May 21, 2025 – Day 94 of the 100-Day Dharma Talk, Religious Leaders’ Meeting, Weekly Dharma Assembly
Hello. This is the 94th day of Venerable Pomnyun Sunim’s 100-Day Dharma Talk. The 100-Day Dharma Talk is now racing toward its conclusion. Today is the day for the monthly religious leaders’ meeting for ethnic reconciliation and peace. It is also the day when the Weekly Dharma Assembly is held for Jungto Society members to review their practice.
After completing morning practice and meditation, Sunim headed to the Jungto Social and Cultural Center for the religious leaders’ meeting. The pastor, priest, bishop, and religious teachers arrived one by one at the basement dining hall.
After having breakfast carefully prepared by The Peace Foundation staff, they moved to The Peace Foundation conference room to engage in conversation.
First, Sunim shared the schedule for inviting Sri Lankan religious leaders to the International Reconciliation Conference to be held in July and gathered opinions from the religious leaders. They confirmed a four-day visit schedule where everyone would participate together to discuss “Interfaith Dialogue for Peace and Reconciliation in Asia,” and visit Kyungdong Church, the Central Temple of Cheondogyo, Seoul Anglican Cathedral, and the Headquarters of the Jogye Order of Korean Buddhism.
Sunim then briefly shared the situation in North Korea.
“Since Russia and China discussed lifting economic sanctions on North Korea during their summit, there seems to be some movement toward easing tensions between North Korea and China. However, food prices and general prices have risen significantly in North Korea, and the people’s lives are very difficult. While claiming to be a ‘powerful nation’ and investing heavily in military aspects, the economy seems unable to escape dire circumstances.”
Park Nam-soo, the chairman of the religious leaders’ meeting, then asked for opinions on whether the religious leaders’ meeting needed to express a position ahead of the presidential election.
“Ahead of the presidential election, there are conflicting claims such as ‘ending insurrectionist forces is the priority’ and ‘we must structurally eliminate the harmful effects of the imperial presidency by amending the constitution.’ On the other hand, many are saying that we should help the Democratic Party win overwhelmingly to help end insurrectionist forces. With the election approaching, I think we should discuss this matter.”
The religious leaders comfortably shared their individual opinions. Bishop Park Kyung-jo spoke first.
“I think our task is to promote peace between North and South Korea and achieve national unity. While we should certainly work to purify Korean society, I don’t think it’s appropriate to support specific political parties or politicians.”
Father Kim Hong-jin also shared his opinion.
“Whether progressive or conservative, if they implement policies that oppose the peace and unification of the Korean Peninsula that we aspire to, I think we should criticize those policies.”
Pastor Park Jong-hwa also shared his opinion.
“There are many pastors interested in politics. As a result, politicians calculate pastors as votes. And the moment a pastor supports a specific politician or party, that person is no longer seen as a religious figure by the public. So while we can express support or opposition to policies, I don’t think we should support politicians.”
Sunim then shared his opinion.
“Personally, I stand from a progressive perspective. However, I think the religious leaders’ meeting should be centrist and aim for national unity. So shouldn’t we play a role that goes beyond individual opinions to speak of cooperation rather than elimination, inclusion rather than exclusion, and reconciliation rather than conflict? I don’t think it’s the right perspective for religious leaders to support specific politicians or groups.
What Role Should Religious Leaders Play When Political Conflicts Reach Extremes?
Of course, if politicians come to religious leaders seeking advice, we can advise them to move in a good direction. And we can support a party’s Korean Peninsula peace policy. However, I don’t think supporting specific parties or individuals, rather than policies, is the role of religious leaders.
Whoever becomes president, it would be fortunate if they govern the country well, but if they govern dogmatically, we should take a critical stance. When conservative forces take power and make mistakes, conservatives should criticize them to reduce conflict, but when no conservatives criticize and only progressives do, conflicts deepen. Similarly, when progressive forces take power and make mistakes, progressives should criticize them to reduce conflict, but in most cases, no one criticizes. Then whoever takes power can govern the country dogmatically, and national conflicts intensify. I think religious leaders need to have the right perspective on this. I believe the imperial presidency has significant harmful effects, so we need to establish institutional measures to resolve national conflicts.
