The children are very happy now that the dormitory has been built

Hello. Today is the opening ceremony for the orphanage dormitory of the Dhammanulak Children’s Foundation, which underwent a year-long renovation with support from JTS.

After finishing his morning prayer and meditation, Sunim left the accommodation with Thai Jungto members at 5:30 AM and headed to the orphanage run by the Dhammanulak Children’s Foundation.

We drove out of Bangkok city and traveled west for 3 hours and 30 minutes. At 9 AM, we arrived in Kanchanaburi, where the Dhammanulak Children’s Foundation is located.

Children and nuns were preparing for the event in various places. Thai Jungto members started preparing lunch as soon as they arrived.

Sunim took a tour to see how the renovation was completed. Ms. Hwang So-yeon, who carried out the construction, explained in detail how the construction was done in every corner.

“It’s more like we built it anew rather than just renovating. The girls’ dormitory is not finished yet, but we’re practically rebuilding that one as well.”

We first toured the boys’ dormitory where the renovation was completed.

When Sunim visited this place last year, the facilities were very outdated. It had small rooms with two bathrooms, but the bathrooms were all broken, and the rooms were separated by wooden plywood. We removed all the bathrooms inside the rooms to make the rooms larger, and built five new bathrooms and a shower room outside. The ceiling also looked like it was about to collapse, so we replaced the roof, made a new waterway to prevent landslides when it rains, and even did plumbing work.

“As you can see, we moved the bathrooms outside and built five new ones.”

The exterior walls of the bathrooms were painted with pictures that children like. Inside, we found newly renovated shower rooms and spacious rooms.

“We used sliding doors here so that children can easily come in and out, and if you go inside the room, you’ll see that everything has been renovated. We laid new plumbing, replaced the septic tank, and did waterproofing work to prevent water from seeping into the walls.”

After leaving the boys’ dormitory, we headed to the girls’ dormitory.

“When you visited last time, you said it was dangerous for children to walk around, so we improved the path as well. We built these new stairs to connect the buildings.”

The girls’ dormitory was also over 20 years old and very outdated, so we did construction work to create 11 rooms and a corridor to separate the spaces. The ceiling was low and hot, so we raised the ceiling and replaced the entire roof to improve ventilation.

“The girls’ dormitory is not finished yet. We’ve laid all the tiles inside the rooms. We’ve made a total of 11 rooms, and we plan to install glass windows to let sunlight in. We’ve made the rooms very large. We raised the ceiling a lot to improve ventilation and make it less hot. The bhikkhuni has asked for additional shower rooms, so we’ll have to review that.”

After touring the orphanage, Sunim greeted Maechee Chutipa, the director of the orphanage, on the way to the event venue.

“How is your health?”

“I’m fine. All the children are gone today. It’s because it’s a school day for them. Instead, a senior monk from this area has come to give a blessing prayer today.”

“Yes, thank you.”

“I’m very upset that the construction is not finished yet.”

“It’s okay. Construction never goes according to plan. Today was the only day I could visit this year, so I came even though the construction wasn’t finished. Looking around, it seems like it will be completed in just a few more days.”

As we arrived at the event venue, guests started arriving for the opening ceremony.

Secretary-General Moo and Anchali from INEB (International Network of Engaged Buddhists), which has an office in Bangkok, came, and Venerable Chaiyaporn and Venerable Myohai, who had visited Jungto Society on an INEB study tour, came to celebrate the opening ceremony. A senior monk from Kanchanaburi also joined us.

Sunim exchanged greetings and had tea with the guests. As they were all interested in and practicing engaged Buddhism, they had many conversations about how to solve various social issues such as the social unrest in Myanmar and the Rohingya refugee problem.

At 10 AM, we all moved to the event venue. First, the children living in the Dhammanulak orphanage performed exciting traditional Thai dances and music.

The guests gave a big round of applause.

Then, young bhikkhunis (nuns) performed three bows to Sunim and the guests and chanted.

After a modest welcome ceremony, we all moved to the newly renovated girls’ dormitory.

Maechee Chutipa, the director of the orphanage, gave a welcome speech.

