Is Happiness at the End of a Long Journey, or Just a Turn Away?

May 19, 2025 – Day 92 of 100-Day Dharma Talk, Heart Sutra Lecture 7, Buddhist Social Studies Course Lecture 20

Hello. Today is the 92nd day of Venerable Pomnyun Sunim’s 100-Day Dharma Talk. Today features both a sutra lecture and a Buddhist Social Studies Course lecture.

After completing his morning practice and meditation, Sunim headed to the Jungto Social and Cultural Center to deliver the sutra lecture.

About 110 people gathered in the third-floor Dharma hall, while approximately 560 people connected via the online livestream. After the audience requested the Dharma teaching with three bows, Sunim ascended to the Dharma seat.

In the previous session, Sunim completed the explanation of the entire Heart Sutra text. Today, he summarized both the Diamond Sutra and the Heart Sutra that have been studied so far, discussing what perspective one should adopt to properly understand these sutras.

“People sometimes wonder, ‘What is truth?’ This question arises when we assume that truth exists separately from time, space, or any conditions. However, Buddhism does not view absolute truth as something that exists independently.

Therefore, to live correctly, we must clarify three things. First, we must be clear about our life’s goal by asking, ‘Where do I want to go?’ Second, we need to accurately understand our current state by asking, ‘Where am I now?’ Third, we must examine the path from our current position by asking, ‘In what direction should I proceed toward that goal?’

Only when these three points are clear can we determine whether our direction is right or wrong. It’s meaningless to judge a direction as correct or incorrect when the goal is unclear and the current position is unknown. So we must first ask ourselves:

‘How do I want to live?’

You need to determine your life goal: whether you want to live in suffering or happiness. Then, you should examine how you are living now and consider what you need to do to move toward that goal. Only then can you discuss direction. Judging the rightness or wrongness of a direction without properly seeing your goal or reality is merely an empty judgment.

Is Happiness at the End of a Long Journey, or Just a Turn Away?

This is why Buddhism speaks of “No Everlasting Abiding Dharma.” All judgments of “right,” “wrong,” “correct,” or “incorrect” ultimately originate from human thought. Without people, such judgments cannot exist. Buddhist teachings begin with comprehensive observation of human life. People desire countless things. They want to get married, succeed in their careers, and earn money. However, Buddhism poses more fundamental questions beyond these desires. When I ask students questions, conversations typically unfold like this:

“What is your wish?”

“To do well in my studies.”

“Why do you want to do well in your studies?”

“To get into a good university.”

“Why do you want to get into a good university?”

“So I can get a good job.”

“Why do you want to get a good job?”

“So I can earn a lot of money.”

“Why do you want to earn money?”

“So I can buy a big house.”

“What will you do with a big house?”

“So I can live comfortably.”

“Why do you want to live comfortably?”

If you keep asking these questions, you’ll eventually arrive at “I want to live happily” or “I want to live without suffering.” Of course, not everyone feels this way. Some might say, “I’m okay with being unhappy.” However, generally, most people want to live happily. Yet people typically think, “To be happy, you need money” or “To be free, you need a high position.” So they pursue success and try to make money as a means to these ends. But does a high position really make you free? Does having a lot of money really make you happy?

No one knows for certain. Most haven’t earned that much money or reached such high positions themselves. They can only vaguely guess by observing others. People with status seem to act more freely, while those with lower positions tend to be more cautious, so they assume, “Having a higher position would be better” or “Having money would allow me to do as I please.” To verify this, you would need to meet the wealthiest person or the person with the highest position in the world. You could then observe whether they are truly happy or free. However, when you actually meet such people, you often find this isn’t necessarily the case. Things may appear one way on the surface but be completely different in reality.

The Path to the End of the Earth Is Turning Around

So if you truly want to be free and happy, you don’t need to go through that long process. Let me give you an example. Suppose someone says, “I’m going to walk to the end of the earth,” and starts walking forward. After enduring all kinds of hardships, they finally reach the end. Most people would give up and die along the way, but let’s say this person was fortunate enough to reach the end. Where would they end up? Right back at their starting point. Would it be better to walk all the way around in a circle, or to simply turn around from the beginning? In truth, simply turning around is enough. Perhaps the happiness we seek is something similar.