Looking back at the past 100 years of history, the Donghak Revolution failed at the time, and the March 1st Movement was brutally suppressed and failed, but through these countless failures, the nation has walked the path of development. However, what concerns me is that now, rather than developing through conflict with each other, we may have passed the peak of the parabola and are heading downhill. For example, in the past, even when college students protested, they were hired by large corporations after being released from prison, and members of the National Assembly would have dinner together in the evening even after fighting in the assembly hall during the day. But now, after fighting with each other, they don’t communicate at all. Also, in the past, both progressives and conservatives accepted court rulings. But now, they deny Constitutional Court decisions and Supreme Court rulings. Seeing these behaviors makes me worry that our society has entered a downward path. When a nation is growing, fighting with each other can become vitality, but it doesn’t seem to be the case now. That’s why I think emphasizing the values of cooperation, reconciliation, peace, and coexistence is the role that we religious people should play now.”
As they continued discussing current affairs, the meeting time came to an end. They agreed to discuss preparations for the International Reconciliation Society event in more detail at the next meeting and concluded the gathering.
After seeing off the religious leaders, Sunim headed to the Dharma Hall on the third floor. In the Dharma Hall, they had conducted the morning prayer service for an hour starting at 9 AM and were briefly organizing the space.
With about 140 members of the Sangha seated, at 10:15 AM, they began the Weekly Dharma Assembly by reciting the Three Refuges and the Heart Sutra. Jungto Society members also joined online through a video conference room.
After watching the weekly Jungto practitioner news video, the assembly requested a Dharma talk from Sunim with three prostrations. Sunim spoke about the 100-Day Dharma Talk nearing its end and explained the remaining schedule.
“The 100-Day Dharma Talk has only ten days left. Although it’s called 100 days, the actual schedule is 105 days. On Sunday, June 1st, we will have the 8th 100-Day Prayer Closing Ceremony and the 100-Day Dharma Talk Closing Ceremony, followed by the 9th 100-Day Prayer Opening Ceremony.
This special practice is not just 100 days but 300 days of practice, the ‘2025 Special Practice.’ So we still have 200 days remaining. I hope you will continue to practice steadily until the end of the year, building on the momentum of the first 100 days. During the first 100 days, I believe the assembly has gained great strength through the 100-Day Dharma Talk. With that strength, we’ve come this far together, and I hope you will continue the remaining 200 days of practice well on your own based on that foundation. As the 100-Day Dharma Talk is nearing its end, closing ceremonies will begin in various places starting next week.”
He then took questions from those who had registered in advance. First, two people asked questions online, followed by one person who raised their hand at the venue.
Could Looking at Everything Positively Be Self-Rationalization?
“Everyone lives by rationalizing their actions. People aren’t that special, and there really are no extraordinary people. Everyone lives by rationalizing themselves, thinking ‘It’s okay, that’s just how people are.’ That’s why there’s a saying, ‘When I do it, it’s romance; when others do it, it’s an affair.’
Humans naturally have a self-defense instinct. This is true biologically, and karma, as a mental function, also tends to protect oneself. Even when I’ve done something wrong, if it seems advantageous to hide it, I hide it. If it seems like I’ll be caught, I judge it’s better to reveal it and confess. It’s rare for people to reveal the truth out of genuine honesty. They watch for cues, thinking ‘Should I hide it?’ or ‘Should I reveal it?’ and then show a seemingly repentant attitude because they think the other person will accept it, or they reveal it rather than lie and risk being disliked. That’s how human psychology naturally works. Even honesty comes from calculating whether being honest or hiding something slightly would be more advantageous. So you can do whatever feels right to you. However, you may sometimes have to accept losses depending on the results.
As you mentioned in your question, thinking ‘At least the children are alive, so that’s fortunate’ is a good perspective. However, if you’ve let your children’s disobedience go unchecked and they’ve truly developed bad habits, then even though it may be difficult, you need to correct those habits now. But we often increase our suffering by trying to change what cannot be changed. It’s better to simply accept what cannot be changed. Suffering arises from trying to change things unnecessarily.
When you go to the mountains, you build a path if you can, and if you can’t, you use ropes or find another way, right? Life is the same. In some situations, we need to pioneer new paths, and in others, we need to adapt to the circumstances. We’re always living by appropriately combining changing things to suit ourselves and adapting ourselves to situations. But people usually try to change everything to their liking, which is why life isn’t easy. That’s why it’s difficult. It might seem easier if we just adapted to every situation, but if we only lived that way, it would be hard to call ourselves human.
That’s why we need to maintain the Middle Way. If something can be changed, then change it. But that requires effort. If you can handle the difficulty, then make the change; if you can’t, then accept it. Suffering arises because we don’t accept things as they are.
Returning to non-action (無爲) means completely letting go of intentions and accepting everything that arises as it is. However, for humanity to build civilization and live, we must change the world somewhat to suit ourselves. But we shouldn’t become too attached to this. When things don’t go as planned, suffering arises. It’s the same with farming. If it doesn’t rain, you can build a dam or dig for groundwater. If that doesn’t work, you can plant emergency crops like buckwheat that grow well in dry conditions. Living wisely means always maintaining an appropriate balance between adaptation and pioneering.”
