Oct 16, 2024 – Weekly Dharma Assembly, Hello Mindanao Book Concert, Bulgwang 50th Anniversary Invited Lecture
Hello. Today is a day full of various events in Seoul.
After completing his morning practice and meditation, Sunim conducted a live broadcast of the Weekly Dharma Assembly at 10 AM. Once all the Jungto Society members entered the video conference room, Sunim gave his opening remarks.
“Last week, I attended the opening ceremony of a school built on the Turkey-Syria border to give hope to people suffering from war and earthquake damage.
Many students and teachers lost their lives in the earthquake. In the city that suffered the most damage, a school that 3,500 students attended collapsed. So we demolished the collapsed building and built a new school that can accommodate 4,000 students. We created 112 classrooms inside the building, but only 52 are used for classes. When I asked, ‘Isn’t it impossible for 4,000 students to attend school with this number of classrooms?’, they said they divide classes into morning and afternoon sessions. When I asked why so much extra space was needed besides classrooms, they explained there were various necessary purposes like science labs, experiment rooms, seminar rooms, reception rooms, emergency shelters, and bathrooms. The school was built with one basement level and three floors above ground. The basement was designed to be earthquake-resistant so it could be used as a shelter during bombings or earthquakes. On the roof, 64 large solar panels were installed to supply all the electricity needed for the school.
Hope for Syrian Children, Just as the Destroyed School Was Rebuilt!
This school is not just a simple school. We built this school hoping it would become a symbol of hope for the Syrian people and children who have fallen into despair and discouragement, showing that ‘we too can rise again’ just as the destroyed building was rebuilt. JTS representative Park Gena made several visits to coordinate with local people and put in a lot of effort to build a sturdy and beautiful school with limited funds. Most of the funding for this project came from JTS USA. There was significant support from one donor in the United States. I would like to express my gratitude to all those who supported this project. In addition to the school building, we provided everything including a library, science equipment, desks and chairs, as well as backpacks, school supplies, uniforms, and shoes for the children. We even paved the roads around the school. As a result, all the media in Syria came to cover the opening ceremony, saying that the best school in Syria had been newly built, making the event venue very crowded. If we had built such a school in our country, it might not have been a big deal, but building such a school in a struggling country seems to have had a huge ripple effect. We can say that we accomplished more than the amount of money we invested.
The problem of eradicating illiteracy among Syrian people cannot end with just this one school. The most urgent issue now is how to deal with young people who have not received school education for the past 10 years due to the war. Among the 3 million refugees, 600,000 are children who are not receiving the benefits of school education. There are many remaining problems, such as how to provide basic education for these children and how to repair hundreds of destroyed schools. For now, we have symbolically built one new building. Solving the remaining tasks will require a lot of participation and wisdom from the Syrian people. Let’s continue our conversation after watching the footage of the school opening ceremony.”
“All Jungto Society members are working together to contribute many helpful things to the world. Not only are we building schools for Syrian people affected by the earthquake, but we are also preparing to provide 6 million bars of soap to the Rohingya refugee camps in Bangladesh. And recently, there was severe flood damage in Myanmar, so the JTS representative is currently conducting a field survey to see what support we can provide. Jungto Society members are working hard to spread the Dharma domestically, while JTS activists are working hard to support people in need overseas. I would like to take this opportunity to thank everyone.”
Sunim then had conversations with those who had submitted questions in advance and also took impromptu questions from the audience. Four people pressed the raise hand button and asked Sunim questions. After an hour of dialogue, the live broadcast ended at 11:30 AM.
After lunch and attending to some work, Sunim participated in a book concert organized by JTS and Jungto Publishing at 3 PM to celebrate the publication of “Hello Mindanao”.
“Hello Mindanao” is a book written by Lee Wonju, former representative of JTS Philippines, containing episodes from over 20 years of relief work in Mindanao, advice for junior international relief workers, and stories of experiences and lessons learned while working on JTS Philippines projects.
About 90 readers gathered in the 9th floor auditorium of the Jungto Social and Cultural Center to attend the book concert. The event began with a beautiful haegeum performance of the song “On a Wonderful Day in October”.
After the performance, Sunim took the stage to give opening remarks. He spoke about how the Mindanao project began and the activities during the pioneering period.