The problem is that until you’ve gone all the way around and reached that point, it’s difficult to believe that “you just need to turn around.” No matter how many times you’re told, it feels like a lie until you’ve experienced it yourself. Despite this, why do people try so hard to move forward? If turning around were truly the solution, no one would take such a long detour. Yet humanity has been constantly moving forward for thousands or tens of thousands of years. It’s almost incomprehensible that no one discovered the truth about turning around during all that time. So when someone says, “I’m going to go all the way to the end,” I say, “Go ahead,” but inside I’m thinking, “You could just turn around.”

Studying Sutras Without Knowing the Starting Point and Destination

From this perspective, the Diamond Sutra, the Heart Sutra, and indeed all Buddhist teachings begin by first identifying the destination and starting point. Even if people are heading toward the same destination, their paths will differ if they start from different points. For example, people during the Buddha’s time and those 500 years after his passing were clearly standing at different starting points. Similarly, someone who begins without any knowledge of the Dharma and someone who has learned somewhat but is still wandering are at different starting points. When starting points differ, approaches must also differ. However, many people today study Mahayana sutras like the Diamond Sutra or the Heart Sutra without first examining these starting points and destinations, becoming attached merely to the language and letters of the scriptures. As a result, despite memorizing and knowing much of the Buddha’s teachings and practicing diligently, they fail to reach the destination of liberation.

During the Buddha’s time, people could reach their destination with minimal practice. But today, even with ten or a hundred times more effort, we often fail to reach our goal. The reason is our misunderstanding of the Dharma. Like believing “bathing in the Ganges River will lead to rebirth in heaven,” we’re trapped in the idea that simply learning the Buddha’s teachings will lead to liberation. So while we claim to know the Dharma, we may actually misunderstand it.

For example, when someone from Incheon asked the Buddha how to get to Seoul, he said, “Go east.” But now, if someone living in Suwon reads this instruction in the sutras and keeps going east, they’ll never reach Seoul. If someone from Gangneung follows this advice literally, they’ll end up drowning in the sea. They might wonder why this happened when they followed the Buddha’s words exactly. The problem is attachment to the word “east.” In other words, they assumed going east would work regardless of their starting point. When someone asks a question, we must first understand where they are and what they’re seeking. Only then can we properly guide them: “You are here now, and your destination is there. So go in this direction.”

Understanding Mahayana sutras works the same way. Simply memorizing the words isn’t enough. This explains questions like, “Why haven’t I attained liberation after reading the Diamond Sutra three thousand times?” Truth doesn’t exist in a specific book or place. It’s not like a treasure buried in the ground that you just need to dig up. What’s important is clearly knowing where you stand now and where you want to go. Once these two points are clear, your direction becomes evident, and then you can decide which methods and means to choose based on that direction.”

Sunim then opened the floor to questions about topics that had been puzzling students during the course. Various questions had been submitted in writing beforehand. Sunim read each submitted question and then provided his answer.

One person asked Sunim about an aspect of the Mahayana Buddhist bodhisattva concept that they still found difficult to understand.

If there can be no complete liberation as long as sentient beings exist, how did the Buddha achieve liberation?

“Shakyamuni Buddha did not practice in the way described by Mahayana Buddhism. Your question relates to the Mahayana perspective. So what is the bodhisattva concept in Mahayana Buddhism? In a word, it’s ‘seeking enlightenment above and saving sentient beings below.’ The key point is not that one saves sentient beings after attaining enlightenment, but rather that ‘saving sentient beings is itself the path to enlightenment.’ In other words, the very life of helping sentient beings becomes the means of practice.

Going to hell to save sentient beings is the path of practice. Rather than focusing solely on meditation, one practices through helping those who are struggling and suffering. For example, when refugees appear, helping them is practice; when there are sick people, caring for them is practice; when someone is suffering, conversing with and comforting them becomes practice.

What’s important here is not the attitude of ‘I am helping them.’ The essential mindset is making their assistance your practice. It doesn’t mean that I am relieving the suffering of sentient beings, but that I am making the relief of their suffering my practice. For instance, when you need physical training, instead of going to the gym to lift weights, you could help carry someone’s heavy load at the market or help pull someone’s handcart, thereby training your body. The goal is physical training, and the means is helping others. To achieve the purpose of liberation, you use helping sentient beings as your method. In other words, practice is not done apart from sentient beings.

