Jan. 26, 2025 – Dharma Talk for Shakya Clan in Sankasia, India Jungto Society Board Meeting
Hello. Today is the day for a Dharma talk for the Shakya clan in Sankasia and a board meeting for India Jungto Society.
After his morning practice and meditation, Sunim rested in the morning. He had been feeling under the weather since the end of the pilgrimage, and his voice became hoarse the day before yesterday, eventually leading to a severe cold. Fortunately, there were no scheduled activities in the morning.
At 10:30 AM, members of the Shakya clan began arriving one by one at the Sankasia Dhamma Center. They sat at tables and chairs prepared on the first floor, eating samosas, drinking chai, and chatting with each other while enjoying bananas.
At 12:30 PM, the Dharma talk for the Shakya clan began at Venerable Dhammapal’s temple, which is a five-minute walk from the Sankasia Dhamma Center. As Sunim entered the temple and took his seat, members of the Shakya clan presented him with a Buddha portrait and a bouquet of flowers. They then draped a white cloth over his shoulders and placed a flower garland around his neck as a greeting. About 70 members of the Shakya clan from the Sankasia area gathered. After chanting in Pali, they requested Sunim to give a Dharma talk.
After a brief meditation, Sunim began his Dharma talk. Priyanka, an India JTS volunteer, provided Hindi interpretation. Sunim explained the unique characteristics of Buddhism that distinguish it from other religions, elaborating on the teachings of dependent origination and the Middle Way.
“There are two unique concepts in Buddhism that are not found in any other religion or philosophy. These are ‘the Middle Way’ and ‘dependent origination.’ First, ‘the Middle Way’ means that one should maintain a perspective that does not lean towards any extreme. Second, ‘dependent origination’ refers to the true nature of how this world is constituted, as seen when one attains enlightenment and opens their eyes. Terms like karma, reincarnation, and nirvana are also used in Hinduism, but their meanings differ from Buddhist teachings. Therefore, the criteria for verifying whether something is Buddhist Dhamma or not are: whether it conforms to the law of dependent origination (paṭiccasamuppāda) and whether it aligns with the Middle Way perspective.”
Two Unique Concepts Found Only in Buddhism
The first teaching Buddha gave to the five ascetics after attaining enlightenment was about ‘the Middle Way,’ followed by the ‘Four Noble Truths.’ The Four Noble Truths state that the cause of suffering is attachment, that by eliminating attachment one can reach nirvana, and to prevent suffering from arising again, one must cultivate the Eightfold Path and remain constantly aware. The key here is ‘mindfulness.’ In fact, Buddha’s first sermon contained nothing more than this message. Upon hearing this, ‘Kondanna,’ one of the five ascetics, was the first to attain enlightenment. Buddha gave many sermons to people, but the content was essentially this same message, explained with examples to suit the capacities of different audiences.

Let me give you an example. One day, a young man asked Buddha, ‘The Brahmins say that if one bathes in the Ganges River, all sins will be washed away and one will be reborn in heaven. Is this true?’ Buddha replied as follows:
‘If what they say is true, then the fish living in the Ganges River would be the first to be reborn in heaven.’
Upon hearing this, the young man’s doubts were completely resolved without any hesitation. Buddha did not say, ‘You will be reborn in heaven,’ ‘You will not be reborn in heaven,’ ‘That statement is true,’ ‘That statement is false,’ ‘Bathing in the Ganges River is of no help,’ or ‘The teachings of those who say such things are wrong.’ Buddha does not criticize the claims of other religions or people. He simply speaks the truth. If others are foolish enough to think that way, it is their problem, so he did not interfere.
Therefore, you should not engage in arguments about the claims of other religions or philosophies. For example, questions like ‘Does God exist or not?’ are matters of personal belief. Matters of faith are not subjects for debate. The same goes for questions like ‘Is there an afterlife or not?’ What people choose to believe is their personal freedom. We should not argue about whether it’s right or wrong. Buddha said, ‘Do not argue. We should simply pursue the truth.’ He also said, ‘I do not speak vain or false words. I am one who speaks the truth.’ So, you too should understand Buddha’s Dharma and experience it directly to free yourself from suffering. Of course, Buddhism is excellent both as a religion and as a philosophy. However, what’s more important is to correctly understand the Buddhist teachings and experience them firsthand. This is what we call ‘Buddhism as practice.’ Only when you properly understand Buddha’s teachings and experience them yourself, living without suffering, can you truly be called a ‘Buddhist.’