The Children Are Very Happy Now That the Dormitory Has Been Built

“The building in front of you was an old building before. When Venerable Pomnyun visited last year and saw the condition of this building, he decided to support its renovation. So we renovated two buildings. This building is the girls’ dormitory, which is not yet completed. The boys’ dormitory has been completed, and we plan to visit it next.

Now that the dormitory is completed, the children are very happy. In particular, this place used to be one large hall where everyone slept together. But Venerable Pomnyun suggested that we divide it into rooms because the children have grown up now. So we made 11 rooms. We plan to have three children stay in each room.

Today is the official opening day of this building. We will have a time to officially open this building and show our respect. I ask Sunim and the guests to look around the building and give your blessings. Thanks to your blessings, the children will be able to sleep in good beds from today.”

Sunim and the guests entered the girls’ dormitory and gave their blessings together.

The young bhikkhunis chanted and prayed outside, reciting scriptures.

We all took a commemorative photo in front of the newly renovated girls’ dormitory.

Next, we moved to the boys’ dormitory. The boys’ dormitory had completed its interior renovation and the exterior was neatly finished. A plaque stating that the children’s dormitory of the Dhammanulak Foundation was built with support from JTS was standing neatly on a pretty flower bed.

After touring the interior of the dormitory, we all took a commemorative photo in front of the plaque.

Young bhikkhunis also chanted and prayed in front of the boys’ dormitory.

We modestly concluded the opening ceremony. Just then, the technicians who carried out the renovation work came to greet Sunim. Sunim thanked them first.

“Thank you for building the building so well.”

The technicians smiled and replied.

“We will take responsibility and build it well until the end. Thai technicians often run away, but we don’t run away.” (Laughter)

We all moved to the dining hall for lunch.

Thai Jungto members prepared Korean food. Due to the Korean Wave, the orphanage children wanted to eat Korean food, so they prepared kimbap, tteokbokki, Korean fried chicken, and japchae.

The children said the Korean food was delicious and came back two or three times for more. Some children came back up to five times for more food.

The young bhikkhunis waited until everyone had their food, prayed, and then ate.

The children ate so heartily that all the side dishes prepared were completely finished.

Sunim had lunch with the guests and engaged in conversation. The guests were curious about why Sunim decided to support this orphanage and asked questions.

“Could you please explain how you came to support this orphanage?”

“This is an orphanage that cares for children who have no parents or whose parents are too poor to care for them. A bhikkhuni was struggling to run the orphanage. When I visited last year, I found the building was very old. The living conditions for the children – eating, sleeping, and living spaces – were so poor that I thought they needed improvement. So I asked the bhikkhuni, ‘Would you like to build a new building or renovate the existing one?’ She said renovation would be better.

We Improved the Orphanage Facilities, Almost Rebuilding Them

We renovated two buildings – the boys’ dormitory and the girls’ dormitory. The buildings were so old that we almost had to rebuild them entirely. However, the construction was delayed because the technician fell ill and other issues arose. Today was the only day I could visit within this year, so we held the completion ceremony even though the construction wasn’t fully finished.”

The guests were all pleased to see the children eating so well.

“It’s wonderful to see the children eating so well. They seem even happier with so many guests here.”

Sunim shared his thoughts from visiting 10 countries during this Southeast Asian trip. After having a thorough conversation with the guests, he moved to another location to be interviewed by Chris, a YouTuber. Chris is the husband of a Bangkok Jungto Society member. He asked a few questions, wanting to share today’s event and Sunim’s activities with people.

“I’m really curious about what kind of organization Jungto Society is and why you founded it.”

Sunim explained in detail the founding purpose of Jungto Society and its current activities.

