Apr 1, 2025 – 44th day of the 100-Day Dharma Talk, 4th lecture of Jungto Buddhism Course
Hello. Today is the 44th day of Venerable Pomnyun Sunim’s 100-Day Dharma Talk and the 4th lecture of the Jungto Buddhism Course.
After completing his morning practice and meditation, Sunim headed to the Jungto Social and Cultural Center for the Jungto Buddhism Course lecture. The courtyard of the center was beautifully decorated with colorful lanterns in anticipation of Buddha’s Birthday, which was a month away. This year, the lanterns were arranged in the shape of the word “hope,” expressing the wish that passersby would carry a small hope in their hearts.
The Jungto Buddhism Course is offered in two sessions, morning and evening. Sunim began the morning session at 10:15 AM.
About 180 students gathered in the main hall of the Jungto Social and Cultural Center, while approximately 170 more connected online, bringing the total attendance for the morning session to around 350 people. The class began with the Threefold Refuges and Words for Practice, followed by three bows before Sunim started his Dharma talk.
During the previous three lectures, students had learned about Buddhism’s core concepts: the Four Noble Truths, Dependent Origination, and the Middle Way. Today, Sunim first addressed questions that had arisen from the previous lectures. After answering two questions, he continued with the fourth lecture.
Sunim summarized the content of the previous three lectures before explaining the Eightfold Path.
“The Eightfold Path is the way to liberation and nirvana, a state free from suffering. Although suffering exists in our current reality, our goal is to live a life without suffering. The Middle Way is the path from suffering to non-suffering, and the Eightfold Path is the method to achieve this. It’s not a path to earning money, being reborn in a better place in the next life, or receiving blessings. It’s the path from our current reality of suffering to an ideal state without suffering. The method is to cultivate the threefold training of precept, meditation, and wisdom. The Eightfold Path divides this threefold training into eight components.
How to Control Your Mind Without Being Controlled by Desires
Among these, ‘precept’ is a way to restrain the greed that blinds us to desire. It’s like knowing not to eat food that contains rat poison, no matter how hungry you are. If the result of an action would harm you, you must know when to stop. Therefore, you need to be mindful when acting. You should examine whether what you’re saying or doing will harm you. There are three components of the Eightfold Path that correspond to cultivating ‘precept’.
First is Right Speech. We must speak correctly. When speaking, we should consider whether our words harm ourselves or others. We need to consider both ourselves and others. The purpose of speech is to convey facts. For example, if you’re pouring water from above, you should say, ‘Water coming down!’ to warn those below. Speech aims to communicate, and what we communicate should be factual. We shouldn’t include falsehoods. The word ‘believe’ comes from ‘believing a person’s words.’ If you look at the Chinese character for ‘believe’ (信), it consists of ‘person’ (亻) and ‘words’ (言). A person’s words should be trustworthy because they convey correct information. But nowadays, are people’s words always trustworthy? Often not. For words to be trustworthy, they must convey truth.
Even when speaking the truth, the delivery should be gentle. You shouldn’t use abusive language. In the situation of pouring water from above, would it be appropriate to say, ‘Hey, you! Water coming down. If you don’t move, you’re dead!’ (Laughter) This conveys the facts but hurts the listener’s feelings. We should communicate facts clearly but gently.
Additionally, we shouldn’t contradict ourselves. Some people say different things to different audiences. To workers, they speak as if they support workers. To businesses, they say they’ll help businesses thrive. To women, they say what women want to hear; to men, they say, ‘Men should get extra points because they serve in the military while women don’t.’ When you combine everything such a person has said, it becomes unbelievable. This is called ‘double-tongue’ (兩舌). In Chinese characters, lying is called ‘妄語’, abusive language is ‘惡口’, and useless talk is ‘綺語’. For example, interrupting a Dharma talk to say, ‘Sunim, I love you,’ or ‘Sunim, you look handsome,’ is completely useless. Yet we often engage in such useless talk. We sit around drinking tea and chat about nothing important. ‘綺語’ refers to useless chatter or embellished speech. ‘Right Speech’ (正語) means avoiding lying, abusive language, double-tongue, and useless talk. When speaking, we should be mindful to speak truthfully, gently, and coherently. This is Right Speech.
Second is Right Action (正業). We must act correctly. There are three aspects to right action. First, we should not harm living beings. For humans and all living beings, the greatest suffering comes from violence and death. A world where violence and murder occur routinely is called hell. The first of the Five Precepts states, ‘Do not strike or kill living beings carelessly.’ We should not commit violent acts against other living beings.