So don’t leave your spouse or children to enter a temple for separate practice. Instead, make your wife’s nagging your practice. Make your husband’s stubbornness your practice, and your child’s irritability your practice. This is precisely the practice that Mahayana Buddhism speaks of. This approach carries the risk of getting entangled in worldly life. However, if done properly, your practice can be incredibly effective. Why? Because you have many coaches around you who train you. Your husband, wife, children, and colleagues constantly challenge you. They provide continuous stimulation to the point where you cannot endure without practicing.

In the mountains, no one stimulates you. But practice in daily life is different. If you show a little anger, someone points out, “Why are you angry?” If you’re lazy, you hear, “Why are you being lazy?” If you assert yourself, you receive protests like, “Why are you being stubborn?” So you cannot remain idle. From a practice perspective, you must constantly reflect on yourself, which actually allows you to attain enlightenment more quickly. This is because you have so many teachers. The people who know your weaknesses best aren’t Venerable Pomnyun Sunim but your spouse and children. So if you lose sight of your practice even slightly, they immediately challenge you with, “Why are you, a practitioner, behaving this way?” Practicing in such an environment of constant stimulation is precisely the practice of a Mahayana bodhisattva.

At Jungto Society, this type of practice is considered very important and is called “the unity of work and practice.” Rather than helping sentient beings separately after completing practice, we make the activity of helping others our practice itself. This is how work and practice can become one. From this perspective, Ksitigarbha Bodhisattva attains enlightenment through saving beings in hell. Likewise, Bhikkhu Dharmakara made creating a world where sentient beings could live in peace his practice. As a result, he created the Pure Land and became Amitabha Buddha. Yet we often only look at the Pure Land as a result and think, “I should go live there for free without doing anything.” We rarely think, “I should become like Amitabha Buddha” or “I should live like Ksitigarbha Bodhisattva.”

We always call upon Avalokitesvara Bodhisattva, but in our hearts, we’re only thinking, “Avalokitesvara, please help me.” If we take one step further and think, “I should become Avalokitesvara myself,” we can fulfill the role of Avalokitesvara even within our families. Yet strangely, while we willingly help others when they ask, we become reluctant when our spouse makes a request. Why is that? We fear it becoming a habit. When we help others, it ends there, but when we help family members, it becomes expected and leads to continuous demands. That’s why we need to keep practicing.

This shift in perspective toward practice is precisely what Mahayana Buddhism teaches. Even Shakyamuni Buddha didn’t initially practice with this viewpoint. However, looking at his motivation for leaving home, it wasn’t due to personal suffering. Buddha resolved not to return home until he found the answer to the question, “How can I eliminate the suffering of all beings?” This aligns with the Bodhisattva vow that Mahayana Buddhism speaks of.

I encourage you to change your direction of thinking. Right now, afflictions arise because your husband, children, or wife isn’t fulfilling what you want. But consider the opposite perspective. If you decide to fulfill whatever your husband, wife, or children want, your life could unfold completely differently. I hope you’ll try this approach starting today.

This is precisely the perspective of practice that the Diamond Sutra speaks of. I encourage you to unconditionally understand and accept the other person’s requests, even if just for one week. If someone says, “Drive the cow onto the roof,” at least try to lead the cow to the base of the roof and say, “I’ve come this far.” What would happen if you did this? Someone might say, “What if my husband wastes all our money, goes out with other women, and my children stop studying? It would be chaos!” But realistically, how much trouble could actually happen from trying this for just one week?

In the Diamond Sutra, Subhuti asks, “How should good men and women who have awakened to Anuttara Samyak Sambodhi (supreme enlightenment) subdue their minds?” The Buddha replies, “Vow to liberate all sentient beings.” This follows the same principle as saying, “The way to reach the end of the earth is to turn around.” Simply turning around is all that’s needed, yet this act of turning is more difficult than circling the entire globe. Just opening our eyes is all that’s required, but opening them proves more challenging than running away all night. This is our reality.

The saying that one cannot become a Buddha as long as sentient beings exist means that as long as the suffering of sentient beings continues, a bodhisattva’s vow cannot end. This is why bodhisattvas practice diligently without ceasing. Yet we constantly think about endings: “How long must I continue this prayer?” “How long must I listen to my husband?” “How long must I take this medicine?” We always focus on the end. We can endure hardship, but when we cannot see the end, we become impatient. Instead, consider this perspective:

“As sentient beings are endless, so too is my vow endless.”

