Apr 15, 2025 – 58th Day of 100-Day Dharma Talk, 6th Lecture of Jungto Dharma School
Hello. Today is the 58th day of Venerable Pomnyun Sunim’s 100-Day Dharma Talk and the 6th lecture of the Jungto Dharma School. In downtown Seoul, the cherry blossoms have all fallen, and azaleas are beginning to bloom.
After completing his morning practice and meditation, Sunim headed to the Jungto Social and Cultural Center for his Jungto Dharma School lecture. Colorful lanterns have been hung throughout the streets around the center in preparation for Buddha’s Birthday.
At 10:15 AM, the morning session of the Jungto Dharma School began. About 180 students were present in the main hall of the Jungto Social and Cultural Center basement, while approximately 170 more were connected to the online live broadcast. After reciting the Threefold Refuges and Words for Practice together and requesting the Dharma teaching with three bows, Sunim began his lecture.
In the previous session, students learned about the first two of the Five Precepts in Buddhism – not killing and not stealing. Sunim first summarized the previous lecture and then continued by explaining the remaining three precepts – not engaging in sexual misconduct, not lying, and not consuming intoxicants. Sunim emphasized the social significance of modern people observing these Five Precepts.
“The Five Precepts are the minimum five rules that practitioners must observe.
First, do not hit or kill living beings. Second, do not take or steal things that are not given to you. Third, do not commit sexual harassment or assault. Fourth, do not lie or use abusive language. Fifth, do not drink alcohol to intoxication and harm others.
As practitioners, we must observe at least these five precepts. Those who do not observe the Five Precepts may call themselves monks, Dharma teachers, or believers, but they cannot be considered true practitioners. Additionally, the Five Precepts serve as a boundary that guides us toward liberation and nirvana, a world without suffering. Without the boundary of precepts, we cannot reach a world free from suffering. Precepts do not constrain us. If suffering has already arisen, they help eliminate it. If suffering has not yet arisen, they prevent it from occurring.
Five Protective Boundaries Against Suffering
The Five Precepts are ethical principles that remain highly relevant in our society today. Not one of these five can be omitted. If everyone in our society observed these five precepts, most civil and criminal litigation would be significantly reduced. The majority of crimes troubling our society today fall within the scope of these Five Precepts. The first addresses assault and murder, the second covers robbery and theft, the third encompasses sexual harassment and assault, the fourth deals with fraud, and the fifth addresses violent behavior while intoxicated. Most criminal acts fall within these five categories.
In an unfamiliar place on a dark night, humans can be more frightening than wild animals. However, even when alone with a stranger, there is nothing to fear if you can be certain that they will not harm you, cause you loss, commit sexual harassment, deceive or verbally abuse you, or behave inappropriately while under the influence of alcohol or drugs. You might choose to give something to someone because you like them, but you won’t suffer unwanted losses from them. This is why the Five Precepts are universal principles that should be observed in human society. For oneself, they are a path to freedom from suffering. For others, they are a way to avoid causing harm. When you are with someone who observes these five precepts, both you and others can feel at ease.
Those who observe the Five Precepts do not harm others, and thus are regarded as having well-rounded, upright, and kind personalities. Such people are described as ‘pure.’ Therefore, offering is not just about placing rice, flowers, or lighting candles in front of a Buddha statue. The first offering that practitioners should present to the Buddha is the ‘fragrance of one’s character.’ This is why we begin our prostrations with the ‘fragrance of precepts’ (gyehyang).”
Sunim then concluded his lecture by explaining in detail the ‘Eight Precepts’, which add three more precepts to the Five Precepts. Afterward, he took questions from the students about points they were curious about.
After last week’s class, many students submitted written questions. One of them asked about the difference between karma in Buddhism and genes. Sunim explained the workings of karmic consciousness in detail, using the example of how YouTube algorithms influence human mental processes.
What Is the Difference Between Karmic Consciousness and Genes?
“If genes are the basic foundation of information for the body, karmic consciousness (業識) is the basic foundation of mental functions. Karmic consciousness has almost the same nature as genes in terms of mental functions. The genes of the body are determined at once when the sperm and egg are fertilized. Does this mean that genes do not change? No. In modern science, genes can be artificially manipulated. However, naturally, there are no further changes after fertilization.