Next, we should not steal or take what is not given. Humans need certain resources for survival: water to drink, food to eat, clothes to wear, minimal shelter, and medicine when sick. These are essential for human survival. Taking what someone needs to survive could cause their death, so we should not steal or take it. We shouldn’t even pick up and take something that belongs to someone else. Therefore, we must never steal or take what is not given.
There are also actions that cause great suffering to humans even though they don’t involve hitting people or stealing property. These are acts that violate human dignity. We must respect the dignity of others. The most severe violation of human dignity is sexual assault. When two people meet because they like each other, it’s called love, but if one person forces a relationship when the other person doesn’t want it, this constitutes a crime. Sexual assault, harassment, and molestation are considered improper sexual misconduct. For lay practitioners, marriage is permitted, but improper sexual misconduct is not. First, do not engage in sexual acts that involve coercion. Second, even with mutual consent, there are cases to refrain from: relationships with minors, married men, or married women. In these three cases, the parents of minors, the wives of married men, or the husbands of married women would suffer greatly.
We should be mindful of our actions and, when possible, act to save lives. This attitude should extend not only to people but to all living beings. We should give to those in need when possible and bring joy to others rather than causing suffering. We should love others. This is Right Action (正業). When we cause suffering to others, we create karma. That is why we must make our speech and actions right. 
Third is Right Livelihood (正命). In modern terms, this refers to our values regarding occupation. In daily life, we need to work to survive, but we should not engage in work that harms others. No matter how much money can be made, we should not manufacture or distribute drugs. We should not make a living through human trafficking, prostitution, or uploading sexual videos, which are criminal activities. In ancient times, making bows, or in today’s context, manufacturing weapons or working in missile factories, are also activities we should avoid. This is because such actions cause harm, damage, or suffering to others. Right Livelihood is translated as ‘live righteously.’ It means having the right attitude toward one’s profession. For example, what happens when doctors or pharmacists become obsessed with money? They might provide excessive treatments or prescriptions. They might sell unnecessary medications. All these actions contradict the principles of Right Livelihood.
Greed leads to distorted values. Due to greed for money, fame, and status, people lie, use harsh words, deceive others, steal, assault, and sexually harass others. Taking jobs that cause social problems is also due to greed. When we free ourselves from greed, we can be liberated from all these issues. Therefore, among the Eightfold Path, Right Speech, Right Action, and Right Livelihood correspond to observing precepts. They instruct us not to be swayed by greed by speaking correctly, acting correctly, and living correctly.”
How to Always Keep Your Mind Calm
“When we lose our temper, get angry, or become irritated, it’s because our mind is agitated. We should always keep our mind calm and maintain equanimity. Maintaining equanimity is called ‘Seon meditation’ (禪定). Among the Eightfold Path, there are three elements that correspond to practicing ‘Seon meditation.’ 
First is Right Concentration (正定). Focusing while being at ease is called Right Concentration. It means ‘be rightly stable.’ If you are concentrating but in a tense state, it is not Right Concentration. If you are comfortable but dozing off, it is not Right Concentration. If you are scattered, it is not Right Concentration. You must be clearly focused while remaining at ease to achieve Right Concentration. Those who practice Seon meditation should focus on their hwadu (topic), those who practice Buddha recitation should focus on their recitation, those who practice mantra should focus on their mantra, and those who practice contemplation should focus on their breath—all while being at ease.
Second is Right Mindfulness (正念). Maintaining proper awareness is called Right Mindfulness. Among the Eightfold Path, Right Mindfulness is the most important. It means ‘awareness,’ ‘being awake,’ and ‘knowing clearly.’ However, when we actually practice, we often lose our awareness. We become drowsy or fantasies arise. We keep thinking. Thinking is not meditation. Thoughts must cease. But thoughts don’t easily stop. So even when thoughts arise, we should not pay attention to them. We don’t assign meaning to them. We should only investigate our hwadu, recite Buddha’s name, or be aware of our breath. But this is difficult. That’s why consistent practice is necessary.
Third is Right Effort (正精進). Making proper effort is called Right Effort. It means trying again when you fail, getting up when you fall, and continuing to throw when your throw doesn’t go in. Don’t ask, ‘How long should I do this?’ Just keep doing it consistently. However, if you do it for a long time with tension, you will become exhausted. When you’re exhausted, you don’t want to continue. Then you give up. That’s why the prerequisite of ‘comfort’ is attached. When you consistently practice while being comfortable, you can continue until death without any problem. Because it doesn’t require any strain. 
