May 28, 2025, Day 101 of the 100-Day Dharma Talk, Weekly Dharma Assembly
Hello. Today marks the 101st day of Venerable Pomnyun Sunim’s 100-Day Dharma Talk. Today, a Weekly Dharma Assembly was held at the Jungto Social and Cultural Center, where Jungto Society members examined their practice.
After completing morning practice and meditation, Sunim headed to the Jungto Social and Cultural Center. About 320 members of the Sangha gathered in the Dharma Hall on the third floor. Many members from the metropolitan area attended to celebrate the near completion of the 100-Day Dharma Talk, filling the hall to capacity.
At 10:15 AM, the Weekly Dharma Assembly began with the recitation of the Three Refuges and the Heart Sutra. Jungto Society members also joined online through video conferencing.
After watching a video of weekly Jungto practitioner news, the assembly requested a Dharma talk from Sunim with three prostrations. Sunim reflected on the past 100-Day Dharma Talk, discussing the achievements so far and the tasks that remain ahead.
“It feels like just yesterday when we started the 100-Day Dharma Talk, but already 100 days have passed. With this, the 100-day intensive practice, which was the first part of our special practice period, is coming to an end. However, the special practice period will continue without pause through the 9th and 10th 100-Day Prayer sessions.
The open lectures that preceded the 100-Day Dharma Talk will resume, and the Saturday 1000-Day Practice sessions, Sunday meditation, and Weekly Dharma Assemblies will continue unchanged. The Buddhist Social Studies Course, which was introduced for the first time during this 100-Day Dharma Talk period, is being prepared to launch as an online course in the second half of the year using edited videos from the lectures. As various classes will continue, I hope you will participate consistently, even if not through live lectures. I would especially like to express my deep gratitude to everyone who volunteered so dedicatedly during this 100-Day Dharma Talk period. 
From Impeachment to Presidential Election and War Crisis… The 100-Day Dharma Talk Began with Earnest Hearts
There were several reasons why I came to give the 100-Day Dharma Talk during this special practice period. First, five years have passed since Jungto Society transitioned to being primarily online. While this brought many conveniences for dharma propagation and education, there was an assessment that the atmosphere for experiencing practice through personal inspiration had become somewhat lacking. So we decided to maintain the advantages of online while supplementing the shortcomings by activating offline activities. For the first 100 days, there was a suggestion that it would be good if I, as the guiding Dharma teacher, could boost the practitioners’ spirit through direct lectures, which led to the 100-Day Dharma Talk.
Second, Korean society was in great turmoil after the December 3 martial law incident last year. At that time, I had scheduled trips to Bhutan and India for pilgrimage, so I couldn’t stay in Korea. While abroad, I prayed for the chaos to subside quickly and for society to return to peace. Fortunately, martial law was lifted, but much confusion was still expected during the presidential impeachment trial and the subsequent early presidential election. During such times, even though I couldn’t directly contribute my capabilities, I thought I should stay in Korea and pray together for political stability. So over the past 100 days, I met and conversed with many people who shape public opinion, and I prayed with the hope that our society would become even slightly more stable. 
There were many twists and turns over whether impeachment would happen or not, but when the Constitutional Court unanimously upheld the impeachment, the controversy somewhat subsided. Just when it seemed stability was returning, the Supreme Court ruling on a leading presidential candidate became controversial again. However, as the High Court postponed the trial until after the election, the situation stabilized without major chaos. During this process, both camps showed unfortunate behavior by denying the legal order when it was disadvantageous to them. As a result, the People Power Party, which had opposed impeachment, accepted the court’s decision, and the Democratic Party withdrew the judicial reform bills they had planned to propose, gradually finding stability.
When the presidential election concludes on June 3, the Republic of Korea will make a new start. Of course, some level of confusion may continue afterward. As you have seen, confusion without a stable center can put society at great risk. However, future confusion will occur with the center somewhat established, so it won’t pose a major threat to social stability. Therefore, even if there are some conflicts ahead, they won’t be enough to endanger society as a whole.
Last year, there were various dangers as inter-Korean relations escalated to the brink of war. However, with various factors coming together—including changes in the international situation such as the election of President Trump in the United States, the military alliance between North Korea and Russia, and Korea’s regime change—the risk of war has significantly decreased, as if someone had planned it. A clear direction toward peace has not yet been established, so policies that provoke conflict continue. Korea has been in disarray due to the absence of a president, and the United States has been unsettled by tariff wars. The Korea-US military exercises, which had been creating tension between the two Koreas, continued due to past momentum, maintaining risk factors. However, once a new government is established in Korea and tariff conflicts with the United States are resolved soon, we can expect to take small but meaningful steps toward peace. We can say that we have overcome the major crisis. 