“Thank you. I understand well.”
In addition, there were questions such as:
I have childhood wounds, but they’ve improved a lot through practice. However, now that I’m married and thinking about having children, I feel afraid. Should I have children?
I heard that 10,000 people will gather offline for the closing ceremony of the 10th 1000-Day Practice. I’m curious about the reason for this.
After finishing the dialogue, it was almost noon. The live broadcast ended with the promise of next week’s Weekly Dharma Assembly.
After lunch, Sunim attended a Peace Foundation research seminar at the Peace Foundation conference room from 1 PM. He listened to a two-hour lecture on how the nation operates centered around the Office of the President, followed by a Q&A session before concluding the seminar.
From 4 PM, Sunim attended the Peace Foundation Planning Committee meeting. They discussed inter-Korean relations and national unity after the presidential election, and spent two hours discussing what role the Peace Foundation could play in this context.
The sun had set by the time the meeting ended. At 7:30 PM, Sunim conducted the evening Weekly Dharma Assembly live broadcast. About 100 people gathered in the third-floor Dharma Hall, while Jungto Society members connected through online video conference rooms and requested a Dharma talk from Sunim with three prostrations.
Like the morning assembly, Sunim mentioned the 100-Day Dharma Talk nearing its end and began his talk by discussing various offline activities currently being experimented with at the Jungto Social and Cultural Center.
“It has been six years since Jungto Society faced the COVID pandemic, closed about 200 Dharma centers nationwide and overseas, and transitioned to online operations. We have continued online Jungto Society with the spirit of making our living spaces where we eat and relieve ourselves into practice venues, and turning our homes into personal Dharma centers. While there were many conveniences, there were also clear shortcomings.
The Fading Fragrance of Character: Challenges Left by Jungto Society’s Online Transition
Practice requires people to meet in person so that the fragrance of their character can be transmitted and sustained. However, when meeting online, everything disappears from the screen as soon as you turn off the switch. It’s like watching a moving film at the cinema and even shedding tears, but the moment you leave the theater after the screening ends, that emotion disappears like a dream. Just as emotions felt in dreams vanish when you open your eyes, there seem to be limitations to the online system. The fragrance of character should linger subtly, but it disappears instantly with just the flip of a switch. While you may think you’re doing well, from my perspective, practice seems to be somewhat lacking. I’m not saying we should return to offline methods, but we need to supplement the shortcomings of the online system.
Therefore, I hope that Dharma assemblies and education can continue online, while prostrations, meditation, practice, and social action activities can be done together at main temples or practice venues where members can meet. However, since switching to online methods, people have become lazy from always staying at home, and even when asked to gather at main temples or practice venues, they don’t come out readily. It seems like people’s bottoms are getting heavier. So we need to make our bottoms a bit lighter.
We are considering reopening some Dharma centers in major cities if offline activities at the Jungto Social and Cultural Center prove necessary and effective throughout this year. However, if we can perform well enough in online spaces, I believe there’s no need to waste energy, especially considering the global environment. Moving forward, it would be good to work more efficiently by appropriately combining online and offline activities.”
Following this, two people asked questions online and had conversations with Sunim. One of them sought Sunim’s advice on how to continue practice after becoming unable to do 108 prostrations due to a traffic accident, which had led to deep despair.
I Can No Longer Do Prostrations Due to an Accident. How Should I Practice?
“You must be deeply disappointed. Having spent my childhood in the countryside, I used to herd cattle and scamper through mountain paths like a squirrel. So when I went on trips to Mt. Baekdu or conducted surveys in Mindanao as an adult, people would say, ‘Sunim seems to have supernatural powers of movement.’ However, I recently injured my knee and was diagnosed with the need to be careful. While I have no major problems walking, I was specifically told to refrain from mountain climbing. I’m over seventy now, and my legs aren’t what they used to be. One of my coronary arteries is blocked, and I could have a myocardial infarction if I become short of breath. Although stent surgery was recommended, I firmly declined. So now I’m just taking medication and being careful, and I carry emergency medicine to put under my tongue in case of sudden cardiac arrest.
No matter how well you could climb mountains, if your legs become impaired and you can no longer climb, then you simply cannot. I also cannot do 108 prostrations now. While participating in the 100-Day Dharma Talk, I should be doing 1,080 prostrations every Saturday, but since the doctor said I shouldn’t strain my knees, I only do three prostrations or a few dozen at most. Does this mean that people like me who cannot do prostrations cannot practice? Not at all. Not doing prostrations when you’re healthy is laziness, but not being able to do them because your health doesn’t permit it is not laziness. Conversely, forcing yourself to do them when your health doesn’t allow it is not diligence but greed. Right now, you could be described as someone attached to doing prostrations rather than someone who has established a vow for practice. The regret about not being able to do prostrations comes from attachment. Practice should be done according to what your body and circumstances allow.