However, karmic consciousness is constantly being modified. New information continuously enters, and as some of this information disappears, new karmic consciousness is formed. The difference between karmic consciousness and genes is that karmic consciousness changes continuously, albeit very subtly. If we were to freeze this moment and speak only of it, mental functions, like bodily genes, have a foundation that doesn’t easily change. That is, it has characteristics similar to genes. But karmic consciousness changes little by little moment by moment. The current karmic consciousness you possess cannot be said to have been that way from the beginning. It continues to change through the information you gain from meeting friends, eating meals, conversing, or looking at your computer or phone alone.
Take a look at yourself when searching on YouTube. Do you click on many videos about meditation that calm your mind? Or do you click on many videos that criticize politicians? During election season, do you watch many negative videos attacking the opposing side? Or do you watch many positive videos introducing good deeds and acts of kindness? Most people will watch more negative videos. Videos that provoke hatred, saying ‘someone must be eliminated’ or ‘that person is bad,’ have high view counts. Videos saying ‘Love someone!’ or ‘Don’t hate others!’ are not popular. Which side are you on? 
Our current karmic tendencies contain more hatred than love. With this foundation, when something triggers us, feelings of hatred activate much more quickly. This isn’t human nature, but rather the current formation of our karmic tendencies.
The Cause of Information Polarization and Rapid National Division
When these karmic tendencies combine with the latest digital technology, they may create tremendous risks in the future. In the past, newspaper articles and broadcast news focused on reporting accurate information. Whether they conveyed the truth was the most important criterion for judgment. However, today’s media reports focus on viewership numbers. Journalists’ abilities are evaluated based on the number of views their articles receive because more views generate more advertising revenue. When individual YouTube videos receive many views or comments, they often become news stories the following morning. 
Increasingly, more people are using YouTube for commercial purposes. Unlike Jungto Society, which provides information for free, more and more people are trying to make money through YouTube. Today’s young people are more likely to pursue viral success by uploading videos to YouTube rather than farming or working in factories. For those who upload videos to YouTube as a means of making money, should they cover more positive topics or negative ones to increase views? To encourage clicks, they need to cover provocative topics or upload more negative videos.
This is where the digital technology of algorithms comes into play. Algorithms recommend related videos among those with high view counts that cover similar topics. If you only watch videos recommended by algorithms, you’ll gradually see more videos on similar topics. Without realizing it, you spend more time watching negative videos. Even in a democratic society where no one controls information, people become increasingly immersed in content that promotes hatred toward the opposing side, similar to a dictatorial system. Whether progressive or conservative, videos that provoke hatred and conflict against the opposing side continue to gain views, becoming one of the causes of rapid information polarization and national division. 
With the advent of the age of artificial intelligence, there are many benefits to using AI in daily life. However, there could also be many side effects in the future. You have now become the object of selection rather than the one who selects. Everyone thinks they are making their own choices, but that’s not actually the case. You think you open YouTube and watch what you want to see. But in reality, you’re only selecting from what the algorithm exposes to you. You cannot choose what the algorithm doesn’t show you. Unless you intentionally type a subject into the search bar to find it, we are generally just watching videos recommended by YouTube’s algorithm. We simply select a few videos to open from those recommendations. This kind of selection is merely a choice within a very limited range. As a result, it’s not much different from a dictatorial country that controls information. You’re obtaining information from within a predetermined fence.
What’s even more frightening? People in dictatorial countries are aware that they’re seeing information within a limited scope. But you don’t realize that you’re viewing information within boundaries set by someone else. You’re under the illusion that you’re covering all available information. In other words, your karma is being exploited for commercial purposes. Companies provide information tailored to your karma to gain commercial benefits. Karma is already highly subjective for each individual, but newspapers, broadcasts, YouTube, and digital technology join forces to further strengthen karma in a biased direction. 
As your karmic tendencies strengthen, you develop strong resistance to anything I say that doesn’t align with your conditioning. Comparing people’s reactions to things I said that they didn’t want to hear ten years ago with people’s reactions now, I can see that ‘people’s karmic tendencies have become significantly stronger.’ The reactions are immediate and intense. Even among Jungto Society members, one person says they’ll leave because I stated that the December 12 martial law was an illegal act that violated constitutional order, while another person says they’ll leave because they’re upset that I suggested we should amend the constitution to partially distribute presidential powers to prevent such unfortunate events from recurring. Is suggesting constitutional amendments really something to criticize? This happens because people become fixated on information from only one direction, and their thinking becomes rigid. They react almost as if they’re following orders without realizing it. Yet they don’t think they’re being commanded by anyone. They believe the YouTube channels they watch are telling the truth about the world. If you keep viewing the world this way, you gradually become more biased. Understanding the other side’s perspective becomes increasingly difficult. No matter how much I explain that both sides simply have different positions, the tendency to lean to one side grows stronger. 
