Sep 29, 2024 – Inspecting the Fields, Preparing for the 200th Anniversary Pilgrimage of Great Master Choe Je-u’s Birth
Hello. Today, Sunim inspected the fields at Dubuk Farm and surveyed the Gyeongju area to prepare for the pilgrimage commemorating the 200th anniversary of Great Master Choe Je-u Suun’s birth.
After finishing breakfast and proofreading manuscripts, Sunim changed into work clothes and headed to the fields for the first time in a while.
“I wonder if many chestnuts have fallen.”
Every autumn, Sunim would gather chestnuts, but this year, due to numerous overseas schedules, he hadn’t even seen them. On the way to the field, chestnut burrs containing plump chestnuts were scattered on the ground. It seemed likely that more chestnut burrs would be found deeper in the mountains.
First, Sunim went up to the upper field to inspect it, then climbed the mountain where chestnut trees grow.
There weren’t as many fallen chestnut burrs as expected.
“Could it be because of the hot weather this year? There aren’t many chestnuts.”
Despite thoroughly searching the steep mountainside, there weren’t many fallen chestnut burrs. Sunim gathered about a handful of chestnuts and came down the mountain.
On the way down to the field, the grass had grown waist-high. In the days when Sunim primarily engaged in farming, he would neatly trim this area with a string trimmer. Sunim smiled and said:
“There’s no need for separate environmental activities. When left to nature, it grows so well on its own.”
Sunim also visited the field where cabbages were planted. Due to the hot weather, the cabbage seedlings kept withering before they could take root, so the farming team had to replant them several times this year. Now, the cabbages seemed to have firmly established themselves in the ground.
“It looks like they’re growing weeds in the furrows too. (Laughs) We should pull those out.”
Sunim toured the fields and visited the construction site of the volunteer dormitory. He expressed gratitude to a layman who came to volunteer even on Family Day and inspected the dormitory.
He checked with the person in charge about the remaining tasks and set a date for completing the construction.
After inspecting the volunteer dormitory, Sunim departed for Gyeongju after 10 PM. Next month, he plans to participate in a pilgrimage commemorating the 200th anniversary of the birth of Great Master Suun Choe Je-u, organized by the “Religious Group for National Reconciliation and Peace” along with social elders. Gyeongju is home to Great Master Suun Choe Je-u’s birthplace, grave, Yongdamjeong where he attained enlightenment, and a memorial hall. Sunim decided to preview the pilgrimage route and inspect the accommodations in advance.
Jin Byeong-gil, the director of the Silla Cultural Center who is knowledgeable about Gyeongju, happened to be available. They met at Seoak, where Sunim explained about the pilgrimage and they set out together to survey the area.
They drove along the route to confirm how the bus carrying participants would tour Great Master Choe Je-u’s birthplace, grave, and Yongdamjeong.
Next, they visited the Donghak Education Center to check if it could be used as accommodation.
Sunim carefully examined whether the auditorium was suitable for discussions with participants, if the elderly dignitaries would be comfortable sleeping there, and how meals could be prepared.
After inspecting the education center, Sunim said:
“I was worried that it might be uncomfortable for the elders to sleep here, but fortunately there are rooms with beds. We could use hotels considering the elders, but it’s more meaningful to have discussions at the Donghak Education Center, so this works out well.”
With light steps, they left the education center and headed to the Cheondogyo Gyeongju Diocese.
Hearing that Sunim was in Gyeongju, the diocesan leader requested a brief meeting. Upon arriving at the propagation center, the diocesan leader and followers were in conversation. The leader handed the microphone to Sunim, asking for a few words. Elderly people recognized Sunim, saying they had seen him often on TV, and welcomed him warmly. Sunim explained about the pilgrimage commemorating the birth of Great Master Choe Je-u, the founder of Cheondogyo.
“Our Peace Foundation is preparing a pilgrimage with various religious leaders to commemorate the 200th anniversary of Great Master Choe Je-u’s birth. Participants will mainly include religious leaders from Buddhism, Protestantism, Catholicism, Cheondogyo, Won Buddhism, Anglican Church, and social elders from various fields. We plan to take a bus from Seoul to Gyeongju, visit Great Master’s birthplace, stay overnight at the education center for a seminar, and then move to Namwon the next day. Namwon is an important place where lived in seclusion. In Namwon, we’ll hold a seminar on Donghak ideology and the peasant revolution. Then we’ll return to Seoul to host a seminar discussing the influence and significance of Great Master and Donghak on our modern history. I took this opportunity to survey the area in advance while in Gyeongju. I hope you all continue to have a good faith life. Thank you.”