Which would cause more inconvenience in daily life: not being able to do prostrations or not being able to walk? Not being able to walk would be worse. But you said you can still take walks, so that alone is something to be grateful for. Being able to walk slowly is actually better than being able to do prostrations. The number of prostrations isn’t what’s important. If you can do prostrations but don’t, that’s called ‘laziness’ because you’re caught up in aversion. Not being able to do something because you cannot is not a problem at all. However, trying to force yourself when you’re unable is actually contrary to the spirit of practice. It’s not diligence; it’s attachment.
For the questioner, prostration practice may have been helpful before the traffic accident, but insisting on prostrations in your current physical condition could be considered an attachment to prostrations. You’re practicing in reverse. Therefore, you need to let go of your attachment to prostrations. Currently, walking slowly itself helps with rehabilitation therapy for your back and legs. However, walking quickly or moving excessively could actually worsen your condition. So you should start with walking slowly as much as you can. And if you try doing prostrations slowly about ten times a day and it strains your back or knees, then it’s no longer practice but something that harms your health. Conversely, if you try doing about ten prostrations slowly and there’s no strain on your back or legs, and it actually helps with rehabilitation by increasing flexibility, then it’s fine to do prostrations.
When healthy people do prostrations, it helps their health. Not only does it help with practice, but it’s also good for health. This is because prostrations provide leg exercise. According to what has been revealed so far, lower body exercise has the most positive impact on mental health. Prostrations are exactly that kind of exercise.
In short, it’s not a big deal. But if I said that from the start, you might feel hurt and think, ‘Sunim is healthy, so he doesn’t even consider other people’s illnesses as real problems.’ That’s why I added the story about my own health issues. If you can’t do prostrations, then don’t do them. If you can’t walk, then don’t walk. If you can’t sit in the lotus position, just sit on a chair. However, if you can sit in the lotus position but deliberately choose to sit on a chair, or if you can do prostrations but make excuses not to, that’s not the attitude of a practitioner.
So you shouldn’t do prostrations right now. You asked what you should do instead of prostrations, but there’s no concept of ‘instead’ in practice. If you can’t do prostrations, just don’t do them. There are various methods of practice. There’s prostration practice, meditation practice, chanting practice, mantra practice, and sutra recitation practice. So don’t approach it thinking, ‘I can’t do prostrations, so what should I do instead?’ Rather, think, ‘I’ve been doing prostration practice until now, but let me try mantra practice!’ It’s not about reluctantly doing one thing because you can’t do another, but about changing your practice method to suit your current condition. You can do chanting practice by sitting and calling ‘Avalokitesvara Bodhisattva,’ or you can do mantra practice by reciting ‘Om Mani Padme Hum.’ When you go to Tibet, you’ll see people constantly murmuring ‘Om Mani Padme Hum’ while turning their prayer beads. Since practice is ultimately about concentrating the mind in one place, what’s important is to continue steadily in whatever way suits you, whether it’s chanting or mantra practice.”
“Yes, I understand.”
“Not being able to do prostrations doesn’t mean you can’t practice. Prostrations are just one method of practice. To use an analogy with exercise, it’s like one of many exercises for building physical fitness. So it’s not appropriate to say, ‘I can’t play soccer, so I can’t exercise.’ If you can’t play soccer, you can play basketball. If basketball is difficult, you can play table tennis. If that’s also hard, you can just walk slowly. This way, you can find another method that suits you. It’s not a big deal.”
“Yes, I’ll keep that in mind. Thanks to your words when I had the accident, telling me to be grateful just for being alive, I’ve been doing well until now. After hearing your words today, I feel much lighter. I think I was too attached to prostrations. I’ll practice diligently as you’ve instructed. Thank you.”
Questions continued one after another. The entire audience gave a big round of applause to those who courageously asked honest questions. By the time the dialogue ended, it was well past 9 PM. The members sat in circles by group for mindful sharing, while Sunim left the Dharma Hall and headed to the Jungto Center.
Tomorrow is the 95th day of the 100-Day Dharma Talk. After an early morning breakfast meeting with North Korea experts at the Peace Foundation, Sunim will give a sutra lecture at the Dharma Hall on the 3rd floor of the Jungto Social and Cultural Center in the morning, and teach the 21st session of the Buddhist Social Studies Course in the underground auditorium in the evening.