Of course, digital technology did not intend these phenomena. However, the result is a manifestation of human karma combined with digital technology. When firearms were first invented, there was no intention to kill anyone. Yet, they have ultimately been used to harm an enormous number of people. Similarly, while artificial intelligence is currently viewed as a key to advancing future civilization, no one can easily predict how significant its side effects might be. In the past, people predicted that humanity would perish due to nuclear bombs, viral pandemics, or asteroid collisions. Recently, climate crisis has emerged as a greater threat. However, the risk of human extinction due to artificial intelligence might be even greater. This makes AI technology both useful and dangerous. 
Recently, deepfake technology has caused many problems. If someone were to use this technology to create videos of Sunim, with the same face and voice, you would have no choice but to believe it was actually me. Videos could emerge showing statements completely unrelated to me. This is how scientific technology can simultaneously bring convenience and potential negative consequences.
In times like these, we need to fact-check information constantly. We should listen to information from people with different perspectives from our own, and read newspapers with opposing viewpoints rather than just one. At the very least, this approach helps maintain some balance. 
Genes form the foundation of our physical body, while karma forms the foundation of our mind. However, karma constantly changes. These days, due to limited information, we’re seeing a phenomenon where karma becomes rigid. When we continuously access the same information, our karma becomes fixed in one direction, but when the information changes, our karma changes as well.”
When Sunim stepped down from the stage, the facilitator guided the students on their practice assignments. The students agreed to diligently work on their practice exercises until the following week and continued with mindful sharing in their groups.
After having lunch with the Sangha in the dining hall on the first basement level, Sunim met with foreign policy and security experts in The Peace Foundation conference room at 2 PM. They discussed various topics, including what diplomatic strategy South Korea should adopt amid the global confusion caused by U.S. President Trump’s tariff policies, the ceasefire in the Ukraine-Russia war, and how relations between North Korea and the United States might develop in the future.
At 4 PM, Kang Dae-in, Honorary Director of the Academy for Dialogue Culture, and Jung Sung-heon, Chairman of the Korea DMZ Peace-Life Garden, visited The Peace Foundation to meet with Sunim. They discussed what role social leaders should play to prevent South Korea from repeating its history of misfortune, as national division continues even after the Constitutional Court’s impeachment ruling against the president. In particular, they exchanged various opinions on how to amend the constitution to eliminate the harmful effects of the imperial presidency.
As the sun set, Sunim began the sixth lecture of the evening Jungto Buddhism Course at 7:30 PM. About 200 students who had rushed over after finishing work filled the basement auditorium, while approximately 340 more connected to the online live broadcast. They read the Threefold Refuges and Words for Practice together, then performed three bows to request Sunim’s Dharma talk.
Like in the morning lecture, Sunim continued his explanation of the Five Precepts, the core values of Buddhism. He then explained in detail the meaning of the Eight Precepts, which add three more to the Five Precepts.
“The Five Precepts, which all Buddhists should observe, are prohibitions. However, the three I’m about to explain are recommendations. Though they are phrased as prohibitions, they are actually recommendations in substance.
Three Things to Observe to Be Respected by Others
First, do not be extravagant. This means that no matter how much money I have, I should live frugally. When people without money live frugally, it’s unavoidable, but when wealthy people live frugally, they are admirable. Even those without money can be extravagant by borrowing, but generally, those with money tend toward extravagance. So this means that no matter how much wealth you have, do not be extravagant.
If we trace the history of this precept, it originally stated, ‘Do not adorn yourself with flowers.’ In ancient India and China, people decorated their hair with all kinds of gold ornaments and hairpins. This was the greatest symbol of extravagance. Initially, the precept was ‘Do not adorn yourself with flowers,’ but over time, it evolved into the more direct ‘Do not be extravagant.’ In essence, both convey the same meaning: ‘Live frugally.’ 