“People think that all suffering will disappear if they become materially affluent. However, even in countries like Korea where basic needs for food, clothing, and shelter are met, people still can’t escape their suffering. Buddha saw that our suffering is not resolved by material fulfillment. Our suffering arises from our own ignorance, so if we awaken from this ignorance, we can be free from all suffering. This is Buddha’s teaching. The purpose of establishing Jungto Society is to spread this teaching of Buddha to modern people so that they can live happier lives. At the same time, there are still many people in this world who don’t even have the basic material conditions to sustain their lives. They are in a state of absolute poverty. We need to give food to the hungry, medicine to the sick, and ensure children can learn at the right time. Moreover, modern people’s excessive consumption has led to a climate crisis. To overcome this, we all need to reduce our consumption. Until now, we thought that ‘producing a lot and consuming a lot is living well,’ but this is a mistaken idea. We need to find ways to live happily while consuming less, aiming for a carbon-zero lifestyle. So, Jungto Society is promoting a movement to eat less, wear less, and use less. In short, it’s a movement for living frugally. If we have anything left over, we share it with our poor neighbors – this is our poverty eradication movement. When people insist on their own thoughts, conflicts arise and wars break out. Our peace movement aims to solve problems peacefully by recognizing and understanding our differences. If we carry out these movements – practice movement, environmental movement, peace movement, and poverty eradication movement – we can create a world where nature is beautiful, society is peaceful, and individuals are happy. In Buddhism, we call this kind of world ‘Jungto.’ With this purpose, we created an organization called ‘Jungto Society’ and are carrying out these activities.”

After the interview, the bhikkhuni who runs the Dhammanurak Orphanage came to thank Sunim.

“Thank you, Sunim.”

He took a group photo with all the guests and also greeted the Jungto Society members.

“Thank you all for your hard work. I appreciate it. I need to go to the airport now as I’m flying to Vietnam tonight. Please take your time coming back.”

As Sunim was about to leave, the orphanage children bid him farewell by beating drums.

It takes another 3 hours and 30 minutes to get to the airport. He quickly got into the car and headed back to Bangkok.

While in the car, Sunim made a suggestion to the Jungto Society members.

“It would be nice if we could provide special meals to the orphanage children once or twice a month. Please discuss if Bangkok Jungto Society members can come together to volunteer for this.”

“Yes, we understand.”

After driving on the road for a while, they arrived at Bangkok Suvarnabhumi International Airport at 4 PM.

After checking in and having a quick dinner of rice noodles, he boarded the flight to Hanoi, Vietnam.

Sunim took a brief rest on the plane.

The plane that departed from Bangkok Airport at 7:05 PM arrived at Hanoi Airport in Vietnam at 9:10 PM local time after a 2-hour and 5-minute flight.

After completing immigration procedures and collecting luggage, Jungto Society members living in Hanoi welcomed Sunim as he exited the airport. They took a commemorative photo together and then moved to the accommodation.

After an hour’s drive, they arrived at the accommodation past 11 PM. Today was a day of long-distance travel from Bangkok to Hanoi.

As there was no Dharma talk today, I’ll conclude by introducing the content of the Dharma Q&A lecture given to Korean expatriates in Bangkok on the 17th.

I’m Ashamed That I Can’t Even Spread the Dharma to My Children

“I’m 82 years old this year, and I’ve been earnestly believing in Buddha for the past 30 years. During that time, I’ve spread the Dharma to five people, but I haven’t been able to spread it to even one of my own children. I’m in a position where I don’t burden my children financially, but rather help them economically. When my eldest daughter-in-law’s mother was Catholic and my daughter-in-law said she would later believe in Catholicism, I said, ‘As the eldest daughter-in-law, you should follow me, how can you believe in Catholicism?’ and told her it wasn’t allowed. My younger son lives here in Thailand. My younger daughter-in-law is Christian, so my younger son also goes to church. So I feel I have no face to show Buddha. What should I do to spread the Dharma to my children?”

“In your view, is Buddha open-minded or narrow-minded?”

“Buddha is open-minded and compassionate.”

“As you say, Buddha is open-minded and compassionate. Do you think such a person would criticize or dislike your children for going to church or cathedral?”

“No.”

“Then why do you say you have no face to show Buddha?”

“I still feel so sorry towards Buddha. How can I call myself a Buddhist when I can’t even spread the Dharma to my own children? I feel ashamed because I think others might think this way.”

“First, Buddha is open-minded and compassionate, so he doesn’t criticize or judge whether one believes in Buddhism, Christianity, Catholicism, or anything else. That’s why we say ‘Namu Bomun Sihyeon Wonryeok Hongsim Daeja Daebi’. Here, ‘Bomun (普門)’ means a wide door, or an equal door. It means that Buddha cares for all people equally, without discriminating based on country, ethnicity, religion, gender, etc. So you don’t need to feel sorry towards Buddha.

