Dec 04, 2024 – Weekly Dharma Assembly, Special Lecture Invited by Yeongju City, Meeting with Foreign Affairs and Security Experts
Today is scheduled for a live broadcast of the Weekly Dharma Assembly and a Dharma Q&A lecture invited by Yeongju City.
After completing his morning practice and meditation, Sunim held a meeting with Park Gena, the representative of JTS. They discussed future support projects for the Rohingya refugee camps and Myanmar, as well as ongoing overseas relief efforts in Syria, Pakistan, and other areas.
At 10 AM, Sunim conducted a live broadcast of the Weekly Dharma Assembly from the broadcasting room of the Jungto Center. All Jungto Society members entered the video conference room and requested a Dharma talk from Sunim with three bows.
Last night, the President declared emergency martial law, to which the National Assembly responded by passing a resolution demanding the lifting of martial law. Although the situation was temporarily resolved when the martial law troops withdrew from the National Assembly and the President accepted the demand to lift martial law, the entire country was thrown into chaos as a volatile situation unfolded throughout the night. Sunim addressed this with a smile in his greeting.
“You couldn’t sleep all night, could you?
“There’s never a quiet day in South Korea. You all couldn’t sleep last night because you were watching the TV news until late, right? I just returned to Korea yesterday afternoon after attending a ceremony to deliver 6.36 million bars of soap, enough for 18 months, to the Rohingya refugee camps in Bangladesh. I stayed up all night on the flight back, so I went to bed early, but I was woken up by a phone call telling me to watch the news because martial law had been declared. It ended up being a late-night incident. Usually, it’s good to be well-prepared, but sometimes it’s good not to be. If they had been well-prepared, it could have been a disaster. Thankfully, they weren’t well-prepared. (Laughs)
A few days ago, I went to Chennai, India. When I left Seoul, we had difficulty departing due to heavy snow, but when we arrived in India, there was a cyclone causing flooding, making it challenging to proceed with our events. Despite these difficulties, our flight schedule wasn’t affected, and we managed to complete all our plans and return safely.
Last week, for three days, I went on a pilgrimage with leaders from six religions and social figures to commemorate the 200th anniversary of Choe Je-u Great master’s birth, who can be considered one of the greatest figures in modern Korean history. We visited the place where he was born, where he attained enlightenment, where he compiled the Donghak scriptures, and where the Donghak Revolution, which brought significant changes to modern Korean history, took place. We paid our respects at all these sites and held a dialogue session. We’ll watch a video of this and then have a discussion.”
▲ Watch Video
Following this, Sunim engaged in a dialogue with those who had requested questions in advance. Four people raised their hands using the button and asked Sunim questions. After more than an hour of conversation, the live broadcast concluded at 11:30 AM.
As Sunim had to travel to Yeongju immediately, he quickly left the broadcasting room and got into the car. Due to time constraint, Sunim had his lunch from a lunchbox while riding in the car
Yeongju City holds an annual Yeongju Character Academy, inviting mentors to share life wisdom with citizens. Sunim was invited for this year’s final lecture. After driving on the highway for 2 hours and 30 minutes, he barely arrived at the Kkachi Hall of Yeongju Culture and Arts Center at 1:50 PM. As Sunim got out of the car, Yeongju City Hall staff warmly welcomed him.
Before the lecture, Sunim had a brief tea meeting with Yeongju Mayor Park Nam-seo in the reception room next to the auditorium.
“Thank you for making time in your busy schedule. It seems like it’s been over 10 years since you last lectured in Yeongju.”
“Yes, I gave a lecture here once 10 years ago. Originally, it was difficult to make time today. I had to go to the Rohingya refugee camp in Bangladesh to deliver 6.36 million bars of soap, so I asked if we could postpone the lecture by one day. But they said it wasn’t possible because all the promotions had already gone out. Usually, I would have stayed for a day to tour the refugee camp after the delivery ceremony, but to match the lecture schedule, I only did the delivery ceremony and took a night flight back, arriving in Korea yesterday.”
“Oh my, you went through so much trouble because of us. We didn’t know about your situation and had to stick to the schedule because the promotions had already been sent out.”
“You did the right thing. There’s a precept that practitioners should follow: ‘Do not change what has been announced to the public, but carry it out.’ (Laughs)”
While they were talking, it was time for the lecture to begin, so they all moved to the lecture hall together.
When Sunim appeared in the auditorium, applause and cheers erupted. All 598 seats were filled without a single empty spot, and the Mayor of Yeongju gave a welcoming speech.