Right Effort, Right Mindfulness, and Right Concentration together are called Seon meditation. When you cultivate Samadhi, insight develops. Insight is the ability to comprehend the complete picture of things. With insight comes intuitive power that allows you to see clearly, as if shining a spotlight. It’s not about thinking deeply, but about understanding immediately at a glance. If you’ve studied extensively, you may have heard the phrase ‘gaining literary insight.’ This intuitive understanding that comes at a glance is called wisdom.
How to Increase Wisdom
Why do we lack wisdom today? It’s because we hold prejudices. We see only one side of things, so our insight is insufficient. That’s why the seventh element of the Eightfold Path is Right View. Right View means ‘to see correctly.’ In the Heart Sutra, it’s expressed as ‘illuminating and seeing.’ It means to illuminate and observe. To see correctly is the same as to know correctly.
Finally, the eighth element of the Eightfold Path is Right Thought. It means ‘to think correctly.’ It’s about considering the logic and consequences of actions. Even if you want to touch someone’s calf, Right Thought would be, ‘If I touch their calf, I could be charged with sexual harassment, appear in the newspapers, and go to prison.’ This is thinking correctly. If you consider cause and effect, going to prison for a year after touching someone’s calf once is a bad trade-off. So even if you want to touch, you shouldn’t. Right Thought and Right View together constitute wisdom.
The Eightfold Path: The Way Leading to the Cessation of Suffering
Diligently cultivating the threefold training of precept, meditation, and wisdom is the Eightfold Path. The original order of the Eightfold Path is ‘Right View,’ ‘Right Thought,’ ‘Right Speech,’ ‘Right Action,’ ‘Right Livelihood,’ ‘Right Effort,’ ‘Right Mindfulness,’ and ‘Right Concentration.’ In simple terms, it means to always be awake in daily life. If you maintain constant awareness without letting your mind become excited or agitated, harsh words or excessive actions will not emerge. When this happens, suffering will not arise.
Buddhism’s core philosophy can be divided into two main aspects: the ‘Law of Dependent Origination,’ which concerns our worldview, and the ‘Middle Way,’ which relates to practice. The method of following the Middle Way is the ‘Eightfold Path,’ which can also be described as the threefold training of ‘precept, meditation, and wisdom.’ The Law of Dependent Origination encompasses dependent origination (緣起), impermanence (無常), and non-self (無我). When one clearly understands these principles, one attains nirvana, where suffering ceases. These three principles—all formations are impermanent (諸行無常), all phenomena are without self (諸法無我), and nirvana is peace (涅槃寂靜)—are known as the Three Dharma Seals. Without understanding impermanence and non-self, everything becomes suffering (一切皆苦), which, when added to the Three Dharma Seals, becomes the Four Dharma Seals. The term ‘Dharma Seal’ means the stamp of truth.
‘Cause, condition, and effect’ (因緣果報) means ‘where there is a cause, there is an effect.’ When a cause operates, conditions combine with it. The combination of cause and conditions is called ‘dependent origination.’ From this, results emerge, and based on these results, we experience joy or sorrow. This is called ‘karmic retribution.’ It is not simply cause and effect but cause, condition, and effect. The process of investigating the causes of suffering is called the ‘Twelve Links of Dependent Origination’ (十二緣起). When we trace the cause of the cause to its very end to find the root cause of suffering, we arrive at ignorance. Ignorance becomes the seed that grows and bears the fruit of suffering. The method to eliminate suffering is to cultivate wisdom, practice meditation, and observe precepts.”
After the Dharma talk ended, the facilitator explained the practice assignments to the students. The Jungto Buddhism Course places great importance on direct experience, so practice assignments are given in each class. The students agreed to diligently practice until next week when they would meet again, and then continued with mindful sharing in their groups.
After having lunch in the dining hall on the first basement level, Sunim held a meeting with JTS volunteers in the afternoon to discuss how to dispatch an emergency relief team to earthquake-stricken Myanmar.
It was decided that Park Gina, the JTS representative, along with two staff members would be dispatched for emergency relief efforts in Myanmar. They planned to prepare for departure either tomorrow evening or the following morning, and discussed the emergency relief activity plans for Myanmar.
As the sun set, the fourth session of the evening Jungto Buddhism Course began at 7:30 PM.