Why We Should Study the Life of Buddha
Earlier, I mentioned that the core philosophy of Buddhism is the law of dependent origination. This law can be explained through temporal and spatial concepts. When applied to human society, the spatial concept of dependent origination can be described as sociality, while the temporal concept can be described as historicity. Because humans are both social and historical beings, the law of dependent origination deeply illuminates the nature of human existence. However, if we only believe in the Buddha religiously or study Buddhism purely academically, we lose sight of its social and historical aspects. This is why Buddhism today often lacks sociality and historicity. But by studying the life of the Buddha, we can learn about the social and historical footprints of Buddha as a real person. This is why I strongly recommend that you study the life of the Buddha in depth before delving into the Dharma.
The reason I invest significant money and time to take 500 people on an annual pilgrimage to India is to provide on-site learning by following in the Buddha’s footsteps. When we visit the actual places where the Buddha taught and discuss who he met there, what questions were asked, and how he answered, we can vividly experience his teachings in a way that’s not possible in a temple or classroom. By understanding how the historical Buddha alleviated people’s suffering within the climate and socio-cultural environment of India, we can more concretely grasp the Buddha’s personality and teachings.
For example, during the Buddha’s time, the untouchables and women were not allowed to become monastics. Why couldn’t they? These two groups were not free individuals. They were not the masters of their own lives; they had owners. At that time, men were free individuals, so they could make their own decisions to become monastics. However, if a woman left her male owner to become a monastic, the owner would come to reclaim her. Untouchables also had owners. If an untouchable who had been bought with money ran away to become a monastic, what would the owner do? They would immediately rush to capture the untouchable who had become a monastic. Therefore, the untouchable class and women could not become monastic practitioners. In such an era, the Buddha allowed women to become monastics and permitted the untouchable class to do the same. This was humanity’s first liberation of women and emancipation of social classes. Today, we take for granted that anyone can become a monastic, but in that society, it was impossible. Yet, Buddha implemented this change. This fact cannot be understood by simply believing in Buddhism religiously or by merely studying the Dharma academically. It can only be known by studying the life of the Buddha.
The Rohini River flowed between the Shakya and Koliya clans. One year, a drought caused the river’s water level to drop significantly. As a result, farmers from both sides tried to take water for themselves, leading to a conflict. Verbal arguments escalated into fistfights, and fistfights turned into stone-throwing, with the fight growing increasingly intense. Eventually, it reached the point where armies were about to wage war against each other. At that time, the Buddha thought to himself:
‘I must intervene. Otherwise, these ignorant people will shed much blood.’
The Buddha called the leaders of both armies and said:
‘Which is more precious: the water flowing in this river or the blood flowing in people’s bodies?’
Both generals gave the same answer:
‘Compared to the blood flowing in people’s bodies, river water is insignificant.’
The Buddha then asked:
‘Then why are you about to shed precious human blood like a river for the sake of insignificant river water?’
Upon listening the Buddha’s words, the two clans, who were on the brink of war due to heightened emotions, realized the futility of war. Afterwards, they put their efforts into managing the water instead of fighting, successfully overcoming that year’s drought.
How to Live Peacefully and Without Suffering in This World
The Buddha was someone who took direct action to prevent war and maintain peace. After attaining enlightenment, the Buddha lived for 45 years before entering nirvana. During those 45 years, he experienced all kinds of problems in this world. Therefore, the Buddha’s teachings are not separate from the world. Rather, they provide specific paths to overcome the suffering caused by various worldly problems. Through the Buddha’s life and teachings, we can find ways to solve many of the issues that modern people face today.

The Buddha also faced criticism at times. Although he lived a peaceful life, many people followed his teachings, which led to jealousy, envy, and criticism from those of other faiths. There were even people who tried to harm the Buddha. If even the Buddha received insults and criticism from others, isn’t it natural that we, who are less virtuous than the Buddha, would face such criticism?
However, when you are criticized by others, you feel unfair and angry. At such times, you should consider how the Buddha would have responded. All of this is described in the scriptures. The Buddha’s teachings are not separate from our lives and society but show us the way to overcome afflictions within our specific lives and society.
Traditionally, the Buddhism we inherited was primarily centered around monks. However, the actual Buddhism that the Buddha taught focuses on ‘how we can live peacefully and without suffering in this world.’ Therefore, you should go beyond simply believing in Buddhism and understand and practice the Dharma to live a life free from suffering yourselves.”
After a short break, there was a Q&A session where people could ask questions and receive immediate answers. Over two hours, five people asked various questions. One of them asked again about the law of dependent origination.