As the 100-Day Dharma Talk Concludes… Toward the Next Journey for Peace on the Korean Peninsula
Both domestically and across the Korean Peninsula, it seems that at least the danger of war has somewhat subsided, as we earnestly wished and prayed for at the June 13 Mass Rally last year. However, the path toward genuine peace has not yet opened. This is the challenge we must work together to solve going forward.
I will depart for overseas early in the morning on June 4, the day after the 100-Day Dharma Talk ends. Coincidentally, that morning is when the new government takes office. Going forward, through my overseas schedule, I plan to make many efforts behind the scenes to normalize relations between North Korea and the United States, normalize relations between North Korea and Japan, and achieve reconciliation and cooperation between the two Koreas. If these efforts succeed even at a minimal level, we could establish an institutional system to completely end war on the Korean Peninsula and prevent the recurrence of war risks. This is the challenge we must solve together going forward.” 
Sunim then emphasized the importance of voting as a means for citizens to exercise their sovereignty, ahead of the presidential election day. Next, he received questions from those who had applied in advance. Today, one person asked Sunim a question online and had a conversation with him.
Why Do I Keep Getting Scammed by Stocks, Loans, and Fraud?
“That’s a very good question. I can hear laughter from various places – it seems many people relate to this. That laughter isn’t mockery but an expression of empathy, thinking ‘I’ve been there too.’ Since you’re almost sixty and have experienced similar situations multiple times, you should now have some judgment about life. In your 20s or 30s, it’s fine to dream that ‘I might become president’ or ‘I might become rich.’ However, at around 60, you need to realize that the probability of achieving such dreams through current efforts is very low. I’m not saying you shouldn’t take on new challenges, but the probability of success has dropped below 10 percent. If the chance of rain is below 10 percent, realistically, it’s almost the same as no rain at all.
Therefore, you need to let go of thoughts like ‘How can I earn more money?’ Instead of trying to earn the around $370 shortfall when your retirement living expenses are around $2,200, you should change your perspective and learn ‘how to live with less.’ While most people think a couple needs around $2,200 to live, you can learn at Jungto Society how to live on around $1,470. Then you’ll actually have around $370 left over. You can donate that remaining around $370 to help neighbors in need. (Laughter) 
From now on, instead of thinking ‘How can I earn an extra around $370?’ you should change your thinking to ‘How can I live sufficiently on around $1470?’ and start practicing living with less. Habits are hard to change as we get older. So it’s good to start now.
If you spend less because you have no money and can’t help it, you might feel psychologically diminished or incompetent. However, if you think that even though you have money, you don’t spend it for the sake of the global environment, or if you believe that consuming a lot is a crime in the era of climate crisis, you can feel confident. You should be able to say confidently, ‘I have money but I don’t spend it.’ If friends see you spending less money and using recycled items and ask, ‘Don’t you have money?’ you can answer like this:
‘I don’t spend because I’m thinking about the global environment. In the climate crisis era, spending a lot is a crime. I don’t mean to criticize you, but it’s just that the laws haven’t been established yet – ethically speaking, spending a lot is actually a crime.’ 
You should be able to say this confidently. While you don’t need to boast about doing well, there’s absolutely no need to feel diminished.
If you live a life of spending less with a practice perspective, you’ll become confident inside and won’t live frantically. A life of spending less is good for the environment in the climate crisis era, good for practice as it makes you confident inside, and good because if you have something left over, you can share it. If it’s difficult to share materially, you can use your remaining time for volunteer work. Volunteering is actually the same as giving. The only difference is whether you do it with money or with time and talent – the essence is the same. Having a clear perspective on living with less is the best approach.”
“Thank you. I understand well.”
After finishing the conversation, it was almost 12 o’clock.
Next, they had time to wrap up the 100-Day Dharma Talk Weekly Dharma Assembly. First, they presented a cake and bouquet to Sunim with gratitude for his dharma talks.
Everyone sang a congratulatory song together.
Congratulations on 100 days. Thank you for the dharma talks. ♬ Venerable Pomnyun Sunim’s 100-Day Dharma Talk. We are truly happy. ♬
Finally, all the members of the Sangha sent a big heart to Sunim.
“Sunim, we love you.”