The moment you adopt this viewpoint, your vow is essentially fulfilled. Rather than questioning “How long must I continue?” if you resolve that “This is the path of practice,” your afflictions immediately disappear. It is precisely the thought of “how long” that causes problems.

However, when you hear this explanation, another affliction arises. You might think, ‘If suffering beings never end, does that mean I can never become a Buddha?’ This kind of thinking emerges. Ultimately, it reveals that you’re not interested in saving sentient beings but only desire to become a Buddha. When you try to save sentient beings only as a means to become a Buddha, you secretly wonder, ‘When will this end?’ or ‘What if I never become a Buddha?’ Such questions arise when you try to be clever and calculate. Of course, it’s natural for such questions to arise. In Seon Buddhism, there’s a saying: ‘Whether you’ve attained enlightenment through your hwadu or not, continue to investigate the hwadu.’ Yet we always think about endings. We live expecting that once something is finished, we no longer need to do it. But the bodhisattva ideal in Mahayana Buddhism teaches that saving sentient beings is itself the practice.”

Sunim continued reading questions and providing answers. After finishing his response, he concluded the lecture, announcing that in the next session, questions would be taken from raised hands in the audience.

The participants gathered in groups for mindful sharing, while Sunim went to the basement dining hall to have lunch with the Sangha. In the afternoon, he attended to administrative matters in the office and prepared for the evening Buddhist Social Studies Course lecture.

At 5:30 PM, leaders from The Peace Foundation, Jungto Society Administrative Office, Special Youth Division, and Happiness Movement Headquarters gathered to discuss “Spreading the Dharma to Youth.” As the 100-Day Dharma Talk series was nearing its end, they discussed preparations for the post-lecture period, including a proposal to expand initiatives that offer hope to young people. The meeting was arranged urgently because Sunim is scheduled for a three-month overseas trip after the 100-Day Dharma Talk concludes.

Sunim began by explaining the purpose of today’s meeting.

“Twelve years ago, we actively conducted a movement to give hope to young people, starting with the Youth Concert. As time passed, our youth movement has significantly diminished. When we began the Second 10,000-Day Practice, we established the Special Youth Division and put considerable effort into the youth movement. As a result, the proportion of young people among Jungto Dharma School enrollees has increased significantly. However, I feel this approach is somewhat passive, and I think we should pursue youth outreach more actively.

What if we organize an event that brings 10,000 young people to the Jungto Social and Cultural Center?

Twelve years ago, Jungto Society had content that appealed to young people, but currently, I don’t think we have content that suits them. This issue isn’t so much because Jungto Society has done something wrong, but largely because young people’s preferences have changed significantly. Young people prefer lighter topics, while Jungto Society discusses the weightier subject of practice, which can make it intimidating for young people to approach us. If Jungto Society abandons practice to pursue lightness, the question arises: ‘What’s the ultimate purpose of gathering many young people?’ Conversely, if we pursue the essential topic of practice, we become disconnected from the public and fail to achieve our goal of spreading the Dharma. This contradiction seems difficult to resolve through discussions among young people alone. I think young people should take the lead in solving this problem with support from Jungto Society.

So my idea is to hold an event for young people at the Jungto Social and Cultural Center. We could use the theme ‘Peace of Mind, Compassion in Society.’ In the small and medium halls, we could offer meditation and other practice programs in each space. In the basement auditorium, we could hold talk concerts, Dharma Q&A, or symposiums. The basement cafeteria could provide food, and the lounge could serve beverages. JTS could set up exhibition booths for their work in the Philippines, India, Bhutan, and emergency relief efforts. Good Friends could showcase their refugee rights work, and Eco Buddha could operate environmental practice experience booths. We could also have booths introducing the 100-Day Chulga program, organic farming, and other activities. I think we already have sufficient content just by introducing what Jungto Society is currently doing. Yoga experiences, lantern making, 108 bows experience, introducing the Awakening Retreat – these would all be good additions. Few organizations have as much experience and activity assets as Jungto Society. We could utilize the entire space from the first to the fifteenth floor. I’d like to see about 10,000 young people come to the Jungto Social and Cultural Center.”

After listening to Sunim’s remarks, everyone freely shared their opinions.

“This event seems like it will be very meaningful. However, my biggest concern is that even with just 300 participants, the elevators become overwhelmed. I’m worried about whether the event can run smoothly given our limited capacity.”