“JTS began its activities in Mindanao when I received the Ramon Magsaysay Award for Peace and International Understanding in 2002. When I went to receive the award, my guide was Archbishop Tony from Cagayan de Oro in Mindanao, who was one of the members of the Magsaysay Award selection committee. He held my hand, went up on stage with me, and sat at the same table to guide me. After the award ceremony, during the dinner, he requested, ‘Since you received this award for your humanitarian aid to North Korea and efforts to facilitate dialogue between North and South Korea, I hope you could share that experience in our conflict-ridden Mindanao.’ So I replied, ‘I will do that.’ That became the connection. At that time, I didn’t know much about the situation in Mindanao, only that there was some conflict. Afterwards, I studied various materials to learn about the state of Mindanao. And in March of the following year, I visited Mindanao for the first time when I went to the Philippines for a Dharma assembly.
What JTS Started to Do for Peace in Mindanao…
I was asked to work for peace, but how could I achieve peace right away? I couldn’t just say, ‘Christians, Catholics, Muslims, gather around. You shouldn’t fight!’ They wouldn’t listen to me even if I said that. I thought it was necessary to build trust first. To build trust, we need to help those in need first. Because the most disadvantaged people end up harboring resentment towards the government, and their resistance leads to conflict. In Mindanao, there are Muslim rebels called MILF and communist rebels called NPA. If we meet these people and talk about peace, they won’t listen because they have their own ideas. However, since parents love their children, I thought we might be able to build some trust if we treat their children well. So we decided to start by building schools to educate children in very remote indigenous and Muslim areas.
So when I asked them to introduce me to a remote area far away, perhaps because I was from abroad and had received the Magsaysay Award, they introduced a school in an area accessible by car and said, ‘We need additional classrooms.’ Since I had already visited, I agreed to support it and asked again to introduce a truly remote area. Then we drove far again, but there was also a school there asking for additional classrooms. So I said I would support this too since we had visited, and then said, ‘It’s okay even if we have to walk for hours. Please introduce a truly remote area, not places like these.’ They seemed to understand what I meant, and for the third time, they introduced a village deep in the mountains that required a six-hour walk. When we went to survey it, the person who introduced the place and the interpreter dropped out midway saying they couldn’t go any further, and only the local activist and I made it up there. We made it up, but we couldn’t communicate with the residents because we couldn’t speak the language. That village was called ‘Gagahuman’.
In the beginning, we started by building schools for mountain tribes like this. Most Jungto Society members are women, right? But when I said I was going to Mindanao to build schools, Mr. Lee Wonju, Mr. Lee Gyucho, Mr. Roh Jaeguk, and other businessmen in the Philippines said they couldn’t let me go alone and decided to come along. At first, these people had only lived in Manila and Luzon Island and had never been to Mindanao. So we went there not knowing what to prepare or what to support first, and faced many difficulties. After the school opening ceremonies, there was some hospitality from the residents, but in the early days, we often went hungry, buying fruits from the mountains to eat while conducting surveys.
At first, I personally went around conducting surveys, but after doing a few surveys together, the businessmen were very quick to understand what I wanted and said they would take care of it themselves. So after inaugurating a few schools, I mainly attended only the opening ceremonies. To put it simply, to sow the seeds of peace in Mindanao, we secured the land and selected the crops, but the actual sowing of the seeds was done by the Jungto Society male lay practitioners in the Philippines, centered around Representative Lee Wonju. Representative Lee Wonju personally surveyed and managed the entire school construction process, while I would visit once in a while or attend the opening ceremonies. So it can be said that the 20-year project of JTS Philippines was entirely cultivated by the Philippine Jungto Society male lay practitioners centered around Representative Lee Wonju.
Of course, JTS dispatched staff members, so Representative Lee Wonju took the lead in the big picture while JTS staff focused on on-site management. However, since the dispatched staff were mostly young people or college student volunteers who couldn’t properly inspect the projects, Representative Lee Wonju would sometimes survey several times a month, or almost every month. Representative Lee Wonju took on the role at age 50 and stepped down at 70, so it’s no exaggeration to say that he spent most of his prime years in Mindanao. According to rumors, ‘If he had focused that much on business, he might have become extremely wealthy!’ He focused more on the Mindanao relief project in the Philippines than on business. He chose to do something truly rewarding rather than accumulating a lot of money.