Sunim also joined his palms and expressed his gratitude. Next, they introduced the volunteers who had worked hard for the past hundred days. When the volunteers stood up, everyone gave them thunderous applause.
Sunim gave words of encouragement for the volunteers.
“Thank you for your hard work. Thank you. Thanks to these people, we were able to hold the Weekly Dharma Assembly for a hundred days. They asked me to give encouragement, so I’m giving encouragement.” (Laughter)
Everyone laughed heartily and concluded the Weekly Dharma Assembly with the Four Great Vows.
Sunim immediately went to The Peace Foundation to have a conversation with a visiting guest. Then at 3 PM, Mr. Kang Dae-in, Chairman of the Dialogue Culture Academy, and Mr. Jung Sung-hun, Chairman of the DMZ Peace and Life Garden, visited The Peace Foundation to have a conversation with Sunim.
After having the first meeting to prepare for the ‘Transition Forum’ at the Dialogue Culture Academy on the 20th, they discussed how to operate future meetings. They had many discussions about how to reduce the increasingly severe conflicts in Korean society and how to enable people with different thoughts to have more open-minded conversations after the presidential election. After two hours of discussion, they concluded the meeting.
“Chairman, please don’t be too hasty. Let’s build the gathering slowly.”
After escorting Chairman Kang Dae-in and Chairman Jung Sung-hun to the entrance on the first floor, Sunim moved to the basement dining hall and had dinner with the members of the Sangha.
After sunset, at 7:30 PM, he conducted a live broadcast of the evening Weekly Dharma Assembly. About 110 members of the Sangha were seated in the Dharma Hall on the third floor, and Jungto Society members connected to the online video conference room. They requested a dharma talk from Sunim with three prostrations.
Sunim emphasized the importance of voting as a means of exercising sovereignty, discussing several criteria that citizens should consider when approaching the presidential election.
“When the presidential election day comes, all citizens of the Republic of Korea must vote. You will also need to vote. So what perspective should you have when voting? 
Voting Is Not a Choice but a Right and a Duty
First, you must clearly understand that the people are the owners of this country. So should the president be mindful of the people? Or should the people be mindful of the president? The president should be mindful of the people. The Republic of Korea is a democratic republic, and the people are the owners of the country. Article 1, Paragraph 1 of the Constitution of the Republic of Korea clearly states, ‘The Republic of Korea is a democratic republic.’ Paragraph 2 clearly states, ‘The sovereignty of the Republic of Korea resides in the people, and all state authority emanates from the people.’
Second, since citizens must each do different work, they delegate their rights to the president and members of the National Assembly. That’s why we elect representatives and entrust them with authority, and in return, citizens pay salaries to these servants. We pay their salaries with our taxes. Additionally, members of the National Assembly are regional representatives who create systems by representing the opinions of local residents. Since it’s difficult for us to create systems directly, we have members of the National Assembly to make laws on our behalf. However, in reality, neither the president nor the members of the National Assembly seem to think of the people as their masters. To put it strongly, they seem to mistake the people for their subordinates.
The responsibility for this problem lies not only with the president and members of the National Assembly but also with the people. In Gyeongsang Province or Jeolla Province, do the local residents decide who becomes a member of the National Assembly? Or do the people who give nominations in political parties decide? The people who give nominations in political parties decide. So will those elected as members of the National Assembly be loyal to local residents? Or will they be loyal to the party? They will be loyal to the party. However, in political parties, nomination decisions are not made by the party’s election management committee but by a few party leaders or supreme council members. That’s why you have to align yourself well. If you later act in a different direction from the person who gave you the nomination, you’re branded as a traitor.
In a monarchical society where the king appointed ministers, those who didn’t follow the king’s will became traitors, and those who didn’t listen to the king committed treason. However, in a democratic country, those who go against the will of the people, who are the owners of the country, are traitors. Yet our country still lacks the concept of a democratic republic. While it’s right to follow the people’s words rather than the party’s, the people themselves come forward and curse those who don’t listen to the party as traitors. When voting, people unconditionally vote for those nominated by the party they support in their region, which is why they’re called subordinates of members of the National Assembly or the president. Although the Republic of Korea is said to be a democratic country, the level of citizens’ consciousness still lacks a sense of ownership. 
