mobilize their own capabilities and resources to create a more prosperous and sustainable future.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Jungto Society Dharma teacher Doyeon Jang (Dharma name Bogwang), is the director of Sujata Academy. She has overseen the development of this ambitious project, facing numerous challenges, both personal and structural, in the process of bringing this expression of compassion and social transformation to fruition.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u25b6\ufe0f Published by BDG on March 8, 2024<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u25b6\ufe0f Read more: <\/a>https:\/\/www.buddhistdoor.net\/features\/the-sujata-academy-project-the-power-of-hope-and-compassion-in-india\/<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/p>\n","post_title":"The Sujata Academy Project: The Power of Hope and Compassion in India","post_excerpt":"The Korean Seon (Zen) master Venerable Pomnyun Sunim (\ubc95\ub95c\uc2a4\ub2d8) wears many hats: Buddhist monk, teacher, author, environmentalist, and social activist, to name a few. As a widely respected Dharma teacher and a tireless socially engaged activist in his native South Korea, Ven. Pomnyun Sunim has founded numerous Dharma-based organizations, initiatives, and projects that are active across the world. Among them, Jungto Society, a volunteer-based community founded on the Buddhist teachings and expressing equality, simple living, and sustainability, is dedicated to addressing modern social issues that lead to suffering, including environmental degradation, poverty, and conflict.\n\nThis column, shared by Jungto Society, presents a series of highlights from Ven. Pomnyun Sunim\u2019s writings, teachings, public talks, and regular live-streamed Dharma Q+A sessions, which are accessible across the globe.\n","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","post_password":"","post_name":"the-sujata-academy-project-the-power-of-hope-and-compassion-in-india","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2024-03-10 17:38:00","post_modified_gmt":"2024-03-10 22:38:00","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/www.jungtosociety.org\/?p=18140","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"},{"ID":18136,"post_author":"13","post_date":"2024-03-10 17:24:34","post_date_gmt":"2024-03-10 22:24:34","post_content":"\n

Your son is over forty and
his main relationship is with someone else.
So, stop worrying about a grown man
who belongs with another woman
and be nice to the man next to you. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Illustration by Maseol <\/p>\n","post_title":"Son over forty","post_excerpt":"","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","post_password":"","post_name":"son-over-forty","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2024-03-10 17:24:36","post_modified_gmt":"2024-03-10 22:24:36","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/www.jungtosociety.org\/?p=18136","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"}],"next":false,"prev":false,"total_page":1},"paged":1,"column_class":"jeg_col_2o3","class":"jnews_block_37"};

\n

If you plan to distribute your assets among your children after retirement, it\u2019s a good idea to give away just seventy to eighty percent of your assets. You must keep twenty to thirty percent for your own. You can decide on the percentage depending on the size of your assets. If you don\u2019t have a lot of assets, the percentage you keep should be higher than if you have a lot. Either way, when parents maintain their financial freedom even after retirement, they will be able to live with dignity and are more likely to sustain a good relationship with their children.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Of course, there is the option of practicing according to the teachings of the Buddha and letting go of all your worldly possessions. People may think that an enlightened person does not need to have a cent to his name and just needs a space in the common room of a temple to sleep. Most people, however, can\u2019t live this way, which is why they need to hold on to enough assets to live on. Those living in the countryside need a place to live, a piece of land to grow various vegetables, and rice fields, while those living in the city need to have a principal amount in the bank that will yield enough monthly interest for them to live comfortably.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

It\u2019s not easy for people to earn money in their old age. Since they don\u2019t have a source of income, they may expect their children to give them some spending money and end up resenting them if they don\u2019t. To avoid such an outcome, it\u2019s necessary for people to keep some financial assets to live on in their old age. This way, parents can live independently from their children without expecting too much from their children or be overly attached to them.<\/p>\n","post_title":"You Should Hold Onto Enough Financial Assets To Live On After Retirement","post_excerpt":"","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","post_password":"","post_name":"you-should-hold-onto-enough-financial-assets-to-live-on-after-retirement","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2024-03-02 14:55:05","post_modified_gmt":"2024-03-02 19:55:05","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/www.jungtosociety.org\/?p=18131","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"},{"ID":18045,"post_author":"40","post_date":"2024-03-15 07:00:00","post_date_gmt":"2024-03-15 12:00:00","post_content":"\n

<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/a><\/gwmw><\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/a><\/p>\n","post_title":"[Meditation Q&A] \u201cHow can I value serenity but not give up caring when I am practicing…. ?","post_excerpt":"","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","post_password":"","post_name":"meditation-qa-how-can-i-value-serenity-but-not-give-up-caring-when-i-am-practicing","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2024-02-27 19:02:33","post_modified_gmt":"2024-02-28 00:02:33","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/www.jungtosociety.org\/?p=18045","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"},{"ID":18197,"post_author":"13","post_date":"2024-03-13 22:47:47","post_date_gmt":"2024-03-14 03:47:47","post_content":"\n

It\u2019s simple to become an adult.
Wake up earlier than your mom
and prepare breakfast for your parents,
wash the dishes,
and clean your room after school or work. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Illustration by Maseol <\/p>\n","post_title":"Becoming an adult","post_excerpt":"","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","post_password":"","post_name":"becoming-an-adult","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2024-03-13 22:47:48","post_modified_gmt":"2024-03-14 03:47:48","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/www.jungtosociety.org\/?p=18197","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"},{"ID":18125,"post_author":"40","post_date":"2024-03-12 07:00:00","post_date_gmt":"2024-03-12 12:00:00","post_content":"\n

P:<\/strong> When the Buddha was close to death, his disciples came to him and asked,<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cHow would you like us to conduct your funeral?\u201d The Buddha answered, \u201cYou don\u2019t need to worry about my funeral because the lay Buddhists will take care of it.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Lay Buddhists are those who take refuge in the Three Jewels and practice the Five Precepts without becoming monks or nuns. When the Buddha said they will take care of it, he meant that his funeral would be conducted based on customs of the lay people in India. So, after the Buddha died, the Lay Buddhists cremated the Buddha\u2019s body according to the Indian tradition. If he had lived in Korea, he would have been buried in the ground as is the custom in Korea.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Dharma is a teaching about truth, so it does not contain cultural aspects. However, since Buddhism originated from India, its traditions, customs, and culture were integrated into the Buddhist culture. Strictly speaking, neither cremation nor the 49-day posthumous ceremony is a fundamental tradition of Buddhism. They are in fact part of the of Indian cultural tradition.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

It is said that the deceased person has 49 days to be saved and is classified into one of nine levels based on his deeds during his life. \u201cAnyone can be reborn in paradise after he dies if he sincerely hopes for it. However, not everyone can be reborn in paradise right away since people fall into one of the nine categories based on their deeds.\u201d Specifically, people are divided into three categories of high, middle and low, and those in each of the three categories are again divided into high, middle and low, so there are a total of nine categories.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

It is believed that people in the very first category are reborn in paradise immediately after their death. It is comparable to leaving a room and entering another room. Those in the second category are reborn within 12 hours. It takes one day for those in the third category, three days for those in the fourth, a week for those in the fifth, 21 days for those in the sixth, and finally, it takes 49 days for those in the seventh category to be reborn in paradise. This is reason that people hold the 49-day posthumous ceremony. This ritual provides an opportunity for people to do good deeds on behalf of their deceased family members and help them be reborn in paradise within 49 days.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

What happens to the people in the eighth and ninth categories? Ultimately, people in all nine categories will all be reborn in paradise. However, those in the eighth and ninth categories have to spend some time in hell before that. Every year, Buddhists perform the Buddhist All Soul\u2019s Day ceremony on July 15th of the lunar calendar to save the souls of those in the two categories from hell. There is no point in debating whether this is true or not because it is a religious belief, so people are free to choose whether to believe it or not.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Funeral customs vary greatly from religion to religion and country to country. In India, the dead are cremated, and in Tibet, they are left to be eaten by birds. The corpse is cut up and placed on big rocks high in the mountain, so that it is eaten by falcons and eagles. In desert regions, the dead are \u201cburied in the wind.\u201d That is, they are nailed on a wooden board and exposed to the elements for one year until only the bones remain after which the funeral ceremony is performed. In regions with many islands, the dead are dropped into the sea.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Each of these funeral rituals has its unique meaning and significance. Tibetans feed the dead to birds because they believe that the spirit of the dead will fly to heaven with the birds. Some cultures bury the dead in the ground because of the belief that the spiritual world exists underground. Meanwhile, Indians believe in reincarnation, so they cremate the corpse to help the spirits to quickly sever their attachment to their worldly bodies so that they can be reborn.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Regardless of the funeral ritual that is performed, once a person dies, it\u2019s the end. By saying \u201cthe end\u201d I am not implying that there is no heaven or an afterlife; I am simply saying the person who draws his last breath will no longer exist in this world. From a Christian viewpoint, the spirits go to heaven, and from a Buddhist perspective, the spirits are reborn, so there is nothing we can do for them. Therefore, the best farewell for those who pass away is to let them go from our hearts.<\/p>\n","post_title":"The Best Farewell For The Deceased","post_excerpt":"","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","post_password":"","post_name":"the-best-farewell-for-the-deceased-2","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2024-03-02 14:50:59","post_modified_gmt":"2024-03-02 19:50:59","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/www.jungtosociety.org\/?p=18125","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"},{"ID":18140,"post_author":"13","post_date":"2024-03-10 17:37:58","post_date_gmt":"2024-03-10 22:37:58","post_content":"\n

<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Jungto Society, the international Buddhist community founded by the revered Korean Dharma master and social activist Venerable Pomnyun Sunim (\ubc95\ub95c\uc2a4\ub2d8), recently conducted its 33rd annual pilgrimage across India and to Nepal. Held under the theme \u201cFollowing in the Footsteps of the Buddha,\u201d the pilgrimage, which ran from 19 January to 2 February, was attended by more 500 practitioners.1<\/sup><\/p>\n\n\n\n

This year\u2019s pilgrimage was particularly notable for two reasons: first was the participation, for the first time in the Jungto pilgrimage\u2019s 33-year history, of non-Korean practitioners: the 500-plus Korean Buddhist pilgrims were accompanied nine practitioners from Italy, Japan, Thailand, the United Kingdom, the United States, and Vietnam. Second, the pilgrimage also coincided with celebrations for the 30th anniversary of Sujata Academy, a remarkable community school and social empowerment project established by Ven. Pomnyun Sunim in Dungeshwari, in the northeastern Indian state of Bihar. This project has transformed the lives of an entire community of people who have faced systemic social and economic exclusion as a result of India\u2019s conservative Hindu caste hierarchy.2<\/sup><\/p>\n\n\n\n

The academy is named after Sujata, the young woman who is said to have nourished the ailing and emaciated Siddhartha Gautama with a bowl of milk-rice, thus ending his six years of extreme asceticism. Tuition at the academy is provided free of charge. The school\u2019s principal goal is to educate every student in basic literacy and numeracy. Classes are taught from kindergarten to secondary level, alongside adult literacy classes and skills training. Students who wish to continue beyond elementary education and attend secondary school are required to teach kindergarteners or to help out in the onsite Jivaka Hospital in the mornings and to attend classes in the afternoon, working in the spirit of giving back to the community. The campus also includes a warehouse, a dormitory, a large playing field, and sports equipment for the children.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

x<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n
\n
\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\"\"<\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

Ven. Pomnyun Sunim established the international Buddhist humanitarian relief organization Join Together Society (JTS) as an expression of the compassion of engaged Buddhism and the belief that helping others is the best way to enrich one\u2019s own life. Headquartered in Seoul, JTS operates four branch offices in South Korea and the United States, along with field offices in India and the Philippines. JTS Korea and JTS America oversee fundraising, while JTS India and JTS Philippines conduct development projects in cooperation with local communities. The relief organization has also earned Special Consultative Status to the United Nations Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

JTS India began its work in Dungeshwari, some 12 kilometers northeast of the Buddhist pilgrimage hub of Bodh Gaya, in the early 1990s, aspiring to fulfill the mission: \u201cThe hungry should eat; the sick should be treated; children should be educated in time.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This region is surrounded by the Pragbodhi Hills where the historical Buddha, Shakyamuni, is said to have spent six years in a cave as an ascetic. And it\u2019s here that JTS India has been working to empower the villagers of Dungeshwari to live their lives free from hunger, illiteracy, and disease.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The people of Dungeshwari are primarily Dalits, who face systemic social and economic exclusion as a result of the conservative Hindu social hierarchy. \u201cDalit,\u201d which translates as \u201cbroken\u201d in Sanskrit, is a term for the very lowest castes, whom members of the so-called \u201chigher\u201d castes still to this day deem \u201cuntouchable,\u201d despite the practice being prohibited in the Constitution of India. By working directly with disadvantaged communities, JTS aims to help them to mobilize their own capabilities and resources to create a more prosperous and sustainable future.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Jungto Society Dharma teacher Doyeon Jang (Dharma name Bogwang), is the director of Sujata Academy. She has overseen the development of this ambitious project, facing numerous challenges, both personal and structural, in the process of bringing this expression of compassion and social transformation to fruition.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u25b6\ufe0f Published by BDG on March 8, 2024<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u25b6\ufe0f Read more: <\/a>https:\/\/www.buddhistdoor.net\/features\/the-sujata-academy-project-the-power-of-hope-and-compassion-in-india\/<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/p>\n","post_title":"The Sujata Academy Project: The Power of Hope and Compassion in India","post_excerpt":"The Korean Seon (Zen) master Venerable Pomnyun Sunim (\ubc95\ub95c\uc2a4\ub2d8) wears many hats: Buddhist monk, teacher, author, environmentalist, and social activist, to name a few. As a widely respected Dharma teacher and a tireless socially engaged activist in his native South Korea, Ven. Pomnyun Sunim has founded numerous Dharma-based organizations, initiatives, and projects that are active across the world. Among them, Jungto Society, a volunteer-based community founded on the Buddhist teachings and expressing equality, simple living, and sustainability, is dedicated to addressing modern social issues that lead to suffering, including environmental degradation, poverty, and conflict.\n\nThis column, shared by Jungto Society, presents a series of highlights from Ven. Pomnyun Sunim\u2019s writings, teachings, public talks, and regular live-streamed Dharma Q+A sessions, which are accessible across the globe.\n","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","post_password":"","post_name":"the-sujata-academy-project-the-power-of-hope-and-compassion-in-india","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2024-03-10 17:38:00","post_modified_gmt":"2024-03-10 22:38:00","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/www.jungtosociety.org\/?p=18140","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"},{"ID":18136,"post_author":"13","post_date":"2024-03-10 17:24:34","post_date_gmt":"2024-03-10 22:24:34","post_content":"\n

Your son is over forty and
his main relationship is with someone else.
So, stop worrying about a grown man
who belongs with another woman
and be nice to the man next to you. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Illustration by Maseol <\/p>\n","post_title":"Son over forty","post_excerpt":"","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","post_password":"","post_name":"son-over-forty","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2024-03-10 17:24:36","post_modified_gmt":"2024-03-10 22:24:36","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/www.jungtosociety.org\/?p=18136","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"}],"next":false,"prev":false,"total_page":1},"paged":1,"column_class":"jeg_col_2o3","class":"jnews_block_37"};

\n

This is not to say that you should hoard all your assets. You can give some to your children if you want, but you should keep your house and enough money to live comfortably. This way, you will still have some assets to leave to your children when you pass away, and they will arrange a good funeral for you.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

If you plan to distribute your assets among your children after retirement, it\u2019s a good idea to give away just seventy to eighty percent of your assets. You must keep twenty to thirty percent for your own. You can decide on the percentage depending on the size of your assets. If you don\u2019t have a lot of assets, the percentage you keep should be higher than if you have a lot. Either way, when parents maintain their financial freedom even after retirement, they will be able to live with dignity and are more likely to sustain a good relationship with their children.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Of course, there is the option of practicing according to the teachings of the Buddha and letting go of all your worldly possessions. People may think that an enlightened person does not need to have a cent to his name and just needs a space in the common room of a temple to sleep. Most people, however, can\u2019t live this way, which is why they need to hold on to enough assets to live on. Those living in the countryside need a place to live, a piece of land to grow various vegetables, and rice fields, while those living in the city need to have a principal amount in the bank that will yield enough monthly interest for them to live comfortably.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

It\u2019s not easy for people to earn money in their old age. Since they don\u2019t have a source of income, they may expect their children to give them some spending money and end up resenting them if they don\u2019t. To avoid such an outcome, it\u2019s necessary for people to keep some financial assets to live on in their old age. This way, parents can live independently from their children without expecting too much from their children or be overly attached to them.<\/p>\n","post_title":"You Should Hold Onto Enough Financial Assets To Live On After Retirement","post_excerpt":"","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","post_password":"","post_name":"you-should-hold-onto-enough-financial-assets-to-live-on-after-retirement","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2024-03-02 14:55:05","post_modified_gmt":"2024-03-02 19:55:05","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/www.jungtosociety.org\/?p=18131","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"},{"ID":18045,"post_author":"40","post_date":"2024-03-15 07:00:00","post_date_gmt":"2024-03-15 12:00:00","post_content":"\n

<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/a><\/gwmw><\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/a><\/p>\n","post_title":"[Meditation Q&A] \u201cHow can I value serenity but not give up caring when I am practicing…. ?","post_excerpt":"","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","post_password":"","post_name":"meditation-qa-how-can-i-value-serenity-but-not-give-up-caring-when-i-am-practicing","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2024-02-27 19:02:33","post_modified_gmt":"2024-02-28 00:02:33","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/www.jungtosociety.org\/?p=18045","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"},{"ID":18197,"post_author":"13","post_date":"2024-03-13 22:47:47","post_date_gmt":"2024-03-14 03:47:47","post_content":"\n

It\u2019s simple to become an adult.
Wake up earlier than your mom
and prepare breakfast for your parents,
wash the dishes,
and clean your room after school or work. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Illustration by Maseol <\/p>\n","post_title":"Becoming an adult","post_excerpt":"","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","post_password":"","post_name":"becoming-an-adult","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2024-03-13 22:47:48","post_modified_gmt":"2024-03-14 03:47:48","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/www.jungtosociety.org\/?p=18197","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"},{"ID":18125,"post_author":"40","post_date":"2024-03-12 07:00:00","post_date_gmt":"2024-03-12 12:00:00","post_content":"\n

P:<\/strong> When the Buddha was close to death, his disciples came to him and asked,<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cHow would you like us to conduct your funeral?\u201d The Buddha answered, \u201cYou don\u2019t need to worry about my funeral because the lay Buddhists will take care of it.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Lay Buddhists are those who take refuge in the Three Jewels and practice the Five Precepts without becoming monks or nuns. When the Buddha said they will take care of it, he meant that his funeral would be conducted based on customs of the lay people in India. So, after the Buddha died, the Lay Buddhists cremated the Buddha\u2019s body according to the Indian tradition. If he had lived in Korea, he would have been buried in the ground as is the custom in Korea.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Dharma is a teaching about truth, so it does not contain cultural aspects. However, since Buddhism originated from India, its traditions, customs, and culture were integrated into the Buddhist culture. Strictly speaking, neither cremation nor the 49-day posthumous ceremony is a fundamental tradition of Buddhism. They are in fact part of the of Indian cultural tradition.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

It is said that the deceased person has 49 days to be saved and is classified into one of nine levels based on his deeds during his life. \u201cAnyone can be reborn in paradise after he dies if he sincerely hopes for it. However, not everyone can be reborn in paradise right away since people fall into one of the nine categories based on their deeds.\u201d Specifically, people are divided into three categories of high, middle and low, and those in each of the three categories are again divided into high, middle and low, so there are a total of nine categories.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

It is believed that people in the very first category are reborn in paradise immediately after their death. It is comparable to leaving a room and entering another room. Those in the second category are reborn within 12 hours. It takes one day for those in the third category, three days for those in the fourth, a week for those in the fifth, 21 days for those in the sixth, and finally, it takes 49 days for those in the seventh category to be reborn in paradise. This is reason that people hold the 49-day posthumous ceremony. This ritual provides an opportunity for people to do good deeds on behalf of their deceased family members and help them be reborn in paradise within 49 days.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

What happens to the people in the eighth and ninth categories? Ultimately, people in all nine categories will all be reborn in paradise. However, those in the eighth and ninth categories have to spend some time in hell before that. Every year, Buddhists perform the Buddhist All Soul\u2019s Day ceremony on July 15th of the lunar calendar to save the souls of those in the two categories from hell. There is no point in debating whether this is true or not because it is a religious belief, so people are free to choose whether to believe it or not.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Funeral customs vary greatly from religion to religion and country to country. In India, the dead are cremated, and in Tibet, they are left to be eaten by birds. The corpse is cut up and placed on big rocks high in the mountain, so that it is eaten by falcons and eagles. In desert regions, the dead are \u201cburied in the wind.\u201d That is, they are nailed on a wooden board and exposed to the elements for one year until only the bones remain after which the funeral ceremony is performed. In regions with many islands, the dead are dropped into the sea.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Each of these funeral rituals has its unique meaning and significance. Tibetans feed the dead to birds because they believe that the spirit of the dead will fly to heaven with the birds. Some cultures bury the dead in the ground because of the belief that the spiritual world exists underground. Meanwhile, Indians believe in reincarnation, so they cremate the corpse to help the spirits to quickly sever their attachment to their worldly bodies so that they can be reborn.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Regardless of the funeral ritual that is performed, once a person dies, it\u2019s the end. By saying \u201cthe end\u201d I am not implying that there is no heaven or an afterlife; I am simply saying the person who draws his last breath will no longer exist in this world. From a Christian viewpoint, the spirits go to heaven, and from a Buddhist perspective, the spirits are reborn, so there is nothing we can do for them. Therefore, the best farewell for those who pass away is to let them go from our hearts.<\/p>\n","post_title":"The Best Farewell For The Deceased","post_excerpt":"","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","post_password":"","post_name":"the-best-farewell-for-the-deceased-2","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2024-03-02 14:50:59","post_modified_gmt":"2024-03-02 19:50:59","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/www.jungtosociety.org\/?p=18125","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"},{"ID":18140,"post_author":"13","post_date":"2024-03-10 17:37:58","post_date_gmt":"2024-03-10 22:37:58","post_content":"\n

<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Jungto Society, the international Buddhist community founded by the revered Korean Dharma master and social activist Venerable Pomnyun Sunim (\ubc95\ub95c\uc2a4\ub2d8), recently conducted its 33rd annual pilgrimage across India and to Nepal. Held under the theme \u201cFollowing in the Footsteps of the Buddha,\u201d the pilgrimage, which ran from 19 January to 2 February, was attended by more 500 practitioners.1<\/sup><\/p>\n\n\n\n

This year\u2019s pilgrimage was particularly notable for two reasons: first was the participation, for the first time in the Jungto pilgrimage\u2019s 33-year history, of non-Korean practitioners: the 500-plus Korean Buddhist pilgrims were accompanied nine practitioners from Italy, Japan, Thailand, the United Kingdom, the United States, and Vietnam. Second, the pilgrimage also coincided with celebrations for the 30th anniversary of Sujata Academy, a remarkable community school and social empowerment project established by Ven. Pomnyun Sunim in Dungeshwari, in the northeastern Indian state of Bihar. This project has transformed the lives of an entire community of people who have faced systemic social and economic exclusion as a result of India\u2019s conservative Hindu caste hierarchy.2<\/sup><\/p>\n\n\n\n

The academy is named after Sujata, the young woman who is said to have nourished the ailing and emaciated Siddhartha Gautama with a bowl of milk-rice, thus ending his six years of extreme asceticism. Tuition at the academy is provided free of charge. The school\u2019s principal goal is to educate every student in basic literacy and numeracy. Classes are taught from kindergarten to secondary level, alongside adult literacy classes and skills training. Students who wish to continue beyond elementary education and attend secondary school are required to teach kindergarteners or to help out in the onsite Jivaka Hospital in the mornings and to attend classes in the afternoon, working in the spirit of giving back to the community. The campus also includes a warehouse, a dormitory, a large playing field, and sports equipment for the children.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

x<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n
\n
\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\"\"<\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

Ven. Pomnyun Sunim established the international Buddhist humanitarian relief organization Join Together Society (JTS) as an expression of the compassion of engaged Buddhism and the belief that helping others is the best way to enrich one\u2019s own life. Headquartered in Seoul, JTS operates four branch offices in South Korea and the United States, along with field offices in India and the Philippines. JTS Korea and JTS America oversee fundraising, while JTS India and JTS Philippines conduct development projects in cooperation with local communities. The relief organization has also earned Special Consultative Status to the United Nations Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

JTS India began its work in Dungeshwari, some 12 kilometers northeast of the Buddhist pilgrimage hub of Bodh Gaya, in the early 1990s, aspiring to fulfill the mission: \u201cThe hungry should eat; the sick should be treated; children should be educated in time.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This region is surrounded by the Pragbodhi Hills where the historical Buddha, Shakyamuni, is said to have spent six years in a cave as an ascetic. And it\u2019s here that JTS India has been working to empower the villagers of Dungeshwari to live their lives free from hunger, illiteracy, and disease.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The people of Dungeshwari are primarily Dalits, who face systemic social and economic exclusion as a result of the conservative Hindu social hierarchy. \u201cDalit,\u201d which translates as \u201cbroken\u201d in Sanskrit, is a term for the very lowest castes, whom members of the so-called \u201chigher\u201d castes still to this day deem \u201cuntouchable,\u201d despite the practice being prohibited in the Constitution of India. By working directly with disadvantaged communities, JTS aims to help them to mobilize their own capabilities and resources to create a more prosperous and sustainable future.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Jungto Society Dharma teacher Doyeon Jang (Dharma name Bogwang), is the director of Sujata Academy. She has overseen the development of this ambitious project, facing numerous challenges, both personal and structural, in the process of bringing this expression of compassion and social transformation to fruition.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u25b6\ufe0f Published by BDG on March 8, 2024<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u25b6\ufe0f Read more: <\/a>https:\/\/www.buddhistdoor.net\/features\/the-sujata-academy-project-the-power-of-hope-and-compassion-in-india\/<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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<\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/p>\n","post_title":"The Sujata Academy Project: The Power of Hope and Compassion in India","post_excerpt":"The Korean Seon (Zen) master Venerable Pomnyun Sunim (\ubc95\ub95c\uc2a4\ub2d8) wears many hats: Buddhist monk, teacher, author, environmentalist, and social activist, to name a few. As a widely respected Dharma teacher and a tireless socially engaged activist in his native South Korea, Ven. Pomnyun Sunim has founded numerous Dharma-based organizations, initiatives, and projects that are active across the world. Among them, Jungto Society, a volunteer-based community founded on the Buddhist teachings and expressing equality, simple living, and sustainability, is dedicated to addressing modern social issues that lead to suffering, including environmental degradation, poverty, and conflict.\n\nThis column, shared by Jungto Society, presents a series of highlights from Ven. Pomnyun Sunim\u2019s writings, teachings, public talks, and regular live-streamed Dharma Q+A sessions, which are accessible across the globe.\n","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","post_password":"","post_name":"the-sujata-academy-project-the-power-of-hope-and-compassion-in-india","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2024-03-10 17:38:00","post_modified_gmt":"2024-03-10 22:38:00","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/www.jungtosociety.org\/?p=18140","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"},{"ID":18136,"post_author":"13","post_date":"2024-03-10 17:24:34","post_date_gmt":"2024-03-10 22:24:34","post_content":"\n

Your son is over forty and
his main relationship is with someone else.
So, stop worrying about a grown man
who belongs with another woman
and be nice to the man next to you. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Illustration by Maseol <\/p>\n","post_title":"Son over forty","post_excerpt":"","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","post_password":"","post_name":"son-over-forty","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2024-03-10 17:24:36","post_modified_gmt":"2024-03-10 22:24:36","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/www.jungtosociety.org\/?p=18136","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"}],"next":false,"prev":false,"total_page":1},"paged":1,"column_class":"jeg_col_2o3","class":"jnews_block_37"};

\n

You can age gracefully when you have your own assets. If you don\u2019t have anything to live on, your later years will become miserable. So, you should keep your assets. If you give them away to your children, your relationship with your children may easily be ruined.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This is not to say that you should hoard all your assets. You can give some to your children if you want, but you should keep your house and enough money to live comfortably. This way, you will still have some assets to leave to your children when you pass away, and they will arrange a good funeral for you.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

If you plan to distribute your assets among your children after retirement, it\u2019s a good idea to give away just seventy to eighty percent of your assets. You must keep twenty to thirty percent for your own. You can decide on the percentage depending on the size of your assets. If you don\u2019t have a lot of assets, the percentage you keep should be higher than if you have a lot. Either way, when parents maintain their financial freedom even after retirement, they will be able to live with dignity and are more likely to sustain a good relationship with their children.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Of course, there is the option of practicing according to the teachings of the Buddha and letting go of all your worldly possessions. People may think that an enlightened person does not need to have a cent to his name and just needs a space in the common room of a temple to sleep. Most people, however, can\u2019t live this way, which is why they need to hold on to enough assets to live on. Those living in the countryside need a place to live, a piece of land to grow various vegetables, and rice fields, while those living in the city need to have a principal amount in the bank that will yield enough monthly interest for them to live comfortably.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

It\u2019s not easy for people to earn money in their old age. Since they don\u2019t have a source of income, they may expect their children to give them some spending money and end up resenting them if they don\u2019t. To avoid such an outcome, it\u2019s necessary for people to keep some financial assets to live on in their old age. This way, parents can live independently from their children without expecting too much from their children or be overly attached to them.<\/p>\n","post_title":"You Should Hold Onto Enough Financial Assets To Live On After Retirement","post_excerpt":"","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","post_password":"","post_name":"you-should-hold-onto-enough-financial-assets-to-live-on-after-retirement","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2024-03-02 14:55:05","post_modified_gmt":"2024-03-02 19:55:05","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/www.jungtosociety.org\/?p=18131","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"},{"ID":18045,"post_author":"40","post_date":"2024-03-15 07:00:00","post_date_gmt":"2024-03-15 12:00:00","post_content":"\n

<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/a><\/gwmw><\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/a><\/p>\n","post_title":"[Meditation Q&A] \u201cHow can I value serenity but not give up caring when I am practicing…. ?","post_excerpt":"","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","post_password":"","post_name":"meditation-qa-how-can-i-value-serenity-but-not-give-up-caring-when-i-am-practicing","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2024-02-27 19:02:33","post_modified_gmt":"2024-02-28 00:02:33","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/www.jungtosociety.org\/?p=18045","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"},{"ID":18197,"post_author":"13","post_date":"2024-03-13 22:47:47","post_date_gmt":"2024-03-14 03:47:47","post_content":"\n

It\u2019s simple to become an adult.
Wake up earlier than your mom
and prepare breakfast for your parents,
wash the dishes,
and clean your room after school or work. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Illustration by Maseol <\/p>\n","post_title":"Becoming an adult","post_excerpt":"","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","post_password":"","post_name":"becoming-an-adult","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2024-03-13 22:47:48","post_modified_gmt":"2024-03-14 03:47:48","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/www.jungtosociety.org\/?p=18197","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"},{"ID":18125,"post_author":"40","post_date":"2024-03-12 07:00:00","post_date_gmt":"2024-03-12 12:00:00","post_content":"\n

P:<\/strong> When the Buddha was close to death, his disciples came to him and asked,<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cHow would you like us to conduct your funeral?\u201d The Buddha answered, \u201cYou don\u2019t need to worry about my funeral because the lay Buddhists will take care of it.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Lay Buddhists are those who take refuge in the Three Jewels and practice the Five Precepts without becoming monks or nuns. When the Buddha said they will take care of it, he meant that his funeral would be conducted based on customs of the lay people in India. So, after the Buddha died, the Lay Buddhists cremated the Buddha\u2019s body according to the Indian tradition. If he had lived in Korea, he would have been buried in the ground as is the custom in Korea.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Dharma is a teaching about truth, so it does not contain cultural aspects. However, since Buddhism originated from India, its traditions, customs, and culture were integrated into the Buddhist culture. Strictly speaking, neither cremation nor the 49-day posthumous ceremony is a fundamental tradition of Buddhism. They are in fact part of the of Indian cultural tradition.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

It is said that the deceased person has 49 days to be saved and is classified into one of nine levels based on his deeds during his life. \u201cAnyone can be reborn in paradise after he dies if he sincerely hopes for it. However, not everyone can be reborn in paradise right away since people fall into one of the nine categories based on their deeds.\u201d Specifically, people are divided into three categories of high, middle and low, and those in each of the three categories are again divided into high, middle and low, so there are a total of nine categories.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

It is believed that people in the very first category are reborn in paradise immediately after their death. It is comparable to leaving a room and entering another room. Those in the second category are reborn within 12 hours. It takes one day for those in the third category, three days for those in the fourth, a week for those in the fifth, 21 days for those in the sixth, and finally, it takes 49 days for those in the seventh category to be reborn in paradise. This is reason that people hold the 49-day posthumous ceremony. This ritual provides an opportunity for people to do good deeds on behalf of their deceased family members and help them be reborn in paradise within 49 days.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

What happens to the people in the eighth and ninth categories? Ultimately, people in all nine categories will all be reborn in paradise. However, those in the eighth and ninth categories have to spend some time in hell before that. Every year, Buddhists perform the Buddhist All Soul\u2019s Day ceremony on July 15th of the lunar calendar to save the souls of those in the two categories from hell. There is no point in debating whether this is true or not because it is a religious belief, so people are free to choose whether to believe it or not.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Funeral customs vary greatly from religion to religion and country to country. In India, the dead are cremated, and in Tibet, they are left to be eaten by birds. The corpse is cut up and placed on big rocks high in the mountain, so that it is eaten by falcons and eagles. In desert regions, the dead are \u201cburied in the wind.\u201d That is, they are nailed on a wooden board and exposed to the elements for one year until only the bones remain after which the funeral ceremony is performed. In regions with many islands, the dead are dropped into the sea.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Each of these funeral rituals has its unique meaning and significance. Tibetans feed the dead to birds because they believe that the spirit of the dead will fly to heaven with the birds. Some cultures bury the dead in the ground because of the belief that the spiritual world exists underground. Meanwhile, Indians believe in reincarnation, so they cremate the corpse to help the spirits to quickly sever their attachment to their worldly bodies so that they can be reborn.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Regardless of the funeral ritual that is performed, once a person dies, it\u2019s the end. By saying \u201cthe end\u201d I am not implying that there is no heaven or an afterlife; I am simply saying the person who draws his last breath will no longer exist in this world. From a Christian viewpoint, the spirits go to heaven, and from a Buddhist perspective, the spirits are reborn, so there is nothing we can do for them. Therefore, the best farewell for those who pass away is to let them go from our hearts.<\/p>\n","post_title":"The Best Farewell For The Deceased","post_excerpt":"","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","post_password":"","post_name":"the-best-farewell-for-the-deceased-2","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2024-03-02 14:50:59","post_modified_gmt":"2024-03-02 19:50:59","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/www.jungtosociety.org\/?p=18125","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"},{"ID":18140,"post_author":"13","post_date":"2024-03-10 17:37:58","post_date_gmt":"2024-03-10 22:37:58","post_content":"\n

<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Jungto Society, the international Buddhist community founded by the revered Korean Dharma master and social activist Venerable Pomnyun Sunim (\ubc95\ub95c\uc2a4\ub2d8), recently conducted its 33rd annual pilgrimage across India and to Nepal. Held under the theme \u201cFollowing in the Footsteps of the Buddha,\u201d the pilgrimage, which ran from 19 January to 2 February, was attended by more 500 practitioners.1<\/sup><\/p>\n\n\n\n

This year\u2019s pilgrimage was particularly notable for two reasons: first was the participation, for the first time in the Jungto pilgrimage\u2019s 33-year history, of non-Korean practitioners: the 500-plus Korean Buddhist pilgrims were accompanied nine practitioners from Italy, Japan, Thailand, the United Kingdom, the United States, and Vietnam. Second, the pilgrimage also coincided with celebrations for the 30th anniversary of Sujata Academy, a remarkable community school and social empowerment project established by Ven. Pomnyun Sunim in Dungeshwari, in the northeastern Indian state of Bihar. This project has transformed the lives of an entire community of people who have faced systemic social and economic exclusion as a result of India\u2019s conservative Hindu caste hierarchy.2<\/sup><\/p>\n\n\n\n

The academy is named after Sujata, the young woman who is said to have nourished the ailing and emaciated Siddhartha Gautama with a bowl of milk-rice, thus ending his six years of extreme asceticism. Tuition at the academy is provided free of charge. The school\u2019s principal goal is to educate every student in basic literacy and numeracy. Classes are taught from kindergarten to secondary level, alongside adult literacy classes and skills training. Students who wish to continue beyond elementary education and attend secondary school are required to teach kindergarteners or to help out in the onsite Jivaka Hospital in the mornings and to attend classes in the afternoon, working in the spirit of giving back to the community. The campus also includes a warehouse, a dormitory, a large playing field, and sports equipment for the children.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

x<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n
\n
\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\"\"<\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

Ven. Pomnyun Sunim established the international Buddhist humanitarian relief organization Join Together Society (JTS) as an expression of the compassion of engaged Buddhism and the belief that helping others is the best way to enrich one\u2019s own life. Headquartered in Seoul, JTS operates four branch offices in South Korea and the United States, along with field offices in India and the Philippines. JTS Korea and JTS America oversee fundraising, while JTS India and JTS Philippines conduct development projects in cooperation with local communities. The relief organization has also earned Special Consultative Status to the United Nations Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

JTS India began its work in Dungeshwari, some 12 kilometers northeast of the Buddhist pilgrimage hub of Bodh Gaya, in the early 1990s, aspiring to fulfill the mission: \u201cThe hungry should eat; the sick should be treated; children should be educated in time.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This region is surrounded by the Pragbodhi Hills where the historical Buddha, Shakyamuni, is said to have spent six years in a cave as an ascetic. And it\u2019s here that JTS India has been working to empower the villagers of Dungeshwari to live their lives free from hunger, illiteracy, and disease.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The people of Dungeshwari are primarily Dalits, who face systemic social and economic exclusion as a result of the conservative Hindu social hierarchy. \u201cDalit,\u201d which translates as \u201cbroken\u201d in Sanskrit, is a term for the very lowest castes, whom members of the so-called \u201chigher\u201d castes still to this day deem \u201cuntouchable,\u201d despite the practice being prohibited in the Constitution of India. By working directly with disadvantaged communities, JTS aims to help them to mobilize their own capabilities and resources to create a more prosperous and sustainable future.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Jungto Society Dharma teacher Doyeon Jang (Dharma name Bogwang), is the director of Sujata Academy. She has overseen the development of this ambitious project, facing numerous challenges, both personal and structural, in the process of bringing this expression of compassion and social transformation to fruition.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u25b6\ufe0f Published by BDG on March 8, 2024<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u25b6\ufe0f Read more: <\/a>https:\/\/www.buddhistdoor.net\/features\/the-sujata-academy-project-the-power-of-hope-and-compassion-in-india\/<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

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<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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<\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/p>\n","post_title":"The Sujata Academy Project: The Power of Hope and Compassion in India","post_excerpt":"The Korean Seon (Zen) master Venerable Pomnyun Sunim (\ubc95\ub95c\uc2a4\ub2d8) wears many hats: Buddhist monk, teacher, author, environmentalist, and social activist, to name a few. As a widely respected Dharma teacher and a tireless socially engaged activist in his native South Korea, Ven. Pomnyun Sunim has founded numerous Dharma-based organizations, initiatives, and projects that are active across the world. Among them, Jungto Society, a volunteer-based community founded on the Buddhist teachings and expressing equality, simple living, and sustainability, is dedicated to addressing modern social issues that lead to suffering, including environmental degradation, poverty, and conflict.\n\nThis column, shared by Jungto Society, presents a series of highlights from Ven. Pomnyun Sunim\u2019s writings, teachings, public talks, and regular live-streamed Dharma Q+A sessions, which are accessible across the globe.\n","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","post_password":"","post_name":"the-sujata-academy-project-the-power-of-hope-and-compassion-in-india","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2024-03-10 17:38:00","post_modified_gmt":"2024-03-10 22:38:00","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/www.jungtosociety.org\/?p=18140","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"},{"ID":18136,"post_author":"13","post_date":"2024-03-10 17:24:34","post_date_gmt":"2024-03-10 22:24:34","post_content":"\n

Your son is over forty and
his main relationship is with someone else.
So, stop worrying about a grown man
who belongs with another woman
and be nice to the man next to you. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Illustration by Maseol <\/p>\n","post_title":"Son over forty","post_excerpt":"","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","post_password":"","post_name":"son-over-forty","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2024-03-10 17:24:36","post_modified_gmt":"2024-03-10 22:24:36","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/www.jungtosociety.org\/?p=18136","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"}],"next":false,"prev":false,"total_page":1},"paged":1,"column_class":"jeg_col_2o3","class":"jnews_block_37"};

\n

When parents leave all their wealth to their offspring, they may be exposed to the danger of becoming broke and homeless if their offspring should go bankrupt. This isn\u2019t such a big problem when you are young because you can work hard to regain your wealth. In Korea, there is even a saying that goes, \u201cHardship during youth is worth paying money for.\u201d Because they have energy and potential, young people don\u2019t look pathetic when they are without money and live in a tent. However, nothing is more pitiful than seeing an old person broke and homeless. Therefore, even when any of your children become bankrupt, you should not lend him or her money by mortgaging your house. If you do, you may end up losing your house.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

You can age gracefully when you have your own assets. If you don\u2019t have anything to live on, your later years will become miserable. So, you should keep your assets. If you give them away to your children, your relationship with your children may easily be ruined.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This is not to say that you should hoard all your assets. You can give some to your children if you want, but you should keep your house and enough money to live comfortably. This way, you will still have some assets to leave to your children when you pass away, and they will arrange a good funeral for you.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

If you plan to distribute your assets among your children after retirement, it\u2019s a good idea to give away just seventy to eighty percent of your assets. You must keep twenty to thirty percent for your own. You can decide on the percentage depending on the size of your assets. If you don\u2019t have a lot of assets, the percentage you keep should be higher than if you have a lot. Either way, when parents maintain their financial freedom even after retirement, they will be able to live with dignity and are more likely to sustain a good relationship with their children.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Of course, there is the option of practicing according to the teachings of the Buddha and letting go of all your worldly possessions. People may think that an enlightened person does not need to have a cent to his name and just needs a space in the common room of a temple to sleep. Most people, however, can\u2019t live this way, which is why they need to hold on to enough assets to live on. Those living in the countryside need a place to live, a piece of land to grow various vegetables, and rice fields, while those living in the city need to have a principal amount in the bank that will yield enough monthly interest for them to live comfortably.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

It\u2019s not easy for people to earn money in their old age. Since they don\u2019t have a source of income, they may expect their children to give them some spending money and end up resenting them if they don\u2019t. To avoid such an outcome, it\u2019s necessary for people to keep some financial assets to live on in their old age. This way, parents can live independently from their children without expecting too much from their children or be overly attached to them.<\/p>\n","post_title":"You Should Hold Onto Enough Financial Assets To Live On After Retirement","post_excerpt":"","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","post_password":"","post_name":"you-should-hold-onto-enough-financial-assets-to-live-on-after-retirement","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2024-03-02 14:55:05","post_modified_gmt":"2024-03-02 19:55:05","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/www.jungtosociety.org\/?p=18131","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"},{"ID":18045,"post_author":"40","post_date":"2024-03-15 07:00:00","post_date_gmt":"2024-03-15 12:00:00","post_content":"\n

<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/a><\/gwmw><\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/a><\/p>\n","post_title":"[Meditation Q&A] \u201cHow can I value serenity but not give up caring when I am practicing…. ?","post_excerpt":"","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","post_password":"","post_name":"meditation-qa-how-can-i-value-serenity-but-not-give-up-caring-when-i-am-practicing","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2024-02-27 19:02:33","post_modified_gmt":"2024-02-28 00:02:33","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/www.jungtosociety.org\/?p=18045","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"},{"ID":18197,"post_author":"13","post_date":"2024-03-13 22:47:47","post_date_gmt":"2024-03-14 03:47:47","post_content":"\n

It\u2019s simple to become an adult.
Wake up earlier than your mom
and prepare breakfast for your parents,
wash the dishes,
and clean your room after school or work. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Illustration by Maseol <\/p>\n","post_title":"Becoming an adult","post_excerpt":"","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","post_password":"","post_name":"becoming-an-adult","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2024-03-13 22:47:48","post_modified_gmt":"2024-03-14 03:47:48","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/www.jungtosociety.org\/?p=18197","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"},{"ID":18125,"post_author":"40","post_date":"2024-03-12 07:00:00","post_date_gmt":"2024-03-12 12:00:00","post_content":"\n

P:<\/strong> When the Buddha was close to death, his disciples came to him and asked,<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cHow would you like us to conduct your funeral?\u201d The Buddha answered, \u201cYou don\u2019t need to worry about my funeral because the lay Buddhists will take care of it.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Lay Buddhists are those who take refuge in the Three Jewels and practice the Five Precepts without becoming monks or nuns. When the Buddha said they will take care of it, he meant that his funeral would be conducted based on customs of the lay people in India. So, after the Buddha died, the Lay Buddhists cremated the Buddha\u2019s body according to the Indian tradition. If he had lived in Korea, he would have been buried in the ground as is the custom in Korea.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Dharma is a teaching about truth, so it does not contain cultural aspects. However, since Buddhism originated from India, its traditions, customs, and culture were integrated into the Buddhist culture. Strictly speaking, neither cremation nor the 49-day posthumous ceremony is a fundamental tradition of Buddhism. They are in fact part of the of Indian cultural tradition.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

It is said that the deceased person has 49 days to be saved and is classified into one of nine levels based on his deeds during his life. \u201cAnyone can be reborn in paradise after he dies if he sincerely hopes for it. However, not everyone can be reborn in paradise right away since people fall into one of the nine categories based on their deeds.\u201d Specifically, people are divided into three categories of high, middle and low, and those in each of the three categories are again divided into high, middle and low, so there are a total of nine categories.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

It is believed that people in the very first category are reborn in paradise immediately after their death. It is comparable to leaving a room and entering another room. Those in the second category are reborn within 12 hours. It takes one day for those in the third category, three days for those in the fourth, a week for those in the fifth, 21 days for those in the sixth, and finally, it takes 49 days for those in the seventh category to be reborn in paradise. This is reason that people hold the 49-day posthumous ceremony. This ritual provides an opportunity for people to do good deeds on behalf of their deceased family members and help them be reborn in paradise within 49 days.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

What happens to the people in the eighth and ninth categories? Ultimately, people in all nine categories will all be reborn in paradise. However, those in the eighth and ninth categories have to spend some time in hell before that. Every year, Buddhists perform the Buddhist All Soul\u2019s Day ceremony on July 15th of the lunar calendar to save the souls of those in the two categories from hell. There is no point in debating whether this is true or not because it is a religious belief, so people are free to choose whether to believe it or not.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Funeral customs vary greatly from religion to religion and country to country. In India, the dead are cremated, and in Tibet, they are left to be eaten by birds. The corpse is cut up and placed on big rocks high in the mountain, so that it is eaten by falcons and eagles. In desert regions, the dead are \u201cburied in the wind.\u201d That is, they are nailed on a wooden board and exposed to the elements for one year until only the bones remain after which the funeral ceremony is performed. In regions with many islands, the dead are dropped into the sea.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Each of these funeral rituals has its unique meaning and significance. Tibetans feed the dead to birds because they believe that the spirit of the dead will fly to heaven with the birds. Some cultures bury the dead in the ground because of the belief that the spiritual world exists underground. Meanwhile, Indians believe in reincarnation, so they cremate the corpse to help the spirits to quickly sever their attachment to their worldly bodies so that they can be reborn.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Regardless of the funeral ritual that is performed, once a person dies, it\u2019s the end. By saying \u201cthe end\u201d I am not implying that there is no heaven or an afterlife; I am simply saying the person who draws his last breath will no longer exist in this world. From a Christian viewpoint, the spirits go to heaven, and from a Buddhist perspective, the spirits are reborn, so there is nothing we can do for them. Therefore, the best farewell for those who pass away is to let them go from our hearts.<\/p>\n","post_title":"The Best Farewell For The Deceased","post_excerpt":"","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","post_password":"","post_name":"the-best-farewell-for-the-deceased-2","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2024-03-02 14:50:59","post_modified_gmt":"2024-03-02 19:50:59","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/www.jungtosociety.org\/?p=18125","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"},{"ID":18140,"post_author":"13","post_date":"2024-03-10 17:37:58","post_date_gmt":"2024-03-10 22:37:58","post_content":"\n

<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Jungto Society, the international Buddhist community founded by the revered Korean Dharma master and social activist Venerable Pomnyun Sunim (\ubc95\ub95c\uc2a4\ub2d8), recently conducted its 33rd annual pilgrimage across India and to Nepal. Held under the theme \u201cFollowing in the Footsteps of the Buddha,\u201d the pilgrimage, which ran from 19 January to 2 February, was attended by more 500 practitioners.1<\/sup><\/p>\n\n\n\n

This year\u2019s pilgrimage was particularly notable for two reasons: first was the participation, for the first time in the Jungto pilgrimage\u2019s 33-year history, of non-Korean practitioners: the 500-plus Korean Buddhist pilgrims were accompanied nine practitioners from Italy, Japan, Thailand, the United Kingdom, the United States, and Vietnam. Second, the pilgrimage also coincided with celebrations for the 30th anniversary of Sujata Academy, a remarkable community school and social empowerment project established by Ven. Pomnyun Sunim in Dungeshwari, in the northeastern Indian state of Bihar. This project has transformed the lives of an entire community of people who have faced systemic social and economic exclusion as a result of India\u2019s conservative Hindu caste hierarchy.2<\/sup><\/p>\n\n\n\n

The academy is named after Sujata, the young woman who is said to have nourished the ailing and emaciated Siddhartha Gautama with a bowl of milk-rice, thus ending his six years of extreme asceticism. Tuition at the academy is provided free of charge. The school\u2019s principal goal is to educate every student in basic literacy and numeracy. Classes are taught from kindergarten to secondary level, alongside adult literacy classes and skills training. Students who wish to continue beyond elementary education and attend secondary school are required to teach kindergarteners or to help out in the onsite Jivaka Hospital in the mornings and to attend classes in the afternoon, working in the spirit of giving back to the community. The campus also includes a warehouse, a dormitory, a large playing field, and sports equipment for the children.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

x<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n
\n
\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\"\"<\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

Ven. Pomnyun Sunim established the international Buddhist humanitarian relief organization Join Together Society (JTS) as an expression of the compassion of engaged Buddhism and the belief that helping others is the best way to enrich one\u2019s own life. Headquartered in Seoul, JTS operates four branch offices in South Korea and the United States, along with field offices in India and the Philippines. JTS Korea and JTS America oversee fundraising, while JTS India and JTS Philippines conduct development projects in cooperation with local communities. The relief organization has also earned Special Consultative Status to the United Nations Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

JTS India began its work in Dungeshwari, some 12 kilometers northeast of the Buddhist pilgrimage hub of Bodh Gaya, in the early 1990s, aspiring to fulfill the mission: \u201cThe hungry should eat; the sick should be treated; children should be educated in time.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This region is surrounded by the Pragbodhi Hills where the historical Buddha, Shakyamuni, is said to have spent six years in a cave as an ascetic. And it\u2019s here that JTS India has been working to empower the villagers of Dungeshwari to live their lives free from hunger, illiteracy, and disease.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The people of Dungeshwari are primarily Dalits, who face systemic social and economic exclusion as a result of the conservative Hindu social hierarchy. \u201cDalit,\u201d which translates as \u201cbroken\u201d in Sanskrit, is a term for the very lowest castes, whom members of the so-called \u201chigher\u201d castes still to this day deem \u201cuntouchable,\u201d despite the practice being prohibited in the Constitution of India. By working directly with disadvantaged communities, JTS aims to help them to mobilize their own capabilities and resources to create a more prosperous and sustainable future.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Jungto Society Dharma teacher Doyeon Jang (Dharma name Bogwang), is the director of Sujata Academy. She has overseen the development of this ambitious project, facing numerous challenges, both personal and structural, in the process of bringing this expression of compassion and social transformation to fruition.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u25b6\ufe0f Published by BDG on March 8, 2024<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u25b6\ufe0f Read more: <\/a>https:\/\/www.buddhistdoor.net\/features\/the-sujata-academy-project-the-power-of-hope-and-compassion-in-india\/<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

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<\/p>\n","post_title":"The Sujata Academy Project: The Power of Hope and Compassion in India","post_excerpt":"The Korean Seon (Zen) master Venerable Pomnyun Sunim (\ubc95\ub95c\uc2a4\ub2d8) wears many hats: Buddhist monk, teacher, author, environmentalist, and social activist, to name a few. As a widely respected Dharma teacher and a tireless socially engaged activist in his native South Korea, Ven. Pomnyun Sunim has founded numerous Dharma-based organizations, initiatives, and projects that are active across the world. Among them, Jungto Society, a volunteer-based community founded on the Buddhist teachings and expressing equality, simple living, and sustainability, is dedicated to addressing modern social issues that lead to suffering, including environmental degradation, poverty, and conflict.\n\nThis column, shared by Jungto Society, presents a series of highlights from Ven. Pomnyun Sunim\u2019s writings, teachings, public talks, and regular live-streamed Dharma Q+A sessions, which are accessible across the globe.\n","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","post_password":"","post_name":"the-sujata-academy-project-the-power-of-hope-and-compassion-in-india","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2024-03-10 17:38:00","post_modified_gmt":"2024-03-10 22:38:00","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/www.jungtosociety.org\/?p=18140","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"},{"ID":18136,"post_author":"13","post_date":"2024-03-10 17:24:34","post_date_gmt":"2024-03-10 22:24:34","post_content":"\n

Your son is over forty and
his main relationship is with someone else.
So, stop worrying about a grown man
who belongs with another woman
and be nice to the man next to you. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Illustration by Maseol <\/p>\n","post_title":"Son over forty","post_excerpt":"","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","post_password":"","post_name":"son-over-forty","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2024-03-10 17:24:36","post_modified_gmt":"2024-03-10 22:24:36","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/www.jungtosociety.org\/?p=18136","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"}],"next":false,"prev":false,"total_page":1},"paged":1,"column_class":"jeg_col_2o3","class":"jnews_block_37"};

\n

P:<\/strong> In the past, parents left all their wealth to their children when they retired, and since their children took good care of them for the rest of their lives, they did not have to worry about their future. However, times have changed. The middle-aged population now find that although they have honored and taken good care of their aged parents, their own children are unlikely to do the same for them. Therefore, parents, today should not give all their assets to their children when they retire.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

When parents leave all their wealth to their offspring, they may be exposed to the danger of becoming broke and homeless if their offspring should go bankrupt. This isn\u2019t such a big problem when you are young because you can work hard to regain your wealth. In Korea, there is even a saying that goes, \u201cHardship during youth is worth paying money for.\u201d Because they have energy and potential, young people don\u2019t look pathetic when they are without money and live in a tent. However, nothing is more pitiful than seeing an old person broke and homeless. Therefore, even when any of your children become bankrupt, you should not lend him or her money by mortgaging your house. If you do, you may end up losing your house.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

You can age gracefully when you have your own assets. If you don\u2019t have anything to live on, your later years will become miserable. So, you should keep your assets. If you give them away to your children, your relationship with your children may easily be ruined.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This is not to say that you should hoard all your assets. You can give some to your children if you want, but you should keep your house and enough money to live comfortably. This way, you will still have some assets to leave to your children when you pass away, and they will arrange a good funeral for you.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

If you plan to distribute your assets among your children after retirement, it\u2019s a good idea to give away just seventy to eighty percent of your assets. You must keep twenty to thirty percent for your own. You can decide on the percentage depending on the size of your assets. If you don\u2019t have a lot of assets, the percentage you keep should be higher than if you have a lot. Either way, when parents maintain their financial freedom even after retirement, they will be able to live with dignity and are more likely to sustain a good relationship with their children.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Of course, there is the option of practicing according to the teachings of the Buddha and letting go of all your worldly possessions. People may think that an enlightened person does not need to have a cent to his name and just needs a space in the common room of a temple to sleep. Most people, however, can\u2019t live this way, which is why they need to hold on to enough assets to live on. Those living in the countryside need a place to live, a piece of land to grow various vegetables, and rice fields, while those living in the city need to have a principal amount in the bank that will yield enough monthly interest for them to live comfortably.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

It\u2019s not easy for people to earn money in their old age. Since they don\u2019t have a source of income, they may expect their children to give them some spending money and end up resenting them if they don\u2019t. To avoid such an outcome, it\u2019s necessary for people to keep some financial assets to live on in their old age. This way, parents can live independently from their children without expecting too much from their children or be overly attached to them.<\/p>\n","post_title":"You Should Hold Onto Enough Financial Assets To Live On After Retirement","post_excerpt":"","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","post_password":"","post_name":"you-should-hold-onto-enough-financial-assets-to-live-on-after-retirement","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2024-03-02 14:55:05","post_modified_gmt":"2024-03-02 19:55:05","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/www.jungtosociety.org\/?p=18131","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"},{"ID":18045,"post_author":"40","post_date":"2024-03-15 07:00:00","post_date_gmt":"2024-03-15 12:00:00","post_content":"\n

<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/a><\/gwmw><\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/a><\/p>\n","post_title":"[Meditation Q&A] \u201cHow can I value serenity but not give up caring when I am practicing…. ?","post_excerpt":"","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","post_password":"","post_name":"meditation-qa-how-can-i-value-serenity-but-not-give-up-caring-when-i-am-practicing","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2024-02-27 19:02:33","post_modified_gmt":"2024-02-28 00:02:33","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/www.jungtosociety.org\/?p=18045","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"},{"ID":18197,"post_author":"13","post_date":"2024-03-13 22:47:47","post_date_gmt":"2024-03-14 03:47:47","post_content":"\n

It\u2019s simple to become an adult.
Wake up earlier than your mom
and prepare breakfast for your parents,
wash the dishes,
and clean your room after school or work. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Illustration by Maseol <\/p>\n","post_title":"Becoming an adult","post_excerpt":"","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","post_password":"","post_name":"becoming-an-adult","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2024-03-13 22:47:48","post_modified_gmt":"2024-03-14 03:47:48","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/www.jungtosociety.org\/?p=18197","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"},{"ID":18125,"post_author":"40","post_date":"2024-03-12 07:00:00","post_date_gmt":"2024-03-12 12:00:00","post_content":"\n

P:<\/strong> When the Buddha was close to death, his disciples came to him and asked,<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cHow would you like us to conduct your funeral?\u201d The Buddha answered, \u201cYou don\u2019t need to worry about my funeral because the lay Buddhists will take care of it.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Lay Buddhists are those who take refuge in the Three Jewels and practice the Five Precepts without becoming monks or nuns. When the Buddha said they will take care of it, he meant that his funeral would be conducted based on customs of the lay people in India. So, after the Buddha died, the Lay Buddhists cremated the Buddha\u2019s body according to the Indian tradition. If he had lived in Korea, he would have been buried in the ground as is the custom in Korea.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Dharma is a teaching about truth, so it does not contain cultural aspects. However, since Buddhism originated from India, its traditions, customs, and culture were integrated into the Buddhist culture. Strictly speaking, neither cremation nor the 49-day posthumous ceremony is a fundamental tradition of Buddhism. They are in fact part of the of Indian cultural tradition.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

It is said that the deceased person has 49 days to be saved and is classified into one of nine levels based on his deeds during his life. \u201cAnyone can be reborn in paradise after he dies if he sincerely hopes for it. However, not everyone can be reborn in paradise right away since people fall into one of the nine categories based on their deeds.\u201d Specifically, people are divided into three categories of high, middle and low, and those in each of the three categories are again divided into high, middle and low, so there are a total of nine categories.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

It is believed that people in the very first category are reborn in paradise immediately after their death. It is comparable to leaving a room and entering another room. Those in the second category are reborn within 12 hours. It takes one day for those in the third category, three days for those in the fourth, a week for those in the fifth, 21 days for those in the sixth, and finally, it takes 49 days for those in the seventh category to be reborn in paradise. This is reason that people hold the 49-day posthumous ceremony. This ritual provides an opportunity for people to do good deeds on behalf of their deceased family members and help them be reborn in paradise within 49 days.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

What happens to the people in the eighth and ninth categories? Ultimately, people in all nine categories will all be reborn in paradise. However, those in the eighth and ninth categories have to spend some time in hell before that. Every year, Buddhists perform the Buddhist All Soul\u2019s Day ceremony on July 15th of the lunar calendar to save the souls of those in the two categories from hell. There is no point in debating whether this is true or not because it is a religious belief, so people are free to choose whether to believe it or not.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Funeral customs vary greatly from religion to religion and country to country. In India, the dead are cremated, and in Tibet, they are left to be eaten by birds. The corpse is cut up and placed on big rocks high in the mountain, so that it is eaten by falcons and eagles. In desert regions, the dead are \u201cburied in the wind.\u201d That is, they are nailed on a wooden board and exposed to the elements for one year until only the bones remain after which the funeral ceremony is performed. In regions with many islands, the dead are dropped into the sea.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Each of these funeral rituals has its unique meaning and significance. Tibetans feed the dead to birds because they believe that the spirit of the dead will fly to heaven with the birds. Some cultures bury the dead in the ground because of the belief that the spiritual world exists underground. Meanwhile, Indians believe in reincarnation, so they cremate the corpse to help the spirits to quickly sever their attachment to their worldly bodies so that they can be reborn.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Regardless of the funeral ritual that is performed, once a person dies, it\u2019s the end. By saying \u201cthe end\u201d I am not implying that there is no heaven or an afterlife; I am simply saying the person who draws his last breath will no longer exist in this world. From a Christian viewpoint, the spirits go to heaven, and from a Buddhist perspective, the spirits are reborn, so there is nothing we can do for them. Therefore, the best farewell for those who pass away is to let them go from our hearts.<\/p>\n","post_title":"The Best Farewell For The Deceased","post_excerpt":"","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","post_password":"","post_name":"the-best-farewell-for-the-deceased-2","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2024-03-02 14:50:59","post_modified_gmt":"2024-03-02 19:50:59","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/www.jungtosociety.org\/?p=18125","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"},{"ID":18140,"post_author":"13","post_date":"2024-03-10 17:37:58","post_date_gmt":"2024-03-10 22:37:58","post_content":"\n

<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Jungto Society, the international Buddhist community founded by the revered Korean Dharma master and social activist Venerable Pomnyun Sunim (\ubc95\ub95c\uc2a4\ub2d8), recently conducted its 33rd annual pilgrimage across India and to Nepal. Held under the theme \u201cFollowing in the Footsteps of the Buddha,\u201d the pilgrimage, which ran from 19 January to 2 February, was attended by more 500 practitioners.1<\/sup><\/p>\n\n\n\n

This year\u2019s pilgrimage was particularly notable for two reasons: first was the participation, for the first time in the Jungto pilgrimage\u2019s 33-year history, of non-Korean practitioners: the 500-plus Korean Buddhist pilgrims were accompanied nine practitioners from Italy, Japan, Thailand, the United Kingdom, the United States, and Vietnam. Second, the pilgrimage also coincided with celebrations for the 30th anniversary of Sujata Academy, a remarkable community school and social empowerment project established by Ven. Pomnyun Sunim in Dungeshwari, in the northeastern Indian state of Bihar. This project has transformed the lives of an entire community of people who have faced systemic social and economic exclusion as a result of India\u2019s conservative Hindu caste hierarchy.2<\/sup><\/p>\n\n\n\n

The academy is named after Sujata, the young woman who is said to have nourished the ailing and emaciated Siddhartha Gautama with a bowl of milk-rice, thus ending his six years of extreme asceticism. Tuition at the academy is provided free of charge. The school\u2019s principal goal is to educate every student in basic literacy and numeracy. Classes are taught from kindergarten to secondary level, alongside adult literacy classes and skills training. Students who wish to continue beyond elementary education and attend secondary school are required to teach kindergarteners or to help out in the onsite Jivaka Hospital in the mornings and to attend classes in the afternoon, working in the spirit of giving back to the community. The campus also includes a warehouse, a dormitory, a large playing field, and sports equipment for the children.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

x<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n
\n
\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\"\"<\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

Ven. Pomnyun Sunim established the international Buddhist humanitarian relief organization Join Together Society (JTS) as an expression of the compassion of engaged Buddhism and the belief that helping others is the best way to enrich one\u2019s own life. Headquartered in Seoul, JTS operates four branch offices in South Korea and the United States, along with field offices in India and the Philippines. JTS Korea and JTS America oversee fundraising, while JTS India and JTS Philippines conduct development projects in cooperation with local communities. The relief organization has also earned Special Consultative Status to the United Nations Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

JTS India began its work in Dungeshwari, some 12 kilometers northeast of the Buddhist pilgrimage hub of Bodh Gaya, in the early 1990s, aspiring to fulfill the mission: \u201cThe hungry should eat; the sick should be treated; children should be educated in time.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This region is surrounded by the Pragbodhi Hills where the historical Buddha, Shakyamuni, is said to have spent six years in a cave as an ascetic. And it\u2019s here that JTS India has been working to empower the villagers of Dungeshwari to live their lives free from hunger, illiteracy, and disease.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The people of Dungeshwari are primarily Dalits, who face systemic social and economic exclusion as a result of the conservative Hindu social hierarchy. \u201cDalit,\u201d which translates as \u201cbroken\u201d in Sanskrit, is a term for the very lowest castes, whom members of the so-called \u201chigher\u201d castes still to this day deem \u201cuntouchable,\u201d despite the practice being prohibited in the Constitution of India. By working directly with disadvantaged communities, JTS aims to help them to mobilize their own capabilities and resources to create a more prosperous and sustainable future.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Jungto Society Dharma teacher Doyeon Jang (Dharma name Bogwang), is the director of Sujata Academy. She has overseen the development of this ambitious project, facing numerous challenges, both personal and structural, in the process of bringing this expression of compassion and social transformation to fruition.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u25b6\ufe0f Published by BDG on March 8, 2024<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u25b6\ufe0f Read more: <\/a>https:\/\/www.buddhistdoor.net\/features\/the-sujata-academy-project-the-power-of-hope-and-compassion-in-india\/<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

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<\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/p>\n","post_title":"The Sujata Academy Project: The Power of Hope and Compassion in India","post_excerpt":"The Korean Seon (Zen) master Venerable Pomnyun Sunim (\ubc95\ub95c\uc2a4\ub2d8) wears many hats: Buddhist monk, teacher, author, environmentalist, and social activist, to name a few. As a widely respected Dharma teacher and a tireless socially engaged activist in his native South Korea, Ven. Pomnyun Sunim has founded numerous Dharma-based organizations, initiatives, and projects that are active across the world. Among them, Jungto Society, a volunteer-based community founded on the Buddhist teachings and expressing equality, simple living, and sustainability, is dedicated to addressing modern social issues that lead to suffering, including environmental degradation, poverty, and conflict.\n\nThis column, shared by Jungto Society, presents a series of highlights from Ven. Pomnyun Sunim\u2019s writings, teachings, public talks, and regular live-streamed Dharma Q+A sessions, which are accessible across the globe.\n","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","post_password":"","post_name":"the-sujata-academy-project-the-power-of-hope-and-compassion-in-india","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2024-03-10 17:38:00","post_modified_gmt":"2024-03-10 22:38:00","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/www.jungtosociety.org\/?p=18140","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"},{"ID":18136,"post_author":"13","post_date":"2024-03-10 17:24:34","post_date_gmt":"2024-03-10 22:24:34","post_content":"\n

Your son is over forty and
his main relationship is with someone else.
So, stop worrying about a grown man
who belongs with another woman
and be nice to the man next to you. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Illustration by Maseol <\/p>\n","post_title":"Son over forty","post_excerpt":"","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","post_password":"","post_name":"son-over-forty","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2024-03-10 17:24:36","post_modified_gmt":"2024-03-10 22:24:36","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/www.jungtosociety.org\/?p=18136","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"}],"next":false,"prev":false,"total_page":1},"paged":1,"column_class":"jeg_col_2o3","class":"jnews_block_37"};

\n

Illustration by Maseol <\/p>\n","post_title":"One day at a time","post_excerpt":"","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","post_password":"","post_name":"one-day-at-a-time","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2024-03-20 22:57:15","post_modified_gmt":"2024-03-21 03:57:15","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/www.jungtosociety.org\/?p=18295","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"},{"ID":18131,"post_author":"40","post_date":"2024-03-19 14:51:48","post_date_gmt":"2024-03-19 19:51:48","post_content":"\n

P:<\/strong> In the past, parents left all their wealth to their children when they retired, and since their children took good care of them for the rest of their lives, they did not have to worry about their future. However, times have changed. The middle-aged population now find that although they have honored and taken good care of their aged parents, their own children are unlikely to do the same for them. Therefore, parents, today should not give all their assets to their children when they retire.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

When parents leave all their wealth to their offspring, they may be exposed to the danger of becoming broke and homeless if their offspring should go bankrupt. This isn\u2019t such a big problem when you are young because you can work hard to regain your wealth. In Korea, there is even a saying that goes, \u201cHardship during youth is worth paying money for.\u201d Because they have energy and potential, young people don\u2019t look pathetic when they are without money and live in a tent. However, nothing is more pitiful than seeing an old person broke and homeless. Therefore, even when any of your children become bankrupt, you should not lend him or her money by mortgaging your house. If you do, you may end up losing your house.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

You can age gracefully when you have your own assets. If you don\u2019t have anything to live on, your later years will become miserable. So, you should keep your assets. If you give them away to your children, your relationship with your children may easily be ruined.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This is not to say that you should hoard all your assets. You can give some to your children if you want, but you should keep your house and enough money to live comfortably. This way, you will still have some assets to leave to your children when you pass away, and they will arrange a good funeral for you.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

If you plan to distribute your assets among your children after retirement, it\u2019s a good idea to give away just seventy to eighty percent of your assets. You must keep twenty to thirty percent for your own. You can decide on the percentage depending on the size of your assets. If you don\u2019t have a lot of assets, the percentage you keep should be higher than if you have a lot. Either way, when parents maintain their financial freedom even after retirement, they will be able to live with dignity and are more likely to sustain a good relationship with their children.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Of course, there is the option of practicing according to the teachings of the Buddha and letting go of all your worldly possessions. People may think that an enlightened person does not need to have a cent to his name and just needs a space in the common room of a temple to sleep. Most people, however, can\u2019t live this way, which is why they need to hold on to enough assets to live on. Those living in the countryside need a place to live, a piece of land to grow various vegetables, and rice fields, while those living in the city need to have a principal amount in the bank that will yield enough monthly interest for them to live comfortably.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

It\u2019s not easy for people to earn money in their old age. Since they don\u2019t have a source of income, they may expect their children to give them some spending money and end up resenting them if they don\u2019t. To avoid such an outcome, it\u2019s necessary for people to keep some financial assets to live on in their old age. This way, parents can live independently from their children without expecting too much from their children or be overly attached to them.<\/p>\n","post_title":"You Should Hold Onto Enough Financial Assets To Live On After Retirement","post_excerpt":"","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","post_password":"","post_name":"you-should-hold-onto-enough-financial-assets-to-live-on-after-retirement","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2024-03-02 14:55:05","post_modified_gmt":"2024-03-02 19:55:05","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/www.jungtosociety.org\/?p=18131","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"},{"ID":18045,"post_author":"40","post_date":"2024-03-15 07:00:00","post_date_gmt":"2024-03-15 12:00:00","post_content":"\n

<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/a><\/gwmw><\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/a><\/p>\n","post_title":"[Meditation Q&A] \u201cHow can I value serenity but not give up caring when I am practicing…. ?","post_excerpt":"","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","post_password":"","post_name":"meditation-qa-how-can-i-value-serenity-but-not-give-up-caring-when-i-am-practicing","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2024-02-27 19:02:33","post_modified_gmt":"2024-02-28 00:02:33","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/www.jungtosociety.org\/?p=18045","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"},{"ID":18197,"post_author":"13","post_date":"2024-03-13 22:47:47","post_date_gmt":"2024-03-14 03:47:47","post_content":"\n

It\u2019s simple to become an adult.
Wake up earlier than your mom
and prepare breakfast for your parents,
wash the dishes,
and clean your room after school or work. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Illustration by Maseol <\/p>\n","post_title":"Becoming an adult","post_excerpt":"","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","post_password":"","post_name":"becoming-an-adult","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2024-03-13 22:47:48","post_modified_gmt":"2024-03-14 03:47:48","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/www.jungtosociety.org\/?p=18197","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"},{"ID":18125,"post_author":"40","post_date":"2024-03-12 07:00:00","post_date_gmt":"2024-03-12 12:00:00","post_content":"\n

P:<\/strong> When the Buddha was close to death, his disciples came to him and asked,<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cHow would you like us to conduct your funeral?\u201d The Buddha answered, \u201cYou don\u2019t need to worry about my funeral because the lay Buddhists will take care of it.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Lay Buddhists are those who take refuge in the Three Jewels and practice the Five Precepts without becoming monks or nuns. When the Buddha said they will take care of it, he meant that his funeral would be conducted based on customs of the lay people in India. So, after the Buddha died, the Lay Buddhists cremated the Buddha\u2019s body according to the Indian tradition. If he had lived in Korea, he would have been buried in the ground as is the custom in Korea.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Dharma is a teaching about truth, so it does not contain cultural aspects. However, since Buddhism originated from India, its traditions, customs, and culture were integrated into the Buddhist culture. Strictly speaking, neither cremation nor the 49-day posthumous ceremony is a fundamental tradition of Buddhism. They are in fact part of the of Indian cultural tradition.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

It is said that the deceased person has 49 days to be saved and is classified into one of nine levels based on his deeds during his life. \u201cAnyone can be reborn in paradise after he dies if he sincerely hopes for it. However, not everyone can be reborn in paradise right away since people fall into one of the nine categories based on their deeds.\u201d Specifically, people are divided into three categories of high, middle and low, and those in each of the three categories are again divided into high, middle and low, so there are a total of nine categories.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

It is believed that people in the very first category are reborn in paradise immediately after their death. It is comparable to leaving a room and entering another room. Those in the second category are reborn within 12 hours. It takes one day for those in the third category, three days for those in the fourth, a week for those in the fifth, 21 days for those in the sixth, and finally, it takes 49 days for those in the seventh category to be reborn in paradise. This is reason that people hold the 49-day posthumous ceremony. This ritual provides an opportunity for people to do good deeds on behalf of their deceased family members and help them be reborn in paradise within 49 days.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

What happens to the people in the eighth and ninth categories? Ultimately, people in all nine categories will all be reborn in paradise. However, those in the eighth and ninth categories have to spend some time in hell before that. Every year, Buddhists perform the Buddhist All Soul\u2019s Day ceremony on July 15th of the lunar calendar to save the souls of those in the two categories from hell. There is no point in debating whether this is true or not because it is a religious belief, so people are free to choose whether to believe it or not.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Funeral customs vary greatly from religion to religion and country to country. In India, the dead are cremated, and in Tibet, they are left to be eaten by birds. The corpse is cut up and placed on big rocks high in the mountain, so that it is eaten by falcons and eagles. In desert regions, the dead are \u201cburied in the wind.\u201d That is, they are nailed on a wooden board and exposed to the elements for one year until only the bones remain after which the funeral ceremony is performed. In regions with many islands, the dead are dropped into the sea.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Each of these funeral rituals has its unique meaning and significance. Tibetans feed the dead to birds because they believe that the spirit of the dead will fly to heaven with the birds. Some cultures bury the dead in the ground because of the belief that the spiritual world exists underground. Meanwhile, Indians believe in reincarnation, so they cremate the corpse to help the spirits to quickly sever their attachment to their worldly bodies so that they can be reborn.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Regardless of the funeral ritual that is performed, once a person dies, it\u2019s the end. By saying \u201cthe end\u201d I am not implying that there is no heaven or an afterlife; I am simply saying the person who draws his last breath will no longer exist in this world. From a Christian viewpoint, the spirits go to heaven, and from a Buddhist perspective, the spirits are reborn, so there is nothing we can do for them. Therefore, the best farewell for those who pass away is to let them go from our hearts.<\/p>\n","post_title":"The Best Farewell For The Deceased","post_excerpt":"","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","post_password":"","post_name":"the-best-farewell-for-the-deceased-2","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2024-03-02 14:50:59","post_modified_gmt":"2024-03-02 19:50:59","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/www.jungtosociety.org\/?p=18125","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"},{"ID":18140,"post_author":"13","post_date":"2024-03-10 17:37:58","post_date_gmt":"2024-03-10 22:37:58","post_content":"\n

<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Jungto Society, the international Buddhist community founded by the revered Korean Dharma master and social activist Venerable Pomnyun Sunim (\ubc95\ub95c\uc2a4\ub2d8), recently conducted its 33rd annual pilgrimage across India and to Nepal. Held under the theme \u201cFollowing in the Footsteps of the Buddha,\u201d the pilgrimage, which ran from 19 January to 2 February, was attended by more 500 practitioners.1<\/sup><\/p>\n\n\n\n

This year\u2019s pilgrimage was particularly notable for two reasons: first was the participation, for the first time in the Jungto pilgrimage\u2019s 33-year history, of non-Korean practitioners: the 500-plus Korean Buddhist pilgrims were accompanied nine practitioners from Italy, Japan, Thailand, the United Kingdom, the United States, and Vietnam. Second, the pilgrimage also coincided with celebrations for the 30th anniversary of Sujata Academy, a remarkable community school and social empowerment project established by Ven. Pomnyun Sunim in Dungeshwari, in the northeastern Indian state of Bihar. This project has transformed the lives of an entire community of people who have faced systemic social and economic exclusion as a result of India\u2019s conservative Hindu caste hierarchy.2<\/sup><\/p>\n\n\n\n

The academy is named after Sujata, the young woman who is said to have nourished the ailing and emaciated Siddhartha Gautama with a bowl of milk-rice, thus ending his six years of extreme asceticism. Tuition at the academy is provided free of charge. The school\u2019s principal goal is to educate every student in basic literacy and numeracy. Classes are taught from kindergarten to secondary level, alongside adult literacy classes and skills training. Students who wish to continue beyond elementary education and attend secondary school are required to teach kindergarteners or to help out in the onsite Jivaka Hospital in the mornings and to attend classes in the afternoon, working in the spirit of giving back to the community. The campus also includes a warehouse, a dormitory, a large playing field, and sports equipment for the children.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

x<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n
\n
\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\"\"<\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

Ven. Pomnyun Sunim established the international Buddhist humanitarian relief organization Join Together Society (JTS) as an expression of the compassion of engaged Buddhism and the belief that helping others is the best way to enrich one\u2019s own life. Headquartered in Seoul, JTS operates four branch offices in South Korea and the United States, along with field offices in India and the Philippines. JTS Korea and JTS America oversee fundraising, while JTS India and JTS Philippines conduct development projects in cooperation with local communities. The relief organization has also earned Special Consultative Status to the United Nations Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

JTS India began its work in Dungeshwari, some 12 kilometers northeast of the Buddhist pilgrimage hub of Bodh Gaya, in the early 1990s, aspiring to fulfill the mission: \u201cThe hungry should eat; the sick should be treated; children should be educated in time.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This region is surrounded by the Pragbodhi Hills where the historical Buddha, Shakyamuni, is said to have spent six years in a cave as an ascetic. And it\u2019s here that JTS India has been working to empower the villagers of Dungeshwari to live their lives free from hunger, illiteracy, and disease.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The people of Dungeshwari are primarily Dalits, who face systemic social and economic exclusion as a result of the conservative Hindu social hierarchy. \u201cDalit,\u201d which translates as \u201cbroken\u201d in Sanskrit, is a term for the very lowest castes, whom members of the so-called \u201chigher\u201d castes still to this day deem \u201cuntouchable,\u201d despite the practice being prohibited in the Constitution of India. By working directly with disadvantaged communities, JTS aims to help them to mobilize their own capabilities and resources to create a more prosperous and sustainable future.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Jungto Society Dharma teacher Doyeon Jang (Dharma name Bogwang), is the director of Sujata Academy. She has overseen the development of this ambitious project, facing numerous challenges, both personal and structural, in the process of bringing this expression of compassion and social transformation to fruition.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u25b6\ufe0f Published by BDG on March 8, 2024<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u25b6\ufe0f Read more: <\/a>https:\/\/www.buddhistdoor.net\/features\/the-sujata-academy-project-the-power-of-hope-and-compassion-in-india\/<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/p>\n","post_title":"The Sujata Academy Project: The Power of Hope and Compassion in India","post_excerpt":"The Korean Seon (Zen) master Venerable Pomnyun Sunim (\ubc95\ub95c\uc2a4\ub2d8) wears many hats: Buddhist monk, teacher, author, environmentalist, and social activist, to name a few. As a widely respected Dharma teacher and a tireless socially engaged activist in his native South Korea, Ven. Pomnyun Sunim has founded numerous Dharma-based organizations, initiatives, and projects that are active across the world. Among them, Jungto Society, a volunteer-based community founded on the Buddhist teachings and expressing equality, simple living, and sustainability, is dedicated to addressing modern social issues that lead to suffering, including environmental degradation, poverty, and conflict.\n\nThis column, shared by Jungto Society, presents a series of highlights from Ven. Pomnyun Sunim\u2019s writings, teachings, public talks, and regular live-streamed Dharma Q+A sessions, which are accessible across the globe.\n","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","post_password":"","post_name":"the-sujata-academy-project-the-power-of-hope-and-compassion-in-india","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2024-03-10 17:38:00","post_modified_gmt":"2024-03-10 22:38:00","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/www.jungtosociety.org\/?p=18140","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"},{"ID":18136,"post_author":"13","post_date":"2024-03-10 17:24:34","post_date_gmt":"2024-03-10 22:24:34","post_content":"\n

Your son is over forty and
his main relationship is with someone else.
So, stop worrying about a grown man
who belongs with another woman
and be nice to the man next to you. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Illustration by Maseol <\/p>\n","post_title":"Son over forty","post_excerpt":"","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","post_password":"","post_name":"son-over-forty","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2024-03-10 17:24:36","post_modified_gmt":"2024-03-10 22:24:36","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/www.jungtosociety.org\/?p=18136","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"}],"next":false,"prev":false,"total_page":1},"paged":1,"column_class":"jeg_col_2o3","class":"jnews_block_37"};

\n
\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Illustration by Maseol <\/p>\n","post_title":"One day at a time","post_excerpt":"","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","post_password":"","post_name":"one-day-at-a-time","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2024-03-20 22:57:15","post_modified_gmt":"2024-03-21 03:57:15","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/www.jungtosociety.org\/?p=18295","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"},{"ID":18131,"post_author":"40","post_date":"2024-03-19 14:51:48","post_date_gmt":"2024-03-19 19:51:48","post_content":"\n

P:<\/strong> In the past, parents left all their wealth to their children when they retired, and since their children took good care of them for the rest of their lives, they did not have to worry about their future. However, times have changed. The middle-aged population now find that although they have honored and taken good care of their aged parents, their own children are unlikely to do the same for them. Therefore, parents, today should not give all their assets to their children when they retire.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

When parents leave all their wealth to their offspring, they may be exposed to the danger of becoming broke and homeless if their offspring should go bankrupt. This isn\u2019t such a big problem when you are young because you can work hard to regain your wealth. In Korea, there is even a saying that goes, \u201cHardship during youth is worth paying money for.\u201d Because they have energy and potential, young people don\u2019t look pathetic when they are without money and live in a tent. However, nothing is more pitiful than seeing an old person broke and homeless. Therefore, even when any of your children become bankrupt, you should not lend him or her money by mortgaging your house. If you do, you may end up losing your house.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

You can age gracefully when you have your own assets. If you don\u2019t have anything to live on, your later years will become miserable. So, you should keep your assets. If you give them away to your children, your relationship with your children may easily be ruined.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This is not to say that you should hoard all your assets. You can give some to your children if you want, but you should keep your house and enough money to live comfortably. This way, you will still have some assets to leave to your children when you pass away, and they will arrange a good funeral for you.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

If you plan to distribute your assets among your children after retirement, it\u2019s a good idea to give away just seventy to eighty percent of your assets. You must keep twenty to thirty percent for your own. You can decide on the percentage depending on the size of your assets. If you don\u2019t have a lot of assets, the percentage you keep should be higher than if you have a lot. Either way, when parents maintain their financial freedom even after retirement, they will be able to live with dignity and are more likely to sustain a good relationship with their children.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Of course, there is the option of practicing according to the teachings of the Buddha and letting go of all your worldly possessions. People may think that an enlightened person does not need to have a cent to his name and just needs a space in the common room of a temple to sleep. Most people, however, can\u2019t live this way, which is why they need to hold on to enough assets to live on. Those living in the countryside need a place to live, a piece of land to grow various vegetables, and rice fields, while those living in the city need to have a principal amount in the bank that will yield enough monthly interest for them to live comfortably.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

It\u2019s not easy for people to earn money in their old age. Since they don\u2019t have a source of income, they may expect their children to give them some spending money and end up resenting them if they don\u2019t. To avoid such an outcome, it\u2019s necessary for people to keep some financial assets to live on in their old age. This way, parents can live independently from their children without expecting too much from their children or be overly attached to them.<\/p>\n","post_title":"You Should Hold Onto Enough Financial Assets To Live On After Retirement","post_excerpt":"","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","post_password":"","post_name":"you-should-hold-onto-enough-financial-assets-to-live-on-after-retirement","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2024-03-02 14:55:05","post_modified_gmt":"2024-03-02 19:55:05","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/www.jungtosociety.org\/?p=18131","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"},{"ID":18045,"post_author":"40","post_date":"2024-03-15 07:00:00","post_date_gmt":"2024-03-15 12:00:00","post_content":"\n

<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/a><\/gwmw><\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/a><\/p>\n","post_title":"[Meditation Q&A] \u201cHow can I value serenity but not give up caring when I am practicing…. ?","post_excerpt":"","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","post_password":"","post_name":"meditation-qa-how-can-i-value-serenity-but-not-give-up-caring-when-i-am-practicing","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2024-02-27 19:02:33","post_modified_gmt":"2024-02-28 00:02:33","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/www.jungtosociety.org\/?p=18045","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"},{"ID":18197,"post_author":"13","post_date":"2024-03-13 22:47:47","post_date_gmt":"2024-03-14 03:47:47","post_content":"\n

It\u2019s simple to become an adult.
Wake up earlier than your mom
and prepare breakfast for your parents,
wash the dishes,
and clean your room after school or work. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Illustration by Maseol <\/p>\n","post_title":"Becoming an adult","post_excerpt":"","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","post_password":"","post_name":"becoming-an-adult","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2024-03-13 22:47:48","post_modified_gmt":"2024-03-14 03:47:48","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/www.jungtosociety.org\/?p=18197","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"},{"ID":18125,"post_author":"40","post_date":"2024-03-12 07:00:00","post_date_gmt":"2024-03-12 12:00:00","post_content":"\n

P:<\/strong> When the Buddha was close to death, his disciples came to him and asked,<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cHow would you like us to conduct your funeral?\u201d The Buddha answered, \u201cYou don\u2019t need to worry about my funeral because the lay Buddhists will take care of it.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Lay Buddhists are those who take refuge in the Three Jewels and practice the Five Precepts without becoming monks or nuns. When the Buddha said they will take care of it, he meant that his funeral would be conducted based on customs of the lay people in India. So, after the Buddha died, the Lay Buddhists cremated the Buddha\u2019s body according to the Indian tradition. If he had lived in Korea, he would have been buried in the ground as is the custom in Korea.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Dharma is a teaching about truth, so it does not contain cultural aspects. However, since Buddhism originated from India, its traditions, customs, and culture were integrated into the Buddhist culture. Strictly speaking, neither cremation nor the 49-day posthumous ceremony is a fundamental tradition of Buddhism. They are in fact part of the of Indian cultural tradition.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

It is said that the deceased person has 49 days to be saved and is classified into one of nine levels based on his deeds during his life. \u201cAnyone can be reborn in paradise after he dies if he sincerely hopes for it. However, not everyone can be reborn in paradise right away since people fall into one of the nine categories based on their deeds.\u201d Specifically, people are divided into three categories of high, middle and low, and those in each of the three categories are again divided into high, middle and low, so there are a total of nine categories.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

It is believed that people in the very first category are reborn in paradise immediately after their death. It is comparable to leaving a room and entering another room. Those in the second category are reborn within 12 hours. It takes one day for those in the third category, three days for those in the fourth, a week for those in the fifth, 21 days for those in the sixth, and finally, it takes 49 days for those in the seventh category to be reborn in paradise. This is reason that people hold the 49-day posthumous ceremony. This ritual provides an opportunity for people to do good deeds on behalf of their deceased family members and help them be reborn in paradise within 49 days.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

What happens to the people in the eighth and ninth categories? Ultimately, people in all nine categories will all be reborn in paradise. However, those in the eighth and ninth categories have to spend some time in hell before that. Every year, Buddhists perform the Buddhist All Soul\u2019s Day ceremony on July 15th of the lunar calendar to save the souls of those in the two categories from hell. There is no point in debating whether this is true or not because it is a religious belief, so people are free to choose whether to believe it or not.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Funeral customs vary greatly from religion to religion and country to country. In India, the dead are cremated, and in Tibet, they are left to be eaten by birds. The corpse is cut up and placed on big rocks high in the mountain, so that it is eaten by falcons and eagles. In desert regions, the dead are \u201cburied in the wind.\u201d That is, they are nailed on a wooden board and exposed to the elements for one year until only the bones remain after which the funeral ceremony is performed. In regions with many islands, the dead are dropped into the sea.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Each of these funeral rituals has its unique meaning and significance. Tibetans feed the dead to birds because they believe that the spirit of the dead will fly to heaven with the birds. Some cultures bury the dead in the ground because of the belief that the spiritual world exists underground. Meanwhile, Indians believe in reincarnation, so they cremate the corpse to help the spirits to quickly sever their attachment to their worldly bodies so that they can be reborn.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Regardless of the funeral ritual that is performed, once a person dies, it\u2019s the end. By saying \u201cthe end\u201d I am not implying that there is no heaven or an afterlife; I am simply saying the person who draws his last breath will no longer exist in this world. From a Christian viewpoint, the spirits go to heaven, and from a Buddhist perspective, the spirits are reborn, so there is nothing we can do for them. Therefore, the best farewell for those who pass away is to let them go from our hearts.<\/p>\n","post_title":"The Best Farewell For The Deceased","post_excerpt":"","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","post_password":"","post_name":"the-best-farewell-for-the-deceased-2","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2024-03-02 14:50:59","post_modified_gmt":"2024-03-02 19:50:59","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/www.jungtosociety.org\/?p=18125","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"},{"ID":18140,"post_author":"13","post_date":"2024-03-10 17:37:58","post_date_gmt":"2024-03-10 22:37:58","post_content":"\n

