Aug 15, 2024 – Farm Work and Mowing the Village Entrance Road
The morning dawned at Dubuk Jungto Retreat Center.
After completing his early morning practice and meditation, Sunim began communal work at 6 AM. Today, the plan was to mow grass again. Sunim divided roles and areas based on each person’s physical condition, assigning some to use string trimmers and others to use sickles.
After dividing the work, everyone dispersed to their assigned areas and began the communal labor.
Sunim went to the village entrance with Dharma teacher Myodang. The main road leading to the village was overgrown with lush vegetation on both sides. Grass had grown abundantly above and below the azalea bushes. Every summer, Sunim tends to this road as if it were his own yard.
First, he mowed the grass on the lower side from the middle of the road to the village entrance.
Then, on their way back, he trimmed the sides of the azalea bushes and cut the grass that had grown above them.
While he was busy mowing, a village elder passed by in an electric cart loaded with farming tools, heading to the fields.
“Oh my, I see the temple is mowing the grass again this year. Thank you.”
Sunim returned the greeting and continued mowing. The clouds cleared and the sun began to shine. Sunim and Dharma teacher Myodang mowed all the grass along the roadside without taking a break. They needed to cut as much grass as possible before it got too hot.
Grass clippings were scattered all over their bodies. They decided to clean up the grass clippings on the roadside with a leaf blower in the afternoon. Sunim shook off his boots, put down the string trimmer, and went to check on the field.
The Dharma teachers and trainees were neatly removing the vines and grass that had been entwining the fence.
“We should cut down these corn stalks too.”
Although it was almost time to finish the communal work, Sunim quickly picked up the string trimmer again and entered the field. After harvesting the corn, he cut down the yellowed corn stalks. They needed to plant fall cabbages and radishes in this field soon. As today was the only day available for communal work, Sunim wanted to lend a hand to the farming team as much as possible.
After quickly cutting down all the corn stalks and putting down the string trimmer, there was a clear sweat mark on his back.
“Good job, everyone. Let’s stop here and continue our communal work when the sun sets.”
During the day, as the temperature rose to 35 degrees Celsius and the sun was too hot, Sunim worked indoors.
After lunch, at 3 PM, Professor Lee Byung-in from the Department of Environmental Engineering at Miryang University visited Sunim for a conversation.
They discussed how to develop an eco-friendly park at Paro Taksang Monastery, with the professor offering advice and Sunim sharing his experiences from previous visits. After a three-hour conversation, they agreed to continue discussions in the future and concluded the meeting.
At 6 PM, as the weather cooled down, Sunim put on his work clothes again and resumed the communal work.
The greenhouse and field where the late Mr. Choi Young-jun had been farming were overgrown with weeds, as he had been in a nursing home for an extended period due to illness before passing away recently.
“Let’s mow as much as we can in the time we have. We’ll only be able to work for about an hour before the sun sets.”
Dharma teachers Hyangjeon and Myodang also each picked up a string trimmer and began working together.
As Sunim mowed the grass with the string trimmer, the surrounding area became neatly trimmed, as if it had received a haircut.
The field where cabbages and radishes had been planted was so overgrown with weeds that it was impossible to distinguish whether it was a mountain or a field. Sunim started mowing from the left corner, while Dharma teacher Hyangjeon started from the right corner.
Before long, the weeds were neatly mowed, revealing the original flat field.
Finally, Sunim entered the greenhouse to mow the grass. The overgrown interior of the greenhouse was also restored to its original state.
“It’s getting too dark. Let’s stop here for today.”
As Sunim had overseas schedules for the next month, today was the last day he could work. After instructing the practice team trainees about the remaining farm work, including planting fall cabbages and radishes in the field, Sunim concluded the communal work.
He briefly stopped by the construction site of the volunteer dormitory to discuss how to proceed with the remaining work over the next month. By then, the sun had completely set.
In the evening, Sunim finished his day by proofreading manuscripts and handling various tasks.
As there was no Dharma talk today, the article will be concluded by sharing a conversation between Sunim and a questioner from last week’s Friday Dharma Q&A live broadcast, as there was no Dharma talk today.
I Wanted to Become a Priest, but Now That It’s Not Possible, I Feel Lost
“It seems you’re too attached to the idea of becoming a priest. You’re trapped in the thought that ‘this is the only life for me.’ But these days, very few people want to become monks. They’re even accepting people in their 50s and 60s. Both priests and monks are religious figures, so why don’t you consider becoming a monk? They would probably accept you without much issue. Becoming a religious figure isn’t limited to the path of a Catholic priest. There are paths to become an Anglican priest, a Protestant pastor, or a Buddhist monk. There are many paths available, so why insist on just one? If you want to become a religious figure, you can choose a different path among various religions or denominations.