“As Yeongju is known as the city of scholars, we have prepared this event to enhance the character of Yeongju citizens. Today’s lecture is the one our citizens have been most eager to hear, so we’ve invited you all to this 600-seat auditorium. I hope this will be a happy and beneficial time for you to realize the truths of life.”
Following this, Sunim took the stage amidst great applause and began the dialogue.
“I’m sure none of you got much sleep last night. Fortunately, the demand to lift martial law was accepted, so the situation has been resolved for now. If it hadn’t been, we might not have been able to have this lecture today. In life, all sorts of things happen. Until now, I’ve always thought that one should be well-prepared for everything, but watching the news this morning, I realized that sometimes being unprepared can be a good thing. If they had been too well-prepared, it could have been a disaster. So, I want to tell you that in life, sometimes it’s okay to be a little unprepared.” (Laughs)
After explaining the purpose of the Dharma Q&A, Sunim immediately began taking questions. Instead of accepting pre-submitted questions, he allowed anyone to freely raise their hand and ask questions on the spot. One person raised her hand and asked a question.
I’m Happy Now, But I’m Afraid Unhappiness Might Come at Any Moment
“You asked if it’s okay to be so happy, right? Yes, it’s absolutely okay to be so happy.” (Laughter)
“But I’m scared. In TV series, sometimes when people are too happy, they suddenly get sick or have an accident, right?”
“Then let me ask you this. Which is better: being happy for a year and then getting injured in a car accident, or being unhappy for a year and then getting injured in a car accident?”
“It’s not a big deal after all. Thank you.” (Everyone applauds)
The questioner’s expression immediately brightened after hearing Sunim’s response. Sunim continued:
“Realizing that it’s not a big deal is the best enlightenment. In life, you might have a car accident or get sick. Your only child might not do well in school even though you thought they would, just as most things in life don’t go as we want. These things happen in our lives. The question is whether it’s better for these things to happen when you’re happy or when you’re unhappy. What do you think?”
“It’s better for these things to happen when I’m happy.”
“So there’s no need to worry too much. If you find yourself worrying even when you try not to, you might need to visit a psychiatrist. Usually, they diagnose such symptoms as ‘anxiety disorder.’ It’s a condition where you constantly fear that something might happen. If you’re always anxious about whether you left the gas on when you go out, or if you’re always worried that your child might have an accident when they go somewhere, that’s anxiety disorder. It’s caused by slightly heightened nerves, making you feel uneasy. Suggesting you visit a psychiatrist doesn’t mean ‘you’re crazy.’ Just like how we used to recover from a cold in a week by resting, but now we recover faster with injections and medicine from the hospital, anxiety can be treated more quickly with prescribed medication from a psychiatrist. This doesn’t mean medication solves everything, but in these cases, medication can help calm your sensitive nerves and reduce worry, anxiety, and unease.”
“The questioner doesn’t seem to need to go to the hospital yet. When you feel anxious, you should recognize it as ‘anxiety.’ Accidents and incidents are bound to happen in life. If you change your perspective to ‘It’s better for accidents to happen when things are good than when things are bad,’ it’s not a big deal.”
“Thank you. I understand now.”
The questions continued:
My son has been suffering from schizophrenia since he was discharged from the military. My heart aches and I’m in tears. Is there any way I can help him?
My son has a quick temper and is anxious about the future. I think it might be because I didn’t take good care of him when he was young. How should I treat him now, even though it’s late?
Life is tough these days. I’m curious if past lives really exist.
They say life is a series of choices. How can we make good choices?
My father divorced my mother at 82. My 56-year-old younger brother and his wife neglect my father who lives alone, and it breaks my heart.
My sister, whom I relied on, died at a young age. People are asking me to take care of her children. What should I do?
I often get irritated and angry with my first-grade child. How can I manage my anger?
The questioners quickly understood Sunim’s words. Sunim said with a smile:
“The citizens of Yeongju are very intelligent. You understand quickly, even though these aren’t easy concepts to grasp.”
Amidst various questions, a question arose about the President’s declaration of martial law, which had thrown South Korea into chaos throughout the previous night.
How Should We Respond to the President’s Declaration of Martial Law?
“When viewed from within, South Korea seems like a country with so many problems that it might collapse tomorrow. However, when seen from abroad, today’s South Korea is a highly developed country. If you go to Southeast Asia or Southwest Asia now, they greatly admire South Korea. When we were young, we looked up to America as the ‘American Dream.’ Going to America once was a dream, and we thought highly of those who had been to America. Similarly, Southeast Asia and Southwest Asia now admire Korea just like we used to admire America. Just as we used to know phrases like ‘Good morning’ and ‘Thank you’ even if we couldn’t speak English fluently, now people in rural areas of Southeast and Southwest Asia greet you in Korean with ‘Annyeonghaseyo’ and ‘Gamsahamnida.’ Even when I went to a remote village in Bhutan, the residents greeted me in Korean. Why? Because they watch a lot of Korean dramas. When we built a school in Syria, which was hit by an earthquake during the war, even the people living there could at least say ‘Annyeonghaseyo’ and ‘Gamsahamnida.’