Therefore, when voting, you must clearly have the consciousness that you are the owner. Going to vote is exercising sovereignty. However, some of you say, ‘I won’t vote because there’s no one to choose.’ If there were a law that invalidates elections when many people don’t vote, not voting could be seen as exercising sovereignty. However, our country’s current law is not like that. For example, in the case of a by-election for the superintendent of education, even though the turnout is only 20 percent, the person who gets even one more vote wins. The election doesn’t become invalid just because I don’t vote. Only if there’s a law stating that elections are invalid when abstention votes exceed a certain percentage can abstention be recognized as exercising rights. However, currently, our country has a system where sovereigns cannot exercise abstention. You must go to the polling station and either vote for one of the candidates or at least create an invalid vote to have exercised your sovereignty. Not even going to the polling station and saying ‘I don’t like any of them’ is giving up your right to exercise. However, going to the polling station in person and marking ‘I don’t like any of them’ is exercising your rights. Therefore, you must vote.
Why You Should Vote Even If There’s No Candidate You Like
So who should we elect as president? There’s no need to particularly encourage voting for those who have confidence that ‘I hope that person becomes president’ or ‘If that person becomes president, the country will do well.’ This corresponds to the best choice, so such people naturally go to the polling station. Also, there are cases where, although there’s no candidate you particularly like, you judge that among several candidates, this person is the only option. This is choosing the second best. In such cases too, people go to vote.
The problem is when you don’t like any of the candidates and feel there’s no one to vote for. In such cases, most people abstain. They think, ‘Let’s just go out and have fun. Why vote when they’re all people I dislike!’ This is precisely when you should exercise your sovereignty. In such cases, the question might arise, ‘If both seem like they’ll ruin the country, then who do we vote for?’ In this case, it’s easier to understand if you compare it to stock investment. Think about stop-loss selling. You look at who will ruin the country more. ‘Both will ruin the country, but who will ruin it more?’ If you look at it from this perspective, you can roughly judge. You just need to pick the one worst person. Once you exclude that person, it becomes easier to choose. 
And you need to look at what kind of people are gathering around that person. You need to comprehensively examine the structure of the party they belong to, the composition of National Assembly members, the level of democracy within the party, who their support base is, and what the candidate’s personality is like. If you think that person’s election would bring greater difficulties to the country, you should choose the less bad person to avoid the worse one. This is how to choose the lesser evil. Choosing the lesser evil to avoid the worst. This is the best choice a sovereign can make in the current Republic of Korea’s election system. Abstention becomes a wasted vote and loses the meaning of voting. I hope you will participate in voting with this perspective.
Several Criteria That Must Be Considered When Electing a President
So when you think that person will run the country well, what criteria should you use? Everyone has different criteria. People who have taken out bank loans want interest rate cuts, stock investors want stock prices to rise, real estate agents want real estate prices to rise, and people trying to buy houses want real estate prices to fall. Since what people demand is contradictory, it’s difficult to say definitively what criteria to use. However, from the perspective of the entire nation rather than individual gains and losses, the most important criteria are as follows. 
First is the issue of peace on the Korean Peninsula. If war breaks out, the damage would be beyond imagination, so war must be prevented at all costs. Therefore, ‘Is this a candidate who can preserve peace?’ is the most important criterion. If all candidates have a firm will to prevent war, then you can look at whether they can open channels for dialogue between North and South Korea, whether they can promote inter-Korean exchange and cooperation, and ultimately whether they have peaceful unification of North and South Korea in mind. However, right now, the most important thing is whether they are candidates who can preserve peace.
Second is the economic issue. Many people say the economy has become difficult. In fact, our country is not yet in a structure that takes a big hit even if the economy worsens slightly. There are two main aspects to the economy. One is the issue of growth, and the other is the issue of distribution. When production increases, it’s certainly advantageous for everyone. However, that alone cannot be a sufficient condition. To be a necessary and sufficient condition, production must increase while distribution becomes fair. ‘Fair’ doesn’t necessarily mean dividing equally, but at least there should be no exploitation.
Third is the diplomatic issue. Currently, the international community is showing deepening conflicts due to hegemonic competition between the United States and China. In this situation, we must carefully judge whether to further develop the existing Korea-US alliance or maintain the current level. We must also carefully consider whether to cut off or maintain Korea-China relations. South and North Korea have experienced long conflicts, but cooperation might be better in the future. Japan colonized us, but now it might be more beneficial to cooperate for the future. We shouldn’t be too bound by the past, but should establish diplomatic strategies while looking at the current situation and the future. 
