Aug 26, 2024 – Basel, Switzerland and a Dharma Q&A for Korean Residents in Frankfurt, Germany
Hello. Today is the day we cross the border from Switzerland to Frankfurt, Germany.
After yesterday’s Dharma Q&A in Zurich, Switzerland, Sunim spent the night at the home of Kim Eung-soon, a Jungto Society member. After completing his morning practice and meditation, he had breakfast at 6 AM. Then, he expressed his gratitude to Kim Eung-soon and Peter, the couple who prepared the accommodation and meals, before taking a commemorative photo.
“I rested well and had a good meal. Thank you.”
Riding in a car driven by Peter, we traveled northwest from Zurich for an hour and a half to reach Basel. On the introduction of Park Hoo-nam, who invited Sunim to Switzerland, we visited the Crescenda Foundation, which helps female immigrants.
As Sunim got out of the car, Béatrice Speiser, the founding president of the Crescenda Foundation, warmly welcomed him.
Béatrice Speiser gave a detailed introduction to every corner of the foundation. Women who had immigrated from various parts of the world were working in different areas. Sunim greeted them warmly.
The founding president also briefly introduced what the foundation does.
“We help female immigrants adapt well to Swiss society when they arrive.”
“Do you primarily focus on helping women?”
“Yes. The purpose of establishing the foundation was to help female immigrants. Looking at global immigration trends, we’ve seen through many cases that to bring about change in individual or family lives, it’s more effective to start with women. However, women often become marginalized after immigrating, so we started with the intention of helping them actively participate in society through various methods, such as giving them opportunities to start small businesses. We established the foundation in 2004, so this year marks our 20th anniversary.”
“You’ve done good work. I completely agree with what you’ve said.”
While conversing with the founding president, female immigrants receiving entrepreneurship education at the foundation arrived. They sat in a circle in the conference room and had a self-introduction session.
Women who had immigrated from various countries including Jamaica, Vietnam, Kenya, Ukraine, and Afghanistan gathered in one place.
As the conversation continued, more women gathered to talk with Sunim. The circle of people sitting around gradually grew larger.
Sunim shared his experiences of helping foreign workers and multicultural families in Korea, and asked about the difficulties faced by female immigrants living in Switzerland.
“What aspects are difficult for you? Please feel free to share.”
The female immigrants shared various concerns. A woman who had immigrated from Ukraine raised her hand and asked Sunim a question.
Two Years Since Immigrating to Switzerland, Settling In Is So Difficult
Have you ever transplanted a tree? When you transplant a tree, it takes about three years for it to properly grow roots in the new soil and thrive. Until then, it’s alive but doesn’t grow well. Similarly, when people immigrate from France to Switzerland, or from Korea to Switzerland, it takes a few years to adapt to the new society. Of course, young trees adapt faster. The older and more established the tree, the longer it takes to adapt. Young children adapt quickly, even within a year of immigrating. But when older people immigrate, it takes longer to adapt. Are you a three-year-old child? (Laughter)
It takes a long time to adapt to this society. You shouldn’t be too hasty. You need to adapt slowly. However, if you run away or avoid situations because you’re not adapting well, it becomes even more difficult to adapt. Even if you can’t communicate well or are clumsy, you need to keep trying and speaking. You have to accept that it takes a long time. You should think, ‘It’s natural that I don’t speak Swiss German well.’ Don’t be afraid of making mistakes; you need to actively try speaking and practice adapting.”
“Thank you.”
The questions continued.
What does it mean to develop spirituality?
We are doing our best here, but there are bigger problems in the world now, like war and climate crisis. What can we do?
What should I do when I’m stressed? Raising five children is very difficult.
After an hour and a half of conversation, the meeting ended at 10:40 AM.
The immigrant women dispersed to attend various classes such as cooking, entrepreneurship, and cooperatives, while Sunim took a commemorative photo with the founding president and foundation activists.
After exchanging greetings and promising to meet again, Sunim got back in the car and headed to Frankfurt. The driving was done by Choi Soon-jin, a member of the German Jungto Society, who had come all the way to Switzerland.