South Korea is a good country in this respect. The declaration of martial law in such a country is an internationally embarrassing act. Regardless of the rights and wrongs of the ruling and opposition parties, it is an action that can damage the nation’s reputation. During the October 26 incident in 1979 when President Park Chung-hee passed away, martial law was declared nationwide. Later, during the May 18 Gwangju Democratic Movement, there was martial law in Gwangju region, which led to many sacrifices and human rights violations, becoming an important event that awakened the value of democracy. Then, for 45 years, there was no martial law. However, this declaration of martial law now can be seen as a shameful act that lowers the status of South Korea, which has been evaluated as a country where democracy has developed and stabilized. Looking at what’s happening now, while there is a lot of political confusion, I think you would agree that it’s not to the extent that martial law should be declared, right?”
“Yes!”
“That’s why many people are criticizing the declaration of martial law as an excessive action. Of course, those who declared martial law might have thought it was necessary due to the many issues being raised. However, generally speaking, this is not a situation that calls for martial law. The good news is that in other countries, when martial law is declared, civil wars often break out. In Myanmar, the military declared a state of emergency in February 2021, and they’re still in civil war. Thailand is also in turmoil due to a military coup. But how long did it take for our martial law to be declared and then lifted? It ended in just 6 hours. This demonstrates that South Korea is an extraordinary country.”
The citizens all applauded loudly, showing their agreement. Sunim continued speaking.
“We shouldn’t look at anything from just one perspective. We shouldn’t see Korea as problematic based only on the first aspect I mentioned, nor should we see it as great based only on the second aspect. Even in the recent state of emergency situation, we should recognize that there are both good and bad aspects of Korea.
Your child only sees the negative aspects of Korea and worries, but it’s necessary to see both the good and the bad. It’s important to preserve the good aspects and improve the bad ones. Older people say that Korea has become a better place to live. However, young people in their 20s and 30s call Korea ‘Hell Joseon’. Why do they say it’s as difficult to live in as hell? We need to understand the feelings of these young people who can’t help but say this. Older people might wonder why they call this good country hell, but this is due to human consciousness. Among those of you here in your 60s and 70s, has your income increased or decreased, even slightly, from your childhood until now? Has the size of your home increased or decreased?”
“It has increased.”
“When I was young, I lived in the countryside in a single room with my parents and six children. But when we grew up and got married, even if we rented a small place, we lived just the two of us, so it felt like life had improved. We were in a state of continuous, gradual improvement. But the situation for young people today is different. For example, if your parents’ apartment is 30 pyeong (about 990 square feet), there are separate rooms for your parents, yourself, and your sibling, plus a living room and kitchen. Larger apartments are even better equipped. But if you get married, you’ll likely move to a smaller place than where you’re living now. Comparing before and after marriage, household chores increase. When you’re not married and living with your parents, your mother cooks for you. Even if you help a little, your mother does most of the laundry and cleaning. But when you get married and live as a couple, you have to do the cooking, laundry, and cleaning yourselves, so it becomes inconvenient. That’s why it’s difficult to get married.
Nowadays, it’s difficult for young people to even find a 15-pyeong (approximately 500 square feet) apartment as a newlywed home. While such apartments might be available in rural areas, it’s rare for young people to have jobs there. Most need to find housing in Seoul or other major cities, where apartment prices are beyond what they can afford in a lifetime. Getting married and living independently often result in a lower standard of living compared to living with their parents. We often say that moving from a good place to a bad one feels like going to hell. That’s why Korea feels like hell to young people.
“I grew up in the countryside, and my whole family lived in one room. Even though I only went to middle school, I managed to get married, buy a house, send my children to college, and take care of my parents. You’ve been to college and even studied abroad, so why can’t you manage your own life properly?”
You might think this way, but that’s not the case. People always think from their own perspective. When parents say such things to their children, they’re seen as old-fashioned and disliked. Judgments of “good” or “bad” are psychological, not objective. So you need to understand the children who say life is difficult. Understanding your child doesn’t mean giving them everything they want. In fact, your overindulgence in raising your children has now become a big challenge for them. If they had grown up like me, doing chores and working from a young age, it would be easier for them to overcome difficulties. But nowadays, kids don’t even know how to hammer a nail or change a light bulb. You are the one who made the children that way. The situation has changed like this.