“Young people often decide to participate based on the reputation of the speakers. We should invite well-known speakers for different time slots so that those who come for the lectures will also visit the booths while they’re here.”

“We should clarify whether our goal is simply to increase contact points with young people to raise awareness about Jungto Society, or if we’re trying to revitalize the Jungto Social and Cultural Center by securing potential volunteers. Once our purpose is clear, we can prepare various programs accordingly.”

The meeting lasted an hour, with various opinions being presented and gathered. The Special Youth Division agreed to prepare a draft proposal for the next meeting, and the session concluded.

As the sun set, Sunim delivered the 20th lecture of the Buddhist Social Studies Course at 7:30 PM in the main hall of the Jungto Social and Cultural Center. About 170 people attended in person, while approximately 1,900 people connected online.

In the previous session, Sunim examined in detail the international figures who led “Buddhist social engagement.” Today, he continued with a lecture on “Religious Conflicts and Dialogue in Asia.” Rather than focusing on theoretical content about ideologies or philosophies, today’s lecture centered on the current state of ongoing conflicts.

“In today’s Buddhist Social Studies lecture, we’ll examine conflicts in the Asian region. Some of these are religious conflicts, while others have no direct connection to religion. We’re studying this topic to understand how religion influences society in Asia. In reality, we can observe that religion often has more negative than positive impacts on society. The original role of religion is to mediate conflicts and establish peace. However, there are many cases where religion itself becomes the cause of conflict.”

Sunim then provided detailed explanations of conflicts occurring throughout Asia, including Sri Lanka, Myanmar, Indonesia, Bangladesh, India, the Philippines, China, Taiwan, and Korea, focusing on their causes and current situations.

“The conflict in Myanmar appears to be religious, but it actually stems from ethnic tensions between minority and majority groups. About 70 percent of Myanmar’s total territory is occupied by ethnic minorities, while about 70 percent of the population consists of Burmans. This creates a disparity between population ratio and territorial occupation. China shows a similar pattern. In China, Han Chinese make up about 94 percent of the population, but approximately 55 percent of the total territory consists of autonomous regions for ethnic minorities. In Myanmar, the Burmans primarily live in the plains, while various ethnic minorities form their own communities in the mountainous regions.

The Rohingya: History, Conflict, and Myanmar’s Deep Wounds

Myanmar’s ethnic minorities live in states formed along ethnic lines. They have resisted by demanding expanded autonomy for their states, and some have reached peace agreements in the process. The most well-known resistance is that of the Karen people. The Karen mostly converted to Christianity due to the influence of Christian missionaries. They speak English and maintain active exchanges with Western countries, which has helped them gain more international recognition.

While Myanmar’s conflicts are fundamentally centered on tensions between minority and majority ethnic groups, the case of the Rohingya is somewhat different. There are significant differences between the claims made by the Myanmar government and those made by the Rohingya. The Myanmar people claim that the Rohingya originally lived in Bangladesh territory and migrated to Myanmar during British colonial times, where they served as middle managers who oppressed the Myanmar people. Therefore, they argue that the Rohingya should return to their original homeland. In contrast, the Rohingya claim they have traditionally lived in the Arakan region on Myanmar’s western border. Historically, both sides have valid points.

However, the situation worsened when the Myanmar military bombed the Arakan region where the Rohingya lived. The Rohingya engaged in armed resistance, which the military used as a pretext to impose oppression that bordered on genocide. As a result, the Rohingya fled across the border into Bangladesh. In fact, this conflict didn’t begin recently but has continued for many years. Currently, the Rohingya population numbers about 2 million, and when more than 1 million crossed into Bangladesh at once, it escalated into an international conflict.

Global citizens argue that Myanmar’s Buddhists should not oppress minority ethnicities and religions but should embrace them. However, these arguments have not been accepted by the Myanmar people. Just as Koreans disliked Japanese people after experiencing Japanese colonial rule, Myanmar people harbor deep resentment toward the Rohingya for their actions during British colonial times. They dislike them to the point of hatred. This was also the difficulty faced by Aung San Suu Kyi’s government. If they suppressed the Rohingya, they would lose support from the international community, including the UN, but if they advocated for the Rohingya, they would lose domestic support. Caught in this dilemma, Aung San Suu Kyi’s government responded tepidly to the Rohingya issue. Later, the international community campaigned to revoke Aung San Suu Kyi’s Nobel Peace Prize for not actively addressing the Rohingya refugee crisis. This allowed the military to destabilize the political situation and eventually stage a coup.