<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Jungto Society, the international Buddhist community founded by the revered Korean Dharma master and social activist Venerable Pomnyun Sunim (\ubc95\ub95c\uc2a4\ub2d8), recently conducted its 33rd annual pilgrimage across India and to Nepal. Held under the theme \u201cFollowing in the Footsteps of the Buddha,\u201d the pilgrimage, which ran from 19 January to 2 February, was attended by more 500 practitioners.1<\/sup><\/p>\n\n\n\n

This year\u2019s pilgrimage was particularly notable for two reasons: first was the participation, for the first time in the Jungto pilgrimage\u2019s 33-year history, of non-Korean practitioners: the 500-plus Korean Buddhist pilgrims were accompanied nine practitioners from Italy, Japan, Thailand, the United Kingdom, the United States, and Vietnam. Second, the pilgrimage also coincided with celebrations for the 30th anniversary of Sujata Academy, a remarkable community school and social empowerment project established by Ven. Pomnyun Sunim in Dungeshwari, in the northeastern Indian state of Bihar. This project has transformed the lives of an entire community of people who have faced systemic social and economic exclusion as a result of India\u2019s conservative Hindu caste hierarchy.2<\/sup><\/p>\n\n\n\n

The academy is named after Sujata, the young woman who is said to have nourished the ailing and emaciated Siddhartha Gautama with a bowl of milk-rice, thus ending his six years of extreme asceticism. Tuition at the academy is provided free of charge. The school\u2019s principal goal is to educate every student in basic literacy and numeracy. Classes are taught from kindergarten to secondary level, alongside adult literacy classes and skills training. Students who wish to continue beyond elementary education and attend secondary school are required to teach kindergarteners or to help out in the onsite Jivaka Hospital in the mornings and to attend classes in the afternoon, working in the spirit of giving back to the community. The campus also includes a warehouse, a dormitory, a large playing field, and sports equipment for the children.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

x<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n
\n
\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\"\"<\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

Ven. Pomnyun Sunim established the international Buddhist humanitarian relief organization Join Together Society (JTS) as an expression of the compassion of engaged Buddhism and the belief that helping others is the best way to enrich one\u2019s own life. Headquartered in Seoul, JTS operates four branch offices in South Korea and the United States, along with field offices in India and the Philippines. JTS Korea and JTS America oversee fundraising, while JTS India and JTS Philippines conduct development projects in cooperation with local communities. The relief organization has also earned Special Consultative Status to the United Nations Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

JTS India began its work in Dungeshwari, some 12 kilometers northeast of the Buddhist pilgrimage hub of Bodh Gaya, in the early 1990s, aspiring to fulfill the mission: \u201cThe hungry should eat; the sick should be treated; children should be educated in time.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This region is surrounded by the Pragbodhi Hills where the historical Buddha, Shakyamuni, is said to have spent six years in a cave as an ascetic. And it\u2019s here that JTS India has been working to empower the villagers of Dungeshwari to live their lives free from hunger, illiteracy, and disease.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The people of Dungeshwari are primarily Dalits, who face systemic social and economic exclusion as a result of the conservative Hindu social hierarchy. \u201cDalit,\u201d which translates as \u201cbroken\u201d in Sanskrit, is a term for the very lowest castes, whom members of the so-called \u201chigher\u201d castes still to this day deem \u201cuntouchable,\u201d despite the practice being prohibited in the Constitution of India. By working directly with disadvantaged communities, JTS aims to help them to mobilize their own capabilities and resources to create a more prosperous and sustainable future.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Jungto Society Dharma teacher Doyeon Jang (Dharma name Bogwang), is the director of Sujata Academy. She has overseen the development of this ambitious project, facing numerous challenges, both personal and structural, in the process of bringing this expression of compassion and social transformation to fruition.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u25b6\ufe0f Published by BDG on March 8, 2024<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u25b6\ufe0f Read more: <\/a>https:\/\/www.buddhistdoor.net\/features\/the-sujata-academy-project-the-power-of-hope-and-compassion-in-india\/<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/p>\n","post_title":"The Sujata Academy Project: The Power of Hope and Compassion in India","post_excerpt":"The Korean Seon (Zen) master Venerable Pomnyun Sunim (\ubc95\ub95c\uc2a4\ub2d8) wears many hats: Buddhist monk, teacher, author, environmentalist, and social activist, to name a few. As a widely respected Dharma teacher and a tireless socially engaged activist in his native South Korea, Ven. Pomnyun Sunim has founded numerous Dharma-based organizations, initiatives, and projects that are active across the world. Among them, Jungto Society, a volunteer-based community founded on the Buddhist teachings and expressing equality, simple living, and sustainability, is dedicated to addressing modern social issues that lead to suffering, including environmental degradation, poverty, and conflict.\n\nThis column, shared by Jungto Society, presents a series of highlights from Ven. Pomnyun Sunim\u2019s writings, teachings, public talks, and regular live-streamed Dharma Q+A sessions, which are accessible across the globe.\n","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","post_password":"","post_name":"the-sujata-academy-project-the-power-of-hope-and-compassion-in-india","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2024-03-10 17:38:00","post_modified_gmt":"2024-03-10 22:38:00","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/www.jungtosociety.org\/?p=18140","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"},{"ID":18136,"post_author":"13","post_date":"2024-03-10 17:24:34","post_date_gmt":"2024-03-10 22:24:34","post_content":"\n

Your son is over forty and
his main relationship is with someone else.
So, stop worrying about a grown man
who belongs with another woman
and be nice to the man next to you. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Illustration by Maseol <\/p>\n","post_title":"Son over forty","post_excerpt":"","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","post_password":"","post_name":"son-over-forty","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2024-03-10 17:24:36","post_modified_gmt":"2024-03-10 22:24:36","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/www.jungtosociety.org\/?p=18136","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"}],"next":false,"prev":false,"total_page":1},"paged":1,"column_class":"jeg_col_2o3","class":"jnews_block_37"};

\n

Accomplishing something
every day with a light heart is like
water drops piercing a rock. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Illustration by Maseol <\/p>\n","post_title":"One day at a time","post_excerpt":"","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","post_password":"","post_name":"one-day-at-a-time","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2024-03-20 22:57:15","post_modified_gmt":"2024-03-21 03:57:15","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/www.jungtosociety.org\/?p=18295","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"},{"ID":18131,"post_author":"40","post_date":"2024-03-19 14:51:48","post_date_gmt":"2024-03-19 19:51:48","post_content":"\n

P:<\/strong> In the past, parents left all their wealth to their children when they retired, and since their children took good care of them for the rest of their lives, they did not have to worry about their future. However, times have changed. The middle-aged population now find that although they have honored and taken good care of their aged parents, their own children are unlikely to do the same for them. Therefore, parents, today should not give all their assets to their children when they retire.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

When parents leave all their wealth to their offspring, they may be exposed to the danger of becoming broke and homeless if their offspring should go bankrupt. This isn\u2019t such a big problem when you are young because you can work hard to regain your wealth. In Korea, there is even a saying that goes, \u201cHardship during youth is worth paying money for.\u201d Because they have energy and potential, young people don\u2019t look pathetic when they are without money and live in a tent. However, nothing is more pitiful than seeing an old person broke and homeless. Therefore, even when any of your children become bankrupt, you should not lend him or her money by mortgaging your house. If you do, you may end up losing your house.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

You can age gracefully when you have your own assets. If you don\u2019t have anything to live on, your later years will become miserable. So, you should keep your assets. If you give them away to your children, your relationship with your children may easily be ruined.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This is not to say that you should hoard all your assets. You can give some to your children if you want, but you should keep your house and enough money to live comfortably. This way, you will still have some assets to leave to your children when you pass away, and they will arrange a good funeral for you.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

If you plan to distribute your assets among your children after retirement, it\u2019s a good idea to give away just seventy to eighty percent of your assets. You must keep twenty to thirty percent for your own. You can decide on the percentage depending on the size of your assets. If you don\u2019t have a lot of assets, the percentage you keep should be higher than if you have a lot. Either way, when parents maintain their financial freedom even after retirement, they will be able to live with dignity and are more likely to sustain a good relationship with their children.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Of course, there is the option of practicing according to the teachings of the Buddha and letting go of all your worldly possessions. People may think that an enlightened person does not need to have a cent to his name and just needs a space in the common room of a temple to sleep. Most people, however, can\u2019t live this way, which is why they need to hold on to enough assets to live on. Those living in the countryside need a place to live, a piece of land to grow various vegetables, and rice fields, while those living in the city need to have a principal amount in the bank that will yield enough monthly interest for them to live comfortably.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

It\u2019s not easy for people to earn money in their old age. Since they don\u2019t have a source of income, they may expect their children to give them some spending money and end up resenting them if they don\u2019t. To avoid such an outcome, it\u2019s necessary for people to keep some financial assets to live on in their old age. This way, parents can live independently from their children without expecting too much from their children or be overly attached to them.<\/p>\n","post_title":"You Should Hold Onto Enough Financial Assets To Live On After Retirement","post_excerpt":"","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","post_password":"","post_name":"you-should-hold-onto-enough-financial-assets-to-live-on-after-retirement","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2024-03-02 14:55:05","post_modified_gmt":"2024-03-02 19:55:05","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/www.jungtosociety.org\/?p=18131","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"},{"ID":18045,"post_author":"40","post_date":"2024-03-15 07:00:00","post_date_gmt":"2024-03-15 12:00:00","post_content":"\n

<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/a><\/gwmw><\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/a><\/p>\n","post_title":"[Meditation Q&A] \u201cHow can I value serenity but not give up caring when I am practicing…. ?","post_excerpt":"","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","post_password":"","post_name":"meditation-qa-how-can-i-value-serenity-but-not-give-up-caring-when-i-am-practicing","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2024-02-27 19:02:33","post_modified_gmt":"2024-02-28 00:02:33","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/www.jungtosociety.org\/?p=18045","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"},{"ID":18197,"post_author":"13","post_date":"2024-03-13 22:47:47","post_date_gmt":"2024-03-14 03:47:47","post_content":"\n

It\u2019s simple to become an adult.
Wake up earlier than your mom
and prepare breakfast for your parents,
wash the dishes,
and clean your room after school or work. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Illustration by Maseol <\/p>\n","post_title":"Becoming an adult","post_excerpt":"","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","post_password":"","post_name":"becoming-an-adult","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2024-03-13 22:47:48","post_modified_gmt":"2024-03-14 03:47:48","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/www.jungtosociety.org\/?p=18197","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"},{"ID":18125,"post_author":"40","post_date":"2024-03-12 07:00:00","post_date_gmt":"2024-03-12 12:00:00","post_content":"\n

P:<\/strong> When the Buddha was close to death, his disciples came to him and asked,<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cHow would you like us to conduct your funeral?\u201d The Buddha answered, \u201cYou don\u2019t need to worry about my funeral because the lay Buddhists will take care of it.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Lay Buddhists are those who take refuge in the Three Jewels and practice the Five Precepts without becoming monks or nuns. When the Buddha said they will take care of it, he meant that his funeral would be conducted based on customs of the lay people in India. So, after the Buddha died, the Lay Buddhists cremated the Buddha\u2019s body according to the Indian tradition. If he had lived in Korea, he would have been buried in the ground as is the custom in Korea.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Dharma is a teaching about truth, so it does not contain cultural aspects. However, since Buddhism originated from India, its traditions, customs, and culture were integrated into the Buddhist culture. Strictly speaking, neither cremation nor the 49-day posthumous ceremony is a fundamental tradition of Buddhism. They are in fact part of the of Indian cultural tradition.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

It is said that the deceased person has 49 days to be saved and is classified into one of nine levels based on his deeds during his life. \u201cAnyone can be reborn in paradise after he dies if he sincerely hopes for it. However, not everyone can be reborn in paradise right away since people fall into one of the nine categories based on their deeds.\u201d Specifically, people are divided into three categories of high, middle and low, and those in each of the three categories are again divided into high, middle and low, so there are a total of nine categories.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

It is believed that people in the very first category are reborn in paradise immediately after their death. It is comparable to leaving a room and entering another room. Those in the second category are reborn within 12 hours. It takes one day for those in the third category, three days for those in the fourth, a week for those in the fifth, 21 days for those in the sixth, and finally, it takes 49 days for those in the seventh category to be reborn in paradise. This is reason that people hold the 49-day posthumous ceremony. This ritual provides an opportunity for people to do good deeds on behalf of their deceased family members and help them be reborn in paradise within 49 days.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

What happens to the people in the eighth and ninth categories? Ultimately, people in all nine categories will all be reborn in paradise. However, those in the eighth and ninth categories have to spend some time in hell before that. Every year, Buddhists perform the Buddhist All Soul\u2019s Day ceremony on July 15th of the lunar calendar to save the souls of those in the two categories from hell. There is no point in debating whether this is true or not because it is a religious belief, so people are free to choose whether to believe it or not.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Funeral customs vary greatly from religion to religion and country to country. In India, the dead are cremated, and in Tibet, they are left to be eaten by birds. The corpse is cut up and placed on big rocks high in the mountain, so that it is eaten by falcons and eagles. In desert regions, the dead are \u201cburied in the wind.\u201d That is, they are nailed on a wooden board and exposed to the elements for one year until only the bones remain after which the funeral ceremony is performed. In regions with many islands, the dead are dropped into the sea.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Each of these funeral rituals has its unique meaning and significance. Tibetans feed the dead to birds because they believe that the spirit of the dead will fly to heaven with the birds. Some cultures bury the dead in the ground because of the belief that the spiritual world exists underground. Meanwhile, Indians believe in reincarnation, so they cremate the corpse to help the spirits to quickly sever their attachment to their worldly bodies so that they can be reborn.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Regardless of the funeral ritual that is performed, once a person dies, it\u2019s the end. By saying \u201cthe end\u201d I am not implying that there is no heaven or an afterlife; I am simply saying the person who draws his last breath will no longer exist in this world. From a Christian viewpoint, the spirits go to heaven, and from a Buddhist perspective, the spirits are reborn, so there is nothing we can do for them. Therefore, the best farewell for those who pass away is to let them go from our hearts.<\/p>\n","post_title":"The Best Farewell For The Deceased","post_excerpt":"","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","post_password":"","post_name":"the-best-farewell-for-the-deceased-2","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2024-03-02 14:50:59","post_modified_gmt":"2024-03-02 19:50:59","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/www.jungtosociety.org\/?p=18125","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"},{"ID":18140,"post_author":"13","post_date":"2024-03-10 17:37:58","post_date_gmt":"2024-03-10 22:37:58","post_content":"\n

<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Jungto Society, the international Buddhist community founded by the revered Korean Dharma master and social activist Venerable Pomnyun Sunim (\ubc95\ub95c\uc2a4\ub2d8), recently conducted its 33rd annual pilgrimage across India and to Nepal. Held under the theme \u201cFollowing in the Footsteps of the Buddha,\u201d the pilgrimage, which ran from 19 January to 2 February, was attended by more 500 practitioners.1<\/sup><\/p>\n\n\n\n

This year\u2019s pilgrimage was particularly notable for two reasons: first was the participation, for the first time in the Jungto pilgrimage\u2019s 33-year history, of non-Korean practitioners: the 500-plus Korean Buddhist pilgrims were accompanied nine practitioners from Italy, Japan, Thailand, the United Kingdom, the United States, and Vietnam. Second, the pilgrimage also coincided with celebrations for the 30th anniversary of Sujata Academy, a remarkable community school and social empowerment project established by Ven. Pomnyun Sunim in Dungeshwari, in the northeastern Indian state of Bihar. This project has transformed the lives of an entire community of people who have faced systemic social and economic exclusion as a result of India\u2019s conservative Hindu caste hierarchy.2<\/sup><\/p>\n\n\n\n

The academy is named after Sujata, the young woman who is said to have nourished the ailing and emaciated Siddhartha Gautama with a bowl of milk-rice, thus ending his six years of extreme asceticism. Tuition at the academy is provided free of charge. The school\u2019s principal goal is to educate every student in basic literacy and numeracy. Classes are taught from kindergarten to secondary level, alongside adult literacy classes and skills training. Students who wish to continue beyond elementary education and attend secondary school are required to teach kindergarteners or to help out in the onsite Jivaka Hospital in the mornings and to attend classes in the afternoon, working in the spirit of giving back to the community. The campus also includes a warehouse, a dormitory, a large playing field, and sports equipment for the children.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

x<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n
\n
\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\"\"<\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

Ven. Pomnyun Sunim established the international Buddhist humanitarian relief organization Join Together Society (JTS) as an expression of the compassion of engaged Buddhism and the belief that helping others is the best way to enrich one\u2019s own life. Headquartered in Seoul, JTS operates four branch offices in South Korea and the United States, along with field offices in India and the Philippines. JTS Korea and JTS America oversee fundraising, while JTS India and JTS Philippines conduct development projects in cooperation with local communities. The relief organization has also earned Special Consultative Status to the United Nations Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

JTS India began its work in Dungeshwari, some 12 kilometers northeast of the Buddhist pilgrimage hub of Bodh Gaya, in the early 1990s, aspiring to fulfill the mission: \u201cThe hungry should eat; the sick should be treated; children should be educated in time.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This region is surrounded by the Pragbodhi Hills where the historical Buddha, Shakyamuni, is said to have spent six years in a cave as an ascetic. And it\u2019s here that JTS India has been working to empower the villagers of Dungeshwari to live their lives free from hunger, illiteracy, and disease.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The people of Dungeshwari are primarily Dalits, who face systemic social and economic exclusion as a result of the conservative Hindu social hierarchy. \u201cDalit,\u201d which translates as \u201cbroken\u201d in Sanskrit, is a term for the very lowest castes, whom members of the so-called \u201chigher\u201d castes still to this day deem \u201cuntouchable,\u201d despite the practice being prohibited in the Constitution of India. By working directly with disadvantaged communities, JTS aims to help them to mobilize their own capabilities and resources to create a more prosperous and sustainable future.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Jungto Society Dharma teacher Doyeon Jang (Dharma name Bogwang), is the director of Sujata Academy. She has overseen the development of this ambitious project, facing numerous challenges, both personal and structural, in the process of bringing this expression of compassion and social transformation to fruition.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u25b6\ufe0f Published by BDG on March 8, 2024<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u25b6\ufe0f Read more: <\/a>https:\/\/www.buddhistdoor.net\/features\/the-sujata-academy-project-the-power-of-hope-and-compassion-in-india\/<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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<\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/p>\n","post_title":"The Sujata Academy Project: The Power of Hope and Compassion in India","post_excerpt":"The Korean Seon (Zen) master Venerable Pomnyun Sunim (\ubc95\ub95c\uc2a4\ub2d8) wears many hats: Buddhist monk, teacher, author, environmentalist, and social activist, to name a few. As a widely respected Dharma teacher and a tireless socially engaged activist in his native South Korea, Ven. Pomnyun Sunim has founded numerous Dharma-based organizations, initiatives, and projects that are active across the world. Among them, Jungto Society, a volunteer-based community founded on the Buddhist teachings and expressing equality, simple living, and sustainability, is dedicated to addressing modern social issues that lead to suffering, including environmental degradation, poverty, and conflict.\n\nThis column, shared by Jungto Society, presents a series of highlights from Ven. Pomnyun Sunim\u2019s writings, teachings, public talks, and regular live-streamed Dharma Q+A sessions, which are accessible across the globe.\n","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","post_password":"","post_name":"the-sujata-academy-project-the-power-of-hope-and-compassion-in-india","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2024-03-10 17:38:00","post_modified_gmt":"2024-03-10 22:38:00","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/www.jungtosociety.org\/?p=18140","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"},{"ID":18136,"post_author":"13","post_date":"2024-03-10 17:24:34","post_date_gmt":"2024-03-10 22:24:34","post_content":"\n

Your son is over forty and
his main relationship is with someone else.
So, stop worrying about a grown man
who belongs with another woman
and be nice to the man next to you. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Illustration by Maseol <\/p>\n","post_title":"Son over forty","post_excerpt":"","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","post_password":"","post_name":"son-over-forty","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2024-03-10 17:24:36","post_modified_gmt":"2024-03-10 22:24:36","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/www.jungtosociety.org\/?p=18136","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"}],"next":false,"prev":false,"total_page":1},"paged":1,"column_class":"jeg_col_2o3","class":"jnews_block_37"};

\n

\"Let's change just one day at a time\" <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Accomplishing something
every day with a light heart is like
water drops piercing a rock. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Illustration by Maseol <\/p>\n","post_title":"One day at a time","post_excerpt":"","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","post_password":"","post_name":"one-day-at-a-time","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2024-03-20 22:57:15","post_modified_gmt":"2024-03-21 03:57:15","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/www.jungtosociety.org\/?p=18295","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"},{"ID":18131,"post_author":"40","post_date":"2024-03-19 14:51:48","post_date_gmt":"2024-03-19 19:51:48","post_content":"\n

P:<\/strong> In the past, parents left all their wealth to their children when they retired, and since their children took good care of them for the rest of their lives, they did not have to worry about their future. However, times have changed. The middle-aged population now find that although they have honored and taken good care of their aged parents, their own children are unlikely to do the same for them. Therefore, parents, today should not give all their assets to their children when they retire.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

When parents leave all their wealth to their offspring, they may be exposed to the danger of becoming broke and homeless if their offspring should go bankrupt. This isn\u2019t such a big problem when you are young because you can work hard to regain your wealth. In Korea, there is even a saying that goes, \u201cHardship during youth is worth paying money for.\u201d Because they have energy and potential, young people don\u2019t look pathetic when they are without money and live in a tent. However, nothing is more pitiful than seeing an old person broke and homeless. Therefore, even when any of your children become bankrupt, you should not lend him or her money by mortgaging your house. If you do, you may end up losing your house.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

You can age gracefully when you have your own assets. If you don\u2019t have anything to live on, your later years will become miserable. So, you should keep your assets. If you give them away to your children, your relationship with your children may easily be ruined.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This is not to say that you should hoard all your assets. You can give some to your children if you want, but you should keep your house and enough money to live comfortably. This way, you will still have some assets to leave to your children when you pass away, and they will arrange a good funeral for you.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

If you plan to distribute your assets among your children after retirement, it\u2019s a good idea to give away just seventy to eighty percent of your assets. You must keep twenty to thirty percent for your own. You can decide on the percentage depending on the size of your assets. If you don\u2019t have a lot of assets, the percentage you keep should be higher than if you have a lot. Either way, when parents maintain their financial freedom even after retirement, they will be able to live with dignity and are more likely to sustain a good relationship with their children.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Of course, there is the option of practicing according to the teachings of the Buddha and letting go of all your worldly possessions. People may think that an enlightened person does not need to have a cent to his name and just needs a space in the common room of a temple to sleep. Most people, however, can\u2019t live this way, which is why they need to hold on to enough assets to live on. Those living in the countryside need a place to live, a piece of land to grow various vegetables, and rice fields, while those living in the city need to have a principal amount in the bank that will yield enough monthly interest for them to live comfortably.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

It\u2019s not easy for people to earn money in their old age. Since they don\u2019t have a source of income, they may expect their children to give them some spending money and end up resenting them if they don\u2019t. To avoid such an outcome, it\u2019s necessary for people to keep some financial assets to live on in their old age. This way, parents can live independently from their children without expecting too much from their children or be overly attached to them.<\/p>\n","post_title":"You Should Hold Onto Enough Financial Assets To Live On After Retirement","post_excerpt":"","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","post_password":"","post_name":"you-should-hold-onto-enough-financial-assets-to-live-on-after-retirement","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2024-03-02 14:55:05","post_modified_gmt":"2024-03-02 19:55:05","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/www.jungtosociety.org\/?p=18131","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"},{"ID":18045,"post_author":"40","post_date":"2024-03-15 07:00:00","post_date_gmt":"2024-03-15 12:00:00","post_content":"\n

<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/a><\/gwmw><\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/a><\/p>\n","post_title":"[Meditation Q&A] \u201cHow can I value serenity but not give up caring when I am practicing…. ?","post_excerpt":"","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","post_password":"","post_name":"meditation-qa-how-can-i-value-serenity-but-not-give-up-caring-when-i-am-practicing","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2024-02-27 19:02:33","post_modified_gmt":"2024-02-28 00:02:33","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/www.jungtosociety.org\/?p=18045","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"},{"ID":18197,"post_author":"13","post_date":"2024-03-13 22:47:47","post_date_gmt":"2024-03-14 03:47:47","post_content":"\n

It\u2019s simple to become an adult.
Wake up earlier than your mom
and prepare breakfast for your parents,
wash the dishes,
and clean your room after school or work. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Illustration by Maseol <\/p>\n","post_title":"Becoming an adult","post_excerpt":"","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","post_password":"","post_name":"becoming-an-adult","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2024-03-13 22:47:48","post_modified_gmt":"2024-03-14 03:47:48","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/www.jungtosociety.org\/?p=18197","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"},{"ID":18125,"post_author":"40","post_date":"2024-03-12 07:00:00","post_date_gmt":"2024-03-12 12:00:00","post_content":"\n

P:<\/strong> When the Buddha was close to death, his disciples came to him and asked,<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cHow would you like us to conduct your funeral?\u201d The Buddha answered, \u201cYou don\u2019t need to worry about my funeral because the lay Buddhists will take care of it.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Lay Buddhists are those who take refuge in the Three Jewels and practice the Five Precepts without becoming monks or nuns. When the Buddha said they will take care of it, he meant that his funeral would be conducted based on customs of the lay people in India. So, after the Buddha died, the Lay Buddhists cremated the Buddha\u2019s body according to the Indian tradition. If he had lived in Korea, he would have been buried in the ground as is the custom in Korea.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Dharma is a teaching about truth, so it does not contain cultural aspects. However, since Buddhism originated from India, its traditions, customs, and culture were integrated into the Buddhist culture. Strictly speaking, neither cremation nor the 49-day posthumous ceremony is a fundamental tradition of Buddhism. They are in fact part of the of Indian cultural tradition.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

It is said that the deceased person has 49 days to be saved and is classified into one of nine levels based on his deeds during his life. \u201cAnyone can be reborn in paradise after he dies if he sincerely hopes for it. However, not everyone can be reborn in paradise right away since people fall into one of the nine categories based on their deeds.\u201d Specifically, people are divided into three categories of high, middle and low, and those in each of the three categories are again divided into high, middle and low, so there are a total of nine categories.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

It is believed that people in the very first category are reborn in paradise immediately after their death. It is comparable to leaving a room and entering another room. Those in the second category are reborn within 12 hours. It takes one day for those in the third category, three days for those in the fourth, a week for those in the fifth, 21 days for those in the sixth, and finally, it takes 49 days for those in the seventh category to be reborn in paradise. This is reason that people hold the 49-day posthumous ceremony. This ritual provides an opportunity for people to do good deeds on behalf of their deceased family members and help them be reborn in paradise within 49 days.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

What happens to the people in the eighth and ninth categories? Ultimately, people in all nine categories will all be reborn in paradise. However, those in the eighth and ninth categories have to spend some time in hell before that. Every year, Buddhists perform the Buddhist All Soul\u2019s Day ceremony on July 15th of the lunar calendar to save the souls of those in the two categories from hell. There is no point in debating whether this is true or not because it is a religious belief, so people are free to choose whether to believe it or not.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Funeral customs vary greatly from religion to religion and country to country. In India, the dead are cremated, and in Tibet, they are left to be eaten by birds. The corpse is cut up and placed on big rocks high in the mountain, so that it is eaten by falcons and eagles. In desert regions, the dead are \u201cburied in the wind.\u201d That is, they are nailed on a wooden board and exposed to the elements for one year until only the bones remain after which the funeral ceremony is performed. In regions with many islands, the dead are dropped into the sea.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Each of these funeral rituals has its unique meaning and significance. Tibetans feed the dead to birds because they believe that the spirit of the dead will fly to heaven with the birds. Some cultures bury the dead in the ground because of the belief that the spiritual world exists underground. Meanwhile, Indians believe in reincarnation, so they cremate the corpse to help the spirits to quickly sever their attachment to their worldly bodies so that they can be reborn.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Regardless of the funeral ritual that is performed, once a person dies, it\u2019s the end. By saying \u201cthe end\u201d I am not implying that there is no heaven or an afterlife; I am simply saying the person who draws his last breath will no longer exist in this world. From a Christian viewpoint, the spirits go to heaven, and from a Buddhist perspective, the spirits are reborn, so there is nothing we can do for them. Therefore, the best farewell for those who pass away is to let them go from our hearts.<\/p>\n","post_title":"The Best Farewell For The Deceased","post_excerpt":"","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","post_password":"","post_name":"the-best-farewell-for-the-deceased-2","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2024-03-02 14:50:59","post_modified_gmt":"2024-03-02 19:50:59","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/www.jungtosociety.org\/?p=18125","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"},{"ID":18140,"post_author":"13","post_date":"2024-03-10 17:37:58","post_date_gmt":"2024-03-10 22:37:58","post_content":"\n

<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Jungto Society, the international Buddhist community founded by the revered Korean Dharma master and social activist Venerable Pomnyun Sunim (\ubc95\ub95c\uc2a4\ub2d8), recently conducted its 33rd annual pilgrimage across India and to Nepal. Held under the theme \u201cFollowing in the Footsteps of the Buddha,\u201d the pilgrimage, which ran from 19 January to 2 February, was attended by more 500 practitioners.1<\/sup><\/p>\n\n\n\n

This year\u2019s pilgrimage was particularly notable for two reasons: first was the participation, for the first time in the Jungto pilgrimage\u2019s 33-year history, of non-Korean practitioners: the 500-plus Korean Buddhist pilgrims were accompanied nine practitioners from Italy, Japan, Thailand, the United Kingdom, the United States, and Vietnam. Second, the pilgrimage also coincided with celebrations for the 30th anniversary of Sujata Academy, a remarkable community school and social empowerment project established by Ven. Pomnyun Sunim in Dungeshwari, in the northeastern Indian state of Bihar. This project has transformed the lives of an entire community of people who have faced systemic social and economic exclusion as a result of India\u2019s conservative Hindu caste hierarchy.2<\/sup><\/p>\n\n\n\n

The academy is named after Sujata, the young woman who is said to have nourished the ailing and emaciated Siddhartha Gautama with a bowl of milk-rice, thus ending his six years of extreme asceticism. Tuition at the academy is provided free of charge. The school\u2019s principal goal is to educate every student in basic literacy and numeracy. Classes are taught from kindergarten to secondary level, alongside adult literacy classes and skills training. Students who wish to continue beyond elementary education and attend secondary school are required to teach kindergarteners or to help out in the onsite Jivaka Hospital in the mornings and to attend classes in the afternoon, working in the spirit of giving back to the community. The campus also includes a warehouse, a dormitory, a large playing field, and sports equipment for the children.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

x<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n
\n
\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\"\"<\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

Ven. Pomnyun Sunim established the international Buddhist humanitarian relief organization Join Together Society (JTS) as an expression of the compassion of engaged Buddhism and the belief that helping others is the best way to enrich one\u2019s own life. Headquartered in Seoul, JTS operates four branch offices in South Korea and the United States, along with field offices in India and the Philippines. JTS Korea and JTS America oversee fundraising, while JTS India and JTS Philippines conduct development projects in cooperation with local communities. The relief organization has also earned Special Consultative Status to the United Nations Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

JTS India began its work in Dungeshwari, some 12 kilometers northeast of the Buddhist pilgrimage hub of Bodh Gaya, in the early 1990s, aspiring to fulfill the mission: \u201cThe hungry should eat; the sick should be treated; children should be educated in time.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This region is surrounded by the Pragbodhi Hills where the historical Buddha, Shakyamuni, is said to have spent six years in a cave as an ascetic. And it\u2019s here that JTS India has been working to empower the villagers of Dungeshwari to live their lives free from hunger, illiteracy, and disease.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The people of Dungeshwari are primarily Dalits, who face systemic social and economic exclusion as a result of the conservative Hindu social hierarchy. \u201cDalit,\u201d which translates as \u201cbroken\u201d in Sanskrit, is a term for the very lowest castes, whom members of the so-called \u201chigher\u201d castes still to this day deem \u201cuntouchable,\u201d despite the practice being prohibited in the Constitution of India. By working directly with disadvantaged communities, JTS aims to help them to mobilize their own capabilities and resources to create a more prosperous and sustainable future.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Jungto Society Dharma teacher Doyeon Jang (Dharma name Bogwang), is the director of Sujata Academy. She has overseen the development of this ambitious project, facing numerous challenges, both personal and structural, in the process of bringing this expression of compassion and social transformation to fruition.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u25b6\ufe0f Published by BDG on March 8, 2024<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u25b6\ufe0f Read more: <\/a>https:\/\/www.buddhistdoor.net\/features\/the-sujata-academy-project-the-power-of-hope-and-compassion-in-india\/<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

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<\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/p>\n","post_title":"The Sujata Academy Project: The Power of Hope and Compassion in India","post_excerpt":"The Korean Seon (Zen) master Venerable Pomnyun Sunim (\ubc95\ub95c\uc2a4\ub2d8) wears many hats: Buddhist monk, teacher, author, environmentalist, and social activist, to name a few. As a widely respected Dharma teacher and a tireless socially engaged activist in his native South Korea, Ven. Pomnyun Sunim has founded numerous Dharma-based organizations, initiatives, and projects that are active across the world. Among them, Jungto Society, a volunteer-based community founded on the Buddhist teachings and expressing equality, simple living, and sustainability, is dedicated to addressing modern social issues that lead to suffering, including environmental degradation, poverty, and conflict.\n\nThis column, shared by Jungto Society, presents a series of highlights from Ven. Pomnyun Sunim\u2019s writings, teachings, public talks, and regular live-streamed Dharma Q+A sessions, which are accessible across the globe.\n","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","post_password":"","post_name":"the-sujata-academy-project-the-power-of-hope-and-compassion-in-india","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2024-03-10 17:38:00","post_modified_gmt":"2024-03-10 22:38:00","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/www.jungtosociety.org\/?p=18140","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"},{"ID":18136,"post_author":"13","post_date":"2024-03-10 17:24:34","post_date_gmt":"2024-03-10 22:24:34","post_content":"\n

Your son is over forty and
his main relationship is with someone else.
So, stop worrying about a grown man
who belongs with another woman
and be nice to the man next to you. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Illustration by Maseol <\/p>\n","post_title":"Son over forty","post_excerpt":"","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","post_password":"","post_name":"son-over-forty","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2024-03-10 17:24:36","post_modified_gmt":"2024-03-10 22:24:36","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/www.jungtosociety.org\/?p=18136","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"}],"next":false,"prev":false,"total_page":1},"paged":1,"column_class":"jeg_col_2o3","class":"jnews_block_37"};

\n

Truly, our happiness and unhappiness are not created by others.<\/p>\n","post_title":"We Are The Ones Who Create Our Happiness And Unhappiness","post_excerpt":"","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","post_password":"","post_name":"we-are-the-ones-who-create-our-happiness-and-unhappiness","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2024-03-11 20:02:00","post_modified_gmt":"2024-03-12 01:02:00","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/www.jungtosociety.org\/?p=18145","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"},{"ID":18295,"post_author":"13","post_date":"2024-03-20 22:57:13","post_date_gmt":"2024-03-21 03:57:13","post_content":"\n

\"Let's change just one day at a time\" <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Accomplishing something
every day with a light heart is like
water drops piercing a rock. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Illustration by Maseol <\/p>\n","post_title":"One day at a time","post_excerpt":"","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","post_password":"","post_name":"one-day-at-a-time","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2024-03-20 22:57:15","post_modified_gmt":"2024-03-21 03:57:15","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/www.jungtosociety.org\/?p=18295","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"},{"ID":18131,"post_author":"40","post_date":"2024-03-19 14:51:48","post_date_gmt":"2024-03-19 19:51:48","post_content":"\n

P:<\/strong> In the past, parents left all their wealth to their children when they retired, and since their children took good care of them for the rest of their lives, they did not have to worry about their future. However, times have changed. The middle-aged population now find that although they have honored and taken good care of their aged parents, their own children are unlikely to do the same for them. Therefore, parents, today should not give all their assets to their children when they retire.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

When parents leave all their wealth to their offspring, they may be exposed to the danger of becoming broke and homeless if their offspring should go bankrupt. This isn\u2019t such a big problem when you are young because you can work hard to regain your wealth. In Korea, there is even a saying that goes, \u201cHardship during youth is worth paying money for.\u201d Because they have energy and potential, young people don\u2019t look pathetic when they are without money and live in a tent. However, nothing is more pitiful than seeing an old person broke and homeless. Therefore, even when any of your children become bankrupt, you should not lend him or her money by mortgaging your house. If you do, you may end up losing your house.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

You can age gracefully when you have your own assets. If you don\u2019t have anything to live on, your later years will become miserable. So, you should keep your assets. If you give them away to your children, your relationship with your children may easily be ruined.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This is not to say that you should hoard all your assets. You can give some to your children if you want, but you should keep your house and enough money to live comfortably. This way, you will still have some assets to leave to your children when you pass away, and they will arrange a good funeral for you.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

If you plan to distribute your assets among your children after retirement, it\u2019s a good idea to give away just seventy to eighty percent of your assets. You must keep twenty to thirty percent for your own. You can decide on the percentage depending on the size of your assets. If you don\u2019t have a lot of assets, the percentage you keep should be higher than if you have a lot. Either way, when parents maintain their financial freedom even after retirement, they will be able to live with dignity and are more likely to sustain a good relationship with their children.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Of course, there is the option of practicing according to the teachings of the Buddha and letting go of all your worldly possessions. People may think that an enlightened person does not need to have a cent to his name and just needs a space in the common room of a temple to sleep. Most people, however, can\u2019t live this way, which is why they need to hold on to enough assets to live on. Those living in the countryside need a place to live, a piece of land to grow various vegetables, and rice fields, while those living in the city need to have a principal amount in the bank that will yield enough monthly interest for them to live comfortably.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

It\u2019s not easy for people to earn money in their old age. Since they don\u2019t have a source of income, they may expect their children to give them some spending money and end up resenting them if they don\u2019t. To avoid such an outcome, it\u2019s necessary for people to keep some financial assets to live on in their old age. This way, parents can live independently from their children without expecting too much from their children or be overly attached to them.<\/p>\n","post_title":"You Should Hold Onto Enough Financial Assets To Live On After Retirement","post_excerpt":"","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","post_password":"","post_name":"you-should-hold-onto-enough-financial-assets-to-live-on-after-retirement","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2024-03-02 14:55:05","post_modified_gmt":"2024-03-02 19:55:05","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/www.jungtosociety.org\/?p=18131","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"},{"ID":18045,"post_author":"40","post_date":"2024-03-15 07:00:00","post_date_gmt":"2024-03-15 12:00:00","post_content":"\n

<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/a><\/gwmw><\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/a><\/p>\n","post_title":"[Meditation Q&A] \u201cHow can I value serenity but not give up caring when I am practicing…. ?","post_excerpt":"","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","post_password":"","post_name":"meditation-qa-how-can-i-value-serenity-but-not-give-up-caring-when-i-am-practicing","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2024-02-27 19:02:33","post_modified_gmt":"2024-02-28 00:02:33","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/www.jungtosociety.org\/?p=18045","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"},{"ID":18197,"post_author":"13","post_date":"2024-03-13 22:47:47","post_date_gmt":"2024-03-14 03:47:47","post_content":"\n

It\u2019s simple to become an adult.
Wake up earlier than your mom
and prepare breakfast for your parents,
wash the dishes,
and clean your room after school or work. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Illustration by Maseol <\/p>\n","post_title":"Becoming an adult","post_excerpt":"","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","post_password":"","post_name":"becoming-an-adult","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2024-03-13 22:47:48","post_modified_gmt":"2024-03-14 03:47:48","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/www.jungtosociety.org\/?p=18197","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"},{"ID":18125,"post_author":"40","post_date":"2024-03-12 07:00:00","post_date_gmt":"2024-03-12 12:00:00","post_content":"\n

P:<\/strong> When the Buddha was close to death, his disciples came to him and asked,<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cHow would you like us to conduct your funeral?\u201d The Buddha answered, \u201cYou don\u2019t need to worry about my funeral because the lay Buddhists will take care of it.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Lay Buddhists are those who take refuge in the Three Jewels and practice the Five Precepts without becoming monks or nuns. When the Buddha said they will take care of it, he meant that his funeral would be conducted based on customs of the lay people in India. So, after the Buddha died, the Lay Buddhists cremated the Buddha\u2019s body according to the Indian tradition. If he had lived in Korea, he would have been buried in the ground as is the custom in Korea.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Dharma is a teaching about truth, so it does not contain cultural aspects. However, since Buddhism originated from India, its traditions, customs, and culture were integrated into the Buddhist culture. Strictly speaking, neither cremation nor the 49-day posthumous ceremony is a fundamental tradition of Buddhism. They are in fact part of the of Indian cultural tradition.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

It is said that the deceased person has 49 days to be saved and is classified into one of nine levels based on his deeds during his life. \u201cAnyone can be reborn in paradise after he dies if he sincerely hopes for it. However, not everyone can be reborn in paradise right away since people fall into one of the nine categories based on their deeds.\u201d Specifically, people are divided into three categories of high, middle and low, and those in each of the three categories are again divided into high, middle and low, so there are a total of nine categories.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

It is believed that people in the very first category are reborn in paradise immediately after their death. It is comparable to leaving a room and entering another room. Those in the second category are reborn within 12 hours. It takes one day for those in the third category, three days for those in the fourth, a week for those in the fifth, 21 days for those in the sixth, and finally, it takes 49 days for those in the seventh category to be reborn in paradise. This is reason that people hold the 49-day posthumous ceremony. This ritual provides an opportunity for people to do good deeds on behalf of their deceased family members and help them be reborn in paradise within 49 days.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

What happens to the people in the eighth and ninth categories? Ultimately, people in all nine categories will all be reborn in paradise. However, those in the eighth and ninth categories have to spend some time in hell before that. Every year, Buddhists perform the Buddhist All Soul\u2019s Day ceremony on July 15th of the lunar calendar to save the souls of those in the two categories from hell. There is no point in debating whether this is true or not because it is a religious belief, so people are free to choose whether to believe it or not.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Funeral customs vary greatly from religion to religion and country to country. In India, the dead are cremated, and in Tibet, they are left to be eaten by birds. The corpse is cut up and placed on big rocks high in the mountain, so that it is eaten by falcons and eagles. In desert regions, the dead are \u201cburied in the wind.\u201d That is, they are nailed on a wooden board and exposed to the elements for one year until only the bones remain after which the funeral ceremony is performed. In regions with many islands, the dead are dropped into the sea.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Each of these funeral rituals has its unique meaning and significance. Tibetans feed the dead to birds because they believe that the spirit of the dead will fly to heaven with the birds. Some cultures bury the dead in the ground because of the belief that the spiritual world exists underground. Meanwhile, Indians believe in reincarnation, so they cremate the corpse to help the spirits to quickly sever their attachment to their worldly bodies so that they can be reborn.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Regardless of the funeral ritual that is performed, once a person dies, it\u2019s the end. By saying \u201cthe end\u201d I am not implying that there is no heaven or an afterlife; I am simply saying the person who draws his last breath will no longer exist in this world. From a Christian viewpoint, the spirits go to heaven, and from a Buddhist perspective, the spirits are reborn, so there is nothing we can do for them. Therefore, the best farewell for those who pass away is to let them go from our hearts.<\/p>\n","post_title":"The Best Farewell For The Deceased","post_excerpt":"","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","post_password":"","post_name":"the-best-farewell-for-the-deceased-2","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2024-03-02 14:50:59","post_modified_gmt":"2024-03-02 19:50:59","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/www.jungtosociety.org\/?p=18125","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"},{"ID":18140,"post_author":"13","post_date":"2024-03-10 17:37:58","post_date_gmt":"2024-03-10 22:37:58","post_content":"\n

<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Jungto Society, the international Buddhist community founded by the revered Korean Dharma master and social activist Venerable Pomnyun Sunim (\ubc95\ub95c\uc2a4\ub2d8), recently conducted its 33rd annual pilgrimage across India and to Nepal. Held under the theme \u201cFollowing in the Footsteps of the Buddha,\u201d the pilgrimage, which ran from 19 January to 2 February, was attended by more 500 practitioners.1<\/sup><\/p>\n\n\n\n

This year\u2019s pilgrimage was particularly notable for two reasons: first was the participation, for the first time in the Jungto pilgrimage\u2019s 33-year history, of non-Korean practitioners: the 500-plus Korean Buddhist pilgrims were accompanied nine practitioners from Italy, Japan, Thailand, the United Kingdom, the United States, and Vietnam. Second, the pilgrimage also coincided with celebrations for the 30th anniversary of Sujata Academy, a remarkable community school and social empowerment project established by Ven. Pomnyun Sunim in Dungeshwari, in the northeastern Indian state of Bihar. This project has transformed the lives of an entire community of people who have faced systemic social and economic exclusion as a result of India\u2019s conservative Hindu caste hierarchy.2<\/sup><\/p>\n\n\n\n

The academy is named after Sujata, the young woman who is said to have nourished the ailing and emaciated Siddhartha Gautama with a bowl of milk-rice, thus ending his six years of extreme asceticism. Tuition at the academy is provided free of charge. The school\u2019s principal goal is to educate every student in basic literacy and numeracy. Classes are taught from kindergarten to secondary level, alongside adult literacy classes and skills training. Students who wish to continue beyond elementary education and attend secondary school are required to teach kindergarteners or to help out in the onsite Jivaka Hospital in the mornings and to attend classes in the afternoon, working in the spirit of giving back to the community. The campus also includes a warehouse, a dormitory, a large playing field, and sports equipment for the children.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

x<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n
\n
\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\"\"<\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

Ven. Pomnyun Sunim established the international Buddhist humanitarian relief organization Join Together Society (JTS) as an expression of the compassion of engaged Buddhism and the belief that helping others is the best way to enrich one\u2019s own life. Headquartered in Seoul, JTS operates four branch offices in South Korea and the United States, along with field offices in India and the Philippines. JTS Korea and JTS America oversee fundraising, while JTS India and JTS Philippines conduct development projects in cooperation with local communities. The relief organization has also earned Special Consultative Status to the United Nations Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

JTS India began its work in Dungeshwari, some 12 kilometers northeast of the Buddhist pilgrimage hub of Bodh Gaya, in the early 1990s, aspiring to fulfill the mission: \u201cThe hungry should eat; the sick should be treated; children should be educated in time.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This region is surrounded by the Pragbodhi Hills where the historical Buddha, Shakyamuni, is said to have spent six years in a cave as an ascetic. And it\u2019s here that JTS India has been working to empower the villagers of Dungeshwari to live their lives free from hunger, illiteracy, and disease.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The people of Dungeshwari are primarily Dalits, who face systemic social and economic exclusion as a result of the conservative Hindu social hierarchy. \u201cDalit,\u201d which translates as \u201cbroken\u201d in Sanskrit, is a term for the very lowest castes, whom members of the so-called \u201chigher\u201d castes still to this day deem \u201cuntouchable,\u201d despite the practice being prohibited in the Constitution of India. By working directly with disadvantaged communities, JTS aims to help them to mobilize their own capabilities and resources to create a more prosperous and sustainable future.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Jungto Society Dharma teacher Doyeon Jang (Dharma name Bogwang), is the director of Sujata Academy. She has overseen the development of this ambitious project, facing numerous challenges, both personal and structural, in the process of bringing this expression of compassion and social transformation to fruition.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u25b6\ufe0f Published by BDG on March 8, 2024<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u25b6\ufe0f Read more: <\/a>https:\/\/www.buddhistdoor.net\/features\/the-sujata-academy-project-the-power-of-hope-and-compassion-in-india\/<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/p>\n","post_title":"The Sujata Academy Project: The Power of Hope and Compassion in India","post_excerpt":"The Korean Seon (Zen) master Venerable Pomnyun Sunim (\ubc95\ub95c\uc2a4\ub2d8) wears many hats: Buddhist monk, teacher, author, environmentalist, and social activist, to name a few. As a widely respected Dharma teacher and a tireless socially engaged activist in his native South Korea, Ven. Pomnyun Sunim has founded numerous Dharma-based organizations, initiatives, and projects that are active across the world. Among them, Jungto Society, a volunteer-based community founded on the Buddhist teachings and expressing equality, simple living, and sustainability, is dedicated to addressing modern social issues that lead to suffering, including environmental degradation, poverty, and conflict.\n\nThis column, shared by Jungto Society, presents a series of highlights from Ven. Pomnyun Sunim\u2019s writings, teachings, public talks, and regular live-streamed Dharma Q+A sessions, which are accessible across the globe.\n","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","post_password":"","post_name":"the-sujata-academy-project-the-power-of-hope-and-compassion-in-india","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2024-03-10 17:38:00","post_modified_gmt":"2024-03-10 22:38:00","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/www.jungtosociety.org\/?p=18140","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"},{"ID":18136,"post_author":"13","post_date":"2024-03-10 17:24:34","post_date_gmt":"2024-03-10 22:24:34","post_content":"\n

Your son is over forty and
his main relationship is with someone else.
So, stop worrying about a grown man
who belongs with another woman
and be nice to the man next to you. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Illustration by Maseol <\/p>\n","post_title":"Son over forty","post_excerpt":"","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","post_password":"","post_name":"son-over-forty","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2024-03-10 17:24:36","post_modified_gmt":"2024-03-10 22:24:36","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/www.jungtosociety.org\/?p=18136","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"}],"next":false,"prev":false,"total_page":1},"paged":1,"column_class":"jeg_col_2o3","class":"jnews_block_37"};

\n

We create our own misfortune.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Truly, our happiness and unhappiness are not created by others.<\/p>\n","post_title":"We Are The Ones Who Create Our Happiness And Unhappiness","post_excerpt":"","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","post_password":"","post_name":"we-are-the-ones-who-create-our-happiness-and-unhappiness","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2024-03-11 20:02:00","post_modified_gmt":"2024-03-12 01:02:00","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/www.jungtosociety.org\/?p=18145","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"},{"ID":18295,"post_author":"13","post_date":"2024-03-20 22:57:13","post_date_gmt":"2024-03-21 03:57:13","post_content":"\n

\"Let's change just one day at a time\" <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Accomplishing something
every day with a light heart is like
water drops piercing a rock. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Illustration by Maseol <\/p>\n","post_title":"One day at a time","post_excerpt":"","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","post_password":"","post_name":"one-day-at-a-time","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2024-03-20 22:57:15","post_modified_gmt":"2024-03-21 03:57:15","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/www.jungtosociety.org\/?p=18295","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"},{"ID":18131,"post_author":"40","post_date":"2024-03-19 14:51:48","post_date_gmt":"2024-03-19 19:51:48","post_content":"\n

P:<\/strong> In the past, parents left all their wealth to their children when they retired, and since their children took good care of them for the rest of their lives, they did not have to worry about their future. However, times have changed. The middle-aged population now find that although they have honored and taken good care of their aged parents, their own children are unlikely to do the same for them. Therefore, parents, today should not give all their assets to their children when they retire.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

When parents leave all their wealth to their offspring, they may be exposed to the danger of becoming broke and homeless if their offspring should go bankrupt. This isn\u2019t such a big problem when you are young because you can work hard to regain your wealth. In Korea, there is even a saying that goes, \u201cHardship during youth is worth paying money for.\u201d Because they have energy and potential, young people don\u2019t look pathetic when they are without money and live in a tent. However, nothing is more pitiful than seeing an old person broke and homeless. Therefore, even when any of your children become bankrupt, you should not lend him or her money by mortgaging your house. If you do, you may end up losing your house.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

You can age gracefully when you have your own assets. If you don\u2019t have anything to live on, your later years will become miserable. So, you should keep your assets. If you give them away to your children, your relationship with your children may easily be ruined.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This is not to say that you should hoard all your assets. You can give some to your children if you want, but you should keep your house and enough money to live comfortably. This way, you will still have some assets to leave to your children when you pass away, and they will arrange a good funeral for you.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

If you plan to distribute your assets among your children after retirement, it\u2019s a good idea to give away just seventy to eighty percent of your assets. You must keep twenty to thirty percent for your own. You can decide on the percentage depending on the size of your assets. If you don\u2019t have a lot of assets, the percentage you keep should be higher than if you have a lot. Either way, when parents maintain their financial freedom even after retirement, they will be able to live with dignity and are more likely to sustain a good relationship with their children.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Of course, there is the option of practicing according to the teachings of the Buddha and letting go of all your worldly possessions. People may think that an enlightened person does not need to have a cent to his name and just needs a space in the common room of a temple to sleep. Most people, however, can\u2019t live this way, which is why they need to hold on to enough assets to live on. Those living in the countryside need a place to live, a piece of land to grow various vegetables, and rice fields, while those living in the city need to have a principal amount in the bank that will yield enough monthly interest for them to live comfortably.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

It\u2019s not easy for people to earn money in their old age. Since they don\u2019t have a source of income, they may expect their children to give them some spending money and end up resenting them if they don\u2019t. To avoid such an outcome, it\u2019s necessary for people to keep some financial assets to live on in their old age. This way, parents can live independently from their children without expecting too much from their children or be overly attached to them.<\/p>\n","post_title":"You Should Hold Onto Enough Financial Assets To Live On After Retirement","post_excerpt":"","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","post_password":"","post_name":"you-should-hold-onto-enough-financial-assets-to-live-on-after-retirement","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2024-03-02 14:55:05","post_modified_gmt":"2024-03-02 19:55:05","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/www.jungtosociety.org\/?p=18131","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"},{"ID":18045,"post_author":"40","post_date":"2024-03-15 07:00:00","post_date_gmt":"2024-03-15 12:00:00","post_content":"\n

<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/a><\/gwmw><\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/a><\/p>\n","post_title":"[Meditation Q&A] \u201cHow can I value serenity but not give up caring when I am practicing…. ?","post_excerpt":"","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","post_password":"","post_name":"meditation-qa-how-can-i-value-serenity-but-not-give-up-caring-when-i-am-practicing","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2024-02-27 19:02:33","post_modified_gmt":"2024-02-28 00:02:33","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/www.jungtosociety.org\/?p=18045","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"},{"ID":18197,"post_author":"13","post_date":"2024-03-13 22:47:47","post_date_gmt":"2024-03-14 03:47:47","post_content":"\n

It\u2019s simple to become an adult.
Wake up earlier than your mom
and prepare breakfast for your parents,
wash the dishes,
and clean your room after school or work. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Illustration by Maseol <\/p>\n","post_title":"Becoming an adult","post_excerpt":"","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","post_password":"","post_name":"becoming-an-adult","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2024-03-13 22:47:48","post_modified_gmt":"2024-03-14 03:47:48","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/www.jungtosociety.org\/?p=18197","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"},{"ID":18125,"post_author":"40","post_date":"2024-03-12 07:00:00","post_date_gmt":"2024-03-12 12:00:00","post_content":"\n

P:<\/strong> When the Buddha was close to death, his disciples came to him and asked,<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cHow would you like us to conduct your funeral?\u201d The Buddha answered, \u201cYou don\u2019t need to worry about my funeral because the lay Buddhists will take care of it.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Lay Buddhists are those who take refuge in the Three Jewels and practice the Five Precepts without becoming monks or nuns. When the Buddha said they will take care of it, he meant that his funeral would be conducted based on customs of the lay people in India. So, after the Buddha died, the Lay Buddhists cremated the Buddha\u2019s body according to the Indian tradition. If he had lived in Korea, he would have been buried in the ground as is the custom in Korea.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Dharma is a teaching about truth, so it does not contain cultural aspects. However, since Buddhism originated from India, its traditions, customs, and culture were integrated into the Buddhist culture. Strictly speaking, neither cremation nor the 49-day posthumous ceremony is a fundamental tradition of Buddhism. They are in fact part of the of Indian cultural tradition.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

It is said that the deceased person has 49 days to be saved and is classified into one of nine levels based on his deeds during his life. \u201cAnyone can be reborn in paradise after he dies if he sincerely hopes for it. However, not everyone can be reborn in paradise right away since people fall into one of the nine categories based on their deeds.\u201d Specifically, people are divided into three categories of high, middle and low, and those in each of the three categories are again divided into high, middle and low, so there are a total of nine categories.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

It is believed that people in the very first category are reborn in paradise immediately after their death. It is comparable to leaving a room and entering another room. Those in the second category are reborn within 12 hours. It takes one day for those in the third category, three days for those in the fourth, a week for those in the fifth, 21 days for those in the sixth, and finally, it takes 49 days for those in the seventh category to be reborn in paradise. This is reason that people hold the 49-day posthumous ceremony. This ritual provides an opportunity for people to do good deeds on behalf of their deceased family members and help them be reborn in paradise within 49 days.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

What happens to the people in the eighth and ninth categories? Ultimately, people in all nine categories will all be reborn in paradise. However, those in the eighth and ninth categories have to spend some time in hell before that. Every year, Buddhists perform the Buddhist All Soul\u2019s Day ceremony on July 15th of the lunar calendar to save the souls of those in the two categories from hell. There is no point in debating whether this is true or not because it is a religious belief, so people are free to choose whether to believe it or not.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Funeral customs vary greatly from religion to religion and country to country. In India, the dead are cremated, and in Tibet, they are left to be eaten by birds. The corpse is cut up and placed on big rocks high in the mountain, so that it is eaten by falcons and eagles. In desert regions, the dead are \u201cburied in the wind.\u201d That is, they are nailed on a wooden board and exposed to the elements for one year until only the bones remain after which the funeral ceremony is performed. In regions with many islands, the dead are dropped into the sea.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Each of these funeral rituals has its unique meaning and significance. Tibetans feed the dead to birds because they believe that the spirit of the dead will fly to heaven with the birds. Some cultures bury the dead in the ground because of the belief that the spiritual world exists underground. Meanwhile, Indians believe in reincarnation, so they cremate the corpse to help the spirits to quickly sever their attachment to their worldly bodies so that they can be reborn.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Regardless of the funeral ritual that is performed, once a person dies, it\u2019s the end. By saying \u201cthe end\u201d I am not implying that there is no heaven or an afterlife; I am simply saying the person who draws his last breath will no longer exist in this world. From a Christian viewpoint, the spirits go to heaven, and from a Buddhist perspective, the spirits are reborn, so there is nothing we can do for them. Therefore, the best farewell for those who pass away is to let them go from our hearts.<\/p>\n","post_title":"The Best Farewell For The Deceased","post_excerpt":"","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","post_password":"","post_name":"the-best-farewell-for-the-deceased-2","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2024-03-02 14:50:59","post_modified_gmt":"2024-03-02 19:50:59","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/www.jungtosociety.org\/?p=18125","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"},{"ID":18140,"post_author":"13","post_date":"2024-03-10 17:37:58","post_date_gmt":"2024-03-10 22:37:58","post_content":"\n

<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Jungto Society, the international Buddhist community founded by the revered Korean Dharma master and social activist Venerable Pomnyun Sunim (\ubc95\ub95c\uc2a4\ub2d8), recently conducted its 33rd annual pilgrimage across India and to Nepal. Held under the theme \u201cFollowing in the Footsteps of the Buddha,\u201d the pilgrimage, which ran from 19 January to 2 February, was attended by more 500 practitioners.1<\/sup><\/p>\n\n\n\n

This year\u2019s pilgrimage was particularly notable for two reasons: first was the participation, for the first time in the Jungto pilgrimage\u2019s 33-year history, of non-Korean practitioners: the 500-plus Korean Buddhist pilgrims were accompanied nine practitioners from Italy, Japan, Thailand, the United Kingdom, the United States, and Vietnam. Second, the pilgrimage also coincided with celebrations for the 30th anniversary of Sujata Academy, a remarkable community school and social empowerment project established by Ven. Pomnyun Sunim in Dungeshwari, in the northeastern Indian state of Bihar. This project has transformed the lives of an entire community of people who have faced systemic social and economic exclusion as a result of India\u2019s conservative Hindu caste hierarchy.2<\/sup><\/p>\n\n\n\n

The academy is named after Sujata, the young woman who is said to have nourished the ailing and emaciated Siddhartha Gautama with a bowl of milk-rice, thus ending his six years of extreme asceticism. Tuition at the academy is provided free of charge. The school\u2019s principal goal is to educate every student in basic literacy and numeracy. Classes are taught from kindergarten to secondary level, alongside adult literacy classes and skills training. Students who wish to continue beyond elementary education and attend secondary school are required to teach kindergarteners or to help out in the onsite Jivaka Hospital in the mornings and to attend classes in the afternoon, working in the spirit of giving back to the community. The campus also includes a warehouse, a dormitory, a large playing field, and sports equipment for the children.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

x<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n
\n
\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\"\"<\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

Ven. Pomnyun Sunim established the international Buddhist humanitarian relief organization Join Together Society (JTS) as an expression of the compassion of engaged Buddhism and the belief that helping others is the best way to enrich one\u2019s own life. Headquartered in Seoul, JTS operates four branch offices in South Korea and the United States, along with field offices in India and the Philippines. JTS Korea and JTS America oversee fundraising, while JTS India and JTS Philippines conduct development projects in cooperation with local communities. The relief organization has also earned Special Consultative Status to the United Nations Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

JTS India began its work in Dungeshwari, some 12 kilometers northeast of the Buddhist pilgrimage hub of Bodh Gaya, in the early 1990s, aspiring to fulfill the mission: \u201cThe hungry should eat; the sick should be treated; children should be educated in time.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This region is surrounded by the Pragbodhi Hills where the historical Buddha, Shakyamuni, is said to have spent six years in a cave as an ascetic. And it\u2019s here that JTS India has been working to empower the villagers of Dungeshwari to live their lives free from hunger, illiteracy, and disease.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The people of Dungeshwari are primarily Dalits, who face systemic social and economic exclusion as a result of the conservative Hindu social hierarchy. \u201cDalit,\u201d which translates as \u201cbroken\u201d in Sanskrit, is a term for the very lowest castes, whom members of the so-called \u201chigher\u201d castes still to this day deem \u201cuntouchable,\u201d despite the practice being prohibited in the Constitution of India. By working directly with disadvantaged communities, JTS aims to help them to mobilize their own capabilities and resources to create a more prosperous and sustainable future.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Jungto Society Dharma teacher Doyeon Jang (Dharma name Bogwang), is the director of Sujata Academy. She has overseen the development of this ambitious project, facing numerous challenges, both personal and structural, in the process of bringing this expression of compassion and social transformation to fruition.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u25b6\ufe0f Published by BDG on March 8, 2024<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u25b6\ufe0f Read more: <\/a>https:\/\/www.buddhistdoor.net\/features\/the-sujata-academy-project-the-power-of-hope-and-compassion-in-india\/<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

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<\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/p>\n","post_title":"The Sujata Academy Project: The Power of Hope and Compassion in India","post_excerpt":"The Korean Seon (Zen) master Venerable Pomnyun Sunim (\ubc95\ub95c\uc2a4\ub2d8) wears many hats: Buddhist monk, teacher, author, environmentalist, and social activist, to name a few. As a widely respected Dharma teacher and a tireless socially engaged activist in his native South Korea, Ven. Pomnyun Sunim has founded numerous Dharma-based organizations, initiatives, and projects that are active across the world. Among them, Jungto Society, a volunteer-based community founded on the Buddhist teachings and expressing equality, simple living, and sustainability, is dedicated to addressing modern social issues that lead to suffering, including environmental degradation, poverty, and conflict.\n\nThis column, shared by Jungto Society, presents a series of highlights from Ven. Pomnyun Sunim\u2019s writings, teachings, public talks, and regular live-streamed Dharma Q+A sessions, which are accessible across the globe.\n","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","post_password":"","post_name":"the-sujata-academy-project-the-power-of-hope-and-compassion-in-india","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2024-03-10 17:38:00","post_modified_gmt":"2024-03-10 22:38:00","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/www.jungtosociety.org\/?p=18140","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"},{"ID":18136,"post_author":"13","post_date":"2024-03-10 17:24:34","post_date_gmt":"2024-03-10 22:24:34","post_content":"\n

Your son is over forty and
his main relationship is with someone else.
So, stop worrying about a grown man
who belongs with another woman
and be nice to the man next to you. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Illustration by Maseol <\/p>\n","post_title":"Son over forty","post_excerpt":"","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","post_password":"","post_name":"son-over-forty","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2024-03-10 17:24:36","post_modified_gmt":"2024-03-10 22:24:36","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/www.jungtosociety.org\/?p=18136","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"}],"next":false,"prev":false,"total_page":1},"paged":1,"column_class":"jeg_col_2o3","class":"jnews_block_37"};

\n

We create our own happiness.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

We create our own misfortune.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Truly, our happiness and unhappiness are not created by others.<\/p>\n","post_title":"We Are The Ones Who Create Our Happiness And Unhappiness","post_excerpt":"","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","post_password":"","post_name":"we-are-the-ones-who-create-our-happiness-and-unhappiness","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2024-03-11 20:02:00","post_modified_gmt":"2024-03-12 01:02:00","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/www.jungtosociety.org\/?p=18145","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"},{"ID":18295,"post_author":"13","post_date":"2024-03-20 22:57:13","post_date_gmt":"2024-03-21 03:57:13","post_content":"\n

\"Let's change just one day at a time\" <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Accomplishing something
every day with a light heart is like
water drops piercing a rock. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Illustration by Maseol <\/p>\n","post_title":"One day at a time","post_excerpt":"","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","post_password":"","post_name":"one-day-at-a-time","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2024-03-20 22:57:15","post_modified_gmt":"2024-03-21 03:57:15","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/www.jungtosociety.org\/?p=18295","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"},{"ID":18131,"post_author":"40","post_date":"2024-03-19 14:51:48","post_date_gmt":"2024-03-19 19:51:48","post_content":"\n

P:<\/strong> In the past, parents left all their wealth to their children when they retired, and since their children took good care of them for the rest of their lives, they did not have to worry about their future. However, times have changed. The middle-aged population now find that although they have honored and taken good care of their aged parents, their own children are unlikely to do the same for them. Therefore, parents, today should not give all their assets to their children when they retire.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

When parents leave all their wealth to their offspring, they may be exposed to the danger of becoming broke and homeless if their offspring should go bankrupt. This isn\u2019t such a big problem when you are young because you can work hard to regain your wealth. In Korea, there is even a saying that goes, \u201cHardship during youth is worth paying money for.\u201d Because they have energy and potential, young people don\u2019t look pathetic when they are without money and live in a tent. However, nothing is more pitiful than seeing an old person broke and homeless. Therefore, even when any of your children become bankrupt, you should not lend him or her money by mortgaging your house. If you do, you may end up losing your house.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

You can age gracefully when you have your own assets. If you don\u2019t have anything to live on, your later years will become miserable. So, you should keep your assets. If you give them away to your children, your relationship with your children may easily be ruined.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This is not to say that you should hoard all your assets. You can give some to your children if you want, but you should keep your house and enough money to live comfortably. This way, you will still have some assets to leave to your children when you pass away, and they will arrange a good funeral for you.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

If you plan to distribute your assets among your children after retirement, it\u2019s a good idea to give away just seventy to eighty percent of your assets. You must keep twenty to thirty percent for your own. You can decide on the percentage depending on the size of your assets. If you don\u2019t have a lot of assets, the percentage you keep should be higher than if you have a lot. Either way, when parents maintain their financial freedom even after retirement, they will be able to live with dignity and are more likely to sustain a good relationship with their children.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Of course, there is the option of practicing according to the teachings of the Buddha and letting go of all your worldly possessions. People may think that an enlightened person does not need to have a cent to his name and just needs a space in the common room of a temple to sleep. Most people, however, can\u2019t live this way, which is why they need to hold on to enough assets to live on. Those living in the countryside need a place to live, a piece of land to grow various vegetables, and rice fields, while those living in the city need to have a principal amount in the bank that will yield enough monthly interest for them to live comfortably.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

It\u2019s not easy for people to earn money in their old age. Since they don\u2019t have a source of income, they may expect their children to give them some spending money and end up resenting them if they don\u2019t. To avoid such an outcome, it\u2019s necessary for people to keep some financial assets to live on in their old age. This way, parents can live independently from their children without expecting too much from their children or be overly attached to them.<\/p>\n","post_title":"You Should Hold Onto Enough Financial Assets To Live On After Retirement","post_excerpt":"","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","post_password":"","post_name":"you-should-hold-onto-enough-financial-assets-to-live-on-after-retirement","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2024-03-02 14:55:05","post_modified_gmt":"2024-03-02 19:55:05","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/www.jungtosociety.org\/?p=18131","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"},{"ID":18045,"post_author":"40","post_date":"2024-03-15 07:00:00","post_date_gmt":"2024-03-15 12:00:00","post_content":"\n

<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/a><\/gwmw><\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/a><\/p>\n","post_title":"[Meditation Q&A] \u201cHow can I value serenity but not give up caring when I am practicing…. ?","post_excerpt":"","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","post_password":"","post_name":"meditation-qa-how-can-i-value-serenity-but-not-give-up-caring-when-i-am-practicing","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2024-02-27 19:02:33","post_modified_gmt":"2024-02-28 00:02:33","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/www.jungtosociety.org\/?p=18045","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"},{"ID":18197,"post_author":"13","post_date":"2024-03-13 22:47:47","post_date_gmt":"2024-03-14 03:47:47","post_content":"\n

It\u2019s simple to become an adult.
Wake up earlier than your mom
and prepare breakfast for your parents,
wash the dishes,
and clean your room after school or work. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Illustration by Maseol <\/p>\n","post_title":"Becoming an adult","post_excerpt":"","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","post_password":"","post_name":"becoming-an-adult","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2024-03-13 22:47:48","post_modified_gmt":"2024-03-14 03:47:48","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/www.jungtosociety.org\/?p=18197","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"},{"ID":18125,"post_author":"40","post_date":"2024-03-12 07:00:00","post_date_gmt":"2024-03-12 12:00:00","post_content":"\n

P:<\/strong> When the Buddha was close to death, his disciples came to him and asked,<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cHow would you like us to conduct your funeral?\u201d The Buddha answered, \u201cYou don\u2019t need to worry about my funeral because the lay Buddhists will take care of it.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Lay Buddhists are those who take refuge in the Three Jewels and practice the Five Precepts without becoming monks or nuns. When the Buddha said they will take care of it, he meant that his funeral would be conducted based on customs of the lay people in India. So, after the Buddha died, the Lay Buddhists cremated the Buddha\u2019s body according to the Indian tradition. If he had lived in Korea, he would have been buried in the ground as is the custom in Korea.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Dharma is a teaching about truth, so it does not contain cultural aspects. However, since Buddhism originated from India, its traditions, customs, and culture were integrated into the Buddhist culture. Strictly speaking, neither cremation nor the 49-day posthumous ceremony is a fundamental tradition of Buddhism. They are in fact part of the of Indian cultural tradition.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

It is said that the deceased person has 49 days to be saved and is classified into one of nine levels based on his deeds during his life. \u201cAnyone can be reborn in paradise after he dies if he sincerely hopes for it. However, not everyone can be reborn in paradise right away since people fall into one of the nine categories based on their deeds.\u201d Specifically, people are divided into three categories of high, middle and low, and those in each of the three categories are again divided into high, middle and low, so there are a total of nine categories.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

It is believed that people in the very first category are reborn in paradise immediately after their death. It is comparable to leaving a room and entering another room. Those in the second category are reborn within 12 hours. It takes one day for those in the third category, three days for those in the fourth, a week for those in the fifth, 21 days for those in the sixth, and finally, it takes 49 days for those in the seventh category to be reborn in paradise. This is reason that people hold the 49-day posthumous ceremony. This ritual provides an opportunity for people to do good deeds on behalf of their deceased family members and help them be reborn in paradise within 49 days.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

What happens to the people in the eighth and ninth categories? Ultimately, people in all nine categories will all be reborn in paradise. However, those in the eighth and ninth categories have to spend some time in hell before that. Every year, Buddhists perform the Buddhist All Soul\u2019s Day ceremony on July 15th of the lunar calendar to save the souls of those in the two categories from hell. There is no point in debating whether this is true or not because it is a religious belief, so people are free to choose whether to believe it or not.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Funeral customs vary greatly from religion to religion and country to country. In India, the dead are cremated, and in Tibet, they are left to be eaten by birds. The corpse is cut up and placed on big rocks high in the mountain, so that it is eaten by falcons and eagles. In desert regions, the dead are \u201cburied in the wind.\u201d That is, they are nailed on a wooden board and exposed to the elements for one year until only the bones remain after which the funeral ceremony is performed. In regions with many islands, the dead are dropped into the sea.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Each of these funeral rituals has its unique meaning and significance. Tibetans feed the dead to birds because they believe that the spirit of the dead will fly to heaven with the birds. Some cultures bury the dead in the ground because of the belief that the spiritual world exists underground. Meanwhile, Indians believe in reincarnation, so they cremate the corpse to help the spirits to quickly sever their attachment to their worldly bodies so that they can be reborn.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Regardless of the funeral ritual that is performed, once a person dies, it\u2019s the end. By saying \u201cthe end\u201d I am not implying that there is no heaven or an afterlife; I am simply saying the person who draws his last breath will no longer exist in this world. From a Christian viewpoint, the spirits go to heaven, and from a Buddhist perspective, the spirits are reborn, so there is nothing we can do for them. Therefore, the best farewell for those who pass away is to let them go from our hearts.<\/p>\n","post_title":"The Best Farewell For The Deceased","post_excerpt":"","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","post_password":"","post_name":"the-best-farewell-for-the-deceased-2","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2024-03-02 14:50:59","post_modified_gmt":"2024-03-02 19:50:59","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/www.jungtosociety.org\/?p=18125","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"},{"ID":18140,"post_author":"13","post_date":"2024-03-10 17:37:58","post_date_gmt":"2024-03-10 22:37:58","post_content":"\n

<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Jungto Society, the international Buddhist community founded by the revered Korean Dharma master and social activist Venerable Pomnyun Sunim (\ubc95\ub95c\uc2a4\ub2d8), recently conducted its 33rd annual pilgrimage across India and to Nepal. Held under the theme \u201cFollowing in the Footsteps of the Buddha,\u201d the pilgrimage, which ran from 19 January to 2 February, was attended by more 500 practitioners.1<\/sup><\/p>\n\n\n\n

This year\u2019s pilgrimage was particularly notable for two reasons: first was the participation, for the first time in the Jungto pilgrimage\u2019s 33-year history, of non-Korean practitioners: the 500-plus Korean Buddhist pilgrims were accompanied nine practitioners from Italy, Japan, Thailand, the United Kingdom, the United States, and Vietnam. Second, the pilgrimage also coincided with celebrations for the 30th anniversary of Sujata Academy, a remarkable community school and social empowerment project established by Ven. Pomnyun Sunim in Dungeshwari, in the northeastern Indian state of Bihar. This project has transformed the lives of an entire community of people who have faced systemic social and economic exclusion as a result of India\u2019s conservative Hindu caste hierarchy.2<\/sup><\/p>\n\n\n\n

The academy is named after Sujata, the young woman who is said to have nourished the ailing and emaciated Siddhartha Gautama with a bowl of milk-rice, thus ending his six years of extreme asceticism. Tuition at the academy is provided free of charge. The school\u2019s principal goal is to educate every student in basic literacy and numeracy. Classes are taught from kindergarten to secondary level, alongside adult literacy classes and skills training. Students who wish to continue beyond elementary education and attend secondary school are required to teach kindergarteners or to help out in the onsite Jivaka Hospital in the mornings and to attend classes in the afternoon, working in the spirit of giving back to the community. The campus also includes a warehouse, a dormitory, a large playing field, and sports equipment for the children.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

x<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n
\n
\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\"\"<\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

Ven. Pomnyun Sunim established the international Buddhist humanitarian relief organization Join Together Society (JTS) as an expression of the compassion of engaged Buddhism and the belief that helping others is the best way to enrich one\u2019s own life. Headquartered in Seoul, JTS operates four branch offices in South Korea and the United States, along with field offices in India and the Philippines. JTS Korea and JTS America oversee fundraising, while JTS India and JTS Philippines conduct development projects in cooperation with local communities. The relief organization has also earned Special Consultative Status to the United Nations Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

JTS India began its work in Dungeshwari, some 12 kilometers northeast of the Buddhist pilgrimage hub of Bodh Gaya, in the early 1990s, aspiring to fulfill the mission: \u201cThe hungry should eat; the sick should be treated; children should be educated in time.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This region is surrounded by the Pragbodhi Hills where the historical Buddha, Shakyamuni, is said to have spent six years in a cave as an ascetic. And it\u2019s here that JTS India has been working to empower the villagers of Dungeshwari to live their lives free from hunger, illiteracy, and disease.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The people of Dungeshwari are primarily Dalits, who face systemic social and economic exclusion as a result of the conservative Hindu social hierarchy. \u201cDalit,\u201d which translates as \u201cbroken\u201d in Sanskrit, is a term for the very lowest castes, whom members of the so-called \u201chigher\u201d castes still to this day deem \u201cuntouchable,\u201d despite the practice being prohibited in the Constitution of India. By working directly with disadvantaged communities, JTS aims to help them to mobilize their own capabilities and resources to create a more prosperous and sustainable future.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Jungto Society Dharma teacher Doyeon Jang (Dharma name Bogwang), is the director of Sujata Academy. She has overseen the development of this ambitious project, facing numerous challenges, both personal and structural, in the process of bringing this expression of compassion and social transformation to fruition.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u25b6\ufe0f Published by BDG on March 8, 2024<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u25b6\ufe0f Read more: <\/a>https:\/\/www.buddhistdoor.net\/features\/the-sujata-academy-project-the-power-of-hope-and-compassion-in-india\/<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

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<\/p>\n","post_title":"The Sujata Academy Project: The Power of Hope and Compassion in India","post_excerpt":"The Korean Seon (Zen) master Venerable Pomnyun Sunim (\ubc95\ub95c\uc2a4\ub2d8) wears many hats: Buddhist monk, teacher, author, environmentalist, and social activist, to name a few. As a widely respected Dharma teacher and a tireless socially engaged activist in his native South Korea, Ven. Pomnyun Sunim has founded numerous Dharma-based organizations, initiatives, and projects that are active across the world. Among them, Jungto Society, a volunteer-based community founded on the Buddhist teachings and expressing equality, simple living, and sustainability, is dedicated to addressing modern social issues that lead to suffering, including environmental degradation, poverty, and conflict.\n\nThis column, shared by Jungto Society, presents a series of highlights from Ven. Pomnyun Sunim\u2019s writings, teachings, public talks, and regular live-streamed Dharma Q+A sessions, which are accessible across the globe.\n","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","post_password":"","post_name":"the-sujata-academy-project-the-power-of-hope-and-compassion-in-india","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2024-03-10 17:38:00","post_modified_gmt":"2024-03-10 22:38:00","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/www.jungtosociety.org\/?p=18140","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"},{"ID":18136,"post_author":"13","post_date":"2024-03-10 17:24:34","post_date_gmt":"2024-03-10 22:24:34","post_content":"\n

Your son is over forty and
his main relationship is with someone else.
So, stop worrying about a grown man
who belongs with another woman
and be nice to the man next to you. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Illustration by Maseol <\/p>\n","post_title":"Son over forty","post_excerpt":"","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","post_password":"","post_name":"son-over-forty","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2024-03-10 17:24:36","post_modified_gmt":"2024-03-10 22:24:36","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/www.jungtosociety.org\/?p=18136","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"}],"next":false,"prev":false,"total_page":1},"paged":1,"column_class":"jeg_col_2o3","class":"jnews_block_37"};

\n

When you let go of the thought, \u201cI will live happily,\u201d you will find happiness.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

We create our own happiness.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

We create our own misfortune.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Truly, our happiness and unhappiness are not created by others.<\/p>\n","post_title":"We Are The Ones Who Create Our Happiness And Unhappiness","post_excerpt":"","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","post_password":"","post_name":"we-are-the-ones-who-create-our-happiness-and-unhappiness","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2024-03-11 20:02:00","post_modified_gmt":"2024-03-12 01:02:00","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/www.jungtosociety.org\/?p=18145","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"},{"ID":18295,"post_author":"13","post_date":"2024-03-20 22:57:13","post_date_gmt":"2024-03-21 03:57:13","post_content":"\n

\"Let's change just one day at a time\" <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Accomplishing something
every day with a light heart is like
water drops piercing a rock. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Illustration by Maseol <\/p>\n","post_title":"One day at a time","post_excerpt":"","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","post_password":"","post_name":"one-day-at-a-time","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2024-03-20 22:57:15","post_modified_gmt":"2024-03-21 03:57:15","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/www.jungtosociety.org\/?p=18295","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"},{"ID":18131,"post_author":"40","post_date":"2024-03-19 14:51:48","post_date_gmt":"2024-03-19 19:51:48","post_content":"\n

P:<\/strong> In the past, parents left all their wealth to their children when they retired, and since their children took good care of them for the rest of their lives, they did not have to worry about their future. However, times have changed. The middle-aged population now find that although they have honored and taken good care of their aged parents, their own children are unlikely to do the same for them. Therefore, parents, today should not give all their assets to their children when they retire.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

When parents leave all their wealth to their offspring, they may be exposed to the danger of becoming broke and homeless if their offspring should go bankrupt. This isn\u2019t such a big problem when you are young because you can work hard to regain your wealth. In Korea, there is even a saying that goes, \u201cHardship during youth is worth paying money for.\u201d Because they have energy and potential, young people don\u2019t look pathetic when they are without money and live in a tent. However, nothing is more pitiful than seeing an old person broke and homeless. Therefore, even when any of your children become bankrupt, you should not lend him or her money by mortgaging your house. If you do, you may end up losing your house.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

You can age gracefully when you have your own assets. If you don\u2019t have anything to live on, your later years will become miserable. So, you should keep your assets. If you give them away to your children, your relationship with your children may easily be ruined.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This is not to say that you should hoard all your assets. You can give some to your children if you want, but you should keep your house and enough money to live comfortably. This way, you will still have some assets to leave to your children when you pass away, and they will arrange a good funeral for you.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

If you plan to distribute your assets among your children after retirement, it\u2019s a good idea to give away just seventy to eighty percent of your assets. You must keep twenty to thirty percent for your own. You can decide on the percentage depending on the size of your assets. If you don\u2019t have a lot of assets, the percentage you keep should be higher than if you have a lot. Either way, when parents maintain their financial freedom even after retirement, they will be able to live with dignity and are more likely to sustain a good relationship with their children.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Of course, there is the option of practicing according to the teachings of the Buddha and letting go of all your worldly possessions. People may think that an enlightened person does not need to have a cent to his name and just needs a space in the common room of a temple to sleep. Most people, however, can\u2019t live this way, which is why they need to hold on to enough assets to live on. Those living in the countryside need a place to live, a piece of land to grow various vegetables, and rice fields, while those living in the city need to have a principal amount in the bank that will yield enough monthly interest for them to live comfortably.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

It\u2019s not easy for people to earn money in their old age. Since they don\u2019t have a source of income, they may expect their children to give them some spending money and end up resenting them if they don\u2019t. To avoid such an outcome, it\u2019s necessary for people to keep some financial assets to live on in their old age. This way, parents can live independently from their children without expecting too much from their children or be overly attached to them.<\/p>\n","post_title":"You Should Hold Onto Enough Financial Assets To Live On After Retirement","post_excerpt":"","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","post_password":"","post_name":"you-should-hold-onto-enough-financial-assets-to-live-on-after-retirement","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2024-03-02 14:55:05","post_modified_gmt":"2024-03-02 19:55:05","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/www.jungtosociety.org\/?p=18131","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"},{"ID":18045,"post_author":"40","post_date":"2024-03-15 07:00:00","post_date_gmt":"2024-03-15 12:00:00","post_content":"\n

<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/a><\/gwmw><\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/a><\/p>\n","post_title":"[Meditation Q&A] \u201cHow can I value serenity but not give up caring when I am practicing…. ?","post_excerpt":"","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","post_password":"","post_name":"meditation-qa-how-can-i-value-serenity-but-not-give-up-caring-when-i-am-practicing","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2024-02-27 19:02:33","post_modified_gmt":"2024-02-28 00:02:33","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/www.jungtosociety.org\/?p=18045","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"},{"ID":18197,"post_author":"13","post_date":"2024-03-13 22:47:47","post_date_gmt":"2024-03-14 03:47:47","post_content":"\n

It\u2019s simple to become an adult.
Wake up earlier than your mom
and prepare breakfast for your parents,
wash the dishes,
and clean your room after school or work. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Illustration by Maseol <\/p>\n","post_title":"Becoming an adult","post_excerpt":"","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","post_password":"","post_name":"becoming-an-adult","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2024-03-13 22:47:48","post_modified_gmt":"2024-03-14 03:47:48","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/www.jungtosociety.org\/?p=18197","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"},{"ID":18125,"post_author":"40","post_date":"2024-03-12 07:00:00","post_date_gmt":"2024-03-12 12:00:00","post_content":"\n

P:<\/strong> When the Buddha was close to death, his disciples came to him and asked,<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cHow would you like us to conduct your funeral?\u201d The Buddha answered, \u201cYou don\u2019t need to worry about my funeral because the lay Buddhists will take care of it.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Lay Buddhists are those who take refuge in the Three Jewels and practice the Five Precepts without becoming monks or nuns. When the Buddha said they will take care of it, he meant that his funeral would be conducted based on customs of the lay people in India. So, after the Buddha died, the Lay Buddhists cremated the Buddha\u2019s body according to the Indian tradition. If he had lived in Korea, he would have been buried in the ground as is the custom in Korea.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Dharma is a teaching about truth, so it does not contain cultural aspects. However, since Buddhism originated from India, its traditions, customs, and culture were integrated into the Buddhist culture. Strictly speaking, neither cremation nor the 49-day posthumous ceremony is a fundamental tradition of Buddhism. They are in fact part of the of Indian cultural tradition.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

It is said that the deceased person has 49 days to be saved and is classified into one of nine levels based on his deeds during his life. \u201cAnyone can be reborn in paradise after he dies if he sincerely hopes for it. However, not everyone can be reborn in paradise right away since people fall into one of the nine categories based on their deeds.\u201d Specifically, people are divided into three categories of high, middle and low, and those in each of the three categories are again divided into high, middle and low, so there are a total of nine categories.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

It is believed that people in the very first category are reborn in paradise immediately after their death. It is comparable to leaving a room and entering another room. Those in the second category are reborn within 12 hours. It takes one day for those in the third category, three days for those in the fourth, a week for those in the fifth, 21 days for those in the sixth, and finally, it takes 49 days for those in the seventh category to be reborn in paradise. This is reason that people hold the 49-day posthumous ceremony. This ritual provides an opportunity for people to do good deeds on behalf of their deceased family members and help them be reborn in paradise within 49 days.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

What happens to the people in the eighth and ninth categories? Ultimately, people in all nine categories will all be reborn in paradise. However, those in the eighth and ninth categories have to spend some time in hell before that. Every year, Buddhists perform the Buddhist All Soul\u2019s Day ceremony on July 15th of the lunar calendar to save the souls of those in the two categories from hell. There is no point in debating whether this is true or not because it is a religious belief, so people are free to choose whether to believe it or not.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Funeral customs vary greatly from religion to religion and country to country. In India, the dead are cremated, and in Tibet, they are left to be eaten by birds. The corpse is cut up and placed on big rocks high in the mountain, so that it is eaten by falcons and eagles. In desert regions, the dead are \u201cburied in the wind.\u201d That is, they are nailed on a wooden board and exposed to the elements for one year until only the bones remain after which the funeral ceremony is performed. In regions with many islands, the dead are dropped into the sea.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Each of these funeral rituals has its unique meaning and significance. Tibetans feed the dead to birds because they believe that the spirit of the dead will fly to heaven with the birds. Some cultures bury the dead in the ground because of the belief that the spiritual world exists underground. Meanwhile, Indians believe in reincarnation, so they cremate the corpse to help the spirits to quickly sever their attachment to their worldly bodies so that they can be reborn.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Regardless of the funeral ritual that is performed, once a person dies, it\u2019s the end. By saying \u201cthe end\u201d I am not implying that there is no heaven or an afterlife; I am simply saying the person who draws his last breath will no longer exist in this world. From a Christian viewpoint, the spirits go to heaven, and from a Buddhist perspective, the spirits are reborn, so there is nothing we can do for them. Therefore, the best farewell for those who pass away is to let them go from our hearts.<\/p>\n","post_title":"The Best Farewell For The Deceased","post_excerpt":"","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","post_password":"","post_name":"the-best-farewell-for-the-deceased-2","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2024-03-02 14:50:59","post_modified_gmt":"2024-03-02 19:50:59","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/www.jungtosociety.org\/?p=18125","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"},{"ID":18140,"post_author":"13","post_date":"2024-03-10 17:37:58","post_date_gmt":"2024-03-10 22:37:58","post_content":"\n

<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Jungto Society, the international Buddhist community founded by the revered Korean Dharma master and social activist Venerable Pomnyun Sunim (\ubc95\ub95c\uc2a4\ub2d8), recently conducted its 33rd annual pilgrimage across India and to Nepal. Held under the theme \u201cFollowing in the Footsteps of the Buddha,\u201d the pilgrimage, which ran from 19 January to 2 February, was attended by more 500 practitioners.1<\/sup><\/p>\n\n\n\n