After Crossing the Swiss Border, We Drove on the Autobahn for 5 Hours and 50 Minutes to Frankfurt, Germany. The journey took longer than expected due to an accident on the highway.
We arrived at our accommodation in Frankfurt at 4:30 PM and unpacked. After a short rest, we headed to the lecture venue.
Today’s lecture is being held at the main hall of the DJH Jugendherberge Frankfurt youth hostel, located in the heart of Frankfurt. The Main River flowed peacefully around the lecture hall.
When Sunim arrived at the lecture hall, volunteers greeted him warmly. Volunteers were bustling about, preparing to welcome the audience.
Sunim waited briefly in the waiting room before heading to the lecture hall at 7 PM sharp. After the introductory video about Sunim ended, he walked onto the stage to thunderous applause.
Sunim greeted everyone with a warm smile and introduced his month-long overseas schedule.
“I am currently on a month-long overseas trip visiting 10 countries. In developed countries, I mainly give Dharma Q&A lectures to help alleviate people’s mental suffering. In poorer countries and conflict zones, I focus on humanitarian aid activities. Globally, the poorest and most difficult regions are mostly conflict zones. In areas like Mindanao in the Philippines and Syria, which are in conflict, children’s education is not properly conducted. JTS has a principle of supporting the most vulnerable areas, so the regions we mainly support tend to be conflict zones. These areas have high risks, so government agencies like KOICA do not provide support. However, JTS conducts relief activities with donations of a few tens of thousands of won from individuals, so we can provide a lot of support even in these conflict zones.
Until yesterday, I attended a psychology symposium in Switzerland for three days and then gave a Dharma Q&A lecture for Korean residents in Zurich. Today I’m meeting you in Frankfurt, and tomorrow I’ll be surveying the earthquake damage recovery sites in Türkiye and Syria. After that, I’ll visit Bhutan to hold a workshop for a sustainable development pilot project. Then I’ll travel to Australia, New Zealand, East Timor, and then move on to Canada and the western United States. Half of the month-long plan consists of lectures for Koreans, and in the U.S., I’ll be lecturing to foreigners through English interpretation. The other half is mainly focused on humanitarian aid and sustainable development programs.”
Then, Sunim took questions about various life concerns. Eight people conversed with Sunim over two hours. One person asked for Sunim’s advice on how to gain confidence while working among Germans, feeling constantly intimidated as the only Asian.
I’m the Only Asian Among Germans, and I Always Feel Intimidated
“You can go back to Korea.”
“The reason I’m here is that I can’t become a professor if I go to Korea. Here, I’m now on the verge of becoming a professor.”
“That’s for you to choose. Either go back to Korea and live confidently as a regular office worker, or stay in Germany and become a professor even if you feel a bit intimidated. Choose one of the two.”
“I’m still anxious because I don’t know if I’ll become a professor here or not. But I still have that dream. I’m just anxious because I don’t have a Plan B if I don’t become a professor in Germany.”
“Why are you anxious?”
“Because I’m not in a practical field like science and engineering. I’m in the arts. Germany doesn’t really welcome people in the arts. They don’t want to accept immigrants in this field.”
“How do you know that Germany doesn’t want to accept you as an immigrant? Didn’t the university give you a lecturer position because they need you?”
“It’s not stable because it’s a contract position.”
“If it’s a contract position, you can work until the end of the contract and then return to Korea when it ends. What’s there to worry about?”
“I have a 15-year gap since I left Korea. During that time, I couldn’t go back to Korea much because I didn’t have money. Now I don’t know Korea well. So I’m really scared.”
“There are now 2 million foreign workers living in Korea. No matter how unfamiliar you are with Korea, you must know it better than these foreign workers, right? So that’s not a big problem either.”
“I’m very afraid because I don’t have a plan if I go back to Korea.”
“What plan do you need to go to Korea? You speak Korean well, so there’s nothing to worry about.”
“I’ve applied for the Jungto Dharma School this time. If I go to Korea, could I possibly stay at Jungto Society?”
“Jungto Society always welcomes you.”
“Will you provide meals?”