At the request of the devotees, Sunim took a commemorative photo together and explained about the pilgrimage to the head of the diocese before leaving.
After having lunch at a nearby restaurant, Sunim thanked Mr. Jin Byeong-gil, the director of the Silla Cultural Center, who had accompanied and guided the tour. He then returned to the Dubuk Retreat Center after 2 PM.
After attending to some work indoors, Sunim had dinner with the Haengjas at the Dubuk Retreat Center in the evening, engaging in conversation. He encouraged the Haengjas who had been building volunteer accommodations and farming in the hot weather.
After dinner, JTS representative Jina Park visited for a meeting. She reported on her inspection of the new school being built in the earthquake-affected areas of Türkiye and Syria, and they discussed how to conduct the completion ceremony in early October. By the time the meeting ended, the sun had set and it was dark outside.
As there was no Dharma talk today, this article will conclude by sharing a conversation that was not introduced during the English-interpreted Dharma Q&A lecture held in San Jose on September 16th.
People Around Me Are Telling Me to Get Married Because of My Age
“You broke up with someone, so who are you talking about dating?”
“So the idea is that I start looking.”
“Is there a man in this world waiting to marry you? How uncomfortable would a man feel if you approached him with the intention of marriage? If you have fears, there are other ways to resolve them, so why are you trying to alleviate your fears through marriage? It’s not the right attitude to objectify someone as your marriage partner.
Before thinking about marriage, you should first meet people naturally. Even if you come to like someone, you need to check if that person likes you too. If that person also likes you, you should first discuss whether to date or not. If you date and both agree, then you can get married. But you’re not even asking if it’s okay to marry someone you’re currently seeing. You’re worrying about whether to get married or not when you’re not even dating anyone.”
“So the idea is nowadays there’s online dating available where people specifically state like what they’re looking for. I guess my fear is what if I’m not trying hard enough?”
“It’s okay to look for someone to marry online. You can confirm mutual interest online, and then meet in person to have a conversation. But if you only meet online and get married, there’s a high chance of being scammed. You need to meet in person to confirm if they’re really someone you can marry. But why are you in such a hurry to get married? Is it for a green card or citizenship? What’s making you rush? Is it revenge against your ex-boyfriend? It hasn’t been long since you broke up with someone, so why are you trying to get married in such a hurry?”
“I think it’s that people bring it up around me.”
“What does it matter what people around you say? I’ve probably heard the suggestion to get married hundreds of times in my life. (laughs) If you’re not interested, what others say is just like the sound of wind. You became interested because you listened to their words. The question is, why did you become interested? You can’t even date right now, so why do you think you should get married? These days, you can live well alone without getting married.”
“Is there a way to get not be interested?”
“Even when dating, there’s a lot to consider about relationships, and doesn’t that make your psychological state more complicated? Marriage makes it even more complex. When a child is born, it becomes even more complicated. When you get married, your partner’s parents and siblings all become your family, making relationships incredibly complex. In dating, there’s no problem if just the two people agree. In marriage, you have to consider the opinions of families too. This is because through marriage, they also form family relationships with you, so you need to respect the opinions of your spouse’s family. If you ignore this, you become disconnected from the families. Considering all this, I think it’s better to live alone. Perhaps the reason people around you are recommending marriage is that they’ve become too complicated after getting married, and they can’t bear to see you living comfortably alone, so they’re trying to drag you into the same pit.” (laughs)
“I think I’m afraid of missing out on the chance of having like a family.”
“You’re living well alone now, aren’t you? So why do you need to have a family? I’ve lived alone for seventy years without any problems. But from what I see, it seems you think you need someone by your side to feel psychologically stable, rather than actually wanting to get married. You say you’re lonely being alone now, but if you hastily meet someone, you’re not in a state to handle that relationship. I’m not explaining all this to prevent you from getting married.
Before meeting someone, you need to be self-reliant first. You should be in a state where you can live alone without any problems. Then you can live well with someone else too. Most people meet someone because they can’t live alone, and that’s when problems arise. I’m worried you might take this negatively, but it would be good to receive psychological treatment first. Please achieve psychological stability first. If you rush into marriage to alleviate the anxiety from breaking up with your boyfriend, you’ll invite greater unhappiness.”
“Yes, thank you.”
Tomorrow, Sunim will conduct an online Dharma assembly for Jungto members in the morning, and in the evening, he will give a Dharma Q&A lecture in Changwon.