This year\u2019s pilgrimage was particularly notable for two reasons: first was the participation, for the first time in the Jungto pilgrimage\u2019s 33-year history, of non-Korean practitioners: the 500-plus Korean Buddhist pilgrims were accompanied nine practitioners from Italy, Japan, Thailand, the United Kingdom, the United States, and Vietnam. Second, the pilgrimage also coincided with celebrations for the 30th anniversary of Sujata Academy, a remarkable community school and social empowerment project established by Ven. Pomnyun Sunim in Dungeshwari, in the northeastern Indian state of Bihar. This project has transformed the lives of an entire community of people who have faced systemic social and economic exclusion as a result of India\u2019s conservative Hindu caste hierarchy.2<\/sup><\/p>\n\n\n\n

The academy is named after Sujata, the young woman who is said to have nourished the ailing and emaciated Siddhartha Gautama with a bowl of milk-rice, thus ending his six years of extreme asceticism. Tuition at the academy is provided free of charge. The school\u2019s principal goal is to educate every student in basic literacy and numeracy. Classes are taught from kindergarten to secondary level, alongside adult literacy classes and skills training. Students who wish to continue beyond elementary education and attend secondary school are required to teach kindergarteners or to help out in the onsite Jivaka Hospital in the mornings and to attend classes in the afternoon, working in the spirit of giving back to the community. The campus also includes a warehouse, a dormitory, a large playing field, and sports equipment for the children.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

x<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n
\n
\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\"\"<\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

Ven. Pomnyun Sunim established the international Buddhist humanitarian relief organization Join Together Society (JTS) as an expression of the compassion of engaged Buddhism and the belief that helping others is the best way to enrich one\u2019s own life. Headquartered in Seoul, JTS operates four branch offices in South Korea and the United States, along with field offices in India and the Philippines. JTS Korea and JTS America oversee fundraising, while JTS India and JTS Philippines conduct development projects in cooperation with local communities. The relief organization has also earned Special Consultative Status to the United Nations Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

JTS India began its work in Dungeshwari, some 12 kilometers northeast of the Buddhist pilgrimage hub of Bodh Gaya, in the early 1990s, aspiring to fulfill the mission: \u201cThe hungry should eat; the sick should be treated; children should be educated in time.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This region is surrounded by the Pragbodhi Hills where the historical Buddha, Shakyamuni, is said to have spent six years in a cave as an ascetic. And it\u2019s here that JTS India has been working to empower the villagers of Dungeshwari to live their lives free from hunger, illiteracy, and disease.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The people of Dungeshwari are primarily Dalits, who face systemic social and economic exclusion as a result of the conservative Hindu social hierarchy. \u201cDalit,\u201d which translates as \u201cbroken\u201d in Sanskrit, is a term for the very lowest castes, whom members of the so-called \u201chigher\u201d castes still to this day deem \u201cuntouchable,\u201d despite the practice being prohibited in the Constitution of India. By working directly with disadvantaged communities, JTS aims to help them to mobilize their own capabilities and resources to create a more prosperous and sustainable future.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Jungto Society Dharma teacher Doyeon Jang (Dharma name Bogwang), is the director of Sujata Academy. She has overseen the development of this ambitious project, facing numerous challenges, both personal and structural, in the process of bringing this expression of compassion and social transformation to fruition.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u25b6\ufe0f Published by BDG on March 8, 2024<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u25b6\ufe0f Read more: <\/a>https:\/\/www.buddhistdoor.net\/features\/the-sujata-academy-project-the-power-of-hope-and-compassion-in-india\/<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/p>\n","post_title":"The Sujata Academy Project: The Power of Hope and Compassion in India","post_excerpt":"The Korean Seon (Zen) master Venerable Pomnyun Sunim (\ubc95\ub95c\uc2a4\ub2d8) wears many hats: Buddhist monk, teacher, author, environmentalist, and social activist, to name a few. As a widely respected Dharma teacher and a tireless socially engaged activist in his native South Korea, Ven. Pomnyun Sunim has founded numerous Dharma-based organizations, initiatives, and projects that are active across the world. Among them, Jungto Society, a volunteer-based community founded on the Buddhist teachings and expressing equality, simple living, and sustainability, is dedicated to addressing modern social issues that lead to suffering, including environmental degradation, poverty, and conflict.\n\nThis column, shared by Jungto Society, presents a series of highlights from Ven. Pomnyun Sunim\u2019s writings, teachings, public talks, and regular live-streamed Dharma Q+A sessions, which are accessible across the globe.\n","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","post_password":"","post_name":"the-sujata-academy-project-the-power-of-hope-and-compassion-in-india","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2024-03-10 17:38:00","post_modified_gmt":"2024-03-10 22:38:00","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/www.jungtosociety.org\/?p=18140","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"},{"ID":18136,"post_author":"13","post_date":"2024-03-10 17:24:34","post_date_gmt":"2024-03-10 22:24:34","post_content":"\n

Your son is over forty and
his main relationship is with someone else.
So, stop worrying about a grown man
who belongs with another woman
and be nice to the man next to you. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Illustration by Maseol <\/p>\n","post_title":"Son over forty","post_excerpt":"","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","post_password":"","post_name":"son-over-forty","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2024-03-10 17:24:36","post_modified_gmt":"2024-03-10 22:24:36","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/www.jungtosociety.org\/?p=18136","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"}],"next":false,"prev":false,"total_page":1},"paged":1,"column_class":"jeg_col_2o3","class":"jnews_block_37"};

\n

You are already happy. You don\u2019t need to work hard to be happy.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

When you let go of the thought, \u201cI will live happily,\u201d you will find happiness.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

We create our own happiness.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

We create our own misfortune.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Truly, our happiness and unhappiness are not created by others.<\/p>\n","post_title":"We Are The Ones Who Create Our Happiness And Unhappiness","post_excerpt":"","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","post_password":"","post_name":"we-are-the-ones-who-create-our-happiness-and-unhappiness","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2024-03-11 20:02:00","post_modified_gmt":"2024-03-12 01:02:00","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/www.jungtosociety.org\/?p=18145","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"},{"ID":18295,"post_author":"13","post_date":"2024-03-20 22:57:13","post_date_gmt":"2024-03-21 03:57:13","post_content":"\n

\"Let's change just one day at a time\" <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Accomplishing something
every day with a light heart is like
water drops piercing a rock. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Illustration by Maseol <\/p>\n","post_title":"One day at a time","post_excerpt":"","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","post_password":"","post_name":"one-day-at-a-time","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2024-03-20 22:57:15","post_modified_gmt":"2024-03-21 03:57:15","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/www.jungtosociety.org\/?p=18295","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"},{"ID":18131,"post_author":"40","post_date":"2024-03-19 14:51:48","post_date_gmt":"2024-03-19 19:51:48","post_content":"\n

P:<\/strong> In the past, parents left all their wealth to their children when they retired, and since their children took good care of them for the rest of their lives, they did not have to worry about their future. However, times have changed. The middle-aged population now find that although they have honored and taken good care of their aged parents, their own children are unlikely to do the same for them. Therefore, parents, today should not give all their assets to their children when they retire.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

When parents leave all their wealth to their offspring, they may be exposed to the danger of becoming broke and homeless if their offspring should go bankrupt. This isn\u2019t such a big problem when you are young because you can work hard to regain your wealth. In Korea, there is even a saying that goes, \u201cHardship during youth is worth paying money for.\u201d Because they have energy and potential, young people don\u2019t look pathetic when they are without money and live in a tent. However, nothing is more pitiful than seeing an old person broke and homeless. Therefore, even when any of your children become bankrupt, you should not lend him or her money by mortgaging your house. If you do, you may end up losing your house.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

You can age gracefully when you have your own assets. If you don\u2019t have anything to live on, your later years will become miserable. So, you should keep your assets. If you give them away to your children, your relationship with your children may easily be ruined.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This is not to say that you should hoard all your assets. You can give some to your children if you want, but you should keep your house and enough money to live comfortably. This way, you will still have some assets to leave to your children when you pass away, and they will arrange a good funeral for you.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

If you plan to distribute your assets among your children after retirement, it\u2019s a good idea to give away just seventy to eighty percent of your assets. You must keep twenty to thirty percent for your own. You can decide on the percentage depending on the size of your assets. If you don\u2019t have a lot of assets, the percentage you keep should be higher than if you have a lot. Either way, when parents maintain their financial freedom even after retirement, they will be able to live with dignity and are more likely to sustain a good relationship with their children.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Of course, there is the option of practicing according to the teachings of the Buddha and letting go of all your worldly possessions. People may think that an enlightened person does not need to have a cent to his name and just needs a space in the common room of a temple to sleep. Most people, however, can\u2019t live this way, which is why they need to hold on to enough assets to live on. Those living in the countryside need a place to live, a piece of land to grow various vegetables, and rice fields, while those living in the city need to have a principal amount in the bank that will yield enough monthly interest for them to live comfortably.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

It\u2019s not easy for people to earn money in their old age. Since they don\u2019t have a source of income, they may expect their children to give them some spending money and end up resenting them if they don\u2019t. To avoid such an outcome, it\u2019s necessary for people to keep some financial assets to live on in their old age. This way, parents can live independently from their children without expecting too much from their children or be overly attached to them.<\/p>\n","post_title":"You Should Hold Onto Enough Financial Assets To Live On After Retirement","post_excerpt":"","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","post_password":"","post_name":"you-should-hold-onto-enough-financial-assets-to-live-on-after-retirement","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2024-03-02 14:55:05","post_modified_gmt":"2024-03-02 19:55:05","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/www.jungtosociety.org\/?p=18131","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"},{"ID":18045,"post_author":"40","post_date":"2024-03-15 07:00:00","post_date_gmt":"2024-03-15 12:00:00","post_content":"\n

<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/a><\/gwmw><\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/a><\/p>\n","post_title":"[Meditation Q&A] \u201cHow can I value serenity but not give up caring when I am practicing…. ?","post_excerpt":"","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","post_password":"","post_name":"meditation-qa-how-can-i-value-serenity-but-not-give-up-caring-when-i-am-practicing","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2024-02-27 19:02:33","post_modified_gmt":"2024-02-28 00:02:33","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/www.jungtosociety.org\/?p=18045","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"},{"ID":18197,"post_author":"13","post_date":"2024-03-13 22:47:47","post_date_gmt":"2024-03-14 03:47:47","post_content":"\n

It\u2019s simple to become an adult.
Wake up earlier than your mom
and prepare breakfast for your parents,
wash the dishes,
and clean your room after school or work. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Illustration by Maseol <\/p>\n","post_title":"Becoming an adult","post_excerpt":"","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","post_password":"","post_name":"becoming-an-adult","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2024-03-13 22:47:48","post_modified_gmt":"2024-03-14 03:47:48","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/www.jungtosociety.org\/?p=18197","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"},{"ID":18125,"post_author":"40","post_date":"2024-03-12 07:00:00","post_date_gmt":"2024-03-12 12:00:00","post_content":"\n

P:<\/strong> When the Buddha was close to death, his disciples came to him and asked,<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cHow would you like us to conduct your funeral?\u201d The Buddha answered, \u201cYou don\u2019t need to worry about my funeral because the lay Buddhists will take care of it.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Lay Buddhists are those who take refuge in the Three Jewels and practice the Five Precepts without becoming monks or nuns. When the Buddha said they will take care of it, he meant that his funeral would be conducted based on customs of the lay people in India. So, after the Buddha died, the Lay Buddhists cremated the Buddha\u2019s body according to the Indian tradition. If he had lived in Korea, he would have been buried in the ground as is the custom in Korea.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Dharma is a teaching about truth, so it does not contain cultural aspects. However, since Buddhism originated from India, its traditions, customs, and culture were integrated into the Buddhist culture. Strictly speaking, neither cremation nor the 49-day posthumous ceremony is a fundamental tradition of Buddhism. They are in fact part of the of Indian cultural tradition.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

It is said that the deceased person has 49 days to be saved and is classified into one of nine levels based on his deeds during his life. \u201cAnyone can be reborn in paradise after he dies if he sincerely hopes for it. However, not everyone can be reborn in paradise right away since people fall into one of the nine categories based on their deeds.\u201d Specifically, people are divided into three categories of high, middle and low, and those in each of the three categories are again divided into high, middle and low, so there are a total of nine categories.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

It is believed that people in the very first category are reborn in paradise immediately after their death. It is comparable to leaving a room and entering another room. Those in the second category are reborn within 12 hours. It takes one day for those in the third category, three days for those in the fourth, a week for those in the fifth, 21 days for those in the sixth, and finally, it takes 49 days for those in the seventh category to be reborn in paradise. This is reason that people hold the 49-day posthumous ceremony. This ritual provides an opportunity for people to do good deeds on behalf of their deceased family members and help them be reborn in paradise within 49 days.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

What happens to the people in the eighth and ninth categories? Ultimately, people in all nine categories will all be reborn in paradise. However, those in the eighth and ninth categories have to spend some time in hell before that. Every year, Buddhists perform the Buddhist All Soul\u2019s Day ceremony on July 15th of the lunar calendar to save the souls of those in the two categories from hell. There is no point in debating whether this is true or not because it is a religious belief, so people are free to choose whether to believe it or not.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Funeral customs vary greatly from religion to religion and country to country. In India, the dead are cremated, and in Tibet, they are left to be eaten by birds. The corpse is cut up and placed on big rocks high in the mountain, so that it is eaten by falcons and eagles. In desert regions, the dead are \u201cburied in the wind.\u201d That is, they are nailed on a wooden board and exposed to the elements for one year until only the bones remain after which the funeral ceremony is performed. In regions with many islands, the dead are dropped into the sea.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Each of these funeral rituals has its unique meaning and significance. Tibetans feed the dead to birds because they believe that the spirit of the dead will fly to heaven with the birds. Some cultures bury the dead in the ground because of the belief that the spiritual world exists underground. Meanwhile, Indians believe in reincarnation, so they cremate the corpse to help the spirits to quickly sever their attachment to their worldly bodies so that they can be reborn.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Regardless of the funeral ritual that is performed, once a person dies, it\u2019s the end. By saying \u201cthe end\u201d I am not implying that there is no heaven or an afterlife; I am simply saying the person who draws his last breath will no longer exist in this world. From a Christian viewpoint, the spirits go to heaven, and from a Buddhist perspective, the spirits are reborn, so there is nothing we can do for them. Therefore, the best farewell for those who pass away is to let them go from our hearts.<\/p>\n","post_title":"The Best Farewell For The Deceased","post_excerpt":"","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","post_password":"","post_name":"the-best-farewell-for-the-deceased-2","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2024-03-02 14:50:59","post_modified_gmt":"2024-03-02 19:50:59","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/www.jungtosociety.org\/?p=18125","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"},{"ID":18140,"post_author":"13","post_date":"2024-03-10 17:37:58","post_date_gmt":"2024-03-10 22:37:58","post_content":"\n

<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Jungto Society, the international Buddhist community founded by the revered Korean Dharma master and social activist Venerable Pomnyun Sunim (\ubc95\ub95c\uc2a4\ub2d8), recently conducted its 33rd annual pilgrimage across India and to Nepal. Held under the theme \u201cFollowing in the Footsteps of the Buddha,\u201d the pilgrimage, which ran from 19 January to 2 February, was attended by more 500 practitioners.1<\/sup><\/p>\n\n\n\n

This year\u2019s pilgrimage was particularly notable for two reasons: first was the participation, for the first time in the Jungto pilgrimage\u2019s 33-year history, of non-Korean practitioners: the 500-plus Korean Buddhist pilgrims were accompanied nine practitioners from Italy, Japan, Thailand, the United Kingdom, the United States, and Vietnam. Second, the pilgrimage also coincided with celebrations for the 30th anniversary of Sujata Academy, a remarkable community school and social empowerment project established by Ven. Pomnyun Sunim in Dungeshwari, in the northeastern Indian state of Bihar. This project has transformed the lives of an entire community of people who have faced systemic social and economic exclusion as a result of India\u2019s conservative Hindu caste hierarchy.2<\/sup><\/p>\n\n\n\n

The academy is named after Sujata, the young woman who is said to have nourished the ailing and emaciated Siddhartha Gautama with a bowl of milk-rice, thus ending his six years of extreme asceticism. Tuition at the academy is provided free of charge. The school\u2019s principal goal is to educate every student in basic literacy and numeracy. Classes are taught from kindergarten to secondary level, alongside adult literacy classes and skills training. Students who wish to continue beyond elementary education and attend secondary school are required to teach kindergarteners or to help out in the onsite Jivaka Hospital in the mornings and to attend classes in the afternoon, working in the spirit of giving back to the community. The campus also includes a warehouse, a dormitory, a large playing field, and sports equipment for the children.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

x<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n
\n
\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\"\"<\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

Ven. Pomnyun Sunim established the international Buddhist humanitarian relief organization Join Together Society (JTS) as an expression of the compassion of engaged Buddhism and the belief that helping others is the best way to enrich one\u2019s own life. Headquartered in Seoul, JTS operates four branch offices in South Korea and the United States, along with field offices in India and the Philippines. JTS Korea and JTS America oversee fundraising, while JTS India and JTS Philippines conduct development projects in cooperation with local communities. The relief organization has also earned Special Consultative Status to the United Nations Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

JTS India began its work in Dungeshwari, some 12 kilometers northeast of the Buddhist pilgrimage hub of Bodh Gaya, in the early 1990s, aspiring to fulfill the mission: \u201cThe hungry should eat; the sick should be treated; children should be educated in time.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This region is surrounded by the Pragbodhi Hills where the historical Buddha, Shakyamuni, is said to have spent six years in a cave as an ascetic. And it\u2019s here that JTS India has been working to empower the villagers of Dungeshwari to live their lives free from hunger, illiteracy, and disease.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The people of Dungeshwari are primarily Dalits, who face systemic social and economic exclusion as a result of the conservative Hindu social hierarchy. \u201cDalit,\u201d which translates as \u201cbroken\u201d in Sanskrit, is a term for the very lowest castes, whom members of the so-called \u201chigher\u201d castes still to this day deem \u201cuntouchable,\u201d despite the practice being prohibited in the Constitution of India. By working directly with disadvantaged communities, JTS aims to help them to mobilize their own capabilities and resources to create a more prosperous and sustainable future.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Jungto Society Dharma teacher Doyeon Jang (Dharma name Bogwang), is the director of Sujata Academy. She has overseen the development of this ambitious project, facing numerous challenges, both personal and structural, in the process of bringing this expression of compassion and social transformation to fruition.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u25b6\ufe0f Published by BDG on March 8, 2024<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u25b6\ufe0f Read more: <\/a>https:\/\/www.buddhistdoor.net\/features\/the-sujata-academy-project-the-power-of-hope-and-compassion-in-india\/<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/p>\n","post_title":"The Sujata Academy Project: The Power of Hope and Compassion in India","post_excerpt":"The Korean Seon (Zen) master Venerable Pomnyun Sunim (\ubc95\ub95c\uc2a4\ub2d8) wears many hats: Buddhist monk, teacher, author, environmentalist, and social activist, to name a few. As a widely respected Dharma teacher and a tireless socially engaged activist in his native South Korea, Ven. Pomnyun Sunim has founded numerous Dharma-based organizations, initiatives, and projects that are active across the world. Among them, Jungto Society, a volunteer-based community founded on the Buddhist teachings and expressing equality, simple living, and sustainability, is dedicated to addressing modern social issues that lead to suffering, including environmental degradation, poverty, and conflict.\n\nThis column, shared by Jungto Society, presents a series of highlights from Ven. Pomnyun Sunim\u2019s writings, teachings, public talks, and regular live-streamed Dharma Q+A sessions, which are accessible across the globe.\n","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","post_password":"","post_name":"the-sujata-academy-project-the-power-of-hope-and-compassion-in-india","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2024-03-10 17:38:00","post_modified_gmt":"2024-03-10 22:38:00","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/www.jungtosociety.org\/?p=18140","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"},{"ID":18136,"post_author":"13","post_date":"2024-03-10 17:24:34","post_date_gmt":"2024-03-10 22:24:34","post_content":"\n

Your son is over forty and
his main relationship is with someone else.
So, stop worrying about a grown man
who belongs with another woman
and be nice to the man next to you. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Illustration by Maseol <\/p>\n","post_title":"Son over forty","post_excerpt":"","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","post_password":"","post_name":"son-over-forty","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2024-03-10 17:24:36","post_modified_gmt":"2024-03-10 22:24:36","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/www.jungtosociety.org\/?p=18136","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"}],"next":false,"prev":false,"total_page":1},"paged":1,"column_class":"jeg_col_2o3","class":"jnews_block_37"};

\n

Actually, you are all happy right now. You simply don\u2019t see it or feel it. Once upon a time someone visited a Zen master and talked extensively about the Buddha and his teachings. The Zen master told him, \u201cJust have a cup of tea.\u201d He meant, \u201cStop thinking nonsense.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

You are already happy. You don\u2019t need to work hard to be happy.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

When you let go of the thought, \u201cI will live happily,\u201d you will find happiness.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

We create our own happiness.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

We create our own misfortune.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Truly, our happiness and unhappiness are not created by others.<\/p>\n","post_title":"We Are The Ones Who Create Our Happiness And Unhappiness","post_excerpt":"","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","post_password":"","post_name":"we-are-the-ones-who-create-our-happiness-and-unhappiness","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2024-03-11 20:02:00","post_modified_gmt":"2024-03-12 01:02:00","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/www.jungtosociety.org\/?p=18145","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"},{"ID":18295,"post_author":"13","post_date":"2024-03-20 22:57:13","post_date_gmt":"2024-03-21 03:57:13","post_content":"\n

\"Let's change just one day at a time\" <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Accomplishing something
every day with a light heart is like
water drops piercing a rock. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Illustration by Maseol <\/p>\n","post_title":"One day at a time","post_excerpt":"","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","post_password":"","post_name":"one-day-at-a-time","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2024-03-20 22:57:15","post_modified_gmt":"2024-03-21 03:57:15","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/www.jungtosociety.org\/?p=18295","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"},{"ID":18131,"post_author":"40","post_date":"2024-03-19 14:51:48","post_date_gmt":"2024-03-19 19:51:48","post_content":"\n

P:<\/strong> In the past, parents left all their wealth to their children when they retired, and since their children took good care of them for the rest of their lives, they did not have to worry about their future. However, times have changed. The middle-aged population now find that although they have honored and taken good care of their aged parents, their own children are unlikely to do the same for them. Therefore, parents, today should not give all their assets to their children when they retire.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

When parents leave all their wealth to their offspring, they may be exposed to the danger of becoming broke and homeless if their offspring should go bankrupt. This isn\u2019t such a big problem when you are young because you can work hard to regain your wealth. In Korea, there is even a saying that goes, \u201cHardship during youth is worth paying money for.\u201d Because they have energy and potential, young people don\u2019t look pathetic when they are without money and live in a tent. However, nothing is more pitiful than seeing an old person broke and homeless. Therefore, even when any of your children become bankrupt, you should not lend him or her money by mortgaging your house. If you do, you may end up losing your house.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

You can age gracefully when you have your own assets. If you don\u2019t have anything to live on, your later years will become miserable. So, you should keep your assets. If you give them away to your children, your relationship with your children may easily be ruined.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This is not to say that you should hoard all your assets. You can give some to your children if you want, but you should keep your house and enough money to live comfortably. This way, you will still have some assets to leave to your children when you pass away, and they will arrange a good funeral for you.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

If you plan to distribute your assets among your children after retirement, it\u2019s a good idea to give away just seventy to eighty percent of your assets. You must keep twenty to thirty percent for your own. You can decide on the percentage depending on the size of your assets. If you don\u2019t have a lot of assets, the percentage you keep should be higher than if you have a lot. Either way, when parents maintain their financial freedom even after retirement, they will be able to live with dignity and are more likely to sustain a good relationship with their children.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Of course, there is the option of practicing according to the teachings of the Buddha and letting go of all your worldly possessions. People may think that an enlightened person does not need to have a cent to his name and just needs a space in the common room of a temple to sleep. Most people, however, can\u2019t live this way, which is why they need to hold on to enough assets to live on. Those living in the countryside need a place to live, a piece of land to grow various vegetables, and rice fields, while those living in the city need to have a principal amount in the bank that will yield enough monthly interest for them to live comfortably.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

It\u2019s not easy for people to earn money in their old age. Since they don\u2019t have a source of income, they may expect their children to give them some spending money and end up resenting them if they don\u2019t. To avoid such an outcome, it\u2019s necessary for people to keep some financial assets to live on in their old age. This way, parents can live independently from their children without expecting too much from their children or be overly attached to them.<\/p>\n","post_title":"You Should Hold Onto Enough Financial Assets To Live On After Retirement","post_excerpt":"","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","post_password":"","post_name":"you-should-hold-onto-enough-financial-assets-to-live-on-after-retirement","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2024-03-02 14:55:05","post_modified_gmt":"2024-03-02 19:55:05","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/www.jungtosociety.org\/?p=18131","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"},{"ID":18045,"post_author":"40","post_date":"2024-03-15 07:00:00","post_date_gmt":"2024-03-15 12:00:00","post_content":"\n

<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/a><\/gwmw><\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/a><\/p>\n","post_title":"[Meditation Q&A] \u201cHow can I value serenity but not give up caring when I am practicing…. ?","post_excerpt":"","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","post_password":"","post_name":"meditation-qa-how-can-i-value-serenity-but-not-give-up-caring-when-i-am-practicing","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2024-02-27 19:02:33","post_modified_gmt":"2024-02-28 00:02:33","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/www.jungtosociety.org\/?p=18045","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"},{"ID":18197,"post_author":"13","post_date":"2024-03-13 22:47:47","post_date_gmt":"2024-03-14 03:47:47","post_content":"\n

It\u2019s simple to become an adult.
Wake up earlier than your mom
and prepare breakfast for your parents,
wash the dishes,
and clean your room after school or work. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Illustration by Maseol <\/p>\n","post_title":"Becoming an adult","post_excerpt":"","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","post_password":"","post_name":"becoming-an-adult","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2024-03-13 22:47:48","post_modified_gmt":"2024-03-14 03:47:48","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/www.jungtosociety.org\/?p=18197","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"},{"ID":18125,"post_author":"40","post_date":"2024-03-12 07:00:00","post_date_gmt":"2024-03-12 12:00:00","post_content":"\n

P:<\/strong> When the Buddha was close to death, his disciples came to him and asked,<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cHow would you like us to conduct your funeral?\u201d The Buddha answered, \u201cYou don\u2019t need to worry about my funeral because the lay Buddhists will take care of it.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Lay Buddhists are those who take refuge in the Three Jewels and practice the Five Precepts without becoming monks or nuns. When the Buddha said they will take care of it, he meant that his funeral would be conducted based on customs of the lay people in India. So, after the Buddha died, the Lay Buddhists cremated the Buddha\u2019s body according to the Indian tradition. If he had lived in Korea, he would have been buried in the ground as is the custom in Korea.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Dharma is a teaching about truth, so it does not contain cultural aspects. However, since Buddhism originated from India, its traditions, customs, and culture were integrated into the Buddhist culture. Strictly speaking, neither cremation nor the 49-day posthumous ceremony is a fundamental tradition of Buddhism. They are in fact part of the of Indian cultural tradition.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

It is said that the deceased person has 49 days to be saved and is classified into one of nine levels based on his deeds during his life. \u201cAnyone can be reborn in paradise after he dies if he sincerely hopes for it. However, not everyone can be reborn in paradise right away since people fall into one of the nine categories based on their deeds.\u201d Specifically, people are divided into three categories of high, middle and low, and those in each of the three categories are again divided into high, middle and low, so there are a total of nine categories.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

It is believed that people in the very first category are reborn in paradise immediately after their death. It is comparable to leaving a room and entering another room. Those in the second category are reborn within 12 hours. It takes one day for those in the third category, three days for those in the fourth, a week for those in the fifth, 21 days for those in the sixth, and finally, it takes 49 days for those in the seventh category to be reborn in paradise. This is reason that people hold the 49-day posthumous ceremony. This ritual provides an opportunity for people to do good deeds on behalf of their deceased family members and help them be reborn in paradise within 49 days.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

What happens to the people in the eighth and ninth categories? Ultimately, people in all nine categories will all be reborn in paradise. However, those in the eighth and ninth categories have to spend some time in hell before that. Every year, Buddhists perform the Buddhist All Soul\u2019s Day ceremony on July 15th of the lunar calendar to save the souls of those in the two categories from hell. There is no point in debating whether this is true or not because it is a religious belief, so people are free to choose whether to believe it or not.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Funeral customs vary greatly from religion to religion and country to country. In India, the dead are cremated, and in Tibet, they are left to be eaten by birds. The corpse is cut up and placed on big rocks high in the mountain, so that it is eaten by falcons and eagles. In desert regions, the dead are \u201cburied in the wind.\u201d That is, they are nailed on a wooden board and exposed to the elements for one year until only the bones remain after which the funeral ceremony is performed. In regions with many islands, the dead are dropped into the sea.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Each of these funeral rituals has its unique meaning and significance. Tibetans feed the dead to birds because they believe that the spirit of the dead will fly to heaven with the birds. Some cultures bury the dead in the ground because of the belief that the spiritual world exists underground. Meanwhile, Indians believe in reincarnation, so they cremate the corpse to help the spirits to quickly sever their attachment to their worldly bodies so that they can be reborn.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Regardless of the funeral ritual that is performed, once a person dies, it\u2019s the end. By saying \u201cthe end\u201d I am not implying that there is no heaven or an afterlife; I am simply saying the person who draws his last breath will no longer exist in this world. From a Christian viewpoint, the spirits go to heaven, and from a Buddhist perspective, the spirits are reborn, so there is nothing we can do for them. Therefore, the best farewell for those who pass away is to let them go from our hearts.<\/p>\n","post_title":"The Best Farewell For The Deceased","post_excerpt":"","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","post_password":"","post_name":"the-best-farewell-for-the-deceased-2","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2024-03-02 14:50:59","post_modified_gmt":"2024-03-02 19:50:59","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/www.jungtosociety.org\/?p=18125","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"},{"ID":18140,"post_author":"13","post_date":"2024-03-10 17:37:58","post_date_gmt":"2024-03-10 22:37:58","post_content":"\n

<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Jungto Society, the international Buddhist community founded by the revered Korean Dharma master and social activist Venerable Pomnyun Sunim (\ubc95\ub95c\uc2a4\ub2d8), recently conducted its 33rd annual pilgrimage across India and to Nepal. Held under the theme \u201cFollowing in the Footsteps of the Buddha,\u201d the pilgrimage, which ran from 19 January to 2 February, was attended by more 500 practitioners.1<\/sup><\/p>\n\n\n\n

This year\u2019s pilgrimage was particularly notable for two reasons: first was the participation, for the first time in the Jungto pilgrimage\u2019s 33-year history, of non-Korean practitioners: the 500-plus Korean Buddhist pilgrims were accompanied nine practitioners from Italy, Japan, Thailand, the United Kingdom, the United States, and Vietnam. Second, the pilgrimage also coincided with celebrations for the 30th anniversary of Sujata Academy, a remarkable community school and social empowerment project established by Ven. Pomnyun Sunim in Dungeshwari, in the northeastern Indian state of Bihar. This project has transformed the lives of an entire community of people who have faced systemic social and economic exclusion as a result of India\u2019s conservative Hindu caste hierarchy.2<\/sup><\/p>\n\n\n\n

The academy is named after Sujata, the young woman who is said to have nourished the ailing and emaciated Siddhartha Gautama with a bowl of milk-rice, thus ending his six years of extreme asceticism. Tuition at the academy is provided free of charge. The school\u2019s principal goal is to educate every student in basic literacy and numeracy. Classes are taught from kindergarten to secondary level, alongside adult literacy classes and skills training. Students who wish to continue beyond elementary education and attend secondary school are required to teach kindergarteners or to help out in the onsite Jivaka Hospital in the mornings and to attend classes in the afternoon, working in the spirit of giving back to the community. The campus also includes a warehouse, a dormitory, a large playing field, and sports equipment for the children.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

x<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n
\n
\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\"\"<\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

Ven. Pomnyun Sunim established the international Buddhist humanitarian relief organization Join Together Society (JTS) as an expression of the compassion of engaged Buddhism and the belief that helping others is the best way to enrich one\u2019s own life. Headquartered in Seoul, JTS operates four branch offices in South Korea and the United States, along with field offices in India and the Philippines. JTS Korea and JTS America oversee fundraising, while JTS India and JTS Philippines conduct development projects in cooperation with local communities. The relief organization has also earned Special Consultative Status to the United Nations Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

JTS India began its work in Dungeshwari, some 12 kilometers northeast of the Buddhist pilgrimage hub of Bodh Gaya, in the early 1990s, aspiring to fulfill the mission: \u201cThe hungry should eat; the sick should be treated; children should be educated in time.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This region is surrounded by the Pragbodhi Hills where the historical Buddha, Shakyamuni, is said to have spent six years in a cave as an ascetic. And it\u2019s here that JTS India has been working to empower the villagers of Dungeshwari to live their lives free from hunger, illiteracy, and disease.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The people of Dungeshwari are primarily Dalits, who face systemic social and economic exclusion as a result of the conservative Hindu social hierarchy. \u201cDalit,\u201d which translates as \u201cbroken\u201d in Sanskrit, is a term for the very lowest castes, whom members of the so-called \u201chigher\u201d castes still to this day deem \u201cuntouchable,\u201d despite the practice being prohibited in the Constitution of India. By working directly with disadvantaged communities, JTS aims to help them to mobilize their own capabilities and resources to create a more prosperous and sustainable future.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Jungto Society Dharma teacher Doyeon Jang (Dharma name Bogwang), is the director of Sujata Academy. She has overseen the development of this ambitious project, facing numerous challenges, both personal and structural, in the process of bringing this expression of compassion and social transformation to fruition.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u25b6\ufe0f Published by BDG on March 8, 2024<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u25b6\ufe0f Read more: <\/a>https:\/\/www.buddhistdoor.net\/features\/the-sujata-academy-project-the-power-of-hope-and-compassion-in-india\/<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

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<\/p>\n","post_title":"The Sujata Academy Project: The Power of Hope and Compassion in India","post_excerpt":"The Korean Seon (Zen) master Venerable Pomnyun Sunim (\ubc95\ub95c\uc2a4\ub2d8) wears many hats: Buddhist monk, teacher, author, environmentalist, and social activist, to name a few. As a widely respected Dharma teacher and a tireless socially engaged activist in his native South Korea, Ven. Pomnyun Sunim has founded numerous Dharma-based organizations, initiatives, and projects that are active across the world. Among them, Jungto Society, a volunteer-based community founded on the Buddhist teachings and expressing equality, simple living, and sustainability, is dedicated to addressing modern social issues that lead to suffering, including environmental degradation, poverty, and conflict.\n\nThis column, shared by Jungto Society, presents a series of highlights from Ven. Pomnyun Sunim\u2019s writings, teachings, public talks, and regular live-streamed Dharma Q+A sessions, which are accessible across the globe.\n","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","post_password":"","post_name":"the-sujata-academy-project-the-power-of-hope-and-compassion-in-india","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2024-03-10 17:38:00","post_modified_gmt":"2024-03-10 22:38:00","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/www.jungtosociety.org\/?p=18140","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"},{"ID":18136,"post_author":"13","post_date":"2024-03-10 17:24:34","post_date_gmt":"2024-03-10 22:24:34","post_content":"\n

Your son is over forty and
his main relationship is with someone else.
So, stop worrying about a grown man
who belongs with another woman
and be nice to the man next to you. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Illustration by Maseol <\/p>\n","post_title":"Son over forty","post_excerpt":"","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","post_password":"","post_name":"son-over-forty","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2024-03-10 17:24:36","post_modified_gmt":"2024-03-10 22:24:36","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/www.jungtosociety.org\/?p=18136","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"}],"next":false,"prev":false,"total_page":1},"paged":1,"column_class":"jeg_col_2o3","class":"jnews_block_37"};

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We should be content with our current lives at all times. When we wake up early in the morning, when we meditate, when we prostrate, and when we have meals, we should be happy to be able to do these things. Considering that a countless number of people in North Korea are currently starving, shouldn\u2019t we be thankful for the fact that we are able to have regular meals? We should always perceive our lives in such a positive light.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Actually, you are all happy right now. You simply don\u2019t see it or feel it. Once upon a time someone visited a Zen master and talked extensively about the Buddha and his teachings. The Zen master told him, \u201cJust have a cup of tea.\u201d He meant, \u201cStop thinking nonsense.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

You are already happy. You don\u2019t need to work hard to be happy.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

When you let go of the thought, \u201cI will live happily,\u201d you will find happiness.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

We create our own happiness.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

We create our own misfortune.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Truly, our happiness and unhappiness are not created by others.<\/p>\n","post_title":"We Are The Ones Who Create Our Happiness And Unhappiness","post_excerpt":"","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","post_password":"","post_name":"we-are-the-ones-who-create-our-happiness-and-unhappiness","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2024-03-11 20:02:00","post_modified_gmt":"2024-03-12 01:02:00","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/www.jungtosociety.org\/?p=18145","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"},{"ID":18295,"post_author":"13","post_date":"2024-03-20 22:57:13","post_date_gmt":"2024-03-21 03:57:13","post_content":"\n

\"Let's change just one day at a time\" <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Accomplishing something
every day with a light heart is like
water drops piercing a rock. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Illustration by Maseol <\/p>\n","post_title":"One day at a time","post_excerpt":"","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","post_password":"","post_name":"one-day-at-a-time","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2024-03-20 22:57:15","post_modified_gmt":"2024-03-21 03:57:15","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/www.jungtosociety.org\/?p=18295","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"},{"ID":18131,"post_author":"40","post_date":"2024-03-19 14:51:48","post_date_gmt":"2024-03-19 19:51:48","post_content":"\n

P:<\/strong> In the past, parents left all their wealth to their children when they retired, and since their children took good care of them for the rest of their lives, they did not have to worry about their future. However, times have changed. The middle-aged population now find that although they have honored and taken good care of their aged parents, their own children are unlikely to do the same for them. Therefore, parents, today should not give all their assets to their children when they retire.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

When parents leave all their wealth to their offspring, they may be exposed to the danger of becoming broke and homeless if their offspring should go bankrupt. This isn\u2019t such a big problem when you are young because you can work hard to regain your wealth. In Korea, there is even a saying that goes, \u201cHardship during youth is worth paying money for.\u201d Because they have energy and potential, young people don\u2019t look pathetic when they are without money and live in a tent. However, nothing is more pitiful than seeing an old person broke and homeless. Therefore, even when any of your children become bankrupt, you should not lend him or her money by mortgaging your house. If you do, you may end up losing your house.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

You can age gracefully when you have your own assets. If you don\u2019t have anything to live on, your later years will become miserable. So, you should keep your assets. If you give them away to your children, your relationship with your children may easily be ruined.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This is not to say that you should hoard all your assets. You can give some to your children if you want, but you should keep your house and enough money to live comfortably. This way, you will still have some assets to leave to your children when you pass away, and they will arrange a good funeral for you.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

If you plan to distribute your assets among your children after retirement, it\u2019s a good idea to give away just seventy to eighty percent of your assets. You must keep twenty to thirty percent for your own. You can decide on the percentage depending on the size of your assets. If you don\u2019t have a lot of assets, the percentage you keep should be higher than if you have a lot. Either way, when parents maintain their financial freedom even after retirement, they will be able to live with dignity and are more likely to sustain a good relationship with their children.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Of course, there is the option of practicing according to the teachings of the Buddha and letting go of all your worldly possessions. People may think that an enlightened person does not need to have a cent to his name and just needs a space in the common room of a temple to sleep. Most people, however, can\u2019t live this way, which is why they need to hold on to enough assets to live on. Those living in the countryside need a place to live, a piece of land to grow various vegetables, and rice fields, while those living in the city need to have a principal amount in the bank that will yield enough monthly interest for them to live comfortably.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

It\u2019s not easy for people to earn money in their old age. Since they don\u2019t have a source of income, they may expect their children to give them some spending money and end up resenting them if they don\u2019t. To avoid such an outcome, it\u2019s necessary for people to keep some financial assets to live on in their old age. This way, parents can live independently from their children without expecting too much from their children or be overly attached to them.<\/p>\n","post_title":"You Should Hold Onto Enough Financial Assets To Live On After Retirement","post_excerpt":"","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","post_password":"","post_name":"you-should-hold-onto-enough-financial-assets-to-live-on-after-retirement","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2024-03-02 14:55:05","post_modified_gmt":"2024-03-02 19:55:05","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/www.jungtosociety.org\/?p=18131","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"},{"ID":18045,"post_author":"40","post_date":"2024-03-15 07:00:00","post_date_gmt":"2024-03-15 12:00:00","post_content":"\n

<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

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<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/a><\/gwmw><\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/a><\/p>\n","post_title":"[Meditation Q&A] \u201cHow can I value serenity but not give up caring when I am practicing…. ?","post_excerpt":"","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","post_password":"","post_name":"meditation-qa-how-can-i-value-serenity-but-not-give-up-caring-when-i-am-practicing","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2024-02-27 19:02:33","post_modified_gmt":"2024-02-28 00:02:33","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/www.jungtosociety.org\/?p=18045","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"},{"ID":18197,"post_author":"13","post_date":"2024-03-13 22:47:47","post_date_gmt":"2024-03-14 03:47:47","post_content":"\n

It\u2019s simple to become an adult.
Wake up earlier than your mom
and prepare breakfast for your parents,
wash the dishes,
and clean your room after school or work. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Illustration by Maseol <\/p>\n","post_title":"Becoming an adult","post_excerpt":"","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","post_password":"","post_name":"becoming-an-adult","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2024-03-13 22:47:48","post_modified_gmt":"2024-03-14 03:47:48","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/www.jungtosociety.org\/?p=18197","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"},{"ID":18125,"post_author":"40","post_date":"2024-03-12 07:00:00","post_date_gmt":"2024-03-12 12:00:00","post_content":"\n

P:<\/strong> When the Buddha was close to death, his disciples came to him and asked,<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cHow would you like us to conduct your funeral?\u201d The Buddha answered, \u201cYou don\u2019t need to worry about my funeral because the lay Buddhists will take care of it.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Lay Buddhists are those who take refuge in the Three Jewels and practice the Five Precepts without becoming monks or nuns. When the Buddha said they will take care of it, he meant that his funeral would be conducted based on customs of the lay people in India. So, after the Buddha died, the Lay Buddhists cremated the Buddha\u2019s body according to the Indian tradition. If he had lived in Korea, he would have been buried in the ground as is the custom in Korea.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Dharma is a teaching about truth, so it does not contain cultural aspects. However, since Buddhism originated from India, its traditions, customs, and culture were integrated into the Buddhist culture. Strictly speaking, neither cremation nor the 49-day posthumous ceremony is a fundamental tradition of Buddhism. They are in fact part of the of Indian cultural tradition.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

It is said that the deceased person has 49 days to be saved and is classified into one of nine levels based on his deeds during his life. \u201cAnyone can be reborn in paradise after he dies if he sincerely hopes for it. However, not everyone can be reborn in paradise right away since people fall into one of the nine categories based on their deeds.\u201d Specifically, people are divided into three categories of high, middle and low, and those in each of the three categories are again divided into high, middle and low, so there are a total of nine categories.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

It is believed that people in the very first category are reborn in paradise immediately after their death. It is comparable to leaving a room and entering another room. Those in the second category are reborn within 12 hours. It takes one day for those in the third category, three days for those in the fourth, a week for those in the fifth, 21 days for those in the sixth, and finally, it takes 49 days for those in the seventh category to be reborn in paradise. This is reason that people hold the 49-day posthumous ceremony. This ritual provides an opportunity for people to do good deeds on behalf of their deceased family members and help them be reborn in paradise within 49 days.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

What happens to the people in the eighth and ninth categories? Ultimately, people in all nine categories will all be reborn in paradise. However, those in the eighth and ninth categories have to spend some time in hell before that. Every year, Buddhists perform the Buddhist All Soul\u2019s Day ceremony on July 15th of the lunar calendar to save the souls of those in the two categories from hell. There is no point in debating whether this is true or not because it is a religious belief, so people are free to choose whether to believe it or not.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Funeral customs vary greatly from religion to religion and country to country. In India, the dead are cremated, and in Tibet, they are left to be eaten by birds. The corpse is cut up and placed on big rocks high in the mountain, so that it is eaten by falcons and eagles. In desert regions, the dead are \u201cburied in the wind.\u201d That is, they are nailed on a wooden board and exposed to the elements for one year until only the bones remain after which the funeral ceremony is performed. In regions with many islands, the dead are dropped into the sea.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Each of these funeral rituals has its unique meaning and significance. Tibetans feed the dead to birds because they believe that the spirit of the dead will fly to heaven with the birds. Some cultures bury the dead in the ground because of the belief that the spiritual world exists underground. Meanwhile, Indians believe in reincarnation, so they cremate the corpse to help the spirits to quickly sever their attachment to their worldly bodies so that they can be reborn.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Regardless of the funeral ritual that is performed, once a person dies, it\u2019s the end. By saying \u201cthe end\u201d I am not implying that there is no heaven or an afterlife; I am simply saying the person who draws his last breath will no longer exist in this world. From a Christian viewpoint, the spirits go to heaven, and from a Buddhist perspective, the spirits are reborn, so there is nothing we can do for them. Therefore, the best farewell for those who pass away is to let them go from our hearts.<\/p>\n","post_title":"The Best Farewell For The Deceased","post_excerpt":"","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","post_password":"","post_name":"the-best-farewell-for-the-deceased-2","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2024-03-02 14:50:59","post_modified_gmt":"2024-03-02 19:50:59","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/www.jungtosociety.org\/?p=18125","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"},{"ID":18140,"post_author":"13","post_date":"2024-03-10 17:37:58","post_date_gmt":"2024-03-10 22:37:58","post_content":"\n

<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Jungto Society, the international Buddhist community founded by the revered Korean Dharma master and social activist Venerable Pomnyun Sunim (\ubc95\ub95c\uc2a4\ub2d8), recently conducted its 33rd annual pilgrimage across India and to Nepal. Held under the theme \u201cFollowing in the Footsteps of the Buddha,\u201d the pilgrimage, which ran from 19 January to 2 February, was attended by more 500 practitioners.1<\/sup><\/p>\n\n\n\n

This year\u2019s pilgrimage was particularly notable for two reasons: first was the participation, for the first time in the Jungto pilgrimage\u2019s 33-year history, of non-Korean practitioners: the 500-plus Korean Buddhist pilgrims were accompanied nine practitioners from Italy, Japan, Thailand, the United Kingdom, the United States, and Vietnam. Second, the pilgrimage also coincided with celebrations for the 30th anniversary of Sujata Academy, a remarkable community school and social empowerment project established by Ven. Pomnyun Sunim in Dungeshwari, in the northeastern Indian state of Bihar. This project has transformed the lives of an entire community of people who have faced systemic social and economic exclusion as a result of India\u2019s conservative Hindu caste hierarchy.2<\/sup><\/p>\n\n\n\n

The academy is named after Sujata, the young woman who is said to have nourished the ailing and emaciated Siddhartha Gautama with a bowl of milk-rice, thus ending his six years of extreme asceticism. Tuition at the academy is provided free of charge. The school\u2019s principal goal is to educate every student in basic literacy and numeracy. Classes are taught from kindergarten to secondary level, alongside adult literacy classes and skills training. Students who wish to continue beyond elementary education and attend secondary school are required to teach kindergarteners or to help out in the onsite Jivaka Hospital in the mornings and to attend classes in the afternoon, working in the spirit of giving back to the community. The campus also includes a warehouse, a dormitory, a large playing field, and sports equipment for the children.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

x<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n
\n
\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\"\"<\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

Ven. Pomnyun Sunim established the international Buddhist humanitarian relief organization Join Together Society (JTS) as an expression of the compassion of engaged Buddhism and the belief that helping others is the best way to enrich one\u2019s own life. Headquartered in Seoul, JTS operates four branch offices in South Korea and the United States, along with field offices in India and the Philippines. JTS Korea and JTS America oversee fundraising, while JTS India and JTS Philippines conduct development projects in cooperation with local communities. The relief organization has also earned Special Consultative Status to the United Nations Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

JTS India began its work in Dungeshwari, some 12 kilometers northeast of the Buddhist pilgrimage hub of Bodh Gaya, in the early 1990s, aspiring to fulfill the mission: \u201cThe hungry should eat; the sick should be treated; children should be educated in time.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This region is surrounded by the Pragbodhi Hills where the historical Buddha, Shakyamuni, is said to have spent six years in a cave as an ascetic. And it\u2019s here that JTS India has been working to empower the villagers of Dungeshwari to live their lives free from hunger, illiteracy, and disease.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The people of Dungeshwari are primarily Dalits, who face systemic social and economic exclusion as a result of the conservative Hindu social hierarchy. \u201cDalit,\u201d which translates as \u201cbroken\u201d in Sanskrit, is a term for the very lowest castes, whom members of the so-called \u201chigher\u201d castes still to this day deem \u201cuntouchable,\u201d despite the practice being prohibited in the Constitution of India. By working directly with disadvantaged communities, JTS aims to help them to mobilize their own capabilities and resources to create a more prosperous and sustainable future.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Jungto Society Dharma teacher Doyeon Jang (Dharma name Bogwang), is the director of Sujata Academy. She has overseen the development of this ambitious project, facing numerous challenges, both personal and structural, in the process of bringing this expression of compassion and social transformation to fruition.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u25b6\ufe0f Published by BDG on March 8, 2024<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u25b6\ufe0f Read more: <\/a>https:\/\/www.buddhistdoor.net\/features\/the-sujata-academy-project-the-power-of-hope-and-compassion-in-india\/<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

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<\/p>\n","post_title":"The Sujata Academy Project: The Power of Hope and Compassion in India","post_excerpt":"The Korean Seon (Zen) master Venerable Pomnyun Sunim (\ubc95\ub95c\uc2a4\ub2d8) wears many hats: Buddhist monk, teacher, author, environmentalist, and social activist, to name a few. As a widely respected Dharma teacher and a tireless socially engaged activist in his native South Korea, Ven. Pomnyun Sunim has founded numerous Dharma-based organizations, initiatives, and projects that are active across the world. Among them, Jungto Society, a volunteer-based community founded on the Buddhist teachings and expressing equality, simple living, and sustainability, is dedicated to addressing modern social issues that lead to suffering, including environmental degradation, poverty, and conflict.\n\nThis column, shared by Jungto Society, presents a series of highlights from Ven. Pomnyun Sunim\u2019s writings, teachings, public talks, and regular live-streamed Dharma Q+A sessions, which are accessible across the globe.\n","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","post_password":"","post_name":"the-sujata-academy-project-the-power-of-hope-and-compassion-in-india","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2024-03-10 17:38:00","post_modified_gmt":"2024-03-10 22:38:00","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/www.jungtosociety.org\/?p=18140","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"},{"ID":18136,"post_author":"13","post_date":"2024-03-10 17:24:34","post_date_gmt":"2024-03-10 22:24:34","post_content":"\n

Your son is over forty and
his main relationship is with someone else.
So, stop worrying about a grown man
who belongs with another woman
and be nice to the man next to you. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Illustration by Maseol <\/p>\n","post_title":"Son over forty","post_excerpt":"","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","post_password":"","post_name":"son-over-forty","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2024-03-10 17:24:36","post_modified_gmt":"2024-03-10 22:24:36","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/www.jungtosociety.org\/?p=18136","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"}],"next":false,"prev":false,"total_page":1},"paged":1,"column_class":"jeg_col_2o3","class":"jnews_block_37"};

\n

We tend to blame others for their hardships and suffering. However, if we look carefully, we will to see that we ourselves make our own happiness and unhappiness. Those who make themselves miserable will feel miserable even in heaven, and those who make themselves happy will be happy even in hell.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

We should be content with our current lives at all times. When we wake up early in the morning, when we meditate, when we prostrate, and when we have meals, we should be happy to be able to do these things. Considering that a countless number of people in North Korea are currently starving, shouldn\u2019t we be thankful for the fact that we are able to have regular meals? We should always perceive our lives in such a positive light.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Actually, you are all happy right now. You simply don\u2019t see it or feel it. Once upon a time someone visited a Zen master and talked extensively about the Buddha and his teachings. The Zen master told him, \u201cJust have a cup of tea.\u201d He meant, \u201cStop thinking nonsense.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

You are already happy. You don\u2019t need to work hard to be happy.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

When you let go of the thought, \u201cI will live happily,\u201d you will find happiness.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

We create our own happiness.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

We create our own misfortune.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Truly, our happiness and unhappiness are not created by others.<\/p>\n","post_title":"We Are The Ones Who Create Our Happiness And Unhappiness","post_excerpt":"","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","post_password":"","post_name":"we-are-the-ones-who-create-our-happiness-and-unhappiness","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2024-03-11 20:02:00","post_modified_gmt":"2024-03-12 01:02:00","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/www.jungtosociety.org\/?p=18145","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"},{"ID":18295,"post_author":"13","post_date":"2024-03-20 22:57:13","post_date_gmt":"2024-03-21 03:57:13","post_content":"\n

\"Let's change just one day at a time\" <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Accomplishing something
every day with a light heart is like
water drops piercing a rock. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Illustration by Maseol <\/p>\n","post_title":"One day at a time","post_excerpt":"","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","post_password":"","post_name":"one-day-at-a-time","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2024-03-20 22:57:15","post_modified_gmt":"2024-03-21 03:57:15","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/www.jungtosociety.org\/?p=18295","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"},{"ID":18131,"post_author":"40","post_date":"2024-03-19 14:51:48","post_date_gmt":"2024-03-19 19:51:48","post_content":"\n

P:<\/strong> In the past, parents left all their wealth to their children when they retired, and since their children took good care of them for the rest of their lives, they did not have to worry about their future. However, times have changed. The middle-aged population now find that although they have honored and taken good care of their aged parents, their own children are unlikely to do the same for them. Therefore, parents, today should not give all their assets to their children when they retire.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

When parents leave all their wealth to their offspring, they may be exposed to the danger of becoming broke and homeless if their offspring should go bankrupt. This isn\u2019t such a big problem when you are young because you can work hard to regain your wealth. In Korea, there is even a saying that goes, \u201cHardship during youth is worth paying money for.\u201d Because they have energy and potential, young people don\u2019t look pathetic when they are without money and live in a tent. However, nothing is more pitiful than seeing an old person broke and homeless. Therefore, even when any of your children become bankrupt, you should not lend him or her money by mortgaging your house. If you do, you may end up losing your house.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

You can age gracefully when you have your own assets. If you don\u2019t have anything to live on, your later years will become miserable. So, you should keep your assets. If you give them away to your children, your relationship with your children may easily be ruined.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This is not to say that you should hoard all your assets. You can give some to your children if you want, but you should keep your house and enough money to live comfortably. This way, you will still have some assets to leave to your children when you pass away, and they will arrange a good funeral for you.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

If you plan to distribute your assets among your children after retirement, it\u2019s a good idea to give away just seventy to eighty percent of your assets. You must keep twenty to thirty percent for your own. You can decide on the percentage depending on the size of your assets. If you don\u2019t have a lot of assets, the percentage you keep should be higher than if you have a lot. Either way, when parents maintain their financial freedom even after retirement, they will be able to live with dignity and are more likely to sustain a good relationship with their children.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Of course, there is the option of practicing according to the teachings of the Buddha and letting go of all your worldly possessions. People may think that an enlightened person does not need to have a cent to his name and just needs a space in the common room of a temple to sleep. Most people, however, can\u2019t live this way, which is why they need to hold on to enough assets to live on. Those living in the countryside need a place to live, a piece of land to grow various vegetables, and rice fields, while those living in the city need to have a principal amount in the bank that will yield enough monthly interest for them to live comfortably.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

It\u2019s not easy for people to earn money in their old age. Since they don\u2019t have a source of income, they may expect their children to give them some spending money and end up resenting them if they don\u2019t. To avoid such an outcome, it\u2019s necessary for people to keep some financial assets to live on in their old age. This way, parents can live independently from their children without expecting too much from their children or be overly attached to them.<\/p>\n","post_title":"You Should Hold Onto Enough Financial Assets To Live On After Retirement","post_excerpt":"","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","post_password":"","post_name":"you-should-hold-onto-enough-financial-assets-to-live-on-after-retirement","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2024-03-02 14:55:05","post_modified_gmt":"2024-03-02 19:55:05","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/www.jungtosociety.org\/?p=18131","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"},{"ID":18045,"post_author":"40","post_date":"2024-03-15 07:00:00","post_date_gmt":"2024-03-15 12:00:00","post_content":"\n

<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/a><\/gwmw><\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/a><\/p>\n","post_title":"[Meditation Q&A] \u201cHow can I value serenity but not give up caring when I am practicing…. ?","post_excerpt":"","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","post_password":"","post_name":"meditation-qa-how-can-i-value-serenity-but-not-give-up-caring-when-i-am-practicing","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2024-02-27 19:02:33","post_modified_gmt":"2024-02-28 00:02:33","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/www.jungtosociety.org\/?p=18045","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"},{"ID":18197,"post_author":"13","post_date":"2024-03-13 22:47:47","post_date_gmt":"2024-03-14 03:47:47","post_content":"\n

It\u2019s simple to become an adult.
Wake up earlier than your mom
and prepare breakfast for your parents,
wash the dishes,
and clean your room after school or work. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Illustration by Maseol <\/p>\n","post_title":"Becoming an adult","post_excerpt":"","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","post_password":"","post_name":"becoming-an-adult","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2024-03-13 22:47:48","post_modified_gmt":"2024-03-14 03:47:48","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/www.jungtosociety.org\/?p=18197","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"},{"ID":18125,"post_author":"40","post_date":"2024-03-12 07:00:00","post_date_gmt":"2024-03-12 12:00:00","post_content":"\n

P:<\/strong> When the Buddha was close to death, his disciples came to him and asked,<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cHow would you like us to conduct your funeral?\u201d The Buddha answered, \u201cYou don\u2019t need to worry about my funeral because the lay Buddhists will take care of it.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Lay Buddhists are those who take refuge in the Three Jewels and practice the Five Precepts without becoming monks or nuns. When the Buddha said they will take care of it, he meant that his funeral would be conducted based on customs of the lay people in India. So, after the Buddha died, the Lay Buddhists cremated the Buddha\u2019s body according to the Indian tradition. If he had lived in Korea, he would have been buried in the ground as is the custom in Korea.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Dharma is a teaching about truth, so it does not contain cultural aspects. However, since Buddhism originated from India, its traditions, customs, and culture were integrated into the Buddhist culture. Strictly speaking, neither cremation nor the 49-day posthumous ceremony is a fundamental tradition of Buddhism. They are in fact part of the of Indian cultural tradition.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

It is said that the deceased person has 49 days to be saved and is classified into one of nine levels based on his deeds during his life. \u201cAnyone can be reborn in paradise after he dies if he sincerely hopes for it. However, not everyone can be reborn in paradise right away since people fall into one of the nine categories based on their deeds.\u201d Specifically, people are divided into three categories of high, middle and low, and those in each of the three categories are again divided into high, middle and low, so there are a total of nine categories.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

It is believed that people in the very first category are reborn in paradise immediately after their death. It is comparable to leaving a room and entering another room. Those in the second category are reborn within 12 hours. It takes one day for those in the third category, three days for those in the fourth, a week for those in the fifth, 21 days for those in the sixth, and finally, it takes 49 days for those in the seventh category to be reborn in paradise. This is reason that people hold the 49-day posthumous ceremony. This ritual provides an opportunity for people to do good deeds on behalf of their deceased family members and help them be reborn in paradise within 49 days.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

What happens to the people in the eighth and ninth categories? Ultimately, people in all nine categories will all be reborn in paradise. However, those in the eighth and ninth categories have to spend some time in hell before that. Every year, Buddhists perform the Buddhist All Soul\u2019s Day ceremony on July 15th of the lunar calendar to save the souls of those in the two categories from hell. There is no point in debating whether this is true or not because it is a religious belief, so people are free to choose whether to believe it or not.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Funeral customs vary greatly from religion to religion and country to country. In India, the dead are cremated, and in Tibet, they are left to be eaten by birds. The corpse is cut up and placed on big rocks high in the mountain, so that it is eaten by falcons and eagles. In desert regions, the dead are \u201cburied in the wind.\u201d That is, they are nailed on a wooden board and exposed to the elements for one year until only the bones remain after which the funeral ceremony is performed. In regions with many islands, the dead are dropped into the sea.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Each of these funeral rituals has its unique meaning and significance. Tibetans feed the dead to birds because they believe that the spirit of the dead will fly to heaven with the birds. Some cultures bury the dead in the ground because of the belief that the spiritual world exists underground. Meanwhile, Indians believe in reincarnation, so they cremate the corpse to help the spirits to quickly sever their attachment to their worldly bodies so that they can be reborn.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Regardless of the funeral ritual that is performed, once a person dies, it\u2019s the end. By saying \u201cthe end\u201d I am not implying that there is no heaven or an afterlife; I am simply saying the person who draws his last breath will no longer exist in this world. From a Christian viewpoint, the spirits go to heaven, and from a Buddhist perspective, the spirits are reborn, so there is nothing we can do for them. Therefore, the best farewell for those who pass away is to let them go from our hearts.<\/p>\n","post_title":"The Best Farewell For The Deceased","post_excerpt":"","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","post_password":"","post_name":"the-best-farewell-for-the-deceased-2","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2024-03-02 14:50:59","post_modified_gmt":"2024-03-02 19:50:59","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/www.jungtosociety.org\/?p=18125","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"},{"ID":18140,"post_author":"13","post_date":"2024-03-10 17:37:58","post_date_gmt":"2024-03-10 22:37:58","post_content":"\n

<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Jungto Society, the international Buddhist community founded by the revered Korean Dharma master and social activist Venerable Pomnyun Sunim (\ubc95\ub95c\uc2a4\ub2d8), recently conducted its 33rd annual pilgrimage across India and to Nepal. Held under the theme \u201cFollowing in the Footsteps of the Buddha,\u201d the pilgrimage, which ran from 19 January to 2 February, was attended by more 500 practitioners.1<\/sup><\/p>\n\n\n\n

This year\u2019s pilgrimage was particularly notable for two reasons: first was the participation, for the first time in the Jungto pilgrimage\u2019s 33-year history, of non-Korean practitioners: the 500-plus Korean Buddhist pilgrims were accompanied nine practitioners from Italy, Japan, Thailand, the United Kingdom, the United States, and Vietnam. Second, the pilgrimage also coincided with celebrations for the 30th anniversary of Sujata Academy, a remarkable community school and social empowerment project established by Ven. Pomnyun Sunim in Dungeshwari, in the northeastern Indian state of Bihar. This project has transformed the lives of an entire community of people who have faced systemic social and economic exclusion as a result of India\u2019s conservative Hindu caste hierarchy.2<\/sup><\/p>\n\n\n\n

The academy is named after Sujata, the young woman who is said to have nourished the ailing and emaciated Siddhartha Gautama with a bowl of milk-rice, thus ending his six years of extreme asceticism. Tuition at the academy is provided free of charge. The school\u2019s principal goal is to educate every student in basic literacy and numeracy. Classes are taught from kindergarten to secondary level, alongside adult literacy classes and skills training. Students who wish to continue beyond elementary education and attend secondary school are required to teach kindergarteners or to help out in the onsite Jivaka Hospital in the mornings and to attend classes in the afternoon, working in the spirit of giving back to the community. The campus also includes a warehouse, a dormitory, a large playing field, and sports equipment for the children.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

x<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n
\n
\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\"\"<\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

Ven. Pomnyun Sunim established the international Buddhist humanitarian relief organization Join Together Society (JTS) as an expression of the compassion of engaged Buddhism and the belief that helping others is the best way to enrich one\u2019s own life. Headquartered in Seoul, JTS operates four branch offices in South Korea and the United States, along with field offices in India and the Philippines. JTS Korea and JTS America oversee fundraising, while JTS India and JTS Philippines conduct development projects in cooperation with local communities. The relief organization has also earned Special Consultative Status to the United Nations Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

JTS India began its work in Dungeshwari, some 12 kilometers northeast of the Buddhist pilgrimage hub of Bodh Gaya, in the early 1990s, aspiring to fulfill the mission: \u201cThe hungry should eat; the sick should be treated; children should be educated in time.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This region is surrounded by the Pragbodhi Hills where the historical Buddha, Shakyamuni, is said to have spent six years in a cave as an ascetic. And it\u2019s here that JTS India has been working to empower the villagers of Dungeshwari to live their lives free from hunger, illiteracy, and disease.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The people of Dungeshwari are primarily Dalits, who face systemic social and economic exclusion as a result of the conservative Hindu social hierarchy. \u201cDalit,\u201d which translates as \u201cbroken\u201d in Sanskrit, is a term for the very lowest castes, whom members of the so-called \u201chigher\u201d castes still to this day deem \u201cuntouchable,\u201d despite the practice being prohibited in the Constitution of India. By working directly with disadvantaged communities, JTS aims to help them to mobilize their own capabilities and resources to create a more prosperous and sustainable future.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Jungto Society Dharma teacher Doyeon Jang (Dharma name Bogwang), is the director of Sujata Academy. She has overseen the development of this ambitious project, facing numerous challenges, both personal and structural, in the process of bringing this expression of compassion and social transformation to fruition.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u25b6\ufe0f Published by BDG on March 8, 2024<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u25b6\ufe0f Read more: <\/a>https:\/\/www.buddhistdoor.net\/features\/the-sujata-academy-project-the-power-of-hope-and-compassion-in-india\/<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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<\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/p>\n","post_title":"The Sujata Academy Project: The Power of Hope and Compassion in India","post_excerpt":"The Korean Seon (Zen) master Venerable Pomnyun Sunim (\ubc95\ub95c\uc2a4\ub2d8) wears many hats: Buddhist monk, teacher, author, environmentalist, and social activist, to name a few. As a widely respected Dharma teacher and a tireless socially engaged activist in his native South Korea, Ven. Pomnyun Sunim has founded numerous Dharma-based organizations, initiatives, and projects that are active across the world. Among them, Jungto Society, a volunteer-based community founded on the Buddhist teachings and expressing equality, simple living, and sustainability, is dedicated to addressing modern social issues that lead to suffering, including environmental degradation, poverty, and conflict.\n\nThis column, shared by Jungto Society, presents a series of highlights from Ven. Pomnyun Sunim\u2019s writings, teachings, public talks, and regular live-streamed Dharma Q+A sessions, which are accessible across the globe.\n","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","post_password":"","post_name":"the-sujata-academy-project-the-power-of-hope-and-compassion-in-india","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2024-03-10 17:38:00","post_modified_gmt":"2024-03-10 22:38:00","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/www.jungtosociety.org\/?p=18140","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"},{"ID":18136,"post_author":"13","post_date":"2024-03-10 17:24:34","post_date_gmt":"2024-03-10 22:24:34","post_content":"\n

Your son is over forty and
his main relationship is with someone else.
So, stop worrying about a grown man
who belongs with another woman
and be nice to the man next to you. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Illustration by Maseol <\/p>\n","post_title":"Son over forty","post_excerpt":"","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","post_password":"","post_name":"son-over-forty","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2024-03-10 17:24:36","post_modified_gmt":"2024-03-10 22:24:36","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/www.jungtosociety.org\/?p=18136","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"}],"next":false,"prev":false,"total_page":1},"paged":1,"column_class":"jeg_col_2o3","class":"jnews_block_37"};

\n

When a person who lives in Korea can live happily, Korea becomes a heaven. This person will be happy even if he lives in the U.S. However, a person who complains about his life in this world will not stop complaining even if he were sent to heaven. A complainer is likely to grumble no matter where he goes. Therefore, heaven and hell do not exist separately in another world. That is, we are in heaven when we are happy and in hell when we are miserable.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

We tend to blame others for their hardships and suffering. However, if we look carefully, we will to see that we ourselves make our own happiness and unhappiness. Those who make themselves miserable will feel miserable even in heaven, and those who make themselves happy will be happy even in hell.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

We should be content with our current lives at all times. When we wake up early in the morning, when we meditate, when we prostrate, and when we have meals, we should be happy to be able to do these things. Considering that a countless number of people in North Korea are currently starving, shouldn\u2019t we be thankful for the fact that we are able to have regular meals? We should always perceive our lives in such a positive light.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Actually, you are all happy right now. You simply don\u2019t see it or feel it. Once upon a time someone visited a Zen master and talked extensively about the Buddha and his teachings. The Zen master told him, \u201cJust have a cup of tea.\u201d He meant, \u201cStop thinking nonsense.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

You are already happy. You don\u2019t need to work hard to be happy.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

When you let go of the thought, \u201cI will live happily,\u201d you will find happiness.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

We create our own happiness.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

We create our own misfortune.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Truly, our happiness and unhappiness are not created by others.<\/p>\n","post_title":"We Are The Ones Who Create Our Happiness And Unhappiness","post_excerpt":"","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","post_password":"","post_name":"we-are-the-ones-who-create-our-happiness-and-unhappiness","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2024-03-11 20:02:00","post_modified_gmt":"2024-03-12 01:02:00","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/www.jungtosociety.org\/?p=18145","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"},{"ID":18295,"post_author":"13","post_date":"2024-03-20 22:57:13","post_date_gmt":"2024-03-21 03:57:13","post_content":"\n

\"Let's change just one day at a time\" <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Accomplishing something
every day with a light heart is like
water drops piercing a rock. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Illustration by Maseol <\/p>\n","post_title":"One day at a time","post_excerpt":"","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","post_password":"","post_name":"one-day-at-a-time","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2024-03-20 22:57:15","post_modified_gmt":"2024-03-21 03:57:15","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/www.jungtosociety.org\/?p=18295","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"},{"ID":18131,"post_author":"40","post_date":"2024-03-19 14:51:48","post_date_gmt":"2024-03-19 19:51:48","post_content":"\n

P:<\/strong> In the past, parents left all their wealth to their children when they retired, and since their children took good care of them for the rest of their lives, they did not have to worry about their future. However, times have changed. The middle-aged population now find that although they have honored and taken good care of their aged parents, their own children are unlikely to do the same for them. Therefore, parents, today should not give all their assets to their children when they retire.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

When parents leave all their wealth to their offspring, they may be exposed to the danger of becoming broke and homeless if their offspring should go bankrupt. This isn\u2019t such a big problem when you are young because you can work hard to regain your wealth. In Korea, there is even a saying that goes, \u201cHardship during youth is worth paying money for.\u201d Because they have energy and potential, young people don\u2019t look pathetic when they are without money and live in a tent. However, nothing is more pitiful than seeing an old person broke and homeless. Therefore, even when any of your children become bankrupt, you should not lend him or her money by mortgaging your house. If you do, you may end up losing your house.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

You can age gracefully when you have your own assets. If you don\u2019t have anything to live on, your later years will become miserable. So, you should keep your assets. If you give them away to your children, your relationship with your children may easily be ruined.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This is not to say that you should hoard all your assets. You can give some to your children if you want, but you should keep your house and enough money to live comfortably. This way, you will still have some assets to leave to your children when you pass away, and they will arrange a good funeral for you.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

If you plan to distribute your assets among your children after retirement, it\u2019s a good idea to give away just seventy to eighty percent of your assets. You must keep twenty to thirty percent for your own. You can decide on the percentage depending on the size of your assets. If you don\u2019t have a lot of assets, the percentage you keep should be higher than if you have a lot. Either way, when parents maintain their financial freedom even after retirement, they will be able to live with dignity and are more likely to sustain a good relationship with their children.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Of course, there is the option of practicing according to the teachings of the Buddha and letting go of all your worldly possessions. People may think that an enlightened person does not need to have a cent to his name and just needs a space in the common room of a temple to sleep. Most people, however, can\u2019t live this way, which is why they need to hold on to enough assets to live on. Those living in the countryside need a place to live, a piece of land to grow various vegetables, and rice fields, while those living in the city need to have a principal amount in the bank that will yield enough monthly interest for them to live comfortably.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

It\u2019s not easy for people to earn money in their old age. Since they don\u2019t have a source of income, they may expect their children to give them some spending money and end up resenting them if they don\u2019t. To avoid such an outcome, it\u2019s necessary for people to keep some financial assets to live on in their old age. This way, parents can live independently from their children without expecting too much from their children or be overly attached to them.<\/p>\n","post_title":"You Should Hold Onto Enough Financial Assets To Live On After Retirement","post_excerpt":"","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","post_password":"","post_name":"you-should-hold-onto-enough-financial-assets-to-live-on-after-retirement","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2024-03-02 14:55:05","post_modified_gmt":"2024-03-02 19:55:05","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/www.jungtosociety.org\/?p=18131","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"},{"ID":18045,"post_author":"40","post_date":"2024-03-15 07:00:00","post_date_gmt":"2024-03-15 12:00:00","post_content":"\n

<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/a><\/gwmw><\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/a><\/p>\n","post_title":"[Meditation Q&A] \u201cHow can I value serenity but not give up caring when I am practicing…. ?","post_excerpt":"","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","post_password":"","post_name":"meditation-qa-how-can-i-value-serenity-but-not-give-up-caring-when-i-am-practicing","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2024-02-27 19:02:33","post_modified_gmt":"2024-02-28 00:02:33","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/www.jungtosociety.org\/?p=18045","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"},{"ID":18197,"post_author":"13","post_date":"2024-03-13 22:47:47","post_date_gmt":"2024-03-14 03:47:47","post_content":"\n

It\u2019s simple to become an adult.
Wake up earlier than your mom
and prepare breakfast for your parents,
wash the dishes,
and clean your room after school or work. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Illustration by Maseol <\/p>\n","post_title":"Becoming an adult","post_excerpt":"","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","post_password":"","post_name":"becoming-an-adult","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2024-03-13 22:47:48","post_modified_gmt":"2024-03-14 03:47:48","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/www.jungtosociety.org\/?p=18197","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"},{"ID":18125,"post_author":"40","post_date":"2024-03-12 07:00:00","post_date_gmt":"2024-03-12 12:00:00","post_content":"\n

P:<\/strong> When the Buddha was close to death, his disciples came to him and asked,<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cHow would you like us to conduct your funeral?\u201d The Buddha answered, \u201cYou don\u2019t need to worry about my funeral because the lay Buddhists will take care of it.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Lay Buddhists are those who take refuge in the Three Jewels and practice the Five Precepts without becoming monks or nuns. When the Buddha said they will take care of it, he meant that his funeral would be conducted based on customs of the lay people in India. So, after the Buddha died, the Lay Buddhists cremated the Buddha\u2019s body according to the Indian tradition. If he had lived in Korea, he would have been buried in the ground as is the custom in Korea.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Dharma is a teaching about truth, so it does not contain cultural aspects. However, since Buddhism originated from India, its traditions, customs, and culture were integrated into the Buddhist culture. Strictly speaking, neither cremation nor the 49-day posthumous ceremony is a fundamental tradition of Buddhism. They are in fact part of the of Indian cultural tradition.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

It is said that the deceased person has 49 days to be saved and is classified into one of nine levels based on his deeds during his life. \u201cAnyone can be reborn in paradise after he dies if he sincerely hopes for it. However, not everyone can be reborn in paradise right away since people fall into one of the nine categories based on their deeds.\u201d Specifically, people are divided into three categories of high, middle and low, and those in each of the three categories are again divided into high, middle and low, so there are a total of nine categories.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

It is believed that people in the very first category are reborn in paradise immediately after their death. It is comparable to leaving a room and entering another room. Those in the second category are reborn within 12 hours. It takes one day for those in the third category, three days for those in the fourth, a week for those in the fifth, 21 days for those in the sixth, and finally, it takes 49 days for those in the seventh category to be reborn in paradise. This is reason that people hold the 49-day posthumous ceremony. This ritual provides an opportunity for people to do good deeds on behalf of their deceased family members and help them be reborn in paradise within 49 days.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

What happens to the people in the eighth and ninth categories? Ultimately, people in all nine categories will all be reborn in paradise. However, those in the eighth and ninth categories have to spend some time in hell before that. Every year, Buddhists perform the Buddhist All Soul\u2019s Day ceremony on July 15th of the lunar calendar to save the souls of those in the two categories from hell. There is no point in debating whether this is true or not because it is a religious belief, so people are free to choose whether to believe it or not.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Funeral customs vary greatly from religion to religion and country to country. In India, the dead are cremated, and in Tibet, they are left to be eaten by birds. The corpse is cut up and placed on big rocks high in the mountain, so that it is eaten by falcons and eagles. In desert regions, the dead are \u201cburied in the wind.\u201d That is, they are nailed on a wooden board and exposed to the elements for one year until only the bones remain after which the funeral ceremony is performed. In regions with many islands, the dead are dropped into the sea.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Each of these funeral rituals has its unique meaning and significance. Tibetans feed the dead to birds because they believe that the spirit of the dead will fly to heaven with the birds. Some cultures bury the dead in the ground because of the belief that the spiritual world exists underground. Meanwhile, Indians believe in reincarnation, so they cremate the corpse to help the spirits to quickly sever their attachment to their worldly bodies so that they can be reborn.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Regardless of the funeral ritual that is performed, once a person dies, it\u2019s the end. By saying \u201cthe end\u201d I am not implying that there is no heaven or an afterlife; I am simply saying the person who draws his last breath will no longer exist in this world. From a Christian viewpoint, the spirits go to heaven, and from a Buddhist perspective, the spirits are reborn, so there is nothing we can do for them. Therefore, the best farewell for those who pass away is to let them go from our hearts.<\/p>\n","post_title":"The Best Farewell For The Deceased","post_excerpt":"","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","post_password":"","post_name":"the-best-farewell-for-the-deceased-2","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2024-03-02 14:50:59","post_modified_gmt":"2024-03-02 19:50:59","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/www.jungtosociety.org\/?p=18125","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"},{"ID":18140,"post_author":"13","post_date":"2024-03-10 17:37:58","post_date_gmt":"2024-03-10 22:37:58","post_content":"\n

<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Jungto Society, the international Buddhist community founded by the revered Korean Dharma master and social activist Venerable Pomnyun Sunim (\ubc95\ub95c\uc2a4\ub2d8), recently conducted its 33rd annual pilgrimage across India and to Nepal. Held under the theme \u201cFollowing in the Footsteps of the Buddha,\u201d the pilgrimage, which ran from 19 January to 2 February, was attended by more 500 practitioners.1<\/sup><\/p>\n\n\n\n

This year\u2019s pilgrimage was particularly notable for two reasons: first was the participation, for the first time in the Jungto pilgrimage\u2019s 33-year history, of non-Korean practitioners: the 500-plus Korean Buddhist pilgrims were accompanied nine practitioners from Italy, Japan, Thailand, the United Kingdom, the United States, and Vietnam. Second, the pilgrimage also coincided with celebrations for the 30th anniversary of Sujata Academy, a remarkable community school and social empowerment project established by Ven. Pomnyun Sunim in Dungeshwari, in the northeastern Indian state of Bihar. This project has transformed the lives of an entire community of people who have faced systemic social and economic exclusion as a result of India\u2019s conservative Hindu caste hierarchy.2<\/sup><\/p>\n\n\n\n

The academy is named after Sujata, the young woman who is said to have nourished the ailing and emaciated Siddhartha Gautama with a bowl of milk-rice, thus ending his six years of extreme asceticism. Tuition at the academy is provided free of charge. The school\u2019s principal goal is to educate every student in basic literacy and numeracy. Classes are taught from kindergarten to secondary level, alongside adult literacy classes and skills training. Students who wish to continue beyond elementary education and attend secondary school are required to teach kindergarteners or to help out in the onsite Jivaka Hospital in the mornings and to attend classes in the afternoon, working in the spirit of giving back to the community. The campus also includes a warehouse, a dormitory, a large playing field, and sports equipment for the children.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

x<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n
\n
\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\"\"<\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

Ven. Pomnyun Sunim established the international Buddhist humanitarian relief organization Join Together Society (JTS) as an expression of the compassion of engaged Buddhism and the belief that helping others is the best way to enrich one\u2019s own life. Headquartered in Seoul, JTS operates four branch offices in South Korea and the United States, along with field offices in India and the Philippines. JTS Korea and JTS America oversee fundraising, while JTS India and JTS Philippines conduct development projects in cooperation with local communities. The relief organization has also earned Special Consultative Status to the United Nations Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

JTS India began its work in Dungeshwari, some 12 kilometers northeast of the Buddhist pilgrimage hub of Bodh Gaya, in the early 1990s, aspiring to fulfill the mission: \u201cThe hungry should eat; the sick should be treated; children should be educated in time.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This region is surrounded by the Pragbodhi Hills where the historical Buddha, Shakyamuni, is said to have spent six years in a cave as an ascetic. And it\u2019s here that JTS India has been working to empower the villagers of Dungeshwari to live their lives free from hunger, illiteracy, and disease.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The people of Dungeshwari are primarily Dalits, who face systemic social and economic exclusion as a result of the conservative Hindu social hierarchy. \u201cDalit,\u201d which translates as \u201cbroken\u201d in Sanskrit, is a term for the very lowest castes, whom members of the so-called \u201chigher\u201d castes still to this day deem \u201cuntouchable,\u201d despite the practice being prohibited in the Constitution of India. By working directly with disadvantaged communities, JTS aims to help them to mobilize their own capabilities and resources to create a more prosperous and sustainable future.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Jungto Society Dharma teacher Doyeon Jang (Dharma name Bogwang), is the director of Sujata Academy. She has overseen the development of this ambitious project, facing numerous challenges, both personal and structural, in the process of bringing this expression of compassion and social transformation to fruition.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u25b6\ufe0f Published by BDG on March 8, 2024<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u25b6\ufe0f Read more: <\/a>https:\/\/www.buddhistdoor.net\/features\/the-sujata-academy-project-the-power-of-hope-and-compassion-in-india\/<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

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<\/p>\n","post_title":"The Sujata Academy Project: The Power of Hope and Compassion in India","post_excerpt":"The Korean Seon (Zen) master Venerable Pomnyun Sunim (\ubc95\ub95c\uc2a4\ub2d8) wears many hats: Buddhist monk, teacher, author, environmentalist, and social activist, to name a few. As a widely respected Dharma teacher and a tireless socially engaged activist in his native South Korea, Ven. Pomnyun Sunim has founded numerous Dharma-based organizations, initiatives, and projects that are active across the world. Among them, Jungto Society, a volunteer-based community founded on the Buddhist teachings and expressing equality, simple living, and sustainability, is dedicated to addressing modern social issues that lead to suffering, including environmental degradation, poverty, and conflict.\n\nThis column, shared by Jungto Society, presents a series of highlights from Ven. Pomnyun Sunim\u2019s writings, teachings, public talks, and regular live-streamed Dharma Q+A sessions, which are accessible across the globe.\n","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","post_password":"","post_name":"the-sujata-academy-project-the-power-of-hope-and-compassion-in-india","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2024-03-10 17:38:00","post_modified_gmt":"2024-03-10 22:38:00","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/www.jungtosociety.org\/?p=18140","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"},{"ID":18136,"post_author":"13","post_date":"2024-03-10 17:24:34","post_date_gmt":"2024-03-10 22:24:34","post_content":"\n

Your son is over forty and
his main relationship is with someone else.
So, stop worrying about a grown man
who belongs with another woman
and be nice to the man next to you. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Illustration by Maseol <\/p>\n","post_title":"Son over forty","post_excerpt":"","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","post_password":"","post_name":"son-over-forty","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2024-03-10 17:24:36","post_modified_gmt":"2024-03-10 22:24:36","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/www.jungtosociety.org\/?p=18136","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"}],"next":false,"prev":false,"total_page":1},"paged":1,"column_class":"jeg_col_2o3","class":"jnews_block_37"};

\n

We should be happy with everything that happens in the natural course of our lives. For instance, we should be happy to grow old as time passes, happy to be alive when alive, and happy to die when death knocks at the door. Then, it will be like living in heaven in this life as well as in the afterlife. It doesn\u2019t make sense to live this life as if we were in hell while wishing to go to heaven after death.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

When a person who lives in Korea can live happily, Korea becomes a heaven. This person will be happy even if he lives in the U.S. However, a person who complains about his life in this world will not stop complaining even if he were sent to heaven. A complainer is likely to grumble no matter where he goes. Therefore, heaven and hell do not exist separately in another world. That is, we are in heaven when we are happy and in hell when we are miserable.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

We tend to blame others for their hardships and suffering. However, if we look carefully, we will to see that we ourselves make our own happiness and unhappiness. Those who make themselves miserable will feel miserable even in heaven, and those who make themselves happy will be happy even in hell.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

We should be content with our current lives at all times. When we wake up early in the morning, when we meditate, when we prostrate, and when we have meals, we should be happy to be able to do these things. Considering that a countless number of people in North Korea are currently starving, shouldn\u2019t we be thankful for the fact that we are able to have regular meals? We should always perceive our lives in such a positive light.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Actually, you are all happy right now. You simply don\u2019t see it or feel it. Once upon a time someone visited a Zen master and talked extensively about the Buddha and his teachings. The Zen master told him, \u201cJust have a cup of tea.\u201d He meant, \u201cStop thinking nonsense.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

You are already happy. You don\u2019t need to work hard to be happy.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

When you let go of the thought, \u201cI will live happily,\u201d you will find happiness.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

We create our own happiness.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

We create our own misfortune.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Truly, our happiness and unhappiness are not created by others.<\/p>\n","post_title":"We Are The Ones Who Create Our Happiness And Unhappiness","post_excerpt":"","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","post_password":"","post_name":"we-are-the-ones-who-create-our-happiness-and-unhappiness","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2024-03-11 20:02:00","post_modified_gmt":"2024-03-12 01:02:00","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/www.jungtosociety.org\/?p=18145","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"},{"ID":18295,"post_author":"13","post_date":"2024-03-20 22:57:13","post_date_gmt":"2024-03-21 03:57:13","post_content":"\n

\"Let's change just one day at a time\" <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Accomplishing something
every day with a light heart is like
water drops piercing a rock. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Illustration by Maseol <\/p>\n","post_title":"One day at a time","post_excerpt":"","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","post_password":"","post_name":"one-day-at-a-time","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2024-03-20 22:57:15","post_modified_gmt":"2024-03-21 03:57:15","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/www.jungtosociety.org\/?p=18295","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"},{"ID":18131,"post_author":"40","post_date":"2024-03-19 14:51:48","post_date_gmt":"2024-03-19 19:51:48","post_content":"\n

P:<\/strong> In the past, parents left all their wealth to their children when they retired, and since their children took good care of them for the rest of their lives, they did not have to worry about their future. However, times have changed. The middle-aged population now find that although they have honored and taken good care of their aged parents, their own children are unlikely to do the same for them. Therefore, parents, today should not give all their assets to their children when they retire.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

When parents leave all their wealth to their offspring, they may be exposed to the danger of becoming broke and homeless if their offspring should go bankrupt. This isn\u2019t such a big problem when you are young because you can work hard to regain your wealth. In Korea, there is even a saying that goes, \u201cHardship during youth is worth paying money for.\u201d Because they have energy and potential, young people don\u2019t look pathetic when they are without money and live in a tent. However, nothing is more pitiful than seeing an old person broke and homeless. Therefore, even when any of your children become bankrupt, you should not lend him or her money by mortgaging your house. If you do, you may end up losing your house.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

You can age gracefully when you have your own assets. If you don\u2019t have anything to live on, your later years will become miserable. So, you should keep your assets. If you give them away to your children, your relationship with your children may easily be ruined.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This is not to say that you should hoard all your assets. You can give some to your children if you want, but you should keep your house and enough money to live comfortably. This way, you will still have some assets to leave to your children when you pass away, and they will arrange a good funeral for you.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

If you plan to distribute your assets among your children after retirement, it\u2019s a good idea to give away just seventy to eighty percent of your assets. You must keep twenty to thirty percent for your own. You can decide on the percentage depending on the size of your assets. If you don\u2019t have a lot of assets, the percentage you keep should be higher than if you have a lot. Either way, when parents maintain their financial freedom even after retirement, they will be able to live with dignity and are more likely to sustain a good relationship with their children.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Of course, there is the option of practicing according to the teachings of the Buddha and letting go of all your worldly possessions. People may think that an enlightened person does not need to have a cent to his name and just needs a space in the common room of a temple to sleep. Most people, however, can\u2019t live this way, which is why they need to hold on to enough assets to live on. Those living in the countryside need a place to live, a piece of land to grow various vegetables, and rice fields, while those living in the city need to have a principal amount in the bank that will yield enough monthly interest for them to live comfortably.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

It\u2019s not easy for people to earn money in their old age. Since they don\u2019t have a source of income, they may expect their children to give them some spending money and end up resenting them if they don\u2019t. To avoid such an outcome, it\u2019s necessary for people to keep some financial assets to live on in their old age. This way, parents can live independently from their children without expecting too much from their children or be overly attached to them.<\/p>\n","post_title":"You Should Hold Onto Enough Financial Assets To Live On After Retirement","post_excerpt":"","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","post_password":"","post_name":"you-should-hold-onto-enough-financial-assets-to-live-on-after-retirement","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2024-03-02 14:55:05","post_modified_gmt":"2024-03-02 19:55:05","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/www.jungtosociety.org\/?p=18131","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"},{"ID":18045,"post_author":"40","post_date":"2024-03-15 07:00:00","post_date_gmt":"2024-03-15 12:00:00","post_content":"\n

<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/a><\/gwmw><\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/a><\/p>\n","post_title":"[Meditation Q&A] \u201cHow can I value serenity but not give up caring when I am practicing…. ?","post_excerpt":"","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","post_password":"","post_name":"meditation-qa-how-can-i-value-serenity-but-not-give-up-caring-when-i-am-practicing","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2024-02-27 19:02:33","post_modified_gmt":"2024-02-28 00:02:33","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/www.jungtosociety.org\/?p=18045","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"},{"ID":18197,"post_author":"13","post_date":"2024-03-13 22:47:47","post_date_gmt":"2024-03-14 03:47:47","post_content":"\n