“Of course. We’ll provide accommodation and meals. There are endless tasks within Jungto Society. However, Jungto Society has a principle of not employing people. If we employ people, one becomes the employer and the other becomes the employee, creating a hierarchical relationship. All Jungto Society members are practitioners, so everyone maintains horizontal relationships. There are team leaders and staff members according to tasks, and different departments according to the nature of the work. So while Jungto Society does a lot of work, there’s not a single person who receives a salary. But if you’re going to work, you need to eat, sleep, and wear clothes, right? All of that is provided. However, private rooms are not provided. Whether it’s five or ten people, they live together in one room. So you can come to Jungto Society anytime when your contract ends after living in Germany as long as you can.
There are only two conditions for joining Jungto Society. First, you must graduate from Jungto Dharma School and become a Jungto Society member. Second, you must complete a training called ‘Enlightenment Retreat’. This is because if someone is too stubborn, it’s difficult to live together in a community. The community has some rules. Jungto Society has ‘three noes’: no salary, no holidays, and no vacations. This is because Jungto Society is a practice community, and practice means that all of life becomes play just as it is. In short, we have a principle of turning labor into play, so those who don’t agree with the three noes can’t join Jungto Society. Other than that, age doesn’t matter, and we don’t discriminate based on status at all. You can come anytime.
So there’s no need to be afraid even if you live in Germany. Do as much as you can, and if it doesn’t work out, come back to Korea. If you have something to make a living with in Korea, do that, and if not, join Jungto Society. That’s why I’m happy when the unemployment rate in Korea is high. The higher the unemployment rate, the easier it is to secure volunteers. (Laughs)
Instead of idling in unemployment, come to Jungto Society and volunteer. If you get employed, work hard, and if some problem arises and you quit your job, come back to Jungto Society. You know English and German, so there are plenty of ways you can be useful. So there’s absolutely no need to feel intimidated while living here.”
“I think it’s because I had the mentality of ‘I’m a housemaid’ when I first came to Germany.”
“That’s called trauma. Now you need to be free from that trauma. For example, if you start to like someone, you inevitably become the subordinate. If you like the other person, you have to cater to their preferences. It’s impossible to try to be the dominant one in a relationship where you like the other person more. Conversely, in a relationship where the other person likes you more, that is, if they keep following you even though you don’t like them, you can be the dominant one. In such relationships, you unconsciously start to dominate. When the other person is enthusiastically expressing their liking for you, and you respond with ‘I don’t like you,’ from your perspective, you’re just expressing your dislike, but from their perspective, that’s domination. So the one who likes more always ends up being the subordinate.
I assume you all came here because you like Germany. Did Germany request you to come? I don’t think anyone did. That’s why you inevitably become the subordinate. You shouldn’t think of this as racial discrimination. It’s like a woman who likes a man becoming subordinate and calling it gender discrimination. If you like the other party more, you inevitably become the subordinate. That’s why the Buddha said, ‘If you don’t want to be subordinate, don’t develop feelings of liking.’ But because you came here liking Germany, you have no choice but to bow your head and enter. What if Germany needed you and invited you saying, ‘We’ll pay you more, come,’ ‘We’ll treat you well, come’? Then you could dominate. Is this Koreans discriminating against Germans? No. This can be seen as a characteristic of human relationships. In this situation, if you don’t like the Germans, you can say, ‘I’m going back to Korea.’ Who would try to stop you? The Germans would try to keep you.
If there’s discrimination that violates the law, like saying Koreans can’t be lecturers or Koreans can’t enter universities, you should immediately file a lawsuit. But in human society, relationships formed based on mutual needs are unavoidable. It’s not something you can legally dispute. So when you live in Germany, if there’s anything even slightly disadvantageous to you, you should quickly check if it’s guaranteed by law. If it’s a right guaranteed by law and you’re being discriminated against, you should file a lawsuit. But if it’s not in the law, for example, if a German professor gives more speaking opportunities to German students than to you, you shouldn’t consider that discrimination. If you feel that’s discrimination, it’s better to go back to Korea.