About 200 students who had rushed over after finishing work gathered in the basement auditorium, while approximately 340 people connected to the online live broadcast, bringing the total attendance for the evening Jungto Buddhism Course to around 540 people. They recited the Three Refuges and Words for Practice together, then requested a Dharma talk from Sunim with three bows.
As in the morning session, Sunim took questions from students about points they found puzzling during the course. Two students asked questions. One of them asked whether recognizing desire without following it means suppressing it, and how to practice the Middle Way in daily life.
How Can I Avoid Suppressing Desire After Recognizing It?
“What is the purpose of practice? The purpose of practice is not to be reborn in paradise in the next life, nor to be reborn as a wealthy person. It’s not to pass an important exam in this life or to make a lot of money. The goal of practice is ‘to become a free person without suffering.’ We practice to reach a state free from suffering.
What we generally call happiness is pleasure. But if we consider pleasure as happiness, suffering inevitably follows. So if you want to live pleasurably despite enduring suffering, you can live that way. However, the Buddha discovered that anyone can live a life without suffering. For example, if you overwork, your body may hurt on and off. If you’re willing to accept physical pain and still want to live that kind of life, you can. But if you don’t want to overexert yourself and experience pain, you can live without doing so. Just as we call the state of not being physically ill ‘health,’ from a practice perspective, we call the state of not suffering ‘happiness.’
So how can we reach a state without suffering? When you’re suffering, you need to investigate why. First, ask yourself, ‘Why am I suffering now?’ If you find the answer is ‘I’m suffering because what I want isn’t being fulfilled,’ then the next step is to investigate, ‘How can I be free from this suffering?’ Then you might think, ‘I need to fulfill what I want. How can I make that happen?’ At this point, you might fall into thinking that there’s a separate entity that can grant your wishes if you pray to it. However, if you investigate a little deeper, you’ll realize: first, not everything you want can be fulfilled; second, there’s no guarantee that getting what you want will always be good. 
You think you’re suffering because your desires aren’t being fulfilled, but that’s not the truth. When you look closely, you’re not suffering because your desires aren’t fulfilled, but because you’re attached to the idea that they must be fulfilled. If you have desires but think, “It would be nice if they’re fulfilled, but it’s fine if they’re not,” then there’s no problem. Suffering arises when you become attached to the idea that your desires must be fulfilled. If you let go of this attachment, there will be no cause for suffering.
However, it’s not easy to avoid attachment. This is due to ignorance. Sometimes we fall into ignorance because we truly don’t know, but other times we fall into ignorance despite knowing better. We know, but momentarily become blinded by desire and fall into temporary ignorance. This ignorance gives rise to attachment, and attachment causes suffering. Therefore, if you break through ignorance, attachment disappears, and when attachment disappears, there’s no cause for suffering.
Throughout history, there have been people who thought, ‘If all my desires are fulfilled, I’ll be happy.’ These were the ‘hedonists.’ When their desires weren’t fulfilled, they would plead and pray to gods. On the other hand, there were ‘ascetics.’ They believed that humans are born with an equal measure of pleasure and suffering. They thought that if they experienced all their suffering in advance, only pleasure would remain. So ascetics created suffering for themselves to experience it early, hoping to eliminate it. Hedonism follows desire, while asceticism suppresses it. Hedonists believed following desires leads to happiness, while ascetics believed suppressing desires is the path to happiness. However, both approaches are extreme. When desires arise, you should neither follow nor suppress them. Following desires creates consequences, while suppressing them creates tension and stress. Both paths lead to suffering. The Middle Way teaches that when desires arise, simply be aware of them. Then there will be no cause for suffering. 
For too long, we have only experienced two paths when desire arises: either following it or suppressing it. When desire emerges, we automatically either indulge in it, suppress it, or suppress it until it explodes. That’s all we’ve known. So we follow our desires and regret it, then suppress them because of that regret, and then let them explode and suffer the consequences. This cycle is our life. To stop repeating this pattern, simply be aware when desire arises. When you’re aware of desire, you don’t act on it, so there are no consequences. There’s also no stress from suppression. Of course, this isn’t easy. That’s why consistent practice is necessary. Until now, we’ve only followed or suppressed our desires. That’s why we’ve been caught in this cycle of expressing anger and then suppressing it.
