April 6, 2025 – 49th Day of the 100-Day Dharma Talk, Meditation, Happiness Movement Leadership Training
Hello. Today is the 49th day of Venerable Pomnyun Sunim’s 100-Day Dharma Talk. In the morning, Sunim led a meditation session with the Sangha, and in the afternoon, he conducted a Dharma Q&A at the Happiness Movement Leadership Training.
After completing his morning practice and meditation, Sunim headed to the Jungto Social and Cultural Center at 10 AM. In the Dharma Hall on the third floor, about 260 people were sitting cross-legged, ready for meditation.
After the Sangha requested Dharma teaching with three full bows, Sunim provided guidance on meditation posture and methods.
“Today marks the seventh weekend since we began our meditation practice. Thank you for consistently participating every weekend without missing a session.
A practitioner takes refuge in the Three Jewels (Buddha, Dharma, and Sangha) and cultivates the threefold training of precept, meditation, and wisdom. Therefore, as practitioners, you must first observe the precepts purely. First, you should not engage in violent actions such as hitting or killing others. Second, you should not steal or take necessities from others. Third, you should not commit sexual harassment or assault regardless of others’ consent. In other words, you should not harm others, cause loss to others, or trouble others. These three principles apply to speech as well. Also, you should not trouble others while intoxicated with alcohol, drugs, or other addictive substances. A practitioner should possess the character that does not harm others through words or actions.
How to Calm the Mind
When proper speech and conduct are difficult to maintain, it’s usually because the mind is in an excited state. Whether your mind is agitated by desire or angered by hatred, when your mind is tense and excited, your words and actions become rough without you even realizing it. That’s why practitioners need to maintain equanimity of mind. You shouldn’t be swayed by good or bad feelings. In any situation, you should maintain calmness while relaxing tension. This is called Seon meditation (禪定).
To achieve this, first, you must keep your mind at ease. Since impatience causes tension, you need to let go of impatient thoughts. The thought ‘I must do well’ actually creates tension. So you should keep your mind at ease as if you have nothing to do. However, when you relax your body and mind, drowsiness sets in. Drowsiness makes you dull, which means becoming foolish. This hinders the cultivation of wisdom as a practitioner. Also, when your mind is at ease, many random thoughts arise. You recall past events or worry about the future, generating all sorts of thoughts. Therefore, when practicing meditation, you must concentrate your mind on one point while remaining at ease. Just as sunlight passing through a convex lens converges at one point to create fire, you must focus your mind entirely on one point. This is called ‘concentration’ (定).
However, calmness of mind alone does not bring wisdom. Attaining wisdom means realizing your own ignorance. To achieve this, you must be fully awake to everything. This awakeness is called ‘mindfulness’ (念). In Seon Buddhism, clear awareness is expressed as ‘SoSoYeongYeong’ (昭昭靈靈), meaning being very clearly awake. You must clearly be aware of the breath coming in and going out while concentrating on your breathing in a relaxed state.
If you’re reciting Buddha’s name, concentrate on that recitation; if you’re chanting mantras, concentrate on those mantras; if you’re practicing Seon meditation, concentrate on your hwadu without thinking of anything else. Even the thought of I shouldn’t think is actually a thought. So even ‘I shouldn’t think!’ is a delusion (妄想).
You shouldn’t attach meaning to arising thoughts. Even if you hear sounds from outside, be aware only of your breath. In the sutras, this concentrated state is described as ‘During meditation, he didn’t move even when 500 chariots passed in front of him’ or ‘He didn’t move even when a thousand thunderbolts struck.’ This means that no matter how loud the sounds from outside, no matter what sensations like itching or pain arise in your body, no matter what thoughts emerge in your mind, you pay no attention to them. You simply maintain awareness of your breath coming in and going out.
Simply Being Aware of the Breath
Thinking is like playing a video of past events. It means you are not present in the here and now. Therefore, during meditation, you should always be in a state of no-thought (無念無想), a mind free of delusional thoughts and fantasies. If you are deeply contemplating something, that is ‘reflection,’ not meditation. When thoughts arise, not giving them meaning implies letting them be. However, we typically follow these thoughts: ‘I met someone,’ ‘I went somewhere with that person,’ ‘I drank coffee.’ We chase thoughts and create stories. While thoughts inevitably arise, creating stories means you’ve fallen into delusion. Being absorbed in deep thought is also considered falling into delusion. Thinking to yourself, ‘What the Buddha realized was dependent origination,’ or ‘Dependent origination means impermanence and non-self’ is beneficial when studying. However, even this becomes delusional thinking during meditation. Therefore, don’t attach meaning to anything; just let it be. Simply be aware of your breath.