We should stop repeating old stories about how North Korea invaded South Korea, how Japan colonized us, or what China did. Calling someone a ‘pro-North communist’ for advocating improved relations with North Korea, or calling them ‘native Japanese collaborators’ for talking about exchanges with Japan is political incitement. We shouldn’t fall for such incitement. We need an attitude of trying to solve problems rationally whenever possible. When we pursue inclusion rather than exclusion, cooperation rather than self-righteousness, the country stands properly.
Fourth, in this era of climate crisis and artificial intelligence (AI), how to supply energy is also very important. While energy needs are increasing, side effects are growing, requiring sophisticated policy balance on how to achieve harmony. To simultaneously achieve the goals of expanding renewable energy, improving energy efficiency, and reducing carbon emissions, technological innovation must be supported by social consensus and institutional support.
Fifth, one of the serious problems our society currently faces is the declining birth rate. To solve this problem, education and housing policies must work together. We need to implement policies that revitalize public education so that private tutoring is unnecessary, provide affordable housing for young people, and introduce a three-year paid leave system so that women don’t experience career interruption after childbirth. We need to implement policies that provide a foundation for young people to have stable lives even after having children.
The people who do these things are members of the National Assembly and the president. Since members of the National Assembly make laws and the president executes them, your votes are most important for national development. If you make the wrong choice, the people will ultimately suffer. Just as hiring the wrong employee makes the company difficult, while hiring competent employees makes the company run well. There can be various criteria, but I hope you will fully consider these points when voting. 
Whether Choosing the Lesser Evil or Voting by Conviction, Don’t Give Up Voting
Even if someone seems quite good, if that candidate’s support rate is only 1 percent or 10 percent, realistically the possibility of winning is very low. If the worst and the lesser evil are clearly distinguished, we must prevent the worst candidate from becoming president. In such cases, choosing even the lesser evil is a realistic judgment. However, there might be cases where you can’t distinguish between the worst and the lesser evil. Even then, rather than giving up voting, you should participate in voting from the perspective of making a choice for the future.
Voting for a candidate you think is good even if their chances of winning are low is also meaningful enough. By doing so, even if that candidate doesn’t win this time, you can send a message to society about what percentage of the people support that person. It also clearly shows that the two candidates competing fiercely now are not the only presidential candidates. It also has the effect of showing that the people didn’t vote for the major party candidates because they did well. In fact, the people chose the lesser evil, but once elected, candidates often mistakenly think the people voted for them because they supported them. If you’re upset about the elected person having such a misconception, you can vote for one of the candidates with low support as a way of expressing that you don’t like either of the major party candidates. That becomes an expression that you don’t like either. I hope you will vote carefully and wisely with this perspective.” 
Following this, the Dharma Q&A began. Two people asked questions online and had conversations with Sunim.
Is it the practitioner’s attitude to let go even of the self that notices arising thoughts? I’m confused whether I’m practicing out of greed or practicing correctly.
I thought war would break out last year. Praying for peace, I did 10,000 prostrations five times. Is Master Yongseong’s prophecy that Korea’s 800-year great fortune will open in 2025 actually true?
The entire audience gave big applause to those who courageously and honestly asked questions. After finishing the dialogue, it was well past 9 PM.
Next, Sunim introduced the evening class volunteers who worked hard to conduct the Weekly Dharma Assembly for one hundred days. As everyone stood up, the members of the Sangha expressed their gratitude with big applause.
Next, two representatives of the volunteers came forward and presented flower bouquets to Sunim.
The members of the Sangha also applauded and shared in the celebration. Next, one person stood up representing the volunteers and shared their thoughts.
“I want to brag a little. I came out and volunteered every day for one hundred days. One day, I got on the elevator with a cart full of luggage. Sunim was also in the elevator. At that time, Sunim asked, ‘Why are you carrying the luggage alone?’ and helped me move the cart. After experiencing that, I was deeply moved. I want to send a heart to Sunim with my gratitude.”
The members of the Sangha also sent hearts to Sunim with gratitude.
“Sunim, we love you.”
After concluding the Weekly Dharma Assembly with the Four Great Vows, the members of the Sangha sat in circles by group and had mindful sharing.
Tomorrow marks the 102nd day of the 100-Day Dharma Talk. After visiting the early voting station at 6 AM to cast a vote for the 21st presidential election, Sunim will deliver the final sutra lecture of the 100-Day Dharma Talk at the Dharma Hall on the 3rd floor of the Jungto Social and Cultural Center in the morning. In the evening, he will teach the 23rd and final class of the Buddhist Social Studies Course in the underground auditorium.