Objectively speaking, Korea has become a good country. However, from the perspective of young people living in Korea, it doesn’t meet their expectations. Older generations think based on the past and say that the country has become a better place to live, but young people feel it’s hell because they think the future will be worse than the present.
The president’s declaration of martial law nationwide yesterday doesn’t match Korea’s national status. But is there any other country in the world that could resolve a martial law declaration so cleanly and quickly as Korea did?
“No, there isn’t.”
“Korea is an amazing country. Because it has both good and bad aspects simultaneously, you should tell your child to look at both sides, not just one. So what should the parent generation do? I think our social responsibility as parents is to strive to pass on the good points and work to improve the problematic areas.”
“Thank you. I understand well.”
After finishing the conversation, Sunim gave some final words.
“The conversation I had with you today is not just about worldly matters. Although I didn’t use Buddhist terminology, it’s all the Buddha’s teachings. We call the Buddha’s teachings ‘the Dharma without fixed nature,’ or Muyujeongbeop in Korean. Let’s say we have a mirror here. If a clock comes in front of this mirror, it reflects the clock, and if a cup comes, it reflects the cup. Then how many objects can this mirror reflect?”
“It can reflect countless objects.”
“Has this mirror ever drawn a single picture?”
“No, it hasn’t.”
“Like that, the Dharma taught by the Buddha is described as innumerable, and also as not having taught a single Dharma. The most suitable path in any situation is not fixed. It’s realized according to causes and conditions. When you ask all sorts of questions, I answer them all, so you might think, ‘Sunim knows a lot!’ Does the mirror reflect countless objects because it knows a lot? That’s not the case. The mirror simply reflects. When your afflictions are reflected in the mirror of the Buddha’s mind, the path to dissolve those afflictions is reflected. So change only occurs when you become aware yourself, not by listening to someone else’s words. If you had realizations during our conversation today like ‘It’s not a big deal!’ or ‘I guess I’m stubborn!’, that’s when change begins. But if you just think, ‘Sunim said many good things today!’, you’ll forget everything the moment you leave the lecture hall, and there will be no change in your life. That’s why you always need the power to examine yourself. If you know how to examine yourself, you can all live a happy life without suffering.”
The lecture ended with a big round of applause.
As soon as the lecture ended, citizens rushed to express their gratitude. After greeting the city hall staff who prepared for the lecture, Sunim left the lecture hall at 4 PM.
Sunim immediately departed from Yeongju and headed back to Seoul. Sunim didn’t even have time for dinner, so he had a lunchbox in the moving car. After driving on the highway for 2 hours and 30 minutes, he arrived at the Jungto Social and Cultural Center in Seoul at 6:45 PM.
From 7 PM, he had a meeting with foreign affairs and security experts. After the U.S. presidential election, President Trump is soon about to have his inauguration, they discussed how to manage the relationships between Korea, North Korea, and the U.S. during Trump’s term.
First, Sunim introduced The Peace Foundation and explained the purpose of the meeting.
“Our Peace Foundation doesn’t pay activity fees to individuals because it’s made up of people who voluntarily gathered with a passion for peace and unification on the Korean Peninsula. We provide necessary expenses for projects, such as covering travel costs to the U.S. or offering opportunities to make presentations, but we don’t give any compensation to individuals. People with good intentions have come together to work for the country. So if you have a sincere desire to contribute to peace and unification on the Korean Peninsula, it would be great to put our heads together and discuss. However, we will provide whatever is necessary for the work.
As it’s been 20 years since the Peace Foundation was established, those who were actively researching in the early days are now in their 60s and 70s and retiring from their positions. So we’ve arranged this first meeting with the intention of having younger people take the lead in creating concrete alternatives. Of course, I think that for dialogue between North Korea and the U.S. to begin, the war between Ukraine and Russia must first reach a ceasefire. This would lower the closeness of North Korea’s relationship with Russia, and the U.S. would have more room to address the North Korean issue. I think it might take until next spring for a solution to emerge. However, there was a suggestion that if we provide accurate information early in President Trump’s term and prepare well for dialogue, we can successfully lead North Korea-U.S. talks when the opportunity arises. That’s why this meeting was arranged. Understanding this purpose, please share your good ideas.”
Then, the experts freely shared their opinions. After two hours of discussion about solutions for North Korea-U.S. relations, the meeting ended after 9 PM.
Tomorrow morning, Sunim will meet with agricultural experts for sustainable development in Bhutan, have lunch and discuss current affairs over tea with guests visiting The Peace Foundation, and have another meeting with a social figure in the afternoon.