Changes That Occurred When Schools Were Built in Conflict Areas
In the past, Catholic and Muslim areas were completely divided like a ceasefire line with no interaction. However, as JTS built schools, teachers were dispatched and children from both sides met at school, allowing for communication. There was also no communication between indigenous people on different sides, but when schools were built, children gathered from everywhere. People who would have been lifelong enemies if there were no schools began to become friends from childhood by attending the same school, parents started to interact, and teachers began to come and go, resulting in the achievement of peace, which was the original goal. Although no major peace agreement has been signed, it can be said that regional peace has been achieved to a considerable extent. Once, I met the commander-in-chief of the Muslim rebels and made this proposal:
‘Adults can fight. But it’s not right for adults to prevent children from receiving education just because they are fighting. Even if adults fight, shouldn’t children be educated? So shouldn’t you guarantee safety for building schools and ensure that teachers can be dispatched by guaranteeing their status?’
The Muslim rebel commander-in-chief agreed, saying ‘Good!’, and as schools were built in Muslim areas as well, the realm of peace gradually expanded. As a result, it is being evaluated that we have greatly contributed to peace in Mindanao. This process is detailed in Representative Lee Wonju’s memoir. Today, we will have time to hear about this from Representative Lee Wonju.”
Following this, a conversation was held with the author, Mr. Lee Won-joo, former representative of JTS Philippines, moderated by Kim Je-dong.
They discussed various topics, including how Sunim and Mr. Lee met, why Mindanao became a conflict zone, what JTS has done in Mindanao, the challenges and rewards of working there for 20 years, JTS’s operating principles, and advice for younger people interested in international aid work. The conversation brought back memories of the past 20 years of activities.
After the conversation, Sunim returned to the stage to conclude the book concert. He also took questions from the audience. One audience member raised their hand and asked:
“Did Mr. Lee’s children ever object to their father’s volunteer work?”
“There was no opposition. The children also came to Mindanao to volunteer. When actress Han Ji-min came to volunteer in Alawon village, my younger son acted as an interpreter. The children often say they are proud of their father for doing this kind of work.”
Then Kim Je-dong also had a question for Mr. Lee:
“I’m curious about something too. Are your children boys or girls?”
“I have two boys.”
“Ah, so that’s why one of them interpreted for Han Ji-min when she went to Mindanao. When I went to Mindanao twice, not once did I have an interpreter. I stayed for over a week, not just a day or two, but never had an interpreter. Even when playing ball games with the indigenous village children, I communicated on my own without an interpreter.”
“This house has no daughters.”
“Yes, I know. I’m aware you don’t have a daughter either, Venerable.” (Laughter)
“I see. My apologies.”
After a good laugh, Mr. Lee was asked to give some closing remarks.
“Actually, ‘Hello Mindanao’ isn’t just my book. It’s a record of the activities that Venerable Pomnyun Sunim and JTS volunteers have been doing for 20 years, written in the form of my memoir. I hope that when you’re feeling tired or discouraged in your activities, you can read this book and think, ‘Wow, they did things like that!’ and find the courage to continue. So please read it.”
Sunim also expressed his gratitude for Mr. Lee’s hard work over the past 20 years.
“Mr. Lee has worked very hard for the past 20 years. Also, thanks to the support of Mr. Roh Jae-guk, the current representative of JTS Philippines, Mr. Lee Gyu-cho, the deputy representative, and many other members of the Philippines Jungto Society who have helped with surveys and various other support, JTS has been able to come this far.
JTS staff members have also worked responsibly on the ground in Mindanao. We all worked together, but even so, Mr. Lee has contributed the most to JTS’s Mindanao project. Let’s give a big round of applause to express our gratitude.”
The book concert concluded with a big round of applause. Finally, Kim Je-dong expressed his hope that the peace in Mindanao would extend to peace on the Korean Peninsula.
“I hope that the seeds of peace that sprouted in Mindanao will be sown on the Korean Peninsula, which is facing the crisis of war again, through all the people who read this book. I sincerely pray that where these seeds are sown, where flowers bloom, the good fruit of peace will ripen.”