How Can We Know That Everything in This World Is Interconnected?
“When the Buddha spoke about the law of dependent origination, he primarily focused on our mental processes. The existences in this world can be broadly divided into three categories. First, there is material existence. Based on material existence, there is the existence of life, and based on the existence of life, there is mental existence. In other words, there are material (physical) phenomena, biological phenomena, and mental phenomena.

For example, falling from a rooftop to the ground is a physical phenomenon, eating food is a biological phenomenon, and judging “this is right” or “that is right” is a mental phenomenon. We are beings who possess all three: physical, vital, and mental phenomena. However, a stone only has physical phenomena. Plants have both physical and biological actions. Humans and animals, on the other hand, have physical and biological phenomena as well as mental phenomena. Does this mean that mental phenomena are unique to humans? Not necessarily. Animals also have mental phenomena, but humans possess them in the most developed form. Feeling “unbearably distressed” is a mental phenomenon. When someone pricks you with a needle, the pain response of “Ouch!” is a biological phenomenon. However, feeling hatred towards the person who pricked you is a mental phenomenon.
The Buddha primarily studied mental phenomena. Feeling distressed is a mental phenomena. Traditional Indian thought viewed suffering as the result of bad karma from past lives. However, the Buddha saw suffering not as something inherently existing, but as something arising from certain causes. Therefore, he taught that if we find and eliminate the causes of suffering, suffering itself will disappear. He called the state free from suffering “Nirvana.” The Buddha’s focus was not on where we go after death or what our past lives were like, but on maintaining a state free from suffering in this very moment. For instance, when Angulimala approached the Buddha with a sword, the Buddha felt no fear because he had attained Nirvana. The Middle Way, the law of dependent origination, and all of the Buddha’s teachings were derived from analyzing these human mental phenomena. In contrast, today’s natural sciences study matter, while medicine and biotechnology study life.
First, let me explain the material world. In the past, people studied the essence of water. When you split a drop of water, it’s still water, and if you split it again, it’s still water. But what happens if you keep splitting it? One more split, and it’s no longer in a state of water. That last particle of water was considered the essence of water. It was believed that this essence of water combined to form all the water in the world. However, as science advanced, it was discovered that water is a combination of hydrogen and oxygen. Specifically, one oxygen atom and two hydrogen atoms combine to form a water molecule. This means that water is not a single particle, but a combination of oxygen and hydrogen. If you break down oxygen and hydrogen, it’s no longer water, and if you recombine them, water is created. In other words, water is made up of things that are not water. So, are oxygen and hydrogen that make up water the smallest units that can no longer be split? Dalton’s atomic theory defined atoms as indivisible, individual particles. However, as science progressed, it was revealed that atoms also have something combined inside them. At the center of an atom is a nucleus, surrounded by electrons. Looking further into the nucleus, it was found to be a combination of protons and neutrons. We call these subatomic particles. So even an atom is not a single entity, but a combination of subatomic particles. Are subatomic particles individual entities then? It was discovered that subatomic particles are not individual entities either, but combinations of quarks. In the material world, nothing exists as an individual entity; everything is combined. The Buddha’s teachings of non-self, impermanence, and dependent origination explain that there are no individual entities, and this applies directly to the material world as well. That’s why some scientists today are claiming that “Buddhism is science.”
Second, let me explain the world of living organisms. In life, there are species. We refer to dogs, cows, potatoes, tomatoes as species, right? And when you plant a potato, it always grows into a potato. No matter how many times you plant it, a potato will never grow into a sweet potato. So in the past, it was believed that species were created by God. However, in today’s life science research, it has been discovered that what we call “this is a potato” is determined by genes (DNA). And we’ve also learned that if we change the arrangement of genes, a potato can be transformed into something else. In the end, even species are not immutable but changeable. Therefore, impermanence (無常) and non-self (無我) apply to mental phenomena, life phenomena, and material phenomena alike.
Third, let me explain the spiritual world. Let’s start by thinking about ‘who I am’. Who am I? When I take a taxi, people call me a passenger. If I run a store, they call me the owner, and when I go to school, they call me a parent. When I meet my wife, she calls me her husband, and when I meet my mother, she calls me her child. In this way, we are called something in relation to others, but alone, we are no one in particular. When we form relationships, we become something, but when we don’t, that name disappears. Without relationships, we are nothing, but by forming connections according to our karmic affinities, we can become anything. This is how things come into being and disappear according to karmic connections. These teachings of the Buddha can be easily explained to young people today using scientific knowledge.