If we were to do something and there was one Korean person and one Vietnamese person, and their abilities were the same, who would we give more opportunities to? Giving more opportunities for reasons like being from the same hometown, having the same religion, or graduating from the same school is something that exists in any human society. You’ve heard of school ties and regional ties, right? Of course, if this goes too far and important tasks are given to juniors who lack ability, it can become a legal issue. But you shouldn’t think of it as discrimination when it’s just a preference for people from the same country. You should accept that as a natural occurrence in human society.
Is the discrimination Koreans face living in Germany severe? Or is the discrimination Southeast Asian workers face living in Korea severe? Currently, about 2 million people from Vietnam, Thailand, the Philippines, and other countries are living and working in Korea. The discrimination they feel is more severe. In that sense, Korea is a country with much more severe discrimination against foreigners. So you need to accept this as a phenomenon that exists everywhere in the human world. If you think like the questioner, it’s difficult to live abroad. But you have to endure some cultural discrimination and preferences.
Also, being discriminated against isn’t always bad. This is because in the process of overcoming such discrimination, you often make a lot of effort and become exceptionally capable. If your abilities are the same as the locals, you have to accept being discriminated against. If you work harder in various aspects and become exceptionally capable to the point where there’s no room for debate, no one can discriminate against you.
When different cultures interact and mix like this, it often leads to more creative results. You are all living at the point where cultural exchange and collision are happening. If you think negatively, it becomes discouragement and frustration, but if you accept it as a new stimulus, it becomes a challenge and response, as in Toynbee’s view of history. If you positively accept the challenge and actively respond, new creativity can emerge.
If the content of my lectures, translated into English, were similar in quality to those given by native English speakers, they wouldn’t ask me to give lectures. They ask me to lecture because the content is significantly better, even though it requires interpretation and a lot of effort. I entered the temple while in high school, so I didn’t go to college and can’t speak English. I have no connections. You usually build connections by going to college and studying abroad, but I have none of that. But if I were to lose confidence because of this, could I travel abroad giving lectures like this? To be able to give lectures like this without having been abroad or knowing English, you need to have some inner strength. Foreigners might look at me and think, ‘What’s with his clothes?’ or ‘Why is someone who can’t even speak coming here?’ If I were to lose confidence because of that, I might think about taking off my robes, but I go everywhere, whether it’s America or anywhere else, wearing my robes and rubber shoes.
The questioner also needs to become confident. You need the courage to endure such discrimination while living in another country. You should be able to accept it, thinking, ‘Okay, I can understand this much.’ You asked how to suppress the Germans and live confidently, but why suppress others? If you’ve been suppressed and found it difficult, you should respect others instead. Of course, this is probably something you said because of trauma experienced racially and culturally, but such trauma doesn’t always have a negative effect. It’s because you’ve made more efforts to overcome it that you’re here now.
Your current situation is fine, but past experiences have left scars, making you anxious now. You’re at the top now. Shake off the past wounds and engage in activities freely. If you have nowhere to go later, come to Jungto Society. You’re always welcome. Even if you come just before your last breath, it’s okay. We can make a flute from your cremated bones or use your ashes as fertilizer. So it’s okay. Don’t be too discouraged, live confidently.”
“Thank you so much. Now that you’ve decided my career path, I’m not anxious even if I get laid off from my contract job.”
“Then, let’s all give a round of applause so that the questioner’s contract can be terminated quickly and they can volunteer.”
The entire audience gave a big round of applause to support the questioner.
Sunim continued speaking.
“You might think, ‘Workers are subordinates and bosses are superiors,’ right? That’s not the case. For example, let’s say you graduated from college, have talent, and failed the entrance exam for a large corporation two or three times. Then, by chance, you get into a big company. At first, you’re happy, but eventually, you become the subordinate. You receive a high salary, and people around you envy you, saying, ‘Wow, you work for a big company.’ However, your abilities are always lacking compared to what they require. No matter how hard you try, you can’t meet their demands. So you always have to be cautious, fearing you might get fired.
Now, what if someone like the questioner, who even studied abroad, returns to Korea and finds a job with a lot of work, dangerous and dirty, but pays little? It’s very easy to find such jobs. And if you join such a company, you’ll appear as a valuable talent in the boss’s eyes. You can find this kind of job tomorrow, or move to another place the day after. You don’t need to be overly cautious at the company. But what about the boss’s position? They’ll be anxious, thinking this good person who joined after a long time might leave.