It\u2019s simple to become an adult.
Wake up earlier than your mom
and prepare breakfast for your parents,
wash the dishes,
and clean your room after school or work. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Illustration by Maseol <\/p>\n","post_title":"Becoming an adult","post_excerpt":"","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","post_password":"","post_name":"becoming-an-adult","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2024-03-13 22:47:48","post_modified_gmt":"2024-03-14 03:47:48","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/www.jungtosociety.org\/?p=18197","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"},{"ID":18125,"post_author":"40","post_date":"2024-03-12 07:00:00","post_date_gmt":"2024-03-12 12:00:00","post_content":"\n

P:<\/strong> When the Buddha was close to death, his disciples came to him and asked,<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cHow would you like us to conduct your funeral?\u201d The Buddha answered, \u201cYou don\u2019t need to worry about my funeral because the lay Buddhists will take care of it.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Lay Buddhists are those who take refuge in the Three Jewels and practice the Five Precepts without becoming monks or nuns. When the Buddha said they will take care of it, he meant that his funeral would be conducted based on customs of the lay people in India. So, after the Buddha died, the Lay Buddhists cremated the Buddha\u2019s body according to the Indian tradition. If he had lived in Korea, he would have been buried in the ground as is the custom in Korea.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Dharma is a teaching about truth, so it does not contain cultural aspects. However, since Buddhism originated from India, its traditions, customs, and culture were integrated into the Buddhist culture. Strictly speaking, neither cremation nor the 49-day posthumous ceremony is a fundamental tradition of Buddhism. They are in fact part of the of Indian cultural tradition.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

It is said that the deceased person has 49 days to be saved and is classified into one of nine levels based on his deeds during his life. \u201cAnyone can be reborn in paradise after he dies if he sincerely hopes for it. However, not everyone can be reborn in paradise right away since people fall into one of the nine categories based on their deeds.\u201d Specifically, people are divided into three categories of high, middle and low, and those in each of the three categories are again divided into high, middle and low, so there are a total of nine categories.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

It is believed that people in the very first category are reborn in paradise immediately after their death. It is comparable to leaving a room and entering another room. Those in the second category are reborn within 12 hours. It takes one day for those in the third category, three days for those in the fourth, a week for those in the fifth, 21 days for those in the sixth, and finally, it takes 49 days for those in the seventh category to be reborn in paradise. This is reason that people hold the 49-day posthumous ceremony. This ritual provides an opportunity for people to do good deeds on behalf of their deceased family members and help them be reborn in paradise within 49 days.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

What happens to the people in the eighth and ninth categories? Ultimately, people in all nine categories will all be reborn in paradise. However, those in the eighth and ninth categories have to spend some time in hell before that. Every year, Buddhists perform the Buddhist All Soul\u2019s Day ceremony on July 15th of the lunar calendar to save the souls of those in the two categories from hell. There is no point in debating whether this is true or not because it is a religious belief, so people are free to choose whether to believe it or not.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Funeral customs vary greatly from religion to religion and country to country. In India, the dead are cremated, and in Tibet, they are left to be eaten by birds. The corpse is cut up and placed on big rocks high in the mountain, so that it is eaten by falcons and eagles. In desert regions, the dead are \u201cburied in the wind.\u201d That is, they are nailed on a wooden board and exposed to the elements for one year until only the bones remain after which the funeral ceremony is performed. In regions with many islands, the dead are dropped into the sea.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Each of these funeral rituals has its unique meaning and significance. Tibetans feed the dead to birds because they believe that the spirit of the dead will fly to heaven with the birds. Some cultures bury the dead in the ground because of the belief that the spiritual world exists underground. Meanwhile, Indians believe in reincarnation, so they cremate the corpse to help the spirits to quickly sever their attachment to their worldly bodies so that they can be reborn.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Regardless of the funeral ritual that is performed, once a person dies, it\u2019s the end. By saying \u201cthe end\u201d I am not implying that there is no heaven or an afterlife; I am simply saying the person who draws his last breath will no longer exist in this world. From a Christian viewpoint, the spirits go to heaven, and from a Buddhist perspective, the spirits are reborn, so there is nothing we can do for them. Therefore, the best farewell for those who pass away is to let them go from our hearts.<\/p>\n","post_title":"The Best Farewell For The Deceased","post_excerpt":"","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","post_password":"","post_name":"the-best-farewell-for-the-deceased-2","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2024-03-02 14:50:59","post_modified_gmt":"2024-03-02 19:50:59","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/www.jungtosociety.org\/?p=18125","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"},{"ID":18140,"post_author":"13","post_date":"2024-03-10 17:37:58","post_date_gmt":"2024-03-10 22:37:58","post_content":"\n

<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Jungto Society, the international Buddhist community founded by the revered Korean Dharma master and social activist Venerable Pomnyun Sunim (\ubc95\ub95c\uc2a4\ub2d8), recently conducted its 33rd annual pilgrimage across India and to Nepal. Held under the theme \u201cFollowing in the Footsteps of the Buddha,\u201d the pilgrimage, which ran from 19 January to 2 February, was attended by more 500 practitioners.1<\/sup><\/p>\n\n\n\n

This year\u2019s pilgrimage was particularly notable for two reasons: first was the participation, for the first time in the Jungto pilgrimage\u2019s 33-year history, of non-Korean practitioners: the 500-plus Korean Buddhist pilgrims were accompanied nine practitioners from Italy, Japan, Thailand, the United Kingdom, the United States, and Vietnam. Second, the pilgrimage also coincided with celebrations for the 30th anniversary of Sujata Academy, a remarkable community school and social empowerment project established by Ven. Pomnyun Sunim in Dungeshwari, in the northeastern Indian state of Bihar. This project has transformed the lives of an entire community of people who have faced systemic social and economic exclusion as a result of India\u2019s conservative Hindu caste hierarchy.2<\/sup><\/p>\n\n\n\n

The academy is named after Sujata, the young woman who is said to have nourished the ailing and emaciated Siddhartha Gautama with a bowl of milk-rice, thus ending his six years of extreme asceticism. Tuition at the academy is provided free of charge. The school\u2019s principal goal is to educate every student in basic literacy and numeracy. Classes are taught from kindergarten to secondary level, alongside adult literacy classes and skills training. Students who wish to continue beyond elementary education and attend secondary school are required to teach kindergarteners or to help out in the onsite Jivaka Hospital in the mornings and to attend classes in the afternoon, working in the spirit of giving back to the community. The campus also includes a warehouse, a dormitory, a large playing field, and sports equipment for the children.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

x<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n
\n
\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\"\"<\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

Ven. Pomnyun Sunim established the international Buddhist humanitarian relief organization Join Together Society (JTS) as an expression of the compassion of engaged Buddhism and the belief that helping others is the best way to enrich one\u2019s own life. Headquartered in Seoul, JTS operates four branch offices in South Korea and the United States, along with field offices in India and the Philippines. JTS Korea and JTS America oversee fundraising, while JTS India and JTS Philippines conduct development projects in cooperation with local communities. The relief organization has also earned Special Consultative Status to the United Nations Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

JTS India began its work in Dungeshwari, some 12 kilometers northeast of the Buddhist pilgrimage hub of Bodh Gaya, in the early 1990s, aspiring to fulfill the mission: \u201cThe hungry should eat; the sick should be treated; children should be educated in time.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This region is surrounded by the Pragbodhi Hills where the historical Buddha, Shakyamuni, is said to have spent six years in a cave as an ascetic. And it\u2019s here that JTS India has been working to empower the villagers of Dungeshwari to live their lives free from hunger, illiteracy, and disease.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The people of Dungeshwari are primarily Dalits, who face systemic social and economic exclusion as a result of the conservative Hindu social hierarchy. \u201cDalit,\u201d which translates as \u201cbroken\u201d in Sanskrit, is a term for the very lowest castes, whom members of the so-called \u201chigher\u201d castes still to this day deem \u201cuntouchable,\u201d despite the practice being prohibited in the Constitution of India. By working directly with disadvantaged communities, JTS aims to help them to mobilize their own capabilities and resources to create a more prosperous and sustainable future.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Jungto Society Dharma teacher Doyeon Jang (Dharma name Bogwang), is the director of Sujata Academy. She has overseen the development of this ambitious project, facing numerous challenges, both personal and structural, in the process of bringing this expression of compassion and social transformation to fruition.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u25b6\ufe0f Published by BDG on March 8, 2024<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u25b6\ufe0f Read more: <\/a>https:\/\/www.buddhistdoor.net\/features\/the-sujata-academy-project-the-power-of-hope-and-compassion-in-india\/<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/p>\n","post_title":"The Sujata Academy Project: The Power of Hope and Compassion in India","post_excerpt":"The Korean Seon (Zen) master Venerable Pomnyun Sunim (\ubc95\ub95c\uc2a4\ub2d8) wears many hats: Buddhist monk, teacher, author, environmentalist, and social activist, to name a few. As a widely respected Dharma teacher and a tireless socially engaged activist in his native South Korea, Ven. Pomnyun Sunim has founded numerous Dharma-based organizations, initiatives, and projects that are active across the world. Among them, Jungto Society, a volunteer-based community founded on the Buddhist teachings and expressing equality, simple living, and sustainability, is dedicated to addressing modern social issues that lead to suffering, including environmental degradation, poverty, and conflict.\n\nThis column, shared by Jungto Society, presents a series of highlights from Ven. Pomnyun Sunim\u2019s writings, teachings, public talks, and regular live-streamed Dharma Q+A sessions, which are accessible across the globe.\n","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","post_password":"","post_name":"the-sujata-academy-project-the-power-of-hope-and-compassion-in-india","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2024-03-10 17:38:00","post_modified_gmt":"2024-03-10 22:38:00","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/www.jungtosociety.org\/?p=18140","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"},{"ID":18136,"post_author":"13","post_date":"2024-03-10 17:24:34","post_date_gmt":"2024-03-10 22:24:34","post_content":"\n

Your son is over forty and
his main relationship is with someone else.
So, stop worrying about a grown man
who belongs with another woman
and be nice to the man next to you. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Illustration by Maseol <\/p>\n","post_title":"Son over forty","post_excerpt":"","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","post_password":"","post_name":"son-over-forty","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2024-03-10 17:24:36","post_modified_gmt":"2024-03-10 22:24:36","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/www.jungtosociety.org\/?p=18136","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"}],"next":false,"prev":false,"total_page":1},"paged":1,"column_class":"jeg_col_2o3","class":"jnews_block_37"};

\n

Then, how can we become happy? Wouldn\u2019t I be miserable if I envied you and kept thinking, \u201cHow I wish I could get married!\u201d? If those of you who are married keep thinking, \u201cI wish I could live alone. How wonderful it must be to travel anywhere as freely as the Sunim does!\u201d you would be very unhappy. A monk like me should be proud of living alone, and those who are married should be so happy in their marriages as to make a monk feel jealous. Living the life we have chosen to the best of our ability is living well.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

We should be happy with everything that happens in the natural course of our lives. For instance, we should be happy to grow old as time passes, happy to be alive when alive, and happy to die when death knocks at the door. Then, it will be like living in heaven in this life as well as in the afterlife. It doesn\u2019t make sense to live this life as if we were in hell while wishing to go to heaven after death.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

When a person who lives in Korea can live happily, Korea becomes a heaven. This person will be happy even if he lives in the U.S. However, a person who complains about his life in this world will not stop complaining even if he were sent to heaven. A complainer is likely to grumble no matter where he goes. Therefore, heaven and hell do not exist separately in another world. That is, we are in heaven when we are happy and in hell when we are miserable.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

We tend to blame others for their hardships and suffering. However, if we look carefully, we will to see that we ourselves make our own happiness and unhappiness. Those who make themselves miserable will feel miserable even in heaven, and those who make themselves happy will be happy even in hell.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

We should be content with our current lives at all times. When we wake up early in the morning, when we meditate, when we prostrate, and when we have meals, we should be happy to be able to do these things. Considering that a countless number of people in North Korea are currently starving, shouldn\u2019t we be thankful for the fact that we are able to have regular meals? We should always perceive our lives in such a positive light.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Actually, you are all happy right now. You simply don\u2019t see it or feel it. Once upon a time someone visited a Zen master and talked extensively about the Buddha and his teachings. The Zen master told him, \u201cJust have a cup of tea.\u201d He meant, \u201cStop thinking nonsense.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

You are already happy. You don\u2019t need to work hard to be happy.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

When you let go of the thought, \u201cI will live happily,\u201d you will find happiness.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

We create our own happiness.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

We create our own misfortune.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Truly, our happiness and unhappiness are not created by others.<\/p>\n","post_title":"We Are The Ones Who Create Our Happiness And Unhappiness","post_excerpt":"","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","post_password":"","post_name":"we-are-the-ones-who-create-our-happiness-and-unhappiness","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2024-03-11 20:02:00","post_modified_gmt":"2024-03-12 01:02:00","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/www.jungtosociety.org\/?p=18145","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"},{"ID":18295,"post_author":"13","post_date":"2024-03-20 22:57:13","post_date_gmt":"2024-03-21 03:57:13","post_content":"\n

\"Let's change just one day at a time\" <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Accomplishing something
every day with a light heart is like
water drops piercing a rock. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Illustration by Maseol <\/p>\n","post_title":"One day at a time","post_excerpt":"","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","post_password":"","post_name":"one-day-at-a-time","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2024-03-20 22:57:15","post_modified_gmt":"2024-03-21 03:57:15","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/www.jungtosociety.org\/?p=18295","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"},{"ID":18131,"post_author":"40","post_date":"2024-03-19 14:51:48","post_date_gmt":"2024-03-19 19:51:48","post_content":"\n

P:<\/strong> In the past, parents left all their wealth to their children when they retired, and since their children took good care of them for the rest of their lives, they did not have to worry about their future. However, times have changed. The middle-aged population now find that although they have honored and taken good care of their aged parents, their own children are unlikely to do the same for them. Therefore, parents, today should not give all their assets to their children when they retire.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

When parents leave all their wealth to their offspring, they may be exposed to the danger of becoming broke and homeless if their offspring should go bankrupt. This isn\u2019t such a big problem when you are young because you can work hard to regain your wealth. In Korea, there is even a saying that goes, \u201cHardship during youth is worth paying money for.\u201d Because they have energy and potential, young people don\u2019t look pathetic when they are without money and live in a tent. However, nothing is more pitiful than seeing an old person broke and homeless. Therefore, even when any of your children become bankrupt, you should not lend him or her money by mortgaging your house. If you do, you may end up losing your house.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

You can age gracefully when you have your own assets. If you don\u2019t have anything to live on, your later years will become miserable. So, you should keep your assets. If you give them away to your children, your relationship with your children may easily be ruined.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This is not to say that you should hoard all your assets. You can give some to your children if you want, but you should keep your house and enough money to live comfortably. This way, you will still have some assets to leave to your children when you pass away, and they will arrange a good funeral for you.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

If you plan to distribute your assets among your children after retirement, it\u2019s a good idea to give away just seventy to eighty percent of your assets. You must keep twenty to thirty percent for your own. You can decide on the percentage depending on the size of your assets. If you don\u2019t have a lot of assets, the percentage you keep should be higher than if you have a lot. Either way, when parents maintain their financial freedom even after retirement, they will be able to live with dignity and are more likely to sustain a good relationship with their children.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Of course, there is the option of practicing according to the teachings of the Buddha and letting go of all your worldly possessions. People may think that an enlightened person does not need to have a cent to his name and just needs a space in the common room of a temple to sleep. Most people, however, can\u2019t live this way, which is why they need to hold on to enough assets to live on. Those living in the countryside need a place to live, a piece of land to grow various vegetables, and rice fields, while those living in the city need to have a principal amount in the bank that will yield enough monthly interest for them to live comfortably.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

It\u2019s not easy for people to earn money in their old age. Since they don\u2019t have a source of income, they may expect their children to give them some spending money and end up resenting them if they don\u2019t. To avoid such an outcome, it\u2019s necessary for people to keep some financial assets to live on in their old age. This way, parents can live independently from their children without expecting too much from their children or be overly attached to them.<\/p>\n","post_title":"You Should Hold Onto Enough Financial Assets To Live On After Retirement","post_excerpt":"","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","post_password":"","post_name":"you-should-hold-onto-enough-financial-assets-to-live-on-after-retirement","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2024-03-02 14:55:05","post_modified_gmt":"2024-03-02 19:55:05","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/www.jungtosociety.org\/?p=18131","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"},{"ID":18045,"post_author":"40","post_date":"2024-03-15 07:00:00","post_date_gmt":"2024-03-15 12:00:00","post_content":"\n

<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/a><\/gwmw><\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/a><\/p>\n","post_title":"[Meditation Q&A] \u201cHow can I value serenity but not give up caring when I am practicing…. ?","post_excerpt":"","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","post_password":"","post_name":"meditation-qa-how-can-i-value-serenity-but-not-give-up-caring-when-i-am-practicing","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2024-02-27 19:02:33","post_modified_gmt":"2024-02-28 00:02:33","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/www.jungtosociety.org\/?p=18045","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"},{"ID":18197,"post_author":"13","post_date":"2024-03-13 22:47:47","post_date_gmt":"2024-03-14 03:47:47","post_content":"\n

It\u2019s simple to become an adult.
Wake up earlier than your mom
and prepare breakfast for your parents,
wash the dishes,
and clean your room after school or work. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Illustration by Maseol <\/p>\n","post_title":"Becoming an adult","post_excerpt":"","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","post_password":"","post_name":"becoming-an-adult","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2024-03-13 22:47:48","post_modified_gmt":"2024-03-14 03:47:48","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/www.jungtosociety.org\/?p=18197","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"},{"ID":18125,"post_author":"40","post_date":"2024-03-12 07:00:00","post_date_gmt":"2024-03-12 12:00:00","post_content":"\n

P:<\/strong> When the Buddha was close to death, his disciples came to him and asked,<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cHow would you like us to conduct your funeral?\u201d The Buddha answered, \u201cYou don\u2019t need to worry about my funeral because the lay Buddhists will take care of it.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Lay Buddhists are those who take refuge in the Three Jewels and practice the Five Precepts without becoming monks or nuns. When the Buddha said they will take care of it, he meant that his funeral would be conducted based on customs of the lay people in India. So, after the Buddha died, the Lay Buddhists cremated the Buddha\u2019s body according to the Indian tradition. If he had lived in Korea, he would have been buried in the ground as is the custom in Korea.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Dharma is a teaching about truth, so it does not contain cultural aspects. However, since Buddhism originated from India, its traditions, customs, and culture were integrated into the Buddhist culture. Strictly speaking, neither cremation nor the 49-day posthumous ceremony is a fundamental tradition of Buddhism. They are in fact part of the of Indian cultural tradition.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

It is said that the deceased person has 49 days to be saved and is classified into one of nine levels based on his deeds during his life. \u201cAnyone can be reborn in paradise after he dies if he sincerely hopes for it. However, not everyone can be reborn in paradise right away since people fall into one of the nine categories based on their deeds.\u201d Specifically, people are divided into three categories of high, middle and low, and those in each of the three categories are again divided into high, middle and low, so there are a total of nine categories.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

It is believed that people in the very first category are reborn in paradise immediately after their death. It is comparable to leaving a room and entering another room. Those in the second category are reborn within 12 hours. It takes one day for those in the third category, three days for those in the fourth, a week for those in the fifth, 21 days for those in the sixth, and finally, it takes 49 days for those in the seventh category to be reborn in paradise. This is reason that people hold the 49-day posthumous ceremony. This ritual provides an opportunity for people to do good deeds on behalf of their deceased family members and help them be reborn in paradise within 49 days.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

What happens to the people in the eighth and ninth categories? Ultimately, people in all nine categories will all be reborn in paradise. However, those in the eighth and ninth categories have to spend some time in hell before that. Every year, Buddhists perform the Buddhist All Soul\u2019s Day ceremony on July 15th of the lunar calendar to save the souls of those in the two categories from hell. There is no point in debating whether this is true or not because it is a religious belief, so people are free to choose whether to believe it or not.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Funeral customs vary greatly from religion to religion and country to country. In India, the dead are cremated, and in Tibet, they are left to be eaten by birds. The corpse is cut up and placed on big rocks high in the mountain, so that it is eaten by falcons and eagles. In desert regions, the dead are \u201cburied in the wind.\u201d That is, they are nailed on a wooden board and exposed to the elements for one year until only the bones remain after which the funeral ceremony is performed. In regions with many islands, the dead are dropped into the sea.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Each of these funeral rituals has its unique meaning and significance. Tibetans feed the dead to birds because they believe that the spirit of the dead will fly to heaven with the birds. Some cultures bury the dead in the ground because of the belief that the spiritual world exists underground. Meanwhile, Indians believe in reincarnation, so they cremate the corpse to help the spirits to quickly sever their attachment to their worldly bodies so that they can be reborn.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Regardless of the funeral ritual that is performed, once a person dies, it\u2019s the end. By saying \u201cthe end\u201d I am not implying that there is no heaven or an afterlife; I am simply saying the person who draws his last breath will no longer exist in this world. From a Christian viewpoint, the spirits go to heaven, and from a Buddhist perspective, the spirits are reborn, so there is nothing we can do for them. Therefore, the best farewell for those who pass away is to let them go from our hearts.<\/p>\n","post_title":"The Best Farewell For The Deceased","post_excerpt":"","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","post_password":"","post_name":"the-best-farewell-for-the-deceased-2","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2024-03-02 14:50:59","post_modified_gmt":"2024-03-02 19:50:59","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/www.jungtosociety.org\/?p=18125","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"},{"ID":18140,"post_author":"13","post_date":"2024-03-10 17:37:58","post_date_gmt":"2024-03-10 22:37:58","post_content":"\n

<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Jungto Society, the international Buddhist community founded by the revered Korean Dharma master and social activist Venerable Pomnyun Sunim (\ubc95\ub95c\uc2a4\ub2d8), recently conducted its 33rd annual pilgrimage across India and to Nepal. Held under the theme \u201cFollowing in the Footsteps of the Buddha,\u201d the pilgrimage, which ran from 19 January to 2 February, was attended by more 500 practitioners.1<\/sup><\/p>\n\n\n\n

This year\u2019s pilgrimage was particularly notable for two reasons: first was the participation, for the first time in the Jungto pilgrimage\u2019s 33-year history, of non-Korean practitioners: the 500-plus Korean Buddhist pilgrims were accompanied nine practitioners from Italy, Japan, Thailand, the United Kingdom, the United States, and Vietnam. Second, the pilgrimage also coincided with celebrations for the 30th anniversary of Sujata Academy, a remarkable community school and social empowerment project established by Ven. Pomnyun Sunim in Dungeshwari, in the northeastern Indian state of Bihar. This project has transformed the lives of an entire community of people who have faced systemic social and economic exclusion as a result of India\u2019s conservative Hindu caste hierarchy.2<\/sup><\/p>\n\n\n\n

The academy is named after Sujata, the young woman who is said to have nourished the ailing and emaciated Siddhartha Gautama with a bowl of milk-rice, thus ending his six years of extreme asceticism. Tuition at the academy is provided free of charge. The school\u2019s principal goal is to educate every student in basic literacy and numeracy. Classes are taught from kindergarten to secondary level, alongside adult literacy classes and skills training. Students who wish to continue beyond elementary education and attend secondary school are required to teach kindergarteners or to help out in the onsite Jivaka Hospital in the mornings and to attend classes in the afternoon, working in the spirit of giving back to the community. The campus also includes a warehouse, a dormitory, a large playing field, and sports equipment for the children.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

x<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n
\n
\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\"\"<\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

Ven. Pomnyun Sunim established the international Buddhist humanitarian relief organization Join Together Society (JTS) as an expression of the compassion of engaged Buddhism and the belief that helping others is the best way to enrich one\u2019s own life. Headquartered in Seoul, JTS operates four branch offices in South Korea and the United States, along with field offices in India and the Philippines. JTS Korea and JTS America oversee fundraising, while JTS India and JTS Philippines conduct development projects in cooperation with local communities. The relief organization has also earned Special Consultative Status to the United Nations Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

JTS India began its work in Dungeshwari, some 12 kilometers northeast of the Buddhist pilgrimage hub of Bodh Gaya, in the early 1990s, aspiring to fulfill the mission: \u201cThe hungry should eat; the sick should be treated; children should be educated in time.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This region is surrounded by the Pragbodhi Hills where the historical Buddha, Shakyamuni, is said to have spent six years in a cave as an ascetic. And it\u2019s here that JTS India has been working to empower the villagers of Dungeshwari to live their lives free from hunger, illiteracy, and disease.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The people of Dungeshwari are primarily Dalits, who face systemic social and economic exclusion as a result of the conservative Hindu social hierarchy. \u201cDalit,\u201d which translates as \u201cbroken\u201d in Sanskrit, is a term for the very lowest castes, whom members of the so-called \u201chigher\u201d castes still to this day deem \u201cuntouchable,\u201d despite the practice being prohibited in the Constitution of India. By working directly with disadvantaged communities, JTS aims to help them to mobilize their own capabilities and resources to create a more prosperous and sustainable future.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Jungto Society Dharma teacher Doyeon Jang (Dharma name Bogwang), is the director of Sujata Academy. She has overseen the development of this ambitious project, facing numerous challenges, both personal and structural, in the process of bringing this expression of compassion and social transformation to fruition.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u25b6\ufe0f Published by BDG on March 8, 2024<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u25b6\ufe0f Read more: <\/a>https:\/\/www.buddhistdoor.net\/features\/the-sujata-academy-project-the-power-of-hope-and-compassion-in-india\/<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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<\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/p>\n","post_title":"The Sujata Academy Project: The Power of Hope and Compassion in India","post_excerpt":"The Korean Seon (Zen) master Venerable Pomnyun Sunim (\ubc95\ub95c\uc2a4\ub2d8) wears many hats: Buddhist monk, teacher, author, environmentalist, and social activist, to name a few. As a widely respected Dharma teacher and a tireless socially engaged activist in his native South Korea, Ven. Pomnyun Sunim has founded numerous Dharma-based organizations, initiatives, and projects that are active across the world. Among them, Jungto Society, a volunteer-based community founded on the Buddhist teachings and expressing equality, simple living, and sustainability, is dedicated to addressing modern social issues that lead to suffering, including environmental degradation, poverty, and conflict.\n\nThis column, shared by Jungto Society, presents a series of highlights from Ven. Pomnyun Sunim\u2019s writings, teachings, public talks, and regular live-streamed Dharma Q+A sessions, which are accessible across the globe.\n","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","post_password":"","post_name":"the-sujata-academy-project-the-power-of-hope-and-compassion-in-india","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2024-03-10 17:38:00","post_modified_gmt":"2024-03-10 22:38:00","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/www.jungtosociety.org\/?p=18140","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"},{"ID":18136,"post_author":"13","post_date":"2024-03-10 17:24:34","post_date_gmt":"2024-03-10 22:24:34","post_content":"\n

Your son is over forty and
his main relationship is with someone else.
So, stop worrying about a grown man
who belongs with another woman
and be nice to the man next to you. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Illustration by Maseol <\/p>\n","post_title":"Son over forty","post_excerpt":"","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","post_password":"","post_name":"son-over-forty","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2024-03-10 17:24:36","post_modified_gmt":"2024-03-10 22:24:36","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/www.jungtosociety.org\/?p=18136","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"}],"next":false,"prev":false,"total_page":1},"paged":1,"column_class":"jeg_col_2o3","class":"jnews_block_37"};

\n

Those who are not happy today cannot be happy tomorrow, and those who are not happy in this world cannot be happy in the afterworld, should it exist. Those who always complain in this world will find something to complain about even in heaven. You may think that you will be happy the moment you get to heaven, but once you are there, you might still be unhappy. There is no place in the world that will automatically make you happy. You should be happy right here, right now.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Then, how can we become happy? Wouldn\u2019t I be miserable if I envied you and kept thinking, \u201cHow I wish I could get married!\u201d? If those of you who are married keep thinking, \u201cI wish I could live alone. How wonderful it must be to travel anywhere as freely as the Sunim does!\u201d you would be very unhappy. A monk like me should be proud of living alone, and those who are married should be so happy in their marriages as to make a monk feel jealous. Living the life we have chosen to the best of our ability is living well.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

We should be happy with everything that happens in the natural course of our lives. For instance, we should be happy to grow old as time passes, happy to be alive when alive, and happy to die when death knocks at the door. Then, it will be like living in heaven in this life as well as in the afterlife. It doesn\u2019t make sense to live this life as if we were in hell while wishing to go to heaven after death.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

When a person who lives in Korea can live happily, Korea becomes a heaven. This person will be happy even if he lives in the U.S. However, a person who complains about his life in this world will not stop complaining even if he were sent to heaven. A complainer is likely to grumble no matter where he goes. Therefore, heaven and hell do not exist separately in another world. That is, we are in heaven when we are happy and in hell when we are miserable.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

We tend to blame others for their hardships and suffering. However, if we look carefully, we will to see that we ourselves make our own happiness and unhappiness. Those who make themselves miserable will feel miserable even in heaven, and those who make themselves happy will be happy even in hell.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

We should be content with our current lives at all times. When we wake up early in the morning, when we meditate, when we prostrate, and when we have meals, we should be happy to be able to do these things. Considering that a countless number of people in North Korea are currently starving, shouldn\u2019t we be thankful for the fact that we are able to have regular meals? We should always perceive our lives in such a positive light.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Actually, you are all happy right now. You simply don\u2019t see it or feel it. Once upon a time someone visited a Zen master and talked extensively about the Buddha and his teachings. The Zen master told him, \u201cJust have a cup of tea.\u201d He meant, \u201cStop thinking nonsense.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

You are already happy. You don\u2019t need to work hard to be happy.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

When you let go of the thought, \u201cI will live happily,\u201d you will find happiness.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

We create our own happiness.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

We create our own misfortune.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Truly, our happiness and unhappiness are not created by others.<\/p>\n","post_title":"We Are The Ones Who Create Our Happiness And Unhappiness","post_excerpt":"","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","post_password":"","post_name":"we-are-the-ones-who-create-our-happiness-and-unhappiness","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2024-03-11 20:02:00","post_modified_gmt":"2024-03-12 01:02:00","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/www.jungtosociety.org\/?p=18145","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"},{"ID":18295,"post_author":"13","post_date":"2024-03-20 22:57:13","post_date_gmt":"2024-03-21 03:57:13","post_content":"\n

\"Let's change just one day at a time\" <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Accomplishing something
every day with a light heart is like
water drops piercing a rock. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Illustration by Maseol <\/p>\n","post_title":"One day at a time","post_excerpt":"","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","post_password":"","post_name":"one-day-at-a-time","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2024-03-20 22:57:15","post_modified_gmt":"2024-03-21 03:57:15","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/www.jungtosociety.org\/?p=18295","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"},{"ID":18131,"post_author":"40","post_date":"2024-03-19 14:51:48","post_date_gmt":"2024-03-19 19:51:48","post_content":"\n

P:<\/strong> In the past, parents left all their wealth to their children when they retired, and since their children took good care of them for the rest of their lives, they did not have to worry about their future. However, times have changed. The middle-aged population now find that although they have honored and taken good care of their aged parents, their own children are unlikely to do the same for them. Therefore, parents, today should not give all their assets to their children when they retire.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

When parents leave all their wealth to their offspring, they may be exposed to the danger of becoming broke and homeless if their offspring should go bankrupt. This isn\u2019t such a big problem when you are young because you can work hard to regain your wealth. In Korea, there is even a saying that goes, \u201cHardship during youth is worth paying money for.\u201d Because they have energy and potential, young people don\u2019t look pathetic when they are without money and live in a tent. However, nothing is more pitiful than seeing an old person broke and homeless. Therefore, even when any of your children become bankrupt, you should not lend him or her money by mortgaging your house. If you do, you may end up losing your house.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

You can age gracefully when you have your own assets. If you don\u2019t have anything to live on, your later years will become miserable. So, you should keep your assets. If you give them away to your children, your relationship with your children may easily be ruined.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This is not to say that you should hoard all your assets. You can give some to your children if you want, but you should keep your house and enough money to live comfortably. This way, you will still have some assets to leave to your children when you pass away, and they will arrange a good funeral for you.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

If you plan to distribute your assets among your children after retirement, it\u2019s a good idea to give away just seventy to eighty percent of your assets. You must keep twenty to thirty percent for your own. You can decide on the percentage depending on the size of your assets. If you don\u2019t have a lot of assets, the percentage you keep should be higher than if you have a lot. Either way, when parents maintain their financial freedom even after retirement, they will be able to live with dignity and are more likely to sustain a good relationship with their children.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Of course, there is the option of practicing according to the teachings of the Buddha and letting go of all your worldly possessions. People may think that an enlightened person does not need to have a cent to his name and just needs a space in the common room of a temple to sleep. Most people, however, can\u2019t live this way, which is why they need to hold on to enough assets to live on. Those living in the countryside need a place to live, a piece of land to grow various vegetables, and rice fields, while those living in the city need to have a principal amount in the bank that will yield enough monthly interest for them to live comfortably.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

It\u2019s not easy for people to earn money in their old age. Since they don\u2019t have a source of income, they may expect their children to give them some spending money and end up resenting them if they don\u2019t. To avoid such an outcome, it\u2019s necessary for people to keep some financial assets to live on in their old age. This way, parents can live independently from their children without expecting too much from their children or be overly attached to them.<\/p>\n","post_title":"You Should Hold Onto Enough Financial Assets To Live On After Retirement","post_excerpt":"","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","post_password":"","post_name":"you-should-hold-onto-enough-financial-assets-to-live-on-after-retirement","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2024-03-02 14:55:05","post_modified_gmt":"2024-03-02 19:55:05","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/www.jungtosociety.org\/?p=18131","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"},{"ID":18045,"post_author":"40","post_date":"2024-03-15 07:00:00","post_date_gmt":"2024-03-15 12:00:00","post_content":"\n

<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/a><\/gwmw><\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/a><\/p>\n","post_title":"[Meditation Q&A] \u201cHow can I value serenity but not give up caring when I am practicing…. ?","post_excerpt":"","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","post_password":"","post_name":"meditation-qa-how-can-i-value-serenity-but-not-give-up-caring-when-i-am-practicing","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2024-02-27 19:02:33","post_modified_gmt":"2024-02-28 00:02:33","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/www.jungtosociety.org\/?p=18045","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"},{"ID":18197,"post_author":"13","post_date":"2024-03-13 22:47:47","post_date_gmt":"2024-03-14 03:47:47","post_content":"\n

It\u2019s simple to become an adult.
Wake up earlier than your mom
and prepare breakfast for your parents,
wash the dishes,
and clean your room after school or work. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Illustration by Maseol <\/p>\n","post_title":"Becoming an adult","post_excerpt":"","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","post_password":"","post_name":"becoming-an-adult","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2024-03-13 22:47:48","post_modified_gmt":"2024-03-14 03:47:48","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/www.jungtosociety.org\/?p=18197","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"},{"ID":18125,"post_author":"40","post_date":"2024-03-12 07:00:00","post_date_gmt":"2024-03-12 12:00:00","post_content":"\n

P:<\/strong> When the Buddha was close to death, his disciples came to him and asked,<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cHow would you like us to conduct your funeral?\u201d The Buddha answered, \u201cYou don\u2019t need to worry about my funeral because the lay Buddhists will take care of it.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Lay Buddhists are those who take refuge in the Three Jewels and practice the Five Precepts without becoming monks or nuns. When the Buddha said they will take care of it, he meant that his funeral would be conducted based on customs of the lay people in India. So, after the Buddha died, the Lay Buddhists cremated the Buddha\u2019s body according to the Indian tradition. If he had lived in Korea, he would have been buried in the ground as is the custom in Korea.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Dharma is a teaching about truth, so it does not contain cultural aspects. However, since Buddhism originated from India, its traditions, customs, and culture were integrated into the Buddhist culture. Strictly speaking, neither cremation nor the 49-day posthumous ceremony is a fundamental tradition of Buddhism. They are in fact part of the of Indian cultural tradition.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

It is said that the deceased person has 49 days to be saved and is classified into one of nine levels based on his deeds during his life. \u201cAnyone can be reborn in paradise after he dies if he sincerely hopes for it. However, not everyone can be reborn in paradise right away since people fall into one of the nine categories based on their deeds.\u201d Specifically, people are divided into three categories of high, middle and low, and those in each of the three categories are again divided into high, middle and low, so there are a total of nine categories.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

It is believed that people in the very first category are reborn in paradise immediately after their death. It is comparable to leaving a room and entering another room. Those in the second category are reborn within 12 hours. It takes one day for those in the third category, three days for those in the fourth, a week for those in the fifth, 21 days for those in the sixth, and finally, it takes 49 days for those in the seventh category to be reborn in paradise. This is reason that people hold the 49-day posthumous ceremony. This ritual provides an opportunity for people to do good deeds on behalf of their deceased family members and help them be reborn in paradise within 49 days.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

What happens to the people in the eighth and ninth categories? Ultimately, people in all nine categories will all be reborn in paradise. However, those in the eighth and ninth categories have to spend some time in hell before that. Every year, Buddhists perform the Buddhist All Soul\u2019s Day ceremony on July 15th of the lunar calendar to save the souls of those in the two categories from hell. There is no point in debating whether this is true or not because it is a religious belief, so people are free to choose whether to believe it or not.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Funeral customs vary greatly from religion to religion and country to country. In India, the dead are cremated, and in Tibet, they are left to be eaten by birds. The corpse is cut up and placed on big rocks high in the mountain, so that it is eaten by falcons and eagles. In desert regions, the dead are \u201cburied in the wind.\u201d That is, they are nailed on a wooden board and exposed to the elements for one year until only the bones remain after which the funeral ceremony is performed. In regions with many islands, the dead are dropped into the sea.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Each of these funeral rituals has its unique meaning and significance. Tibetans feed the dead to birds because they believe that the spirit of the dead will fly to heaven with the birds. Some cultures bury the dead in the ground because of the belief that the spiritual world exists underground. Meanwhile, Indians believe in reincarnation, so they cremate the corpse to help the spirits to quickly sever their attachment to their worldly bodies so that they can be reborn.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Regardless of the funeral ritual that is performed, once a person dies, it\u2019s the end. By saying \u201cthe end\u201d I am not implying that there is no heaven or an afterlife; I am simply saying the person who draws his last breath will no longer exist in this world. From a Christian viewpoint, the spirits go to heaven, and from a Buddhist perspective, the spirits are reborn, so there is nothing we can do for them. Therefore, the best farewell for those who pass away is to let them go from our hearts.<\/p>\n","post_title":"The Best Farewell For The Deceased","post_excerpt":"","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","post_password":"","post_name":"the-best-farewell-for-the-deceased-2","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2024-03-02 14:50:59","post_modified_gmt":"2024-03-02 19:50:59","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/www.jungtosociety.org\/?p=18125","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"},{"ID":18140,"post_author":"13","post_date":"2024-03-10 17:37:58","post_date_gmt":"2024-03-10 22:37:58","post_content":"\n

<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Jungto Society, the international Buddhist community founded by the revered Korean Dharma master and social activist Venerable Pomnyun Sunim (\ubc95\ub95c\uc2a4\ub2d8), recently conducted its 33rd annual pilgrimage across India and to Nepal. Held under the theme \u201cFollowing in the Footsteps of the Buddha,\u201d the pilgrimage, which ran from 19 January to 2 February, was attended by more 500 practitioners.1<\/sup><\/p>\n\n\n\n

This year\u2019s pilgrimage was particularly notable for two reasons: first was the participation, for the first time in the Jungto pilgrimage\u2019s 33-year history, of non-Korean practitioners: the 500-plus Korean Buddhist pilgrims were accompanied nine practitioners from Italy, Japan, Thailand, the United Kingdom, the United States, and Vietnam. Second, the pilgrimage also coincided with celebrations for the 30th anniversary of Sujata Academy, a remarkable community school and social empowerment project established by Ven. Pomnyun Sunim in Dungeshwari, in the northeastern Indian state of Bihar. This project has transformed the lives of an entire community of people who have faced systemic social and economic exclusion as a result of India\u2019s conservative Hindu caste hierarchy.2<\/sup><\/p>\n\n\n\n

The academy is named after Sujata, the young woman who is said to have nourished the ailing and emaciated Siddhartha Gautama with a bowl of milk-rice, thus ending his six years of extreme asceticism. Tuition at the academy is provided free of charge. The school\u2019s principal goal is to educate every student in basic literacy and numeracy. Classes are taught from kindergarten to secondary level, alongside adult literacy classes and skills training. Students who wish to continue beyond elementary education and attend secondary school are required to teach kindergarteners or to help out in the onsite Jivaka Hospital in the mornings and to attend classes in the afternoon, working in the spirit of giving back to the community. The campus also includes a warehouse, a dormitory, a large playing field, and sports equipment for the children.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

x<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n
\n
\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\"\"<\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

Ven. Pomnyun Sunim established the international Buddhist humanitarian relief organization Join Together Society (JTS) as an expression of the compassion of engaged Buddhism and the belief that helping others is the best way to enrich one\u2019s own life. Headquartered in Seoul, JTS operates four branch offices in South Korea and the United States, along with field offices in India and the Philippines. JTS Korea and JTS America oversee fundraising, while JTS India and JTS Philippines conduct development projects in cooperation with local communities. The relief organization has also earned Special Consultative Status to the United Nations Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

JTS India began its work in Dungeshwari, some 12 kilometers northeast of the Buddhist pilgrimage hub of Bodh Gaya, in the early 1990s, aspiring to fulfill the mission: \u201cThe hungry should eat; the sick should be treated; children should be educated in time.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This region is surrounded by the Pragbodhi Hills where the historical Buddha, Shakyamuni, is said to have spent six years in a cave as an ascetic. And it\u2019s here that JTS India has been working to empower the villagers of Dungeshwari to live their lives free from hunger, illiteracy, and disease.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The people of Dungeshwari are primarily Dalits, who face systemic social and economic exclusion as a result of the conservative Hindu social hierarchy. \u201cDalit,\u201d which translates as \u201cbroken\u201d in Sanskrit, is a term for the very lowest castes, whom members of the so-called \u201chigher\u201d castes still to this day deem \u201cuntouchable,\u201d despite the practice being prohibited in the Constitution of India. By working directly with disadvantaged communities, JTS aims to help them to mobilize their own capabilities and resources to create a more prosperous and sustainable future.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Jungto Society Dharma teacher Doyeon Jang (Dharma name Bogwang), is the director of Sujata Academy. She has overseen the development of this ambitious project, facing numerous challenges, both personal and structural, in the process of bringing this expression of compassion and social transformation to fruition.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u25b6\ufe0f Published by BDG on March 8, 2024<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u25b6\ufe0f Read more: <\/a>https:\/\/www.buddhistdoor.net\/features\/the-sujata-academy-project-the-power-of-hope-and-compassion-in-india\/<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

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<\/p>\n","post_title":"The Sujata Academy Project: The Power of Hope and Compassion in India","post_excerpt":"The Korean Seon (Zen) master Venerable Pomnyun Sunim (\ubc95\ub95c\uc2a4\ub2d8) wears many hats: Buddhist monk, teacher, author, environmentalist, and social activist, to name a few. As a widely respected Dharma teacher and a tireless socially engaged activist in his native South Korea, Ven. Pomnyun Sunim has founded numerous Dharma-based organizations, initiatives, and projects that are active across the world. Among them, Jungto Society, a volunteer-based community founded on the Buddhist teachings and expressing equality, simple living, and sustainability, is dedicated to addressing modern social issues that lead to suffering, including environmental degradation, poverty, and conflict.\n\nThis column, shared by Jungto Society, presents a series of highlights from Ven. Pomnyun Sunim\u2019s writings, teachings, public talks, and regular live-streamed Dharma Q+A sessions, which are accessible across the globe.\n","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","post_password":"","post_name":"the-sujata-academy-project-the-power-of-hope-and-compassion-in-india","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2024-03-10 17:38:00","post_modified_gmt":"2024-03-10 22:38:00","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/www.jungtosociety.org\/?p=18140","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"},{"ID":18136,"post_author":"13","post_date":"2024-03-10 17:24:34","post_date_gmt":"2024-03-10 22:24:34","post_content":"\n

Your son is over forty and
his main relationship is with someone else.
So, stop worrying about a grown man
who belongs with another woman
and be nice to the man next to you. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Illustration by Maseol <\/p>\n","post_title":"Son over forty","post_excerpt":"","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","post_password":"","post_name":"son-over-forty","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2024-03-10 17:24:36","post_modified_gmt":"2024-03-10 22:24:36","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/www.jungtosociety.org\/?p=18136","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"}],"next":false,"prev":false,"total_page":1},"paged":1,"column_class":"jeg_col_2o3","class":"jnews_block_37"};

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Needing to prepare for happiness is a claim of those who have never been happy. Often, all people do is prepare to become happy but end up dying without ever having been happy. Therefore, there is no need to prepare. We should be happy from this very moment. We should not prepare to be happy but be happy immediately starting today.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Those who are not happy today cannot be happy tomorrow, and those who are not happy in this world cannot be happy in the afterworld, should it exist. Those who always complain in this world will find something to complain about even in heaven. You may think that you will be happy the moment you get to heaven, but once you are there, you might still be unhappy. There is no place in the world that will automatically make you happy. You should be happy right here, right now.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Then, how can we become happy? Wouldn\u2019t I be miserable if I envied you and kept thinking, \u201cHow I wish I could get married!\u201d? If those of you who are married keep thinking, \u201cI wish I could live alone. How wonderful it must be to travel anywhere as freely as the Sunim does!\u201d you would be very unhappy. A monk like me should be proud of living alone, and those who are married should be so happy in their marriages as to make a monk feel jealous. Living the life we have chosen to the best of our ability is living well.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

We should be happy with everything that happens in the natural course of our lives. For instance, we should be happy to grow old as time passes, happy to be alive when alive, and happy to die when death knocks at the door. Then, it will be like living in heaven in this life as well as in the afterlife. It doesn\u2019t make sense to live this life as if we were in hell while wishing to go to heaven after death.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

When a person who lives in Korea can live happily, Korea becomes a heaven. This person will be happy even if he lives in the U.S. However, a person who complains about his life in this world will not stop complaining even if he were sent to heaven. A complainer is likely to grumble no matter where he goes. Therefore, heaven and hell do not exist separately in another world. That is, we are in heaven when we are happy and in hell when we are miserable.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

We tend to blame others for their hardships and suffering. However, if we look carefully, we will to see that we ourselves make our own happiness and unhappiness. Those who make themselves miserable will feel miserable even in heaven, and those who make themselves happy will be happy even in hell.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

We should be content with our current lives at all times. When we wake up early in the morning, when we meditate, when we prostrate, and when we have meals, we should be happy to be able to do these things. Considering that a countless number of people in North Korea are currently starving, shouldn\u2019t we be thankful for the fact that we are able to have regular meals? We should always perceive our lives in such a positive light.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Actually, you are all happy right now. You simply don\u2019t see it or feel it. Once upon a time someone visited a Zen master and talked extensively about the Buddha and his teachings. The Zen master told him, \u201cJust have a cup of tea.\u201d He meant, \u201cStop thinking nonsense.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

You are already happy. You don\u2019t need to work hard to be happy.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

When you let go of the thought, \u201cI will live happily,\u201d you will find happiness.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

We create our own happiness.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

We create our own misfortune.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Truly, our happiness and unhappiness are not created by others.<\/p>\n","post_title":"We Are The Ones Who Create Our Happiness And Unhappiness","post_excerpt":"","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","post_password":"","post_name":"we-are-the-ones-who-create-our-happiness-and-unhappiness","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2024-03-11 20:02:00","post_modified_gmt":"2024-03-12 01:02:00","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/www.jungtosociety.org\/?p=18145","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"},{"ID":18295,"post_author":"13","post_date":"2024-03-20 22:57:13","post_date_gmt":"2024-03-21 03:57:13","post_content":"\n

\"Let's change just one day at a time\" <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Accomplishing something
every day with a light heart is like
water drops piercing a rock. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Illustration by Maseol <\/p>\n","post_title":"One day at a time","post_excerpt":"","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","post_password":"","post_name":"one-day-at-a-time","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2024-03-20 22:57:15","post_modified_gmt":"2024-03-21 03:57:15","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/www.jungtosociety.org\/?p=18295","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"},{"ID":18131,"post_author":"40","post_date":"2024-03-19 14:51:48","post_date_gmt":"2024-03-19 19:51:48","post_content":"\n

P:<\/strong> In the past, parents left all their wealth to their children when they retired, and since their children took good care of them for the rest of their lives, they did not have to worry about their future. However, times have changed. The middle-aged population now find that although they have honored and taken good care of their aged parents, their own children are unlikely to do the same for them. Therefore, parents, today should not give all their assets to their children when they retire.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

When parents leave all their wealth to their offspring, they may be exposed to the danger of becoming broke and homeless if their offspring should go bankrupt. This isn\u2019t such a big problem when you are young because you can work hard to regain your wealth. In Korea, there is even a saying that goes, \u201cHardship during youth is worth paying money for.\u201d Because they have energy and potential, young people don\u2019t look pathetic when they are without money and live in a tent. However, nothing is more pitiful than seeing an old person broke and homeless. Therefore, even when any of your children become bankrupt, you should not lend him or her money by mortgaging your house. If you do, you may end up losing your house.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

You can age gracefully when you have your own assets. If you don\u2019t have anything to live on, your later years will become miserable. So, you should keep your assets. If you give them away to your children, your relationship with your children may easily be ruined.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This is not to say that you should hoard all your assets. You can give some to your children if you want, but you should keep your house and enough money to live comfortably. This way, you will still have some assets to leave to your children when you pass away, and they will arrange a good funeral for you.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

If you plan to distribute your assets among your children after retirement, it\u2019s a good idea to give away just seventy to eighty percent of your assets. You must keep twenty to thirty percent for your own. You can decide on the percentage depending on the size of your assets. If you don\u2019t have a lot of assets, the percentage you keep should be higher than if you have a lot. Either way, when parents maintain their financial freedom even after retirement, they will be able to live with dignity and are more likely to sustain a good relationship with their children.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Of course, there is the option of practicing according to the teachings of the Buddha and letting go of all your worldly possessions. People may think that an enlightened person does not need to have a cent to his name and just needs a space in the common room of a temple to sleep. Most people, however, can\u2019t live this way, which is why they need to hold on to enough assets to live on. Those living in the countryside need a place to live, a piece of land to grow various vegetables, and rice fields, while those living in the city need to have a principal amount in the bank that will yield enough monthly interest for them to live comfortably.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

It\u2019s not easy for people to earn money in their old age. Since they don\u2019t have a source of income, they may expect their children to give them some spending money and end up resenting them if they don\u2019t. To avoid such an outcome, it\u2019s necessary for people to keep some financial assets to live on in their old age. This way, parents can live independently from their children without expecting too much from their children or be overly attached to them.<\/p>\n","post_title":"You Should Hold Onto Enough Financial Assets To Live On After Retirement","post_excerpt":"","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","post_password":"","post_name":"you-should-hold-onto-enough-financial-assets-to-live-on-after-retirement","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2024-03-02 14:55:05","post_modified_gmt":"2024-03-02 19:55:05","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/www.jungtosociety.org\/?p=18131","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"},{"ID":18045,"post_author":"40","post_date":"2024-03-15 07:00:00","post_date_gmt":"2024-03-15 12:00:00","post_content":"\n

<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

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<\/a><\/gwmw><\/p>\n\n\n\n

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<\/a><\/p>\n","post_title":"[Meditation Q&A] \u201cHow can I value serenity but not give up caring when I am practicing…. ?","post_excerpt":"","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","post_password":"","post_name":"meditation-qa-how-can-i-value-serenity-but-not-give-up-caring-when-i-am-practicing","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2024-02-27 19:02:33","post_modified_gmt":"2024-02-28 00:02:33","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/www.jungtosociety.org\/?p=18045","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"},{"ID":18197,"post_author":"13","post_date":"2024-03-13 22:47:47","post_date_gmt":"2024-03-14 03:47:47","post_content":"\n

It\u2019s simple to become an adult.
Wake up earlier than your mom
and prepare breakfast for your parents,
wash the dishes,
and clean your room after school or work. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Illustration by Maseol <\/p>\n","post_title":"Becoming an adult","post_excerpt":"","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","post_password":"","post_name":"becoming-an-adult","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2024-03-13 22:47:48","post_modified_gmt":"2024-03-14 03:47:48","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/www.jungtosociety.org\/?p=18197","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"},{"ID":18125,"post_author":"40","post_date":"2024-03-12 07:00:00","post_date_gmt":"2024-03-12 12:00:00","post_content":"\n

P:<\/strong> When the Buddha was close to death, his disciples came to him and asked,<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cHow would you like us to conduct your funeral?\u201d The Buddha answered, \u201cYou don\u2019t need to worry about my funeral because the lay Buddhists will take care of it.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Lay Buddhists are those who take refuge in the Three Jewels and practice the Five Precepts without becoming monks or nuns. When the Buddha said they will take care of it, he meant that his funeral would be conducted based on customs of the lay people in India. So, after the Buddha died, the Lay Buddhists cremated the Buddha\u2019s body according to the Indian tradition. If he had lived in Korea, he would have been buried in the ground as is the custom in Korea.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Dharma is a teaching about truth, so it does not contain cultural aspects. However, since Buddhism originated from India, its traditions, customs, and culture were integrated into the Buddhist culture. Strictly speaking, neither cremation nor the 49-day posthumous ceremony is a fundamental tradition of Buddhism. They are in fact part of the of Indian cultural tradition.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

It is said that the deceased person has 49 days to be saved and is classified into one of nine levels based on his deeds during his life. \u201cAnyone can be reborn in paradise after he dies if he sincerely hopes for it. However, not everyone can be reborn in paradise right away since people fall into one of the nine categories based on their deeds.\u201d Specifically, people are divided into three categories of high, middle and low, and those in each of the three categories are again divided into high, middle and low, so there are a total of nine categories.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

It is believed that people in the very first category are reborn in paradise immediately after their death. It is comparable to leaving a room and entering another room. Those in the second category are reborn within 12 hours. It takes one day for those in the third category, three days for those in the fourth, a week for those in the fifth, 21 days for those in the sixth, and finally, it takes 49 days for those in the seventh category to be reborn in paradise. This is reason that people hold the 49-day posthumous ceremony. This ritual provides an opportunity for people to do good deeds on behalf of their deceased family members and help them be reborn in paradise within 49 days.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

What happens to the people in the eighth and ninth categories? Ultimately, people in all nine categories will all be reborn in paradise. However, those in the eighth and ninth categories have to spend some time in hell before that. Every year, Buddhists perform the Buddhist All Soul\u2019s Day ceremony on July 15th of the lunar calendar to save the souls of those in the two categories from hell. There is no point in debating whether this is true or not because it is a religious belief, so people are free to choose whether to believe it or not.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Funeral customs vary greatly from religion to religion and country to country. In India, the dead are cremated, and in Tibet, they are left to be eaten by birds. The corpse is cut up and placed on big rocks high in the mountain, so that it is eaten by falcons and eagles. In desert regions, the dead are \u201cburied in the wind.\u201d That is, they are nailed on a wooden board and exposed to the elements for one year until only the bones remain after which the funeral ceremony is performed. In regions with many islands, the dead are dropped into the sea.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Each of these funeral rituals has its unique meaning and significance. Tibetans feed the dead to birds because they believe that the spirit of the dead will fly to heaven with the birds. Some cultures bury the dead in the ground because of the belief that the spiritual world exists underground. Meanwhile, Indians believe in reincarnation, so they cremate the corpse to help the spirits to quickly sever their attachment to their worldly bodies so that they can be reborn.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Regardless of the funeral ritual that is performed, once a person dies, it\u2019s the end. By saying \u201cthe end\u201d I am not implying that there is no heaven or an afterlife; I am simply saying the person who draws his last breath will no longer exist in this world. From a Christian viewpoint, the spirits go to heaven, and from a Buddhist perspective, the spirits are reborn, so there is nothing we can do for them. Therefore, the best farewell for those who pass away is to let them go from our hearts.<\/p>\n","post_title":"The Best Farewell For The Deceased","post_excerpt":"","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","post_password":"","post_name":"the-best-farewell-for-the-deceased-2","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2024-03-02 14:50:59","post_modified_gmt":"2024-03-02 19:50:59","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/www.jungtosociety.org\/?p=18125","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"},{"ID":18140,"post_author":"13","post_date":"2024-03-10 17:37:58","post_date_gmt":"2024-03-10 22:37:58","post_content":"\n

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Jungto Society, the international Buddhist community founded by the revered Korean Dharma master and social activist Venerable Pomnyun Sunim (\ubc95\ub95c\uc2a4\ub2d8), recently conducted its 33rd annual pilgrimage across India and to Nepal. Held under the theme \u201cFollowing in the Footsteps of the Buddha,\u201d the pilgrimage, which ran from 19 January to 2 February, was attended by more 500 practitioners.1<\/sup><\/p>\n\n\n\n

This year\u2019s pilgrimage was particularly notable for two reasons: first was the participation, for the first time in the Jungto pilgrimage\u2019s 33-year history, of non-Korean practitioners: the 500-plus Korean Buddhist pilgrims were accompanied nine practitioners from Italy, Japan, Thailand, the United Kingdom, the United States, and Vietnam. Second, the pilgrimage also coincided with celebrations for the 30th anniversary of Sujata Academy, a remarkable community school and social empowerment project established by Ven. Pomnyun Sunim in Dungeshwari, in the northeastern Indian state of Bihar. This project has transformed the lives of an entire community of people who have faced systemic social and economic exclusion as a result of India\u2019s conservative Hindu caste hierarchy.2<\/sup><\/p>\n\n\n\n

The academy is named after Sujata, the young woman who is said to have nourished the ailing and emaciated Siddhartha Gautama with a bowl of milk-rice, thus ending his six years of extreme asceticism. Tuition at the academy is provided free of charge. The school\u2019s principal goal is to educate every student in basic literacy and numeracy. Classes are taught from kindergarten to secondary level, alongside adult literacy classes and skills training. Students who wish to continue beyond elementary education and attend secondary school are required to teach kindergarteners or to help out in the onsite Jivaka Hospital in the mornings and to attend classes in the afternoon, working in the spirit of giving back to the community. The campus also includes a warehouse, a dormitory, a large playing field, and sports equipment for the children.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

x<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Ven. Pomnyun Sunim established the international Buddhist humanitarian relief organization Join Together Society (JTS) as an expression of the compassion of engaged Buddhism and the belief that helping others is the best way to enrich one\u2019s own life. Headquartered in Seoul, JTS operates four branch offices in South Korea and the United States, along with field offices in India and the Philippines. JTS Korea and JTS America oversee fundraising, while JTS India and JTS Philippines conduct development projects in cooperation with local communities. The relief organization has also earned Special Consultative Status to the United Nations Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

JTS India began its work in Dungeshwari, some 12 kilometers northeast of the Buddhist pilgrimage hub of Bodh Gaya, in the early 1990s, aspiring to fulfill the mission: \u201cThe hungry should eat; the sick should be treated; children should be educated in time.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This region is surrounded by the Pragbodhi Hills where the historical Buddha, Shakyamuni, is said to have spent six years in a cave as an ascetic. And it\u2019s here that JTS India has been working to empower the villagers of Dungeshwari to live their lives free from hunger, illiteracy, and disease.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The people of Dungeshwari are primarily Dalits, who face systemic social and economic exclusion as a result of the conservative Hindu social hierarchy. \u201cDalit,\u201d which translates as \u201cbroken\u201d in Sanskrit, is a term for the very lowest castes, whom members of the so-called \u201chigher\u201d castes still to this day deem \u201cuntouchable,\u201d despite the practice being prohibited in the Constitution of India. By working directly with disadvantaged communities, JTS aims to help them to mobilize their own capabilities and resources to create a more prosperous and sustainable future.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Jungto Society Dharma teacher Doyeon Jang (Dharma name Bogwang), is the director of Sujata Academy. She has overseen the development of this ambitious project, facing numerous challenges, both personal and structural, in the process of bringing this expression of compassion and social transformation to fruition.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u25b6\ufe0f Published by BDG on March 8, 2024<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u25b6\ufe0f Read more: <\/a>https:\/\/www.buddhistdoor.net\/features\/the-sujata-academy-project-the-power-of-hope-and-compassion-in-india\/<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

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<\/p>\n","post_title":"The Sujata Academy Project: The Power of Hope and Compassion in India","post_excerpt":"The Korean Seon (Zen) master Venerable Pomnyun Sunim (\ubc95\ub95c\uc2a4\ub2d8) wears many hats: Buddhist monk, teacher, author, environmentalist, and social activist, to name a few. As a widely respected Dharma teacher and a tireless socially engaged activist in his native South Korea, Ven. Pomnyun Sunim has founded numerous Dharma-based organizations, initiatives, and projects that are active across the world. Among them, Jungto Society, a volunteer-based community founded on the Buddhist teachings and expressing equality, simple living, and sustainability, is dedicated to addressing modern social issues that lead to suffering, including environmental degradation, poverty, and conflict.\n\nThis column, shared by Jungto Society, presents a series of highlights from Ven. Pomnyun Sunim\u2019s writings, teachings, public talks, and regular live-streamed Dharma Q+A sessions, which are accessible across the globe.\n","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","post_password":"","post_name":"the-sujata-academy-project-the-power-of-hope-and-compassion-in-india","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2024-03-10 17:38:00","post_modified_gmt":"2024-03-10 22:38:00","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/www.jungtosociety.org\/?p=18140","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"},{"ID":18136,"post_author":"13","post_date":"2024-03-10 17:24:34","post_date_gmt":"2024-03-10 22:24:34","post_content":"\n

Your son is over forty and
his main relationship is with someone else.
So, stop worrying about a grown man
who belongs with another woman
and be nice to the man next to you. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Illustration by Maseol <\/p>\n","post_title":"Son over forty","post_excerpt":"","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","post_password":"","post_name":"son-over-forty","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2024-03-10 17:24:36","post_modified_gmt":"2024-03-10 22:24:36","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/www.jungtosociety.org\/?p=18136","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"}],"next":false,"prev":false,"total_page":1},"paged":1,"column_class":"jeg_col_2o3","class":"jnews_block_37"};

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\u201cWhen I see in the media, \u2018Your old age will be insecure if you don\u2019t prepare for it.\u2019 or \u2018You need to do this and that to be happy in your old age,\u2019 I feel like I need to do something.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Needing to prepare for happiness is a claim of those who have never been happy. Often, all people do is prepare to become happy but end up dying without ever having been happy. Therefore, there is no need to prepare. We should be happy from this very moment. We should not prepare to be happy but be happy immediately starting today.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Those who are not happy today cannot be happy tomorrow, and those who are not happy in this world cannot be happy in the afterworld, should it exist. Those who always complain in this world will find something to complain about even in heaven. You may think that you will be happy the moment you get to heaven, but once you are there, you might still be unhappy. There is no place in the world that will automatically make you happy. You should be happy right here, right now.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Then, how can we become happy? Wouldn\u2019t I be miserable if I envied you and kept thinking, \u201cHow I wish I could get married!\u201d? If those of you who are married keep thinking, \u201cI wish I could live alone. How wonderful it must be to travel anywhere as freely as the Sunim does!\u201d you would be very unhappy. A monk like me should be proud of living alone, and those who are married should be so happy in their marriages as to make a monk feel jealous. Living the life we have chosen to the best of our ability is living well.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

We should be happy with everything that happens in the natural course of our lives. For instance, we should be happy to grow old as time passes, happy to be alive when alive, and happy to die when death knocks at the door. Then, it will be like living in heaven in this life as well as in the afterlife. It doesn\u2019t make sense to live this life as if we were in hell while wishing to go to heaven after death.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

When a person who lives in Korea can live happily, Korea becomes a heaven. This person will be happy even if he lives in the U.S. However, a person who complains about his life in this world will not stop complaining even if he were sent to heaven. A complainer is likely to grumble no matter where he goes. Therefore, heaven and hell do not exist separately in another world. That is, we are in heaven when we are happy and in hell when we are miserable.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

We tend to blame others for their hardships and suffering. However, if we look carefully, we will to see that we ourselves make our own happiness and unhappiness. Those who make themselves miserable will feel miserable even in heaven, and those who make themselves happy will be happy even in hell.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

We should be content with our current lives at all times. When we wake up early in the morning, when we meditate, when we prostrate, and when we have meals, we should be happy to be able to do these things. Considering that a countless number of people in North Korea are currently starving, shouldn\u2019t we be thankful for the fact that we are able to have regular meals? We should always perceive our lives in such a positive light.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Actually, you are all happy right now. You simply don\u2019t see it or feel it. Once upon a time someone visited a Zen master and talked extensively about the Buddha and his teachings. The Zen master told him, \u201cJust have a cup of tea.\u201d He meant, \u201cStop thinking nonsense.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

You are already happy. You don\u2019t need to work hard to be happy.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

When you let go of the thought, \u201cI will live happily,\u201d you will find happiness.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

We create our own happiness.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

We create our own misfortune.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Truly, our happiness and unhappiness are not created by others.<\/p>\n","post_title":"We Are The Ones Who Create Our Happiness And Unhappiness","post_excerpt":"","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","post_password":"","post_name":"we-are-the-ones-who-create-our-happiness-and-unhappiness","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2024-03-11 20:02:00","post_modified_gmt":"2024-03-12 01:02:00","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/www.jungtosociety.org\/?p=18145","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"},{"ID":18295,"post_author":"13","post_date":"2024-03-20 22:57:13","post_date_gmt":"2024-03-21 03:57:13","post_content":"\n

\"Let's change just one day at a time\" <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Accomplishing something
every day with a light heart is like
water drops piercing a rock. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Illustration by Maseol <\/p>\n","post_title":"One day at a time","post_excerpt":"","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","post_password":"","post_name":"one-day-at-a-time","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2024-03-20 22:57:15","post_modified_gmt":"2024-03-21 03:57:15","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/www.jungtosociety.org\/?p=18295","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"},{"ID":18131,"post_author":"40","post_date":"2024-03-19 14:51:48","post_date_gmt":"2024-03-19 19:51:48","post_content":"\n

P:<\/strong> In the past, parents left all their wealth to their children when they retired, and since their children took good care of them for the rest of their lives, they did not have to worry about their future. However, times have changed. The middle-aged population now find that although they have honored and taken good care of their aged parents, their own children are unlikely to do the same for them. Therefore, parents, today should not give all their assets to their children when they retire.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

When parents leave all their wealth to their offspring, they may be exposed to the danger of becoming broke and homeless if their offspring should go bankrupt. This isn\u2019t such a big problem when you are young because you can work hard to regain your wealth. In Korea, there is even a saying that goes, \u201cHardship during youth is worth paying money for.\u201d Because they have energy and potential, young people don\u2019t look pathetic when they are without money and live in a tent. However, nothing is more pitiful than seeing an old person broke and homeless. Therefore, even when any of your children become bankrupt, you should not lend him or her money by mortgaging your house. If you do, you may end up losing your house.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

You can age gracefully when you have your own assets. If you don\u2019t have anything to live on, your later years will become miserable. So, you should keep your assets. If you give them away to your children, your relationship with your children may easily be ruined.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This is not to say that you should hoard all your assets. You can give some to your children if you want, but you should keep your house and enough money to live comfortably. This way, you will still have some assets to leave to your children when you pass away, and they will arrange a good funeral for you.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

If you plan to distribute your assets among your children after retirement, it\u2019s a good idea to give away just seventy to eighty percent of your assets. You must keep twenty to thirty percent for your own. You can decide on the percentage depending on the size of your assets. If you don\u2019t have a lot of assets, the percentage you keep should be higher than if you have a lot. Either way, when parents maintain their financial freedom even after retirement, they will be able to live with dignity and are more likely to sustain a good relationship with their children.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Of course, there is the option of practicing according to the teachings of the Buddha and letting go of all your worldly possessions. People may think that an enlightened person does not need to have a cent to his name and just needs a space in the common room of a temple to sleep. Most people, however, can\u2019t live this way, which is why they need to hold on to enough assets to live on. Those living in the countryside need a place to live, a piece of land to grow various vegetables, and rice fields, while those living in the city need to have a principal amount in the bank that will yield enough monthly interest for them to live comfortably.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

It\u2019s not easy for people to earn money in their old age. Since they don\u2019t have a source of income, they may expect their children to give them some spending money and end up resenting them if they don\u2019t. To avoid such an outcome, it\u2019s necessary for people to keep some financial assets to live on in their old age. This way, parents can live independently from their children without expecting too much from their children or be overly attached to them.<\/p>\n","post_title":"You Should Hold Onto Enough Financial Assets To Live On After Retirement","post_excerpt":"","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","post_password":"","post_name":"you-should-hold-onto-enough-financial-assets-to-live-on-after-retirement","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2024-03-02 14:55:05","post_modified_gmt":"2024-03-02 19:55:05","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/www.jungtosociety.org\/?p=18131","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"},{"ID":18045,"post_author":"40","post_date":"2024-03-15 07:00:00","post_date_gmt":"2024-03-15 12:00:00","post_content":"\n

<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/a><\/gwmw><\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/a><\/p>\n","post_title":"[Meditation Q&A] \u201cHow can I value serenity but not give up caring when I am practicing…. ?","post_excerpt":"","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","post_password":"","post_name":"meditation-qa-how-can-i-value-serenity-but-not-give-up-caring-when-i-am-practicing","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2024-02-27 19:02:33","post_modified_gmt":"2024-02-28 00:02:33","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/www.jungtosociety.org\/?p=18045","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"},{"ID":18197,"post_author":"13","post_date":"2024-03-13 22:47:47","post_date_gmt":"2024-03-14 03:47:47","post_content":"\n

It\u2019s simple to become an adult.
Wake up earlier than your mom
and prepare breakfast for your parents,
wash the dishes,
and clean your room after school or work. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Illustration by Maseol <\/p>\n","post_title":"Becoming an adult","post_excerpt":"","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","post_password":"","post_name":"becoming-an-adult","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2024-03-13 22:47:48","post_modified_gmt":"2024-03-14 03:47:48","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/www.jungtosociety.org\/?p=18197","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"},{"ID":18125,"post_author":"40","post_date":"2024-03-12 07:00:00","post_date_gmt":"2024-03-12 12:00:00","post_content":"\n

P:<\/strong> When the Buddha was close to death, his disciples came to him and asked,<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cHow would you like us to conduct your funeral?\u201d The Buddha answered, \u201cYou don\u2019t need to worry about my funeral because the lay Buddhists will take care of it.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Lay Buddhists are those who take refuge in the Three Jewels and practice the Five Precepts without becoming monks or nuns. When the Buddha said they will take care of it, he meant that his funeral would be conducted based on customs of the lay people in India. So, after the Buddha died, the Lay Buddhists cremated the Buddha\u2019s body according to the Indian tradition. If he had lived in Korea, he would have been buried in the ground as is the custom in Korea.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Dharma is a teaching about truth, so it does not contain cultural aspects. However, since Buddhism originated from India, its traditions, customs, and culture were integrated into the Buddhist culture. Strictly speaking, neither cremation nor the 49-day posthumous ceremony is a fundamental tradition of Buddhism. They are in fact part of the of Indian cultural tradition.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

It is said that the deceased person has 49 days to be saved and is classified into one of nine levels based on his deeds during his life. \u201cAnyone can be reborn in paradise after he dies if he sincerely hopes for it. However, not everyone can be reborn in paradise right away since people fall into one of the nine categories based on their deeds.\u201d Specifically, people are divided into three categories of high, middle and low, and those in each of the three categories are again divided into high, middle and low, so there are a total of nine categories.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

It is believed that people in the very first category are reborn in paradise immediately after their death. It is comparable to leaving a room and entering another room. Those in the second category are reborn within 12 hours. It takes one day for those in the third category, three days for those in the fourth, a week for those in the fifth, 21 days for those in the sixth, and finally, it takes 49 days for those in the seventh category to be reborn in paradise. This is reason that people hold the 49-day posthumous ceremony. This ritual provides an opportunity for people to do good deeds on behalf of their deceased family members and help them be reborn in paradise within 49 days.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

What happens to the people in the eighth and ninth categories? Ultimately, people in all nine categories will all be reborn in paradise. However, those in the eighth and ninth categories have to spend some time in hell before that. Every year, Buddhists perform the Buddhist All Soul\u2019s Day ceremony on July 15th of the lunar calendar to save the souls of those in the two categories from hell. There is no point in debating whether this is true or not because it is a religious belief, so people are free to choose whether to believe it or not.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Funeral customs vary greatly from religion to religion and country to country. In India, the dead are cremated, and in Tibet, they are left to be eaten by birds. The corpse is cut up and placed on big rocks high in the mountain, so that it is eaten by falcons and eagles. In desert regions, the dead are \u201cburied in the wind.\u201d That is, they are nailed on a wooden board and exposed to the elements for one year until only the bones remain after which the funeral ceremony is performed. In regions with many islands, the dead are dropped into the sea.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Each of these funeral rituals has its unique meaning and significance. Tibetans feed the dead to birds because they believe that the spirit of the dead will fly to heaven with the birds. Some cultures bury the dead in the ground because of the belief that the spiritual world exists underground. Meanwhile, Indians believe in reincarnation, so they cremate the corpse to help the spirits to quickly sever their attachment to their worldly bodies so that they can be reborn.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Regardless of the funeral ritual that is performed, once a person dies, it\u2019s the end. By saying \u201cthe end\u201d I am not implying that there is no heaven or an afterlife; I am simply saying the person who draws his last breath will no longer exist in this world. From a Christian viewpoint, the spirits go to heaven, and from a Buddhist perspective, the spirits are reborn, so there is nothing we can do for them. Therefore, the best farewell for those who pass away is to let them go from our hearts.<\/p>\n","post_title":"The Best Farewell For The Deceased","post_excerpt":"","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","post_password":"","post_name":"the-best-farewell-for-the-deceased-2","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2024-03-02 14:50:59","post_modified_gmt":"2024-03-02 19:50:59","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/www.jungtosociety.org\/?p=18125","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"},{"ID":18140,"post_author":"13","post_date":"2024-03-10 17:37:58","post_date_gmt":"2024-03-10 22:37:58","post_content":"\n

<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Jungto Society, the international Buddhist community founded by the revered Korean Dharma master and social activist Venerable Pomnyun Sunim (\ubc95\ub95c\uc2a4\ub2d8), recently conducted its 33rd annual pilgrimage across India and to Nepal. Held under the theme \u201cFollowing in the Footsteps of the Buddha,\u201d the pilgrimage, which ran from 19 January to 2 February, was attended by more 500 practitioners.1<\/sup><\/p>\n\n\n\n

This year\u2019s pilgrimage was particularly notable for two reasons: first was the participation, for the first time in the Jungto pilgrimage\u2019s 33-year history, of non-Korean practitioners: the 500-plus Korean Buddhist pilgrims were accompanied nine practitioners from Italy, Japan, Thailand, the United Kingdom, the United States, and Vietnam. Second, the pilgrimage also coincided with celebrations for the 30th anniversary of Sujata Academy, a remarkable community school and social empowerment project established by Ven. Pomnyun Sunim in Dungeshwari, in the northeastern Indian state of Bihar. This project has transformed the lives of an entire community of people who have faced systemic social and economic exclusion as a result of India\u2019s conservative Hindu caste hierarchy.2<\/sup><\/p>\n\n\n\n

The academy is named after Sujata, the young woman who is said to have nourished the ailing and emaciated Siddhartha Gautama with a bowl of milk-rice, thus ending his six years of extreme asceticism. Tuition at the academy is provided free of charge. The school\u2019s principal goal is to educate every student in basic literacy and numeracy. Classes are taught from kindergarten to secondary level, alongside adult literacy classes and skills training. Students who wish to continue beyond elementary education and attend secondary school are required to teach kindergarteners or to help out in the onsite Jivaka Hospital in the mornings and to attend classes in the afternoon, working in the spirit of giving back to the community. The campus also includes a warehouse, a dormitory, a large playing field, and sports equipment for the children.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

x<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n
\n
\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\"\"<\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

Ven. Pomnyun Sunim established the international Buddhist humanitarian relief organization Join Together Society (JTS) as an expression of the compassion of engaged Buddhism and the belief that helping others is the best way to enrich one\u2019s own life. Headquartered in Seoul, JTS operates four branch offices in South Korea and the United States, along with field offices in India and the Philippines. JTS Korea and JTS America oversee fundraising, while JTS India and JTS Philippines conduct development projects in cooperation with local communities. The relief organization has also earned Special Consultative Status to the United Nations Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

JTS India began its work in Dungeshwari, some 12 kilometers northeast of the Buddhist pilgrimage hub of Bodh Gaya, in the early 1990s, aspiring to fulfill the mission: \u201cThe hungry should eat; the sick should be treated; children should be educated in time.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This region is surrounded by the Pragbodhi Hills where the historical Buddha, Shakyamuni, is said to have spent six years in a cave as an ascetic. And it\u2019s here that JTS India has been working to empower the villagers of Dungeshwari to live their lives free from hunger, illiteracy, and disease.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The people of Dungeshwari are primarily Dalits, who face systemic social and economic exclusion as a result of the conservative Hindu social hierarchy. \u201cDalit,\u201d which translates as \u201cbroken\u201d in Sanskrit, is a term for the very lowest castes, whom members of the so-called \u201chigher\u201d castes still to this day deem \u201cuntouchable,\u201d despite the practice being prohibited in the Constitution of India. By working directly with disadvantaged communities, JTS aims to help them to mobilize their own capabilities and resources to create a more prosperous and sustainable future.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Jungto Society Dharma teacher Doyeon Jang (Dharma name Bogwang), is the director of Sujata Academy. She has overseen the development of this ambitious project, facing numerous challenges, both personal and structural, in the process of bringing this expression of compassion and social transformation to fruition.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u25b6\ufe0f Published by BDG on March 8, 2024<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u25b6\ufe0f Read more: <\/a>https:\/\/www.buddhistdoor.net\/features\/the-sujata-academy-project-the-power-of-hope-and-compassion-in-india\/<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

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<\/p>\n","post_title":"The Sujata Academy Project: The Power of Hope and Compassion in India","post_excerpt":"The Korean Seon (Zen) master Venerable Pomnyun Sunim (\ubc95\ub95c\uc2a4\ub2d8) wears many hats: Buddhist monk, teacher, author, environmentalist, and social activist, to name a few. As a widely respected Dharma teacher and a tireless socially engaged activist in his native South Korea, Ven. Pomnyun Sunim has founded numerous Dharma-based organizations, initiatives, and projects that are active across the world. Among them, Jungto Society, a volunteer-based community founded on the Buddhist teachings and expressing equality, simple living, and sustainability, is dedicated to addressing modern social issues that lead to suffering, including environmental degradation, poverty, and conflict.\n\nThis column, shared by Jungto Society, presents a series of highlights from Ven. Pomnyun Sunim\u2019s writings, teachings, public talks, and regular live-streamed Dharma Q+A sessions, which are accessible across the globe.\n","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","post_password":"","post_name":"the-sujata-academy-project-the-power-of-hope-and-compassion-in-india","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2024-03-10 17:38:00","post_modified_gmt":"2024-03-10 22:38:00","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/www.jungtosociety.org\/?p=18140","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"},{"ID":18136,"post_author":"13","post_date":"2024-03-10 17:24:34","post_date_gmt":"2024-03-10 22:24:34","post_content":"\n

Your son is over forty and
his main relationship is with someone else.
So, stop worrying about a grown man
who belongs with another woman
and be nice to the man next to you. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Illustration by Maseol <\/p>\n","post_title":"Son over forty","post_excerpt":"","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","post_password":"","post_name":"son-over-forty","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2024-03-10 17:24:36","post_modified_gmt":"2024-03-10 22:24:36","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/www.jungtosociety.org\/?p=18136","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"}],"next":false,"prev":false,"total_page":1},"paged":1,"column_class":"jeg_col_2o3","class":"jnews_block_37"};

\n

P:<\/strong> Most of us feel anxious and insecure about our old age. So, people ask, \u201cWhat do I need to do to prepare for a happy old age?\u201d However, there is no such thing as preparing to be happy. You must simply be happy at this moment. Let\u2019s say you slip and fall down the stairs and break a leg. If you think to yourself, \u201cWhat bad luck that I broke my leg!\u201d you will feel unhappy. However, if you think, \u201cHow fortunate that I only broke one leg when I could have easily broken both legs!\u201d you will feel happy. If you can see the positive side of everything, you will always be happy. There is no need to prepare for a happy old age.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWhen I see in the media, \u2018Your old age will be insecure if you don\u2019t prepare for it.\u2019 or \u2018You need to do this and that to be happy in your old age,\u2019 I feel like I need to do something.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Needing to prepare for happiness is a claim of those who have never been happy. Often, all people do is prepare to become happy but end up dying without ever having been happy. Therefore, there is no need to prepare. We should be happy from this very moment. We should not prepare to be happy but be happy immediately starting today.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Those who are not happy today cannot be happy tomorrow, and those who are not happy in this world cannot be happy in the afterworld, should it exist. Those who always complain in this world will find something to complain about even in heaven. You may think that you will be happy the moment you get to heaven, but once you are there, you might still be unhappy. There is no place in the world that will automatically make you happy. You should be happy right here, right now.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Then, how can we become happy? Wouldn\u2019t I be miserable if I envied you and kept thinking, \u201cHow I wish I could get married!\u201d? If those of you who are married keep thinking, \u201cI wish I could live alone. How wonderful it must be to travel anywhere as freely as the Sunim does!\u201d you would be very unhappy. A monk like me should be proud of living alone, and those who are married should be so happy in their marriages as to make a monk feel jealous. Living the life we have chosen to the best of our ability is living well.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

We should be happy with everything that happens in the natural course of our lives. For instance, we should be happy to grow old as time passes, happy to be alive when alive, and happy to die when death knocks at the door. Then, it will be like living in heaven in this life as well as in the afterlife. It doesn\u2019t make sense to live this life as if we were in hell while wishing to go to heaven after death.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

When a person who lives in Korea can live happily, Korea becomes a heaven. This person will be happy even if he lives in the U.S. However, a person who complains about his life in this world will not stop complaining even if he were sent to heaven. A complainer is likely to grumble no matter where he goes. Therefore, heaven and hell do not exist separately in another world. That is, we are in heaven when we are happy and in hell when we are miserable.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

We tend to blame others for their hardships and suffering. However, if we look carefully, we will to see that we ourselves make our own happiness and unhappiness. Those who make themselves miserable will feel miserable even in heaven, and those who make themselves happy will be happy even in hell.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

We should be content with our current lives at all times. When we wake up early in the morning, when we meditate, when we prostrate, and when we have meals, we should be happy to be able to do these things. Considering that a countless number of people in North Korea are currently starving, shouldn\u2019t we be thankful for the fact that we are able to have regular meals? We should always perceive our lives in such a positive light.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Actually, you are all happy right now. You simply don\u2019t see it or feel it. Once upon a time someone visited a Zen master and talked extensively about the Buddha and his teachings. The Zen master told him, \u201cJust have a cup of tea.\u201d He meant, \u201cStop thinking nonsense.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

You are already happy. You don\u2019t need to work hard to be happy.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

When you let go of the thought, \u201cI will live happily,\u201d you will find happiness.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

We create our own happiness.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

We create our own misfortune.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Truly, our happiness and unhappiness are not created by others.<\/p>\n","post_title":"We Are The Ones Who Create Our Happiness And Unhappiness","post_excerpt":"","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","post_password":"","post_name":"we-are-the-ones-who-create-our-happiness-and-unhappiness","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2024-03-11 20:02:00","post_modified_gmt":"2024-03-12 01:02:00","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/www.jungtosociety.org\/?p=18145","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"},{"ID":18295,"post_author":"13","post_date":"2024-03-20 22:57:13","post_date_gmt":"2024-03-21 03:57:13","post_content":"\n

\"Let's change just one day at a time\" <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Accomplishing something
every day with a light heart is like
water drops piercing a rock. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Illustration by Maseol <\/p>\n","post_title":"One day at a time","post_excerpt":"","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","post_password":"","post_name":"one-day-at-a-time","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2024-03-20 22:57:15","post_modified_gmt":"2024-03-21 03:57:15","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/www.jungtosociety.org\/?p=18295","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"},{"ID":18131,"post_author":"40","post_date":"2024-03-19 14:51:48","post_date_gmt":"2024-03-19 19:51:48","post_content":"\n

P:<\/strong> In the past, parents left all their wealth to their children when they retired, and since their children took good care of them for the rest of their lives, they did not have to worry about their future. However, times have changed. The middle-aged population now find that although they have honored and taken good care of their aged parents, their own children are unlikely to do the same for them. Therefore, parents, today should not give all their assets to their children when they retire.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

When parents leave all their wealth to their offspring, they may be exposed to the danger of becoming broke and homeless if their offspring should go bankrupt. This isn\u2019t such a big problem when you are young because you can work hard to regain your wealth. In Korea, there is even a saying that goes, \u201cHardship during youth is worth paying money for.\u201d Because they have energy and potential, young people don\u2019t look pathetic when they are without money and live in a tent. However, nothing is more pitiful than seeing an old person broke and homeless. Therefore, even when any of your children become bankrupt, you should not lend him or her money by mortgaging your house. If you do, you may end up losing your house.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

You can age gracefully when you have your own assets. If you don\u2019t have anything to live on, your later years will become miserable. So, you should keep your assets. If you give them away to your children, your relationship with your children may easily be ruined.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This is not to say that you should hoard all your assets. You can give some to your children if you want, but you should keep your house and enough money to live comfortably. This way, you will still have some assets to leave to your children when you pass away, and they will arrange a good funeral for you.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

If you plan to distribute your assets among your children after retirement, it\u2019s a good idea to give away just seventy to eighty percent of your assets. You must keep twenty to thirty percent for your own. You can decide on the percentage depending on the size of your assets. If you don\u2019t have a lot of assets, the percentage you keep should be higher than if you have a lot. Either way, when parents maintain their financial freedom even after retirement, they will be able to live with dignity and are more likely to sustain a good relationship with their children.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Of course, there is the option of practicing according to the teachings of the Buddha and letting go of all your worldly possessions. People may think that an enlightened person does not need to have a cent to his name and just needs a space in the common room of a temple to sleep. Most people, however, can\u2019t live this way, which is why they need to hold on to enough assets to live on. Those living in the countryside need a place to live, a piece of land to grow various vegetables, and rice fields, while those living in the city need to have a principal amount in the bank that will yield enough monthly interest for them to live comfortably.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

It\u2019s not easy for people to earn money in their old age. Since they don\u2019t have a source of income, they may expect their children to give them some spending money and end up resenting them if they don\u2019t. To avoid such an outcome, it\u2019s necessary for people to keep some financial assets to live on in their old age. This way, parents can live independently from their children without expecting too much from their children or be overly attached to them.<\/p>\n","post_title":"You Should Hold Onto Enough Financial Assets To Live On After Retirement","post_excerpt":"","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","post_password":"","post_name":"you-should-hold-onto-enough-financial-assets-to-live-on-after-retirement","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2024-03-02 14:55:05","post_modified_gmt":"2024-03-02 19:55:05","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/www.jungtosociety.org\/?p=18131","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"},{"ID":18045,"post_author":"40","post_date":"2024-03-15 07:00:00","post_date_gmt":"2024-03-15 12:00:00","post_content":"\n

<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/a><\/gwmw><\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/a><\/p>\n","post_title":"[Meditation Q&A] \u201cHow can I value serenity but not give up caring when I am practicing…. ?","post_excerpt":"","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","post_password":"","post_name":"meditation-qa-how-can-i-value-serenity-but-not-give-up-caring-when-i-am-practicing","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2024-02-27 19:02:33","post_modified_gmt":"2024-02-28 00:02:33","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/www.jungtosociety.org\/?p=18045","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"},{"ID":18197,"post_author":"13","post_date":"2024-03-13 22:47:47","post_date_gmt":"2024-03-14 03:47:47","post_content":"\n

It\u2019s simple to become an adult.
Wake up earlier than your mom
and prepare breakfast for your parents,
wash the dishes,
and clean your room after school or work. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Illustration by Maseol <\/p>\n","post_title":"Becoming an adult","post_excerpt":"","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","post_password":"","post_name":"becoming-an-adult","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2024-03-13 22:47:48","post_modified_gmt":"2024-03-14 03:47:48","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/www.jungtosociety.org\/?p=18197","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"},{"ID":18125,"post_author":"40","post_date":"2024-03-12 07:00:00","post_date_gmt":"2024-03-12 12:00:00","post_content":"\n

P:<\/strong> When the Buddha was close to death, his disciples came to him and asked,<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cHow would you like us to conduct your funeral?\u201d The Buddha answered, \u201cYou don\u2019t need to worry about my funeral because the lay Buddhists will take care of it.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Lay Buddhists are those who take refuge in the Three Jewels and practice the Five Precepts without becoming monks or nuns. When the Buddha said they will take care of it, he meant that his funeral would be conducted based on customs of the lay people in India. So, after the Buddha died, the Lay Buddhists cremated the Buddha\u2019s body according to the Indian tradition. If he had lived in Korea, he would have been buried in the ground as is the custom in Korea.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Dharma is a teaching about truth, so it does not contain cultural aspects. However, since Buddhism originated from India, its traditions, customs, and culture were integrated into the Buddhist culture. Strictly speaking, neither cremation nor the 49-day posthumous ceremony is a fundamental tradition of Buddhism. They are in fact part of the of Indian cultural tradition.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

It is said that the deceased person has 49 days to be saved and is classified into one of nine levels based on his deeds during his life. \u201cAnyone can be reborn in paradise after he dies if he sincerely hopes for it. However, not everyone can be reborn in paradise right away since people fall into one of the nine categories based on their deeds.\u201d Specifically, people are divided into three categories of high, middle and low, and those in each of the three categories are again divided into high, middle and low, so there are a total of nine categories.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

It is believed that people in the very first category are reborn in paradise immediately after their death. It is comparable to leaving a room and entering another room. Those in the second category are reborn within 12 hours. It takes one day for those in the third category, three days for those in the fourth, a week for those in the fifth, 21 days for those in the sixth, and finally, it takes 49 days for those in the seventh category to be reborn in paradise. This is reason that people hold the 49-day posthumous ceremony. This ritual provides an opportunity for people to do good deeds on behalf of their deceased family members and help them be reborn in paradise within 49 days.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