However, when you actually try it, you often lose focus and fall into wandering thoughts. You need to place your attention solely on the tip of your nostrils and be aware of each inhalation and exhalation. It’s like being a gatekeeper standing firmly at the castle gate, carefully observing everyone who comes and goes. But what happens is that while your eyes are at the gate, your mind is thinking about an argument you had with your spouse in the morning. This weakens your observation. Whatever sounds you hear from outside, whatever sensations arise in your body, or whatever thoughts emerge in your mind, you should not give them meaning or attention. Just be aware of what is happening now—the ‘breath’ coming in and going out. Have no intention. Don’t try to breathe in deeply, don’t try to breathe in shortly, don’t try to regulate your breath—just let it be. Just as you would let waves rise and fall, just as you would simply watch people passing through the gate, be aware of the state of your breath coming in and going out. If your breathing is rapid, note ‘it’s rapid.’ When breath comes in, note ‘it’s coming in.’ When it goes out, note ‘it’s going out.’ If it’s calm, note ‘it’s calm.’ If it’s gentle, note ‘it’s gentle.’ Be aware of the state just as it is.
In meditation, there is no concept of ‘doing well‘ or ‘not doing well.‘ If you lose track of your breath, recognize that you’ve lost it and become aware again. But when you get caught up in thoughts, you often don’t realize you’ve lost focus. Trying hard ‘not to lose focus’ or thinking ‘I keep losing focus’ are all just wandering thoughts. If you lose focus, become aware, and if you lose it again, become aware again—repeat this process. It’s like a basketball player practicing: whether the ball goes through the hoop or not, they get the ball back and throw it again. If you keep throwing for a set period of time, eventually the number of successful shots increases. So you shouldn’t think that your meditation is going well or not going well today. Just sit comfortably, be aware, and if you lose focus, start again. Trying to ‘do well’ doesn’t make it happen. If you quit meditation and get up, or deliberately indulge in wandering thoughts, that could be considered giving up on meditation. Losing awareness happens. At those times, you simply need to practice becoming aware again. With consistent practice, just as the number of successful basketball shots increases, the duration of your awareness extends. Don’t evaluate yourself by thinking that longer concentration means you did well, or shorter means you did poorly. Just do it. Then your mind naturally becomes peaceful. If you’re tired and drowsy, maintain awareness even in that drowsiness. If you lose focus momentarily, practice becoming aware again. Don’t say you couldn’t concentrate because you were drowsy, your legs hurt, or it was noisy. Just be aware in the midst of those conditions. This is the perspective you should have.”
As Sunim finished his guidance, the sound of the wooden clapper signaled the beginning of meditation.
“Tak, tak, tak!”
After 30 minutes of meditation, the wooden clapper sounded again. Everyone practiced walking meditation for 10 minutes.
“It’s time for walking meditation. Please rise slowly from your seat and walk mindfully, being aware of your movements and posture.”
During the walking meditation, everyone focused on being aware of their posture and movements. Following Sunim’s guidance, they returned to their seats and resumed meditation for another 30 minutes.
“Tak, tak, tak!”
After three 30-minute meditation sessions, the practice concluded.
“During walking meditation, if you speak or open a door abruptly, it means you are not concentrating. It’s important to be aware when your mind becomes scattered. I hope you can fully concentrate your mind at least during Sunday morning meditation. Practice moving slowly without making any sound while maintaining concentration. Thank you for your effort.”
While the participants engaged in mindful sharing in their groups, Sunim had lunch and then joined an online leadership training with the Special Headquarters for the Happiness Movement at 2 PM from the broadcasting room of the Jungto Center.
About 400 members of the Special Headquarters for the Happiness Movement gathered in the video conference room. They began by reciting the Three Refuges and Words for Practice together before starting the first part of the program. After participant introductions, they shared the business direction for the Special Headquarters for the Happiness Movement in 2025 and learned how to use the newly developed happiness platform.
After a short break, the second part consisted of a dialogue with Sunim about questions that arose while conducting the Happiness School. Sunim began with opening remarks.
“Cherry blossoms are expected to be in full bloom in Seoul sometime this week. In February this year, I was even more desperate to wait for spring due to the unusual cold. But no one can stop the coming spring.
On December 3rd last year, former President Yoon Suk Yeol declared an emergency martial law, which plunged our society into extreme chaos. The exchange rate soared, placing a heavy burden on businesses and households. However, after the impeachment verdict was announced four days ago, the uncertain political situation became somewhat clearer. While the question of who will become president in the upcoming election remains, the outcome is unlikely to cause major social instability. If the Constitutional Court had rejected the impeachment, citizens would have had to do much more to protect democracy. Additionally, tensions between North and South Korea would have intensified further. Although international confusion has increased since President Trump’s election, tensions between North and South Korea have eased considerably. The failure of the former president’s martial law attempt has also played a significant role in reducing inter-Korean tensions.