Being a worker doesn’t automatically make you a subordinate. Workers can also be superiors. On a day like today, if there’s a lecture like this, this person can say, ‘Boss, I need to leave early today to attend Venerable Pomnyun’s lecture’ and leave the company without any objection. If the boss says anything, they might not come to work from tomorrow. You shouldn’t always think that the boss is the superior and the employee is the subordinate.
Do you know why you keep becoming subordinates? It’s because you want to work less and get paid more. The boss wants to make you work more and pay less. That’s why the boss also becomes a subordinate. This way, we don’t like becoming superiors, and everyone likes becoming subordinates. Liking someone or something is an act of volunteering to be a subordinate. The superior-subordinate relationship is not just about bosses and employees. Anyone can live assertively if they let go of a little greed. Here, ‘assertively’ doesn’t mean the negative connotation of being overbearing, but living confidently.
And while you’re living in Germany, don’t be too desperate. Live lightly, as if you’re sightseeing. If it doesn’t work out, you can go back to Korea. If that doesn’t work either, you can come to Jungto Society. Jungto Society always welcomes you. Unless all Germans are fools, you shouldn’t keep having delusions about dominating German society and succeeding. Of course, it might happen by chance, but you should always respect others. You shouldn’t be intimidated, but you shouldn’t have unrealistic thoughts either. However, to overcome the disadvantages compared to Germans, you need to put in more effort than them. You should have the perspective that if they work five hours, you work six hours, and if they study five hours, you study ten hours.”
“Thank you. I understand well.”
The questions continued.
I’ve lived in Germany for 8 years, and when I think of my parents in Korea, I regret not spending time with them. Should I return to Korea?
After listening to Sunim’s Dharma Q&A too much, I find myself imitating Sunim and answering other people’s concerns. What perspective should I have?
How can I build trust? How can I trust others more?
I’d like to go on temple stays occasionally. Are there any temples you recommend?
I’ve often experienced racial discrimination during my 10 years in Germany. How should I mentally prepare for the increased racial discrimination after COVID-19?
I need to meet an ex-partner to solve a practical problem. How can I maturely overcome past negative feelings?
When I see elderly people getting older, I’m scared that I’ll become like that too. How should I view aging?
After answering all the questions, it was well past 9 PM.
Immediately after, Sunim held a book signing session on stage. Participants made eye contact with Sunim and expressed their gratitude.
“Thanks to you, Sunim, I’ve become much happier. Thank you.”
After all the audience members returned home, Sunim took a commemorative photo with the volunteers who prepared the lecture.
“Frankfurt!”
Then, they had time to share their feelings about preparing for the lecture with the volunteers.
“After getting cancer, I overcame it well while listening to Sunim’s dharma talks. Sunim said, ‘If you recovered thanks to me, do a lot of volunteer work,’ so I came to volunteer today as well.”
“I really liked what you said today about workers being able to be assertive too. I’m also working as a worker, not a boss, in Germany, and I confidently took a day off to volunteer today.”
“I was worried about your health since you came from so far away, but I’m grateful that you gave such an energetic lecture today.”
They welcomed each introduction with applause. Listening to the introductions, it turned out that people had come from all over Germany, including Berlin, Bonn, Hamburg, Heidelberg, and Düsseldorf. Finally, Sunim encouraged the volunteers.
“I thought everyone lived in Frankfurt, but you came to volunteer from all over Germany. In the future, I won’t need to travel to various cities in Europe for lectures; I can just do it in one place. (Laughs) Thank you all for your hard work. I appreciate it.”
After finishing the conversation with the volunteers, we returned to the accommodation at 10:40 PM. Sunim proofread manuscripts and handled some work at the accommodation before ending the day’s schedule.
Tomorrow, Sunim will spend the entire day traveling by plane to visit the site where JTS is building a school in a refugee camp to help with the recovery from the earthquake in Türkiye and Syria. In the morning, he will depart from Frankfurt to Istanbul, and in the afternoon, he will leave Istanbul for Gaziantep.