After the book concert, Sunim immediately left the Jungto Social and Cultural Center and headed to Jogyesa Temple. The sun set as he traveled by car.
To mark the 50th anniversary of Bulgwang’s founding, Bulgwangsa Temple organized an event to explore Buddhist solutions to various issues in the Buddhist community. Venerable Pomnyun Sunim was invited as the third speaker. The lecture was held at the Traditional Culture and Arts Performance Hall of Jogyesa Temple.
When Sunim arrived, he was welcomed by the former head of Bulgwangsa Temple, Venerable Jihong, and other officials. After a brief tea, they moved to the lecture hall together.
Today’s lecture topic is “What Should Buddhists Do Now?” As Sunim took the stage, everyone greeted him with a big round of applause. Sunim first congratulated Bulgwang on its 50th anniversary.
“Congratulations on achieving the 600th issue of Monthly Bulgwang. I congratulate you on continuing this for 50 years without interruption.
The first person to initiate modern Buddhism was Master Yongseong. To make Buddhism easily accessible, Master Yongseong launched a magazine called ‘Bulil (Not One)’. Later, he also launched a Buddhist magazine called ‘Mua (Non-self)’. Through these, he worked to intellectualize Buddhism, showing the world that Buddhism is not a shamanistic religion that prays for blessings, but a very rational and experiential practice religion. He also led the way in popularizing Buddhism so that anyone could study it, and emphasized that our lives and Buddhism should not be separated, fearlessly participating in movements to realize social justice and advocating for the practicalization of Buddhism in daily life. The intellectualization of Buddhism, the popularization of Buddhism, and the practicalization of Buddhism – these were the contents of the Buddhist reform movement that Master Yongseong advocated.
However, the Japanese colonial government closed down Daegaksa Temple under the pretext of abolishing similar religions to suppress Master Yongseong’s activities. So, although his intentions were noble, his independence movement and Buddhist reform movement did not fully come to light. After liberation, Venerable Gwangdeok, who became the grand disciple of Master Yongseong, founded the Bulgwang Society at Daegaksa Temple and spread Buddhism to young people in a new way. With that strength, he founded Bulgwangsa Temple in Jamsil and raised a new flag of modern Buddhism, one of which was the publication of Monthly Bulgwang. Although the great master has passed away, his intentions have been carried on until now. Bulgwang is not just a Buddhist magazine, but a Buddhist reform movement that inherits the spirit of Master Yongseong’s Bulil magazine and Venerable Gwangdeok’s Buddhist propagation. We should highly appreciate this point today. I, too, stand here today to share my small talent with you who support Bulgwang, in the position of inheriting the great intentions of Master Yongseong and Venerable Gwangdeok. Once again, I sincerely congratulate Bulgwang on its 50th anniversary.”
Then, he took questions about curious points. As Sunim announced he would start the Dharma Q&A, the first questioner raised their hand and asked a question.
What Should Buddhists Do Now?
“To briefly summarize what Buddhists should do now: First, in this era of climate crisis, we need to engage in practical activities that can overcome the climate crisis. This doesn’t simply mean living frugally, but truly reducing consumption in our lives. That’s how we can overcome the climate crisis. Second, we need to engage in movements to restore a sense of community. Even having fewer children is related to the breakdown of community. I hope our Buddhist community can contribute to restoring a sense of community in our society. Third, to overcome the problem of individual emptiness and high suicide rates, we need to widely promote spiritual practice. We need to help people live happily with a mindset of practice, rather than blaming others.
Some of you might think of enlightenment as an old man with a white beard riding on a cloud. Enlightenment is when our ignorance disappears and our afflictions simultaneously vanish, like turning on a light in a dark room. This is how the Buddha saved sentient beings from suffering. If you look at the early scriptures, the Buddha helped people overcome their suffering through conversations with the masses. I believe that instead of modernizing Buddhism, we can solve many problems by slightly adapting the fundamental Buddhism of the Buddha’s time to fit our era today. That’s why Dharma Q&A can be much more effective than psychological counseling in some aspects. Some people say that issues that would take six months of psychological counseling to resolve are solved through a brief conversation in Venerable Pomnyun’s Dharma Q&A. While psychological counseling involves continuous dialogue to foster understanding, Dharma Q&A in some ways goes beyond understanding. In this way, we need to spread this good teaching to the masses in a way that fits our current era, based on Buddhism but transcending religion. The Buddha’s teachings are about the principles of mind function, so it doesn’t matter whether the other person is Christian or Muslim. We can let people keep their own faith and still spread the Buddha’s teachings.