It’s Time to Refocus on Improving National Happiness
When we consider what we should do as these crisis situations intensify, we can see how much more capacity we now have. I urge you to focus more on conducting the Happiness School programs.
Our country’s suicide rate was at its highest around 2012. Since we began the Dharma Q&A sessions around that time, the suicide rate dropped significantly. However, the suicide rate has been rising again since the year before last. The unhappiness level among our citizens is increasing again, almost making our efforts with the Happiness School and Dharma Q&A seem ineffective. Therefore, I hope you will dedicate yourselves more fully to spreading the Happiness School program to raise the national happiness level once again.”
For the next hour and a half, six people asked Sunim questions. One person sought Sunim’s advice about how to maintain the right attitude when conducting Happiness School sessions, as they felt they were falling into a routine and becoming mechanical in their approach.
How Can I Overcome Falling Into a Routine?
“Everyone tends to fall into mannerisms when repeating the same activities. This tendency exists in all of us. These days, with daily Dharma assemblies, I sometimes see people reciting the Three Refuges and Words for Practice mechanically. When this happens, although you may read the Words for Practice every time, it becomes easy to live daily life with a mindset completely opposite to those words. There’s an old saying: ‘It’s better to do something once with sincerity than a hundred times halfheartedly.’ Everyone tends to become mechanical with repetition, and that’s not a major fault. However, when you conduct a program mechanically, the participants won’t be moved. Someone conducting a program for the first time might be a bit awkward but their passion creates an impact. In contrast, someone with years of experience might run things smoothly and flexibly, but with less heart, creating less impact. Each approach has its advantages and disadvantages.
When I was young, I worked as a math instructor. Among my colleagues were many talented teachers. Initially, many students would register for classes based on the instructor’s credentials. However, over time, students would drop out. Rather than increasing, the number of students would decrease. Why do you think this happened? Although the instructors were knowledgeable and delivered smooth lectures, they didn’t understand what the students didn’t understand. These instructors had excelled in school and possessed extensive knowledge. Therefore, they couldn’t grasp which concepts students found difficult. Despite their knowledge, they weren’t helping students improve their grades. But what about someone like me without impressive credentials? Because I didn’t know everything, I prepared thoroughly and taught students with great effort. My teaching techniques might have been somewhat clumsy, but I understood what students didn’t know—because I didn’t know everything either. Over time, students who had initially flocked to famous instructors gradually moved to my class. This is why you must always put your heart into what you do and place yourself in the other person’s position.
Throughout my life, I’ve always kept in mind the motto: ‘I’m starting now.’ Even today, though I give the same lectures repeatedly, I approach each one as if it were my first. Even if you say the same thing a hundred times, you must deliver it as if it were the first time for people to be moved. But that’s not easy to do. Without that impact, students will inevitably drop out.
Those who are facilitating for the first time may struggle to properly care for students due to inexperience, while those who have facilitated for a long time may lack passion, leaving students uninspired. Therefore, even experienced facilitators must give their best as if it were their first time. Although I have experienced this many times, for the other person, it’s their first time. In terms of karmic connections, the seed is the same, but the fields where it’s planted are all different. The same seed is planted in one field today, another field tomorrow, and yet another field the next day, so the way the sprouts emerge differs. In such cases, the farmer must consider what kind of field it is when planting the seed. If you plant uniformly without considering whether the soil is moist or dry, fertile or not, you cannot be considered a proper farmer. A farmer must always check what kind of seed it is and what kind of field it is before planting.
Similarly, you should always approach from the perspective that ‘this is the first time.’ Each person is a precious connection. And for all these people, it’s a completely new experience. If I perform halfheartedly because I’ve done it many times before, the impact will inevitably be less for those receiving it. The connection may not be established well, and it might feel like studying with a tape recorder or video playing. Therefore, you must always maintain the perspective of doing it as if it were the first time.”
“Thank you. I understand now.”
Questions continued to follow. After answering all the questions, it was 5 PM. Following the Four Great Vows, a commemorative photo was taken, and the leadership training was concluded.
As the sun set, Sunim attended to office work indoors in the evening before concluding the day’s activities.
Tomorrow is the 50th day of the 100-Day Dharma Talk. In the morning, Sunim will give the 9th lecture on sutras at the Dharma Hall on the 3rd floor of the Jungto Social and Cultural Center, and in the evening, he will deliver the 9th lecture of the Buddhist Social Studies Course in the basement auditorium.