Secondly, although the questioner may have been a devout Buddhist, they might not have been someone their children wanted to emulate. If the children respected their Buddhist mother’s life and actions, there would be no reason for them not to go to the temple. It’s possible that the questioner failed to set a good example that would inspire their children to have faith in Buddhism. Thirdly, current Korean Buddhism may not be very appealing to young people. They might find Dharma talks unconvincing, Buddhist rituals boring, and feel little desire to visit temples. Fourthly, the Constitution of the Republic of Korea guarantees freedom of religion. Asking a daughter-in-law to change the religion she had before marriage would be a violation of religious freedom. Considering these various situations, forcing Buddhism on your children might actually cause more resistance. Of course, I understand the questioner’s desire for their children to study Buddhism by attending temple. However, it’s also a fact of life that things don’t always go as we wish. You might send your child to study abroad expecting them to marry a Korean, but they end up marrying a foreigner. Your child might have been Buddhist, but after living abroad, they might convert to Christianity. Thus, things in this world don’t always go as we want. If you suffer because of this, you’re being foolish and don’t understand the ways of the world. There can be various reasons why your children don’t believe in Buddhism, so don’t worry too much about it and just maintain your own faith well. If you can’t maintain your own center, there’s a higher chance that you might end up converting to follow your children’s beliefs rather than bringing them to the temple. (Laughter)

“If your entire family goes to church and you’re the only one who goes to a temple, you might not be able to chant Buddhist prayers at your funeral. This is because funerals are centered around the living, not the deceased. If your children and daughters-in-law all attend church, how can they chant Buddhist prayers? Instead of forcing your children to go to the temple, you should be grateful if they would at least conduct a Buddhist funeral for you after you pass away.”

“My husband passed away this year. Although he didn’t attend temple, he transcribed the Lotus Sutra 23 times before he died. Perhaps because of this, he passed away peacefully, and the weather was beautiful throughout the funeral. Even on the 49th day memorial service, despite the forecast predicting rain, the weather cleared up beautifully.”

“Before coming here, I visited Bhutan. Prior to my departure, I received a message from Bhutan asking me not to come. Bhutan has many mountainous areas with roads carved into steep cliffs. During the rainy season, landslides often occur, causing rocks to fall onto the roads, making it dangerous. They begged me not to come during the rainy season. However, since the schedule was already set and I wanted to assess the danger firsthand, I decided to go. Interestingly, as the questioner mentioned, it didn’t rain once during my visit. I was able to complete almost all of the planned schedule. People then said, ‘As expected, it doesn’t rain when Sunim comes.’ I responded by saying, ‘To avoid falling into mysticism, it’s better to say that Sunim happened to come when it wasn’t raining.’ Similarly, the questioner is expressing her husband’s passing and the weather in a mystical way, which can be difficult for young children to understand. My advice is this: if you truly want your children to come to the temple, first try to understand and help with their difficulties. Only then can you win their hearts. You may have given them money when they were in need, but you haven’t won their hearts, which is why they accept the money but don’t go to the temple as you wish. Your children are already adults, so there’s no need to keep giving them money. Instead of clinging to the idea of giving them money or doing things for them, try to shift your focus towards winning their hearts. To do this, you need to fully understand their circumstances. Just as you always call upon Avalokitesvara Bodhisattva, try to adopt the mindset of ‘I will try to have a heart like Avalokitesvara Bodhisattva.’ If you change your perspective in this way, you’ll find it much easier to communicate with your children.

These days, how many children are unable to get married? Even if they do get married, how high is the divorce rate? The fact that none of your children are divorced is already a great blessing. This is all due to the Buddha’s grace. If you’ve received such blessings and still complain, wanting your children to go to the temple instead of church, that’s being too greedy. Whether your children go to church, cathedral, or temple, what’s more important is that they live harmoniously. So you should offer a prayer of gratitude, thinking, ‘This is the merit I’ve received from a lifetime of prayer.'”

“Thank you. I understand now.”

Tomorrow’s schedule includes a morning visit to Ban Phuc Temple on the outskirts of Hanoi to have a Dharma discussion with monks in retreat, followed by lunch with representatives of the Korean Association in Hanoi. In the afternoon, Sunim will conduct the Friday live Dharma Q&A broadcast, and in the evening, he will give a Dharma Q&A lecture for Korean expatriates living in Hanoi.