Now, when desire arises, just notice: ‘Ah, desire is arising!’ Don’t clench your teeth and suppress it, don’t act on it, just let it be. Understand that if you act on it, there will be consequences, and if you suppress it, there will be stress. If you dislike both stress and consequences, then neither act on desire nor suppress it. So you have three choices. First, if you want to suppress it, do so knowing stress will follow. Second, if you want to follow it, do so knowing consequences will follow. Third, if both options are exhausting, neither act on it nor suppress it.
If you find this difficult, practice. I can teach you what you don’t know, but for what you can’t do, only your own practice will help—no one can do it for you. For example, when first learning to ice skate, even if someone teaches you how, you’ll keep falling until you practice. If you don’t want to practice, you can simply not skate. Before practicing, you have only two options: wear skates and fall, or take them off and not fall. But if you take off your skates, you can’t skate. There’s no other way. To wear skates without falling requires practice. Anyone can do it with practice, but those who don’t practice cannot. If you don’t want to fall, don’t skate. If you want to skate, willingly accept the consequence of falling.” 
Sunim continued by summarizing the content of the previous three lectures before proceeding with his explanation of the Noble Eightfold Path. He concluded by emphasizing the meaning of taking refuge in the Three Jewels: the Buddha, the Dharma, and the Sangha.
“Everyone can live without suffering. A person who has awakened to the path of living without suffering is called a Buddha. Taking refuge in the Buddha means clearly establishing that the goal of my life is to become a Buddha—a person who is free from suffering and truly liberated.”
How can we live without suffering? We must see reality as it is. The ‘Dharma’ is what keeps us constantly awake to reality. Dharma refers to the Buddha’s teachings. Therefore, taking refuge in the Dharma means understanding reality as it truly is.
A practitioner is someone who awakens from ignorance through the Buddha’s teachings and progresses toward a state free from suffering. The community of such practitioners is called the Sangha. So, ‘taking refuge in the Sangha’ means committing to practice steadily and continuously toward liberation and nirvana.” 
I will consistently practice staying awake to reality.
“A practitioner should always take refuge in the Three Jewels (Buddha, Dharma, and Sangha) by saying, ‘I take refuge in the Buddha,’ ‘I take refuge in the Dharma,’ and ‘I take refuge in the Sangha.’ In other words, you must clearly establish that your life’s goal is to reach a state free from suffering, and to achieve this, you must always remain awake to reality, practicing consistently even when it’s difficult.
In Sanskrit, this is expressed as ‘Namo Buddha,’ ‘Namo Dharma,’ and ‘Namo Sangha.’ In Pali, it’s ‘Buddham saranam gacchami,’ ‘Dhammam saranam gacchami,’ and ‘Sangham saranam gacchami.’ In classical Chinese, it’s ‘歸依佛兩足尊, ‘歸依法離欲尊,’ and ‘歸依僧衆中尊.’ In Korean, it translates to ‘I take refuge in the venerable Buddha,’ ‘I take refuge in the venerable teachings,’ and ‘I take refuge in the venerable monastics.’
However, when we say we take refuge in the Buddha, the teachings, and the monastics, some people might feel resistance, thinking it’s a religious ritual. That’s why Jungto Society has changed the expression to the following.
Here, ‘saving beings’ means helping them understand this teaching so they can awaken from their ignorance and reach a state free from suffering. It doesn’t mean sending them to paradise. This is the Three Refuges (Triratna).” 
“In Jungto Society, we begin every event by reciting the Three Refuges and the Words for Practice. This is because the reason we gather is to reach the goal of being free from suffering. We first make a commitment to consistently study the right teachings before beginning our study, which is why we recite the Three Refuges and the Words for Practice. The Words for Practice summarize what you have learned so far in the Jungto Buddhism Course.
Here, the word ‘mind’ implies ‘ignorance’. Suffering arises from an ignorant mind, and by eliminating the ignorant mind, one attains happiness and freedom. That’s why from now on, we will always begin the Jungto Buddhism Course by reciting the Three Refuges and the Words for Practice.” 
In the next session, we will learn in more detail about how those who take refuge in the Three Jewels should live, focusing on precepts, meditation, and wisdom, as we conclude today’s fourth lecture.
Following this, the facilitator explained the practice assignments to the students, after which they gathered in groups for mindful sharing. Sunim returned to the Seoul Jungto Center to conclude his day.
Tomorrow will be the 45th day of the 100-Day Dharma Talk. In the morning, Sunim will conduct a live broadcast of the daytime Weekly Dharma Assembly, meet with the Jungto Society Standing Committee for the 1000-Day Practice in the afternoon, and broadcast the evening Weekly Dharma Assembly in the evening.