In the past, there were Brahmin and slave castes. It was believed that the son of a Brahmin was a Brahmin, and the son of a slave was a slave. But if slaves were to disappear from this world, would there still be Brahmins? Conversely, if Brahmins disappeared, there would be no slaves either. All of these exist in relation to each other. Today in Korea, there are neither Brahmins nor slaves. If both Brahmins and slaves were to disappear, their names would vanish as well. Everything comes into being through relationships, and when relationships dissolve, things disappear. They didn’t exist from the beginning, nor were they created by a god. They form according to karmic conditions and disappear when those conditions disperse. This is the truth. The Buddha taught people 2,600 years ago these teachings that are difficult for us to understand even today. This is the greatness of the Buddha. Firstly, he is great because he realized and understood what no one else knew. Secondly, he is great because he taught others to realize this truth. Even if he couldn’t realize it in the entire world, he at least realized it within the Sangha.
The Buddha said, ‘There are four castes in the world. But in my Dharma, there is no such discrimination.’ For example, Sariputra and Moggallana were from Brahmin backgrounds, Upali was from the Sudra caste, and Ananda was from the Kshatriya caste. These people lived together in the Sangha. This was impossible in the society of that time. So Sariputra and Moggallana were criticized by their friends, saying, ‘You live with those impure people?’ or ‘You live with those dirty people?’ In today’s terms, it would be like saying, ‘You live with pigs?’ But this caste consciousness is a false consciousness. We must abandon both the mind that thinks of oneself as noble and the mind that considers oneself impure. If we abandon the pride of thinking ‘I am noble’ or ‘I am high,’ we become humble. If we abandon the inferiority of thinking ‘I am impure’ or ‘I am low,’ we can become confident. The Buddha said:
‘My disciple practitioners, do not be arrogant, be humble. Do not be servile, be confident.’
This teaching instructs the specific attitude that practitioners should adopt. The Buddha’s teachings are based on this Dharma, and the core of the Dharma is the law of dependent origination. Impermanence and non-self are different expressions of the law of dependent origination.
Therefore, you should be proud to be disciples of the Buddha. No matter how wealthy or high-ranking you are, you must not be arrogant. You must not look down on others, even if they are poor or female. Always remain humble. If everyone were to practice these teachings, how much better would this world be? The Buddha’s teachings are great. However, problems arise because we fail to properly practice these teachings. First, it’s important to correctly understand the Dharma, and second, we must personally experience the Dharma. But even understanding the Dharma is not easy. Even if we understand it, practicing it is even more difficult. That’s why the Buddha said, “Practice diligently and continuously.” This is because in reality, things may go well for a while, then not so well, then well again, and then not so well again, in a repeating cycle. When the Buddha was about to enter nirvana, he told his disciples, “The world is impermanent. Practice diligently, as water droplets can pierce a rock.” So, I hope that you, too, will continue to practice diligently.”
The Dharma talk, which began at 12:30 PM, concluded at 4:30 PM. The Shakya clan members expressed their gratitude with a big round of applause for Sunim, who passionately delivered the Dharma talk for four hours.
After completing the Dharma talk for the Shakya clan, Sunim returned to the Dhamma Center.
At 5:30 PM, the board meeting of Jungto Society India began. The participants began the meeting by taking refuge in the Three Jewels.
Sunim delivered a greeting to the board members of Jungto Society India.
“Thank you all for your hard work over the past year. Although we held the groundbreaking ceremony for the Dhamma Center construction, we haven’t actually started yet. It seems the start has been delayed due to our thorough preparations. I hope we can begin construction this year if possible. Thank you.”
Following this, Priyanka led a report on Jungto Society India’s projects for 2024 and reviewed the status of the Dhamma Center construction. After exchanging various opinions, the board meeting concluded at 6:20 PM.
After the board meeting, Sunim had dinner with the members, then returned to his lodging to work on manuscript corrections and other tasks before retiring for the night.
Tomorrow’s schedule includes a morning visit to the school run by Suresh to offer encouragement, followed by a trip to Kanouj for the ground breaking ceremony of the Ashoka Pillar construction at lunchtime. In the evening, Sunim will travel to Itarsi to board a train bound for Gaya, where Sujata Academy is located.
“Even Buddha had experiences that were blamed and criticized by others. Shouldn’t it be expected that we, who have less merit than Buddha, could also be blamed by others?” This dharma text spoke to my heart.
When I have that kind of experience in my life, I want to remember these words.