In this era of climate crisis, how much we consume is more important than how much we earn. This is because the amount of carbon dioxide we emit, which causes the climate crisis, is a major issue. To prevent the climate crisis, we must avoid excessive consumption regardless of how much money we have. Currently, the wealth gap continues to widen. The top 1% of income earners account for approximately 46% of global income. The bottom 50% share just 1% of global income. This is why luxury goods are selling more. It’s not that there are more wealthy people, but rather that a small number of wealthy individuals have so much money. In Seoul, apartments worth tens of billions of won sell well, while affordable housing does not. When the wealth gap becomes this severe, society as a whole becomes distorted. That’s why the precept ‘Do not be extravagant’ is very important. Violating this precept can have more serious consequences than hitting someone.
Second, do not be arrogant. No matter how high your position, you should remain humble. We tend to become arrogant when we have high status and servile when our status is low. A practitioner should not be arrogant but humble. Also, a practitioner should not be servile but dignified. That’s why the Buddha said:
‘Practitioners, do not be arrogant but be humble. Do not be servile but be dignified.’
We often view servility and humility as similar, and arrogance and dignity as similar. But that’s not the case. Humility and dignity are the same thing. Arrogance and servility are also the same thing. If you are attached to money, you become intimidated before those who have more money than you, and you become haughty before those who have less. If you value knowledge, you feel inferior before those who know more than you, and you look down on those who know less.
How to Be Both Confident and Humble with Everyone You Meet
How can confidence and humility work together harmoniously? The answer is to treat everyone equally. Regardless of whether they have money or not, hold high or low positions, are handsome or plain-looking, are men or women, treat everyone equally. When you treat someone of higher status than yourself as an equal, others will say you are ‘confident.’ When you treat someone of lower status than yourself as an equal, they will say you are ‘humble.’ Thus, treating everyone equally results in both confidence and humility.
If we trace the history of this precept, it originally stated, ‘Do not sit on a high platform.’ This might seem random, but it makes sense when you understand Indian culture. In India, during public gatherings, most people sit on the floor as part of their sitting culture. Wherever they go, people sit on the floor with something like a cushion underneath them. Then they place a large platform at the front where someone like me sits to give a Dharma talk. While most people sit in the audience area, influential people in Indian society all come up onto the platform and sit right next to the speaker. In this way, in Indian culture, prominent individuals sit on platforms looking down at the audience. Therefore, ‘do not sit on a high platform’ means ‘do not be arrogant.’ 
Third, do not indulge in singing and dancing. Indulging in singing and dancing refers to engaging in songs and dances. This is why Theravada Buddhist monks never sing or dance. Recently, when a monk from our country performed singing and dancing, Malaysia and Singapore prohibited the performance. While this could be viewed as freedom of expression, in the Sangha, based on this precept, indulging in singing and dancing is considered a form of disrespect to the monastic community.
Typically, singing and dancing make us feel good. Feeling good means that the mind has become excited. This excitement and pleasure soon become a cause of suffering. The repetition of pleasure and suffering is samsara. We seek liberation from samsara. So, interpreting this precept in modern terms, it means ‘do not pursue excitement-based pleasure.’ It’s not about avoiding all pleasure unconditionally, but about not pursuing pleasure that causes excitement. For example, sitting quietly while listening to meditation music doesn’t create excitement. Performing Buddhist ritual dance (Seungmu) also doesn’t create excitement. While these may formally be considered singing and dancing, they don’t violate the precept because they don’t cause excitement. The essence of this precept is to maintain equanimity.
A person who remains frugal despite having money, humble despite having high status, and always calm without emotional fluctuations is worthy of respect. As practitioners, we should at least observe the Five Precepts to avoid causing harm to others, and further, observe the Eight Precepts to become someone who can be a role model to others.”
Today’s class focused on why we need to observe precepts, one of the three aspects of the threefold training: precepts, meditation, and wisdom. The sixth session concluded with plans to learn about methods for cultivating meditation and wisdom next week. 
Afterward, the facilitator explained the practice assignments to the students, and they gathered in groups for mindful sharing. Sunim returned to the Seoul Jungto Center to conclude his day.
Tomorrow will be the 59th day of the 100-Day Dharma Talk. Sunim will broadcast the Weekly Dharma Assembly live in the morning for the daytime session and again in the evening for the evening session.”