The international community hoped to persuade Myanmar’s Buddhist leaders and encourage the Myanmar government to move toward embracing Rohingya refugees. However, the sentiment among Myanmar’s citizens remained unchanged. Eventually, JTS had no choice but to provide support to refugee camps in Bangladesh, as finding a solution within Myanmar proved difficult. In reality, rather than external aid, the fundamental solution would be to help at least some of the refugees return to their homeland and resettle. However, local public opinion in Myanmar did not shift at all. This sentiment was shared not only by the military but also by the general public.

The Chakma People: Lives Divided by a Border

The border region between Bangladesh and Myanmar is a mountainous area traversed by the Arakan Range. Various ethnic minorities live in this mountainous region. With peaks reaching up to 4,000 meters, the mountain range serves as a natural boundary, making geographical interaction rare and inevitably creating completely different languages, writing systems, and cultures. For these reasons, ethnic minorities have lived in these mountainous areas for centuries. Their populations vary widely, ranging from tens of thousands to millions of people.

In eastern India, there are several states dominated by ethnic minorities, such as Mizoram and Tripura. Buddhist ethnic minorities also live in the Chittagong Hill Tracts of eastern Bangladesh and western Myanmar. The ethnic minorities living in these areas are of Mongolian descent, and most practice Buddhism. Due to the mountainous terrain, when borders were established, some areas were incorporated into Bangladesh, some into India, and others into Myanmar. For example, the Rohingya, who are Muslim, were incorporated into Myanmar, while the Chakma, who are Buddhist, became part of Bangladesh. The rest were incorporated into India. As a result, millions of Buddhists ended up living as religious minorities in India or Bangladesh, while the Rohingya remained as a Muslim minority in Myanmar. This situation can be viewed as a legacy of colonialism. The colonial rulers drew borders and divided territories based on administrative convenience, without considering the cultural or religious characteristics of ethnic or religious minorities. This remains one of the causes of ongoing conflicts today.

The Chakma people, numbering over 1 million, live in the eastern part of Bangladesh and the western border region of Myanmar. In the past, they numbered up to 1.5 million and had their own independent kingdom. Even today, some royal family members remain. One person I met introduced herself as a princess. Of course, she doesn’t enjoy royal status now and works as a lawyer. The Chakmas are Buddhists with distinct traditions and an independent culture. However, the Bangladesh government pressured them to convert to Islam, and when they refused, they faced invasions from Muslims. During this process, many Chakma fled to India. Currently, about 300,000 live in India, while the remaining 1 million stay in Bangladesh.

Although the conflict has ended, tensions still exist. When I tried to visit this region as a foreigner, I couldn’t enter with just a Bangladesh visa. I had to provide detailed information about my visit’s purpose and receive special permission. The Chakma who fled to India still face discrimination. Despite living in India for over 30 years, many still don’t have citizenship. They cultivated land in India’s mountainous regions, but without citizenship or land ownership rights, they recently received eviction orders from the Forest Department. They resisted because they had nowhere to go, but eventually, they were forcibly relocated, losing the homes and fields they had cultivated for 30 years. This is why JTS began supporting them by building houses and providing clean water. Around the world, numerous minority groups live without basic rights, constantly being displaced.

Pencils Instead of Guns, Learning Instead of Conflict! 80 Schools Built in Mindanao, Philippines

The Philippines was originally a country of indigenous people whose main religions centered around shamanism. However, during the long period of Spanish colonial rule, Catholicism took root. Later, when Spain lost to the United States in war, the Philippines became an American colony before finally achieving independence.

In Korea’s case, a unified kingdom with an independent state system existed before colonial rule. In contrast, the Philippines had no concept of a single nation called “the Philippines.” Numerous islands and tribes were scattered in small communities, each ruled by their own chieftains. When Spain began colonial rule, Catholicism spread as a common religion, and more than three thousand islands became united under one identity.

However, on some southern Philippine islands near Malaysia and Indonesia, Islamic forces had established themselves relatively early. Muslims in this region wanted independence but turned to armed struggle due to oppression from the Philippine government. This resulted in the formation of the Muslim rebel group “Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF).” On another front, there was also the New People’s Army (NPA), a rebel group conducting communist movements in mountainous regions, though their influence has largely weakened now.