The Path of Revealing Truth Rather Than Destroying Falsehood
If I were to advocate Buddhism as a religion, it could create conflicts between religions. However, since I talk about Buddhism as a practice, I can share this teaching without needing to debate religion. In this regard, I think it’s important for Buddhists to emphasize Buddhism more as a practice. This doesn’t mean that Buddhism as a religion is bad. Some people raise questions about whether one really goes to heaven after death, but I believe religion plays a positive role as a way of comforting sorrow. In contrast, enlightenment can be said to eliminate the fear of death. When the fear of death disappears, the question of where one goes after death becomes irrelevant. When there is fear of death, saying “You’ll go to a good place after death” provides comfort. If we call this a lie, it won’t be comforting. If we say it’s true, it can have side effects. So I think there’s no need to judge religious beliefs as right or wrong. This is because regardless of facts, they can sometimes comfort people while also having side effects. However, Buddhism as a practice has no particular side effects. We don’t debate whether it’s Buddhism or Christianity, but simply talk about becoming free from suffering by awakening from our ignorance, while letting people believe in whatever religion they choose. With this perspective, there’s no need to say things like “existing Buddhism is the problem” or “the Jogye Order is the problem.”
I think it’s important now to move beyond debates about right and wrong and present a new path that embraces even those who think differently from us. Rather than saying “You’re wrong,” we need an attitude of suggesting “Wouldn’t it be better to do it this way?” I believe the path we should try today is not destroying falsehood to reveal truth (破邪顯正), but revealing truth to destroy falsehood (顯正破邪). In other words, instead of refuting wrong views to reach the truth, we reveal the truth to refute wrong views.”
Everyone applauded loudly, showing their agreement with Sunim’s words.
The questions continued. Over two hours, five people asked questions and conversed with Sunim. The last questioner sought Sunim’s advice on how to manage their emotions, explaining that they often get angry at their children after returning home from work exhausted and burned out.
I Often Get Angry at My Children When I Come Home from Work
“That’s natural. We’re all like that. I also act a bit more polite when I go out. When I’m alone in my room, I take off my clothes and lie down if I’m tired. But I can’t lie down saying I’m sick when you’re all here, can I? Everyone acts somewhat pretend in front of others. This isn’t hypocrisy, it’s called manners. To maintain a certain level of courtesy, we have to hold back our anger a bit and do things we don’t want to do. But when we go home, we feel a bit freer from such constraints, and this is a natural part of human life. There’s no need to see it as particularly hypocritical. Of course, if it goes too far, we might call it ‘hypocritical’ or ‘pretend.’ But since everyone has this psychology, it’s not a big problem.
Especially if the questioner is not just a mother of young children, it’s not a big problem. Also, if it’s towards a husband, it’s not good for the husband, but since he’s an adult, he won’t be greatly hurt just because his wife gets angry sometimes. But children are completely different. Children don’t understand why their mother is getting angry. When a mother gets angry, children get hurt. For example, if you give urine to a small plant, it will all dry up and die, but if you give it to a big tree, it becomes fertilizer, doesn’t it? Young children are fragile, so when you get angry, irritated, shout, hit, or swear, it all hurts their delicate brain structure. And these wounds all act as trauma later when they become adults. It has a very bad influence on the child’s personality formation.
So while the questioner is very good as an individual, she could be considered unqualified as a mother of young children. There are two options. First, if you inevitably get angry at home because you’re a nurse, you should quit being a nurse. Second, if you can’t quit being a nurse, you should send your children somewhere else. Because if raising the child I love is better for the child, I should raise them no matter how hard it is. But if it’s better for our child to be raised by someone else than by me, I should send them elsewhere even if it breaks my heart. Parents exist for the children, not children for the parents. Even in divorce, if it’s helpful for the child’s growth for me to raise them, I should raise them no matter what difficulties there are, and if it’s helpful for the child’s growth to send them to their father, I should send them to their father even if it breaks my heart. If you cling to your own desires and raise your child like a pet, you can’t be called a good parent. So the questioner can be said to be unqualified as a parent. Which will you choose? Will you send your children for adoption to someone else? Or will you quit your job?”