What happens to the people in the eighth and ninth categories? Ultimately, people in all nine categories will all be reborn in paradise. However, those in the eighth and ninth categories have to spend some time in hell before that. Every year, Buddhists perform the Buddhist All Soul\u2019s Day ceremony on July 15th of the lunar calendar to save the souls of those in the two categories from hell. There is no point in debating whether this is true or not because it is a religious belief, so people are free to choose whether to believe it or not.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Funeral customs vary greatly from religion to religion and country to country. In India, the dead are cremated, and in Tibet, they are left to be eaten by birds. The corpse is cut up and placed on big rocks high in the mountain, so that it is eaten by falcons and eagles. In desert regions, the dead are \u201cburied in the wind.\u201d That is, they are nailed on a wooden board and exposed to the elements for one year until only the bones remain after which the funeral ceremony is performed. In regions with many islands, the dead are dropped into the sea.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Each of these funeral rituals has its unique meaning and significance. Tibetans feed the dead to birds because they believe that the spirit of the dead will fly to heaven with the birds. Some cultures bury the dead in the ground because of the belief that the spiritual world exists underground. Meanwhile, Indians believe in reincarnation, so they cremate the corpse to help the spirits to quickly sever their attachment to their worldly bodies so that they can be reborn.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Regardless of the funeral ritual that is performed, once a person dies, it\u2019s the end. By saying \u201cthe end\u201d I am not implying that there is no heaven or an afterlife; I am simply saying the person who draws his last breath will no longer exist in this world. From a Christian viewpoint, the spirits go to heaven, and from a Buddhist perspective, the spirits are reborn, so there is nothing we can do for them. Therefore, the best farewell for those who pass away is to let them go from our hearts.<\/p>\n","post_title":"The Best Farewell For The Deceased","post_excerpt":"","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","post_password":"","post_name":"the-best-farewell-for-the-deceased-2","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2024-03-02 14:50:59","post_modified_gmt":"2024-03-02 19:50:59","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/www.jungtosociety.org\/?p=18125","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"},{"ID":18140,"post_author":"13","post_date":"2024-03-10 17:37:58","post_date_gmt":"2024-03-10 22:37:58","post_content":"\n

<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Jungto Society, the international Buddhist community founded by the revered Korean Dharma master and social activist Venerable Pomnyun Sunim (\ubc95\ub95c\uc2a4\ub2d8), recently conducted its 33rd annual pilgrimage across India and to Nepal. Held under the theme \u201cFollowing in the Footsteps of the Buddha,\u201d the pilgrimage, which ran from 19 January to 2 February, was attended by more 500 practitioners.1<\/sup><\/p>\n\n\n\n

This year\u2019s pilgrimage was particularly notable for two reasons: first was the participation, for the first time in the Jungto pilgrimage\u2019s 33-year history, of non-Korean practitioners: the 500-plus Korean Buddhist pilgrims were accompanied nine practitioners from Italy, Japan, Thailand, the United Kingdom, the United States, and Vietnam. Second, the pilgrimage also coincided with celebrations for the 30th anniversary of Sujata Academy, a remarkable community school and social empowerment project established by Ven. Pomnyun Sunim in Dungeshwari, in the northeastern Indian state of Bihar. This project has transformed the lives of an entire community of people who have faced systemic social and economic exclusion as a result of India\u2019s conservative Hindu caste hierarchy.2<\/sup><\/p>\n\n\n\n

The academy is named after Sujata, the young woman who is said to have nourished the ailing and emaciated Siddhartha Gautama with a bowl of milk-rice, thus ending his six years of extreme asceticism. Tuition at the academy is provided free of charge. The school\u2019s principal goal is to educate every student in basic literacy and numeracy. Classes are taught from kindergarten to secondary level, alongside adult literacy classes and skills training. Students who wish to continue beyond elementary education and attend secondary school are required to teach kindergarteners or to help out in the onsite Jivaka Hospital in the mornings and to attend classes in the afternoon, working in the spirit of giving back to the community. The campus also includes a warehouse, a dormitory, a large playing field, and sports equipment for the children.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

x<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n
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\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\"\"<\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

Ven. Pomnyun Sunim established the international Buddhist humanitarian relief organization Join Together Society (JTS) as an expression of the compassion of engaged Buddhism and the belief that helping others is the best way to enrich one\u2019s own life. Headquartered in Seoul, JTS operates four branch offices in South Korea and the United States, along with field offices in India and the Philippines. JTS Korea and JTS America oversee fundraising, while JTS India and JTS Philippines conduct development projects in cooperation with local communities. The relief organization has also earned Special Consultative Status to the United Nations Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

JTS India began its work in Dungeshwari, some 12 kilometers northeast of the Buddhist pilgrimage hub of Bodh Gaya, in the early 1990s, aspiring to fulfill the mission: \u201cThe hungry should eat; the sick should be treated; children should be educated in time.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This region is surrounded by the Pragbodhi Hills where the historical Buddha, Shakyamuni, is said to have spent six years in a cave as an ascetic. And it\u2019s here that JTS India has been working to empower the villagers of Dungeshwari to live their lives free from hunger, illiteracy, and disease.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The people of Dungeshwari are primarily Dalits, who face systemic social and economic exclusion as a result of the conservative Hindu social hierarchy. \u201cDalit,\u201d which translates as \u201cbroken\u201d in Sanskrit, is a term for the very lowest castes, whom members of the so-called \u201chigher\u201d castes still to this day deem \u201cuntouchable,\u201d despite the practice being prohibited in the Constitution of India. By working directly with disadvantaged communities, JTS aims to help them to mobilize their own capabilities and resources to create a more prosperous and sustainable future.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Jungto Society Dharma teacher Doyeon Jang (Dharma name Bogwang), is the director of Sujata Academy. She has overseen the development of this ambitious project, facing numerous challenges, both personal and structural, in the process of bringing this expression of compassion and social transformation to fruition.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u25b6\ufe0f Published by BDG on March 8, 2024<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u25b6\ufe0f Read more: <\/a>https:\/\/www.buddhistdoor.net\/features\/the-sujata-academy-project-the-power-of-hope-and-compassion-in-india\/<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

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<\/p>\n","post_title":"The Sujata Academy Project: The Power of Hope and Compassion in India","post_excerpt":"The Korean Seon (Zen) master Venerable Pomnyun Sunim (\ubc95\ub95c\uc2a4\ub2d8) wears many hats: Buddhist monk, teacher, author, environmentalist, and social activist, to name a few. As a widely respected Dharma teacher and a tireless socially engaged activist in his native South Korea, Ven. Pomnyun Sunim has founded numerous Dharma-based organizations, initiatives, and projects that are active across the world. Among them, Jungto Society, a volunteer-based community founded on the Buddhist teachings and expressing equality, simple living, and sustainability, is dedicated to addressing modern social issues that lead to suffering, including environmental degradation, poverty, and conflict.\n\nThis column, shared by Jungto Society, presents a series of highlights from Ven. Pomnyun Sunim\u2019s writings, teachings, public talks, and regular live-streamed Dharma Q+A sessions, which are accessible across the globe.\n","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","post_password":"","post_name":"the-sujata-academy-project-the-power-of-hope-and-compassion-in-india","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2024-03-10 17:38:00","post_modified_gmt":"2024-03-10 22:38:00","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/www.jungtosociety.org\/?p=18140","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"},{"ID":18136,"post_author":"13","post_date":"2024-03-10 17:24:34","post_date_gmt":"2024-03-10 22:24:34","post_content":"\n

Your son is over forty and
his main relationship is with someone else.
So, stop worrying about a grown man
who belongs with another woman
and be nice to the man next to you. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Illustration by Maseol <\/p>\n","post_title":"Son over forty","post_excerpt":"","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","post_password":"","post_name":"son-over-forty","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2024-03-10 17:24:36","post_modified_gmt":"2024-03-10 22:24:36","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/www.jungtosociety.org\/?p=18136","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"}],"next":false,"prev":false,"total_page":1},"paged":1,"column_class":"jeg_col_2o3","class":"jnews_block_37"};

\n
<\/div>\n<\/div>\n","post_title":"In-Person Casual Conversation with Ven. Pomnyun Sunim in 2024","post_excerpt":"","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","post_password":"","post_name":"casual-conversation-with-ven-pomnyun-sunim-2024","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2024-03-27 12:49:06","post_modified_gmt":"2024-03-27 17:49:06","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/www.jungtosociety.org\/?p=18171","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"},{"ID":18145,"post_author":"40","post_date":"2024-03-26 07:00:00","post_date_gmt":"2024-03-26 12:00:00","post_content":"\n

P:<\/strong> Most of us feel anxious and insecure about our old age. So, people ask, \u201cWhat do I need to do to prepare for a happy old age?\u201d However, there is no such thing as preparing to be happy. You must simply be happy at this moment. Let\u2019s say you slip and fall down the stairs and break a leg. If you think to yourself, \u201cWhat bad luck that I broke my leg!\u201d you will feel unhappy. However, if you think, \u201cHow fortunate that I only broke one leg when I could have easily broken both legs!\u201d you will feel happy. If you can see the positive side of everything, you will always be happy. There is no need to prepare for a happy old age.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWhen I see in the media, \u2018Your old age will be insecure if you don\u2019t prepare for it.\u2019 or \u2018You need to do this and that to be happy in your old age,\u2019 I feel like I need to do something.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Needing to prepare for happiness is a claim of those who have never been happy. Often, all people do is prepare to become happy but end up dying without ever having been happy. Therefore, there is no need to prepare. We should be happy from this very moment. We should not prepare to be happy but be happy immediately starting today.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Those who are not happy today cannot be happy tomorrow, and those who are not happy in this world cannot be happy in the afterworld, should it exist. Those who always complain in this world will find something to complain about even in heaven. You may think that you will be happy the moment you get to heaven, but once you are there, you might still be unhappy. There is no place in the world that will automatically make you happy. You should be happy right here, right now.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Then, how can we become happy? Wouldn\u2019t I be miserable if I envied you and kept thinking, \u201cHow I wish I could get married!\u201d? If those of you who are married keep thinking, \u201cI wish I could live alone. How wonderful it must be to travel anywhere as freely as the Sunim does!\u201d you would be very unhappy. A monk like me should be proud of living alone, and those who are married should be so happy in their marriages as to make a monk feel jealous. Living the life we have chosen to the best of our ability is living well.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

We should be happy with everything that happens in the natural course of our lives. For instance, we should be happy to grow old as time passes, happy to be alive when alive, and happy to die when death knocks at the door. Then, it will be like living in heaven in this life as well as in the afterlife. It doesn\u2019t make sense to live this life as if we were in hell while wishing to go to heaven after death.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

When a person who lives in Korea can live happily, Korea becomes a heaven. This person will be happy even if he lives in the U.S. However, a person who complains about his life in this world will not stop complaining even if he were sent to heaven. A complainer is likely to grumble no matter where he goes. Therefore, heaven and hell do not exist separately in another world. That is, we are in heaven when we are happy and in hell when we are miserable.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

We tend to blame others for their hardships and suffering. However, if we look carefully, we will to see that we ourselves make our own happiness and unhappiness. Those who make themselves miserable will feel miserable even in heaven, and those who make themselves happy will be happy even in hell.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

We should be content with our current lives at all times. When we wake up early in the morning, when we meditate, when we prostrate, and when we have meals, we should be happy to be able to do these things. Considering that a countless number of people in North Korea are currently starving, shouldn\u2019t we be thankful for the fact that we are able to have regular meals? We should always perceive our lives in such a positive light.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Actually, you are all happy right now. You simply don\u2019t see it or feel it. Once upon a time someone visited a Zen master and talked extensively about the Buddha and his teachings. The Zen master told him, \u201cJust have a cup of tea.\u201d He meant, \u201cStop thinking nonsense.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

You are already happy. You don\u2019t need to work hard to be happy.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

When you let go of the thought, \u201cI will live happily,\u201d you will find happiness.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

We create our own happiness.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

We create our own misfortune.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Truly, our happiness and unhappiness are not created by others.<\/p>\n","post_title":"We Are The Ones Who Create Our Happiness And Unhappiness","post_excerpt":"","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","post_password":"","post_name":"we-are-the-ones-who-create-our-happiness-and-unhappiness","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2024-03-11 20:02:00","post_modified_gmt":"2024-03-12 01:02:00","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/www.jungtosociety.org\/?p=18145","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"},{"ID":18295,"post_author":"13","post_date":"2024-03-20 22:57:13","post_date_gmt":"2024-03-21 03:57:13","post_content":"\n

\"Let's change just one day at a time\" <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Accomplishing something
every day with a light heart is like
water drops piercing a rock. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Illustration by Maseol <\/p>\n","post_title":"One day at a time","post_excerpt":"","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","post_password":"","post_name":"one-day-at-a-time","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2024-03-20 22:57:15","post_modified_gmt":"2024-03-21 03:57:15","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/www.jungtosociety.org\/?p=18295","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"},{"ID":18131,"post_author":"40","post_date":"2024-03-19 14:51:48","post_date_gmt":"2024-03-19 19:51:48","post_content":"\n

P:<\/strong> In the past, parents left all their wealth to their children when they retired, and since their children took good care of them for the rest of their lives, they did not have to worry about their future. However, times have changed. The middle-aged population now find that although they have honored and taken good care of their aged parents, their own children are unlikely to do the same for them. Therefore, parents, today should not give all their assets to their children when they retire.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

When parents leave all their wealth to their offspring, they may be exposed to the danger of becoming broke and homeless if their offspring should go bankrupt. This isn\u2019t such a big problem when you are young because you can work hard to regain your wealth. In Korea, there is even a saying that goes, \u201cHardship during youth is worth paying money for.\u201d Because they have energy and potential, young people don\u2019t look pathetic when they are without money and live in a tent. However, nothing is more pitiful than seeing an old person broke and homeless. Therefore, even when any of your children become bankrupt, you should not lend him or her money by mortgaging your house. If you do, you may end up losing your house.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

You can age gracefully when you have your own assets. If you don\u2019t have anything to live on, your later years will become miserable. So, you should keep your assets. If you give them away to your children, your relationship with your children may easily be ruined.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This is not to say that you should hoard all your assets. You can give some to your children if you want, but you should keep your house and enough money to live comfortably. This way, you will still have some assets to leave to your children when you pass away, and they will arrange a good funeral for you.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

If you plan to distribute your assets among your children after retirement, it\u2019s a good idea to give away just seventy to eighty percent of your assets. You must keep twenty to thirty percent for your own. You can decide on the percentage depending on the size of your assets. If you don\u2019t have a lot of assets, the percentage you keep should be higher than if you have a lot. Either way, when parents maintain their financial freedom even after retirement, they will be able to live with dignity and are more likely to sustain a good relationship with their children.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Of course, there is the option of practicing according to the teachings of the Buddha and letting go of all your worldly possessions. People may think that an enlightened person does not need to have a cent to his name and just needs a space in the common room of a temple to sleep. Most people, however, can\u2019t live this way, which is why they need to hold on to enough assets to live on. Those living in the countryside need a place to live, a piece of land to grow various vegetables, and rice fields, while those living in the city need to have a principal amount in the bank that will yield enough monthly interest for them to live comfortably.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

It\u2019s not easy for people to earn money in their old age. Since they don\u2019t have a source of income, they may expect their children to give them some spending money and end up resenting them if they don\u2019t. To avoid such an outcome, it\u2019s necessary for people to keep some financial assets to live on in their old age. This way, parents can live independently from their children without expecting too much from their children or be overly attached to them.<\/p>\n","post_title":"You Should Hold Onto Enough Financial Assets To Live On After Retirement","post_excerpt":"","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","post_password":"","post_name":"you-should-hold-onto-enough-financial-assets-to-live-on-after-retirement","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2024-03-02 14:55:05","post_modified_gmt":"2024-03-02 19:55:05","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/www.jungtosociety.org\/?p=18131","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"},{"ID":18045,"post_author":"40","post_date":"2024-03-15 07:00:00","post_date_gmt":"2024-03-15 12:00:00","post_content":"\n

<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

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<\/a><\/gwmw><\/p>\n\n\n\n

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<\/a><\/p>\n","post_title":"[Meditation Q&A] \u201cHow can I value serenity but not give up caring when I am practicing…. ?","post_excerpt":"","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","post_password":"","post_name":"meditation-qa-how-can-i-value-serenity-but-not-give-up-caring-when-i-am-practicing","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2024-02-27 19:02:33","post_modified_gmt":"2024-02-28 00:02:33","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/www.jungtosociety.org\/?p=18045","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"},{"ID":18197,"post_author":"13","post_date":"2024-03-13 22:47:47","post_date_gmt":"2024-03-14 03:47:47","post_content":"\n

It\u2019s simple to become an adult.
Wake up earlier than your mom
and prepare breakfast for your parents,
wash the dishes,
and clean your room after school or work. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Illustration by Maseol <\/p>\n","post_title":"Becoming an adult","post_excerpt":"","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","post_password":"","post_name":"becoming-an-adult","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2024-03-13 22:47:48","post_modified_gmt":"2024-03-14 03:47:48","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/www.jungtosociety.org\/?p=18197","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"},{"ID":18125,"post_author":"40","post_date":"2024-03-12 07:00:00","post_date_gmt":"2024-03-12 12:00:00","post_content":"\n

P:<\/strong> When the Buddha was close to death, his disciples came to him and asked,<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cHow would you like us to conduct your funeral?\u201d The Buddha answered, \u201cYou don\u2019t need to worry about my funeral because the lay Buddhists will take care of it.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Lay Buddhists are those who take refuge in the Three Jewels and practice the Five Precepts without becoming monks or nuns. When the Buddha said they will take care of it, he meant that his funeral would be conducted based on customs of the lay people in India. So, after the Buddha died, the Lay Buddhists cremated the Buddha\u2019s body according to the Indian tradition. If he had lived in Korea, he would have been buried in the ground as is the custom in Korea.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Dharma is a teaching about truth, so it does not contain cultural aspects. However, since Buddhism originated from India, its traditions, customs, and culture were integrated into the Buddhist culture. Strictly speaking, neither cremation nor the 49-day posthumous ceremony is a fundamental tradition of Buddhism. They are in fact part of the of Indian cultural tradition.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

It is said that the deceased person has 49 days to be saved and is classified into one of nine levels based on his deeds during his life. \u201cAnyone can be reborn in paradise after he dies if he sincerely hopes for it. However, not everyone can be reborn in paradise right away since people fall into one of the nine categories based on their deeds.\u201d Specifically, people are divided into three categories of high, middle and low, and those in each of the three categories are again divided into high, middle and low, so there are a total of nine categories.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

It is believed that people in the very first category are reborn in paradise immediately after their death. It is comparable to leaving a room and entering another room. Those in the second category are reborn within 12 hours. It takes one day for those in the third category, three days for those in the fourth, a week for those in the fifth, 21 days for those in the sixth, and finally, it takes 49 days for those in the seventh category to be reborn in paradise. This is reason that people hold the 49-day posthumous ceremony. This ritual provides an opportunity for people to do good deeds on behalf of their deceased family members and help them be reborn in paradise within 49 days.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

What happens to the people in the eighth and ninth categories? Ultimately, people in all nine categories will all be reborn in paradise. However, those in the eighth and ninth categories have to spend some time in hell before that. Every year, Buddhists perform the Buddhist All Soul\u2019s Day ceremony on July 15th of the lunar calendar to save the souls of those in the two categories from hell. There is no point in debating whether this is true or not because it is a religious belief, so people are free to choose whether to believe it or not.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Funeral customs vary greatly from religion to religion and country to country. In India, the dead are cremated, and in Tibet, they are left to be eaten by birds. The corpse is cut up and placed on big rocks high in the mountain, so that it is eaten by falcons and eagles. In desert regions, the dead are \u201cburied in the wind.\u201d That is, they are nailed on a wooden board and exposed to the elements for one year until only the bones remain after which the funeral ceremony is performed. In regions with many islands, the dead are dropped into the sea.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Each of these funeral rituals has its unique meaning and significance. Tibetans feed the dead to birds because they believe that the spirit of the dead will fly to heaven with the birds. Some cultures bury the dead in the ground because of the belief that the spiritual world exists underground. Meanwhile, Indians believe in reincarnation, so they cremate the corpse to help the spirits to quickly sever their attachment to their worldly bodies so that they can be reborn.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Regardless of the funeral ritual that is performed, once a person dies, it\u2019s the end. By saying \u201cthe end\u201d I am not implying that there is no heaven or an afterlife; I am simply saying the person who draws his last breath will no longer exist in this world. From a Christian viewpoint, the spirits go to heaven, and from a Buddhist perspective, the spirits are reborn, so there is nothing we can do for them. Therefore, the best farewell for those who pass away is to let them go from our hearts.<\/p>\n","post_title":"The Best Farewell For The Deceased","post_excerpt":"","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","post_password":"","post_name":"the-best-farewell-for-the-deceased-2","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2024-03-02 14:50:59","post_modified_gmt":"2024-03-02 19:50:59","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/www.jungtosociety.org\/?p=18125","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"},{"ID":18140,"post_author":"13","post_date":"2024-03-10 17:37:58","post_date_gmt":"2024-03-10 22:37:58","post_content":"\n

<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Jungto Society, the international Buddhist community founded by the revered Korean Dharma master and social activist Venerable Pomnyun Sunim (\ubc95\ub95c\uc2a4\ub2d8), recently conducted its 33rd annual pilgrimage across India and to Nepal. Held under the theme \u201cFollowing in the Footsteps of the Buddha,\u201d the pilgrimage, which ran from 19 January to 2 February, was attended by more 500 practitioners.1<\/sup><\/p>\n\n\n\n

This year\u2019s pilgrimage was particularly notable for two reasons: first was the participation, for the first time in the Jungto pilgrimage\u2019s 33-year history, of non-Korean practitioners: the 500-plus Korean Buddhist pilgrims were accompanied nine practitioners from Italy, Japan, Thailand, the United Kingdom, the United States, and Vietnam. Second, the pilgrimage also coincided with celebrations for the 30th anniversary of Sujata Academy, a remarkable community school and social empowerment project established by Ven. Pomnyun Sunim in Dungeshwari, in the northeastern Indian state of Bihar. This project has transformed the lives of an entire community of people who have faced systemic social and economic exclusion as a result of India\u2019s conservative Hindu caste hierarchy.2<\/sup><\/p>\n\n\n\n

The academy is named after Sujata, the young woman who is said to have nourished the ailing and emaciated Siddhartha Gautama with a bowl of milk-rice, thus ending his six years of extreme asceticism. Tuition at the academy is provided free of charge. The school\u2019s principal goal is to educate every student in basic literacy and numeracy. Classes are taught from kindergarten to secondary level, alongside adult literacy classes and skills training. Students who wish to continue beyond elementary education and attend secondary school are required to teach kindergarteners or to help out in the onsite Jivaka Hospital in the mornings and to attend classes in the afternoon, working in the spirit of giving back to the community. The campus also includes a warehouse, a dormitory, a large playing field, and sports equipment for the children.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

x<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Ven. Pomnyun Sunim established the international Buddhist humanitarian relief organization Join Together Society (JTS) as an expression of the compassion of engaged Buddhism and the belief that helping others is the best way to enrich one\u2019s own life. Headquartered in Seoul, JTS operates four branch offices in South Korea and the United States, along with field offices in India and the Philippines. JTS Korea and JTS America oversee fundraising, while JTS India and JTS Philippines conduct development projects in cooperation with local communities. The relief organization has also earned Special Consultative Status to the United Nations Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

JTS India began its work in Dungeshwari, some 12 kilometers northeast of the Buddhist pilgrimage hub of Bodh Gaya, in the early 1990s, aspiring to fulfill the mission: \u201cThe hungry should eat; the sick should be treated; children should be educated in time.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This region is surrounded by the Pragbodhi Hills where the historical Buddha, Shakyamuni, is said to have spent six years in a cave as an ascetic. And it\u2019s here that JTS India has been working to empower the villagers of Dungeshwari to live their lives free from hunger, illiteracy, and disease.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The people of Dungeshwari are primarily Dalits, who face systemic social and economic exclusion as a result of the conservative Hindu social hierarchy. \u201cDalit,\u201d which translates as \u201cbroken\u201d in Sanskrit, is a term for the very lowest castes, whom members of the so-called \u201chigher\u201d castes still to this day deem \u201cuntouchable,\u201d despite the practice being prohibited in the Constitution of India. By working directly with disadvantaged communities, JTS aims to help them to mobilize their own capabilities and resources to create a more prosperous and sustainable future.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Jungto Society Dharma teacher Doyeon Jang (Dharma name Bogwang), is the director of Sujata Academy. She has overseen the development of this ambitious project, facing numerous challenges, both personal and structural, in the process of bringing this expression of compassion and social transformation to fruition.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u25b6\ufe0f Published by BDG on March 8, 2024<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u25b6\ufe0f Read more: <\/a>https:\/\/www.buddhistdoor.net\/features\/the-sujata-academy-project-the-power-of-hope-and-compassion-in-india\/<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

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<\/p>\n","post_title":"The Sujata Academy Project: The Power of Hope and Compassion in India","post_excerpt":"The Korean Seon (Zen) master Venerable Pomnyun Sunim (\ubc95\ub95c\uc2a4\ub2d8) wears many hats: Buddhist monk, teacher, author, environmentalist, and social activist, to name a few. As a widely respected Dharma teacher and a tireless socially engaged activist in his native South Korea, Ven. Pomnyun Sunim has founded numerous Dharma-based organizations, initiatives, and projects that are active across the world. Among them, Jungto Society, a volunteer-based community founded on the Buddhist teachings and expressing equality, simple living, and sustainability, is dedicated to addressing modern social issues that lead to suffering, including environmental degradation, poverty, and conflict.\n\nThis column, shared by Jungto Society, presents a series of highlights from Ven. Pomnyun Sunim\u2019s writings, teachings, public talks, and regular live-streamed Dharma Q+A sessions, which are accessible across the globe.\n","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","post_password":"","post_name":"the-sujata-academy-project-the-power-of-hope-and-compassion-in-india","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2024-03-10 17:38:00","post_modified_gmt":"2024-03-10 22:38:00","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/www.jungtosociety.org\/?p=18140","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"},{"ID":18136,"post_author":"13","post_date":"2024-03-10 17:24:34","post_date_gmt":"2024-03-10 22:24:34","post_content":"\n

Your son is over forty and
his main relationship is with someone else.
So, stop worrying about a grown man
who belongs with another woman
and be nice to the man next to you. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Illustration by Maseol <\/p>\n","post_title":"Son over forty","post_excerpt":"","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","post_password":"","post_name":"son-over-forty","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2024-03-10 17:24:36","post_modified_gmt":"2024-03-10 22:24:36","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/www.jungtosociety.org\/?p=18136","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"}],"next":false,"prev":false,"total_page":1},"paged":1,"column_class":"jeg_col_2o3","class":"jnews_block_37"};

\n\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n
<\/div>\n<\/div>\n","post_title":"In-Person Casual Conversation with Ven. Pomnyun Sunim in 2024","post_excerpt":"","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","post_password":"","post_name":"casual-conversation-with-ven-pomnyun-sunim-2024","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2024-03-27 12:49:06","post_modified_gmt":"2024-03-27 17:49:06","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/www.jungtosociety.org\/?p=18171","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"},{"ID":18145,"post_author":"40","post_date":"2024-03-26 07:00:00","post_date_gmt":"2024-03-26 12:00:00","post_content":"\n

P:<\/strong> Most of us feel anxious and insecure about our old age. So, people ask, \u201cWhat do I need to do to prepare for a happy old age?\u201d However, there is no such thing as preparing to be happy. You must simply be happy at this moment. Let\u2019s say you slip and fall down the stairs and break a leg. If you think to yourself, \u201cWhat bad luck that I broke my leg!\u201d you will feel unhappy. However, if you think, \u201cHow fortunate that I only broke one leg when I could have easily broken both legs!\u201d you will feel happy. If you can see the positive side of everything, you will always be happy. There is no need to prepare for a happy old age.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWhen I see in the media, \u2018Your old age will be insecure if you don\u2019t prepare for it.\u2019 or \u2018You need to do this and that to be happy in your old age,\u2019 I feel like I need to do something.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Needing to prepare for happiness is a claim of those who have never been happy. Often, all people do is prepare to become happy but end up dying without ever having been happy. Therefore, there is no need to prepare. We should be happy from this very moment. We should not prepare to be happy but be happy immediately starting today.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Those who are not happy today cannot be happy tomorrow, and those who are not happy in this world cannot be happy in the afterworld, should it exist. Those who always complain in this world will find something to complain about even in heaven. You may think that you will be happy the moment you get to heaven, but once you are there, you might still be unhappy. There is no place in the world that will automatically make you happy. You should be happy right here, right now.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Then, how can we become happy? Wouldn\u2019t I be miserable if I envied you and kept thinking, \u201cHow I wish I could get married!\u201d? If those of you who are married keep thinking, \u201cI wish I could live alone. How wonderful it must be to travel anywhere as freely as the Sunim does!\u201d you would be very unhappy. A monk like me should be proud of living alone, and those who are married should be so happy in their marriages as to make a monk feel jealous. Living the life we have chosen to the best of our ability is living well.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

We should be happy with everything that happens in the natural course of our lives. For instance, we should be happy to grow old as time passes, happy to be alive when alive, and happy to die when death knocks at the door. Then, it will be like living in heaven in this life as well as in the afterlife. It doesn\u2019t make sense to live this life as if we were in hell while wishing to go to heaven after death.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

When a person who lives in Korea can live happily, Korea becomes a heaven. This person will be happy even if he lives in the U.S. However, a person who complains about his life in this world will not stop complaining even if he were sent to heaven. A complainer is likely to grumble no matter where he goes. Therefore, heaven and hell do not exist separately in another world. That is, we are in heaven when we are happy and in hell when we are miserable.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

We tend to blame others for their hardships and suffering. However, if we look carefully, we will to see that we ourselves make our own happiness and unhappiness. Those who make themselves miserable will feel miserable even in heaven, and those who make themselves happy will be happy even in hell.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

We should be content with our current lives at all times. When we wake up early in the morning, when we meditate, when we prostrate, and when we have meals, we should be happy to be able to do these things. Considering that a countless number of people in North Korea are currently starving, shouldn\u2019t we be thankful for the fact that we are able to have regular meals? We should always perceive our lives in such a positive light.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Actually, you are all happy right now. You simply don\u2019t see it or feel it. Once upon a time someone visited a Zen master and talked extensively about the Buddha and his teachings. The Zen master told him, \u201cJust have a cup of tea.\u201d He meant, \u201cStop thinking nonsense.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

You are already happy. You don\u2019t need to work hard to be happy.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

When you let go of the thought, \u201cI will live happily,\u201d you will find happiness.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

We create our own happiness.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

We create our own misfortune.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Truly, our happiness and unhappiness are not created by others.<\/p>\n","post_title":"We Are The Ones Who Create Our Happiness And Unhappiness","post_excerpt":"","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","post_password":"","post_name":"we-are-the-ones-who-create-our-happiness-and-unhappiness","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2024-03-11 20:02:00","post_modified_gmt":"2024-03-12 01:02:00","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/www.jungtosociety.org\/?p=18145","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"},{"ID":18295,"post_author":"13","post_date":"2024-03-20 22:57:13","post_date_gmt":"2024-03-21 03:57:13","post_content":"\n

\"Let's change just one day at a time\" <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Accomplishing something
every day with a light heart is like
water drops piercing a rock. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Illustration by Maseol <\/p>\n","post_title":"One day at a time","post_excerpt":"","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","post_password":"","post_name":"one-day-at-a-time","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2024-03-20 22:57:15","post_modified_gmt":"2024-03-21 03:57:15","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/www.jungtosociety.org\/?p=18295","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"},{"ID":18131,"post_author":"40","post_date":"2024-03-19 14:51:48","post_date_gmt":"2024-03-19 19:51:48","post_content":"\n

P:<\/strong> In the past, parents left all their wealth to their children when they retired, and since their children took good care of them for the rest of their lives, they did not have to worry about their future. However, times have changed. The middle-aged population now find that although they have honored and taken good care of their aged parents, their own children are unlikely to do the same for them. Therefore, parents, today should not give all their assets to their children when they retire.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

When parents leave all their wealth to their offspring, they may be exposed to the danger of becoming broke and homeless if their offspring should go bankrupt. This isn\u2019t such a big problem when you are young because you can work hard to regain your wealth. In Korea, there is even a saying that goes, \u201cHardship during youth is worth paying money for.\u201d Because they have energy and potential, young people don\u2019t look pathetic when they are without money and live in a tent. However, nothing is more pitiful than seeing an old person broke and homeless. Therefore, even when any of your children become bankrupt, you should not lend him or her money by mortgaging your house. If you do, you may end up losing your house.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

You can age gracefully when you have your own assets. If you don\u2019t have anything to live on, your later years will become miserable. So, you should keep your assets. If you give them away to your children, your relationship with your children may easily be ruined.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This is not to say that you should hoard all your assets. You can give some to your children if you want, but you should keep your house and enough money to live comfortably. This way, you will still have some assets to leave to your children when you pass away, and they will arrange a good funeral for you.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

If you plan to distribute your assets among your children after retirement, it\u2019s a good idea to give away just seventy to eighty percent of your assets. You must keep twenty to thirty percent for your own. You can decide on the percentage depending on the size of your assets. If you don\u2019t have a lot of assets, the percentage you keep should be higher than if you have a lot. Either way, when parents maintain their financial freedom even after retirement, they will be able to live with dignity and are more likely to sustain a good relationship with their children.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Of course, there is the option of practicing according to the teachings of the Buddha and letting go of all your worldly possessions. People may think that an enlightened person does not need to have a cent to his name and just needs a space in the common room of a temple to sleep. Most people, however, can\u2019t live this way, which is why they need to hold on to enough assets to live on. Those living in the countryside need a place to live, a piece of land to grow various vegetables, and rice fields, while those living in the city need to have a principal amount in the bank that will yield enough monthly interest for them to live comfortably.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

It\u2019s not easy for people to earn money in their old age. Since they don\u2019t have a source of income, they may expect their children to give them some spending money and end up resenting them if they don\u2019t. To avoid such an outcome, it\u2019s necessary for people to keep some financial assets to live on in their old age. This way, parents can live independently from their children without expecting too much from their children or be overly attached to them.<\/p>\n","post_title":"You Should Hold Onto Enough Financial Assets To Live On After Retirement","post_excerpt":"","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","post_password":"","post_name":"you-should-hold-onto-enough-financial-assets-to-live-on-after-retirement","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2024-03-02 14:55:05","post_modified_gmt":"2024-03-02 19:55:05","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/www.jungtosociety.org\/?p=18131","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"},{"ID":18045,"post_author":"40","post_date":"2024-03-15 07:00:00","post_date_gmt":"2024-03-15 12:00:00","post_content":"\n

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<\/a><\/gwmw><\/p>\n\n\n\n

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<\/a><\/p>\n","post_title":"[Meditation Q&A] \u201cHow can I value serenity but not give up caring when I am practicing…. ?","post_excerpt":"","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","post_password":"","post_name":"meditation-qa-how-can-i-value-serenity-but-not-give-up-caring-when-i-am-practicing","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2024-02-27 19:02:33","post_modified_gmt":"2024-02-28 00:02:33","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/www.jungtosociety.org\/?p=18045","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"},{"ID":18197,"post_author":"13","post_date":"2024-03-13 22:47:47","post_date_gmt":"2024-03-14 03:47:47","post_content":"\n

It\u2019s simple to become an adult.
Wake up earlier than your mom
and prepare breakfast for your parents,
wash the dishes,
and clean your room after school or work. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Illustration by Maseol <\/p>\n","post_title":"Becoming an adult","post_excerpt":"","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","post_password":"","post_name":"becoming-an-adult","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2024-03-13 22:47:48","post_modified_gmt":"2024-03-14 03:47:48","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/www.jungtosociety.org\/?p=18197","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"},{"ID":18125,"post_author":"40","post_date":"2024-03-12 07:00:00","post_date_gmt":"2024-03-12 12:00:00","post_content":"\n

P:<\/strong> When the Buddha was close to death, his disciples came to him and asked,<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cHow would you like us to conduct your funeral?\u201d The Buddha answered, \u201cYou don\u2019t need to worry about my funeral because the lay Buddhists will take care of it.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Lay Buddhists are those who take refuge in the Three Jewels and practice the Five Precepts without becoming monks or nuns. When the Buddha said they will take care of it, he meant that his funeral would be conducted based on customs of the lay people in India. So, after the Buddha died, the Lay Buddhists cremated the Buddha\u2019s body according to the Indian tradition. If he had lived in Korea, he would have been buried in the ground as is the custom in Korea.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Dharma is a teaching about truth, so it does not contain cultural aspects. However, since Buddhism originated from India, its traditions, customs, and culture were integrated into the Buddhist culture. Strictly speaking, neither cremation nor the 49-day posthumous ceremony is a fundamental tradition of Buddhism. They are in fact part of the of Indian cultural tradition.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

It is said that the deceased person has 49 days to be saved and is classified into one of nine levels based on his deeds during his life. \u201cAnyone can be reborn in paradise after he dies if he sincerely hopes for it. However, not everyone can be reborn in paradise right away since people fall into one of the nine categories based on their deeds.\u201d Specifically, people are divided into three categories of high, middle and low, and those in each of the three categories are again divided into high, middle and low, so there are a total of nine categories.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

It is believed that people in the very first category are reborn in paradise immediately after their death. It is comparable to leaving a room and entering another room. Those in the second category are reborn within 12 hours. It takes one day for those in the third category, three days for those in the fourth, a week for those in the fifth, 21 days for those in the sixth, and finally, it takes 49 days for those in the seventh category to be reborn in paradise. This is reason that people hold the 49-day posthumous ceremony. This ritual provides an opportunity for people to do good deeds on behalf of their deceased family members and help them be reborn in paradise within 49 days.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

What happens to the people in the eighth and ninth categories? Ultimately, people in all nine categories will all be reborn in paradise. However, those in the eighth and ninth categories have to spend some time in hell before that. Every year, Buddhists perform the Buddhist All Soul\u2019s Day ceremony on July 15th of the lunar calendar to save the souls of those in the two categories from hell. There is no point in debating whether this is true or not because it is a religious belief, so people are free to choose whether to believe it or not.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Funeral customs vary greatly from religion to religion and country to country. In India, the dead are cremated, and in Tibet, they are left to be eaten by birds. The corpse is cut up and placed on big rocks high in the mountain, so that it is eaten by falcons and eagles. In desert regions, the dead are \u201cburied in the wind.\u201d That is, they are nailed on a wooden board and exposed to the elements for one year until only the bones remain after which the funeral ceremony is performed. In regions with many islands, the dead are dropped into the sea.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Each of these funeral rituals has its unique meaning and significance. Tibetans feed the dead to birds because they believe that the spirit of the dead will fly to heaven with the birds. Some cultures bury the dead in the ground because of the belief that the spiritual world exists underground. Meanwhile, Indians believe in reincarnation, so they cremate the corpse to help the spirits to quickly sever their attachment to their worldly bodies so that they can be reborn.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Regardless of the funeral ritual that is performed, once a person dies, it\u2019s the end. By saying \u201cthe end\u201d I am not implying that there is no heaven or an afterlife; I am simply saying the person who draws his last breath will no longer exist in this world. From a Christian viewpoint, the spirits go to heaven, and from a Buddhist perspective, the spirits are reborn, so there is nothing we can do for them. Therefore, the best farewell for those who pass away is to let them go from our hearts.<\/p>\n","post_title":"The Best Farewell For The Deceased","post_excerpt":"","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","post_password":"","post_name":"the-best-farewell-for-the-deceased-2","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2024-03-02 14:50:59","post_modified_gmt":"2024-03-02 19:50:59","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/www.jungtosociety.org\/?p=18125","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"},{"ID":18140,"post_author":"13","post_date":"2024-03-10 17:37:58","post_date_gmt":"2024-03-10 22:37:58","post_content":"\n

<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Jungto Society, the international Buddhist community founded by the revered Korean Dharma master and social activist Venerable Pomnyun Sunim (\ubc95\ub95c\uc2a4\ub2d8), recently conducted its 33rd annual pilgrimage across India and to Nepal. Held under the theme \u201cFollowing in the Footsteps of the Buddha,\u201d the pilgrimage, which ran from 19 January to 2 February, was attended by more 500 practitioners.1<\/sup><\/p>\n\n\n\n

This year\u2019s pilgrimage was particularly notable for two reasons: first was the participation, for the first time in the Jungto pilgrimage\u2019s 33-year history, of non-Korean practitioners: the 500-plus Korean Buddhist pilgrims were accompanied nine practitioners from Italy, Japan, Thailand, the United Kingdom, the United States, and Vietnam. Second, the pilgrimage also coincided with celebrations for the 30th anniversary of Sujata Academy, a remarkable community school and social empowerment project established by Ven. Pomnyun Sunim in Dungeshwari, in the northeastern Indian state of Bihar. This project has transformed the lives of an entire community of people who have faced systemic social and economic exclusion as a result of India\u2019s conservative Hindu caste hierarchy.2<\/sup><\/p>\n\n\n\n

The academy is named after Sujata, the young woman who is said to have nourished the ailing and emaciated Siddhartha Gautama with a bowl of milk-rice, thus ending his six years of extreme asceticism. Tuition at the academy is provided free of charge. The school\u2019s principal goal is to educate every student in basic literacy and numeracy. Classes are taught from kindergarten to secondary level, alongside adult literacy classes and skills training. Students who wish to continue beyond elementary education and attend secondary school are required to teach kindergarteners or to help out in the onsite Jivaka Hospital in the mornings and to attend classes in the afternoon, working in the spirit of giving back to the community. The campus also includes a warehouse, a dormitory, a large playing field, and sports equipment for the children.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

x<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

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\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\"\"<\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

Ven. Pomnyun Sunim established the international Buddhist humanitarian relief organization Join Together Society (JTS) as an expression of the compassion of engaged Buddhism and the belief that helping others is the best way to enrich one\u2019s own life. Headquartered in Seoul, JTS operates four branch offices in South Korea and the United States, along with field offices in India and the Philippines. JTS Korea and JTS America oversee fundraising, while JTS India and JTS Philippines conduct development projects in cooperation with local communities. The relief organization has also earned Special Consultative Status to the United Nations Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

JTS India began its work in Dungeshwari, some 12 kilometers northeast of the Buddhist pilgrimage hub of Bodh Gaya, in the early 1990s, aspiring to fulfill the mission: \u201cThe hungry should eat; the sick should be treated; children should be educated in time.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This region is surrounded by the Pragbodhi Hills where the historical Buddha, Shakyamuni, is said to have spent six years in a cave as an ascetic. And it\u2019s here that JTS India has been working to empower the villagers of Dungeshwari to live their lives free from hunger, illiteracy, and disease.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The people of Dungeshwari are primarily Dalits, who face systemic social and economic exclusion as a result of the conservative Hindu social hierarchy. \u201cDalit,\u201d which translates as \u201cbroken\u201d in Sanskrit, is a term for the very lowest castes, whom members of the so-called \u201chigher\u201d castes still to this day deem \u201cuntouchable,\u201d despite the practice being prohibited in the Constitution of India. By working directly with disadvantaged communities, JTS aims to help them to mobilize their own capabilities and resources to create a more prosperous and sustainable future.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Jungto Society Dharma teacher Doyeon Jang (Dharma name Bogwang), is the director of Sujata Academy. She has overseen the development of this ambitious project, facing numerous challenges, both personal and structural, in the process of bringing this expression of compassion and social transformation to fruition.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u25b6\ufe0f Published by BDG on March 8, 2024<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u25b6\ufe0f Read more: <\/a>https:\/\/www.buddhistdoor.net\/features\/the-sujata-academy-project-the-power-of-hope-and-compassion-in-india\/<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

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<\/p>\n","post_title":"The Sujata Academy Project: The Power of Hope and Compassion in India","post_excerpt":"The Korean Seon (Zen) master Venerable Pomnyun Sunim (\ubc95\ub95c\uc2a4\ub2d8) wears many hats: Buddhist monk, teacher, author, environmentalist, and social activist, to name a few. As a widely respected Dharma teacher and a tireless socially engaged activist in his native South Korea, Ven. Pomnyun Sunim has founded numerous Dharma-based organizations, initiatives, and projects that are active across the world. Among them, Jungto Society, a volunteer-based community founded on the Buddhist teachings and expressing equality, simple living, and sustainability, is dedicated to addressing modern social issues that lead to suffering, including environmental degradation, poverty, and conflict.\n\nThis column, shared by Jungto Society, presents a series of highlights from Ven. Pomnyun Sunim\u2019s writings, teachings, public talks, and regular live-streamed Dharma Q+A sessions, which are accessible across the globe.\n","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","post_password":"","post_name":"the-sujata-academy-project-the-power-of-hope-and-compassion-in-india","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2024-03-10 17:38:00","post_modified_gmt":"2024-03-10 22:38:00","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/www.jungtosociety.org\/?p=18140","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"},{"ID":18136,"post_author":"13","post_date":"2024-03-10 17:24:34","post_date_gmt":"2024-03-10 22:24:34","post_content":"\n

Your son is over forty and
his main relationship is with someone else.
So, stop worrying about a grown man
who belongs with another woman
and be nice to the man next to you. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Illustration by Maseol <\/p>\n","post_title":"Son over forty","post_excerpt":"","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","post_password":"","post_name":"son-over-forty","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2024-03-10 17:24:36","post_modified_gmt":"2024-03-10 22:24:36","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/www.jungtosociety.org\/?p=18136","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"}],"next":false,"prev":false,"total_page":1},"paged":1,"column_class":"jeg_col_2o3","class":"jnews_block_37"};

\n

\n\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

<\/div>\n<\/div>\n","post_title":"In-Person Casual Conversation with Ven. Pomnyun Sunim in 2024","post_excerpt":"","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","post_password":"","post_name":"casual-conversation-with-ven-pomnyun-sunim-2024","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2024-03-27 12:49:06","post_modified_gmt":"2024-03-27 17:49:06","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/www.jungtosociety.org\/?p=18171","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"},{"ID":18145,"post_author":"40","post_date":"2024-03-26 07:00:00","post_date_gmt":"2024-03-26 12:00:00","post_content":"\n

P:<\/strong> Most of us feel anxious and insecure about our old age. So, people ask, \u201cWhat do I need to do to prepare for a happy old age?\u201d However, there is no such thing as preparing to be happy. You must simply be happy at this moment. Let\u2019s say you slip and fall down the stairs and break a leg. If you think to yourself, \u201cWhat bad luck that I broke my leg!\u201d you will feel unhappy. However, if you think, \u201cHow fortunate that I only broke one leg when I could have easily broken both legs!\u201d you will feel happy. If you can see the positive side of everything, you will always be happy. There is no need to prepare for a happy old age.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWhen I see in the media, \u2018Your old age will be insecure if you don\u2019t prepare for it.\u2019 or \u2018You need to do this and that to be happy in your old age,\u2019 I feel like I need to do something.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Needing to prepare for happiness is a claim of those who have never been happy. Often, all people do is prepare to become happy but end up dying without ever having been happy. Therefore, there is no need to prepare. We should be happy from this very moment. We should not prepare to be happy but be happy immediately starting today.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Those who are not happy today cannot be happy tomorrow, and those who are not happy in this world cannot be happy in the afterworld, should it exist. Those who always complain in this world will find something to complain about even in heaven. You may think that you will be happy the moment you get to heaven, but once you are there, you might still be unhappy. There is no place in the world that will automatically make you happy. You should be happy right here, right now.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Then, how can we become happy? Wouldn\u2019t I be miserable if I envied you and kept thinking, \u201cHow I wish I could get married!\u201d? If those of you who are married keep thinking, \u201cI wish I could live alone. How wonderful it must be to travel anywhere as freely as the Sunim does!\u201d you would be very unhappy. A monk like me should be proud of living alone, and those who are married should be so happy in their marriages as to make a monk feel jealous. Living the life we have chosen to the best of our ability is living well.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

We should be happy with everything that happens in the natural course of our lives. For instance, we should be happy to grow old as time passes, happy to be alive when alive, and happy to die when death knocks at the door. Then, it will be like living in heaven in this life as well as in the afterlife. It doesn\u2019t make sense to live this life as if we were in hell while wishing to go to heaven after death.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

When a person who lives in Korea can live happily, Korea becomes a heaven. This person will be happy even if he lives in the U.S. However, a person who complains about his life in this world will not stop complaining even if he were sent to heaven. A complainer is likely to grumble no matter where he goes. Therefore, heaven and hell do not exist separately in another world. That is, we are in heaven when we are happy and in hell when we are miserable.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

We tend to blame others for their hardships and suffering. However, if we look carefully, we will to see that we ourselves make our own happiness and unhappiness. Those who make themselves miserable will feel miserable even in heaven, and those who make themselves happy will be happy even in hell.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

We should be content with our current lives at all times. When we wake up early in the morning, when we meditate, when we prostrate, and when we have meals, we should be happy to be able to do these things. Considering that a countless number of people in North Korea are currently starving, shouldn\u2019t we be thankful for the fact that we are able to have regular meals? We should always perceive our lives in such a positive light.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Actually, you are all happy right now. You simply don\u2019t see it or feel it. Once upon a time someone visited a Zen master and talked extensively about the Buddha and his teachings. The Zen master told him, \u201cJust have a cup of tea.\u201d He meant, \u201cStop thinking nonsense.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

You are already happy. You don\u2019t need to work hard to be happy.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

When you let go of the thought, \u201cI will live happily,\u201d you will find happiness.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

We create our own happiness.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

We create our own misfortune.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Truly, our happiness and unhappiness are not created by others.<\/p>\n","post_title":"We Are The Ones Who Create Our Happiness And Unhappiness","post_excerpt":"","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","post_password":"","post_name":"we-are-the-ones-who-create-our-happiness-and-unhappiness","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2024-03-11 20:02:00","post_modified_gmt":"2024-03-12 01:02:00","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/www.jungtosociety.org\/?p=18145","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"},{"ID":18295,"post_author":"13","post_date":"2024-03-20 22:57:13","post_date_gmt":"2024-03-21 03:57:13","post_content":"\n

\"Let's change just one day at a time\" <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Accomplishing something
every day with a light heart is like
water drops piercing a rock. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Illustration by Maseol <\/p>\n","post_title":"One day at a time","post_excerpt":"","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","post_password":"","post_name":"one-day-at-a-time","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2024-03-20 22:57:15","post_modified_gmt":"2024-03-21 03:57:15","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/www.jungtosociety.org\/?p=18295","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"},{"ID":18131,"post_author":"40","post_date":"2024-03-19 14:51:48","post_date_gmt":"2024-03-19 19:51:48","post_content":"\n

P:<\/strong> In the past, parents left all their wealth to their children when they retired, and since their children took good care of them for the rest of their lives, they did not have to worry about their future. However, times have changed. The middle-aged population now find that although they have honored and taken good care of their aged parents, their own children are unlikely to do the same for them. Therefore, parents, today should not give all their assets to their children when they retire.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

When parents leave all their wealth to their offspring, they may be exposed to the danger of becoming broke and homeless if their offspring should go bankrupt. This isn\u2019t such a big problem when you are young because you can work hard to regain your wealth. In Korea, there is even a saying that goes, \u201cHardship during youth is worth paying money for.\u201d Because they have energy and potential, young people don\u2019t look pathetic when they are without money and live in a tent. However, nothing is more pitiful than seeing an old person broke and homeless. Therefore, even when any of your children become bankrupt, you should not lend him or her money by mortgaging your house. If you do, you may end up losing your house.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

You can age gracefully when you have your own assets. If you don\u2019t have anything to live on, your later years will become miserable. So, you should keep your assets. If you give them away to your children, your relationship with your children may easily be ruined.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This is not to say that you should hoard all your assets. You can give some to your children if you want, but you should keep your house and enough money to live comfortably. This way, you will still have some assets to leave to your children when you pass away, and they will arrange a good funeral for you.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

If you plan to distribute your assets among your children after retirement, it\u2019s a good idea to give away just seventy to eighty percent of your assets. You must keep twenty to thirty percent for your own. You can decide on the percentage depending on the size of your assets. If you don\u2019t have a lot of assets, the percentage you keep should be higher than if you have a lot. Either way, when parents maintain their financial freedom even after retirement, they will be able to live with dignity and are more likely to sustain a good relationship with their children.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Of course, there is the option of practicing according to the teachings of the Buddha and letting go of all your worldly possessions. People may think that an enlightened person does not need to have a cent to his name and just needs a space in the common room of a temple to sleep. Most people, however, can\u2019t live this way, which is why they need to hold on to enough assets to live on. Those living in the countryside need a place to live, a piece of land to grow various vegetables, and rice fields, while those living in the city need to have a principal amount in the bank that will yield enough monthly interest for them to live comfortably.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

It\u2019s not easy for people to earn money in their old age. Since they don\u2019t have a source of income, they may expect their children to give them some spending money and end up resenting them if they don\u2019t. To avoid such an outcome, it\u2019s necessary for people to keep some financial assets to live on in their old age. This way, parents can live independently from their children without expecting too much from their children or be overly attached to them.<\/p>\n","post_title":"You Should Hold Onto Enough Financial Assets To Live On After Retirement","post_excerpt":"","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","post_password":"","post_name":"you-should-hold-onto-enough-financial-assets-to-live-on-after-retirement","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2024-03-02 14:55:05","post_modified_gmt":"2024-03-02 19:55:05","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/www.jungtosociety.org\/?p=18131","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"},{"ID":18045,"post_author":"40","post_date":"2024-03-15 07:00:00","post_date_gmt":"2024-03-15 12:00:00","post_content":"\n

<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

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<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/a><\/gwmw><\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/a><\/p>\n","post_title":"[Meditation Q&A] \u201cHow can I value serenity but not give up caring when I am practicing…. ?","post_excerpt":"","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","post_password":"","post_name":"meditation-qa-how-can-i-value-serenity-but-not-give-up-caring-when-i-am-practicing","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2024-02-27 19:02:33","post_modified_gmt":"2024-02-28 00:02:33","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/www.jungtosociety.org\/?p=18045","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"},{"ID":18197,"post_author":"13","post_date":"2024-03-13 22:47:47","post_date_gmt":"2024-03-14 03:47:47","post_content":"\n

It\u2019s simple to become an adult.
Wake up earlier than your mom
and prepare breakfast for your parents,
wash the dishes,
and clean your room after school or work. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Illustration by Maseol <\/p>\n","post_title":"Becoming an adult","post_excerpt":"","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","post_password":"","post_name":"becoming-an-adult","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2024-03-13 22:47:48","post_modified_gmt":"2024-03-14 03:47:48","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/www.jungtosociety.org\/?p=18197","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"},{"ID":18125,"post_author":"40","post_date":"2024-03-12 07:00:00","post_date_gmt":"2024-03-12 12:00:00","post_content":"\n

P:<\/strong> When the Buddha was close to death, his disciples came to him and asked,<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cHow would you like us to conduct your funeral?\u201d The Buddha answered, \u201cYou don\u2019t need to worry about my funeral because the lay Buddhists will take care of it.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Lay Buddhists are those who take refuge in the Three Jewels and practice the Five Precepts without becoming monks or nuns. When the Buddha said they will take care of it, he meant that his funeral would be conducted based on customs of the lay people in India. So, after the Buddha died, the Lay Buddhists cremated the Buddha\u2019s body according to the Indian tradition. If he had lived in Korea, he would have been buried in the ground as is the custom in Korea.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Dharma is a teaching about truth, so it does not contain cultural aspects. However, since Buddhism originated from India, its traditions, customs, and culture were integrated into the Buddhist culture. Strictly speaking, neither cremation nor the 49-day posthumous ceremony is a fundamental tradition of Buddhism. They are in fact part of the of Indian cultural tradition.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

It is said that the deceased person has 49 days to be saved and is classified into one of nine levels based on his deeds during his life. \u201cAnyone can be reborn in paradise after he dies if he sincerely hopes for it. However, not everyone can be reborn in paradise right away since people fall into one of the nine categories based on their deeds.\u201d Specifically, people are divided into three categories of high, middle and low, and those in each of the three categories are again divided into high, middle and low, so there are a total of nine categories.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

It is believed that people in the very first category are reborn in paradise immediately after their death. It is comparable to leaving a room and entering another room. Those in the second category are reborn within 12 hours. It takes one day for those in the third category, three days for those in the fourth, a week for those in the fifth, 21 days for those in the sixth, and finally, it takes 49 days for those in the seventh category to be reborn in paradise. This is reason that people hold the 49-day posthumous ceremony. This ritual provides an opportunity for people to do good deeds on behalf of their deceased family members and help them be reborn in paradise within 49 days.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

What happens to the people in the eighth and ninth categories? Ultimately, people in all nine categories will all be reborn in paradise. However, those in the eighth and ninth categories have to spend some time in hell before that. Every year, Buddhists perform the Buddhist All Soul\u2019s Day ceremony on July 15th of the lunar calendar to save the souls of those in the two categories from hell. There is no point in debating whether this is true or not because it is a religious belief, so people are free to choose whether to believe it or not.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Funeral customs vary greatly from religion to religion and country to country. In India, the dead are cremated, and in Tibet, they are left to be eaten by birds. The corpse is cut up and placed on big rocks high in the mountain, so that it is eaten by falcons and eagles. In desert regions, the dead are \u201cburied in the wind.\u201d That is, they are nailed on a wooden board and exposed to the elements for one year until only the bones remain after which the funeral ceremony is performed. In regions with many islands, the dead are dropped into the sea.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Each of these funeral rituals has its unique meaning and significance. Tibetans feed the dead to birds because they believe that the spirit of the dead will fly to heaven with the birds. Some cultures bury the dead in the ground because of the belief that the spiritual world exists underground. Meanwhile, Indians believe in reincarnation, so they cremate the corpse to help the spirits to quickly sever their attachment to their worldly bodies so that they can be reborn.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Regardless of the funeral ritual that is performed, once a person dies, it\u2019s the end. By saying \u201cthe end\u201d I am not implying that there is no heaven or an afterlife; I am simply saying the person who draws his last breath will no longer exist in this world. From a Christian viewpoint, the spirits go to heaven, and from a Buddhist perspective, the spirits are reborn, so there is nothing we can do for them. Therefore, the best farewell for those who pass away is to let them go from our hearts.<\/p>\n","post_title":"The Best Farewell For The Deceased","post_excerpt":"","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","post_password":"","post_name":"the-best-farewell-for-the-deceased-2","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2024-03-02 14:50:59","post_modified_gmt":"2024-03-02 19:50:59","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/www.jungtosociety.org\/?p=18125","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"},{"ID":18140,"post_author":"13","post_date":"2024-03-10 17:37:58","post_date_gmt":"2024-03-10 22:37:58","post_content":"\n

<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Jungto Society, the international Buddhist community founded by the revered Korean Dharma master and social activist Venerable Pomnyun Sunim (\ubc95\ub95c\uc2a4\ub2d8), recently conducted its 33rd annual pilgrimage across India and to Nepal. Held under the theme \u201cFollowing in the Footsteps of the Buddha,\u201d the pilgrimage, which ran from 19 January to 2 February, was attended by more 500 practitioners.1<\/sup><\/p>\n\n\n\n

This year\u2019s pilgrimage was particularly notable for two reasons: first was the participation, for the first time in the Jungto pilgrimage\u2019s 33-year history, of non-Korean practitioners: the 500-plus Korean Buddhist pilgrims were accompanied nine practitioners from Italy, Japan, Thailand, the United Kingdom, the United States, and Vietnam. Second, the pilgrimage also coincided with celebrations for the 30th anniversary of Sujata Academy, a remarkable community school and social empowerment project established by Ven. Pomnyun Sunim in Dungeshwari, in the northeastern Indian state of Bihar. This project has transformed the lives of an entire community of people who have faced systemic social and economic exclusion as a result of India\u2019s conservative Hindu caste hierarchy.2<\/sup><\/p>\n\n\n\n

The academy is named after Sujata, the young woman who is said to have nourished the ailing and emaciated Siddhartha Gautama with a bowl of milk-rice, thus ending his six years of extreme asceticism. Tuition at the academy is provided free of charge. The school\u2019s principal goal is to educate every student in basic literacy and numeracy. Classes are taught from kindergarten to secondary level, alongside adult literacy classes and skills training. Students who wish to continue beyond elementary education and attend secondary school are required to teach kindergarteners or to help out in the onsite Jivaka Hospital in the mornings and to attend classes in the afternoon, working in the spirit of giving back to the community. The campus also includes a warehouse, a dormitory, a large playing field, and sports equipment for the children.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

x<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

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\"\"<\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

Ven. Pomnyun Sunim established the international Buddhist humanitarian relief organization Join Together Society (JTS) as an expression of the compassion of engaged Buddhism and the belief that helping others is the best way to enrich one\u2019s own life. Headquartered in Seoul, JTS operates four branch offices in South Korea and the United States, along with field offices in India and the Philippines. JTS Korea and JTS America oversee fundraising, while JTS India and JTS Philippines conduct development projects in cooperation with local communities. The relief organization has also earned Special Consultative Status to the United Nations Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

JTS India began its work in Dungeshwari, some 12 kilometers northeast of the Buddhist pilgrimage hub of Bodh Gaya, in the early 1990s, aspiring to fulfill the mission: \u201cThe hungry should eat; the sick should be treated; children should be educated in time.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This region is surrounded by the Pragbodhi Hills where the historical Buddha, Shakyamuni, is said to have spent six years in a cave as an ascetic. And it\u2019s here that JTS India has been working to empower the villagers of Dungeshwari to live their lives free from hunger, illiteracy, and disease.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The people of Dungeshwari are primarily Dalits, who face systemic social and economic exclusion as a result of the conservative Hindu social hierarchy. \u201cDalit,\u201d which translates as \u201cbroken\u201d in Sanskrit, is a term for the very lowest castes, whom members of the so-called \u201chigher\u201d castes still to this day deem \u201cuntouchable,\u201d despite the practice being prohibited in the Constitution of India. By working directly with disadvantaged communities, JTS aims to help them to mobilize their own capabilities and resources to create a more prosperous and sustainable future.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Jungto Society Dharma teacher Doyeon Jang (Dharma name Bogwang), is the director of Sujata Academy. She has overseen the development of this ambitious project, facing numerous challenges, both personal and structural, in the process of bringing this expression of compassion and social transformation to fruition.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u25b6\ufe0f Published by BDG on March 8, 2024<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u25b6\ufe0f Read more: <\/a>https:\/\/www.buddhistdoor.net\/features\/the-sujata-academy-project-the-power-of-hope-and-compassion-in-india\/<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

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<\/p>\n","post_title":"The Sujata Academy Project: The Power of Hope and Compassion in India","post_excerpt":"The Korean Seon (Zen) master Venerable Pomnyun Sunim (\ubc95\ub95c\uc2a4\ub2d8) wears many hats: Buddhist monk, teacher, author, environmentalist, and social activist, to name a few. As a widely respected Dharma teacher and a tireless socially engaged activist in his native South Korea, Ven. Pomnyun Sunim has founded numerous Dharma-based organizations, initiatives, and projects that are active across the world. Among them, Jungto Society, a volunteer-based community founded on the Buddhist teachings and expressing equality, simple living, and sustainability, is dedicated to addressing modern social issues that lead to suffering, including environmental degradation, poverty, and conflict.\n\nThis column, shared by Jungto Society, presents a series of highlights from Ven. Pomnyun Sunim\u2019s writings, teachings, public talks, and regular live-streamed Dharma Q+A sessions, which are accessible across the globe.\n","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","post_password":"","post_name":"the-sujata-academy-project-the-power-of-hope-and-compassion-in-india","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2024-03-10 17:38:00","post_modified_gmt":"2024-03-10 22:38:00","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/www.jungtosociety.org\/?p=18140","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"},{"ID":18136,"post_author":"13","post_date":"2024-03-10 17:24:34","post_date_gmt":"2024-03-10 22:24:34","post_content":"\n

Your son is over forty and
his main relationship is with someone else.
So, stop worrying about a grown man
who belongs with another woman
and be nice to the man next to you. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Illustration by Maseol <\/p>\n","post_title":"Son over forty","post_excerpt":"","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","post_password":"","post_name":"son-over-forty","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2024-03-10 17:24:36","post_modified_gmt":"2024-03-10 22:24:36","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/www.jungtosociety.org\/?p=18136","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"}],"next":false,"prev":false,"total_page":1},"paged":1,"column_class":"jeg_col_2o3","class":"jnews_block_37"};

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<\/div>\n<\/div>\n","post_title":"In-Person Casual Conversation with Ven. Pomnyun Sunim in 2024","post_excerpt":"","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","post_password":"","post_name":"casual-conversation-with-ven-pomnyun-sunim-2024","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2024-03-27 12:49:06","post_modified_gmt":"2024-03-27 17:49:06","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/www.jungtosociety.org\/?p=18171","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"},{"ID":18145,"post_author":"40","post_date":"2024-03-26 07:00:00","post_date_gmt":"2024-03-26 12:00:00","post_content":"\n

P:<\/strong> Most of us feel anxious and insecure about our old age. So, people ask, \u201cWhat do I need to do to prepare for a happy old age?\u201d However, there is no such thing as preparing to be happy. You must simply be happy at this moment. Let\u2019s say you slip and fall down the stairs and break a leg. If you think to yourself, \u201cWhat bad luck that I broke my leg!\u201d you will feel unhappy. However, if you think, \u201cHow fortunate that I only broke one leg when I could have easily broken both legs!\u201d you will feel happy. If you can see the positive side of everything, you will always be happy. There is no need to prepare for a happy old age.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWhen I see in the media, \u2018Your old age will be insecure if you don\u2019t prepare for it.\u2019 or \u2018You need to do this and that to be happy in your old age,\u2019 I feel like I need to do something.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Needing to prepare for happiness is a claim of those who have never been happy. Often, all people do is prepare to become happy but end up dying without ever having been happy. Therefore, there is no need to prepare. We should be happy from this very moment. We should not prepare to be happy but be happy immediately starting today.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Those who are not happy today cannot be happy tomorrow, and those who are not happy in this world cannot be happy in the afterworld, should it exist. Those who always complain in this world will find something to complain about even in heaven. You may think that you will be happy the moment you get to heaven, but once you are there, you might still be unhappy. There is no place in the world that will automatically make you happy. You should be happy right here, right now.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Then, how can we become happy? Wouldn\u2019t I be miserable if I envied you and kept thinking, \u201cHow I wish I could get married!\u201d? If those of you who are married keep thinking, \u201cI wish I could live alone. How wonderful it must be to travel anywhere as freely as the Sunim does!\u201d you would be very unhappy. A monk like me should be proud of living alone, and those who are married should be so happy in their marriages as to make a monk feel jealous. Living the life we have chosen to the best of our ability is living well.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

We should be happy with everything that happens in the natural course of our lives. For instance, we should be happy to grow old as time passes, happy to be alive when alive, and happy to die when death knocks at the door. Then, it will be like living in heaven in this life as well as in the afterlife. It doesn\u2019t make sense to live this life as if we were in hell while wishing to go to heaven after death.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

When a person who lives in Korea can live happily, Korea becomes a heaven. This person will be happy even if he lives in the U.S. However, a person who complains about his life in this world will not stop complaining even if he were sent to heaven. A complainer is likely to grumble no matter where he goes. Therefore, heaven and hell do not exist separately in another world. That is, we are in heaven when we are happy and in hell when we are miserable.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

We tend to blame others for their hardships and suffering. However, if we look carefully, we will to see that we ourselves make our own happiness and unhappiness. Those who make themselves miserable will feel miserable even in heaven, and those who make themselves happy will be happy even in hell.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

We should be content with our current lives at all times. When we wake up early in the morning, when we meditate, when we prostrate, and when we have meals, we should be happy to be able to do these things. Considering that a countless number of people in North Korea are currently starving, shouldn\u2019t we be thankful for the fact that we are able to have regular meals? We should always perceive our lives in such a positive light.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Actually, you are all happy right now. You simply don\u2019t see it or feel it. Once upon a time someone visited a Zen master and talked extensively about the Buddha and his teachings. The Zen master told him, \u201cJust have a cup of tea.\u201d He meant, \u201cStop thinking nonsense.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

You are already happy. You don\u2019t need to work hard to be happy.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

When you let go of the thought, \u201cI will live happily,\u201d you will find happiness.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

We create our own happiness.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

We create our own misfortune.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Truly, our happiness and unhappiness are not created by others.<\/p>\n","post_title":"We Are The Ones Who Create Our Happiness And Unhappiness","post_excerpt":"","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","post_password":"","post_name":"we-are-the-ones-who-create-our-happiness-and-unhappiness","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2024-03-11 20:02:00","post_modified_gmt":"2024-03-12 01:02:00","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/www.jungtosociety.org\/?p=18145","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"},{"ID":18295,"post_author":"13","post_date":"2024-03-20 22:57:13","post_date_gmt":"2024-03-21 03:57:13","post_content":"\n

\"Let's change just one day at a time\" <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Accomplishing something
every day with a light heart is like
water drops piercing a rock. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Illustration by Maseol <\/p>\n","post_title":"One day at a time","post_excerpt":"","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","post_password":"","post_name":"one-day-at-a-time","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2024-03-20 22:57:15","post_modified_gmt":"2024-03-21 03:57:15","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/www.jungtosociety.org\/?p=18295","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"},{"ID":18131,"post_author":"40","post_date":"2024-03-19 14:51:48","post_date_gmt":"2024-03-19 19:51:48","post_content":"\n

P:<\/strong> In the past, parents left all their wealth to their children when they retired, and since their children took good care of them for the rest of their lives, they did not have to worry about their future. However, times have changed. The middle-aged population now find that although they have honored and taken good care of their aged parents, their own children are unlikely to do the same for them. Therefore, parents, today should not give all their assets to their children when they retire.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

When parents leave all their wealth to their offspring, they may be exposed to the danger of becoming broke and homeless if their offspring should go bankrupt. This isn\u2019t such a big problem when you are young because you can work hard to regain your wealth. In Korea, there is even a saying that goes, \u201cHardship during youth is worth paying money for.\u201d Because they have energy and potential, young people don\u2019t look pathetic when they are without money and live in a tent. However, nothing is more pitiful than seeing an old person broke and homeless. Therefore, even when any of your children become bankrupt, you should not lend him or her money by mortgaging your house. If you do, you may end up losing your house.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

You can age gracefully when you have your own assets. If you don\u2019t have anything to live on, your later years will become miserable. So, you should keep your assets. If you give them away to your children, your relationship with your children may easily be ruined.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This is not to say that you should hoard all your assets. You can give some to your children if you want, but you should keep your house and enough money to live comfortably. This way, you will still have some assets to leave to your children when you pass away, and they will arrange a good funeral for you.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

If you plan to distribute your assets among your children after retirement, it\u2019s a good idea to give away just seventy to eighty percent of your assets. You must keep twenty to thirty percent for your own. You can decide on the percentage depending on the size of your assets. If you don\u2019t have a lot of assets, the percentage you keep should be higher than if you have a lot. Either way, when parents maintain their financial freedom even after retirement, they will be able to live with dignity and are more likely to sustain a good relationship with their children.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Of course, there is the option of practicing according to the teachings of the Buddha and letting go of all your worldly possessions. People may think that an enlightened person does not need to have a cent to his name and just needs a space in the common room of a temple to sleep. Most people, however, can\u2019t live this way, which is why they need to hold on to enough assets to live on. Those living in the countryside need a place to live, a piece of land to grow various vegetables, and rice fields, while those living in the city need to have a principal amount in the bank that will yield enough monthly interest for them to live comfortably.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

It\u2019s not easy for people to earn money in their old age. Since they don\u2019t have a source of income, they may expect their children to give them some spending money and end up resenting them if they don\u2019t. To avoid such an outcome, it\u2019s necessary for people to keep some financial assets to live on in their old age. This way, parents can live independently from their children without expecting too much from their children or be overly attached to them.<\/p>\n","post_title":"You Should Hold Onto Enough Financial Assets To Live On After Retirement","post_excerpt":"","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","post_password":"","post_name":"you-should-hold-onto-enough-financial-assets-to-live-on-after-retirement","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2024-03-02 14:55:05","post_modified_gmt":"2024-03-02 19:55:05","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/www.jungtosociety.org\/?p=18131","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"},{"ID":18045,"post_author":"40","post_date":"2024-03-15 07:00:00","post_date_gmt":"2024-03-15 12:00:00","post_content":"\n

<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

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<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/a><\/gwmw><\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/a><\/p>\n","post_title":"[Meditation Q&A] \u201cHow can I value serenity but not give up caring when I am practicing…. ?","post_excerpt":"","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","post_password":"","post_name":"meditation-qa-how-can-i-value-serenity-but-not-give-up-caring-when-i-am-practicing","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2024-02-27 19:02:33","post_modified_gmt":"2024-02-28 00:02:33","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/www.jungtosociety.org\/?p=18045","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"},{"ID":18197,"post_author":"13","post_date":"2024-03-13 22:47:47","post_date_gmt":"2024-03-14 03:47:47","post_content":"\n

It\u2019s simple to become an adult.
Wake up earlier than your mom
and prepare breakfast for your parents,
wash the dishes,
and clean your room after school or work. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Illustration by Maseol <\/p>\n","post_title":"Becoming an adult","post_excerpt":"","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","post_password":"","post_name":"becoming-an-adult","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2024-03-13 22:47:48","post_modified_gmt":"2024-03-14 03:47:48","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/www.jungtosociety.org\/?p=18197","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"},{"ID":18125,"post_author":"40","post_date":"2024-03-12 07:00:00","post_date_gmt":"2024-03-12 12:00:00","post_content":"\n

P:<\/strong> When the Buddha was close to death, his disciples came to him and asked,<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cHow would you like us to conduct your funeral?\u201d The Buddha answered, \u201cYou don\u2019t need to worry about my funeral because the lay Buddhists will take care of it.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Lay Buddhists are those who take refuge in the Three Jewels and practice the Five Precepts without becoming monks or nuns. When the Buddha said they will take care of it, he meant that his funeral would be conducted based on customs of the lay people in India. So, after the Buddha died, the Lay Buddhists cremated the Buddha\u2019s body according to the Indian tradition. If he had lived in Korea, he would have been buried in the ground as is the custom in Korea.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Dharma is a teaching about truth, so it does not contain cultural aspects. However, since Buddhism originated from India, its traditions, customs, and culture were integrated into the Buddhist culture. Strictly speaking, neither cremation nor the 49-day posthumous ceremony is a fundamental tradition of Buddhism. They are in fact part of the of Indian cultural tradition.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

It is said that the deceased person has 49 days to be saved and is classified into one of nine levels based on his deeds during his life. \u201cAnyone can be reborn in paradise after he dies if he sincerely hopes for it. However, not everyone can be reborn in paradise right away since people fall into one of the nine categories based on their deeds.\u201d Specifically, people are divided into three categories of high, middle and low, and those in each of the three categories are again divided into high, middle and low, so there are a total of nine categories.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

It is believed that people in the very first category are reborn in paradise immediately after their death. It is comparable to leaving a room and entering another room. Those in the second category are reborn within 12 hours. It takes one day for those in the third category, three days for those in the fourth, a week for those in the fifth, 21 days for those in the sixth, and finally, it takes 49 days for those in the seventh category to be reborn in paradise. This is reason that people hold the 49-day posthumous ceremony. This ritual provides an opportunity for people to do good deeds on behalf of their deceased family members and help them be reborn in paradise within 49 days.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

What happens to the people in the eighth and ninth categories? Ultimately, people in all nine categories will all be reborn in paradise. However, those in the eighth and ninth categories have to spend some time in hell before that. Every year, Buddhists perform the Buddhist All Soul\u2019s Day ceremony on July 15th of the lunar calendar to save the souls of those in the two categories from hell. There is no point in debating whether this is true or not because it is a religious belief, so people are free to choose whether to believe it or not.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Funeral customs vary greatly from religion to religion and country to country. In India, the dead are cremated, and in Tibet, they are left to be eaten by birds. The corpse is cut up and placed on big rocks high in the mountain, so that it is eaten by falcons and eagles. In desert regions, the dead are \u201cburied in the wind.\u201d That is, they are nailed on a wooden board and exposed to the elements for one year until only the bones remain after which the funeral ceremony is performed. In regions with many islands, the dead are dropped into the sea.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Each of these funeral rituals has its unique meaning and significance. Tibetans feed the dead to birds because they believe that the spirit of the dead will fly to heaven with the birds. Some cultures bury the dead in the ground because of the belief that the spiritual world exists underground. Meanwhile, Indians believe in reincarnation, so they cremate the corpse to help the spirits to quickly sever their attachment to their worldly bodies so that they can be reborn.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Regardless of the funeral ritual that is performed, once a person dies, it\u2019s the end. By saying \u201cthe end\u201d I am not implying that there is no heaven or an afterlife; I am simply saying the person who draws his last breath will no longer exist in this world. From a Christian viewpoint, the spirits go to heaven, and from a Buddhist perspective, the spirits are reborn, so there is nothing we can do for them. Therefore, the best farewell for those who pass away is to let them go from our hearts.<\/p>\n","post_title":"The Best Farewell For The Deceased","post_excerpt":"","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","post_password":"","post_name":"the-best-farewell-for-the-deceased-2","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2024-03-02 14:50:59","post_modified_gmt":"2024-03-02 19:50:59","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/www.jungtosociety.org\/?p=18125","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"},{"ID":18140,"post_author":"13","post_date":"2024-03-10 17:37:58","post_date_gmt":"2024-03-10 22:37:58","post_content":"\n

<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Jungto Society, the international Buddhist community founded by the revered Korean Dharma master and social activist Venerable Pomnyun Sunim (\ubc95\ub95c\uc2a4\ub2d8), recently conducted its 33rd annual pilgrimage across India and to Nepal. Held under the theme \u201cFollowing in the Footsteps of the Buddha,\u201d the pilgrimage, which ran from 19 January to 2 February, was attended by more 500 practitioners.1<\/sup><\/p>\n\n\n\n

This year\u2019s pilgrimage was particularly notable for two reasons: first was the participation, for the first time in the Jungto pilgrimage\u2019s 33-year history, of non-Korean practitioners: the 500-plus Korean Buddhist pilgrims were accompanied nine practitioners from Italy, Japan, Thailand, the United Kingdom, the United States, and Vietnam. Second, the pilgrimage also coincided with celebrations for the 30th anniversary of Sujata Academy, a remarkable community school and social empowerment project established by Ven. Pomnyun Sunim in Dungeshwari, in the northeastern Indian state of Bihar. This project has transformed the lives of an entire community of people who have faced systemic social and economic exclusion as a result of India\u2019s conservative Hindu caste hierarchy.2<\/sup><\/p>\n\n\n\n

The academy is named after Sujata, the young woman who is said to have nourished the ailing and emaciated Siddhartha Gautama with a bowl of milk-rice, thus ending his six years of extreme asceticism. Tuition at the academy is provided free of charge. The school\u2019s principal goal is to educate every student in basic literacy and numeracy. Classes are taught from kindergarten to secondary level, alongside adult literacy classes and skills training. Students who wish to continue beyond elementary education and attend secondary school are required to teach kindergarteners or to help out in the onsite Jivaka Hospital in the mornings and to attend classes in the afternoon, working in the spirit of giving back to the community. The campus also includes a warehouse, a dormitory, a large playing field, and sports equipment for the children.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

x<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

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\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\"\"<\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

Ven. Pomnyun Sunim established the international Buddhist humanitarian relief organization Join Together Society (JTS) as an expression of the compassion of engaged Buddhism and the belief that helping others is the best way to enrich one\u2019s own life. Headquartered in Seoul, JTS operates four branch offices in South Korea and the United States, along with field offices in India and the Philippines. JTS Korea and JTS America oversee fundraising, while JTS India and JTS Philippines conduct development projects in cooperation with local communities. The relief organization has also earned Special Consultative Status to the United Nations Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

JTS India began its work in Dungeshwari, some 12 kilometers northeast of the Buddhist pilgrimage hub of Bodh Gaya, in the early 1990s, aspiring to fulfill the mission: \u201cThe hungry should eat; the sick should be treated; children should be educated in time.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This region is surrounded by the Pragbodhi Hills where the historical Buddha, Shakyamuni, is said to have spent six years in a cave as an ascetic. And it\u2019s here that JTS India has been working to empower the villagers of Dungeshwari to live their lives free from hunger, illiteracy, and disease.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The people of Dungeshwari are primarily Dalits, who face systemic social and economic exclusion as a result of the conservative Hindu social hierarchy. \u201cDalit,\u201d which translates as \u201cbroken\u201d in Sanskrit, is a term for the very lowest castes, whom members of the so-called \u201chigher\u201d castes still to this day deem \u201cuntouchable,\u201d despite the practice being prohibited in the Constitution of India. By working directly with disadvantaged communities, JTS aims to help them to mobilize their own capabilities and resources to create a more prosperous and sustainable future.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Jungto Society Dharma teacher Doyeon Jang (Dharma name Bogwang), is the director of Sujata Academy. She has overseen the development of this ambitious project, facing numerous challenges, both personal and structural, in the process of bringing this expression of compassion and social transformation to fruition.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u25b6\ufe0f Published by BDG on March 8, 2024<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u25b6\ufe0f Read more: <\/a>https:\/\/www.buddhistdoor.net\/features\/the-sujata-academy-project-the-power-of-hope-and-compassion-in-india\/<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

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<\/p>\n","post_title":"The Sujata Academy Project: The Power of Hope and Compassion in India","post_excerpt":"The Korean Seon (Zen) master Venerable Pomnyun Sunim (\ubc95\ub95c\uc2a4\ub2d8) wears many hats: Buddhist monk, teacher, author, environmentalist, and social activist, to name a few. As a widely respected Dharma teacher and a tireless socially engaged activist in his native South Korea, Ven. Pomnyun Sunim has founded numerous Dharma-based organizations, initiatives, and projects that are active across the world. Among them, Jungto Society, a volunteer-based community founded on the Buddhist teachings and expressing equality, simple living, and sustainability, is dedicated to addressing modern social issues that lead to suffering, including environmental degradation, poverty, and conflict.\n\nThis column, shared by Jungto Society, presents a series of highlights from Ven. Pomnyun Sunim\u2019s writings, teachings, public talks, and regular live-streamed Dharma Q+A sessions, which are accessible across the globe.\n","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","post_password":"","post_name":"the-sujata-academy-project-the-power-of-hope-and-compassion-in-india","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2024-03-10 17:38:00","post_modified_gmt":"2024-03-10 22:38:00","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/www.jungtosociety.org\/?p=18140","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"},{"ID":18136,"post_author":"13","post_date":"2024-03-10 17:24:34","post_date_gmt":"2024-03-10 22:24:34","post_content":"\n

Your son is over forty and
his main relationship is with someone else.
So, stop worrying about a grown man
who belongs with another woman
and be nice to the man next to you. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Illustration by Maseol <\/p>\n","post_title":"Son over forty","post_excerpt":"","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","post_password":"","post_name":"son-over-forty","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2024-03-10 17:24:36","post_modified_gmt":"2024-03-10 22:24:36","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/www.jungtosociety.org\/?p=18136","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"}],"next":false,"prev":false,"total_page":1},"paged":1,"column_class":"jeg_col_2o3","class":"jnews_block_37"};

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Subscribe to our newsletter to get notifications on event registration and more.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

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<\/div>\n<\/div>\n","post_title":"In-Person Casual Conversation with Ven. Pomnyun Sunim in 2024","post_excerpt":"","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","post_password":"","post_name":"casual-conversation-with-ven-pomnyun-sunim-2024","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2024-03-27 12:49:06","post_modified_gmt":"2024-03-27 17:49:06","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/www.jungtosociety.org\/?p=18171","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"},{"ID":18145,"post_author":"40","post_date":"2024-03-26 07:00:00","post_date_gmt":"2024-03-26 12:00:00","post_content":"\n

P:<\/strong> Most of us feel anxious and insecure about our old age. So, people ask, \u201cWhat do I need to do to prepare for a happy old age?\u201d However, there is no such thing as preparing to be happy. You must simply be happy at this moment. Let\u2019s say you slip and fall down the stairs and break a leg. If you think to yourself, \u201cWhat bad luck that I broke my leg!\u201d you will feel unhappy. However, if you think, \u201cHow fortunate that I only broke one leg when I could have easily broken both legs!\u201d you will feel happy. If you can see the positive side of everything, you will always be happy. There is no need to prepare for a happy old age.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWhen I see in the media, \u2018Your old age will be insecure if you don\u2019t prepare for it.\u2019 or \u2018You need to do this and that to be happy in your old age,\u2019 I feel like I need to do something.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Needing to prepare for happiness is a claim of those who have never been happy. Often, all people do is prepare to become happy but end up dying without ever having been happy. Therefore, there is no need to prepare. We should be happy from this very moment. We should not prepare to be happy but be happy immediately starting today.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Those who are not happy today cannot be happy tomorrow, and those who are not happy in this world cannot be happy in the afterworld, should it exist. Those who always complain in this world will find something to complain about even in heaven. You may think that you will be happy the moment you get to heaven, but once you are there, you might still be unhappy. There is no place in the world that will automatically make you happy. You should be happy right here, right now.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Then, how can we become happy? Wouldn\u2019t I be miserable if I envied you and kept thinking, \u201cHow I wish I could get married!\u201d? If those of you who are married keep thinking, \u201cI wish I could live alone. How wonderful it must be to travel anywhere as freely as the Sunim does!\u201d you would be very unhappy. A monk like me should be proud of living alone, and those who are married should be so happy in their marriages as to make a monk feel jealous. Living the life we have chosen to the best of our ability is living well.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

We should be happy with everything that happens in the natural course of our lives. For instance, we should be happy to grow old as time passes, happy to be alive when alive, and happy to die when death knocks at the door. Then, it will be like living in heaven in this life as well as in the afterlife. It doesn\u2019t make sense to live this life as if we were in hell while wishing to go to heaven after death.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

When a person who lives in Korea can live happily, Korea becomes a heaven. This person will be happy even if he lives in the U.S. However, a person who complains about his life in this world will not stop complaining even if he were sent to heaven. A complainer is likely to grumble no matter where he goes. Therefore, heaven and hell do not exist separately in another world. That is, we are in heaven when we are happy and in hell when we are miserable.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

We tend to blame others for their hardships and suffering. However, if we look carefully, we will to see that we ourselves make our own happiness and unhappiness. Those who make themselves miserable will feel miserable even in heaven, and those who make themselves happy will be happy even in hell.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

We should be content with our current lives at all times. When we wake up early in the morning, when we meditate, when we prostrate, and when we have meals, we should be happy to be able to do these things. Considering that a countless number of people in North Korea are currently starving, shouldn\u2019t we be thankful for the fact that we are able to have regular meals? We should always perceive our lives in such a positive light.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Actually, you are all happy right now. You simply don\u2019t see it or feel it. Once upon a time someone visited a Zen master and talked extensively about the Buddha and his teachings. The Zen master told him, \u201cJust have a cup of tea.\u201d He meant, \u201cStop thinking nonsense.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

You are already happy. You don\u2019t need to work hard to be happy.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

When you let go of the thought, \u201cI will live happily,\u201d you will find happiness.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

We create our own happiness.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

We create our own misfortune.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Truly, our happiness and unhappiness are not created by others.<\/p>\n","post_title":"We Are The Ones Who Create Our Happiness And Unhappiness","post_excerpt":"","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","post_password":"","post_name":"we-are-the-ones-who-create-our-happiness-and-unhappiness","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2024-03-11 20:02:00","post_modified_gmt":"2024-03-12 01:02:00","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/www.jungtosociety.org\/?p=18145","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"},{"ID":18295,"post_author":"13","post_date":"2024-03-20 22:57:13","post_date_gmt":"2024-03-21 03:57:13","post_content":"\n

\"Let's change just one day at a time\" <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Accomplishing something
every day with a light heart is like
water drops piercing a rock. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Illustration by Maseol <\/p>\n","post_title":"One day at a time","post_excerpt":"","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","post_password":"","post_name":"one-day-at-a-time","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2024-03-20 22:57:15","post_modified_gmt":"2024-03-21 03:57:15","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/www.jungtosociety.org\/?p=18295","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"},{"ID":18131,"post_author":"40","post_date":"2024-03-19 14:51:48","post_date_gmt":"2024-03-19 19:51:48","post_content":"\n

P:<\/strong> In the past, parents left all their wealth to their children when they retired, and since their children took good care of them for the rest of their lives, they did not have to worry about their future. However, times have changed. The middle-aged population now find that although they have honored and taken good care of their aged parents, their own children are unlikely to do the same for them. Therefore, parents, today should not give all their assets to their children when they retire.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

When parents leave all their wealth to their offspring, they may be exposed to the danger of becoming broke and homeless if their offspring should go bankrupt. This isn\u2019t such a big problem when you are young because you can work hard to regain your wealth. In Korea, there is even a saying that goes, \u201cHardship during youth is worth paying money for.\u201d Because they have energy and potential, young people don\u2019t look pathetic when they are without money and live in a tent. However, nothing is more pitiful than seeing an old person broke and homeless. Therefore, even when any of your children become bankrupt, you should not lend him or her money by mortgaging your house. If you do, you may end up losing your house.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

You can age gracefully when you have your own assets. If you don\u2019t have anything to live on, your later years will become miserable. So, you should keep your assets. If you give them away to your children, your relationship with your children may easily be ruined.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This is not to say that you should hoard all your assets. You can give some to your children if you want, but you should keep your house and enough money to live comfortably. This way, you will still have some assets to leave to your children when you pass away, and they will arrange a good funeral for you.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

If you plan to distribute your assets among your children after retirement, it\u2019s a good idea to give away just seventy to eighty percent of your assets. You must keep twenty to thirty percent for your own. You can decide on the percentage depending on the size of your assets. If you don\u2019t have a lot of assets, the percentage you keep should be higher than if you have a lot. Either way, when parents maintain their financial freedom even after retirement, they will be able to live with dignity and are more likely to sustain a good relationship with their children.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Of course, there is the option of practicing according to the teachings of the Buddha and letting go of all your worldly possessions. People may think that an enlightened person does not need to have a cent to his name and just needs a space in the common room of a temple to sleep. Most people, however, can\u2019t live this way, which is why they need to hold on to enough assets to live on. Those living in the countryside need a place to live, a piece of land to grow various vegetables, and rice fields, while those living in the city need to have a principal amount in the bank that will yield enough monthly interest for them to live comfortably.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