About 5 million people live in the areas controlled by Muslim rebels. These regions experienced continuous war for a long time, but recently, peace agreements have been signed, bringing relative stability. While not completely independent, they have been granted a certain level of autonomy. The Philippine government still handles defense and foreign affairs, but local administration and daily life are managed according to the traditions and autonomy of the residents. Due to the prolonged conflict, many residents had to flee, and children grew up without proper education.

For the past 20 years, JTS has been consistently working to build schools in conflict areas of Mindanao Island and help children receive education. So far, we have built about 80 schools of various sizes. These include schools for indigenous children, schools in Muslim rebel areas, and schools for people with disabilities in Catholic regions. Schools built in urban areas are mostly for people with disabilities, while those in mountainous or remote areas are mainly for indigenous or Muslim children. JTS’s reason for doing this work is clear: everyone has the right to education, regardless of where they were born or under what conditions they grew up. Whether born in remote areas, raised in rebel territories, or living with disabilities, everyone should have the opportunity to learn.

Efforts to Achieve Peace Through Interfaith Dialogue

Around the world today, efforts to achieve peace through interfaith dialogue continue. In Sri Lanka, Buddhist monks, Hindu sadhus, Islamic imams, and Catholic priests gather to engage in interfaith dialogue and explore reconciliation between ethnic groups. The Peace Foundation plans to invite these religious leaders to the International Reconciliation Conference event to be held in Korea in July.

Cambodia is a Buddhist country, but due to the influence of the French colonial period, there are also some Catholics. There too, monks and priests meet to cooperate for regional peace. In countries where Buddhists are a minority, such as Indonesia and Malaysia, dialogue meetings between Buddhist and Islamic religious leaders are emerging. However, there are still few cases where these meetings have resolved regional conflicts or brought about significant changes. I am also active in the “Religious Leaders’ Meeting for National Reconciliation and Peace,” centered around the Peace Foundation. This group focuses on three main tasks: first, realizing peace on the Korean Peninsula through reconciliation between North and South Korea; second, establishing a foundation for national integration; and third, promoting harmony between religions. Under these goals, religious leaders from various faiths are uniting in solidarity.

Looking at the global situation, religious conflicts remain prevalent worldwide. The most serious region is the Middle East, followed by Asia. Therefore, we must make more active efforts for peace. In fact, if we could achieve peace on the Korean Peninsula, I would feel more confident speaking about world peace. But now, whenever I try to speak about peace elsewhere, I hesitate for fear of being asked, “What about your own country?” (laughs) Nevertheless, considering its international status and the level of public awareness, South Korea is a country that can play a meaningful role in improving the quality of life and peace for people in Asia.

 From a Country That Received Help to One That Helps Asia

Southeast Asian NGOs face numerous challenges: poverty, democracy, conflicts, women’s rights issues—none of these problems are easy to solve. Yet they lack the economic resources and capacity to address these issues effectively. We in Korea once faced similar difficulties. During those times, we received substantial assistance from Europe and the United States. With that experience behind us, it’s now our turn to help others, but Korean society’s mindset seems to remain stuck in the position of “please help us.” Whether it’s women’s movements focusing only on “our women,” labor movements concerned only with “our workers,” or environmental activism limited to “our environmental issues,” our perspective remains narrow. We rarely consider supporting Southeast Asian women, improving their poor labor conditions, or addressing their educational challenges. Some Christian missionaries travel to Southeast Asia and work passionately, but their focus on evangelism sometimes damages traditional cultures, conflicts with local sentiments, and even triggers religious tensions.

Buddhism can expand its influence when it makes meaningful contributions to social issues. Simply saying “Please believe in Buddhism” has limited effectiveness in spreading the Dharma.”

Following this, Sunim took time to address written questions that had arisen from the previous class. The session concluded after 9 PM, with an agreement that the next class would focus on “The Practice Theory of Engaged Buddhism.”

Tomorrow will be the 93rd day of the 100-Day Dharma Talk. In the morning, Sunim will teach the third lecture on “Human Buddha” for the daytime Jungto Buddhism Course. In the afternoon, he will attend a meeting with senior social leaders to prepare for the “Transition Forum,” followed by the evening session of the “Human Buddha” lecture for the evening Jungto Buddhism Course.