“People around me tell me not to quit my job. My mother tells me not to quit, and so does my husband.”
“That’s because they don’t know what kind of wounds the child is receiving. They don’t know how the child will turn out when they grow up, do they?”
“So I’ve thought about moving to a more comfortable hospital, but the salary would be lower, and it might negatively affect the career I’ve built up until now, so I’m conflicted.”
“Are you saying that earning a little more money is more important than your child getting emotional scars? You’re completely a bad person. There are only two times when I raise my voice. When talking about children who can’t speak for themselves, and when talking about starving North Korean residents. Because children can’t represent their own interests, and neither can North Korean residents, I try to represent them.
A mother should never get angry at her child. We all have received a lot of love from our parents, but at the same time, we have also received many wounds from them. This is due to the ignorance of parents. A parent getting angry at their child is a great loss for the child too. It’s okay to give them a little less food, it’s okay not to send them to school, but getting angry is not good. If you don’t come to your senses now, you’ll receive a big karmic retribution later.”
“I understand.”
“Then, from tomorrow, do 300 bows every morning. While bowing, say ‘I am not angry.’ Don’t say ‘I will not get angry.’ Because you will continue to get angry in the future, if you pray like that, you’ll end up self-abusing, thinking ‘I’m no good at anything.’ Instead, you should pray ‘I am not angry.’ Saying ‘I will’ is intention, not practice. Even if you actually get angry, repeat ‘I am not angry’ and do 300 bows a day to correct it, or buy an electric shock device and get shocked and faint every time you get angry. Choose one. If you care for your children, you shouldn’t say ‘tomorrow.’ You should fix it right away. It’s okay to get angry at your husband because he’s an adult. If you fight and separate, it’s over. But it doesn’t work that way with children. Children get emotional scars because of your ignorance. Parents not only hurt their children but also give a lot of love, right? This is called love-hate. When you see them, you fight because of the wounds, and when you’re apart, you miss them because of the love-hate. This is how parents and children become enemies who can neither separate nor stay together.
You shouldn’t listen to foolish people who think it’s okay to get angry and irritated at young children because they’ll be fine when they grow up a bit. Even if you’re a mother, being blind is being blind. You should never listen to such words. You need to come to your senses.”
“I understand. Thank you.”
After two hours of conversation, Sunim gave his closing remarks to end the lecture.
“The world we live in always has various challenges, not just now but in the past and future as well. Unexpected things always happen. Whether someone dies or an accident occurs, whatever happens, happens. Happiness is not when nothing happens. Freedom is being able to handle whatever happens. A sterile hospital room free of germs doesn’t provide true freedom. True freedom is having immunity so that it doesn’t matter what germs are present. Like that, don’t keep blaming the situation. When a situation arises, try to have an attitude of ‘Okay, what will I do in this situation?’ You bought a new car and it got scratched somewhere. It would be nice if it didn’t get scratched, but it already happened, so what are you going to do? Don’t argue about things that have already happened, but have the perspective of what you’re going to do in this situation. You should never lose sight of the fact that you are the master in any situation.
The Path to Becoming the Master of Your Own Life
Of course, there are exceptions. Minors and young children must be protected absolutely. You shouldn’t act according to your own temperament. When all living beings raise their offspring, don’t they protect their young at the risk of their lives? This is because it’s how the species is preserved. As a woman, you can do as you please, but as a child’s mother, you should do what’s helpful for the child. A woman’s rights and a mother’s duties are slightly different. When the two overlap, the mother’s duties should take precedence. This is how humanity can continue to flourish. I hope you’ll be happy day by day with this perspective.”
The lecture ended with a big round of applause.
After greeting the Bulgwangsa Temple officials and once again expressing his congratulations, Sunim returned to the Seoul Jungto Center at 10 PM.
Tomorrow, after receiving a regular health check-up at the hospital early in the morning, Sunim will depart from Seoul and move to Dubuk Retreat Center. In the evening, he plans to have dinner with Korean compatriots who helped with North Korean refugee aid activities in the mid-1990s, expressing gratitude for their efforts.