It\u2019s not easy for people to earn money in their old age. Since they don\u2019t have a source of income, they may expect their children to give them some spending money and end up resenting them if they don\u2019t. To avoid such an outcome, it\u2019s necessary for people to keep some financial assets to live on in their old age. This way, parents can live independently from their children without expecting too much from their children or be overly attached to them.<\/p>\n","post_title":"You Should Hold Onto Enough Financial Assets To Live On After Retirement","post_excerpt":"","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","post_password":"","post_name":"you-should-hold-onto-enough-financial-assets-to-live-on-after-retirement","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2024-03-02 14:55:05","post_modified_gmt":"2024-03-02 19:55:05","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/www.jungtosociety.org\/?p=18131","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"},{"ID":18045,"post_author":"40","post_date":"2024-03-15 07:00:00","post_date_gmt":"2024-03-15 12:00:00","post_content":"\n

<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

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<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/a><\/gwmw><\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/a><\/p>\n","post_title":"[Meditation Q&A] \u201cHow can I value serenity but not give up caring when I am practicing…. ?","post_excerpt":"","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","post_password":"","post_name":"meditation-qa-how-can-i-value-serenity-but-not-give-up-caring-when-i-am-practicing","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2024-02-27 19:02:33","post_modified_gmt":"2024-02-28 00:02:33","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/www.jungtosociety.org\/?p=18045","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"},{"ID":18197,"post_author":"13","post_date":"2024-03-13 22:47:47","post_date_gmt":"2024-03-14 03:47:47","post_content":"\n

It\u2019s simple to become an adult.
Wake up earlier than your mom
and prepare breakfast for your parents,
wash the dishes,
and clean your room after school or work. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Illustration by Maseol <\/p>\n","post_title":"Becoming an adult","post_excerpt":"","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","post_password":"","post_name":"becoming-an-adult","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2024-03-13 22:47:48","post_modified_gmt":"2024-03-14 03:47:48","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/www.jungtosociety.org\/?p=18197","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"},{"ID":18125,"post_author":"40","post_date":"2024-03-12 07:00:00","post_date_gmt":"2024-03-12 12:00:00","post_content":"\n

P:<\/strong> When the Buddha was close to death, his disciples came to him and asked,<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cHow would you like us to conduct your funeral?\u201d The Buddha answered, \u201cYou don\u2019t need to worry about my funeral because the lay Buddhists will take care of it.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Lay Buddhists are those who take refuge in the Three Jewels and practice the Five Precepts without becoming monks or nuns. When the Buddha said they will take care of it, he meant that his funeral would be conducted based on customs of the lay people in India. So, after the Buddha died, the Lay Buddhists cremated the Buddha\u2019s body according to the Indian tradition. If he had lived in Korea, he would have been buried in the ground as is the custom in Korea.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Dharma is a teaching about truth, so it does not contain cultural aspects. However, since Buddhism originated from India, its traditions, customs, and culture were integrated into the Buddhist culture. Strictly speaking, neither cremation nor the 49-day posthumous ceremony is a fundamental tradition of Buddhism. They are in fact part of the of Indian cultural tradition.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

It is said that the deceased person has 49 days to be saved and is classified into one of nine levels based on his deeds during his life. \u201cAnyone can be reborn in paradise after he dies if he sincerely hopes for it. However, not everyone can be reborn in paradise right away since people fall into one of the nine categories based on their deeds.\u201d Specifically, people are divided into three categories of high, middle and low, and those in each of the three categories are again divided into high, middle and low, so there are a total of nine categories.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

It is believed that people in the very first category are reborn in paradise immediately after their death. It is comparable to leaving a room and entering another room. Those in the second category are reborn within 12 hours. It takes one day for those in the third category, three days for those in the fourth, a week for those in the fifth, 21 days for those in the sixth, and finally, it takes 49 days for those in the seventh category to be reborn in paradise. This is reason that people hold the 49-day posthumous ceremony. This ritual provides an opportunity for people to do good deeds on behalf of their deceased family members and help them be reborn in paradise within 49 days.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

What happens to the people in the eighth and ninth categories? Ultimately, people in all nine categories will all be reborn in paradise. However, those in the eighth and ninth categories have to spend some time in hell before that. Every year, Buddhists perform the Buddhist All Soul\u2019s Day ceremony on July 15th of the lunar calendar to save the souls of those in the two categories from hell. There is no point in debating whether this is true or not because it is a religious belief, so people are free to choose whether to believe it or not.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Funeral customs vary greatly from religion to religion and country to country. In India, the dead are cremated, and in Tibet, they are left to be eaten by birds. The corpse is cut up and placed on big rocks high in the mountain, so that it is eaten by falcons and eagles. In desert regions, the dead are \u201cburied in the wind.\u201d That is, they are nailed on a wooden board and exposed to the elements for one year until only the bones remain after which the funeral ceremony is performed. In regions with many islands, the dead are dropped into the sea.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Each of these funeral rituals has its unique meaning and significance. Tibetans feed the dead to birds because they believe that the spirit of the dead will fly to heaven with the birds. Some cultures bury the dead in the ground because of the belief that the spiritual world exists underground. Meanwhile, Indians believe in reincarnation, so they cremate the corpse to help the spirits to quickly sever their attachment to their worldly bodies so that they can be reborn.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Regardless of the funeral ritual that is performed, once a person dies, it\u2019s the end. By saying \u201cthe end\u201d I am not implying that there is no heaven or an afterlife; I am simply saying the person who draws his last breath will no longer exist in this world. From a Christian viewpoint, the spirits go to heaven, and from a Buddhist perspective, the spirits are reborn, so there is nothing we can do for them. Therefore, the best farewell for those who pass away is to let them go from our hearts.<\/p>\n","post_title":"The Best Farewell For The Deceased","post_excerpt":"","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","post_password":"","post_name":"the-best-farewell-for-the-deceased-2","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2024-03-02 14:50:59","post_modified_gmt":"2024-03-02 19:50:59","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/www.jungtosociety.org\/?p=18125","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"},{"ID":18140,"post_author":"13","post_date":"2024-03-10 17:37:58","post_date_gmt":"2024-03-10 22:37:58","post_content":"\n

<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Jungto Society, the international Buddhist community founded by the revered Korean Dharma master and social activist Venerable Pomnyun Sunim (\ubc95\ub95c\uc2a4\ub2d8), recently conducted its 33rd annual pilgrimage across India and to Nepal. Held under the theme \u201cFollowing in the Footsteps of the Buddha,\u201d the pilgrimage, which ran from 19 January to 2 February, was attended by more 500 practitioners.1<\/sup><\/p>\n\n\n\n

This year\u2019s pilgrimage was particularly notable for two reasons: first was the participation, for the first time in the Jungto pilgrimage\u2019s 33-year history, of non-Korean practitioners: the 500-plus Korean Buddhist pilgrims were accompanied nine practitioners from Italy, Japan, Thailand, the United Kingdom, the United States, and Vietnam. Second, the pilgrimage also coincided with celebrations for the 30th anniversary of Sujata Academy, a remarkable community school and social empowerment project established by Ven. Pomnyun Sunim in Dungeshwari, in the northeastern Indian state of Bihar. This project has transformed the lives of an entire community of people who have faced systemic social and economic exclusion as a result of India\u2019s conservative Hindu caste hierarchy.2<\/sup><\/p>\n\n\n\n

The academy is named after Sujata, the young woman who is said to have nourished the ailing and emaciated Siddhartha Gautama with a bowl of milk-rice, thus ending his six years of extreme asceticism. Tuition at the academy is provided free of charge. The school\u2019s principal goal is to educate every student in basic literacy and numeracy. Classes are taught from kindergarten to secondary level, alongside adult literacy classes and skills training. Students who wish to continue beyond elementary education and attend secondary school are required to teach kindergarteners or to help out in the onsite Jivaka Hospital in the mornings and to attend classes in the afternoon, working in the spirit of giving back to the community. The campus also includes a warehouse, a dormitory, a large playing field, and sports equipment for the children.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

x<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Ven. Pomnyun Sunim established the international Buddhist humanitarian relief organization Join Together Society (JTS) as an expression of the compassion of engaged Buddhism and the belief that helping others is the best way to enrich one\u2019s own life. Headquartered in Seoul, JTS operates four branch offices in South Korea and the United States, along with field offices in India and the Philippines. JTS Korea and JTS America oversee fundraising, while JTS India and JTS Philippines conduct development projects in cooperation with local communities. The relief organization has also earned Special Consultative Status to the United Nations Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

JTS India began its work in Dungeshwari, some 12 kilometers northeast of the Buddhist pilgrimage hub of Bodh Gaya, in the early 1990s, aspiring to fulfill the mission: \u201cThe hungry should eat; the sick should be treated; children should be educated in time.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This region is surrounded by the Pragbodhi Hills where the historical Buddha, Shakyamuni, is said to have spent six years in a cave as an ascetic. And it\u2019s here that JTS India has been working to empower the villagers of Dungeshwari to live their lives free from hunger, illiteracy, and disease.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The people of Dungeshwari are primarily Dalits, who face systemic social and economic exclusion as a result of the conservative Hindu social hierarchy. \u201cDalit,\u201d which translates as \u201cbroken\u201d in Sanskrit, is a term for the very lowest castes, whom members of the so-called \u201chigher\u201d castes still to this day deem \u201cuntouchable,\u201d despite the practice being prohibited in the Constitution of India. By working directly with disadvantaged communities, JTS aims to help them to mobilize their own capabilities and resources to create a more prosperous and sustainable future.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Jungto Society Dharma teacher Doyeon Jang (Dharma name Bogwang), is the director of Sujata Academy. She has overseen the development of this ambitious project, facing numerous challenges, both personal and structural, in the process of bringing this expression of compassion and social transformation to fruition.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u25b6\ufe0f Published by BDG on March 8, 2024<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u25b6\ufe0f Read more: <\/a>https:\/\/www.buddhistdoor.net\/features\/the-sujata-academy-project-the-power-of-hope-and-compassion-in-india\/<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

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<\/p>\n","post_title":"The Sujata Academy Project: The Power of Hope and Compassion in India","post_excerpt":"The Korean Seon (Zen) master Venerable Pomnyun Sunim (\ubc95\ub95c\uc2a4\ub2d8) wears many hats: Buddhist monk, teacher, author, environmentalist, and social activist, to name a few. As a widely respected Dharma teacher and a tireless socially engaged activist in his native South Korea, Ven. Pomnyun Sunim has founded numerous Dharma-based organizations, initiatives, and projects that are active across the world. Among them, Jungto Society, a volunteer-based community founded on the Buddhist teachings and expressing equality, simple living, and sustainability, is dedicated to addressing modern social issues that lead to suffering, including environmental degradation, poverty, and conflict.\n\nThis column, shared by Jungto Society, presents a series of highlights from Ven. Pomnyun Sunim\u2019s writings, teachings, public talks, and regular live-streamed Dharma Q+A sessions, which are accessible across the globe.\n","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","post_password":"","post_name":"the-sujata-academy-project-the-power-of-hope-and-compassion-in-india","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2024-03-10 17:38:00","post_modified_gmt":"2024-03-10 22:38:00","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/www.jungtosociety.org\/?p=18140","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"},{"ID":18136,"post_author":"13","post_date":"2024-03-10 17:24:34","post_date_gmt":"2024-03-10 22:24:34","post_content":"\n

Your son is over forty and
his main relationship is with someone else.
So, stop worrying about a grown man
who belongs with another woman
and be nice to the man next to you. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Illustration by Maseol <\/p>\n","post_title":"Son over forty","post_excerpt":"","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","post_password":"","post_name":"son-over-forty","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2024-03-10 17:24:36","post_modified_gmt":"2024-03-10 22:24:36","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/www.jungtosociety.org\/?p=18136","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"}],"next":false,"prev":false,"total_page":1},"paged":1,"column_class":"jeg_col_2o3","class":"jnews_block_37"};

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\ud83d\udcac Casual Conversation: mainly in English, with exceptions in Tokyo and Frankfurt<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n

Subscribe to our newsletter to get notifications on event registration and more.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

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<\/div>\n<\/div>\n","post_title":"In-Person Casual Conversation with Ven. Pomnyun Sunim in 2024","post_excerpt":"","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","post_password":"","post_name":"casual-conversation-with-ven-pomnyun-sunim-2024","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2024-03-27 12:49:06","post_modified_gmt":"2024-03-27 17:49:06","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/www.jungtosociety.org\/?p=18171","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"},{"ID":18145,"post_author":"40","post_date":"2024-03-26 07:00:00","post_date_gmt":"2024-03-26 12:00:00","post_content":"\n

P:<\/strong> Most of us feel anxious and insecure about our old age. So, people ask, \u201cWhat do I need to do to prepare for a happy old age?\u201d However, there is no such thing as preparing to be happy. You must simply be happy at this moment. Let\u2019s say you slip and fall down the stairs and break a leg. If you think to yourself, \u201cWhat bad luck that I broke my leg!\u201d you will feel unhappy. However, if you think, \u201cHow fortunate that I only broke one leg when I could have easily broken both legs!\u201d you will feel happy. If you can see the positive side of everything, you will always be happy. There is no need to prepare for a happy old age.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWhen I see in the media, \u2018Your old age will be insecure if you don\u2019t prepare for it.\u2019 or \u2018You need to do this and that to be happy in your old age,\u2019 I feel like I need to do something.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Needing to prepare for happiness is a claim of those who have never been happy. Often, all people do is prepare to become happy but end up dying without ever having been happy. Therefore, there is no need to prepare. We should be happy from this very moment. We should not prepare to be happy but be happy immediately starting today.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Those who are not happy today cannot be happy tomorrow, and those who are not happy in this world cannot be happy in the afterworld, should it exist. Those who always complain in this world will find something to complain about even in heaven. You may think that you will be happy the moment you get to heaven, but once you are there, you might still be unhappy. There is no place in the world that will automatically make you happy. You should be happy right here, right now.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Then, how can we become happy? Wouldn\u2019t I be miserable if I envied you and kept thinking, \u201cHow I wish I could get married!\u201d? If those of you who are married keep thinking, \u201cI wish I could live alone. How wonderful it must be to travel anywhere as freely as the Sunim does!\u201d you would be very unhappy. A monk like me should be proud of living alone, and those who are married should be so happy in their marriages as to make a monk feel jealous. Living the life we have chosen to the best of our ability is living well.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

We should be happy with everything that happens in the natural course of our lives. For instance, we should be happy to grow old as time passes, happy to be alive when alive, and happy to die when death knocks at the door. Then, it will be like living in heaven in this life as well as in the afterlife. It doesn\u2019t make sense to live this life as if we were in hell while wishing to go to heaven after death.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

When a person who lives in Korea can live happily, Korea becomes a heaven. This person will be happy even if he lives in the U.S. However, a person who complains about his life in this world will not stop complaining even if he were sent to heaven. A complainer is likely to grumble no matter where he goes. Therefore, heaven and hell do not exist separately in another world. That is, we are in heaven when we are happy and in hell when we are miserable.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

We tend to blame others for their hardships and suffering. However, if we look carefully, we will to see that we ourselves make our own happiness and unhappiness. Those who make themselves miserable will feel miserable even in heaven, and those who make themselves happy will be happy even in hell.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

We should be content with our current lives at all times. When we wake up early in the morning, when we meditate, when we prostrate, and when we have meals, we should be happy to be able to do these things. Considering that a countless number of people in North Korea are currently starving, shouldn\u2019t we be thankful for the fact that we are able to have regular meals? We should always perceive our lives in such a positive light.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Actually, you are all happy right now. You simply don\u2019t see it or feel it. Once upon a time someone visited a Zen master and talked extensively about the Buddha and his teachings. The Zen master told him, \u201cJust have a cup of tea.\u201d He meant, \u201cStop thinking nonsense.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

You are already happy. You don\u2019t need to work hard to be happy.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

When you let go of the thought, \u201cI will live happily,\u201d you will find happiness.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

We create our own happiness.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

We create our own misfortune.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Truly, our happiness and unhappiness are not created by others.<\/p>\n","post_title":"We Are The Ones Who Create Our Happiness And Unhappiness","post_excerpt":"","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","post_password":"","post_name":"we-are-the-ones-who-create-our-happiness-and-unhappiness","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2024-03-11 20:02:00","post_modified_gmt":"2024-03-12 01:02:00","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/www.jungtosociety.org\/?p=18145","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"},{"ID":18295,"post_author":"13","post_date":"2024-03-20 22:57:13","post_date_gmt":"2024-03-21 03:57:13","post_content":"\n

\"Let's change just one day at a time\" <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Accomplishing something
every day with a light heart is like
water drops piercing a rock. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Illustration by Maseol <\/p>\n","post_title":"One day at a time","post_excerpt":"","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","post_password":"","post_name":"one-day-at-a-time","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2024-03-20 22:57:15","post_modified_gmt":"2024-03-21 03:57:15","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/www.jungtosociety.org\/?p=18295","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"},{"ID":18131,"post_author":"40","post_date":"2024-03-19 14:51:48","post_date_gmt":"2024-03-19 19:51:48","post_content":"\n

P:<\/strong> In the past, parents left all their wealth to their children when they retired, and since their children took good care of them for the rest of their lives, they did not have to worry about their future. However, times have changed. The middle-aged population now find that although they have honored and taken good care of their aged parents, their own children are unlikely to do the same for them. Therefore, parents, today should not give all their assets to their children when they retire.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

When parents leave all their wealth to their offspring, they may be exposed to the danger of becoming broke and homeless if their offspring should go bankrupt. This isn\u2019t such a big problem when you are young because you can work hard to regain your wealth. In Korea, there is even a saying that goes, \u201cHardship during youth is worth paying money for.\u201d Because they have energy and potential, young people don\u2019t look pathetic when they are without money and live in a tent. However, nothing is more pitiful than seeing an old person broke and homeless. Therefore, even when any of your children become bankrupt, you should not lend him or her money by mortgaging your house. If you do, you may end up losing your house.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

You can age gracefully when you have your own assets. If you don\u2019t have anything to live on, your later years will become miserable. So, you should keep your assets. If you give them away to your children, your relationship with your children may easily be ruined.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This is not to say that you should hoard all your assets. You can give some to your children if you want, but you should keep your house and enough money to live comfortably. This way, you will still have some assets to leave to your children when you pass away, and they will arrange a good funeral for you.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

If you plan to distribute your assets among your children after retirement, it\u2019s a good idea to give away just seventy to eighty percent of your assets. You must keep twenty to thirty percent for your own. You can decide on the percentage depending on the size of your assets. If you don\u2019t have a lot of assets, the percentage you keep should be higher than if you have a lot. Either way, when parents maintain their financial freedom even after retirement, they will be able to live with dignity and are more likely to sustain a good relationship with their children.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Of course, there is the option of practicing according to the teachings of the Buddha and letting go of all your worldly possessions. People may think that an enlightened person does not need to have a cent to his name and just needs a space in the common room of a temple to sleep. Most people, however, can\u2019t live this way, which is why they need to hold on to enough assets to live on. Those living in the countryside need a place to live, a piece of land to grow various vegetables, and rice fields, while those living in the city need to have a principal amount in the bank that will yield enough monthly interest for them to live comfortably.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

It\u2019s not easy for people to earn money in their old age. Since they don\u2019t have a source of income, they may expect their children to give them some spending money and end up resenting them if they don\u2019t. To avoid such an outcome, it\u2019s necessary for people to keep some financial assets to live on in their old age. This way, parents can live independently from their children without expecting too much from their children or be overly attached to them.<\/p>\n","post_title":"You Should Hold Onto Enough Financial Assets To Live On After Retirement","post_excerpt":"","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","post_password":"","post_name":"you-should-hold-onto-enough-financial-assets-to-live-on-after-retirement","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2024-03-02 14:55:05","post_modified_gmt":"2024-03-02 19:55:05","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/www.jungtosociety.org\/?p=18131","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"},{"ID":18045,"post_author":"40","post_date":"2024-03-15 07:00:00","post_date_gmt":"2024-03-15 12:00:00","post_content":"\n

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<\/a><\/p>\n","post_title":"[Meditation Q&A] \u201cHow can I value serenity but not give up caring when I am practicing…. ?","post_excerpt":"","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","post_password":"","post_name":"meditation-qa-how-can-i-value-serenity-but-not-give-up-caring-when-i-am-practicing","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2024-02-27 19:02:33","post_modified_gmt":"2024-02-28 00:02:33","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/www.jungtosociety.org\/?p=18045","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"},{"ID":18197,"post_author":"13","post_date":"2024-03-13 22:47:47","post_date_gmt":"2024-03-14 03:47:47","post_content":"\n

It\u2019s simple to become an adult.
Wake up earlier than your mom
and prepare breakfast for your parents,
wash the dishes,
and clean your room after school or work. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Illustration by Maseol <\/p>\n","post_title":"Becoming an adult","post_excerpt":"","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","post_password":"","post_name":"becoming-an-adult","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2024-03-13 22:47:48","post_modified_gmt":"2024-03-14 03:47:48","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/www.jungtosociety.org\/?p=18197","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"},{"ID":18125,"post_author":"40","post_date":"2024-03-12 07:00:00","post_date_gmt":"2024-03-12 12:00:00","post_content":"\n

P:<\/strong> When the Buddha was close to death, his disciples came to him and asked,<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cHow would you like us to conduct your funeral?\u201d The Buddha answered, \u201cYou don\u2019t need to worry about my funeral because the lay Buddhists will take care of it.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Lay Buddhists are those who take refuge in the Three Jewels and practice the Five Precepts without becoming monks or nuns. When the Buddha said they will take care of it, he meant that his funeral would be conducted based on customs of the lay people in India. So, after the Buddha died, the Lay Buddhists cremated the Buddha\u2019s body according to the Indian tradition. If he had lived in Korea, he would have been buried in the ground as is the custom in Korea.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Dharma is a teaching about truth, so it does not contain cultural aspects. However, since Buddhism originated from India, its traditions, customs, and culture were integrated into the Buddhist culture. Strictly speaking, neither cremation nor the 49-day posthumous ceremony is a fundamental tradition of Buddhism. They are in fact part of the of Indian cultural tradition.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

It is said that the deceased person has 49 days to be saved and is classified into one of nine levels based on his deeds during his life. \u201cAnyone can be reborn in paradise after he dies if he sincerely hopes for it. However, not everyone can be reborn in paradise right away since people fall into one of the nine categories based on their deeds.\u201d Specifically, people are divided into three categories of high, middle and low, and those in each of the three categories are again divided into high, middle and low, so there are a total of nine categories.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

It is believed that people in the very first category are reborn in paradise immediately after their death. It is comparable to leaving a room and entering another room. Those in the second category are reborn within 12 hours. It takes one day for those in the third category, three days for those in the fourth, a week for those in the fifth, 21 days for those in the sixth, and finally, it takes 49 days for those in the seventh category to be reborn in paradise. This is reason that people hold the 49-day posthumous ceremony. This ritual provides an opportunity for people to do good deeds on behalf of their deceased family members and help them be reborn in paradise within 49 days.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

What happens to the people in the eighth and ninth categories? Ultimately, people in all nine categories will all be reborn in paradise. However, those in the eighth and ninth categories have to spend some time in hell before that. Every year, Buddhists perform the Buddhist All Soul\u2019s Day ceremony on July 15th of the lunar calendar to save the souls of those in the two categories from hell. There is no point in debating whether this is true or not because it is a religious belief, so people are free to choose whether to believe it or not.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Funeral customs vary greatly from religion to religion and country to country. In India, the dead are cremated, and in Tibet, they are left to be eaten by birds. The corpse is cut up and placed on big rocks high in the mountain, so that it is eaten by falcons and eagles. In desert regions, the dead are \u201cburied in the wind.\u201d That is, they are nailed on a wooden board and exposed to the elements for one year until only the bones remain after which the funeral ceremony is performed. In regions with many islands, the dead are dropped into the sea.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Each of these funeral rituals has its unique meaning and significance. Tibetans feed the dead to birds because they believe that the spirit of the dead will fly to heaven with the birds. Some cultures bury the dead in the ground because of the belief that the spiritual world exists underground. Meanwhile, Indians believe in reincarnation, so they cremate the corpse to help the spirits to quickly sever their attachment to their worldly bodies so that they can be reborn.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Regardless of the funeral ritual that is performed, once a person dies, it\u2019s the end. By saying \u201cthe end\u201d I am not implying that there is no heaven or an afterlife; I am simply saying the person who draws his last breath will no longer exist in this world. From a Christian viewpoint, the spirits go to heaven, and from a Buddhist perspective, the spirits are reborn, so there is nothing we can do for them. Therefore, the best farewell for those who pass away is to let them go from our hearts.<\/p>\n","post_title":"The Best Farewell For The Deceased","post_excerpt":"","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","post_password":"","post_name":"the-best-farewell-for-the-deceased-2","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2024-03-02 14:50:59","post_modified_gmt":"2024-03-02 19:50:59","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/www.jungtosociety.org\/?p=18125","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"},{"ID":18140,"post_author":"13","post_date":"2024-03-10 17:37:58","post_date_gmt":"2024-03-10 22:37:58","post_content":"\n

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Jungto Society, the international Buddhist community founded by the revered Korean Dharma master and social activist Venerable Pomnyun Sunim (\ubc95\ub95c\uc2a4\ub2d8), recently conducted its 33rd annual pilgrimage across India and to Nepal. Held under the theme \u201cFollowing in the Footsteps of the Buddha,\u201d the pilgrimage, which ran from 19 January to 2 February, was attended by more 500 practitioners.1<\/sup><\/p>\n\n\n\n

This year\u2019s pilgrimage was particularly notable for two reasons: first was the participation, for the first time in the Jungto pilgrimage\u2019s 33-year history, of non-Korean practitioners: the 500-plus Korean Buddhist pilgrims were accompanied nine practitioners from Italy, Japan, Thailand, the United Kingdom, the United States, and Vietnam. Second, the pilgrimage also coincided with celebrations for the 30th anniversary of Sujata Academy, a remarkable community school and social empowerment project established by Ven. Pomnyun Sunim in Dungeshwari, in the northeastern Indian state of Bihar. This project has transformed the lives of an entire community of people who have faced systemic social and economic exclusion as a result of India\u2019s conservative Hindu caste hierarchy.2<\/sup><\/p>\n\n\n\n

The academy is named after Sujata, the young woman who is said to have nourished the ailing and emaciated Siddhartha Gautama with a bowl of milk-rice, thus ending his six years of extreme asceticism. Tuition at the academy is provided free of charge. The school\u2019s principal goal is to educate every student in basic literacy and numeracy. Classes are taught from kindergarten to secondary level, alongside adult literacy classes and skills training. Students who wish to continue beyond elementary education and attend secondary school are required to teach kindergarteners or to help out in the onsite Jivaka Hospital in the mornings and to attend classes in the afternoon, working in the spirit of giving back to the community. The campus also includes a warehouse, a dormitory, a large playing field, and sports equipment for the children.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

x<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Ven. Pomnyun Sunim established the international Buddhist humanitarian relief organization Join Together Society (JTS) as an expression of the compassion of engaged Buddhism and the belief that helping others is the best way to enrich one\u2019s own life. Headquartered in Seoul, JTS operates four branch offices in South Korea and the United States, along with field offices in India and the Philippines. JTS Korea and JTS America oversee fundraising, while JTS India and JTS Philippines conduct development projects in cooperation with local communities. The relief organization has also earned Special Consultative Status to the United Nations Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

JTS India began its work in Dungeshwari, some 12 kilometers northeast of the Buddhist pilgrimage hub of Bodh Gaya, in the early 1990s, aspiring to fulfill the mission: \u201cThe hungry should eat; the sick should be treated; children should be educated in time.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This region is surrounded by the Pragbodhi Hills where the historical Buddha, Shakyamuni, is said to have spent six years in a cave as an ascetic. And it\u2019s here that JTS India has been working to empower the villagers of Dungeshwari to live their lives free from hunger, illiteracy, and disease.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The people of Dungeshwari are primarily Dalits, who face systemic social and economic exclusion as a result of the conservative Hindu social hierarchy. \u201cDalit,\u201d which translates as \u201cbroken\u201d in Sanskrit, is a term for the very lowest castes, whom members of the so-called \u201chigher\u201d castes still to this day deem \u201cuntouchable,\u201d despite the practice being prohibited in the Constitution of India. By working directly with disadvantaged communities, JTS aims to help them to mobilize their own capabilities and resources to create a more prosperous and sustainable future.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Jungto Society Dharma teacher Doyeon Jang (Dharma name Bogwang), is the director of Sujata Academy. She has overseen the development of this ambitious project, facing numerous challenges, both personal and structural, in the process of bringing this expression of compassion and social transformation to fruition.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u25b6\ufe0f Published by BDG on March 8, 2024<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u25b6\ufe0f Read more: <\/a>https:\/\/www.buddhistdoor.net\/features\/the-sujata-academy-project-the-power-of-hope-and-compassion-in-india\/<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

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<\/p>\n","post_title":"The Sujata Academy Project: The Power of Hope and Compassion in India","post_excerpt":"The Korean Seon (Zen) master Venerable Pomnyun Sunim (\ubc95\ub95c\uc2a4\ub2d8) wears many hats: Buddhist monk, teacher, author, environmentalist, and social activist, to name a few. As a widely respected Dharma teacher and a tireless socially engaged activist in his native South Korea, Ven. Pomnyun Sunim has founded numerous Dharma-based organizations, initiatives, and projects that are active across the world. Among them, Jungto Society, a volunteer-based community founded on the Buddhist teachings and expressing equality, simple living, and sustainability, is dedicated to addressing modern social issues that lead to suffering, including environmental degradation, poverty, and conflict.\n\nThis column, shared by Jungto Society, presents a series of highlights from Ven. Pomnyun Sunim\u2019s writings, teachings, public talks, and regular live-streamed Dharma Q+A sessions, which are accessible across the globe.\n","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","post_password":"","post_name":"the-sujata-academy-project-the-power-of-hope-and-compassion-in-india","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2024-03-10 17:38:00","post_modified_gmt":"2024-03-10 22:38:00","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/www.jungtosociety.org\/?p=18140","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"},{"ID":18136,"post_author":"13","post_date":"2024-03-10 17:24:34","post_date_gmt":"2024-03-10 22:24:34","post_content":"\n

Your son is over forty and
his main relationship is with someone else.
So, stop worrying about a grown man
who belongs with another woman
and be nice to the man next to you. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Illustration by Maseol <\/p>\n","post_title":"Son over forty","post_excerpt":"","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","post_password":"","post_name":"son-over-forty","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2024-03-10 17:24:36","post_modified_gmt":"2024-03-10 22:24:36","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/www.jungtosociety.org\/?p=18136","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"}],"next":false,"prev":false,"total_page":1},"paged":1,"column_class":"jeg_col_2o3","class":"jnews_block_37"};

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We\u2019re excited to announce that Ven. Pomnyun Sunim will be hosting Q&A sessions in New York, Boston, Dallas, and Washington D.C. Don\u2019t miss this special opportunity to gather in person and learn from his wisdom. Save the date and register today! (In September, several events are planned with Ven. Pomnyun Sunim along the west coast of North America.)
The event is free and open to everyone. Given the limited seating available, we highly recommend registering in advance to secure your spot. Registration forms can be found below.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\ud83d\udcac Casual Conversation: mainly in English, with exceptions in Tokyo and Frankfurt<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n

Subscribe to our newsletter to get notifications on event registration and more.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

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\n\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n
<\/div>\n<\/div>\n","post_title":"In-Person Casual Conversation with Ven. Pomnyun Sunim in 2024","post_excerpt":"","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","post_password":"","post_name":"casual-conversation-with-ven-pomnyun-sunim-2024","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2024-03-27 12:49:06","post_modified_gmt":"2024-03-27 17:49:06","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/www.jungtosociety.org\/?p=18171","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"},{"ID":18145,"post_author":"40","post_date":"2024-03-26 07:00:00","post_date_gmt":"2024-03-26 12:00:00","post_content":"\n

P:<\/strong> Most of us feel anxious and insecure about our old age. So, people ask, \u201cWhat do I need to do to prepare for a happy old age?\u201d However, there is no such thing as preparing to be happy. You must simply be happy at this moment. Let\u2019s say you slip and fall down the stairs and break a leg. If you think to yourself, \u201cWhat bad luck that I broke my leg!\u201d you will feel unhappy. However, if you think, \u201cHow fortunate that I only broke one leg when I could have easily broken both legs!\u201d you will feel happy. If you can see the positive side of everything, you will always be happy. There is no need to prepare for a happy old age.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWhen I see in the media, \u2018Your old age will be insecure if you don\u2019t prepare for it.\u2019 or \u2018You need to do this and that to be happy in your old age,\u2019 I feel like I need to do something.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Needing to prepare for happiness is a claim of those who have never been happy. Often, all people do is prepare to become happy but end up dying without ever having been happy. Therefore, there is no need to prepare. We should be happy from this very moment. We should not prepare to be happy but be happy immediately starting today.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Those who are not happy today cannot be happy tomorrow, and those who are not happy in this world cannot be happy in the afterworld, should it exist. Those who always complain in this world will find something to complain about even in heaven. You may think that you will be happy the moment you get to heaven, but once you are there, you might still be unhappy. There is no place in the world that will automatically make you happy. You should be happy right here, right now.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Then, how can we become happy? Wouldn\u2019t I be miserable if I envied you and kept thinking, \u201cHow I wish I could get married!\u201d? If those of you who are married keep thinking, \u201cI wish I could live alone. How wonderful it must be to travel anywhere as freely as the Sunim does!\u201d you would be very unhappy. A monk like me should be proud of living alone, and those who are married should be so happy in their marriages as to make a monk feel jealous. Living the life we have chosen to the best of our ability is living well.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

We should be happy with everything that happens in the natural course of our lives. For instance, we should be happy to grow old as time passes, happy to be alive when alive, and happy to die when death knocks at the door. Then, it will be like living in heaven in this life as well as in the afterlife. It doesn\u2019t make sense to live this life as if we were in hell while wishing to go to heaven after death.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

When a person who lives in Korea can live happily, Korea becomes a heaven. This person will be happy even if he lives in the U.S. However, a person who complains about his life in this world will not stop complaining even if he were sent to heaven. A complainer is likely to grumble no matter where he goes. Therefore, heaven and hell do not exist separately in another world. That is, we are in heaven when we are happy and in hell when we are miserable.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

We tend to blame others for their hardships and suffering. However, if we look carefully, we will to see that we ourselves make our own happiness and unhappiness. Those who make themselves miserable will feel miserable even in heaven, and those who make themselves happy will be happy even in hell.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

We should be content with our current lives at all times. When we wake up early in the morning, when we meditate, when we prostrate, and when we have meals, we should be happy to be able to do these things. Considering that a countless number of people in North Korea are currently starving, shouldn\u2019t we be thankful for the fact that we are able to have regular meals? We should always perceive our lives in such a positive light.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Actually, you are all happy right now. You simply don\u2019t see it or feel it. Once upon a time someone visited a Zen master and talked extensively about the Buddha and his teachings. The Zen master told him, \u201cJust have a cup of tea.\u201d He meant, \u201cStop thinking nonsense.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

You are already happy. You don\u2019t need to work hard to be happy.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

When you let go of the thought, \u201cI will live happily,\u201d you will find happiness.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

We create our own happiness.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

We create our own misfortune.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Truly, our happiness and unhappiness are not created by others.<\/p>\n","post_title":"We Are The Ones Who Create Our Happiness And Unhappiness","post_excerpt":"","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","post_password":"","post_name":"we-are-the-ones-who-create-our-happiness-and-unhappiness","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2024-03-11 20:02:00","post_modified_gmt":"2024-03-12 01:02:00","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/www.jungtosociety.org\/?p=18145","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"},{"ID":18295,"post_author":"13","post_date":"2024-03-20 22:57:13","post_date_gmt":"2024-03-21 03:57:13","post_content":"\n

\"Let's change just one day at a time\" <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Accomplishing something
every day with a light heart is like
water drops piercing a rock. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Illustration by Maseol <\/p>\n","post_title":"One day at a time","post_excerpt":"","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","post_password":"","post_name":"one-day-at-a-time","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2024-03-20 22:57:15","post_modified_gmt":"2024-03-21 03:57:15","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/www.jungtosociety.org\/?p=18295","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"},{"ID":18131,"post_author":"40","post_date":"2024-03-19 14:51:48","post_date_gmt":"2024-03-19 19:51:48","post_content":"\n

P:<\/strong> In the past, parents left all their wealth to their children when they retired, and since their children took good care of them for the rest of their lives, they did not have to worry about their future. However, times have changed. The middle-aged population now find that although they have honored and taken good care of their aged parents, their own children are unlikely to do the same for them. Therefore, parents, today should not give all their assets to their children when they retire.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

When parents leave all their wealth to their offspring, they may be exposed to the danger of becoming broke and homeless if their offspring should go bankrupt. This isn\u2019t such a big problem when you are young because you can work hard to regain your wealth. In Korea, there is even a saying that goes, \u201cHardship during youth is worth paying money for.\u201d Because they have energy and potential, young people don\u2019t look pathetic when they are without money and live in a tent. However, nothing is more pitiful than seeing an old person broke and homeless. Therefore, even when any of your children become bankrupt, you should not lend him or her money by mortgaging your house. If you do, you may end up losing your house.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

You can age gracefully when you have your own assets. If you don\u2019t have anything to live on, your later years will become miserable. So, you should keep your assets. If you give them away to your children, your relationship with your children may easily be ruined.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This is not to say that you should hoard all your assets. You can give some to your children if you want, but you should keep your house and enough money to live comfortably. This way, you will still have some assets to leave to your children when you pass away, and they will arrange a good funeral for you.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

If you plan to distribute your assets among your children after retirement, it\u2019s a good idea to give away just seventy to eighty percent of your assets. You must keep twenty to thirty percent for your own. You can decide on the percentage depending on the size of your assets. If you don\u2019t have a lot of assets, the percentage you keep should be higher than if you have a lot. Either way, when parents maintain their financial freedom even after retirement, they will be able to live with dignity and are more likely to sustain a good relationship with their children.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Of course, there is the option of practicing according to the teachings of the Buddha and letting go of all your worldly possessions. People may think that an enlightened person does not need to have a cent to his name and just needs a space in the common room of a temple to sleep. Most people, however, can\u2019t live this way, which is why they need to hold on to enough assets to live on. Those living in the countryside need a place to live, a piece of land to grow various vegetables, and rice fields, while those living in the city need to have a principal amount in the bank that will yield enough monthly interest for them to live comfortably.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

It\u2019s not easy for people to earn money in their old age. Since they don\u2019t have a source of income, they may expect their children to give them some spending money and end up resenting them if they don\u2019t. To avoid such an outcome, it\u2019s necessary for people to keep some financial assets to live on in their old age. This way, parents can live independently from their children without expecting too much from their children or be overly attached to them.<\/p>\n","post_title":"You Should Hold Onto Enough Financial Assets To Live On After Retirement","post_excerpt":"","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","post_password":"","post_name":"you-should-hold-onto-enough-financial-assets-to-live-on-after-retirement","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2024-03-02 14:55:05","post_modified_gmt":"2024-03-02 19:55:05","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/www.jungtosociety.org\/?p=18131","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"},{"ID":18045,"post_author":"40","post_date":"2024-03-15 07:00:00","post_date_gmt":"2024-03-15 12:00:00","post_content":"\n

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<\/a><\/gwmw><\/p>\n\n\n\n

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<\/a><\/p>\n","post_title":"[Meditation Q&A] \u201cHow can I value serenity but not give up caring when I am practicing…. ?","post_excerpt":"","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","post_password":"","post_name":"meditation-qa-how-can-i-value-serenity-but-not-give-up-caring-when-i-am-practicing","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2024-02-27 19:02:33","post_modified_gmt":"2024-02-28 00:02:33","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/www.jungtosociety.org\/?p=18045","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"},{"ID":18197,"post_author":"13","post_date":"2024-03-13 22:47:47","post_date_gmt":"2024-03-14 03:47:47","post_content":"\n

It\u2019s simple to become an adult.
Wake up earlier than your mom
and prepare breakfast for your parents,
wash the dishes,
and clean your room after school or work. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Illustration by Maseol <\/p>\n","post_title":"Becoming an adult","post_excerpt":"","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","post_password":"","post_name":"becoming-an-adult","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2024-03-13 22:47:48","post_modified_gmt":"2024-03-14 03:47:48","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/www.jungtosociety.org\/?p=18197","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"},{"ID":18125,"post_author":"40","post_date":"2024-03-12 07:00:00","post_date_gmt":"2024-03-12 12:00:00","post_content":"\n

P:<\/strong> When the Buddha was close to death, his disciples came to him and asked,<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cHow would you like us to conduct your funeral?\u201d The Buddha answered, \u201cYou don\u2019t need to worry about my funeral because the lay Buddhists will take care of it.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Lay Buddhists are those who take refuge in the Three Jewels and practice the Five Precepts without becoming monks or nuns. When the Buddha said they will take care of it, he meant that his funeral would be conducted based on customs of the lay people in India. So, after the Buddha died, the Lay Buddhists cremated the Buddha\u2019s body according to the Indian tradition. If he had lived in Korea, he would have been buried in the ground as is the custom in Korea.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Dharma is a teaching about truth, so it does not contain cultural aspects. However, since Buddhism originated from India, its traditions, customs, and culture were integrated into the Buddhist culture. Strictly speaking, neither cremation nor the 49-day posthumous ceremony is a fundamental tradition of Buddhism. They are in fact part of the of Indian cultural tradition.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

It is said that the deceased person has 49 days to be saved and is classified into one of nine levels based on his deeds during his life. \u201cAnyone can be reborn in paradise after he dies if he sincerely hopes for it. However, not everyone can be reborn in paradise right away since people fall into one of the nine categories based on their deeds.\u201d Specifically, people are divided into three categories of high, middle and low, and those in each of the three categories are again divided into high, middle and low, so there are a total of nine categories.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

It is believed that people in the very first category are reborn in paradise immediately after their death. It is comparable to leaving a room and entering another room. Those in the second category are reborn within 12 hours. It takes one day for those in the third category, three days for those in the fourth, a week for those in the fifth, 21 days for those in the sixth, and finally, it takes 49 days for those in the seventh category to be reborn in paradise. This is reason that people hold the 49-day posthumous ceremony. This ritual provides an opportunity for people to do good deeds on behalf of their deceased family members and help them be reborn in paradise within 49 days.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

What happens to the people in the eighth and ninth categories? Ultimately, people in all nine categories will all be reborn in paradise. However, those in the eighth and ninth categories have to spend some time in hell before that. Every year, Buddhists perform the Buddhist All Soul\u2019s Day ceremony on July 15th of the lunar calendar to save the souls of those in the two categories from hell. There is no point in debating whether this is true or not because it is a religious belief, so people are free to choose whether to believe it or not.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Funeral customs vary greatly from religion to religion and country to country. In India, the dead are cremated, and in Tibet, they are left to be eaten by birds. The corpse is cut up and placed on big rocks high in the mountain, so that it is eaten by falcons and eagles. In desert regions, the dead are \u201cburied in the wind.\u201d That is, they are nailed on a wooden board and exposed to the elements for one year until only the bones remain after which the funeral ceremony is performed. In regions with many islands, the dead are dropped into the sea.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Each of these funeral rituals has its unique meaning and significance. Tibetans feed the dead to birds because they believe that the spirit of the dead will fly to heaven with the birds. Some cultures bury the dead in the ground because of the belief that the spiritual world exists underground. Meanwhile, Indians believe in reincarnation, so they cremate the corpse to help the spirits to quickly sever their attachment to their worldly bodies so that they can be reborn.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Regardless of the funeral ritual that is performed, once a person dies, it\u2019s the end. By saying \u201cthe end\u201d I am not implying that there is no heaven or an afterlife; I am simply saying the person who draws his last breath will no longer exist in this world. From a Christian viewpoint, the spirits go to heaven, and from a Buddhist perspective, the spirits are reborn, so there is nothing we can do for them. Therefore, the best farewell for those who pass away is to let them go from our hearts.<\/p>\n","post_title":"The Best Farewell For The Deceased","post_excerpt":"","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","post_password":"","post_name":"the-best-farewell-for-the-deceased-2","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2024-03-02 14:50:59","post_modified_gmt":"2024-03-02 19:50:59","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/www.jungtosociety.org\/?p=18125","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"},{"ID":18140,"post_author":"13","post_date":"2024-03-10 17:37:58","post_date_gmt":"2024-03-10 22:37:58","post_content":"\n

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Jungto Society, the international Buddhist community founded by the revered Korean Dharma master and social activist Venerable Pomnyun Sunim (\ubc95\ub95c\uc2a4\ub2d8), recently conducted its 33rd annual pilgrimage across India and to Nepal. Held under the theme \u201cFollowing in the Footsteps of the Buddha,\u201d the pilgrimage, which ran from 19 January to 2 February, was attended by more 500 practitioners.1<\/sup><\/p>\n\n\n\n

This year\u2019s pilgrimage was particularly notable for two reasons: first was the participation, for the first time in the Jungto pilgrimage\u2019s 33-year history, of non-Korean practitioners: the 500-plus Korean Buddhist pilgrims were accompanied nine practitioners from Italy, Japan, Thailand, the United Kingdom, the United States, and Vietnam. Second, the pilgrimage also coincided with celebrations for the 30th anniversary of Sujata Academy, a remarkable community school and social empowerment project established by Ven. Pomnyun Sunim in Dungeshwari, in the northeastern Indian state of Bihar. This project has transformed the lives of an entire community of people who have faced systemic social and economic exclusion as a result of India\u2019s conservative Hindu caste hierarchy.2<\/sup><\/p>\n\n\n\n

The academy is named after Sujata, the young woman who is said to have nourished the ailing and emaciated Siddhartha Gautama with a bowl of milk-rice, thus ending his six years of extreme asceticism. Tuition at the academy is provided free of charge. The school\u2019s principal goal is to educate every student in basic literacy and numeracy. Classes are taught from kindergarten to secondary level, alongside adult literacy classes and skills training. Students who wish to continue beyond elementary education and attend secondary school are required to teach kindergarteners or to help out in the onsite Jivaka Hospital in the mornings and to attend classes in the afternoon, working in the spirit of giving back to the community. The campus also includes a warehouse, a dormitory, a large playing field, and sports equipment for the children.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

x<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Ven. Pomnyun Sunim established the international Buddhist humanitarian relief organization Join Together Society (JTS) as an expression of the compassion of engaged Buddhism and the belief that helping others is the best way to enrich one\u2019s own life. Headquartered in Seoul, JTS operates four branch offices in South Korea and the United States, along with field offices in India and the Philippines. JTS Korea and JTS America oversee fundraising, while JTS India and JTS Philippines conduct development projects in cooperation with local communities. The relief organization has also earned Special Consultative Status to the United Nations Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

JTS India began its work in Dungeshwari, some 12 kilometers northeast of the Buddhist pilgrimage hub of Bodh Gaya, in the early 1990s, aspiring to fulfill the mission: \u201cThe hungry should eat; the sick should be treated; children should be educated in time.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This region is surrounded by the Pragbodhi Hills where the historical Buddha, Shakyamuni, is said to have spent six years in a cave as an ascetic. And it\u2019s here that JTS India has been working to empower the villagers of Dungeshwari to live their lives free from hunger, illiteracy, and disease.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The people of Dungeshwari are primarily Dalits, who face systemic social and economic exclusion as a result of the conservative Hindu social hierarchy. \u201cDalit,\u201d which translates as \u201cbroken\u201d in Sanskrit, is a term for the very lowest castes, whom members of the so-called \u201chigher\u201d castes still to this day deem \u201cuntouchable,\u201d despite the practice being prohibited in the Constitution of India. By working directly with disadvantaged communities, JTS aims to help them to mobilize their own capabilities and resources to create a more prosperous and sustainable future.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Jungto Society Dharma teacher Doyeon Jang (Dharma name Bogwang), is the director of Sujata Academy. She has overseen the development of this ambitious project, facing numerous challenges, both personal and structural, in the process of bringing this expression of compassion and social transformation to fruition.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u25b6\ufe0f Published by BDG on March 8, 2024<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u25b6\ufe0f Read more: <\/a>https:\/\/www.buddhistdoor.net\/features\/the-sujata-academy-project-the-power-of-hope-and-compassion-in-india\/<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

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<\/p>\n","post_title":"The Sujata Academy Project: The Power of Hope and Compassion in India","post_excerpt":"The Korean Seon (Zen) master Venerable Pomnyun Sunim (\ubc95\ub95c\uc2a4\ub2d8) wears many hats: Buddhist monk, teacher, author, environmentalist, and social activist, to name a few. As a widely respected Dharma teacher and a tireless socially engaged activist in his native South Korea, Ven. Pomnyun Sunim has founded numerous Dharma-based organizations, initiatives, and projects that are active across the world. Among them, Jungto Society, a volunteer-based community founded on the Buddhist teachings and expressing equality, simple living, and sustainability, is dedicated to addressing modern social issues that lead to suffering, including environmental degradation, poverty, and conflict.\n\nThis column, shared by Jungto Society, presents a series of highlights from Ven. Pomnyun Sunim\u2019s writings, teachings, public talks, and regular live-streamed Dharma Q+A sessions, which are accessible across the globe.\n","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","post_password":"","post_name":"the-sujata-academy-project-the-power-of-hope-and-compassion-in-india","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2024-03-10 17:38:00","post_modified_gmt":"2024-03-10 22:38:00","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/www.jungtosociety.org\/?p=18140","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"},{"ID":18136,"post_author":"13","post_date":"2024-03-10 17:24:34","post_date_gmt":"2024-03-10 22:24:34","post_content":"\n

Your son is over forty and
his main relationship is with someone else.
So, stop worrying about a grown man
who belongs with another woman
and be nice to the man next to you. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Illustration by Maseol <\/p>\n","post_title":"Son over forty","post_excerpt":"","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","post_password":"","post_name":"son-over-forty","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2024-03-10 17:24:36","post_modified_gmt":"2024-03-10 22:24:36","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/www.jungtosociety.org\/?p=18136","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"}],"next":false,"prev":false,"total_page":1},"paged":1,"column_class":"jeg_col_2o3","class":"jnews_block_37"};

\n
\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

We\u2019re excited to announce that Ven. Pomnyun Sunim will be hosting Q&A sessions in New York, Boston, Dallas, and Washington D.C. Don\u2019t miss this special opportunity to gather in person and learn from his wisdom. Save the date and register today! (In September, several events are planned with Ven. Pomnyun Sunim along the west coast of North America.)
The event is free and open to everyone. Given the limited seating available, we highly recommend registering in advance to secure your spot. Registration forms can be found below.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\ud83d\udcac Casual Conversation: mainly in English, with exceptions in Tokyo and Frankfurt<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n

Subscribe to our newsletter to get notifications on event registration and more.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n
\n\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n
<\/div>\n<\/div>\n","post_title":"In-Person Casual Conversation with Ven. Pomnyun Sunim in 2024","post_excerpt":"","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","post_password":"","post_name":"casual-conversation-with-ven-pomnyun-sunim-2024","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2024-03-27 12:49:06","post_modified_gmt":"2024-03-27 17:49:06","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/www.jungtosociety.org\/?p=18171","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"},{"ID":18145,"post_author":"40","post_date":"2024-03-26 07:00:00","post_date_gmt":"2024-03-26 12:00:00","post_content":"\n

P:<\/strong> Most of us feel anxious and insecure about our old age. So, people ask, \u201cWhat do I need to do to prepare for a happy old age?\u201d However, there is no such thing as preparing to be happy. You must simply be happy at this moment. Let\u2019s say you slip and fall down the stairs and break a leg. If you think to yourself, \u201cWhat bad luck that I broke my leg!\u201d you will feel unhappy. However, if you think, \u201cHow fortunate that I only broke one leg when I could have easily broken both legs!\u201d you will feel happy. If you can see the positive side of everything, you will always be happy. There is no need to prepare for a happy old age.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWhen I see in the media, \u2018Your old age will be insecure if you don\u2019t prepare for it.\u2019 or \u2018You need to do this and that to be happy in your old age,\u2019 I feel like I need to do something.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Needing to prepare for happiness is a claim of those who have never been happy. Often, all people do is prepare to become happy but end up dying without ever having been happy. Therefore, there is no need to prepare. We should be happy from this very moment. We should not prepare to be happy but be happy immediately starting today.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Those who are not happy today cannot be happy tomorrow, and those who are not happy in this world cannot be happy in the afterworld, should it exist. Those who always complain in this world will find something to complain about even in heaven. You may think that you will be happy the moment you get to heaven, but once you are there, you might still be unhappy. There is no place in the world that will automatically make you happy. You should be happy right here, right now.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Then, how can we become happy? Wouldn\u2019t I be miserable if I envied you and kept thinking, \u201cHow I wish I could get married!\u201d? If those of you who are married keep thinking, \u201cI wish I could live alone. How wonderful it must be to travel anywhere as freely as the Sunim does!\u201d you would be very unhappy. A monk like me should be proud of living alone, and those who are married should be so happy in their marriages as to make a monk feel jealous. Living the life we have chosen to the best of our ability is living well.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

We should be happy with everything that happens in the natural course of our lives. For instance, we should be happy to grow old as time passes, happy to be alive when alive, and happy to die when death knocks at the door. Then, it will be like living in heaven in this life as well as in the afterlife. It doesn\u2019t make sense to live this life as if we were in hell while wishing to go to heaven after death.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

When a person who lives in Korea can live happily, Korea becomes a heaven. This person will be happy even if he lives in the U.S. However, a person who complains about his life in this world will not stop complaining even if he were sent to heaven. A complainer is likely to grumble no matter where he goes. Therefore, heaven and hell do not exist separately in another world. That is, we are in heaven when we are happy and in hell when we are miserable.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

We tend to blame others for their hardships and suffering. However, if we look carefully, we will to see that we ourselves make our own happiness and unhappiness. Those who make themselves miserable will feel miserable even in heaven, and those who make themselves happy will be happy even in hell.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

We should be content with our current lives at all times. When we wake up early in the morning, when we meditate, when we prostrate, and when we have meals, we should be happy to be able to do these things. Considering that a countless number of people in North Korea are currently starving, shouldn\u2019t we be thankful for the fact that we are able to have regular meals? We should always perceive our lives in such a positive light.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Actually, you are all happy right now. You simply don\u2019t see it or feel it. Once upon a time someone visited a Zen master and talked extensively about the Buddha and his teachings. The Zen master told him, \u201cJust have a cup of tea.\u201d He meant, \u201cStop thinking nonsense.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

You are already happy. You don\u2019t need to work hard to be happy.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

When you let go of the thought, \u201cI will live happily,\u201d you will find happiness.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

We create our own happiness.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

We create our own misfortune.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Truly, our happiness and unhappiness are not created by others.<\/p>\n","post_title":"We Are The Ones Who Create Our Happiness And Unhappiness","post_excerpt":"","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","post_password":"","post_name":"we-are-the-ones-who-create-our-happiness-and-unhappiness","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2024-03-11 20:02:00","post_modified_gmt":"2024-03-12 01:02:00","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/www.jungtosociety.org\/?p=18145","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"},{"ID":18295,"post_author":"13","post_date":"2024-03-20 22:57:13","post_date_gmt":"2024-03-21 03:57:13","post_content":"\n

\"Let's change just one day at a time\" <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Accomplishing something
every day with a light heart is like
water drops piercing a rock. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Illustration by Maseol <\/p>\n","post_title":"One day at a time","post_excerpt":"","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","post_password":"","post_name":"one-day-at-a-time","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2024-03-20 22:57:15","post_modified_gmt":"2024-03-21 03:57:15","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/www.jungtosociety.org\/?p=18295","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"},{"ID":18131,"post_author":"40","post_date":"2024-03-19 14:51:48","post_date_gmt":"2024-03-19 19:51:48","post_content":"\n

P:<\/strong> In the past, parents left all their wealth to their children when they retired, and since their children took good care of them for the rest of their lives, they did not have to worry about their future. However, times have changed. The middle-aged population now find that although they have honored and taken good care of their aged parents, their own children are unlikely to do the same for them. Therefore, parents, today should not give all their assets to their children when they retire.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

When parents leave all their wealth to their offspring, they may be exposed to the danger of becoming broke and homeless if their offspring should go bankrupt. This isn\u2019t such a big problem when you are young because you can work hard to regain your wealth. In Korea, there is even a saying that goes, \u201cHardship during youth is worth paying money for.\u201d Because they have energy and potential, young people don\u2019t look pathetic when they are without money and live in a tent. However, nothing is more pitiful than seeing an old person broke and homeless. Therefore, even when any of your children become bankrupt, you should not lend him or her money by mortgaging your house. If you do, you may end up losing your house.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

You can age gracefully when you have your own assets. If you don\u2019t have anything to live on, your later years will become miserable. So, you should keep your assets. If you give them away to your children, your relationship with your children may easily be ruined.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This is not to say that you should hoard all your assets. You can give some to your children if you want, but you should keep your house and enough money to live comfortably. This way, you will still have some assets to leave to your children when you pass away, and they will arrange a good funeral for you.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

If you plan to distribute your assets among your children after retirement, it\u2019s a good idea to give away just seventy to eighty percent of your assets. You must keep twenty to thirty percent for your own. You can decide on the percentage depending on the size of your assets. If you don\u2019t have a lot of assets, the percentage you keep should be higher than if you have a lot. Either way, when parents maintain their financial freedom even after retirement, they will be able to live with dignity and are more likely to sustain a good relationship with their children.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Of course, there is the option of practicing according to the teachings of the Buddha and letting go of all your worldly possessions. People may think that an enlightened person does not need to have a cent to his name and just needs a space in the common room of a temple to sleep. Most people, however, can\u2019t live this way, which is why they need to hold on to enough assets to live on. Those living in the countryside need a place to live, a piece of land to grow various vegetables, and rice fields, while those living in the city need to have a principal amount in the bank that will yield enough monthly interest for them to live comfortably.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

It\u2019s not easy for people to earn money in their old age. Since they don\u2019t have a source of income, they may expect their children to give them some spending money and end up resenting them if they don\u2019t. To avoid such an outcome, it\u2019s necessary for people to keep some financial assets to live on in their old age. This way, parents can live independently from their children without expecting too much from their children or be overly attached to them.<\/p>\n","post_title":"You Should Hold Onto Enough Financial Assets To Live On After Retirement","post_excerpt":"","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","post_password":"","post_name":"you-should-hold-onto-enough-financial-assets-to-live-on-after-retirement","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2024-03-02 14:55:05","post_modified_gmt":"2024-03-02 19:55:05","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/www.jungtosociety.org\/?p=18131","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"},{"ID":18045,"post_author":"40","post_date":"2024-03-15 07:00:00","post_date_gmt":"2024-03-15 12:00:00","post_content":"\n

<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/a><\/gwmw><\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/a><\/p>\n","post_title":"[Meditation Q&A] \u201cHow can I value serenity but not give up caring when I am practicing…. ?","post_excerpt":"","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","post_password":"","post_name":"meditation-qa-how-can-i-value-serenity-but-not-give-up-caring-when-i-am-practicing","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2024-02-27 19:02:33","post_modified_gmt":"2024-02-28 00:02:33","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/www.jungtosociety.org\/?p=18045","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"},{"ID":18197,"post_author":"13","post_date":"2024-03-13 22:47:47","post_date_gmt":"2024-03-14 03:47:47","post_content":"\n

It\u2019s simple to become an adult.
Wake up earlier than your mom
and prepare breakfast for your parents,
wash the dishes,
and clean your room after school or work. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Illustration by Maseol <\/p>\n","post_title":"Becoming an adult","post_excerpt":"","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","post_password":"","post_name":"becoming-an-adult","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2024-03-13 22:47:48","post_modified_gmt":"2024-03-14 03:47:48","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/www.jungtosociety.org\/?p=18197","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"},{"ID":18125,"post_author":"40","post_date":"2024-03-12 07:00:00","post_date_gmt":"2024-03-12 12:00:00","post_content":"\n

P:<\/strong> When the Buddha was close to death, his disciples came to him and asked,<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cHow would you like us to conduct your funeral?\u201d The Buddha answered, \u201cYou don\u2019t need to worry about my funeral because the lay Buddhists will take care of it.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Lay Buddhists are those who take refuge in the Three Jewels and practice the Five Precepts without becoming monks or nuns. When the Buddha said they will take care of it, he meant that his funeral would be conducted based on customs of the lay people in India. So, after the Buddha died, the Lay Buddhists cremated the Buddha\u2019s body according to the Indian tradition. If he had lived in Korea, he would have been buried in the ground as is the custom in Korea.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Dharma is a teaching about truth, so it does not contain cultural aspects. However, since Buddhism originated from India, its traditions, customs, and culture were integrated into the Buddhist culture. Strictly speaking, neither cremation nor the 49-day posthumous ceremony is a fundamental tradition of Buddhism. They are in fact part of the of Indian cultural tradition.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

It is said that the deceased person has 49 days to be saved and is classified into one of nine levels based on his deeds during his life. \u201cAnyone can be reborn in paradise after he dies if he sincerely hopes for it. However, not everyone can be reborn in paradise right away since people fall into one of the nine categories based on their deeds.\u201d Specifically, people are divided into three categories of high, middle and low, and those in each of the three categories are again divided into high, middle and low, so there are a total of nine categories.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

It is believed that people in the very first category are reborn in paradise immediately after their death. It is comparable to leaving a room and entering another room. Those in the second category are reborn within 12 hours. It takes one day for those in the third category, three days for those in the fourth, a week for those in the fifth, 21 days for those in the sixth, and finally, it takes 49 days for those in the seventh category to be reborn in paradise. This is reason that people hold the 49-day posthumous ceremony. This ritual provides an opportunity for people to do good deeds on behalf of their deceased family members and help them be reborn in paradise within 49 days.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

What happens to the people in the eighth and ninth categories? Ultimately, people in all nine categories will all be reborn in paradise. However, those in the eighth and ninth categories have to spend some time in hell before that. Every year, Buddhists perform the Buddhist All Soul\u2019s Day ceremony on July 15th of the lunar calendar to save the souls of those in the two categories from hell. There is no point in debating whether this is true or not because it is a religious belief, so people are free to choose whether to believe it or not.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Funeral customs vary greatly from religion to religion and country to country. In India, the dead are cremated, and in Tibet, they are left to be eaten by birds. The corpse is cut up and placed on big rocks high in the mountain, so that it is eaten by falcons and eagles. In desert regions, the dead are \u201cburied in the wind.\u201d That is, they are nailed on a wooden board and exposed to the elements for one year until only the bones remain after which the funeral ceremony is performed. In regions with many islands, the dead are dropped into the sea.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Each of these funeral rituals has its unique meaning and significance. Tibetans feed the dead to birds because they believe that the spirit of the dead will fly to heaven with the birds. Some cultures bury the dead in the ground because of the belief that the spiritual world exists underground. Meanwhile, Indians believe in reincarnation, so they cremate the corpse to help the spirits to quickly sever their attachment to their worldly bodies so that they can be reborn.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Regardless of the funeral ritual that is performed, once a person dies, it\u2019s the end. By saying \u201cthe end\u201d I am not implying that there is no heaven or an afterlife; I am simply saying the person who draws his last breath will no longer exist in this world. From a Christian viewpoint, the spirits go to heaven, and from a Buddhist perspective, the spirits are reborn, so there is nothing we can do for them. Therefore, the best farewell for those who pass away is to let them go from our hearts.<\/p>\n","post_title":"The Best Farewell For The Deceased","post_excerpt":"","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","post_password":"","post_name":"the-best-farewell-for-the-deceased-2","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2024-03-02 14:50:59","post_modified_gmt":"2024-03-02 19:50:59","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/www.jungtosociety.org\/?p=18125","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"},{"ID":18140,"post_author":"13","post_date":"2024-03-10 17:37:58","post_date_gmt":"2024-03-10 22:37:58","post_content":"\n

<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Jungto Society, the international Buddhist community founded by the revered Korean Dharma master and social activist Venerable Pomnyun Sunim (\ubc95\ub95c\uc2a4\ub2d8), recently conducted its 33rd annual pilgrimage across India and to Nepal. Held under the theme \u201cFollowing in the Footsteps of the Buddha,\u201d the pilgrimage, which ran from 19 January to 2 February, was attended by more 500 practitioners.1<\/sup><\/p>\n\n\n\n

This year\u2019s pilgrimage was particularly notable for two reasons: first was the participation, for the first time in the Jungto pilgrimage\u2019s 33-year history, of non-Korean practitioners: the 500-plus Korean Buddhist pilgrims were accompanied nine practitioners from Italy, Japan, Thailand, the United Kingdom, the United States, and Vietnam. Second, the pilgrimage also coincided with celebrations for the 30th anniversary of Sujata Academy, a remarkable community school and social empowerment project established by Ven. Pomnyun Sunim in Dungeshwari, in the northeastern Indian state of Bihar. This project has transformed the lives of an entire community of people who have faced systemic social and economic exclusion as a result of India\u2019s conservative Hindu caste hierarchy.2<\/sup><\/p>\n\n\n\n

The academy is named after Sujata, the young woman who is said to have nourished the ailing and emaciated Siddhartha Gautama with a bowl of milk-rice, thus ending his six years of extreme asceticism. Tuition at the academy is provided free of charge. The school\u2019s principal goal is to educate every student in basic literacy and numeracy. Classes are taught from kindergarten to secondary level, alongside adult literacy classes and skills training. Students who wish to continue beyond elementary education and attend secondary school are required to teach kindergarteners or to help out in the onsite Jivaka Hospital in the mornings and to attend classes in the afternoon, working in the spirit of giving back to the community. The campus also includes a warehouse, a dormitory, a large playing field, and sports equipment for the children.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

x<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

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\"\"<\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

Ven. Pomnyun Sunim established the international Buddhist humanitarian relief organization Join Together Society (JTS) as an expression of the compassion of engaged Buddhism and the belief that helping others is the best way to enrich one\u2019s own life. Headquartered in Seoul, JTS operates four branch offices in South Korea and the United States, along with field offices in India and the Philippines. JTS Korea and JTS America oversee fundraising, while JTS India and JTS Philippines conduct development projects in cooperation with local communities. The relief organization has also earned Special Consultative Status to the United Nations Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

JTS India began its work in Dungeshwari, some 12 kilometers northeast of the Buddhist pilgrimage hub of Bodh Gaya, in the early 1990s, aspiring to fulfill the mission: \u201cThe hungry should eat; the sick should be treated; children should be educated in time.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This region is surrounded by the Pragbodhi Hills where the historical Buddha, Shakyamuni, is said to have spent six years in a cave as an ascetic. And it\u2019s here that JTS India has been working to empower the villagers of Dungeshwari to live their lives free from hunger, illiteracy, and disease.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The people of Dungeshwari are primarily Dalits, who face systemic social and economic exclusion as a result of the conservative Hindu social hierarchy. \u201cDalit,\u201d which translates as \u201cbroken\u201d in Sanskrit, is a term for the very lowest castes, whom members of the so-called \u201chigher\u201d castes still to this day deem \u201cuntouchable,\u201d despite the practice being prohibited in the Constitution of India. By working directly with disadvantaged communities, JTS aims to help them to mobilize their own capabilities and resources to create a more prosperous and sustainable future.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Jungto Society Dharma teacher Doyeon Jang (Dharma name Bogwang), is the director of Sujata Academy. She has overseen the development of this ambitious project, facing numerous challenges, both personal and structural, in the process of bringing this expression of compassion and social transformation to fruition.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u25b6\ufe0f Published by BDG on March 8, 2024<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u25b6\ufe0f Read more: <\/a>https:\/\/www.buddhistdoor.net\/features\/the-sujata-academy-project-the-power-of-hope-and-compassion-in-india\/<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

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<\/p>\n","post_title":"The Sujata Academy Project: The Power of Hope and Compassion in India","post_excerpt":"The Korean Seon (Zen) master Venerable Pomnyun Sunim (\ubc95\ub95c\uc2a4\ub2d8) wears many hats: Buddhist monk, teacher, author, environmentalist, and social activist, to name a few. As a widely respected Dharma teacher and a tireless socially engaged activist in his native South Korea, Ven. Pomnyun Sunim has founded numerous Dharma-based organizations, initiatives, and projects that are active across the world. Among them, Jungto Society, a volunteer-based community founded on the Buddhist teachings and expressing equality, simple living, and sustainability, is dedicated to addressing modern social issues that lead to suffering, including environmental degradation, poverty, and conflict.\n\nThis column, shared by Jungto Society, presents a series of highlights from Ven. Pomnyun Sunim\u2019s writings, teachings, public talks, and regular live-streamed Dharma Q+A sessions, which are accessible across the globe.\n","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","post_password":"","post_name":"the-sujata-academy-project-the-power-of-hope-and-compassion-in-india","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2024-03-10 17:38:00","post_modified_gmt":"2024-03-10 22:38:00","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/www.jungtosociety.org\/?p=18140","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"},{"ID":18136,"post_author":"13","post_date":"2024-03-10 17:24:34","post_date_gmt":"2024-03-10 22:24:34","post_content":"\n

Your son is over forty and
his main relationship is with someone else.
So, stop worrying about a grown man
who belongs with another woman
and be nice to the man next to you. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Illustration by Maseol <\/p>\n","post_title":"Son over forty","post_excerpt":"","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","post_password":"","post_name":"son-over-forty","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2024-03-10 17:24:36","post_modified_gmt":"2024-03-10 22:24:36","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/www.jungtosociety.org\/?p=18136","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"}],"next":false,"prev":false,"total_page":1},"paged":1,"column_class":"jeg_col_2o3","class":"jnews_block_37"};

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<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

We\u2019re excited to announce that Ven. Pomnyun Sunim will be hosting Q&A sessions in New York, Boston, Dallas, and Washington D.C. Don\u2019t miss this special opportunity to gather in person and learn from his wisdom. Save the date and register today! (In September, several events are planned with Ven. Pomnyun Sunim along the west coast of North America.)
The event is free and open to everyone. Given the limited seating available, we highly recommend registering in advance to secure your spot. Registration forms can be found below.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\ud83d\udcac Casual Conversation: mainly in English, with exceptions in Tokyo and Frankfurt<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n

Subscribe to our newsletter to get notifications on event registration and more.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n
\n\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n
<\/div>\n<\/div>\n","post_title":"In-Person Casual Conversation with Ven. Pomnyun Sunim in 2024","post_excerpt":"","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","post_password":"","post_name":"casual-conversation-with-ven-pomnyun-sunim-2024","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2024-03-27 12:49:06","post_modified_gmt":"2024-03-27 17:49:06","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/www.jungtosociety.org\/?p=18171","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"},{"ID":18145,"post_author":"40","post_date":"2024-03-26 07:00:00","post_date_gmt":"2024-03-26 12:00:00","post_content":"\n

P:<\/strong> Most of us feel anxious and insecure about our old age. So, people ask, \u201cWhat do I need to do to prepare for a happy old age?\u201d However, there is no such thing as preparing to be happy. You must simply be happy at this moment. Let\u2019s say you slip and fall down the stairs and break a leg. If you think to yourself, \u201cWhat bad luck that I broke my leg!\u201d you will feel unhappy. However, if you think, \u201cHow fortunate that I only broke one leg when I could have easily broken both legs!\u201d you will feel happy. If you can see the positive side of everything, you will always be happy. There is no need to prepare for a happy old age.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWhen I see in the media, \u2018Your old age will be insecure if you don\u2019t prepare for it.\u2019 or \u2018You need to do this and that to be happy in your old age,\u2019 I feel like I need to do something.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Needing to prepare for happiness is a claim of those who have never been happy. Often, all people do is prepare to become happy but end up dying without ever having been happy. Therefore, there is no need to prepare. We should be happy from this very moment. We should not prepare to be happy but be happy immediately starting today.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Those who are not happy today cannot be happy tomorrow, and those who are not happy in this world cannot be happy in the afterworld, should it exist. Those who always complain in this world will find something to complain about even in heaven. You may think that you will be happy the moment you get to heaven, but once you are there, you might still be unhappy. There is no place in the world that will automatically make you happy. You should be happy right here, right now.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Then, how can we become happy? Wouldn\u2019t I be miserable if I envied you and kept thinking, \u201cHow I wish I could get married!\u201d? If those of you who are married keep thinking, \u201cI wish I could live alone. How wonderful it must be to travel anywhere as freely as the Sunim does!\u201d you would be very unhappy. A monk like me should be proud of living alone, and those who are married should be so happy in their marriages as to make a monk feel jealous. Living the life we have chosen to the best of our ability is living well.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

We should be happy with everything that happens in the natural course of our lives. For instance, we should be happy to grow old as time passes, happy to be alive when alive, and happy to die when death knocks at the door. Then, it will be like living in heaven in this life as well as in the afterlife. It doesn\u2019t make sense to live this life as if we were in hell while wishing to go to heaven after death.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

When a person who lives in Korea can live happily, Korea becomes a heaven. This person will be happy even if he lives in the U.S. However, a person who complains about his life in this world will not stop complaining even if he were sent to heaven. A complainer is likely to grumble no matter where he goes. Therefore, heaven and hell do not exist separately in another world. That is, we are in heaven when we are happy and in hell when we are miserable.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

We tend to blame others for their hardships and suffering. However, if we look carefully, we will to see that we ourselves make our own happiness and unhappiness. Those who make themselves miserable will feel miserable even in heaven, and those who make themselves happy will be happy even in hell.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

We should be content with our current lives at all times. When we wake up early in the morning, when we meditate, when we prostrate, and when we have meals, we should be happy to be able to do these things. Considering that a countless number of people in North Korea are currently starving, shouldn\u2019t we be thankful for the fact that we are able to have regular meals? We should always perceive our lives in such a positive light.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Actually, you are all happy right now. You simply don\u2019t see it or feel it. Once upon a time someone visited a Zen master and talked extensively about the Buddha and his teachings. The Zen master told him, \u201cJust have a cup of tea.\u201d He meant, \u201cStop thinking nonsense.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

You are already happy. You don\u2019t need to work hard to be happy.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

When you let go of the thought, \u201cI will live happily,\u201d you will find happiness.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

We create our own happiness.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

We create our own misfortune.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Truly, our happiness and unhappiness are not created by others.<\/p>\n","post_title":"We Are The Ones Who Create Our Happiness And Unhappiness","post_excerpt":"","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","post_password":"","post_name":"we-are-the-ones-who-create-our-happiness-and-unhappiness","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2024-03-11 20:02:00","post_modified_gmt":"2024-03-12 01:02:00","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/www.jungtosociety.org\/?p=18145","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"},{"ID":18295,"post_author":"13","post_date":"2024-03-20 22:57:13","post_date_gmt":"2024-03-21 03:57:13","post_content":"\n

\"Let's change just one day at a time\" <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Accomplishing something
every day with a light heart is like
water drops piercing a rock. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Illustration by Maseol <\/p>\n","post_title":"One day at a time","post_excerpt":"","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","post_password":"","post_name":"one-day-at-a-time","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2024-03-20 22:57:15","post_modified_gmt":"2024-03-21 03:57:15","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/www.jungtosociety.org\/?p=18295","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"},{"ID":18131,"post_author":"40","post_date":"2024-03-19 14:51:48","post_date_gmt":"2024-03-19 19:51:48","post_content":"\n

P:<\/strong> In the past, parents left all their wealth to their children when they retired, and since their children took good care of them for the rest of their lives, they did not have to worry about their future. However, times have changed. The middle-aged population now find that although they have honored and taken good care of their aged parents, their own children are unlikely to do the same for them. Therefore, parents, today should not give all their assets to their children when they retire.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

When parents leave all their wealth to their offspring, they may be exposed to the danger of becoming broke and homeless if their offspring should go bankrupt. This isn\u2019t such a big problem when you are young because you can work hard to regain your wealth. In Korea, there is even a saying that goes, \u201cHardship during youth is worth paying money for.\u201d Because they have energy and potential, young people don\u2019t look pathetic when they are without money and live in a tent. However, nothing is more pitiful than seeing an old person broke and homeless. Therefore, even when any of your children become bankrupt, you should not lend him or her money by mortgaging your house. If you do, you may end up losing your house.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

You can age gracefully when you have your own assets. If you don\u2019t have anything to live on, your later years will become miserable. So, you should keep your assets. If you give them away to your children, your relationship with your children may easily be ruined.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This is not to say that you should hoard all your assets. You can give some to your children if you want, but you should keep your house and enough money to live comfortably. This way, you will still have some assets to leave to your children when you pass away, and they will arrange a good funeral for you.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

If you plan to distribute your assets among your children after retirement, it\u2019s a good idea to give away just seventy to eighty percent of your assets. You must keep twenty to thirty percent for your own. You can decide on the percentage depending on the size of your assets. If you don\u2019t have a lot of assets, the percentage you keep should be higher than if you have a lot. Either way, when parents maintain their financial freedom even after retirement, they will be able to live with dignity and are more likely to sustain a good relationship with their children.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Of course, there is the option of practicing according to the teachings of the Buddha and letting go of all your worldly possessions. People may think that an enlightened person does not need to have a cent to his name and just needs a space in the common room of a temple to sleep. Most people, however, can\u2019t live this way, which is why they need to hold on to enough assets to live on. Those living in the countryside need a place to live, a piece of land to grow various vegetables, and rice fields, while those living in the city need to have a principal amount in the bank that will yield enough monthly interest for them to live comfortably.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

It\u2019s not easy for people to earn money in their old age. Since they don\u2019t have a source of income, they may expect their children to give them some spending money and end up resenting them if they don\u2019t. To avoid such an outcome, it\u2019s necessary for people to keep some financial assets to live on in their old age. This way, parents can live independently from their children without expecting too much from their children or be overly attached to them.<\/p>\n","post_title":"You Should Hold Onto Enough Financial Assets To Live On After Retirement","post_excerpt":"","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","post_password":"","post_name":"you-should-hold-onto-enough-financial-assets-to-live-on-after-retirement","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2024-03-02 14:55:05","post_modified_gmt":"2024-03-02 19:55:05","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/www.jungtosociety.org\/?p=18131","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"},{"ID":18045,"post_author":"40","post_date":"2024-03-15 07:00:00","post_date_gmt":"2024-03-15 12:00:00","post_content":"\n

<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

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<\/a><\/gwmw><\/p>\n\n\n\n

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<\/a><\/p>\n","post_title":"[Meditation Q&A] \u201cHow can I value serenity but not give up caring when I am practicing…. ?","post_excerpt":"","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","post_password":"","post_name":"meditation-qa-how-can-i-value-serenity-but-not-give-up-caring-when-i-am-practicing","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2024-02-27 19:02:33","post_modified_gmt":"2024-02-28 00:02:33","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/www.jungtosociety.org\/?p=18045","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"},{"ID":18197,"post_author":"13","post_date":"2024-03-13 22:47:47","post_date_gmt":"2024-03-14 03:47:47","post_content":"\n

It\u2019s simple to become an adult.
Wake up earlier than your mom
and prepare breakfast for your parents,
wash the dishes,
and clean your room after school or work. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Illustration by Maseol <\/p>\n","post_title":"Becoming an adult","post_excerpt":"","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","post_password":"","post_name":"becoming-an-adult","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2024-03-13 22:47:48","post_modified_gmt":"2024-03-14 03:47:48","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/www.jungtosociety.org\/?p=18197","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"},{"ID":18125,"post_author":"40","post_date":"2024-03-12 07:00:00","post_date_gmt":"2024-03-12 12:00:00","post_content":"\n

P:<\/strong> When the Buddha was close to death, his disciples came to him and asked,<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cHow would you like us to conduct your funeral?\u201d The Buddha answered, \u201cYou don\u2019t need to worry about my funeral because the lay Buddhists will take care of it.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Lay Buddhists are those who take refuge in the Three Jewels and practice the Five Precepts without becoming monks or nuns. When the Buddha said they will take care of it, he meant that his funeral would be conducted based on customs of the lay people in India. So, after the Buddha died, the Lay Buddhists cremated the Buddha\u2019s body according to the Indian tradition. If he had lived in Korea, he would have been buried in the ground as is the custom in Korea.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Dharma is a teaching about truth, so it does not contain cultural aspects. However, since Buddhism originated from India, its traditions, customs, and culture were integrated into the Buddhist culture. Strictly speaking, neither cremation nor the 49-day posthumous ceremony is a fundamental tradition of Buddhism. They are in fact part of the of Indian cultural tradition.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

It is said that the deceased person has 49 days to be saved and is classified into one of nine levels based on his deeds during his life. \u201cAnyone can be reborn in paradise after he dies if he sincerely hopes for it. However, not everyone can be reborn in paradise right away since people fall into one of the nine categories based on their deeds.\u201d Specifically, people are divided into three categories of high, middle and low, and those in each of the three categories are again divided into high, middle and low, so there are a total of nine categories.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

It is believed that people in the very first category are reborn in paradise immediately after their death. It is comparable to leaving a room and entering another room. Those in the second category are reborn within 12 hours. It takes one day for those in the third category, three days for those in the fourth, a week for those in the fifth, 21 days for those in the sixth, and finally, it takes 49 days for those in the seventh category to be reborn in paradise. This is reason that people hold the 49-day posthumous ceremony. This ritual provides an opportunity for people to do good deeds on behalf of their deceased family members and help them be reborn in paradise within 49 days.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

What happens to the people in the eighth and ninth categories? Ultimately, people in all nine categories will all be reborn in paradise. However, those in the eighth and ninth categories have to spend some time in hell before that. Every year, Buddhists perform the Buddhist All Soul\u2019s Day ceremony on July 15th of the lunar calendar to save the souls of those in the two categories from hell. There is no point in debating whether this is true or not because it is a religious belief, so people are free to choose whether to believe it or not.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Funeral customs vary greatly from religion to religion and country to country. In India, the dead are cremated, and in Tibet, they are left to be eaten by birds. The corpse is cut up and placed on big rocks high in the mountain, so that it is eaten by falcons and eagles. In desert regions, the dead are \u201cburied in the wind.\u201d That is, they are nailed on a wooden board and exposed to the elements for one year until only the bones remain after which the funeral ceremony is performed. In regions with many islands, the dead are dropped into the sea.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Each of these funeral rituals has its unique meaning and significance. Tibetans feed the dead to birds because they believe that the spirit of the dead will fly to heaven with the birds. Some cultures bury the dead in the ground because of the belief that the spiritual world exists underground. Meanwhile, Indians believe in reincarnation, so they cremate the corpse to help the spirits to quickly sever their attachment to their worldly bodies so that they can be reborn.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Regardless of the funeral ritual that is performed, once a person dies, it\u2019s the end. By saying \u201cthe end\u201d I am not implying that there is no heaven or an afterlife; I am simply saying the person who draws his last breath will no longer exist in this world. From a Christian viewpoint, the spirits go to heaven, and from a Buddhist perspective, the spirits are reborn, so there is nothing we can do for them. Therefore, the best farewell for those who pass away is to let them go from our hearts.<\/p>\n","post_title":"The Best Farewell For The Deceased","post_excerpt":"","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","post_password":"","post_name":"the-best-farewell-for-the-deceased-2","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2024-03-02 14:50:59","post_modified_gmt":"2024-03-02 19:50:59","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/www.jungtosociety.org\/?p=18125","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"},{"ID":18140,"post_author":"13","post_date":"2024-03-10 17:37:58","post_date_gmt":"2024-03-10 22:37:58","post_content":"\n

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Jungto Society, the international Buddhist community founded by the revered Korean Dharma master and social activist Venerable Pomnyun Sunim (\ubc95\ub95c\uc2a4\ub2d8), recently conducted its 33rd annual pilgrimage across India and to Nepal. Held under the theme \u201cFollowing in the Footsteps of the Buddha,\u201d the pilgrimage, which ran from 19 January to 2 February, was attended by more 500 practitioners.1<\/sup><\/p>\n\n\n\n

This year\u2019s pilgrimage was particularly notable for two reasons: first was the participation, for the first time in the Jungto pilgrimage\u2019s 33-year history, of non-Korean practitioners: the 500-plus Korean Buddhist pilgrims were accompanied nine practitioners from Italy, Japan, Thailand, the United Kingdom, the United States, and Vietnam. Second, the pilgrimage also coincided with celebrations for the 30th anniversary of Sujata Academy, a remarkable community school and social empowerment project established by Ven. Pomnyun Sunim in Dungeshwari, in the northeastern Indian state of Bihar. This project has transformed the lives of an entire community of people who have faced systemic social and economic exclusion as a result of India\u2019s conservative Hindu caste hierarchy.2<\/sup><\/p>\n\n\n\n

The academy is named after Sujata, the young woman who is said to have nourished the ailing and emaciated Siddhartha Gautama with a bowl of milk-rice, thus ending his six years of extreme asceticism. Tuition at the academy is provided free of charge. The school\u2019s principal goal is to educate every student in basic literacy and numeracy. Classes are taught from kindergarten to secondary level, alongside adult literacy classes and skills training. Students who wish to continue beyond elementary education and attend secondary school are required to teach kindergarteners or to help out in the onsite Jivaka Hospital in the mornings and to attend classes in the afternoon, working in the spirit of giving back to the community. The campus also includes a warehouse, a dormitory, a large playing field, and sports equipment for the children.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

x<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Ven. Pomnyun Sunim established the international Buddhist humanitarian relief organization Join Together Society (JTS) as an expression of the compassion of engaged Buddhism and the belief that helping others is the best way to enrich one\u2019s own life. Headquartered in Seoul, JTS operates four branch offices in South Korea and the United States, along with field offices in India and the Philippines. JTS Korea and JTS America oversee fundraising, while JTS India and JTS Philippines conduct development projects in cooperation with local communities. The relief organization has also earned Special Consultative Status to the United Nations Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

JTS India began its work in Dungeshwari, some 12 kilometers northeast of the Buddhist pilgrimage hub of Bodh Gaya, in the early 1990s, aspiring to fulfill the mission: \u201cThe hungry should eat; the sick should be treated; children should be educated in time.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This region is surrounded by the Pragbodhi Hills where the historical Buddha, Shakyamuni, is said to have spent six years in a cave as an ascetic. And it\u2019s here that JTS India has been working to empower the villagers of Dungeshwari to live their lives free from hunger, illiteracy, and disease.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The people of Dungeshwari are primarily Dalits, who face systemic social and economic exclusion as a result of the conservative Hindu social hierarchy. \u201cDalit,\u201d which translates as \u201cbroken\u201d in Sanskrit, is a term for the very lowest castes, whom members of the so-called \u201chigher\u201d castes still to this day deem \u201cuntouchable,\u201d despite the practice being prohibited in the Constitution of India. By working directly with disadvantaged communities, JTS aims to help them to mobilize their own capabilities and resources to create a more prosperous and sustainable future.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Jungto Society Dharma teacher Doyeon Jang (Dharma name Bogwang), is the director of Sujata Academy. She has overseen the development of this ambitious project, facing numerous challenges, both personal and structural, in the process of bringing this expression of compassion and social transformation to fruition.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u25b6\ufe0f Published by BDG on March 8, 2024<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u25b6\ufe0f Read more: <\/a>https:\/\/www.buddhistdoor.net\/features\/the-sujata-academy-project-the-power-of-hope-and-compassion-in-india\/<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

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<\/p>\n","post_title":"The Sujata Academy Project: The Power of Hope and Compassion in India","post_excerpt":"The Korean Seon (Zen) master Venerable Pomnyun Sunim (\ubc95\ub95c\uc2a4\ub2d8) wears many hats: Buddhist monk, teacher, author, environmentalist, and social activist, to name a few. As a widely respected Dharma teacher and a tireless socially engaged activist in his native South Korea, Ven. Pomnyun Sunim has founded numerous Dharma-based organizations, initiatives, and projects that are active across the world. Among them, Jungto Society, a volunteer-based community founded on the Buddhist teachings and expressing equality, simple living, and sustainability, is dedicated to addressing modern social issues that lead to suffering, including environmental degradation, poverty, and conflict.\n\nThis column, shared by Jungto Society, presents a series of highlights from Ven. Pomnyun Sunim\u2019s writings, teachings, public talks, and regular live-streamed Dharma Q+A sessions, which are accessible across the globe.\n","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","post_password":"","post_name":"the-sujata-academy-project-the-power-of-hope-and-compassion-in-india","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2024-03-10 17:38:00","post_modified_gmt":"2024-03-10 22:38:00","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/www.jungtosociety.org\/?p=18140","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"},{"ID":18136,"post_author":"13","post_date":"2024-03-10 17:24:34","post_date_gmt":"2024-03-10 22:24:34","post_content":"\n

Your son is over forty and
his main relationship is with someone else.
So, stop worrying about a grown man
who belongs with another woman
and be nice to the man next to you. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Illustration by Maseol <\/p>\n","post_title":"Son over forty","post_excerpt":"","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","post_password":"","post_name":"son-over-forty","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2024-03-10 17:24:36","post_modified_gmt":"2024-03-10 22:24:36","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/www.jungtosociety.org\/?p=18136","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"}],"next":false,"prev":false,"total_page":1},"paged":1,"column_class":"jeg_col_2o3","class":"jnews_block_37"};

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We\u2019re excited to announce that Ven. Pomnyun Sunim will be hosting Q&A sessions in New York, Boston, Dallas, and Washington D.C. Don\u2019t miss this special opportunity to gather in person and learn from his wisdom. Save the date and register today! (In September, several events are planned with Ven. Pomnyun Sunim along the west coast of North America.)
The event is free and open to everyone. Given the limited seating available, we highly recommend registering in advance to secure your spot. Registration forms can be found below.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\ud83d\udcac Casual Conversation: mainly in English, with exceptions in Tokyo and Frankfurt<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n

Subscribe to our newsletter to get notifications on event registration and more.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