Do you think being religious means becoming a religious leader? A religious person is someone who has abandoned honor and greed. In our society today, those who flaunt their authority saying ‘I’m a priest’ or ‘I’m a monk’ are actually causing more problems by being greedier for social status and wealth than ordinary people. If one is truly religious, they should abandon such titles and quietly follow the path of Buddha or Jesus. These are the people who can be called truly religious. Therefore, I want to say that you don’t have to become a priest to follow a religious path.
You can follow your desired religious path regardless of your profession. If you’re seeking institutionalized authority within the framework of religion, it’s no different from people saying ‘I want to become a government official’ or ‘I want to become a priest to have some power.’ Such thoughts are about gaining social success through religion, not the path of a true religious person. If you abandon the formality of being a religious figure and just live as a sincere religious person, your profession doesn’t matter. Helping those in need and guiding troubled people towards a happy life is the primary path a religious person should take.
If you still want a religious profession, the second option is to find a way to become a professional religious figure in another denomination. If you’re currently Catholic, look into becoming an Anglican priest. Go there and honestly explain your background: ‘I studied theology for four years,’ ‘I left school due to these reasons.’ A religious person shouldn’t hide their faults. If you can start from the beginning at an Anglican seminary, you don’t need to confess, but if you want your past experience to be recognized, you must also acknowledge your past mistakes. You need to have an attitude of sincere repentance for past events. It’s difficult to become a religious figure if you harbor feelings of resentment. Even if you feel somewhat wronged, you should repent and reflect, thinking ‘I couldn’t endure,’ ‘I was stubborn.’
In my opinion, it might be good for you to first go back to the school you attended and say, ‘Please give me another chance.’ Confess your faults to the priest at the seminary, and after acknowledging your mistakes, request, ‘Despite this, I want to pursue this path, so please give me another opportunity even if I have shortcomings.’ If you didn’t violate any rules that clearly disqualify you from becoming a priest, and if you don’t think your mistakes were that severe, don’t give up and try requesting again. It doesn’t have to work out exactly as you want. Just give it a try. If you can’t let go, at least make an attempt.
If that doesn’t work, since the Anglican Church is closest to Catholicism, you can look into becoming an Anglican priest. If that’s not possible either, there’s the option of attending a Protestant seminary. There are many vacancies in seminaries for becoming pastors these days. You can choose a Protestant denomination that you find acceptable. Becoming a Buddhist monk is also a good option. While there’s a big difference between Catholicism and Buddhism, from the perspective of being a practitioner, there’s not much difference between a priest and a monk. In my experience of interacting with various religious figures, I find that Catholic monks are the most similar to Buddhist monks in character. Couldn’t you become a monk in a monastery instead of a priest who graduated from a seminary? There are hundreds, thousands, millions of paths open to you, but you’re currently fixated on just one, thinking ‘my life is over.’ That’s a mistaken view.
If you let go of that one thought, you have no problems right now. You can go back to your previous path, deeply repent, and request another chance to return. You can also choose a different religion. You can even live the religious life you want while having a secular job. Many paths are open to you. There’s no need for even the slightest hesitation. Just try challenging yourself in the order you prefer.
If you’re a believer in God, isn’t all of this God’s will? So you shouldn’t feel wronged. You can view this as a trial given to you by God. It’s up to you to decide whether to give up or overcome it. When God, who loves without discrimination, calls people, do you think He only calls priests or pastors? Wouldn’t He also call monks?
There’s no need to be too concerned about religious differences. To become a true religious person, you need to have an open-minded attitude. Having a closed mindset like in the past can lead to more side effects. There are many paths in front of you now. It would be good to choose and knock on doors in the order you prefer.”
“Yes, as you said, I think I was too fixated on the idea that I had to follow only this path. Realizing that there are various paths and that the truth is the same in any religion makes me feel at ease. I’ll try knocking on the door of Buddhism too, like you suggested.”
For the next three days, a youth camp will be held at the Jungto Retreat Center in Seonyu-dong, Mungyeong, under the theme “Three New Days to Lead Future Civilization.” Young people active in Jungto Society will engage in dialogue and discussions.
A Day in the Life of Sunim is translated by AI, edited by volunteers