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<\/div>\n<\/div>\n","post_title":"In-Person Casual Conversation with Ven. Pomnyun Sunim in 2024","post_excerpt":"","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","post_password":"","post_name":"casual-conversation-with-ven-pomnyun-sunim-2024","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2024-03-27 12:49:06","post_modified_gmt":"2024-03-27 17:49:06","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/www.jungtosociety.org\/?p=18171","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"},{"ID":18145,"post_author":"40","post_date":"2024-03-26 07:00:00","post_date_gmt":"2024-03-26 12:00:00","post_content":"\n

P:<\/strong> Most of us feel anxious and insecure about our old age. So, people ask, \u201cWhat do I need to do to prepare for a happy old age?\u201d However, there is no such thing as preparing to be happy. You must simply be happy at this moment. Let\u2019s say you slip and fall down the stairs and break a leg. If you think to yourself, \u201cWhat bad luck that I broke my leg!\u201d you will feel unhappy. However, if you think, \u201cHow fortunate that I only broke one leg when I could have easily broken both legs!\u201d you will feel happy. If you can see the positive side of everything, you will always be happy. There is no need to prepare for a happy old age.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWhen I see in the media, \u2018Your old age will be insecure if you don\u2019t prepare for it.\u2019 or \u2018You need to do this and that to be happy in your old age,\u2019 I feel like I need to do something.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Needing to prepare for happiness is a claim of those who have never been happy. Often, all people do is prepare to become happy but end up dying without ever having been happy. Therefore, there is no need to prepare. We should be happy from this very moment. We should not prepare to be happy but be happy immediately starting today.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Those who are not happy today cannot be happy tomorrow, and those who are not happy in this world cannot be happy in the afterworld, should it exist. Those who always complain in this world will find something to complain about even in heaven. You may think that you will be happy the moment you get to heaven, but once you are there, you might still be unhappy. There is no place in the world that will automatically make you happy. You should be happy right here, right now.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Then, how can we become happy? Wouldn\u2019t I be miserable if I envied you and kept thinking, \u201cHow I wish I could get married!\u201d? If those of you who are married keep thinking, \u201cI wish I could live alone. How wonderful it must be to travel anywhere as freely as the Sunim does!\u201d you would be very unhappy. A monk like me should be proud of living alone, and those who are married should be so happy in their marriages as to make a monk feel jealous. Living the life we have chosen to the best of our ability is living well.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

We should be happy with everything that happens in the natural course of our lives. For instance, we should be happy to grow old as time passes, happy to be alive when alive, and happy to die when death knocks at the door. Then, it will be like living in heaven in this life as well as in the afterlife. It doesn\u2019t make sense to live this life as if we were in hell while wishing to go to heaven after death.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

When a person who lives in Korea can live happily, Korea becomes a heaven. This person will be happy even if he lives in the U.S. However, a person who complains about his life in this world will not stop complaining even if he were sent to heaven. A complainer is likely to grumble no matter where he goes. Therefore, heaven and hell do not exist separately in another world. That is, we are in heaven when we are happy and in hell when we are miserable.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

We tend to blame others for their hardships and suffering. However, if we look carefully, we will to see that we ourselves make our own happiness and unhappiness. Those who make themselves miserable will feel miserable even in heaven, and those who make themselves happy will be happy even in hell.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

We should be content with our current lives at all times. When we wake up early in the morning, when we meditate, when we prostrate, and when we have meals, we should be happy to be able to do these things. Considering that a countless number of people in North Korea are currently starving, shouldn\u2019t we be thankful for the fact that we are able to have regular meals? We should always perceive our lives in such a positive light.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Actually, you are all happy right now. You simply don\u2019t see it or feel it. Once upon a time someone visited a Zen master and talked extensively about the Buddha and his teachings. The Zen master told him, \u201cJust have a cup of tea.\u201d He meant, \u201cStop thinking nonsense.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

You are already happy. You don\u2019t need to work hard to be happy.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

When you let go of the thought, \u201cI will live happily,\u201d you will find happiness.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

We create our own happiness.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

We create our own misfortune.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Truly, our happiness and unhappiness are not created by others.<\/p>\n","post_title":"We Are The Ones Who Create Our Happiness And Unhappiness","post_excerpt":"","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","post_password":"","post_name":"we-are-the-ones-who-create-our-happiness-and-unhappiness","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2024-03-11 20:02:00","post_modified_gmt":"2024-03-12 01:02:00","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/www.jungtosociety.org\/?p=18145","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"},{"ID":18295,"post_author":"13","post_date":"2024-03-20 22:57:13","post_date_gmt":"2024-03-21 03:57:13","post_content":"\n

\"Let's change just one day at a time\" <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Accomplishing something
every day with a light heart is like
water drops piercing a rock. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Illustration by Maseol <\/p>\n","post_title":"One day at a time","post_excerpt":"","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","post_password":"","post_name":"one-day-at-a-time","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2024-03-20 22:57:15","post_modified_gmt":"2024-03-21 03:57:15","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/www.jungtosociety.org\/?p=18295","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"},{"ID":18131,"post_author":"40","post_date":"2024-03-19 14:51:48","post_date_gmt":"2024-03-19 19:51:48","post_content":"\n

P:<\/strong> In the past, parents left all their wealth to their children when they retired, and since their children took good care of them for the rest of their lives, they did not have to worry about their future. However, times have changed. The middle-aged population now find that although they have honored and taken good care of their aged parents, their own children are unlikely to do the same for them. Therefore, parents, today should not give all their assets to their children when they retire.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

When parents leave all their wealth to their offspring, they may be exposed to the danger of becoming broke and homeless if their offspring should go bankrupt. This isn\u2019t such a big problem when you are young because you can work hard to regain your wealth. In Korea, there is even a saying that goes, \u201cHardship during youth is worth paying money for.\u201d Because they have energy and potential, young people don\u2019t look pathetic when they are without money and live in a tent. However, nothing is more pitiful than seeing an old person broke and homeless. Therefore, even when any of your children become bankrupt, you should not lend him or her money by mortgaging your house. If you do, you may end up losing your house.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

You can age gracefully when you have your own assets. If you don\u2019t have anything to live on, your later years will become miserable. So, you should keep your assets. If you give them away to your children, your relationship with your children may easily be ruined.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This is not to say that you should hoard all your assets. You can give some to your children if you want, but you should keep your house and enough money to live comfortably. This way, you will still have some assets to leave to your children when you pass away, and they will arrange a good funeral for you.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

If you plan to distribute your assets among your children after retirement, it\u2019s a good idea to give away just seventy to eighty percent of your assets. You must keep twenty to thirty percent for your own. You can decide on the percentage depending on the size of your assets. If you don\u2019t have a lot of assets, the percentage you keep should be higher than if you have a lot. Either way, when parents maintain their financial freedom even after retirement, they will be able to live with dignity and are more likely to sustain a good relationship with their children.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Of course, there is the option of practicing according to the teachings of the Buddha and letting go of all your worldly possessions. People may think that an enlightened person does not need to have a cent to his name and just needs a space in the common room of a temple to sleep. Most people, however, can\u2019t live this way, which is why they need to hold on to enough assets to live on. Those living in the countryside need a place to live, a piece of land to grow various vegetables, and rice fields, while those living in the city need to have a principal amount in the bank that will yield enough monthly interest for them to live comfortably.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

It\u2019s not easy for people to earn money in their old age. Since they don\u2019t have a source of income, they may expect their children to give them some spending money and end up resenting them if they don\u2019t. To avoid such an outcome, it\u2019s necessary for people to keep some financial assets to live on in their old age. This way, parents can live independently from their children without expecting too much from their children or be overly attached to them.<\/p>\n","post_title":"You Should Hold Onto Enough Financial Assets To Live On After Retirement","post_excerpt":"","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","post_password":"","post_name":"you-should-hold-onto-enough-financial-assets-to-live-on-after-retirement","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2024-03-02 14:55:05","post_modified_gmt":"2024-03-02 19:55:05","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/www.jungtosociety.org\/?p=18131","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"},{"ID":18045,"post_author":"40","post_date":"2024-03-15 07:00:00","post_date_gmt":"2024-03-15 12:00:00","post_content":"\n

<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

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<\/a><\/gwmw><\/p>\n\n\n\n

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<\/a><\/p>\n","post_title":"[Meditation Q&A] \u201cHow can I value serenity but not give up caring when I am practicing…. ?","post_excerpt":"","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","post_password":"","post_name":"meditation-qa-how-can-i-value-serenity-but-not-give-up-caring-when-i-am-practicing","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2024-02-27 19:02:33","post_modified_gmt":"2024-02-28 00:02:33","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/www.jungtosociety.org\/?p=18045","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"},{"ID":18197,"post_author":"13","post_date":"2024-03-13 22:47:47","post_date_gmt":"2024-03-14 03:47:47","post_content":"\n

It\u2019s simple to become an adult.
Wake up earlier than your mom
and prepare breakfast for your parents,
wash the dishes,
and clean your room after school or work. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Illustration by Maseol <\/p>\n","post_title":"Becoming an adult","post_excerpt":"","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","post_password":"","post_name":"becoming-an-adult","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2024-03-13 22:47:48","post_modified_gmt":"2024-03-14 03:47:48","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/www.jungtosociety.org\/?p=18197","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"},{"ID":18125,"post_author":"40","post_date":"2024-03-12 07:00:00","post_date_gmt":"2024-03-12 12:00:00","post_content":"\n

P:<\/strong> When the Buddha was close to death, his disciples came to him and asked,<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cHow would you like us to conduct your funeral?\u201d The Buddha answered, \u201cYou don\u2019t need to worry about my funeral because the lay Buddhists will take care of it.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Lay Buddhists are those who take refuge in the Three Jewels and practice the Five Precepts without becoming monks or nuns. When the Buddha said they will take care of it, he meant that his funeral would be conducted based on customs of the lay people in India. So, after the Buddha died, the Lay Buddhists cremated the Buddha\u2019s body according to the Indian tradition. If he had lived in Korea, he would have been buried in the ground as is the custom in Korea.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Dharma is a teaching about truth, so it does not contain cultural aspects. However, since Buddhism originated from India, its traditions, customs, and culture were integrated into the Buddhist culture. Strictly speaking, neither cremation nor the 49-day posthumous ceremony is a fundamental tradition of Buddhism. They are in fact part of the of Indian cultural tradition.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

It is said that the deceased person has 49 days to be saved and is classified into one of nine levels based on his deeds during his life. \u201cAnyone can be reborn in paradise after he dies if he sincerely hopes for it. However, not everyone can be reborn in paradise right away since people fall into one of the nine categories based on their deeds.\u201d Specifically, people are divided into three categories of high, middle and low, and those in each of the three categories are again divided into high, middle and low, so there are a total of nine categories.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

It is believed that people in the very first category are reborn in paradise immediately after their death. It is comparable to leaving a room and entering another room. Those in the second category are reborn within 12 hours. It takes one day for those in the third category, three days for those in the fourth, a week for those in the fifth, 21 days for those in the sixth, and finally, it takes 49 days for those in the seventh category to be reborn in paradise. This is reason that people hold the 49-day posthumous ceremony. This ritual provides an opportunity for people to do good deeds on behalf of their deceased family members and help them be reborn in paradise within 49 days.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

What happens to the people in the eighth and ninth categories? Ultimately, people in all nine categories will all be reborn in paradise. However, those in the eighth and ninth categories have to spend some time in hell before that. Every year, Buddhists perform the Buddhist All Soul\u2019s Day ceremony on July 15th of the lunar calendar to save the souls of those in the two categories from hell. There is no point in debating whether this is true or not because it is a religious belief, so people are free to choose whether to believe it or not.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Funeral customs vary greatly from religion to religion and country to country. In India, the dead are cremated, and in Tibet, they are left to be eaten by birds. The corpse is cut up and placed on big rocks high in the mountain, so that it is eaten by falcons and eagles. In desert regions, the dead are \u201cburied in the wind.\u201d That is, they are nailed on a wooden board and exposed to the elements for one year until only the bones remain after which the funeral ceremony is performed. In regions with many islands, the dead are dropped into the sea.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Each of these funeral rituals has its unique meaning and significance. Tibetans feed the dead to birds because they believe that the spirit of the dead will fly to heaven with the birds. Some cultures bury the dead in the ground because of the belief that the spiritual world exists underground. Meanwhile, Indians believe in reincarnation, so they cremate the corpse to help the spirits to quickly sever their attachment to their worldly bodies so that they can be reborn.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Regardless of the funeral ritual that is performed, once a person dies, it\u2019s the end. By saying \u201cthe end\u201d I am not implying that there is no heaven or an afterlife; I am simply saying the person who draws his last breath will no longer exist in this world. From a Christian viewpoint, the spirits go to heaven, and from a Buddhist perspective, the spirits are reborn, so there is nothing we can do for them. Therefore, the best farewell for those who pass away is to let them go from our hearts.<\/p>\n","post_title":"The Best Farewell For The Deceased","post_excerpt":"","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","post_password":"","post_name":"the-best-farewell-for-the-deceased-2","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2024-03-02 14:50:59","post_modified_gmt":"2024-03-02 19:50:59","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/www.jungtosociety.org\/?p=18125","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"},{"ID":18140,"post_author":"13","post_date":"2024-03-10 17:37:58","post_date_gmt":"2024-03-10 22:37:58","post_content":"\n

<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Jungto Society, the international Buddhist community founded by the revered Korean Dharma master and social activist Venerable Pomnyun Sunim (\ubc95\ub95c\uc2a4\ub2d8), recently conducted its 33rd annual pilgrimage across India and to Nepal. Held under the theme \u201cFollowing in the Footsteps of the Buddha,\u201d the pilgrimage, which ran from 19 January to 2 February, was attended by more 500 practitioners.1<\/sup><\/p>\n\n\n\n

This year\u2019s pilgrimage was particularly notable for two reasons: first was the participation, for the first time in the Jungto pilgrimage\u2019s 33-year history, of non-Korean practitioners: the 500-plus Korean Buddhist pilgrims were accompanied nine practitioners from Italy, Japan, Thailand, the United Kingdom, the United States, and Vietnam. Second, the pilgrimage also coincided with celebrations for the 30th anniversary of Sujata Academy, a remarkable community school and social empowerment project established by Ven. Pomnyun Sunim in Dungeshwari, in the northeastern Indian state of Bihar. This project has transformed the lives of an entire community of people who have faced systemic social and economic exclusion as a result of India\u2019s conservative Hindu caste hierarchy.2<\/sup><\/p>\n\n\n\n

The academy is named after Sujata, the young woman who is said to have nourished the ailing and emaciated Siddhartha Gautama with a bowl of milk-rice, thus ending his six years of extreme asceticism. Tuition at the academy is provided free of charge. The school\u2019s principal goal is to educate every student in basic literacy and numeracy. Classes are taught from kindergarten to secondary level, alongside adult literacy classes and skills training. Students who wish to continue beyond elementary education and attend secondary school are required to teach kindergarteners or to help out in the onsite Jivaka Hospital in the mornings and to attend classes in the afternoon, working in the spirit of giving back to the community. The campus also includes a warehouse, a dormitory, a large playing field, and sports equipment for the children.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

x<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Ven. Pomnyun Sunim established the international Buddhist humanitarian relief organization Join Together Society (JTS) as an expression of the compassion of engaged Buddhism and the belief that helping others is the best way to enrich one\u2019s own life. Headquartered in Seoul, JTS operates four branch offices in South Korea and the United States, along with field offices in India and the Philippines. JTS Korea and JTS America oversee fundraising, while JTS India and JTS Philippines conduct development projects in cooperation with local communities. The relief organization has also earned Special Consultative Status to the United Nations Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

JTS India began its work in Dungeshwari, some 12 kilometers northeast of the Buddhist pilgrimage hub of Bodh Gaya, in the early 1990s, aspiring to fulfill the mission: \u201cThe hungry should eat; the sick should be treated; children should be educated in time.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This region is surrounded by the Pragbodhi Hills where the historical Buddha, Shakyamuni, is said to have spent six years in a cave as an ascetic. And it\u2019s here that JTS India has been working to empower the villagers of Dungeshwari to live their lives free from hunger, illiteracy, and disease.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The people of Dungeshwari are primarily Dalits, who face systemic social and economic exclusion as a result of the conservative Hindu social hierarchy. \u201cDalit,\u201d which translates as \u201cbroken\u201d in Sanskrit, is a term for the very lowest castes, whom members of the so-called \u201chigher\u201d castes still to this day deem \u201cuntouchable,\u201d despite the practice being prohibited in the Constitution of India. By working directly with disadvantaged communities, JTS aims to help them to mobilize their own capabilities and resources to create a more prosperous and sustainable future.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Jungto Society Dharma teacher Doyeon Jang (Dharma name Bogwang), is the director of Sujata Academy. She has overseen the development of this ambitious project, facing numerous challenges, both personal and structural, in the process of bringing this expression of compassion and social transformation to fruition.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u25b6\ufe0f Published by BDG on March 8, 2024<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u25b6\ufe0f Read more: <\/a>https:\/\/www.buddhistdoor.net\/features\/the-sujata-academy-project-the-power-of-hope-and-compassion-in-india\/<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

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<\/p>\n","post_title":"The Sujata Academy Project: The Power of Hope and Compassion in India","post_excerpt":"The Korean Seon (Zen) master Venerable Pomnyun Sunim (\ubc95\ub95c\uc2a4\ub2d8) wears many hats: Buddhist monk, teacher, author, environmentalist, and social activist, to name a few. As a widely respected Dharma teacher and a tireless socially engaged activist in his native South Korea, Ven. Pomnyun Sunim has founded numerous Dharma-based organizations, initiatives, and projects that are active across the world. Among them, Jungto Society, a volunteer-based community founded on the Buddhist teachings and expressing equality, simple living, and sustainability, is dedicated to addressing modern social issues that lead to suffering, including environmental degradation, poverty, and conflict.\n\nThis column, shared by Jungto Society, presents a series of highlights from Ven. Pomnyun Sunim\u2019s writings, teachings, public talks, and regular live-streamed Dharma Q+A sessions, which are accessible across the globe.\n","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","post_password":"","post_name":"the-sujata-academy-project-the-power-of-hope-and-compassion-in-india","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2024-03-10 17:38:00","post_modified_gmt":"2024-03-10 22:38:00","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/www.jungtosociety.org\/?p=18140","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"},{"ID":18136,"post_author":"13","post_date":"2024-03-10 17:24:34","post_date_gmt":"2024-03-10 22:24:34","post_content":"\n

Your son is over forty and
his main relationship is with someone else.
So, stop worrying about a grown man
who belongs with another woman
and be nice to the man next to you. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Illustration by Maseol <\/p>\n","post_title":"Son over forty","post_excerpt":"","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","post_password":"","post_name":"son-over-forty","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2024-03-10 17:24:36","post_modified_gmt":"2024-03-10 22:24:36","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/www.jungtosociety.org\/?p=18136","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"}],"next":false,"prev":false,"total_page":1},"paged":1,"column_class":"jeg_col_2o3","class":"jnews_block_37"};

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Ven. Pomnyun Sunim has been engaged in dialogue with the public for decades sharing the Dharma with people from various religious and cultural backgrounds. His unique approach to tackling life\u2019s challenges, grounded in the original teachings of the Buddha, offers clear and easily accessible insights. Through his guidance, many have found immediate peace of mind and the confidence to face life\u2019s challenges without despair or stress.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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We\u2019re excited to announce that Ven. Pomnyun Sunim will be hosting Q&A sessions in New York, Boston, Dallas, and Washington D.C. Don\u2019t miss this special opportunity to gather in person and learn from his wisdom. Save the date and register today! (In September, several events are planned with Ven. Pomnyun Sunim along the west coast of North America.)
The event is free and open to everyone. Given the limited seating available, we highly recommend registering in advance to secure your spot. Registration forms can be found below.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\ud83d\udcac Casual Conversation: mainly in English, with exceptions in Tokyo and Frankfurt<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n

Subscribe to our newsletter to get notifications on event registration and more.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

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<\/div>\n<\/div>\n","post_title":"In-Person Casual Conversation with Ven. Pomnyun Sunim in 2024","post_excerpt":"","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","post_password":"","post_name":"casual-conversation-with-ven-pomnyun-sunim-2024","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2024-03-27 12:49:06","post_modified_gmt":"2024-03-27 17:49:06","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/www.jungtosociety.org\/?p=18171","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"},{"ID":18145,"post_author":"40","post_date":"2024-03-26 07:00:00","post_date_gmt":"2024-03-26 12:00:00","post_content":"\n

P:<\/strong> Most of us feel anxious and insecure about our old age. So, people ask, \u201cWhat do I need to do to prepare for a happy old age?\u201d However, there is no such thing as preparing to be happy. You must simply be happy at this moment. Let\u2019s say you slip and fall down the stairs and break a leg. If you think to yourself, \u201cWhat bad luck that I broke my leg!\u201d you will feel unhappy. However, if you think, \u201cHow fortunate that I only broke one leg when I could have easily broken both legs!\u201d you will feel happy. If you can see the positive side of everything, you will always be happy. There is no need to prepare for a happy old age.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWhen I see in the media, \u2018Your old age will be insecure if you don\u2019t prepare for it.\u2019 or \u2018You need to do this and that to be happy in your old age,\u2019 I feel like I need to do something.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Needing to prepare for happiness is a claim of those who have never been happy. Often, all people do is prepare to become happy but end up dying without ever having been happy. Therefore, there is no need to prepare. We should be happy from this very moment. We should not prepare to be happy but be happy immediately starting today.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Those who are not happy today cannot be happy tomorrow, and those who are not happy in this world cannot be happy in the afterworld, should it exist. Those who always complain in this world will find something to complain about even in heaven. You may think that you will be happy the moment you get to heaven, but once you are there, you might still be unhappy. There is no place in the world that will automatically make you happy. You should be happy right here, right now.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Then, how can we become happy? Wouldn\u2019t I be miserable if I envied you and kept thinking, \u201cHow I wish I could get married!\u201d? If those of you who are married keep thinking, \u201cI wish I could live alone. How wonderful it must be to travel anywhere as freely as the Sunim does!\u201d you would be very unhappy. A monk like me should be proud of living alone, and those who are married should be so happy in their marriages as to make a monk feel jealous. Living the life we have chosen to the best of our ability is living well.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

We should be happy with everything that happens in the natural course of our lives. For instance, we should be happy to grow old as time passes, happy to be alive when alive, and happy to die when death knocks at the door. Then, it will be like living in heaven in this life as well as in the afterlife. It doesn\u2019t make sense to live this life as if we were in hell while wishing to go to heaven after death.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

When a person who lives in Korea can live happily, Korea becomes a heaven. This person will be happy even if he lives in the U.S. However, a person who complains about his life in this world will not stop complaining even if he were sent to heaven. A complainer is likely to grumble no matter where he goes. Therefore, heaven and hell do not exist separately in another world. That is, we are in heaven when we are happy and in hell when we are miserable.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

We tend to blame others for their hardships and suffering. However, if we look carefully, we will to see that we ourselves make our own happiness and unhappiness. Those who make themselves miserable will feel miserable even in heaven, and those who make themselves happy will be happy even in hell.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

We should be content with our current lives at all times. When we wake up early in the morning, when we meditate, when we prostrate, and when we have meals, we should be happy to be able to do these things. Considering that a countless number of people in North Korea are currently starving, shouldn\u2019t we be thankful for the fact that we are able to have regular meals? We should always perceive our lives in such a positive light.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Actually, you are all happy right now. You simply don\u2019t see it or feel it. Once upon a time someone visited a Zen master and talked extensively about the Buddha and his teachings. The Zen master told him, \u201cJust have a cup of tea.\u201d He meant, \u201cStop thinking nonsense.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

You are already happy. You don\u2019t need to work hard to be happy.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

When you let go of the thought, \u201cI will live happily,\u201d you will find happiness.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

We create our own happiness.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

We create our own misfortune.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Truly, our happiness and unhappiness are not created by others.<\/p>\n","post_title":"We Are The Ones Who Create Our Happiness And Unhappiness","post_excerpt":"","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","post_password":"","post_name":"we-are-the-ones-who-create-our-happiness-and-unhappiness","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2024-03-11 20:02:00","post_modified_gmt":"2024-03-12 01:02:00","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/www.jungtosociety.org\/?p=18145","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"},{"ID":18295,"post_author":"13","post_date":"2024-03-20 22:57:13","post_date_gmt":"2024-03-21 03:57:13","post_content":"\n

\"Let's change just one day at a time\" <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Accomplishing something
every day with a light heart is like
water drops piercing a rock. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Illustration by Maseol <\/p>\n","post_title":"One day at a time","post_excerpt":"","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","post_password":"","post_name":"one-day-at-a-time","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2024-03-20 22:57:15","post_modified_gmt":"2024-03-21 03:57:15","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/www.jungtosociety.org\/?p=18295","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"},{"ID":18131,"post_author":"40","post_date":"2024-03-19 14:51:48","post_date_gmt":"2024-03-19 19:51:48","post_content":"\n

P:<\/strong> In the past, parents left all their wealth to their children when they retired, and since their children took good care of them for the rest of their lives, they did not have to worry about their future. However, times have changed. The middle-aged population now find that although they have honored and taken good care of their aged parents, their own children are unlikely to do the same for them. Therefore, parents, today should not give all their assets to their children when they retire.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

When parents leave all their wealth to their offspring, they may be exposed to the danger of becoming broke and homeless if their offspring should go bankrupt. This isn\u2019t such a big problem when you are young because you can work hard to regain your wealth. In Korea, there is even a saying that goes, \u201cHardship during youth is worth paying money for.\u201d Because they have energy and potential, young people don\u2019t look pathetic when they are without money and live in a tent. However, nothing is more pitiful than seeing an old person broke and homeless. Therefore, even when any of your children become bankrupt, you should not lend him or her money by mortgaging your house. If you do, you may end up losing your house.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

You can age gracefully when you have your own assets. If you don\u2019t have anything to live on, your later years will become miserable. So, you should keep your assets. If you give them away to your children, your relationship with your children may easily be ruined.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This is not to say that you should hoard all your assets. You can give some to your children if you want, but you should keep your house and enough money to live comfortably. This way, you will still have some assets to leave to your children when you pass away, and they will arrange a good funeral for you.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

If you plan to distribute your assets among your children after retirement, it\u2019s a good idea to give away just seventy to eighty percent of your assets. You must keep twenty to thirty percent for your own. You can decide on the percentage depending on the size of your assets. If you don\u2019t have a lot of assets, the percentage you keep should be higher than if you have a lot. Either way, when parents maintain their financial freedom even after retirement, they will be able to live with dignity and are more likely to sustain a good relationship with their children.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Of course, there is the option of practicing according to the teachings of the Buddha and letting go of all your worldly possessions. People may think that an enlightened person does not need to have a cent to his name and just needs a space in the common room of a temple to sleep. Most people, however, can\u2019t live this way, which is why they need to hold on to enough assets to live on. Those living in the countryside need a place to live, a piece of land to grow various vegetables, and rice fields, while those living in the city need to have a principal amount in the bank that will yield enough monthly interest for them to live comfortably.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

It\u2019s not easy for people to earn money in their old age. Since they don\u2019t have a source of income, they may expect their children to give them some spending money and end up resenting them if they don\u2019t. To avoid such an outcome, it\u2019s necessary for people to keep some financial assets to live on in their old age. This way, parents can live independently from their children without expecting too much from their children or be overly attached to them.<\/p>\n","post_title":"You Should Hold Onto Enough Financial Assets To Live On After Retirement","post_excerpt":"","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","post_password":"","post_name":"you-should-hold-onto-enough-financial-assets-to-live-on-after-retirement","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2024-03-02 14:55:05","post_modified_gmt":"2024-03-02 19:55:05","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/www.jungtosociety.org\/?p=18131","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"},{"ID":18045,"post_author":"40","post_date":"2024-03-15 07:00:00","post_date_gmt":"2024-03-15 12:00:00","post_content":"\n

<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

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<\/a><\/gwmw><\/p>\n\n\n\n

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<\/a><\/p>\n","post_title":"[Meditation Q&A] \u201cHow can I value serenity but not give up caring when I am practicing…. ?","post_excerpt":"","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","post_password":"","post_name":"meditation-qa-how-can-i-value-serenity-but-not-give-up-caring-when-i-am-practicing","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2024-02-27 19:02:33","post_modified_gmt":"2024-02-28 00:02:33","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/www.jungtosociety.org\/?p=18045","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"},{"ID":18197,"post_author":"13","post_date":"2024-03-13 22:47:47","post_date_gmt":"2024-03-14 03:47:47","post_content":"\n

It\u2019s simple to become an adult.
Wake up earlier than your mom
and prepare breakfast for your parents,
wash the dishes,
and clean your room after school or work. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Illustration by Maseol <\/p>\n","post_title":"Becoming an adult","post_excerpt":"","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","post_password":"","post_name":"becoming-an-adult","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2024-03-13 22:47:48","post_modified_gmt":"2024-03-14 03:47:48","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/www.jungtosociety.org\/?p=18197","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"},{"ID":18125,"post_author":"40","post_date":"2024-03-12 07:00:00","post_date_gmt":"2024-03-12 12:00:00","post_content":"\n

P:<\/strong> When the Buddha was close to death, his disciples came to him and asked,<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cHow would you like us to conduct your funeral?\u201d The Buddha answered, \u201cYou don\u2019t need to worry about my funeral because the lay Buddhists will take care of it.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Lay Buddhists are those who take refuge in the Three Jewels and practice the Five Precepts without becoming monks or nuns. When the Buddha said they will take care of it, he meant that his funeral would be conducted based on customs of the lay people in India. So, after the Buddha died, the Lay Buddhists cremated the Buddha\u2019s body according to the Indian tradition. If he had lived in Korea, he would have been buried in the ground as is the custom in Korea.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Dharma is a teaching about truth, so it does not contain cultural aspects. However, since Buddhism originated from India, its traditions, customs, and culture were integrated into the Buddhist culture. Strictly speaking, neither cremation nor the 49-day posthumous ceremony is a fundamental tradition of Buddhism. They are in fact part of the of Indian cultural tradition.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

It is said that the deceased person has 49 days to be saved and is classified into one of nine levels based on his deeds during his life. \u201cAnyone can be reborn in paradise after he dies if he sincerely hopes for it. However, not everyone can be reborn in paradise right away since people fall into one of the nine categories based on their deeds.\u201d Specifically, people are divided into three categories of high, middle and low, and those in each of the three categories are again divided into high, middle and low, so there are a total of nine categories.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

It is believed that people in the very first category are reborn in paradise immediately after their death. It is comparable to leaving a room and entering another room. Those in the second category are reborn within 12 hours. It takes one day for those in the third category, three days for those in the fourth, a week for those in the fifth, 21 days for those in the sixth, and finally, it takes 49 days for those in the seventh category to be reborn in paradise. This is reason that people hold the 49-day posthumous ceremony. This ritual provides an opportunity for people to do good deeds on behalf of their deceased family members and help them be reborn in paradise within 49 days.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

What happens to the people in the eighth and ninth categories? Ultimately, people in all nine categories will all be reborn in paradise. However, those in the eighth and ninth categories have to spend some time in hell before that. Every year, Buddhists perform the Buddhist All Soul\u2019s Day ceremony on July 15th of the lunar calendar to save the souls of those in the two categories from hell. There is no point in debating whether this is true or not because it is a religious belief, so people are free to choose whether to believe it or not.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Funeral customs vary greatly from religion to religion and country to country. In India, the dead are cremated, and in Tibet, they are left to be eaten by birds. The corpse is cut up and placed on big rocks high in the mountain, so that it is eaten by falcons and eagles. In desert regions, the dead are \u201cburied in the wind.\u201d That is, they are nailed on a wooden board and exposed to the elements for one year until only the bones remain after which the funeral ceremony is performed. In regions with many islands, the dead are dropped into the sea.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Each of these funeral rituals has its unique meaning and significance. Tibetans feed the dead to birds because they believe that the spirit of the dead will fly to heaven with the birds. Some cultures bury the dead in the ground because of the belief that the spiritual world exists underground. Meanwhile, Indians believe in reincarnation, so they cremate the corpse to help the spirits to quickly sever their attachment to their worldly bodies so that they can be reborn.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Regardless of the funeral ritual that is performed, once a person dies, it\u2019s the end. By saying \u201cthe end\u201d I am not implying that there is no heaven or an afterlife; I am simply saying the person who draws his last breath will no longer exist in this world. From a Christian viewpoint, the spirits go to heaven, and from a Buddhist perspective, the spirits are reborn, so there is nothing we can do for them. Therefore, the best farewell for those who pass away is to let them go from our hearts.<\/p>\n","post_title":"The Best Farewell For The Deceased","post_excerpt":"","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","post_password":"","post_name":"the-best-farewell-for-the-deceased-2","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2024-03-02 14:50:59","post_modified_gmt":"2024-03-02 19:50:59","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/www.jungtosociety.org\/?p=18125","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"},{"ID":18140,"post_author":"13","post_date":"2024-03-10 17:37:58","post_date_gmt":"2024-03-10 22:37:58","post_content":"\n

<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Jungto Society, the international Buddhist community founded by the revered Korean Dharma master and social activist Venerable Pomnyun Sunim (\ubc95\ub95c\uc2a4\ub2d8), recently conducted its 33rd annual pilgrimage across India and to Nepal. Held under the theme \u201cFollowing in the Footsteps of the Buddha,\u201d the pilgrimage, which ran from 19 January to 2 February, was attended by more 500 practitioners.1<\/sup><\/p>\n\n\n\n

This year\u2019s pilgrimage was particularly notable for two reasons: first was the participation, for the first time in the Jungto pilgrimage\u2019s 33-year history, of non-Korean practitioners: the 500-plus Korean Buddhist pilgrims were accompanied nine practitioners from Italy, Japan, Thailand, the United Kingdom, the United States, and Vietnam. Second, the pilgrimage also coincided with celebrations for the 30th anniversary of Sujata Academy, a remarkable community school and social empowerment project established by Ven. Pomnyun Sunim in Dungeshwari, in the northeastern Indian state of Bihar. This project has transformed the lives of an entire community of people who have faced systemic social and economic exclusion as a result of India\u2019s conservative Hindu caste hierarchy.2<\/sup><\/p>\n\n\n\n

The academy is named after Sujata, the young woman who is said to have nourished the ailing and emaciated Siddhartha Gautama with a bowl of milk-rice, thus ending his six years of extreme asceticism. Tuition at the academy is provided free of charge. The school\u2019s principal goal is to educate every student in basic literacy and numeracy. Classes are taught from kindergarten to secondary level, alongside adult literacy classes and skills training. Students who wish to continue beyond elementary education and attend secondary school are required to teach kindergarteners or to help out in the onsite Jivaka Hospital in the mornings and to attend classes in the afternoon, working in the spirit of giving back to the community. The campus also includes a warehouse, a dormitory, a large playing field, and sports equipment for the children.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

x<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Ven. Pomnyun Sunim established the international Buddhist humanitarian relief organization Join Together Society (JTS) as an expression of the compassion of engaged Buddhism and the belief that helping others is the best way to enrich one\u2019s own life. Headquartered in Seoul, JTS operates four branch offices in South Korea and the United States, along with field offices in India and the Philippines. JTS Korea and JTS America oversee fundraising, while JTS India and JTS Philippines conduct development projects in cooperation with local communities. The relief organization has also earned Special Consultative Status to the United Nations Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

JTS India began its work in Dungeshwari, some 12 kilometers northeast of the Buddhist pilgrimage hub of Bodh Gaya, in the early 1990s, aspiring to fulfill the mission: \u201cThe hungry should eat; the sick should be treated; children should be educated in time.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This region is surrounded by the Pragbodhi Hills where the historical Buddha, Shakyamuni, is said to have spent six years in a cave as an ascetic. And it\u2019s here that JTS India has been working to empower the villagers of Dungeshwari to live their lives free from hunger, illiteracy, and disease.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The people of Dungeshwari are primarily Dalits, who face systemic social and economic exclusion as a result of the conservative Hindu social hierarchy. \u201cDalit,\u201d which translates as \u201cbroken\u201d in Sanskrit, is a term for the very lowest castes, whom members of the so-called \u201chigher\u201d castes still to this day deem \u201cuntouchable,\u201d despite the practice being prohibited in the Constitution of India. By working directly with disadvantaged communities, JTS aims to help them to mobilize their own capabilities and resources to create a more prosperous and sustainable future.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Jungto Society Dharma teacher Doyeon Jang (Dharma name Bogwang), is the director of Sujata Academy. She has overseen the development of this ambitious project, facing numerous challenges, both personal and structural, in the process of bringing this expression of compassion and social transformation to fruition.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u25b6\ufe0f Published by BDG on March 8, 2024<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u25b6\ufe0f Read more: <\/a>https:\/\/www.buddhistdoor.net\/features\/the-sujata-academy-project-the-power-of-hope-and-compassion-in-india\/<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

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<\/p>\n","post_title":"The Sujata Academy Project: The Power of Hope and Compassion in India","post_excerpt":"The Korean Seon (Zen) master Venerable Pomnyun Sunim (\ubc95\ub95c\uc2a4\ub2d8) wears many hats: Buddhist monk, teacher, author, environmentalist, and social activist, to name a few. As a widely respected Dharma teacher and a tireless socially engaged activist in his native South Korea, Ven. Pomnyun Sunim has founded numerous Dharma-based organizations, initiatives, and projects that are active across the world. Among them, Jungto Society, a volunteer-based community founded on the Buddhist teachings and expressing equality, simple living, and sustainability, is dedicated to addressing modern social issues that lead to suffering, including environmental degradation, poverty, and conflict.\n\nThis column, shared by Jungto Society, presents a series of highlights from Ven. Pomnyun Sunim\u2019s writings, teachings, public talks, and regular live-streamed Dharma Q+A sessions, which are accessible across the globe.\n","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","post_password":"","post_name":"the-sujata-academy-project-the-power-of-hope-and-compassion-in-india","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2024-03-10 17:38:00","post_modified_gmt":"2024-03-10 22:38:00","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/www.jungtosociety.org\/?p=18140","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"},{"ID":18136,"post_author":"13","post_date":"2024-03-10 17:24:34","post_date_gmt":"2024-03-10 22:24:34","post_content":"\n

Your son is over forty and
his main relationship is with someone else.
So, stop worrying about a grown man
who belongs with another woman
and be nice to the man next to you. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Illustration by Maseol <\/p>\n","post_title":"Son over forty","post_excerpt":"","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","post_password":"","post_name":"son-over-forty","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2024-03-10 17:24:36","post_modified_gmt":"2024-03-10 22:24:36","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/www.jungtosociety.org\/?p=18136","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"}],"next":false,"prev":false,"total_page":1},"paged":1,"column_class":"jeg_col_2o3","class":"jnews_block_37"};

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Ven. Pomnyun Sunim has been engaged in dialogue with the public for decades sharing the Dharma with people from various religious and cultural backgrounds. His unique approach to tackling life\u2019s challenges, grounded in the original teachings of the Buddha, offers clear and easily accessible insights. Through his guidance, many have found immediate peace of mind and the confidence to face life\u2019s challenges without despair or stress.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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We\u2019re excited to announce that Ven. Pomnyun Sunim will be hosting Q&A sessions in New York, Boston, Dallas, and Washington D.C. Don\u2019t miss this special opportunity to gather in person and learn from his wisdom. Save the date and register today! (In September, several events are planned with Ven. Pomnyun Sunim along the west coast of North America.)
The event is free and open to everyone. Given the limited seating available, we highly recommend registering in advance to secure your spot. Registration forms can be found below.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\ud83d\udcac Casual Conversation: mainly in English, with exceptions in Tokyo and Frankfurt<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n

Subscribe to our newsletter to get notifications on event registration and more.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

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<\/div>\n<\/div>\n","post_title":"In-Person Casual Conversation with Ven. Pomnyun Sunim in 2024","post_excerpt":"","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","post_password":"","post_name":"casual-conversation-with-ven-pomnyun-sunim-2024","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2024-03-27 12:49:06","post_modified_gmt":"2024-03-27 17:49:06","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/www.jungtosociety.org\/?p=18171","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"},{"ID":18145,"post_author":"40","post_date":"2024-03-26 07:00:00","post_date_gmt":"2024-03-26 12:00:00","post_content":"\n

P:<\/strong> Most of us feel anxious and insecure about our old age. So, people ask, \u201cWhat do I need to do to prepare for a happy old age?\u201d However, there is no such thing as preparing to be happy. You must simply be happy at this moment. Let\u2019s say you slip and fall down the stairs and break a leg. If you think to yourself, \u201cWhat bad luck that I broke my leg!\u201d you will feel unhappy. However, if you think, \u201cHow fortunate that I only broke one leg when I could have easily broken both legs!\u201d you will feel happy. If you can see the positive side of everything, you will always be happy. There is no need to prepare for a happy old age.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWhen I see in the media, \u2018Your old age will be insecure if you don\u2019t prepare for it.\u2019 or \u2018You need to do this and that to be happy in your old age,\u2019 I feel like I need to do something.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Needing to prepare for happiness is a claim of those who have never been happy. Often, all people do is prepare to become happy but end up dying without ever having been happy. Therefore, there is no need to prepare. We should be happy from this very moment. We should not prepare to be happy but be happy immediately starting today.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Those who are not happy today cannot be happy tomorrow, and those who are not happy in this world cannot be happy in the afterworld, should it exist. Those who always complain in this world will find something to complain about even in heaven. You may think that you will be happy the moment you get to heaven, but once you are there, you might still be unhappy. There is no place in the world that will automatically make you happy. You should be happy right here, right now.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Then, how can we become happy? Wouldn\u2019t I be miserable if I envied you and kept thinking, \u201cHow I wish I could get married!\u201d? If those of you who are married keep thinking, \u201cI wish I could live alone. How wonderful it must be to travel anywhere as freely as the Sunim does!\u201d you would be very unhappy. A monk like me should be proud of living alone, and those who are married should be so happy in their marriages as to make a monk feel jealous. Living the life we have chosen to the best of our ability is living well.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

We should be happy with everything that happens in the natural course of our lives. For instance, we should be happy to grow old as time passes, happy to be alive when alive, and happy to die when death knocks at the door. Then, it will be like living in heaven in this life as well as in the afterlife. It doesn\u2019t make sense to live this life as if we were in hell while wishing to go to heaven after death.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

When a person who lives in Korea can live happily, Korea becomes a heaven. This person will be happy even if he lives in the U.S. However, a person who complains about his life in this world will not stop complaining even if he were sent to heaven. A complainer is likely to grumble no matter where he goes. Therefore, heaven and hell do not exist separately in another world. That is, we are in heaven when we are happy and in hell when we are miserable.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

We tend to blame others for their hardships and suffering. However, if we look carefully, we will to see that we ourselves make our own happiness and unhappiness. Those who make themselves miserable will feel miserable even in heaven, and those who make themselves happy will be happy even in hell.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

We should be content with our current lives at all times. When we wake up early in the morning, when we meditate, when we prostrate, and when we have meals, we should be happy to be able to do these things. Considering that a countless number of people in North Korea are currently starving, shouldn\u2019t we be thankful for the fact that we are able to have regular meals? We should always perceive our lives in such a positive light.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Actually, you are all happy right now. You simply don\u2019t see it or feel it. Once upon a time someone visited a Zen master and talked extensively about the Buddha and his teachings. The Zen master told him, \u201cJust have a cup of tea.\u201d He meant, \u201cStop thinking nonsense.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

You are already happy. You don\u2019t need to work hard to be happy.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

When you let go of the thought, \u201cI will live happily,\u201d you will find happiness.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

We create our own happiness.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

We create our own misfortune.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Truly, our happiness and unhappiness are not created by others.<\/p>\n","post_title":"We Are The Ones Who Create Our Happiness And Unhappiness","post_excerpt":"","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","post_password":"","post_name":"we-are-the-ones-who-create-our-happiness-and-unhappiness","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2024-03-11 20:02:00","post_modified_gmt":"2024-03-12 01:02:00","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/www.jungtosociety.org\/?p=18145","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"},{"ID":18295,"post_author":"13","post_date":"2024-03-20 22:57:13","post_date_gmt":"2024-03-21 03:57:13","post_content":"\n

\"Let's change just one day at a time\" <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Accomplishing something
every day with a light heart is like
water drops piercing a rock. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Illustration by Maseol <\/p>\n","post_title":"One day at a time","post_excerpt":"","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","post_password":"","post_name":"one-day-at-a-time","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2024-03-20 22:57:15","post_modified_gmt":"2024-03-21 03:57:15","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/www.jungtosociety.org\/?p=18295","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"},{"ID":18131,"post_author":"40","post_date":"2024-03-19 14:51:48","post_date_gmt":"2024-03-19 19:51:48","post_content":"\n

P:<\/strong> In the past, parents left all their wealth to their children when they retired, and since their children took good care of them for the rest of their lives, they did not have to worry about their future. However, times have changed. The middle-aged population now find that although they have honored and taken good care of their aged parents, their own children are unlikely to do the same for them. Therefore, parents, today should not give all their assets to their children when they retire.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

When parents leave all their wealth to their offspring, they may be exposed to the danger of becoming broke and homeless if their offspring should go bankrupt. This isn\u2019t such a big problem when you are young because you can work hard to regain your wealth. In Korea, there is even a saying that goes, \u201cHardship during youth is worth paying money for.\u201d Because they have energy and potential, young people don\u2019t look pathetic when they are without money and live in a tent. However, nothing is more pitiful than seeing an old person broke and homeless. Therefore, even when any of your children become bankrupt, you should not lend him or her money by mortgaging your house. If you do, you may end up losing your house.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

You can age gracefully when you have your own assets. If you don\u2019t have anything to live on, your later years will become miserable. So, you should keep your assets. If you give them away to your children, your relationship with your children may easily be ruined.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This is not to say that you should hoard all your assets. You can give some to your children if you want, but you should keep your house and enough money to live comfortably. This way, you will still have some assets to leave to your children when you pass away, and they will arrange a good funeral for you.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

If you plan to distribute your assets among your children after retirement, it\u2019s a good idea to give away just seventy to eighty percent of your assets. You must keep twenty to thirty percent for your own. You can decide on the percentage depending on the size of your assets. If you don\u2019t have a lot of assets, the percentage you keep should be higher than if you have a lot. Either way, when parents maintain their financial freedom even after retirement, they will be able to live with dignity and are more likely to sustain a good relationship with their children.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Of course, there is the option of practicing according to the teachings of the Buddha and letting go of all your worldly possessions. People may think that an enlightened person does not need to have a cent to his name and just needs a space in the common room of a temple to sleep. Most people, however, can\u2019t live this way, which is why they need to hold on to enough assets to live on. Those living in the countryside need a place to live, a piece of land to grow various vegetables, and rice fields, while those living in the city need to have a principal amount in the bank that will yield enough monthly interest for them to live comfortably.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

It\u2019s not easy for people to earn money in their old age. Since they don\u2019t have a source of income, they may expect their children to give them some spending money and end up resenting them if they don\u2019t. To avoid such an outcome, it\u2019s necessary for people to keep some financial assets to live on in their old age. This way, parents can live independently from their children without expecting too much from their children or be overly attached to them.<\/p>\n","post_title":"You Should Hold Onto Enough Financial Assets To Live On After Retirement","post_excerpt":"","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","post_password":"","post_name":"you-should-hold-onto-enough-financial-assets-to-live-on-after-retirement","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2024-03-02 14:55:05","post_modified_gmt":"2024-03-02 19:55:05","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/www.jungtosociety.org\/?p=18131","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"},{"ID":18045,"post_author":"40","post_date":"2024-03-15 07:00:00","post_date_gmt":"2024-03-15 12:00:00","post_content":"\n

<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

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<\/a><\/gwmw><\/p>\n\n\n\n

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<\/a><\/p>\n","post_title":"[Meditation Q&A] \u201cHow can I value serenity but not give up caring when I am practicing…. ?","post_excerpt":"","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","post_password":"","post_name":"meditation-qa-how-can-i-value-serenity-but-not-give-up-caring-when-i-am-practicing","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2024-02-27 19:02:33","post_modified_gmt":"2024-02-28 00:02:33","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/www.jungtosociety.org\/?p=18045","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"},{"ID":18197,"post_author":"13","post_date":"2024-03-13 22:47:47","post_date_gmt":"2024-03-14 03:47:47","post_content":"\n

It\u2019s simple to become an adult.
Wake up earlier than your mom
and prepare breakfast for your parents,
wash the dishes,
and clean your room after school or work. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Illustration by Maseol <\/p>\n","post_title":"Becoming an adult","post_excerpt":"","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","post_password":"","post_name":"becoming-an-adult","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2024-03-13 22:47:48","post_modified_gmt":"2024-03-14 03:47:48","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/www.jungtosociety.org\/?p=18197","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"},{"ID":18125,"post_author":"40","post_date":"2024-03-12 07:00:00","post_date_gmt":"2024-03-12 12:00:00","post_content":"\n

P:<\/strong> When the Buddha was close to death, his disciples came to him and asked,<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cHow would you like us to conduct your funeral?\u201d The Buddha answered, \u201cYou don\u2019t need to worry about my funeral because the lay Buddhists will take care of it.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Lay Buddhists are those who take refuge in the Three Jewels and practice the Five Precepts without becoming monks or nuns. When the Buddha said they will take care of it, he meant that his funeral would be conducted based on customs of the lay people in India. So, after the Buddha died, the Lay Buddhists cremated the Buddha\u2019s body according to the Indian tradition. If he had lived in Korea, he would have been buried in the ground as is the custom in Korea.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Dharma is a teaching about truth, so it does not contain cultural aspects. However, since Buddhism originated from India, its traditions, customs, and culture were integrated into the Buddhist culture. Strictly speaking, neither cremation nor the 49-day posthumous ceremony is a fundamental tradition of Buddhism. They are in fact part of the of Indian cultural tradition.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

It is said that the deceased person has 49 days to be saved and is classified into one of nine levels based on his deeds during his life. \u201cAnyone can be reborn in paradise after he dies if he sincerely hopes for it. However, not everyone can be reborn in paradise right away since people fall into one of the nine categories based on their deeds.\u201d Specifically, people are divided into three categories of high, middle and low, and those in each of the three categories are again divided into high, middle and low, so there are a total of nine categories.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

It is believed that people in the very first category are reborn in paradise immediately after their death. It is comparable to leaving a room and entering another room. Those in the second category are reborn within 12 hours. It takes one day for those in the third category, three days for those in the fourth, a week for those in the fifth, 21 days for those in the sixth, and finally, it takes 49 days for those in the seventh category to be reborn in paradise. This is reason that people hold the 49-day posthumous ceremony. This ritual provides an opportunity for people to do good deeds on behalf of their deceased family members and help them be reborn in paradise within 49 days.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

What happens to the people in the eighth and ninth categories? Ultimately, people in all nine categories will all be reborn in paradise. However, those in the eighth and ninth categories have to spend some time in hell before that. Every year, Buddhists perform the Buddhist All Soul\u2019s Day ceremony on July 15th of the lunar calendar to save the souls of those in the two categories from hell. There is no point in debating whether this is true or not because it is a religious belief, so people are free to choose whether to believe it or not.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Funeral customs vary greatly from religion to religion and country to country. In India, the dead are cremated, and in Tibet, they are left to be eaten by birds. The corpse is cut up and placed on big rocks high in the mountain, so that it is eaten by falcons and eagles. In desert regions, the dead are \u201cburied in the wind.\u201d That is, they are nailed on a wooden board and exposed to the elements for one year until only the bones remain after which the funeral ceremony is performed. In regions with many islands, the dead are dropped into the sea.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Each of these funeral rituals has its unique meaning and significance. Tibetans feed the dead to birds because they believe that the spirit of the dead will fly to heaven with the birds. Some cultures bury the dead in the ground because of the belief that the spiritual world exists underground. Meanwhile, Indians believe in reincarnation, so they cremate the corpse to help the spirits to quickly sever their attachment to their worldly bodies so that they can be reborn.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Regardless of the funeral ritual that is performed, once a person dies, it\u2019s the end. By saying \u201cthe end\u201d I am not implying that there is no heaven or an afterlife; I am simply saying the person who draws his last breath will no longer exist in this world. From a Christian viewpoint, the spirits go to heaven, and from a Buddhist perspective, the spirits are reborn, so there is nothing we can do for them. Therefore, the best farewell for those who pass away is to let them go from our hearts.<\/p>\n","post_title":"The Best Farewell For The Deceased","post_excerpt":"","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","post_password":"","post_name":"the-best-farewell-for-the-deceased-2","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2024-03-02 14:50:59","post_modified_gmt":"2024-03-02 19:50:59","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/www.jungtosociety.org\/?p=18125","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"},{"ID":18140,"post_author":"13","post_date":"2024-03-10 17:37:58","post_date_gmt":"2024-03-10 22:37:58","post_content":"\n

<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Jungto Society, the international Buddhist community founded by the revered Korean Dharma master and social activist Venerable Pomnyun Sunim (\ubc95\ub95c\uc2a4\ub2d8), recently conducted its 33rd annual pilgrimage across India and to Nepal. Held under the theme \u201cFollowing in the Footsteps of the Buddha,\u201d the pilgrimage, which ran from 19 January to 2 February, was attended by more 500 practitioners.1<\/sup><\/p>\n\n\n\n

This year\u2019s pilgrimage was particularly notable for two reasons: first was the participation, for the first time in the Jungto pilgrimage\u2019s 33-year history, of non-Korean practitioners: the 500-plus Korean Buddhist pilgrims were accompanied nine practitioners from Italy, Japan, Thailand, the United Kingdom, the United States, and Vietnam. Second, the pilgrimage also coincided with celebrations for the 30th anniversary of Sujata Academy, a remarkable community school and social empowerment project established by Ven. Pomnyun Sunim in Dungeshwari, in the northeastern Indian state of Bihar. This project has transformed the lives of an entire community of people who have faced systemic social and economic exclusion as a result of India\u2019s conservative Hindu caste hierarchy.2<\/sup><\/p>\n\n\n\n

The academy is named after Sujata, the young woman who is said to have nourished the ailing and emaciated Siddhartha Gautama with a bowl of milk-rice, thus ending his six years of extreme asceticism. Tuition at the academy is provided free of charge. The school\u2019s principal goal is to educate every student in basic literacy and numeracy. Classes are taught from kindergarten to secondary level, alongside adult literacy classes and skills training. Students who wish to continue beyond elementary education and attend secondary school are required to teach kindergarteners or to help out in the onsite Jivaka Hospital in the mornings and to attend classes in the afternoon, working in the spirit of giving back to the community. The campus also includes a warehouse, a dormitory, a large playing field, and sports equipment for the children.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

x<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Ven. Pomnyun Sunim established the international Buddhist humanitarian relief organization Join Together Society (JTS) as an expression of the compassion of engaged Buddhism and the belief that helping others is the best way to enrich one\u2019s own life. Headquartered in Seoul, JTS operates four branch offices in South Korea and the United States, along with field offices in India and the Philippines. JTS Korea and JTS America oversee fundraising, while JTS India and JTS Philippines conduct development projects in cooperation with local communities. The relief organization has also earned Special Consultative Status to the United Nations Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

JTS India began its work in Dungeshwari, some 12 kilometers northeast of the Buddhist pilgrimage hub of Bodh Gaya, in the early 1990s, aspiring to fulfill the mission: \u201cThe hungry should eat; the sick should be treated; children should be educated in time.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This region is surrounded by the Pragbodhi Hills where the historical Buddha, Shakyamuni, is said to have spent six years in a cave as an ascetic. And it\u2019s here that JTS India has been working to empower the villagers of Dungeshwari to live their lives free from hunger, illiteracy, and disease.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The people of Dungeshwari are primarily Dalits, who face systemic social and economic exclusion as a result of the conservative Hindu social hierarchy. \u201cDalit,\u201d which translates as \u201cbroken\u201d in Sanskrit, is a term for the very lowest castes, whom members of the so-called \u201chigher\u201d castes still to this day deem \u201cuntouchable,\u201d despite the practice being prohibited in the Constitution of India. By working directly with disadvantaged communities, JTS aims to help them to mobilize their own capabilities and resources to create a more prosperous and sustainable future.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Jungto Society Dharma teacher Doyeon Jang (Dharma name Bogwang), is the director of Sujata Academy. She has overseen the development of this ambitious project, facing numerous challenges, both personal and structural, in the process of bringing this expression of compassion and social transformation to fruition.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u25b6\ufe0f Published by BDG on March 8, 2024<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u25b6\ufe0f Read more: <\/a>https:\/\/www.buddhistdoor.net\/features\/the-sujata-academy-project-the-power-of-hope-and-compassion-in-india\/<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

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<\/p>\n","post_title":"The Sujata Academy Project: The Power of Hope and Compassion in India","post_excerpt":"The Korean Seon (Zen) master Venerable Pomnyun Sunim (\ubc95\ub95c\uc2a4\ub2d8) wears many hats: Buddhist monk, teacher, author, environmentalist, and social activist, to name a few. As a widely respected Dharma teacher and a tireless socially engaged activist in his native South Korea, Ven. Pomnyun Sunim has founded numerous Dharma-based organizations, initiatives, and projects that are active across the world. Among them, Jungto Society, a volunteer-based community founded on the Buddhist teachings and expressing equality, simple living, and sustainability, is dedicated to addressing modern social issues that lead to suffering, including environmental degradation, poverty, and conflict.\n\nThis column, shared by Jungto Society, presents a series of highlights from Ven. Pomnyun Sunim\u2019s writings, teachings, public talks, and regular live-streamed Dharma Q+A sessions, which are accessible across the globe.\n","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","post_password":"","post_name":"the-sujata-academy-project-the-power-of-hope-and-compassion-in-india","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2024-03-10 17:38:00","post_modified_gmt":"2024-03-10 22:38:00","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/www.jungtosociety.org\/?p=18140","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"},{"ID":18136,"post_author":"13","post_date":"2024-03-10 17:24:34","post_date_gmt":"2024-03-10 22:24:34","post_content":"\n

Your son is over forty and
his main relationship is with someone else.
So, stop worrying about a grown man
who belongs with another woman
and be nice to the man next to you. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Illustration by Maseol <\/p>\n","post_title":"Son over forty","post_excerpt":"","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","post_password":"","post_name":"son-over-forty","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2024-03-10 17:24:36","post_modified_gmt":"2024-03-10 22:24:36","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/www.jungtosociety.org\/?p=18136","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"}],"next":false,"prev":false,"total_page":1},"paged":1,"column_class":"jeg_col_2o3","class":"jnews_block_37"};

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\u2b50\ufe0f Ask Anything to Ven. Pomnyun Sunim!<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Ven. Pomnyun Sunim has been engaged in dialogue with the public for decades sharing the Dharma with people from various religious and cultural backgrounds. His unique approach to tackling life\u2019s challenges, grounded in the original teachings of the Buddha, offers clear and easily accessible insights. Through his guidance, many have found immediate peace of mind and the confidence to face life\u2019s challenges without despair or stress.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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We\u2019re excited to announce that Ven. Pomnyun Sunim will be hosting Q&A sessions in New York, Boston, Dallas, and Washington D.C. Don\u2019t miss this special opportunity to gather in person and learn from his wisdom. Save the date and register today! (In September, several events are planned with Ven. Pomnyun Sunim along the west coast of North America.)
The event is free and open to everyone. Given the limited seating available, we highly recommend registering in advance to secure your spot. Registration forms can be found below.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\ud83d\udcac Casual Conversation: mainly in English, with exceptions in Tokyo and Frankfurt<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n

Subscribe to our newsletter to get notifications on event registration and more.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

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<\/div>\n<\/div>\n","post_title":"In-Person Casual Conversation with Ven. Pomnyun Sunim in 2024","post_excerpt":"","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","post_password":"","post_name":"casual-conversation-with-ven-pomnyun-sunim-2024","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2024-03-27 12:49:06","post_modified_gmt":"2024-03-27 17:49:06","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/www.jungtosociety.org\/?p=18171","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"},{"ID":18145,"post_author":"40","post_date":"2024-03-26 07:00:00","post_date_gmt":"2024-03-26 12:00:00","post_content":"\n

P:<\/strong> Most of us feel anxious and insecure about our old age. So, people ask, \u201cWhat do I need to do to prepare for a happy old age?\u201d However, there is no such thing as preparing to be happy. You must simply be happy at this moment. Let\u2019s say you slip and fall down the stairs and break a leg. If you think to yourself, \u201cWhat bad luck that I broke my leg!\u201d you will feel unhappy. However, if you think, \u201cHow fortunate that I only broke one leg when I could have easily broken both legs!\u201d you will feel happy. If you can see the positive side of everything, you will always be happy. There is no need to prepare for a happy old age.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWhen I see in the media, \u2018Your old age will be insecure if you don\u2019t prepare for it.\u2019 or \u2018You need to do this and that to be happy in your old age,\u2019 I feel like I need to do something.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Needing to prepare for happiness is a claim of those who have never been happy. Often, all people do is prepare to become happy but end up dying without ever having been happy. Therefore, there is no need to prepare. We should be happy from this very moment. We should not prepare to be happy but be happy immediately starting today.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Those who are not happy today cannot be happy tomorrow, and those who are not happy in this world cannot be happy in the afterworld, should it exist. Those who always complain in this world will find something to complain about even in heaven. You may think that you will be happy the moment you get to heaven, but once you are there, you might still be unhappy. There is no place in the world that will automatically make you happy. You should be happy right here, right now.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Then, how can we become happy? Wouldn\u2019t I be miserable if I envied you and kept thinking, \u201cHow I wish I could get married!\u201d? If those of you who are married keep thinking, \u201cI wish I could live alone. How wonderful it must be to travel anywhere as freely as the Sunim does!\u201d you would be very unhappy. A monk like me should be proud of living alone, and those who are married should be so happy in their marriages as to make a monk feel jealous. Living the life we have chosen to the best of our ability is living well.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

We should be happy with everything that happens in the natural course of our lives. For instance, we should be happy to grow old as time passes, happy to be alive when alive, and happy to die when death knocks at the door. Then, it will be like living in heaven in this life as well as in the afterlife. It doesn\u2019t make sense to live this life as if we were in hell while wishing to go to heaven after death.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

When a person who lives in Korea can live happily, Korea becomes a heaven. This person will be happy even if he lives in the U.S. However, a person who complains about his life in this world will not stop complaining even if he were sent to heaven. A complainer is likely to grumble no matter where he goes. Therefore, heaven and hell do not exist separately in another world. That is, we are in heaven when we are happy and in hell when we are miserable.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

We tend to blame others for their hardships and suffering. However, if we look carefully, we will to see that we ourselves make our own happiness and unhappiness. Those who make themselves miserable will feel miserable even in heaven, and those who make themselves happy will be happy even in hell.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

We should be content with our current lives at all times. When we wake up early in the morning, when we meditate, when we prostrate, and when we have meals, we should be happy to be able to do these things. Considering that a countless number of people in North Korea are currently starving, shouldn\u2019t we be thankful for the fact that we are able to have regular meals? We should always perceive our lives in such a positive light.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Actually, you are all happy right now. You simply don\u2019t see it or feel it. Once upon a time someone visited a Zen master and talked extensively about the Buddha and his teachings. The Zen master told him, \u201cJust have a cup of tea.\u201d He meant, \u201cStop thinking nonsense.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

You are already happy. You don\u2019t need to work hard to be happy.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

When you let go of the thought, \u201cI will live happily,\u201d you will find happiness.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

We create our own happiness.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

We create our own misfortune.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Truly, our happiness and unhappiness are not created by others.<\/p>\n","post_title":"We Are The Ones Who Create Our Happiness And Unhappiness","post_excerpt":"","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","post_password":"","post_name":"we-are-the-ones-who-create-our-happiness-and-unhappiness","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2024-03-11 20:02:00","post_modified_gmt":"2024-03-12 01:02:00","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/www.jungtosociety.org\/?p=18145","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"},{"ID":18295,"post_author":"13","post_date":"2024-03-20 22:57:13","post_date_gmt":"2024-03-21 03:57:13","post_content":"\n

\"Let's change just one day at a time\" <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Accomplishing something
every day with a light heart is like
water drops piercing a rock. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Illustration by Maseol <\/p>\n","post_title":"One day at a time","post_excerpt":"","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","post_password":"","post_name":"one-day-at-a-time","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2024-03-20 22:57:15","post_modified_gmt":"2024-03-21 03:57:15","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/www.jungtosociety.org\/?p=18295","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"},{"ID":18131,"post_author":"40","post_date":"2024-03-19 14:51:48","post_date_gmt":"2024-03-19 19:51:48","post_content":"\n

P:<\/strong> In the past, parents left all their wealth to their children when they retired, and since their children took good care of them for the rest of their lives, they did not have to worry about their future. However, times have changed. The middle-aged population now find that although they have honored and taken good care of their aged parents, their own children are unlikely to do the same for them. Therefore, parents, today should not give all their assets to their children when they retire.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

When parents leave all their wealth to their offspring, they may be exposed to the danger of becoming broke and homeless if their offspring should go bankrupt. This isn\u2019t such a big problem when you are young because you can work hard to regain your wealth. In Korea, there is even a saying that goes, \u201cHardship during youth is worth paying money for.\u201d Because they have energy and potential, young people don\u2019t look pathetic when they are without money and live in a tent. However, nothing is more pitiful than seeing an old person broke and homeless. Therefore, even when any of your children become bankrupt, you should not lend him or her money by mortgaging your house. If you do, you may end up losing your house.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

You can age gracefully when you have your own assets. If you don\u2019t have anything to live on, your later years will become miserable. So, you should keep your assets. If you give them away to your children, your relationship with your children may easily be ruined.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This is not to say that you should hoard all your assets. You can give some to your children if you want, but you should keep your house and enough money to live comfortably. This way, you will still have some assets to leave to your children when you pass away, and they will arrange a good funeral for you.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

If you plan to distribute your assets among your children after retirement, it\u2019s a good idea to give away just seventy to eighty percent of your assets. You must keep twenty to thirty percent for your own. You can decide on the percentage depending on the size of your assets. If you don\u2019t have a lot of assets, the percentage you keep should be higher than if you have a lot. Either way, when parents maintain their financial freedom even after retirement, they will be able to live with dignity and are more likely to sustain a good relationship with their children.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Of course, there is the option of practicing according to the teachings of the Buddha and letting go of all your worldly possessions. People may think that an enlightened person does not need to have a cent to his name and just needs a space in the common room of a temple to sleep. Most people, however, can\u2019t live this way, which is why they need to hold on to enough assets to live on. Those living in the countryside need a place to live, a piece of land to grow various vegetables, and rice fields, while those living in the city need to have a principal amount in the bank that will yield enough monthly interest for them to live comfortably.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

It\u2019s not easy for people to earn money in their old age. Since they don\u2019t have a source of income, they may expect their children to give them some spending money and end up resenting them if they don\u2019t. To avoid such an outcome, it\u2019s necessary for people to keep some financial assets to live on in their old age. This way, parents can live independently from their children without expecting too much from their children or be overly attached to them.<\/p>\n","post_title":"You Should Hold Onto Enough Financial Assets To Live On After Retirement","post_excerpt":"","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","post_password":"","post_name":"you-should-hold-onto-enough-financial-assets-to-live-on-after-retirement","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2024-03-02 14:55:05","post_modified_gmt":"2024-03-02 19:55:05","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/www.jungtosociety.org\/?p=18131","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"},{"ID":18045,"post_author":"40","post_date":"2024-03-15 07:00:00","post_date_gmt":"2024-03-15 12:00:00","post_content":"\n

<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

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<\/a><\/gwmw><\/p>\n\n\n\n

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<\/a><\/p>\n","post_title":"[Meditation Q&A] \u201cHow can I value serenity but not give up caring when I am practicing…. ?","post_excerpt":"","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","post_password":"","post_name":"meditation-qa-how-can-i-value-serenity-but-not-give-up-caring-when-i-am-practicing","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2024-02-27 19:02:33","post_modified_gmt":"2024-02-28 00:02:33","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/www.jungtosociety.org\/?p=18045","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"},{"ID":18197,"post_author":"13","post_date":"2024-03-13 22:47:47","post_date_gmt":"2024-03-14 03:47:47","post_content":"\n

It\u2019s simple to become an adult.
Wake up earlier than your mom
and prepare breakfast for your parents,
wash the dishes,
and clean your room after school or work. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Illustration by Maseol <\/p>\n","post_title":"Becoming an adult","post_excerpt":"","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","post_password":"","post_name":"becoming-an-adult","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2024-03-13 22:47:48","post_modified_gmt":"2024-03-14 03:47:48","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/www.jungtosociety.org\/?p=18197","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"},{"ID":18125,"post_author":"40","post_date":"2024-03-12 07:00:00","post_date_gmt":"2024-03-12 12:00:00","post_content":"\n

P:<\/strong> When the Buddha was close to death, his disciples came to him and asked,<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cHow would you like us to conduct your funeral?\u201d The Buddha answered, \u201cYou don\u2019t need to worry about my funeral because the lay Buddhists will take care of it.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Lay Buddhists are those who take refuge in the Three Jewels and practice the Five Precepts without becoming monks or nuns. When the Buddha said they will take care of it, he meant that his funeral would be conducted based on customs of the lay people in India. So, after the Buddha died, the Lay Buddhists cremated the Buddha\u2019s body according to the Indian tradition. If he had lived in Korea, he would have been buried in the ground as is the custom in Korea.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Dharma is a teaching about truth, so it does not contain cultural aspects. However, since Buddhism originated from India, its traditions, customs, and culture were integrated into the Buddhist culture. Strictly speaking, neither cremation nor the 49-day posthumous ceremony is a fundamental tradition of Buddhism. They are in fact part of the of Indian cultural tradition.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

It is said that the deceased person has 49 days to be saved and is classified into one of nine levels based on his deeds during his life. \u201cAnyone can be reborn in paradise after he dies if he sincerely hopes for it. However, not everyone can be reborn in paradise right away since people fall into one of the nine categories based on their deeds.\u201d Specifically, people are divided into three categories of high, middle and low, and those in each of the three categories are again divided into high, middle and low, so there are a total of nine categories.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

It is believed that people in the very first category are reborn in paradise immediately after their death. It is comparable to leaving a room and entering another room. Those in the second category are reborn within 12 hours. It takes one day for those in the third category, three days for those in the fourth, a week for those in the fifth, 21 days for those in the sixth, and finally, it takes 49 days for those in the seventh category to be reborn in paradise. This is reason that people hold the 49-day posthumous ceremony. This ritual provides an opportunity for people to do good deeds on behalf of their deceased family members and help them be reborn in paradise within 49 days.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

What happens to the people in the eighth and ninth categories? Ultimately, people in all nine categories will all be reborn in paradise. However, those in the eighth and ninth categories have to spend some time in hell before that. Every year, Buddhists perform the Buddhist All Soul\u2019s Day ceremony on July 15th of the lunar calendar to save the souls of those in the two categories from hell. There is no point in debating whether this is true or not because it is a religious belief, so people are free to choose whether to believe it or not.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Funeral customs vary greatly from religion to religion and country to country. In India, the dead are cremated, and in Tibet, they are left to be eaten by birds. The corpse is cut up and placed on big rocks high in the mountain, so that it is eaten by falcons and eagles. In desert regions, the dead are \u201cburied in the wind.\u201d That is, they are nailed on a wooden board and exposed to the elements for one year until only the bones remain after which the funeral ceremony is performed. In regions with many islands, the dead are dropped into the sea.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Each of these funeral rituals has its unique meaning and significance. Tibetans feed the dead to birds because they believe that the spirit of the dead will fly to heaven with the birds. Some cultures bury the dead in the ground because of the belief that the spiritual world exists underground. Meanwhile, Indians believe in reincarnation, so they cremate the corpse to help the spirits to quickly sever their attachment to their worldly bodies so that they can be reborn.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Regardless of the funeral ritual that is performed, once a person dies, it\u2019s the end. By saying \u201cthe end\u201d I am not implying that there is no heaven or an afterlife; I am simply saying the person who draws his last breath will no longer exist in this world. From a Christian viewpoint, the spirits go to heaven, and from a Buddhist perspective, the spirits are reborn, so there is nothing we can do for them. Therefore, the best farewell for those who pass away is to let them go from our hearts.<\/p>\n","post_title":"The Best Farewell For The Deceased","post_excerpt":"","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","post_password":"","post_name":"the-best-farewell-for-the-deceased-2","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2024-03-02 14:50:59","post_modified_gmt":"2024-03-02 19:50:59","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/www.jungtosociety.org\/?p=18125","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"},{"ID":18140,"post_author":"13","post_date":"2024-03-10 17:37:58","post_date_gmt":"2024-03-10 22:37:58","post_content":"\n

<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Jungto Society, the international Buddhist community founded by the revered Korean Dharma master and social activist Venerable Pomnyun Sunim (\ubc95\ub95c\uc2a4\ub2d8), recently conducted its 33rd annual pilgrimage across India and to Nepal. Held under the theme \u201cFollowing in the Footsteps of the Buddha,\u201d the pilgrimage, which ran from 19 January to 2 February, was attended by more 500 practitioners.1<\/sup><\/p>\n\n\n\n

This year\u2019s pilgrimage was particularly notable for two reasons: first was the participation, for the first time in the Jungto pilgrimage\u2019s 33-year history, of non-Korean practitioners: the 500-plus Korean Buddhist pilgrims were accompanied nine practitioners from Italy, Japan, Thailand, the United Kingdom, the United States, and Vietnam. Second, the pilgrimage also coincided with celebrations for the 30th anniversary of Sujata Academy, a remarkable community school and social empowerment project established by Ven. Pomnyun Sunim in Dungeshwari, in the northeastern Indian state of Bihar. This project has transformed the lives of an entire community of people who have faced systemic social and economic exclusion as a result of India\u2019s conservative Hindu caste hierarchy.2<\/sup><\/p>\n\n\n\n

The academy is named after Sujata, the young woman who is said to have nourished the ailing and emaciated Siddhartha Gautama with a bowl of milk-rice, thus ending his six years of extreme asceticism. Tuition at the academy is provided free of charge. The school\u2019s principal goal is to educate every student in basic literacy and numeracy. Classes are taught from kindergarten to secondary level, alongside adult literacy classes and skills training. Students who wish to continue beyond elementary education and attend secondary school are required to teach kindergarteners or to help out in the onsite Jivaka Hospital in the mornings and to attend classes in the afternoon, working in the spirit of giving back to the community. The campus also includes a warehouse, a dormitory, a large playing field, and sports equipment for the children.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

x<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Ven. Pomnyun Sunim established the international Buddhist humanitarian relief organization Join Together Society (JTS) as an expression of the compassion of engaged Buddhism and the belief that helping others is the best way to enrich one\u2019s own life. Headquartered in Seoul, JTS operates four branch offices in South Korea and the United States, along with field offices in India and the Philippines. JTS Korea and JTS America oversee fundraising, while JTS India and JTS Philippines conduct development projects in cooperation with local communities. The relief organization has also earned Special Consultative Status to the United Nations Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

JTS India began its work in Dungeshwari, some 12 kilometers northeast of the Buddhist pilgrimage hub of Bodh Gaya, in the early 1990s, aspiring to fulfill the mission: \u201cThe hungry should eat; the sick should be treated; children should be educated in time.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This region is surrounded by the Pragbodhi Hills where the historical Buddha, Shakyamuni, is said to have spent six years in a cave as an ascetic. And it\u2019s here that JTS India has been working to empower the villagers of Dungeshwari to live their lives free from hunger, illiteracy, and disease.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The people of Dungeshwari are primarily Dalits, who face systemic social and economic exclusion as a result of the conservative Hindu social hierarchy. \u201cDalit,\u201d which translates as \u201cbroken\u201d in Sanskrit, is a term for the very lowest castes, whom members of the so-called \u201chigher\u201d castes still to this day deem \u201cuntouchable,\u201d despite the practice being prohibited in the Constitution of India. By working directly with disadvantaged communities, JTS aims to help them to mobilize their own capabilities and resources to create a more prosperous and sustainable future.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Jungto Society Dharma teacher Doyeon Jang (Dharma name Bogwang), is the director of Sujata Academy. She has overseen the development of this ambitious project, facing numerous challenges, both personal and structural, in the process of bringing this expression of compassion and social transformation to fruition.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u25b6\ufe0f Published by BDG on March 8, 2024<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u25b6\ufe0f Read more: <\/a>https:\/\/www.buddhistdoor.net\/features\/the-sujata-academy-project-the-power-of-hope-and-compassion-in-india\/<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

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<\/p>\n","post_title":"The Sujata Academy Project: The Power of Hope and Compassion in India","post_excerpt":"The Korean Seon (Zen) master Venerable Pomnyun Sunim (\ubc95\ub95c\uc2a4\ub2d8) wears many hats: Buddhist monk, teacher, author, environmentalist, and social activist, to name a few. As a widely respected Dharma teacher and a tireless socially engaged activist in his native South Korea, Ven. Pomnyun Sunim has founded numerous Dharma-based organizations, initiatives, and projects that are active across the world. Among them, Jungto Society, a volunteer-based community founded on the Buddhist teachings and expressing equality, simple living, and sustainability, is dedicated to addressing modern social issues that lead to suffering, including environmental degradation, poverty, and conflict.\n\nThis column, shared by Jungto Society, presents a series of highlights from Ven. Pomnyun Sunim\u2019s writings, teachings, public talks, and regular live-streamed Dharma Q+A sessions, which are accessible across the globe.\n","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","post_password":"","post_name":"the-sujata-academy-project-the-power-of-hope-and-compassion-in-india","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2024-03-10 17:38:00","post_modified_gmt":"2024-03-10 22:38:00","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/www.jungtosociety.org\/?p=18140","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"},{"ID":18136,"post_author":"13","post_date":"2024-03-10 17:24:34","post_date_gmt":"2024-03-10 22:24:34","post_content":"\n

Your son is over forty and
his main relationship is with someone else.
So, stop worrying about a grown man
who belongs with another woman
and be nice to the man next to you. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Illustration by Maseol <\/p>\n","post_title":"Son over forty","post_excerpt":"","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","post_password":"","post_name":"son-over-forty","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2024-03-10 17:24:36","post_modified_gmt":"2024-03-10 22:24:36","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/www.jungtosociety.org\/?p=18136","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"}],"next":false,"prev":false,"total_page":1},"paged":1,"column_class":"jeg_col_2o3","class":"jnews_block_37"};

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\ud83d\uddd3 April 29 - September 20, 2024<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u2b50\ufe0f Ask Anything to Ven. Pomnyun Sunim!<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Ven. Pomnyun Sunim has been engaged in dialogue with the public for decades sharing the Dharma with people from various religious and cultural backgrounds. His unique approach to tackling life\u2019s challenges, grounded in the original teachings of the Buddha, offers clear and easily accessible insights. Through his guidance, many have found immediate peace of mind and the confidence to face life\u2019s challenges without despair or stress.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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We\u2019re excited to announce that Ven. Pomnyun Sunim will be hosting Q&A sessions in New York, Boston, Dallas, and Washington D.C. Don\u2019t miss this special opportunity to gather in person and learn from his wisdom. Save the date and register today! (In September, several events are planned with Ven. Pomnyun Sunim along the west coast of North America.)
The event is free and open to everyone. Given the limited seating available, we highly recommend registering in advance to secure your spot. Registration forms can be found below.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\ud83d\udcac Casual Conversation: mainly in English, with exceptions in Tokyo and Frankfurt<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n

Subscribe to our newsletter to get notifications on event registration and more.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

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<\/div>\n<\/div>\n","post_title":"In-Person Casual Conversation with Ven. Pomnyun Sunim in 2024","post_excerpt":"","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","post_password":"","post_name":"casual-conversation-with-ven-pomnyun-sunim-2024","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2024-03-27 12:49:06","post_modified_gmt":"2024-03-27 17:49:06","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/www.jungtosociety.org\/?p=18171","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"},{"ID":18145,"post_author":"40","post_date":"2024-03-26 07:00:00","post_date_gmt":"2024-03-26 12:00:00","post_content":"\n

P:<\/strong> Most of us feel anxious and insecure about our old age. So, people ask, \u201cWhat do I need to do to prepare for a happy old age?\u201d However, there is no such thing as preparing to be happy. You must simply be happy at this moment. Let\u2019s say you slip and fall down the stairs and break a leg. If you think to yourself, \u201cWhat bad luck that I broke my leg!\u201d you will feel unhappy. However, if you think, \u201cHow fortunate that I only broke one leg when I could have easily broken both legs!\u201d you will feel happy. If you can see the positive side of everything, you will always be happy. There is no need to prepare for a happy old age.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWhen I see in the media, \u2018Your old age will be insecure if you don\u2019t prepare for it.\u2019 or \u2018You need to do this and that to be happy in your old age,\u2019 I feel like I need to do something.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Needing to prepare for happiness is a claim of those who have never been happy. Often, all people do is prepare to become happy but end up dying without ever having been happy. Therefore, there is no need to prepare. We should be happy from this very moment. We should not prepare to be happy but be happy immediately starting today.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Those who are not happy today cannot be happy tomorrow, and those who are not happy in this world cannot be happy in the afterworld, should it exist. Those who always complain in this world will find something to complain about even in heaven. You may think that you will be happy the moment you get to heaven, but once you are there, you might still be unhappy. There is no place in the world that will automatically make you happy. You should be happy right here, right now.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Then, how can we become happy? Wouldn\u2019t I be miserable if I envied you and kept thinking, \u201cHow I wish I could get married!\u201d? If those of you who are married keep thinking, \u201cI wish I could live alone. How wonderful it must be to travel anywhere as freely as the Sunim does!\u201d you would be very unhappy. A monk like me should be proud of living alone, and those who are married should be so happy in their marriages as to make a monk feel jealous. Living the life we have chosen to the best of our ability is living well.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

We should be happy with everything that happens in the natural course of our lives. For instance, we should be happy to grow old as time passes, happy to be alive when alive, and happy to die when death knocks at the door. Then, it will be like living in heaven in this life as well as in the afterlife. It doesn\u2019t make sense to live this life as if we were in hell while wishing to go to heaven after death.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

When a person who lives in Korea can live happily, Korea becomes a heaven. This person will be happy even if he lives in the U.S. However, a person who complains about his life in this world will not stop complaining even if he were sent to heaven. A complainer is likely to grumble no matter where he goes. Therefore, heaven and hell do not exist separately in another world. That is, we are in heaven when we are happy and in hell when we are miserable.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

We tend to blame others for their hardships and suffering. However, if we look carefully, we will to see that we ourselves make our own happiness and unhappiness. Those who make themselves miserable will feel miserable even in heaven, and those who make themselves happy will be happy even in hell.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

We should be content with our current lives at all times. When we wake up early in the morning, when we meditate, when we prostrate, and when we have meals, we should be happy to be able to do these things. Considering that a countless number of people in North Korea are currently starving, shouldn\u2019t we be thankful for the fact that we are able to have regular meals? We should always perceive our lives in such a positive light.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Actually, you are all happy right now. You simply don\u2019t see it or feel it. Once upon a time someone visited a Zen master and talked extensively about the Buddha and his teachings. The Zen master told him, \u201cJust have a cup of tea.\u201d He meant, \u201cStop thinking nonsense.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

You are already happy. You don\u2019t need to work hard to be happy.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

When you let go of the thought, \u201cI will live happily,\u201d you will find happiness.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

We create our own happiness.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

We create our own misfortune.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Truly, our happiness and unhappiness are not created by others.<\/p>\n","post_title":"We Are The Ones Who Create Our Happiness And Unhappiness","post_excerpt":"","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","post_password":"","post_name":"we-are-the-ones-who-create-our-happiness-and-unhappiness","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2024-03-11 20:02:00","post_modified_gmt":"2024-03-12 01:02:00","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/www.jungtosociety.org\/?p=18145","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"},{"ID":18295,"post_author":"13","post_date":"2024-03-20 22:57:13","post_date_gmt":"2024-03-21 03:57:13","post_content":"\n

\"Let's change just one day at a time\" <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Accomplishing something
every day with a light heart is like
water drops piercing a rock. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Illustration by Maseol <\/p>\n","post_title":"One day at a time","post_excerpt":"","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","post_password":"","post_name":"one-day-at-a-time","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2024-03-20 22:57:15","post_modified_gmt":"2024-03-21 03:57:15","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/www.jungtosociety.org\/?p=18295","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"},{"ID":18131,"post_author":"40","post_date":"2024-03-19 14:51:48","post_date_gmt":"2024-03-19 19:51:48","post_content":"\n

P:<\/strong> In the past, parents left all their wealth to their children when they retired, and since their children took good care of them for the rest of their lives, they did not have to worry about their future. However, times have changed. The middle-aged population now find that although they have honored and taken good care of their aged parents, their own children are unlikely to do the same for them. Therefore, parents, today should not give all their assets to their children when they retire.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

When parents leave all their wealth to their offspring, they may be exposed to the danger of becoming broke and homeless if their offspring should go bankrupt. This isn\u2019t such a big problem when you are young because you can work hard to regain your wealth. In Korea, there is even a saying that goes, \u201cHardship during youth is worth paying money for.\u201d Because they have energy and potential, young people don\u2019t look pathetic when they are without money and live in a tent. However, nothing is more pitiful than seeing an old person broke and homeless. Therefore, even when any of your children become bankrupt, you should not lend him or her money by mortgaging your house. If you do, you may end up losing your house.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

You can age gracefully when you have your own assets. If you don\u2019t have anything to live on, your later years will become miserable. So, you should keep your assets. If you give them away to your children, your relationship with your children may easily be ruined.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This is not to say that you should hoard all your assets. You can give some to your children if you want, but you should keep your house and enough money to live comfortably. This way, you will still have some assets to leave to your children when you pass away, and they will arrange a good funeral for you.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

If you plan to distribute your assets among your children after retirement, it\u2019s a good idea to give away just seventy to eighty percent of your assets. You must keep twenty to thirty percent for your own. You can decide on the percentage depending on the size of your assets. If you don\u2019t have a lot of assets, the percentage you keep should be higher than if you have a lot. Either way, when parents maintain their financial freedom even after retirement, they will be able to live with dignity and are more likely to sustain a good relationship with their children.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Of course, there is the option of practicing according to the teachings of the Buddha and letting go of all your worldly possessions. People may think that an enlightened person does not need to have a cent to his name and just needs a space in the common room of a temple to sleep. Most people, however, can\u2019t live this way, which is why they need to hold on to enough assets to live on. Those living in the countryside need a place to live, a piece of land to grow various vegetables, and rice fields, while those living in the city need to have a principal amount in the bank that will yield enough monthly interest for them to live comfortably.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

It\u2019s not easy for people to earn money in their old age. Since they don\u2019t have a source of income, they may expect their children to give them some spending money and end up resenting them if they don\u2019t. To avoid such an outcome, it\u2019s necessary for people to keep some financial assets to live on in their old age. This way, parents can live independently from their children without expecting too much from their children or be overly attached to them.<\/p>\n","post_title":"You Should Hold Onto Enough Financial Assets To Live On After Retirement","post_excerpt":"","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","post_password":"","post_name":"you-should-hold-onto-enough-financial-assets-to-live-on-after-retirement","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2024-03-02 14:55:05","post_modified_gmt":"2024-03-02 19:55:05","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/www.jungtosociety.org\/?p=18131","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"},{"ID":18045,"post_author":"40","post_date":"2024-03-15 07:00:00","post_date_gmt":"2024-03-15 12:00:00","post_content":"\n

<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

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<\/a><\/gwmw><\/p>\n\n\n\n

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<\/a><\/p>\n","post_title":"[Meditation Q&A] \u201cHow can I value serenity but not give up caring when I am practicing…. ?","post_excerpt":"","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","post_password":"","post_name":"meditation-qa-how-can-i-value-serenity-but-not-give-up-caring-when-i-am-practicing","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2024-02-27 19:02:33","post_modified_gmt":"2024-02-28 00:02:33","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/www.jungtosociety.org\/?p=18045","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"},{"ID":18197,"post_author":"13","post_date":"2024-03-13 22:47:47","post_date_gmt":"2024-03-14 03:47:47","post_content":"\n

It\u2019s simple to become an adult.
Wake up earlier than your mom
and prepare breakfast for your parents,
wash the dishes,
and clean your room after school or work. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Illustration by Maseol <\/p>\n","post_title":"Becoming an adult","post_excerpt":"","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","post_password":"","post_name":"becoming-an-adult","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2024-03-13 22:47:48","post_modified_gmt":"2024-03-14 03:47:48","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/www.jungtosociety.org\/?p=18197","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"},{"ID":18125,"post_author":"40","post_date":"2024-03-12 07:00:00","post_date_gmt":"2024-03-12 12:00:00","post_content":"\n

P:<\/strong> When the Buddha was close to death, his disciples came to him and asked,<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cHow would you like us to conduct your funeral?\u201d The Buddha answered, \u201cYou don\u2019t need to worry about my funeral because the lay Buddhists will take care of it.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Lay Buddhists are those who take refuge in the Three Jewels and practice the Five Precepts without becoming monks or nuns. When the Buddha said they will take care of it, he meant that his funeral would be conducted based on customs of the lay people in India. So, after the Buddha died, the Lay Buddhists cremated the Buddha\u2019s body according to the Indian tradition. If he had lived in Korea, he would have been buried in the ground as is the custom in Korea.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Dharma is a teaching about truth, so it does not contain cultural aspects. However, since Buddhism originated from India, its traditions, customs, and culture were integrated into the Buddhist culture. Strictly speaking, neither cremation nor the 49-day posthumous ceremony is a fundamental tradition of Buddhism. They are in fact part of the of Indian cultural tradition.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

It is said that the deceased person has 49 days to be saved and is classified into one of nine levels based on his deeds during his life. \u201cAnyone can be reborn in paradise after he dies if he sincerely hopes for it. However, not everyone can be reborn in paradise right away since people fall into one of the nine categories based on their deeds.\u201d Specifically, people are divided into three categories of high, middle and low, and those in each of the three categories are again divided into high, middle and low, so there are a total of nine categories.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

It is believed that people in the very first category are reborn in paradise immediately after their death. It is comparable to leaving a room and entering another room. Those in the second category are reborn within 12 hours. It takes one day for those in the third category, three days for those in the fourth, a week for those in the fifth, 21 days for those in the sixth, and finally, it takes 49 days for those in the seventh category to be reborn in paradise. This is reason that people hold the 49-day posthumous ceremony. This ritual provides an opportunity for people to do good deeds on behalf of their deceased family members and help them be reborn in paradise within 49 days.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

What happens to the people in the eighth and ninth categories? Ultimately, people in all nine categories will all be reborn in paradise. However, those in the eighth and ninth categories have to spend some time in hell before that. Every year, Buddhists perform the Buddhist All Soul\u2019s Day ceremony on July 15th of the lunar calendar to save the souls of those in the two categories from hell. There is no point in debating whether this is true or not because it is a religious belief, so people are free to choose whether to believe it or not.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Funeral customs vary greatly from religion to religion and country to country. In India, the dead are cremated, and in Tibet, they are left to be eaten by birds. The corpse is cut up and placed on big rocks high in the mountain, so that it is eaten by falcons and eagles. In desert regions, the dead are \u201cburied in the wind.\u201d That is, they are nailed on a wooden board and exposed to the elements for one year until only the bones remain after which the funeral ceremony is performed. In regions with many islands, the dead are dropped into the sea.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Each of these funeral rituals has its unique meaning and significance. Tibetans feed the dead to birds because they believe that the spirit of the dead will fly to heaven with the birds. Some cultures bury the dead in the ground because of the belief that the spiritual world exists underground. Meanwhile, Indians believe in reincarnation, so they cremate the corpse to help the spirits to quickly sever their attachment to their worldly bodies so that they can be reborn.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Regardless of the funeral ritual that is performed, once a person dies, it\u2019s the end. By saying \u201cthe end\u201d I am not implying that there is no heaven or an afterlife; I am simply saying the person who draws his last breath will no longer exist in this world. From a Christian viewpoint, the spirits go to heaven, and from a Buddhist perspective, the spirits are reborn, so there is nothing we can do for them. Therefore, the best farewell for those who pass away is to let them go from our hearts.<\/p>\n","post_title":"The Best Farewell For The Deceased","post_excerpt":"","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","post_password":"","post_name":"the-best-farewell-for-the-deceased-2","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2024-03-02 14:50:59","post_modified_gmt":"2024-03-02 19:50:59","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/www.jungtosociety.org\/?p=18125","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"},{"ID":18140,"post_author":"13","post_date":"2024-03-10 17:37:58","post_date_gmt":"2024-03-10 22:37:58","post_content":"\n

<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Jungto Society, the international Buddhist community founded by the revered Korean Dharma master and social activist Venerable Pomnyun Sunim (\ubc95\ub95c\uc2a4\ub2d8), recently conducted its 33rd annual pilgrimage across India and to Nepal. Held under the theme \u201cFollowing in the Footsteps of the Buddha,\u201d the pilgrimage, which ran from 19 January to 2 February, was attended by more 500 practitioners.1<\/sup><\/p>\n\n\n\n

This year\u2019s pilgrimage was particularly notable for two reasons: first was the participation, for the first time in the Jungto pilgrimage\u2019s 33-year history, of non-Korean practitioners: the 500-plus Korean Buddhist pilgrims were accompanied nine practitioners from Italy, Japan, Thailand, the United Kingdom, the United States, and Vietnam. Second, the pilgrimage also coincided with celebrations for the 30th anniversary of Sujata Academy, a remarkable community school and social empowerment project established by Ven. Pomnyun Sunim in Dungeshwari, in the northeastern Indian state of Bihar. This project has transformed the lives of an entire community of people who have faced systemic social and economic exclusion as a result of India\u2019s conservative Hindu caste hierarchy.2<\/sup><\/p>\n\n\n\n

The academy is named after Sujata, the young woman who is said to have nourished the ailing and emaciated Siddhartha Gautama with a bowl of milk-rice, thus ending his six years of extreme asceticism. Tuition at the academy is provided free of charge. The school\u2019s principal goal is to educate every student in basic literacy and numeracy. Classes are taught from kindergarten to secondary level, alongside adult literacy classes and skills training. Students who wish to continue beyond elementary education and attend secondary school are required to teach kindergarteners or to help out in the onsite Jivaka Hospital in the mornings and to attend classes in the afternoon, working in the spirit of giving back to the community. The campus also includes a warehouse, a dormitory, a large playing field, and sports equipment for the children.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

x<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Ven. Pomnyun Sunim established the international Buddhist humanitarian relief organization Join Together Society (JTS) as an expression of the compassion of engaged Buddhism and the belief that helping others is the best way to enrich one\u2019s own life. Headquartered in Seoul, JTS operates four branch offices in South Korea and the United States, along with field offices in India and the Philippines. JTS Korea and JTS America oversee fundraising, while JTS India and JTS Philippines conduct development projects in cooperation with local communities. The relief organization has also earned Special Consultative Status to the United Nations Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

JTS India began its work in Dungeshwari, some 12 kilometers northeast of the Buddhist pilgrimage hub of Bodh Gaya, in the early 1990s, aspiring to fulfill the mission: \u201cThe hungry should eat; the sick should be treated; children should be educated in time.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This region is surrounded by the Pragbodhi Hills where the historical Buddha, Shakyamuni, is said to have spent six years in a cave as an ascetic. And it\u2019s here that JTS India has been working to empower the villagers of Dungeshwari to live their lives free from hunger, illiteracy, and disease.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The people of Dungeshwari are primarily Dalits, who face systemic social and economic exclusion as a result of the conservative Hindu social hierarchy. \u201cDalit,\u201d which translates as \u201cbroken\u201d in Sanskrit, is a term for the very lowest castes, whom members of the so-called \u201chigher\u201d castes still to this day deem \u201cuntouchable,\u201d despite the practice being prohibited in the Constitution of India. By working directly with disadvantaged communities, JTS aims to help them to mobilize their own capabilities and resources to create a more prosperous and sustainable future.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Jungto Society Dharma teacher Doyeon Jang (Dharma name Bogwang), is the director of Sujata Academy. She has overseen the development of this ambitious project, facing numerous challenges, both personal and structural, in the process of bringing this expression of compassion and social transformation to fruition.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u25b6\ufe0f Published by BDG on March 8, 2024<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u25b6\ufe0f Read more: <\/a>https:\/\/www.buddhistdoor.net\/features\/the-sujata-academy-project-the-power-of-hope-and-compassion-in-india\/<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

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<\/p>\n","post_title":"The Sujata Academy Project: The Power of Hope and Compassion in India","post_excerpt":"The Korean Seon (Zen) master Venerable Pomnyun Sunim (\ubc95\ub95c\uc2a4\ub2d8) wears many hats: Buddhist monk, teacher, author, environmentalist, and social activist, to name a few. As a widely respected Dharma teacher and a tireless socially engaged activist in his native South Korea, Ven. Pomnyun Sunim has founded numerous Dharma-based organizations, initiatives, and projects that are active across the world. Among them, Jungto Society, a volunteer-based community founded on the Buddhist teachings and expressing equality, simple living, and sustainability, is dedicated to addressing modern social issues that lead to suffering, including environmental degradation, poverty, and conflict.\n\nThis column, shared by Jungto Society, presents a series of highlights from Ven. Pomnyun Sunim\u2019s writings, teachings, public talks, and regular live-streamed Dharma Q+A sessions, which are accessible across the globe.\n","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","post_password":"","post_name":"the-sujata-academy-project-the-power-of-hope-and-compassion-in-india","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2024-03-10 17:38:00","post_modified_gmt":"2024-03-10 22:38:00","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/www.jungtosociety.org\/?p=18140","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"},{"ID":18136,"post_author":"13","post_date":"2024-03-10 17:24:34","post_date_gmt":"2024-03-10 22:24:34","post_content":"\n

Your son is over forty and
his main relationship is with someone else.
So, stop worrying about a grown man
who belongs with another woman
and be nice to the man next to you. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Illustration by Maseol <\/p>\n","post_title":"Son over forty","post_excerpt":"","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","post_password":"","post_name":"son-over-forty","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2024-03-10 17:24:36","post_modified_gmt":"2024-03-10 22:24:36","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/www.jungtosociety.org\/?p=18136","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"}],"next":false,"prev":false,"total_page":1},"paged":1,"column_class":"jeg_col_2o3","class":"jnews_block_37"};

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\ud83d\udeeb<\/strong> New York, Boston, Dallas, Washington D.C., Tokyo, Frankfurt, Sydney, Seattle, Vancouver, San Francisco, Las Vegas, San Diego, Los Angeles<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\ud83d\uddd3 April 29 - September 20, 2024<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u2b50\ufe0f Ask Anything to Ven. Pomnyun Sunim!<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Ven. Pomnyun Sunim has been engaged in dialogue with the public for decades sharing the Dharma with people from various religious and cultural backgrounds. His unique approach to tackling life\u2019s challenges, grounded in the original teachings of the Buddha, offers clear and easily accessible insights. Through his guidance, many have found immediate peace of mind and the confidence to face life\u2019s challenges without despair or stress.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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We\u2019re excited to announce that Ven. Pomnyun Sunim will be hosting Q&A sessions in New York, Boston, Dallas, and Washington D.C. Don\u2019t miss this special opportunity to gather in person and learn from his wisdom. Save the date and register today! (In September, several events are planned with Ven. Pomnyun Sunim along the west coast of North America.)
The event is free and open to everyone. Given the limited seating available, we highly recommend registering in advance to secure your spot. Registration forms can be found below.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\ud83d\udcac Casual Conversation: mainly in English, with exceptions in Tokyo and Frankfurt<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n

Subscribe to our newsletter to get notifications on event registration and more.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

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<\/div>\n<\/div>\n","post_title":"In-Person Casual Conversation with Ven. Pomnyun Sunim in 2024","post_excerpt":"","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","post_password":"","post_name":"casual-conversation-with-ven-pomnyun-sunim-2024","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2024-03-27 12:49:06","post_modified_gmt":"2024-03-27 17:49:06","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/www.jungtosociety.org\/?p=18171","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"},{"ID":18145,"post_author":"40","post_date":"2024-03-26 07:00:00","post_date_gmt":"2024-03-26 12:00:00","post_content":"\n

P:<\/strong> Most of us feel anxious and insecure about our old age. So, people ask, \u201cWhat do I need to do to prepare for a happy old age?\u201d However, there is no such thing as preparing to be happy. You must simply be happy at this moment. Let\u2019s say you slip and fall down the stairs and break a leg. If you think to yourself, \u201cWhat bad luck that I broke my leg!\u201d you will feel unhappy. However, if you think, \u201cHow fortunate that I only broke one leg when I could have easily broken both legs!\u201d you will feel happy. If you can see the positive side of everything, you will always be happy. There is no need to prepare for a happy old age.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWhen I see in the media, \u2018Your old age will be insecure if you don\u2019t prepare for it.\u2019 or \u2018You need to do this and that to be happy in your old age,\u2019 I feel like I need to do something.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Needing to prepare for happiness is a claim of those who have never been happy. Often, all people do is prepare to become happy but end up dying without ever having been happy. Therefore, there is no need to prepare. We should be happy from this very moment. We should not prepare to be happy but be happy immediately starting today.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Those who are not happy today cannot be happy tomorrow, and those who are not happy in this world cannot be happy in the afterworld, should it exist. Those who always complain in this world will find something to complain about even in heaven. You may think that you will be happy the moment you get to heaven, but once you are there, you might still be unhappy. There is no place in the world that will automatically make you happy. You should be happy right here, right now.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Then, how can we become happy? Wouldn\u2019t I be miserable if I envied you and kept thinking, \u201cHow I wish I could get married!\u201d? If those of you who are married keep thinking, \u201cI wish I could live alone. How wonderful it must be to travel anywhere as freely as the Sunim does!\u201d you would be very unhappy. A monk like me should be proud of living alone, and those who are married should be so happy in their marriages as to make a monk feel jealous. Living the life we have chosen to the best of our ability is living well.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

We should be happy with everything that happens in the natural course of our lives. For instance, we should be happy to grow old as time passes, happy to be alive when alive, and happy to die when death knocks at the door. Then, it will be like living in heaven in this life as well as in the afterlife. It doesn\u2019t make sense to live this life as if we were in hell while wishing to go to heaven after death.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

When a person who lives in Korea can live happily, Korea becomes a heaven. This person will be happy even if he lives in the U.S. However, a person who complains about his life in this world will not stop complaining even if he were sent to heaven. A complainer is likely to grumble no matter where he goes. Therefore, heaven and hell do not exist separately in another world. That is, we are in heaven when we are happy and in hell when we are miserable.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

We tend to blame others for their hardships and suffering. However, if we look carefully, we will to see that we ourselves make our own happiness and unhappiness. Those who make themselves miserable will feel miserable even in heaven, and those who make themselves happy will be happy even in hell.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

We should be content with our current lives at all times. When we wake up early in the morning, when we meditate, when we prostrate, and when we have meals, we should be happy to be able to do these things. Considering that a countless number of people in North Korea are currently starving, shouldn\u2019t we be thankful for the fact that we are able to have regular meals? We should always perceive our lives in such a positive light.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Actually, you are all happy right now. You simply don\u2019t see it or feel it. Once upon a time someone visited a Zen master and talked extensively about the Buddha and his teachings. The Zen master told him, \u201cJust have a cup of tea.\u201d He meant, \u201cStop thinking nonsense.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

You are already happy. You don\u2019t need to work hard to be happy.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

When you let go of the thought, \u201cI will live happily,\u201d you will find happiness.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

We create our own happiness.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

We create our own misfortune.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Truly, our happiness and unhappiness are not created by others.<\/p>\n","post_title":"We Are The Ones Who Create Our Happiness And Unhappiness","post_excerpt":"","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","post_password":"","post_name":"we-are-the-ones-who-create-our-happiness-and-unhappiness","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2024-03-11 20:02:00","post_modified_gmt":"2024-03-12 01:02:00","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/www.jungtosociety.org\/?p=18145","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"},{"ID":18295,"post_author":"13","post_date":"2024-03-20 22:57:13","post_date_gmt":"2024-03-21 03:57:13","post_content":"\n

\"Let's change just one day at a time\" <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Accomplishing something
every day with a light heart is like
water drops piercing a rock. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Illustration by Maseol <\/p>\n","post_title":"One day at a time","post_excerpt":"","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","post_password":"","post_name":"one-day-at-a-time","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2024-03-20 22:57:15","post_modified_gmt":"2024-03-21 03:57:15","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/www.jungtosociety.org\/?p=18295","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"},{"ID":18131,"post_author":"40","post_date":"2024-03-19 14:51:48","post_date_gmt":"2024-03-19 19:51:48","post_content":"\n

P:<\/strong> In the past, parents left all their wealth to their children when they retired, and since their children took good care of them for the rest of their lives, they did not have to worry about their future. However, times have changed. The middle-aged population now find that although they have honored and taken good care of their aged parents, their own children are unlikely to do the same for them. Therefore, parents, today should not give all their assets to their children when they retire.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

When parents leave all their wealth to their offspring, they may be exposed to the danger of becoming broke and homeless if their offspring should go bankrupt. This isn\u2019t such a big problem when you are young because you can work hard to regain your wealth. In Korea, there is even a saying that goes, \u201cHardship during youth is worth paying money for.\u201d Because they have energy and potential, young people don\u2019t look pathetic when they are without money and live in a tent. However, nothing is more pitiful than seeing an old person broke and homeless. Therefore, even when any of your children become bankrupt, you should not lend him or her money by mortgaging your house. If you do, you may end up losing your house.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

You can age gracefully when you have your own assets. If you don\u2019t have anything to live on, your later years will become miserable. So, you should keep your assets. If you give them away to your children, your relationship with your children may easily be ruined.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This is not to say that you should hoard all your assets. You can give some to your children if you want, but you should keep your house and enough money to live comfortably. This way, you will still have some assets to leave to your children when you pass away, and they will arrange a good funeral for you.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

If you plan to distribute your assets among your children after retirement, it\u2019s a good idea to give away just seventy to eighty percent of your assets. You must keep twenty to thirty percent for your own. You can decide on the percentage depending on the size of your assets. If you don\u2019t have a lot of assets, the percentage you keep should be higher than if you have a lot. Either way, when parents maintain their financial freedom even after retirement, they will be able to live with dignity and are more likely to sustain a good relationship with their children.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Of course, there is the option of practicing according to the teachings of the Buddha and letting go of all your worldly possessions. People may think that an enlightened person does not need to have a cent to his name and just needs a space in the common room of a temple to sleep. Most people, however, can\u2019t live this way, which is why they need to hold on to enough assets to live on. Those living in the countryside need a place to live, a piece of land to grow various vegetables, and rice fields, while those living in the city need to have a principal amount in the bank that will yield enough monthly interest for them to live comfortably.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

It\u2019s not easy for people to earn money in their old age. Since they don\u2019t have a source of income, they may expect their children to give them some spending money and end up resenting them if they don\u2019t. To avoid such an outcome, it\u2019s necessary for people to keep some financial assets to live on in their old age. This way, parents can live independently from their children without expecting too much from their children or be overly attached to them.<\/p>\n","post_title":"You Should Hold Onto Enough Financial Assets To Live On After Retirement","post_excerpt":"","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","post_password":"","post_name":"you-should-hold-onto-enough-financial-assets-to-live-on-after-retirement","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2024-03-02 14:55:05","post_modified_gmt":"2024-03-02 19:55:05","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/www.jungtosociety.org\/?p=18131","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"},{"ID":18045,"post_author":"40","post_date":"2024-03-15 07:00:00","post_date_gmt":"2024-03-15 12:00:00","post_content":"\n

<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/a><\/gwmw><\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/a><\/p>\n","post_title":"[Meditation Q&A] \u201cHow can I value serenity but not give up caring when I am practicing…. ?","post_excerpt":"","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","post_password":"","post_name":"meditation-qa-how-can-i-value-serenity-but-not-give-up-caring-when-i-am-practicing","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2024-02-27 19:02:33","post_modified_gmt":"2024-02-28 00:02:33","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/www.jungtosociety.org\/?p=18045","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"},{"ID":18197,"post_author":"13","post_date":"2024-03-13 22:47:47","post_date_gmt":"2024-03-14 03:47:47","post_content":"\n

It\u2019s simple to become an adult.
Wake up earlier than your mom
and prepare breakfast for your parents,
wash the dishes,
and clean your room after school or work. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Illustration by Maseol <\/p>\n","post_title":"Becoming an adult","post_excerpt":"","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","post_password":"","post_name":"becoming-an-adult","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2024-03-13 22:47:48","post_modified_gmt":"2024-03-14 03:47:48","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/www.jungtosociety.org\/?p=18197","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"},{"ID":18125,"post_author":"40","post_date":"2024-03-12 07:00:00","post_date_gmt":"2024-03-12 12:00:00","post_content":"\n

P:<\/strong> When the Buddha was close to death, his disciples came to him and asked,<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cHow would you like us to conduct your funeral?\u201d The Buddha answered, \u201cYou don\u2019t need to worry about my funeral because the lay Buddhists will take care of it.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Lay Buddhists are those who take refuge in the Three Jewels and practice the Five Precepts without becoming monks or nuns. When the Buddha said they will take care of it, he meant that his funeral would be conducted based on customs of the lay people in India. So, after the Buddha died, the Lay Buddhists cremated the Buddha\u2019s body according to the Indian tradition. If he had lived in Korea, he would have been buried in the ground as is the custom in Korea.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Dharma is a teaching about truth, so it does not contain cultural aspects. However, since Buddhism originated from India, its traditions, customs, and culture were integrated into the Buddhist culture. Strictly speaking, neither cremation nor the 49-day posthumous ceremony is a fundamental tradition of Buddhism. They are in fact part of the of Indian cultural tradition.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

It is said that the deceased person has 49 days to be saved and is classified into one of nine levels based on his deeds during his life. \u201cAnyone can be reborn in paradise after he dies if he sincerely hopes for it. However, not everyone can be reborn in paradise right away since people fall into one of the nine categories based on their deeds.\u201d Specifically, people are divided into three categories of high, middle and low, and those in each of the three categories are again divided into high, middle and low, so there are a total of nine categories.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

It is believed that people in the very first category are reborn in paradise immediately after their death. It is comparable to leaving a room and entering another room. Those in the second category are reborn within 12 hours. It takes one day for those in the third category, three days for those in the fourth, a week for those in the fifth, 21 days for those in the sixth, and finally, it takes 49 days for those in the seventh category to be reborn in paradise. This is reason that people hold the 49-day posthumous ceremony. This ritual provides an opportunity for people to do good deeds on behalf of their deceased family members and help them be reborn in paradise within 49 days.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

What happens to the people in the eighth and ninth categories? Ultimately, people in all nine categories will all be reborn in paradise. However, those in the eighth and ninth categories have to spend some time in hell before that. Every year, Buddhists perform the Buddhist All Soul\u2019s Day ceremony on July 15th of the lunar calendar to save the souls of those in the two categories from hell. There is no point in debating whether this is true or not because it is a religious belief, so people are free to choose whether to believe it or not.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Funeral customs vary greatly from religion to religion and country to country. In India, the dead are cremated, and in Tibet, they are left to be eaten by birds. The corpse is cut up and placed on big rocks high in the mountain, so that it is eaten by falcons and eagles. In desert regions, the dead are \u201cburied in the wind.\u201d That is, they are nailed on a wooden board and exposed to the elements for one year until only the bones remain after which the funeral ceremony is performed. In regions with many islands, the dead are dropped into the sea.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Each of these funeral rituals has its unique meaning and significance. Tibetans feed the dead to birds because they believe that the spirit of the dead will fly to heaven with the birds. Some cultures bury the dead in the ground because of the belief that the spiritual world exists underground. Meanwhile, Indians believe in reincarnation, so they cremate the corpse to help the spirits to quickly sever their attachment to their worldly bodies so that they can be reborn.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Regardless of the funeral ritual that is performed, once a person dies, it\u2019s the end. By saying \u201cthe end\u201d I am not implying that there is no heaven or an afterlife; I am simply saying the person who draws his last breath will no longer exist in this world. From a Christian viewpoint, the spirits go to heaven, and from a Buddhist perspective, the spirits are reborn, so there is nothing we can do for them. Therefore, the best farewell for those who pass away is to let them go from our hearts.<\/p>\n","post_title":"The Best Farewell For The Deceased","post_excerpt":"","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","post_password":"","post_name":"the-best-farewell-for-the-deceased-2","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2024-03-02 14:50:59","post_modified_gmt":"2024-03-02 19:50:59","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/www.jungtosociety.org\/?p=18125","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"},{"ID":18140,"post_author":"13","post_date":"2024-03-10 17:37:58","post_date_gmt":"2024-03-10 22:37:58","post_content":"\n

<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Jungto Society, the international Buddhist community founded by the revered Korean Dharma master and social activist Venerable Pomnyun Sunim (\ubc95\ub95c\uc2a4\ub2d8), recently conducted its 33rd annual pilgrimage across India and to Nepal. Held under the theme \u201cFollowing in the Footsteps of the Buddha,\u201d the pilgrimage, which ran from 19 January to 2 February, was attended by more 500 practitioners.1<\/sup><\/p>\n\n\n\n

This year\u2019s pilgrimage was particularly notable for two reasons: first was the participation, for the first time in the Jungto pilgrimage\u2019s 33-year history, of non-Korean practitioners: the 500-plus Korean Buddhist pilgrims were accompanied nine practitioners from Italy, Japan, Thailand, the United Kingdom, the United States, and Vietnam. Second, the pilgrimage also coincided with celebrations for the 30th anniversary of Sujata Academy, a remarkable community school and social empowerment project established by Ven. Pomnyun Sunim in Dungeshwari, in the northeastern Indian state of Bihar. This project has transformed the lives of an entire community of people who have faced systemic social and economic exclusion as a result of India\u2019s conservative Hindu caste hierarchy.2<\/sup><\/p>\n\n\n\n

The academy is named after Sujata, the young woman who is said to have nourished the ailing and emaciated Siddhartha Gautama with a bowl of milk-rice, thus ending his six years of extreme asceticism. Tuition at the academy is provided free of charge. The school\u2019s principal goal is to educate every student in basic literacy and numeracy. Classes are taught from kindergarten to secondary level, alongside adult literacy classes and skills training. Students who wish to continue beyond elementary education and attend secondary school are required to teach kindergarteners or to help out in the onsite Jivaka Hospital in the mornings and to attend classes in the afternoon, working in the spirit of giving back to the community. The campus also includes a warehouse, a dormitory, a large playing field, and sports equipment for the children.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

x<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

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\"\"<\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

Ven. Pomnyun Sunim established the international Buddhist humanitarian relief organization Join Together Society (JTS) as an expression of the compassion of engaged Buddhism and the belief that helping others is the best way to enrich one\u2019s own life. Headquartered in Seoul, JTS operates four branch offices in South Korea and the United States, along with field offices in India and the Philippines. JTS Korea and JTS America oversee fundraising, while JTS India and JTS Philippines conduct development projects in cooperation with local communities. The relief organization has also earned Special Consultative Status to the United Nations Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

JTS India began its work in Dungeshwari, some 12 kilometers northeast of the Buddhist pilgrimage hub of Bodh Gaya, in the early 1990s, aspiring to fulfill the mission: \u201cThe hungry should eat; the sick should be treated; children should be educated in time.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This region is surrounded by the Pragbodhi Hills where the historical Buddha, Shakyamuni, is said to have spent six years in a cave as an ascetic. And it\u2019s here that JTS India has been working to empower the villagers of Dungeshwari to live their lives free from hunger, illiteracy, and disease.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The people of Dungeshwari are primarily Dalits, who face systemic social and economic exclusion as a result of the conservative Hindu social hierarchy. \u201cDalit,\u201d which translates as \u201cbroken\u201d in Sanskrit, is a term for the very lowest castes, whom members of the so-called \u201chigher\u201d castes still to this day deem \u201cuntouchable,\u201d despite the practice being prohibited in the Constitution of India. By working directly with disadvantaged communities, JTS aims to help them to mobilize their own capabilities and resources to create a more prosperous and sustainable future.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Jungto Society Dharma teacher Doyeon Jang (Dharma name Bogwang), is the director of Sujata Academy. She has overseen the development of this ambitious project, facing numerous challenges, both personal and structural, in the process of bringing this expression of compassion and social transformation to fruition.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u25b6\ufe0f Published by BDG on March 8, 2024<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u25b6\ufe0f Read more: <\/a>https:\/\/www.buddhistdoor.net\/features\/the-sujata-academy-project-the-power-of-hope-and-compassion-in-india\/<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

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<\/p>\n","post_title":"The Sujata Academy Project: The Power of Hope and Compassion in India","post_excerpt":"The Korean Seon (Zen) master Venerable Pomnyun Sunim (\ubc95\ub95c\uc2a4\ub2d8) wears many hats: Buddhist monk, teacher, author, environmentalist, and social activist, to name a few. As a widely respected Dharma teacher and a tireless socially engaged activist in his native South Korea, Ven. Pomnyun Sunim has founded numerous Dharma-based organizations, initiatives, and projects that are active across the world. Among them, Jungto Society, a volunteer-based community founded on the Buddhist teachings and expressing equality, simple living, and sustainability, is dedicated to addressing modern social issues that lead to suffering, including environmental degradation, poverty, and conflict.\n\nThis column, shared by Jungto Society, presents a series of highlights from Ven. Pomnyun Sunim\u2019s writings, teachings, public talks, and regular live-streamed Dharma Q+A sessions, which are accessible across the globe.\n","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","post_password":"","post_name":"the-sujata-academy-project-the-power-of-hope-and-compassion-in-india","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2024-03-10 17:38:00","post_modified_gmt":"2024-03-10 22:38:00","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/www.jungtosociety.org\/?p=18140","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"},{"ID":18136,"post_author":"13","post_date":"2024-03-10 17:24:34","post_date_gmt":"2024-03-10 22:24:34","post_content":"\n

Your son is over forty and
his main relationship is with someone else.
So, stop worrying about a grown man
who belongs with another woman
and be nice to the man next to you. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Illustration by Maseol <\/p>\n","post_title":"Son over forty","post_excerpt":"","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","post_password":"","post_name":"son-over-forty","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2024-03-10 17:24:36","post_modified_gmt":"2024-03-10 22:24:36","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/www.jungtosociety.org\/?p=18136","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"}],"next":false,"prev":false,"total_page":1},"paged":1,"column_class":"jeg_col_2o3","class":"jnews_block_37"};

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Illustration by Maseol <\/p>\n","post_title":"Starving Children","post_excerpt":"","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","post_password":"","post_name":"starving-children","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2024-03-27 22:43:58","post_modified_gmt":"2024-03-28 03:43:58","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/www.jungtosociety.org\/?p=18346","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"},{"ID":18171,"post_author":"13","post_date":"2024-03-26 18:29:19","post_date_gmt":"2024-03-26 23:29:19","post_content":"\n

\ud83d\udeeb<\/strong> New York, Boston, Dallas, Washington D.C., Tokyo, Frankfurt, Sydney, Seattle, Vancouver, San Francisco, Las Vegas, San Diego, Los Angeles<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\ud83d\uddd3 April 29 - September 20, 2024<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u2b50\ufe0f Ask Anything to Ven. Pomnyun Sunim!<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Ven. Pomnyun Sunim has been engaged in dialogue with the public for decades sharing the Dharma with people from various religious and cultural backgrounds. His unique approach to tackling life\u2019s challenges, grounded in the original teachings of the Buddha, offers clear and easily accessible insights. Through his guidance, many have found immediate peace of mind and the confidence to face life\u2019s challenges without despair or stress.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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We\u2019re excited to announce that Ven. Pomnyun Sunim will be hosting Q&A sessions in New York, Boston, Dallas, and Washington D.C. Don\u2019t miss this special opportunity to gather in person and learn from his wisdom. Save the date and register today! (In September, several events are planned with Ven. Pomnyun Sunim along the west coast of North America.)
The event is free and open to everyone. Given the limited seating available, we highly recommend registering in advance to secure your spot. Registration forms can be found below.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\ud83d\udcac Casual Conversation: mainly in English, with exceptions in Tokyo and Frankfurt<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n

Subscribe to our newsletter to get notifications on event registration and more.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n
\n\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n
<\/div>\n<\/div>\n","post_title":"In-Person Casual Conversation with Ven. Pomnyun Sunim in 2024","post_excerpt":"","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","post_password":"","post_name":"casual-conversation-with-ven-pomnyun-sunim-2024","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2024-03-27 12:49:06","post_modified_gmt":"2024-03-27 17:49:06","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/www.jungtosociety.org\/?p=18171","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"},{"ID":18145,"post_author":"40","post_date":"2024-03-26 07:00:00","post_date_gmt":"2024-03-26 12:00:00","post_content":"\n

P:<\/strong> Most of us feel anxious and insecure about our old age. So, people ask, \u201cWhat do I need to do to prepare for a happy old age?\u201d However, there is no such thing as preparing to be happy. You must simply be happy at this moment. Let\u2019s say you slip and fall down the stairs and break a leg. If you think to yourself, \u201cWhat bad luck that I broke my leg!\u201d you will feel unhappy. However, if you think, \u201cHow fortunate that I only broke one leg when I could have easily broken both legs!\u201d you will feel happy. If you can see the positive side of everything, you will always be happy. There is no need to prepare for a happy old age.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWhen I see in the media, \u2018Your old age will be insecure if you don\u2019t prepare for it.\u2019 or \u2018You need to do this and that to be happy in your old age,\u2019 I feel like I need to do something.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Needing to prepare for happiness is a claim of those who have never been happy. Often, all people do is prepare to become happy but end up dying without ever having been happy. Therefore, there is no need to prepare. We should be happy from this very moment. We should not prepare to be happy but be happy immediately starting today.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Those who are not happy today cannot be happy tomorrow, and those who are not happy in this world cannot be happy in the afterworld, should it exist. Those who always complain in this world will find something to complain about even in heaven. You may think that you will be happy the moment you get to heaven, but once you are there, you might still be unhappy. There is no place in the world that will automatically make you happy. You should be happy right here, right now.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Then, how can we become happy? Wouldn\u2019t I be miserable if I envied you and kept thinking, \u201cHow I wish I could get married!\u201d? If those of you who are married keep thinking, \u201cI wish I could live alone. How wonderful it must be to travel anywhere as freely as the Sunim does!\u201d you would be very unhappy. A monk like me should be proud of living alone, and those who are married should be so happy in their marriages as to make a monk feel jealous. Living the life we have chosen to the best of our ability is living well.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

We should be happy with everything that happens in the natural course of our lives. For instance, we should be happy to grow old as time passes, happy to be alive when alive, and happy to die when death knocks at the door. Then, it will be like living in heaven in this life as well as in the afterlife. It doesn\u2019t make sense to live this life as if we were in hell while wishing to go to heaven after death.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

When a person who lives in Korea can live happily, Korea becomes a heaven. This person will be happy even if he lives in the U.S. However, a person who complains about his life in this world will not stop complaining even if he were sent to heaven. A complainer is likely to grumble no matter where he goes. Therefore, heaven and hell do not exist separately in another world. That is, we are in heaven when we are happy and in hell when we are miserable.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

We tend to blame others for their hardships and suffering. However, if we look carefully, we will to see that we ourselves make our own happiness and unhappiness. Those who make themselves miserable will feel miserable even in heaven, and those who make themselves happy will be happy even in hell.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

We should be content with our current lives at all times. When we wake up early in the morning, when we meditate, when we prostrate, and when we have meals, we should be happy to be able to do these things. Considering that a countless number of people in North Korea are currently starving, shouldn\u2019t we be thankful for the fact that we are able to have regular meals? We should always perceive our lives in such a positive light.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Actually, you are all happy right now. You simply don\u2019t see it or feel it. Once upon a time someone visited a Zen master and talked extensively about the Buddha and his teachings. The Zen master told him, \u201cJust have a cup of tea.\u201d He meant, \u201cStop thinking nonsense.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

You are already happy. You don\u2019t need to work hard to be happy.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

When you let go of the thought, \u201cI will live happily,\u201d you will find happiness.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

We create our own happiness.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

We create our own misfortune.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Truly, our happiness and unhappiness are not created by others.<\/p>\n","post_title":"We Are The Ones Who Create Our Happiness And Unhappiness","post_excerpt":"","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","post_password":"","post_name":"we-are-the-ones-who-create-our-happiness-and-unhappiness","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2024-03-11 20:02:00","post_modified_gmt":"2024-03-12 01:02:00","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/www.jungtosociety.org\/?p=18145","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"},{"ID":18295,"post_author":"13","post_date":"2024-03-20 22:57:13","post_date_gmt":"2024-03-21 03:57:13","post_content":"\n

\"Let's change just one day at a time\" <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Accomplishing something
every day with a light heart is like
water drops piercing a rock. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Illustration by Maseol <\/p>\n","post_title":"One day at a time","post_excerpt":"","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","post_password":"","post_name":"one-day-at-a-time","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2024-03-20 22:57:15","post_modified_gmt":"2024-03-21 03:57:15","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/www.jungtosociety.org\/?p=18295","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"},{"ID":18131,"post_author":"40","post_date":"2024-03-19 14:51:48","post_date_gmt":"2024-03-19 19:51:48","post_content":"\n

P:<\/strong> In the past, parents left all their wealth to their children when they retired, and since their children took good care of them for the rest of their lives, they did not have to worry about their future. However, times have changed. The middle-aged population now find that although they have honored and taken good care of their aged parents, their own children are unlikely to do the same for them. Therefore, parents, today should not give all their assets to their children when they retire.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

When parents leave all their wealth to their offspring, they may be exposed to the danger of becoming broke and homeless if their offspring should go bankrupt. This isn\u2019t such a big problem when you are young because you can work hard to regain your wealth. In Korea, there is even a saying that goes, \u201cHardship during youth is worth paying money for.\u201d Because they have energy and potential, young people don\u2019t look pathetic when they are without money and live in a tent. However, nothing is more pitiful than seeing an old person broke and homeless. Therefore, even when any of your children become bankrupt, you should not lend him or her money by mortgaging your house. If you do, you may end up losing your house.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

You can age gracefully when you have your own assets. If you don\u2019t have anything to live on, your later years will become miserable. So, you should keep your assets. If you give them away to your children, your relationship with your children may easily be ruined.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This is not to say that you should hoard all your assets. You can give some to your children if you want, but you should keep your house and enough money to live comfortably. This way, you will still have some assets to leave to your children when you pass away, and they will arrange a good funeral for you.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

If you plan to distribute your assets among your children after retirement, it\u2019s a good idea to give away just seventy to eighty percent of your assets. You must keep twenty to thirty percent for your own. You can decide on the percentage depending on the size of your assets. If you don\u2019t have a lot of assets, the percentage you keep should be higher than if you have a lot. Either way, when parents maintain their financial freedom even after retirement, they will be able to live with dignity and are more likely to sustain a good relationship with their children.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Of course, there is the option of practicing according to the teachings of the Buddha and letting go of all your worldly possessions. People may think that an enlightened person does not need to have a cent to his name and just needs a space in the common room of a temple to sleep. Most people, however, can\u2019t live this way, which is why they need to hold on to enough assets to live on. Those living in the countryside need a place to live, a piece of land to grow various vegetables, and rice fields, while those living in the city need to have a principal amount in the bank that will yield enough monthly interest for them to live comfortably.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

It\u2019s not easy for people to earn money in their old age. Since they don\u2019t have a source of income, they may expect their children to give them some spending money and end up resenting them if they don\u2019t. To avoid such an outcome, it\u2019s necessary for people to keep some financial assets to live on in their old age. This way, parents can live independently from their children without expecting too much from their children or be overly attached to them.<\/p>\n","post_title":"You Should Hold Onto Enough Financial Assets To Live On After Retirement","post_excerpt":"","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","post_password":"","post_name":"you-should-hold-onto-enough-financial-assets-to-live-on-after-retirement","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2024-03-02 14:55:05","post_modified_gmt":"2024-03-02 19:55:05","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/www.jungtosociety.org\/?p=18131","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"},{"ID":18045,"post_author":"40","post_date":"2024-03-15 07:00:00","post_date_gmt":"2024-03-15 12:00:00","post_content":"\n

<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/a><\/gwmw><\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/a><\/p>\n","post_title":"[Meditation Q&A] \u201cHow can I value serenity but not give up caring when I am practicing…. ?","post_excerpt":"","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","post_password":"","post_name":"meditation-qa-how-can-i-value-serenity-but-not-give-up-caring-when-i-am-practicing","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2024-02-27 19:02:33","post_modified_gmt":"2024-02-28 00:02:33","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/www.jungtosociety.org\/?p=18045","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"},{"ID":18197,"post_author":"13","post_date":"2024-03-13 22:47:47","post_date_gmt":"2024-03-14 03:47:47","post_content":"\n

It\u2019s simple to become an adult.
Wake up earlier than your mom
and prepare breakfast for your parents,
wash the dishes,
and clean your room after school or work. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Illustration by Maseol <\/p>\n","post_title":"Becoming an adult","post_excerpt":"","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","post_password":"","post_name":"becoming-an-adult","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2024-03-13 22:47:48","post_modified_gmt":"2024-03-14 03:47:48","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/www.jungtosociety.org\/?p=18197","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"},{"ID":18125,"post_author":"40","post_date":"2024-03-12 07:00:00","post_date_gmt":"2024-03-12 12:00:00","post_content":"\n

P:<\/strong> When the Buddha was close to death, his disciples came to him and asked,<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cHow would you like us to conduct your funeral?\u201d The Buddha answered, \u201cYou don\u2019t need to worry about my funeral because the lay Buddhists will take care of it.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Lay Buddhists are those who take refuge in the Three Jewels and practice the Five Precepts without becoming monks or nuns. When the Buddha said they will take care of it, he meant that his funeral would be conducted based on customs of the lay people in India. So, after the Buddha died, the Lay Buddhists cremated the Buddha\u2019s body according to the Indian tradition. If he had lived in Korea, he would have been buried in the ground as is the custom in Korea.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Dharma is a teaching about truth, so it does not contain cultural aspects. However, since Buddhism originated from India, its traditions, customs, and culture were integrated into the Buddhist culture. Strictly speaking, neither cremation nor the 49-day posthumous ceremony is a fundamental tradition of Buddhism. They are in fact part of the of Indian cultural tradition.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

It is said that the deceased person has 49 days to be saved and is classified into one of nine levels based on his deeds during his life. \u201cAnyone can be reborn in paradise after he dies if he sincerely hopes for it. However, not everyone can be reborn in paradise right away since people fall into one of the nine categories based on their deeds.\u201d Specifically, people are divided into three categories of high, middle and low, and those in each of the three categories are again divided into high, middle and low, so there are a total of nine categories.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

It is believed that people in the very first category are reborn in paradise immediately after their death. It is comparable to leaving a room and entering another room. Those in the second category are reborn within 12 hours. It takes one day for those in the third category, three days for those in the fourth, a week for those in the fifth, 21 days for those in the sixth, and finally, it takes 49 days for those in the seventh category to be reborn in paradise. This is reason that people hold the 49-day posthumous ceremony. This ritual provides an opportunity for people to do good deeds on behalf of their deceased family members and help them be reborn in paradise within 49 days.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

What happens to the people in the eighth and ninth categories? Ultimately, people in all nine categories will all be reborn in paradise. However, those in the eighth and ninth categories have to spend some time in hell before that. Every year, Buddhists perform the Buddhist All Soul\u2019s Day ceremony on July 15th of the lunar calendar to save the souls of those in the two categories from hell. There is no point in debating whether this is true or not because it is a religious belief, so people are free to choose whether to believe it or not.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Funeral customs vary greatly from religion to religion and country to country. In India, the dead are cremated, and in Tibet, they are left to be eaten by birds. The corpse is cut up and placed on big rocks high in the mountain, so that it is eaten by falcons and eagles. In desert regions, the dead are \u201cburied in the wind.\u201d That is, they are nailed on a wooden board and exposed to the elements for one year until only the bones remain after which the funeral ceremony is performed. In regions with many islands, the dead are dropped into the sea.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Each of these funeral rituals has its unique meaning and significance. Tibetans feed the dead to birds because they believe that the spirit of the dead will fly to heaven with the birds. Some cultures bury the dead in the ground because of the belief that the spiritual world exists underground. Meanwhile, Indians believe in reincarnation, so they cremate the corpse to help the spirits to quickly sever their attachment to their worldly bodies so that they can be reborn.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Regardless of the funeral ritual that is performed, once a person dies, it\u2019s the end. By saying \u201cthe end\u201d I am not implying that there is no heaven or an afterlife; I am simply saying the person who draws his last breath will no longer exist in this world. From a Christian viewpoint, the spirits go to heaven, and from a Buddhist perspective, the spirits are reborn, so there is nothing we can do for them. Therefore, the best farewell for those who pass away is to let them go from our hearts.<\/p>\n","post_title":"The Best Farewell For The Deceased","post_excerpt":"","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","post_password":"","post_name":"the-best-farewell-for-the-deceased-2","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2024-03-02 14:50:59","post_modified_gmt":"2024-03-02 19:50:59","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/www.jungtosociety.org\/?p=18125","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"},{"ID":18140,"post_author":"13","post_date":"2024-03-10 17:37:58","post_date_gmt":"2024-03-10 22:37:58","post_content":"\n

<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Jungto Society, the international Buddhist community founded by the revered Korean Dharma master and social activist Venerable Pomnyun Sunim (\ubc95\ub95c\uc2a4\ub2d8), recently conducted its 33rd annual pilgrimage across India and to Nepal. Held under the theme \u201cFollowing in the Footsteps of the Buddha,\u201d the pilgrimage, which ran from 19 January to 2 February, was attended by more 500 practitioners.1<\/sup><\/p>\n\n\n\n

This year\u2019s pilgrimage was particularly notable for two reasons: first was the participation, for the first time in the Jungto pilgrimage\u2019s 33-year history, of non-Korean practitioners: the 500-plus Korean Buddhist pilgrims were accompanied nine practitioners from Italy, Japan, Thailand, the United Kingdom, the United States, and Vietnam. Second, the pilgrimage also coincided with celebrations for the 30th anniversary of Sujata Academy, a remarkable community school and social empowerment project established by Ven. Pomnyun Sunim in Dungeshwari, in the northeastern Indian state of Bihar. This project has transformed the lives of an entire community of people who have faced systemic social and economic exclusion as a result of India\u2019s conservative Hindu caste hierarchy.2<\/sup><\/p>\n\n\n\n

The academy is named after Sujata, the young woman who is said to have nourished the ailing and emaciated Siddhartha Gautama with a bowl of milk-rice, thus ending his six years of extreme asceticism. Tuition at the academy is provided free of charge. The school\u2019s principal goal is to educate every student in basic literacy and numeracy. Classes are taught from kindergarten to secondary level, alongside adult literacy classes and skills training. Students who wish to continue beyond elementary education and attend secondary school are required to teach kindergarteners or to help out in the onsite Jivaka Hospital in the mornings and to attend classes in the afternoon, working in the spirit of giving back to the community. The campus also includes a warehouse, a dormitory, a large playing field, and sports equipment for the children.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

x<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Ven. Pomnyun Sunim established the international Buddhist humanitarian relief organization Join Together Society (JTS) as an expression of the compassion of engaged Buddhism and the belief that helping others is the best way to enrich one\u2019s own life. Headquartered in Seoul, JTS operates four branch offices in South Korea and the United States, along with field offices in India and the Philippines. JTS Korea and JTS America oversee fundraising, while JTS India and JTS Philippines conduct development projects in cooperation with local communities. The relief organization has also earned Special Consultative Status to the United Nations Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

JTS India began its work in Dungeshwari, some 12 kilometers northeast of the Buddhist pilgrimage hub of Bodh Gaya, in the early 1990s, aspiring to fulfill the mission: \u201cThe hungry should eat; the sick should be treated; children should be educated in time.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This region is surrounded by the Pragbodhi Hills where the historical Buddha, Shakyamuni, is said to have spent six years in a cave as an ascetic. And it\u2019s here that JTS India has been working to empower the villagers of Dungeshwari to live their lives free from hunger, illiteracy, and disease.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The people of Dungeshwari are primarily Dalits, who face systemic social and economic exclusion as a result of the conservative Hindu social hierarchy. \u201cDalit,\u201d which translates as \u201cbroken\u201d in Sanskrit, is a term for the very lowest castes, whom members of the so-called \u201chigher\u201d castes still to this day deem \u201cuntouchable,\u201d despite the practice being prohibited in the Constitution of India. By working directly with disadvantaged communities, JTS aims to help them to mobilize their own capabilities and resources to create a more prosperous and sustainable future.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Jungto Society Dharma teacher Doyeon Jang (Dharma name Bogwang), is the director of Sujata Academy. She has overseen the development of this ambitious project, facing numerous challenges, both personal and structural, in the process of bringing this expression of compassion and social transformation to fruition.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u25b6\ufe0f Published by BDG on March 8, 2024<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u25b6\ufe0f Read more: <\/a>https:\/\/www.buddhistdoor.net\/features\/the-sujata-academy-project-the-power-of-hope-and-compassion-in-india\/<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

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<\/p>\n","post_title":"The Sujata Academy Project: The Power of Hope and Compassion in India","post_excerpt":"The Korean Seon (Zen) master Venerable Pomnyun Sunim (\ubc95\ub95c\uc2a4\ub2d8) wears many hats: Buddhist monk, teacher, author, environmentalist, and social activist, to name a few. As a widely respected Dharma teacher and a tireless socially engaged activist in his native South Korea, Ven. Pomnyun Sunim has founded numerous Dharma-based organizations, initiatives, and projects that are active across the world. Among them, Jungto Society, a volunteer-based community founded on the Buddhist teachings and expressing equality, simple living, and sustainability, is dedicated to addressing modern social issues that lead to suffering, including environmental degradation, poverty, and conflict.\n\nThis column, shared by Jungto Society, presents a series of highlights from Ven. Pomnyun Sunim\u2019s writings, teachings, public talks, and regular live-streamed Dharma Q+A sessions, which are accessible across the globe.\n","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","post_password":"","post_name":"the-sujata-academy-project-the-power-of-hope-and-compassion-in-india","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2024-03-10 17:38:00","post_modified_gmt":"2024-03-10 22:38:00","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/www.jungtosociety.org\/?p=18140","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"},{"ID":18136,"post_author":"13","post_date":"2024-03-10 17:24:34","post_date_gmt":"2024-03-10 22:24:34","post_content":"\n

Your son is over forty and
his main relationship is with someone else.
So, stop worrying about a grown man
who belongs with another woman
and be nice to the man next to you. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Illustration by Maseol <\/p>\n","post_title":"Son over forty","post_excerpt":"","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","post_password":"","post_name":"son-over-forty","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2024-03-10 17:24:36","post_modified_gmt":"2024-03-10 22:24:36","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/www.jungtosociety.org\/?p=18136","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"}],"next":false,"prev":false,"total_page":1},"paged":1,"column_class":"jeg_col_2o3","class":"jnews_block_37"};

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Illustration by Maseol <\/p>\n","post_title":"Starving Children","post_excerpt":"","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","post_password":"","post_name":"starving-children","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2024-03-27 22:43:58","post_modified_gmt":"2024-03-28 03:43:58","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/www.jungtosociety.org\/?p=18346","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"},{"ID":18171,"post_author":"13","post_date":"2024-03-26 18:29:19","post_date_gmt":"2024-03-26 23:29:19","post_content":"\n

\ud83d\udeeb<\/strong> New York, Boston, Dallas, Washington D.C., Tokyo, Frankfurt, Sydney, Seattle, Vancouver, San Francisco, Las Vegas, San Diego, Los Angeles<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\ud83d\uddd3 April 29 - September 20, 2024<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u2b50\ufe0f Ask Anything to Ven. Pomnyun Sunim!<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Ven. Pomnyun Sunim has been engaged in dialogue with the public for decades sharing the Dharma with people from various religious and cultural backgrounds. His unique approach to tackling life\u2019s challenges, grounded in the original teachings of the Buddha, offers clear and easily accessible insights. Through his guidance, many have found immediate peace of mind and the confidence to face life\u2019s challenges without despair or stress.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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We\u2019re excited to announce that Ven. Pomnyun Sunim will be hosting Q&A sessions in New York, Boston, Dallas, and Washington D.C. Don\u2019t miss this special opportunity to gather in person and learn from his wisdom. Save the date and register today! (In September, several events are planned with Ven. Pomnyun Sunim along the west coast of North America.)
The event is free and open to everyone. Given the limited seating available, we highly recommend registering in advance to secure your spot. Registration forms can be found below.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\ud83d\udcac Casual Conversation: mainly in English, with exceptions in Tokyo and Frankfurt<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n

Subscribe to our newsletter to get notifications on event registration and more.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

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\n\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n
<\/div>\n<\/div>\n","post_title":"In-Person Casual Conversation with Ven. Pomnyun Sunim in 2024","post_excerpt":"","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","post_password":"","post_name":"casual-conversation-with-ven-pomnyun-sunim-2024","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2024-03-27 12:49:06","post_modified_gmt":"2024-03-27 17:49:06","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/www.jungtosociety.org\/?p=18171","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"},{"ID":18145,"post_author":"40","post_date":"2024-03-26 07:00:00","post_date_gmt":"2024-03-26 12:00:00","post_content":"\n

P:<\/strong> Most of us feel anxious and insecure about our old age. So, people ask, \u201cWhat do I need to do to prepare for a happy old age?\u201d However, there is no such thing as preparing to be happy. You must simply be happy at this moment. Let\u2019s say you slip and fall down the stairs and break a leg. If you think to yourself, \u201cWhat bad luck that I broke my leg!\u201d you will feel unhappy. However, if you think, \u201cHow fortunate that I only broke one leg when I could have easily broken both legs!\u201d you will feel happy. If you can see the positive side of everything, you will always be happy. There is no need to prepare for a happy old age.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWhen I see in the media, \u2018Your old age will be insecure if you don\u2019t prepare for it.\u2019 or \u2018You need to do this and that to be happy in your old age,\u2019 I feel like I need to do something.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Needing to prepare for happiness is a claim of those who have never been happy. Often, all people do is prepare to become happy but end up dying without ever having been happy. Therefore, there is no need to prepare. We should be happy from this very moment. We should not prepare to be happy but be happy immediately starting today.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Those who are not happy today cannot be happy tomorrow, and those who are not happy in this world cannot be happy in the afterworld, should it exist. Those who always complain in this world will find something to complain about even in heaven. You may think that you will be happy the moment you get to heaven, but once you are there, you might still be unhappy. There is no place in the world that will automatically make you happy. You should be happy right here, right now.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Then, how can we become happy? Wouldn\u2019t I be miserable if I envied you and kept thinking, \u201cHow I wish I could get married!\u201d? If those of you who are married keep thinking, \u201cI wish I could live alone. How wonderful it must be to travel anywhere as freely as the Sunim does!\u201d you would be very unhappy. A monk like me should be proud of living alone, and those who are married should be so happy in their marriages as to make a monk feel jealous. Living the life we have chosen to the best of our ability is living well.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

We should be happy with everything that happens in the natural course of our lives. For instance, we should be happy to grow old as time passes, happy to be alive when alive, and happy to die when death knocks at the door. Then, it will be like living in heaven in this life as well as in the afterlife. It doesn\u2019t make sense to live this life as if we were in hell while wishing to go to heaven after death.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

When a person who lives in Korea can live happily, Korea becomes a heaven. This person will be happy even if he lives in the U.S. However, a person who complains about his life in this world will not stop complaining even if he were sent to heaven. A complainer is likely to grumble no matter where he goes. Therefore, heaven and hell do not exist separately in another world. That is, we are in heaven when we are happy and in hell when we are miserable.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

We tend to blame others for their hardships and suffering. However, if we look carefully, we will to see that we ourselves make our own happiness and unhappiness. Those who make themselves miserable will feel miserable even in heaven, and those who make themselves happy will be happy even in hell.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

We should be content with our current lives at all times. When we wake up early in the morning, when we meditate, when we prostrate, and when we have meals, we should be happy to be able to do these things. Considering that a countless number of people in North Korea are currently starving, shouldn\u2019t we be thankful for the fact that we are able to have regular meals? We should always perceive our lives in such a positive light.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Actually, you are all happy right now. You simply don\u2019t see it or feel it. Once upon a time someone visited a Zen master and talked extensively about the Buddha and his teachings. The Zen master told him, \u201cJust have a cup of tea.\u201d He meant, \u201cStop thinking nonsense.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

You are already happy. You don\u2019t need to work hard to be happy.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

When you let go of the thought, \u201cI will live happily,\u201d you will find happiness.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

We create our own happiness.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

We create our own misfortune.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Truly, our happiness and unhappiness are not created by others.<\/p>\n","post_title":"We Are The Ones Who Create Our Happiness And Unhappiness","post_excerpt":"","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","post_password":"","post_name":"we-are-the-ones-who-create-our-happiness-and-unhappiness","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2024-03-11 20:02:00","post_modified_gmt":"2024-03-12 01:02:00","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/www.jungtosociety.org\/?p=18145","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"},{"ID":18295,"post_author":"13","post_date":"2024-03-20 22:57:13","post_date_gmt":"2024-03-21 03:57:13","post_content":"\n

\"Let's change just one day at a time\" <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Accomplishing something
every day with a light heart is like
water drops piercing a rock. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Illustration by Maseol <\/p>\n","post_title":"One day at a time","post_excerpt":"","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","post_password":"","post_name":"one-day-at-a-time","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2024-03-20 22:57:15","post_modified_gmt":"2024-03-21 03:57:15","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/www.jungtosociety.org\/?p=18295","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"},{"ID":18131,"post_author":"40","post_date":"2024-03-19 14:51:48","post_date_gmt":"2024-03-19 19:51:48","post_content":"\n

P:<\/strong> In the past, parents left all their wealth to their children when they retired, and since their children took good care of them for the rest of their lives, they did not have to worry about their future. However, times have changed. The middle-aged population now find that although they have honored and taken good care of their aged parents, their own children are unlikely to do the same for them. Therefore, parents, today should not give all their assets to their children when they retire.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

When parents leave all their wealth to their offspring, they may be exposed to the danger of becoming broke and homeless if their offspring should go bankrupt. This isn\u2019t such a big problem when you are young because you can work hard to regain your wealth. In Korea, there is even a saying that goes, \u201cHardship during youth is worth paying money for.\u201d Because they have energy and potential, young people don\u2019t look pathetic when they are without money and live in a tent. However, nothing is more pitiful than seeing an old person broke and homeless. Therefore, even when any of your children become bankrupt, you should not lend him or her money by mortgaging your house. If you do, you may end up losing your house.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

You can age gracefully when you have your own assets. If you don\u2019t have anything to live on, your later years will become miserable. So, you should keep your assets. If you give them away to your children, your relationship with your children may easily be ruined.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This is not to say that you should hoard all your assets. You can give some to your children if you want, but you should keep your house and enough money to live comfortably. This way, you will still have some assets to leave to your children when you pass away, and they will arrange a good funeral for you.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

If you plan to distribute your assets among your children after retirement, it\u2019s a good idea to give away just seventy to eighty percent of your assets. You must keep twenty to thirty percent for your own. You can decide on the percentage depending on the size of your assets. If you don\u2019t have a lot of assets, the percentage you keep should be higher than if you have a lot. Either way, when parents maintain their financial freedom even after retirement, they will be able to live with dignity and are more likely to sustain a good relationship with their children.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Of course, there is the option of practicing according to the teachings of the Buddha and letting go of all your worldly possessions. People may think that an enlightened person does not need to have a cent to his name and just needs a space in the common room of a temple to sleep. Most people, however, can\u2019t live this way, which is why they need to hold on to enough assets to live on. Those living in the countryside need a place to live, a piece of land to grow various vegetables, and rice fields, while those living in the city need to have a principal amount in the bank that will yield enough monthly interest for them to live comfortably.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

It\u2019s not easy for people to earn money in their old age. Since they don\u2019t have a source of income, they may expect their children to give them some spending money and end up resenting them if they don\u2019t. To avoid such an outcome, it\u2019s necessary for people to keep some financial assets to live on in their old age. This way, parents can live independently from their children without expecting too much from their children or be overly attached to them.<\/p>\n","post_title":"You Should Hold Onto Enough Financial Assets To Live On After Retirement","post_excerpt":"","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","post_password":"","post_name":"you-should-hold-onto-enough-financial-assets-to-live-on-after-retirement","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2024-03-02 14:55:05","post_modified_gmt":"2024-03-02 19:55:05","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/www.jungtosociety.org\/?p=18131","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"},{"ID":18045,"post_author":"40","post_date":"2024-03-15 07:00:00","post_date_gmt":"2024-03-15 12:00:00","post_content":"\n

<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/a><\/gwmw><\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/a><\/p>\n","post_title":"[Meditation Q&A] \u201cHow can I value serenity but not give up caring when I am practicing…. ?","post_excerpt":"","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","post_password":"","post_name":"meditation-qa-how-can-i-value-serenity-but-not-give-up-caring-when-i-am-practicing","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2024-02-27 19:02:33","post_modified_gmt":"2024-02-28 00:02:33","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/www.jungtosociety.org\/?p=18045","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"},{"ID":18197,"post_author":"13","post_date":"2024-03-13 22:47:47","post_date_gmt":"2024-03-14 03:47:47","post_content":"\n

It\u2019s simple to become an adult.
Wake up earlier than your mom
and prepare breakfast for your parents,
wash the dishes,
and clean your room after school or work. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Illustration by Maseol <\/p>\n","post_title":"Becoming an adult","post_excerpt":"","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","post_password":"","post_name":"becoming-an-adult","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2024-03-13 22:47:48","post_modified_gmt":"2024-03-14 03:47:48","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/www.jungtosociety.org\/?p=18197","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"},{"ID":18125,"post_author":"40","post_date":"2024-03-12 07:00:00","post_date_gmt":"2024-03-12 12:00:00","post_content":"\n

P:<\/strong> When the Buddha was close to death, his disciples came to him and asked,<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cHow would you like us to conduct your funeral?\u201d The Buddha answered, \u201cYou don\u2019t need to worry about my funeral because the lay Buddhists will take care of it.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Lay Buddhists are those who take refuge in the Three Jewels and practice the Five Precepts without becoming monks or nuns. When the Buddha said they will take care of it, he meant that his funeral would be conducted based on customs of the lay people in India. So, after the Buddha died, the Lay Buddhists cremated the Buddha\u2019s body according to the Indian tradition. If he had lived in Korea, he would have been buried in the ground as is the custom in Korea.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Dharma is a teaching about truth, so it does not contain cultural aspects. However, since Buddhism originated from India, its traditions, customs, and culture were integrated into the Buddhist culture. Strictly speaking, neither cremation nor the 49-day posthumous ceremony is a fundamental tradition of Buddhism. They are in fact part of the of Indian cultural tradition.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

It is said that the deceased person has 49 days to be saved and is classified into one of nine levels based on his deeds during his life. \u201cAnyone can be reborn in paradise after he dies if he sincerely hopes for it. However, not everyone can be reborn in paradise right away since people fall into one of the nine categories based on their deeds.\u201d Specifically, people are divided into three categories of high, middle and low, and those in each of the three categories are again divided into high, middle and low, so there are a total of nine categories.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

It is believed that people in the very first category are reborn in paradise immediately after their death. It is comparable to leaving a room and entering another room. Those in the second category are reborn within 12 hours. It takes one day for those in the third category, three days for those in the fourth, a week for those in the fifth, 21 days for those in the sixth, and finally, it takes 49 days for those in the seventh category to be reborn in paradise. This is reason that people hold the 49-day posthumous ceremony. This ritual provides an opportunity for people to do good deeds on behalf of their deceased family members and help them be reborn in paradise within 49 days.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

What happens to the people in the eighth and ninth categories? Ultimately, people in all nine categories will all be reborn in paradise. However, those in the eighth and ninth categories have to spend some time in hell before that. Every year, Buddhists perform the Buddhist All Soul\u2019s Day ceremony on July 15th of the lunar calendar to save the souls of those in the two categories from hell. There is no point in debating whether this is true or not because it is a religious belief, so people are free to choose whether to believe it or not.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Funeral customs vary greatly from religion to religion and country to country. In India, the dead are cremated, and in Tibet, they are left to be eaten by birds. The corpse is cut up and placed on big rocks high in the mountain, so that it is eaten by falcons and eagles. In desert regions, the dead are \u201cburied in the wind.\u201d That is, they are nailed on a wooden board and exposed to the elements for one year until only the bones remain after which the funeral ceremony is performed. In regions with many islands, the dead are dropped into the sea.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Each of these funeral rituals has its unique meaning and significance. Tibetans feed the dead to birds because they believe that the spirit of the dead will fly to heaven with the birds. Some cultures bury the dead in the ground because of the belief that the spiritual world exists underground. Meanwhile, Indians believe in reincarnation, so they cremate the corpse to help the spirits to quickly sever their attachment to their worldly bodies so that they can be reborn.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Regardless of the funeral ritual that is performed, once a person dies, it\u2019s the end. By saying \u201cthe end\u201d I am not implying that there is no heaven or an afterlife; I am simply saying the person who draws his last breath will no longer exist in this world. From a Christian viewpoint, the spirits go to heaven, and from a Buddhist perspective, the spirits are reborn, so there is nothing we can do for them. Therefore, the best farewell for those who pass away is to let them go from our hearts.<\/p>\n","post_title":"The Best Farewell For The Deceased","post_excerpt":"","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","post_password":"","post_name":"the-best-farewell-for-the-deceased-2","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2024-03-02 14:50:59","post_modified_gmt":"2024-03-02 19:50:59","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/www.jungtosociety.org\/?p=18125","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"},{"ID":18140,"post_author":"13","post_date":"2024-03-10 17:37:58","post_date_gmt":"2024-03-10 22:37:58","post_content":"\n

<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Jungto Society, the international Buddhist community founded by the revered Korean Dharma master and social activist Venerable Pomnyun Sunim (\ubc95\ub95c\uc2a4\ub2d8), recently conducted its 33rd annual pilgrimage across India and to Nepal. Held under the theme \u201cFollowing in the Footsteps of the Buddha,\u201d the pilgrimage, which ran from 19 January to 2 February, was attended by more 500 practitioners.1<\/sup><\/p>\n\n\n\n

This year\u2019s pilgrimage was particularly notable for two reasons: first was the participation, for the first time in the Jungto pilgrimage\u2019s 33-year history, of non-Korean practitioners: the 500-plus Korean Buddhist pilgrims were accompanied nine practitioners from Italy, Japan, Thailand, the United Kingdom, the United States, and Vietnam. Second, the pilgrimage also coincided with celebrations for the 30th anniversary of Sujata Academy, a remarkable community school and social empowerment project established by Ven. Pomnyun Sunim in Dungeshwari, in the northeastern Indian state of Bihar. This project has transformed the lives of an entire community of people who have faced systemic social and economic exclusion as a result of India\u2019s conservative Hindu caste hierarchy.2<\/sup><\/p>\n\n\n\n

The academy is named after Sujata, the young woman who is said to have nourished the ailing and emaciated Siddhartha Gautama with a bowl of milk-rice, thus ending his six years of extreme asceticism. Tuition at the academy is provided free of charge. The school\u2019s principal goal is to educate every student in basic literacy and numeracy. Classes are taught from kindergarten to secondary level, alongside adult literacy classes and skills training. Students who wish to continue beyond elementary education and attend secondary school are required to teach kindergarteners or to help out in the onsite Jivaka Hospital in the mornings and to attend classes in the afternoon, working in the spirit of giving back to the community. The campus also includes a warehouse, a dormitory, a large playing field, and sports equipment for the children.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

x<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

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\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\"\"<\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

Ven. Pomnyun Sunim established the international Buddhist humanitarian relief organization Join Together Society (JTS) as an expression of the compassion of engaged Buddhism and the belief that helping others is the best way to enrich one\u2019s own life. Headquartered in Seoul, JTS operates four branch offices in South Korea and the United States, along with field offices in India and the Philippines. JTS Korea and JTS America oversee fundraising, while JTS India and JTS Philippines conduct development projects in cooperation with local communities. The relief organization has also earned Special Consultative Status to the United Nations Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

JTS India began its work in Dungeshwari, some 12 kilometers northeast of the Buddhist pilgrimage hub of Bodh Gaya, in the early 1990s, aspiring to fulfill the mission: \u201cThe hungry should eat; the sick should be treated; children should be educated in time.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This region is surrounded by the Pragbodhi Hills where the historical Buddha, Shakyamuni, is said to have spent six years in a cave as an ascetic. And it\u2019s here that JTS India has been working to empower the villagers of Dungeshwari to live their lives free from hunger, illiteracy, and disease.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The people of Dungeshwari are primarily Dalits, who face systemic social and economic exclusion as a result of the conservative Hindu social hierarchy. \u201cDalit,\u201d which translates as \u201cbroken\u201d in Sanskrit, is a term for the very lowest castes, whom members of the so-called \u201chigher\u201d castes still to this day deem \u201cuntouchable,\u201d despite the practice being prohibited in the Constitution of India. By working directly with disadvantaged communities, JTS aims to help them to mobilize their own capabilities and resources to create a more prosperous and sustainable future.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Jungto Society Dharma teacher Doyeon Jang (Dharma name Bogwang), is the director of Sujata Academy. She has overseen the development of this ambitious project, facing numerous challenges, both personal and structural, in the process of bringing this expression of compassion and social transformation to fruition.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u25b6\ufe0f Published by BDG on March 8, 2024<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u25b6\ufe0f Read more: <\/a>https:\/\/www.buddhistdoor.net\/features\/the-sujata-academy-project-the-power-of-hope-and-compassion-in-india\/<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

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<\/p>\n","post_title":"The Sujata Academy Project: The Power of Hope and Compassion in India","post_excerpt":"The Korean Seon (Zen) master Venerable Pomnyun Sunim (\ubc95\ub95c\uc2a4\ub2d8) wears many hats: Buddhist monk, teacher, author, environmentalist, and social activist, to name a few. As a widely respected Dharma teacher and a tireless socially engaged activist in his native South Korea, Ven. Pomnyun Sunim has founded numerous Dharma-based organizations, initiatives, and projects that are active across the world. Among them, Jungto Society, a volunteer-based community founded on the Buddhist teachings and expressing equality, simple living, and sustainability, is dedicated to addressing modern social issues that lead to suffering, including environmental degradation, poverty, and conflict.\n\nThis column, shared by Jungto Society, presents a series of highlights from Ven. Pomnyun Sunim\u2019s writings, teachings, public talks, and regular live-streamed Dharma Q+A sessions, which are accessible across the globe.\n","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","post_password":"","post_name":"the-sujata-academy-project-the-power-of-hope-and-compassion-in-india","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2024-03-10 17:38:00","post_modified_gmt":"2024-03-10 22:38:00","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/www.jungtosociety.org\/?p=18140","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"},{"ID":18136,"post_author":"13","post_date":"2024-03-10 17:24:34","post_date_gmt":"2024-03-10 22:24:34","post_content":"\n

Your son is over forty and
his main relationship is with someone else.
So, stop worrying about a grown man
who belongs with another woman
and be nice to the man next to you. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Illustration by Maseol <\/p>\n","post_title":"Son over forty","post_excerpt":"","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","post_password":"","post_name":"son-over-forty","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2024-03-10 17:24:36","post_modified_gmt":"2024-03-10 22:24:36","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/www.jungtosociety.org\/?p=18136","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"}],"next":false,"prev":false,"total_page":1},"paged":1,"column_class":"jeg_col_2o3","class":"jnews_block_37"};

\n

\"I can take care of my own life.
Buddha, please take care of the children
who are dying of starvation or disease.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Illustration by Maseol <\/p>\n","post_title":"Starving Children","post_excerpt":"","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","post_password":"","post_name":"starving-children","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2024-03-27 22:43:58","post_modified_gmt":"2024-03-28 03:43:58","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/www.jungtosociety.org\/?p=18346","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"},{"ID":18171,"post_author":"13","post_date":"2024-03-26 18:29:19","post_date_gmt":"2024-03-26 23:29:19","post_content":"\n

\ud83d\udeeb<\/strong> New York, Boston, Dallas, Washington D.C., Tokyo, Frankfurt, Sydney, Seattle, Vancouver, San Francisco, Las Vegas, San Diego, Los Angeles<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\ud83d\uddd3 April 29 - September 20, 2024<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u2b50\ufe0f Ask Anything to Ven. Pomnyun Sunim!<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Ven. Pomnyun Sunim has been engaged in dialogue with the public for decades sharing the Dharma with people from various religious and cultural backgrounds. His unique approach to tackling life\u2019s challenges, grounded in the original teachings of the Buddha, offers clear and easily accessible insights. Through his guidance, many have found immediate peace of mind and the confidence to face life\u2019s challenges without despair or stress.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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We\u2019re excited to announce that Ven. Pomnyun Sunim will be hosting Q&A sessions in New York, Boston, Dallas, and Washington D.C. Don\u2019t miss this special opportunity to gather in person and learn from his wisdom. Save the date and register today! (In September, several events are planned with Ven. Pomnyun Sunim along the west coast of North America.)
The event is free and open to everyone. Given the limited seating available, we highly recommend registering in advance to secure your spot. Registration forms can be found below.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\ud83d\udcac Casual Conversation: mainly in English, with exceptions in Tokyo and Frankfurt<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n

Subscribe to our newsletter to get notifications on event registration and more.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n
\n\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n
<\/div>\n<\/div>\n","post_title":"In-Person Casual Conversation with Ven. Pomnyun Sunim in 2024","post_excerpt":"","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","post_password":"","post_name":"casual-conversation-with-ven-pomnyun-sunim-2024","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2024-03-27 12:49:06","post_modified_gmt":"2024-03-27 17:49:06","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/www.jungtosociety.org\/?p=18171","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"},{"ID":18145,"post_author":"40","post_date":"2024-03-26 07:00:00","post_date_gmt":"2024-03-26 12:00:00","post_content":"\n

P:<\/strong> Most of us feel anxious and insecure about our old age. So, people ask, \u201cWhat do I need to do to prepare for a happy old age?\u201d However, there is no such thing as preparing to be happy. You must simply be happy at this moment. Let\u2019s say you slip and fall down the stairs and break a leg. If you think to yourself, \u201cWhat bad luck that I broke my leg!\u201d you will feel unhappy. However, if you think, \u201cHow fortunate that I only broke one leg when I could have easily broken both legs!\u201d you will feel happy. If you can see the positive side of everything, you will always be happy. There is no need to prepare for a happy old age.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWhen I see in the media, \u2018Your old age will be insecure if you don\u2019t prepare for it.\u2019 or \u2018You need to do this and that to be happy in your old age,\u2019 I feel like I need to do something.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Needing to prepare for happiness is a claim of those who have never been happy. Often, all people do is prepare to become happy but end up dying without ever having been happy. Therefore, there is no need to prepare. We should be happy from this very moment. We should not prepare to be happy but be happy immediately starting today.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Those who are not happy today cannot be happy tomorrow, and those who are not happy in this world cannot be happy in the afterworld, should it exist. Those who always complain in this world will find something to complain about even in heaven. You may think that you will be happy the moment you get to heaven, but once you are there, you might still be unhappy. There is no place in the world that will automatically make you happy. You should be happy right here, right now.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Then, how can we become happy? Wouldn\u2019t I be miserable if I envied you and kept thinking, \u201cHow I wish I could get married!\u201d? If those of you who are married keep thinking, \u201cI wish I could live alone. How wonderful it must be to travel anywhere as freely as the Sunim does!\u201d you would be very unhappy. A monk like me should be proud of living alone, and those who are married should be so happy in their marriages as to make a monk feel jealous. Living the life we have chosen to the best of our ability is living well.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

We should be happy with everything that happens in the natural course of our lives. For instance, we should be happy to grow old as time passes, happy to be alive when alive, and happy to die when death knocks at the door. Then, it will be like living in heaven in this life as well as in the afterlife. It doesn\u2019t make sense to live this life as if we were in hell while wishing to go to heaven after death.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

When a person who lives in Korea can live happily, Korea becomes a heaven. This person will be happy even if he lives in the U.S. However, a person who complains about his life in this world will not stop complaining even if he were sent to heaven. A complainer is likely to grumble no matter where he goes. Therefore, heaven and hell do not exist separately in another world. That is, we are in heaven when we are happy and in hell when we are miserable.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

We tend to blame others for their hardships and suffering. However, if we look carefully, we will to see that we ourselves make our own happiness and unhappiness. Those who make themselves miserable will feel miserable even in heaven, and those who make themselves happy will be happy even in hell.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

We should be content with our current lives at all times. When we wake up early in the morning, when we meditate, when we prostrate, and when we have meals, we should be happy to be able to do these things. Considering that a countless number of people in North Korea are currently starving, shouldn\u2019t we be thankful for the fact that we are able to have regular meals? We should always perceive our lives in such a positive light.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Actually, you are all happy right now. You simply don\u2019t see it or feel it. Once upon a time someone visited a Zen master and talked extensively about the Buddha and his teachings. The Zen master told him, \u201cJust have a cup of tea.\u201d He meant, \u201cStop thinking nonsense.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

You are already happy. You don\u2019t need to work hard to be happy.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

When you let go of the thought, \u201cI will live happily,\u201d you will find happiness.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

We create our own happiness.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

We create our own misfortune.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Truly, our happiness and unhappiness are not created by others.<\/p>\n","post_title":"We Are The Ones Who Create Our Happiness And Unhappiness","post_excerpt":"","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","post_password":"","post_name":"we-are-the-ones-who-create-our-happiness-and-unhappiness","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2024-03-11 20:02:00","post_modified_gmt":"2024-03-12 01:02:00","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/www.jungtosociety.org\/?p=18145","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"},{"ID":18295,"post_author":"13","post_date":"2024-03-20 22:57:13","post_date_gmt":"2024-03-21 03:57:13","post_content":"\n

\"Let's change just one day at a time\" <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Accomplishing something
every day with a light heart is like
water drops piercing a rock. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Illustration by Maseol <\/p>\n","post_title":"One day at a time","post_excerpt":"","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","post_password":"","post_name":"one-day-at-a-time","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2024-03-20 22:57:15","post_modified_gmt":"2024-03-21 03:57:15","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/www.jungtosociety.org\/?p=18295","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"},{"ID":18131,"post_author":"40","post_date":"2024-03-19 14:51:48","post_date_gmt":"2024-03-19 19:51:48","post_content":"\n

P:<\/strong> In the past, parents left all their wealth to their children when they retired, and since their children took good care of them for the rest of their lives, they did not have to worry about their future. However, times have changed. The middle-aged population now find that although they have honored and taken good care of their aged parents, their own children are unlikely to do the same for them. Therefore, parents, today should not give all their assets to their children when they retire.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

When parents leave all their wealth to their offspring, they may be exposed to the danger of becoming broke and homeless if their offspring should go bankrupt. This isn\u2019t such a big problem when you are young because you can work hard to regain your wealth. In Korea, there is even a saying that goes, \u201cHardship during youth is worth paying money for.\u201d Because they have energy and potential, young people don\u2019t look pathetic when they are without money and live in a tent. However, nothing is more pitiful than seeing an old person broke and homeless. Therefore, even when any of your children become bankrupt, you should not lend him or her money by mortgaging your house. If you do, you may end up losing your house.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

You can age gracefully when you have your own assets. If you don\u2019t have anything to live on, your later years will become miserable. So, you should keep your assets. If you give them away to your children, your relationship with your children may easily be ruined.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This is not to say that you should hoard all your assets. You can give some to your children if you want, but you should keep your house and enough money to live comfortably. This way, you will still have some assets to leave to your children when you pass away, and they will arrange a good funeral for you.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

If you plan to distribute your assets among your children after retirement, it\u2019s a good idea to give away just seventy to eighty percent of your assets. You must keep twenty to thirty percent for your own. You can decide on the percentage depending on the size of your assets. If you don\u2019t have a lot of assets, the percentage you keep should be higher than if you have a lot. Either way, when parents maintain their financial freedom even after retirement, they will be able to live with dignity and are more likely to sustain a good relationship with their children.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Of course, there is the option of practicing according to the teachings of the Buddha and letting go of all your worldly possessions. People may think that an enlightened person does not need to have a cent to his name and just needs a space in the common room of a temple to sleep. Most people, however, can\u2019t live this way, which is why they need to hold on to enough assets to live on. Those living in the countryside need a place to live, a piece of land to grow various vegetables, and rice fields, while those living in the city need to have a principal amount in the bank that will yield enough monthly interest for them to live comfortably.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

It\u2019s not easy for people to earn money in their old age. Since they don\u2019t have a source of income, they may expect their children to give them some spending money and end up resenting them if they don\u2019t. To avoid such an outcome, it\u2019s necessary for people to keep some financial assets to live on in their old age. This way, parents can live independently from their children without expecting too much from their children or be overly attached to them.<\/p>\n","post_title":"You Should Hold Onto Enough Financial Assets To Live On After Retirement","post_excerpt":"","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","post_password":"","post_name":"you-should-hold-onto-enough-financial-assets-to-live-on-after-retirement","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2024-03-02 14:55:05","post_modified_gmt":"2024-03-02 19:55:05","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/www.jungtosociety.org\/?p=18131","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"},{"ID":18045,"post_author":"40","post_date":"2024-03-15 07:00:00","post_date_gmt":"2024-03-15 12:00:00","post_content":"\n

<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/a><\/gwmw><\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/a><\/p>\n","post_title":"[Meditation Q&A] \u201cHow can I value serenity but not give up caring when I am practicing…. ?","post_excerpt":"","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","post_password":"","post_name":"meditation-qa-how-can-i-value-serenity-but-not-give-up-caring-when-i-am-practicing","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2024-02-27 19:02:33","post_modified_gmt":"2024-02-28 00:02:33","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/www.jungtosociety.org\/?p=18045","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"},{"ID":18197,"post_author":"13","post_date":"2024-03-13 22:47:47","post_date_gmt":"2024-03-14 03:47:47","post_content":"\n

It\u2019s simple to become an adult.
Wake up earlier than your mom
and prepare breakfast for your parents,
wash the dishes,
and clean your room after school or work. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Illustration by Maseol <\/p>\n","post_title":"Becoming an adult","post_excerpt":"","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","post_password":"","post_name":"becoming-an-adult","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2024-03-13 22:47:48","post_modified_gmt":"2024-03-14 03:47:48","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/www.jungtosociety.org\/?p=18197","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"},{"ID":18125,"post_author":"40","post_date":"2024-03-12 07:00:00","post_date_gmt":"2024-03-12 12:00:00","post_content":"\n

P:<\/strong> When the Buddha was close to death, his disciples came to him and asked,<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cHow would you like us to conduct your funeral?\u201d The Buddha answered, \u201cYou don\u2019t need to worry about my funeral because the lay Buddhists will take care of it.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Lay Buddhists are those who take refuge in the Three Jewels and practice the Five Precepts without becoming monks or nuns. When the Buddha said they will take care of it, he meant that his funeral would be conducted based on customs of the lay people in India. So, after the Buddha died, the Lay Buddhists cremated the Buddha\u2019s body according to the Indian tradition. If he had lived in Korea, he would have been buried in the ground as is the custom in Korea.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Dharma is a teaching about truth, so it does not contain cultural aspects. However, since Buddhism originated from India, its traditions, customs, and culture were integrated into the Buddhist culture. Strictly speaking, neither cremation nor the 49-day posthumous ceremony is a fundamental tradition of Buddhism. They are in fact part of the of Indian cultural tradition.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

It is said that the deceased person has 49 days to be saved and is classified into one of nine levels based on his deeds during his life. \u201cAnyone can be reborn in paradise after he dies if he sincerely hopes for it. However, not everyone can be reborn in paradise right away since people fall into one of the nine categories based on their deeds.\u201d Specifically, people are divided into three categories of high, middle and low, and those in each of the three categories are again divided into high, middle and low, so there are a total of nine categories.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

It is believed that people in the very first category are reborn in paradise immediately after their death. It is comparable to leaving a room and entering another room. Those in the second category are reborn within 12 hours. It takes one day for those in the third category, three days for those in the fourth, a week for those in the fifth, 21 days for those in the sixth, and finally, it takes 49 days for those in the seventh category to be reborn in paradise. This is reason that people hold the 49-day posthumous ceremony. This ritual provides an opportunity for people to do good deeds on behalf of their deceased family members and help them be reborn in paradise within 49 days.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

What happens to the people in the eighth and ninth categories? Ultimately, people in all nine categories will all be reborn in paradise. However, those in the eighth and ninth categories have to spend some time in hell before that. Every year, Buddhists perform the Buddhist All Soul\u2019s Day ceremony on July 15th of the lunar calendar to save the souls of those in the two categories from hell. There is no point in debating whether this is true or not because it is a religious belief, so people are free to choose whether to believe it or not.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Funeral customs vary greatly from religion to religion and country to country. In India, the dead are cremated, and in Tibet, they are left to be eaten by birds. The corpse is cut up and placed on big rocks high in the mountain, so that it is eaten by falcons and eagles. In desert regions, the dead are \u201cburied in the wind.\u201d That is, they are nailed on a wooden board and exposed to the elements for one year until only the bones remain after which the funeral ceremony is performed. In regions with many islands, the dead are dropped into the sea.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Each of these funeral rituals has its unique meaning and significance. Tibetans feed the dead to birds because they believe that the spirit of the dead will fly to heaven with the birds. Some cultures bury the dead in the ground because of the belief that the spiritual world exists underground. Meanwhile, Indians believe in reincarnation, so they cremate the corpse to help the spirits to quickly sever their attachment to their worldly bodies so that they can be reborn.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Regardless of the funeral ritual that is performed, once a person dies, it\u2019s the end. By saying \u201cthe end\u201d I am not implying that there is no heaven or an afterlife; I am simply saying the person who draws his last breath will no longer exist in this world. From a Christian viewpoint, the spirits go to heaven, and from a Buddhist perspective, the spirits are reborn, so there is nothing we can do for them. Therefore, the best farewell for those who pass away is to let them go from our hearts.<\/p>\n","post_title":"The Best Farewell For The Deceased","post_excerpt":"","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","post_password":"","post_name":"the-best-farewell-for-the-deceased-2","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2024-03-02 14:50:59","post_modified_gmt":"2024-03-02 19:50:59","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/www.jungtosociety.org\/?p=18125","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"},{"ID":18140,"post_author":"13","post_date":"2024-03-10 17:37:58","post_date_gmt":"2024-03-10 22:37:58","post_content":"\n

<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Jungto Society, the international Buddhist community founded by the revered Korean Dharma master and social activist Venerable Pomnyun Sunim (\ubc95\ub95c\uc2a4\ub2d8), recently conducted its 33rd annual pilgrimage across India and to Nepal. Held under the theme \u201cFollowing in the Footsteps of the Buddha,\u201d the pilgrimage, which ran from 19 January to 2 February, was attended by more 500 practitioners.1<\/sup><\/p>\n\n\n\n

This year\u2019s pilgrimage was particularly notable for two reasons: first was the participation, for the first time in the Jungto pilgrimage\u2019s 33-year history, of non-Korean practitioners: the 500-plus Korean Buddhist pilgrims were accompanied nine practitioners from Italy, Japan, Thailand, the United Kingdom, the United States, and Vietnam. Second, the pilgrimage also coincided with celebrations for the 30th anniversary of Sujata Academy, a remarkable community school and social empowerment project established by Ven. Pomnyun Sunim in Dungeshwari, in the northeastern Indian state of Bihar. This project has transformed the lives of an entire community of people who have faced systemic social and economic exclusion as a result of India\u2019s conservative Hindu caste hierarchy.2<\/sup><\/p>\n\n\n\n

The academy is named after Sujata, the young woman who is said to have nourished the ailing and emaciated Siddhartha Gautama with a bowl of milk-rice, thus ending his six years of extreme asceticism. Tuition at the academy is provided free of charge. The school\u2019s principal goal is to educate every student in basic literacy and numeracy. Classes are taught from kindergarten to secondary level, alongside adult literacy classes and skills training. Students who wish to continue beyond elementary education and attend secondary school are required to teach kindergarteners or to help out in the onsite Jivaka Hospital in the mornings and to attend classes in the afternoon, working in the spirit of giving back to the community. The campus also includes a warehouse, a dormitory, a large playing field, and sports equipment for the children.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

x<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n
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\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\"\"<\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

Ven. Pomnyun Sunim established the international Buddhist humanitarian relief organization Join Together Society (JTS) as an expression of the compassion of engaged Buddhism and the belief that helping others is the best way to enrich one\u2019s own life. Headquartered in Seoul, JTS operates four branch offices in South Korea and the United States, along with field offices in India and the Philippines. JTS Korea and JTS America oversee fundraising, while JTS India and JTS Philippines conduct development projects in cooperation with local communities. The relief organization has also earned Special Consultative Status to the United Nations Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

JTS India began its work in Dungeshwari, some 12 kilometers northeast of the Buddhist pilgrimage hub of Bodh Gaya, in the early 1990s, aspiring to fulfill the mission: \u201cThe hungry should eat; the sick should be treated; children should be educated in time.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This region is surrounded by the Pragbodhi Hills where the historical Buddha, Shakyamuni, is said to have spent six years in a cave as an ascetic. And it\u2019s here that JTS India has been working to empower the villagers of Dungeshwari to live their lives free from hunger, illiteracy, and disease.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The people of Dungeshwari are primarily Dalits, who face systemic social and economic exclusion as a result of the conservative Hindu social hierarchy. \u201cDalit,\u201d which translates as \u201cbroken\u201d in Sanskrit, is a term for the very lowest castes, whom members of the so-called \u201chigher\u201d castes still to this day deem \u201cuntouchable,\u201d despite the practice being prohibited in the Constitution of India. By working directly with disadvantaged communities, JTS aims to help them to mobilize their own capabilities and resources to create a more prosperous and sustainable future.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Jungto Society Dharma teacher Doyeon Jang (Dharma name Bogwang), is the director of Sujata Academy. She has overseen the development of this ambitious project, facing numerous challenges, both personal and structural, in the process of bringing this expression of compassion and social transformation to fruition.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u25b6\ufe0f Published by BDG on March 8, 2024<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u25b6\ufe0f Read more: <\/a>https:\/\/www.buddhistdoor.net\/features\/the-sujata-academy-project-the-power-of-hope-and-compassion-in-india\/<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

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<\/p>\n","post_title":"The Sujata Academy Project: The Power of Hope and Compassion in India","post_excerpt":"The Korean Seon (Zen) master Venerable Pomnyun Sunim (\ubc95\ub95c\uc2a4\ub2d8) wears many hats: Buddhist monk, teacher, author, environmentalist, and social activist, to name a few. As a widely respected Dharma teacher and a tireless socially engaged activist in his native South Korea, Ven. Pomnyun Sunim has founded numerous Dharma-based organizations, initiatives, and projects that are active across the world. Among them, Jungto Society, a volunteer-based community founded on the Buddhist teachings and expressing equality, simple living, and sustainability, is dedicated to addressing modern social issues that lead to suffering, including environmental degradation, poverty, and conflict.\n\nThis column, shared by Jungto Society, presents a series of highlights from Ven. Pomnyun Sunim\u2019s writings, teachings, public talks, and regular live-streamed Dharma Q+A sessions, which are accessible across the globe.\n","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","post_password":"","post_name":"the-sujata-academy-project-the-power-of-hope-and-compassion-in-india","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2024-03-10 17:38:00","post_modified_gmt":"2024-03-10 22:38:00","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/www.jungtosociety.org\/?p=18140","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"},{"ID":18136,"post_author":"13","post_date":"2024-03-10 17:24:34","post_date_gmt":"2024-03-10 22:24:34","post_content":"\n

Your son is over forty and
his main relationship is with someone else.
So, stop worrying about a grown man
who belongs with another woman
and be nice to the man next to you. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Illustration by Maseol <\/p>\n","post_title":"Son over forty","post_excerpt":"","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","post_password":"","post_name":"son-over-forty","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2024-03-10 17:24:36","post_modified_gmt":"2024-03-10 22:24:36","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/www.jungtosociety.org\/?p=18136","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"}],"next":false,"prev":false,"total_page":1},"paged":1,"column_class":"jeg_col_2o3","class":"jnews_block_37"};