Aug 13, 2025: Village Entrance Road Grass Cutting, Weekly Dharma Assembly, Paying Respects at the Funeral of Great Master Hyogyeong
Hello. Morning has dawned at Dubuk Jungto Retreat Center.
After completing morning practice and meditation, Sunim began community work at 6 AM. Myodang, Hyangjon, Dharma Teacher Beopdeung, and staff members also put on their work clothes immediately after morning practice and joined in the work.
Grass had grown thickly on both sides of the main road leading to the village. Grass was abundant both below and above the azalea bushes. During the five years spent in the countryside during the COVID pandemic, Sunim had cut the grass on this road every summer as if tending his own yard, but this year, due to many overseas schedules, he hadn’t been able to pay attention to it. Now the elderly villagers are too old to easily cut the grass. Unable to just pass by the overgrown grass, Sunim decided to do the work.
First, Sunim began cutting grass from the village entrance.
Then he went back and cut the grass that had grown on the opposite side.
While busily cutting grass, someone from the village came out with refreshments and greeted them.
“I see the temple is cutting the grass. Thank you. Please have some of this while you work.”
After exchanging greetings, they continued cutting grass. The clouds cleared and the sun began to shine. Sunim cut all the grass along the roadside without taking a single break, as all the grass needed to be cut before the day became too hot.
After cutting all the grass, he trimmed the sides of the azalea bushes and also cut the grass that had grown upward. Grass that couldn’t be cut with the string trimmer was removed directly with a sickle.
Grass clippings had splattered all over his body. Dharma Teacher Myodang cleared away the grass clippings that had fallen on the road with a blower.
After clearing all the grass clippings with the blower, the village entrance road was neatly organized.
Sunim shook off his boots, put down the string trimmer, and took a sip of water. His entire body was drenched in sweat.
“After using the string trimmer for the first time in a while, my hands are trembling. Thank you all for your hard work.” (laughter)
After washing off the sweat and grass clippings, Sunim began the live broadcast of the Weekly Dharma Assembly at 10 AM with all Jungto Society members joining the video conference. After the Three Refuges and the Heart Sutra, they watched a weekly video about the activities of Jungto practitioners over the past week.
The assembly then requested a Dharma talk with three prostrations. Sunim began the Dharma talk by sharing recent updates including news from the Northeast Asian History Tour, the 80th Liberation Anniversary commemorative events, and upcoming Jungto Society event schedules.
“Have you been well during this hot summer? I’m meeting you all from Dubuk Retreat Center today. Coming down here after a while, I noticed that like most rural areas these days, only elderly people remain in the village. After several people passed away last winter, there’s hardly anyone left to manage the village. The road in front of our farm village was also overgrown with grass. I always felt sorry for rarely being able to participate in the communal grass-cutting work. So this morning, I ran the string trimmer for over an hour starting at 6 AM, and my arms were trembling. Thanks to that, I got a proper morning workout. (laughter)
This year marks the 80th anniversary of our nation’s liberation. Although 80 years have passed since we were liberated from Japanese colonial rule, Japan still hasn’t offered a sincere apology for its past wrongdoings. As a result, Korea-Japan relations remain unresolved.
If We Remember the History of Anti-Japanese Struggle by Korean and Chinese People Together…
I returned from the Northeast Asian History Tour a few days ago, and seeing the Chinese government blocking visits to independence movement historical sites made me concerned that this might be a misguided policy. China is promoting the value of “One China” to prevent the secession of ethnic minorities. Korean schools and Korean universities in the Korean Autonomous Region have almost disappeared, with all schools now conducting classes only in Chinese.
I understand the Chinese government’s efforts to prevent separatist tendencies, which are potential sources of national instability in the future. However, as Korea-China relations deteriorate, more effort should be made to win the hearts of both nations’ people. In a year like this, marking the 80th anniversary of victory in the anti-Japanese war, exploring the history of Korea and China’s joint anti-Japanese struggle would strengthen bilateral ties. It’s unfortunate that China is taking an exclusively closed approach to anti-Japanese historical sites. I thought the Chinese government should have invited the Korean president to the September 3rd commemoration of the 80th anniversary of victory in the anti-Japanese war and encouraged Koreans to visit anti-Japanese historical sites together, but the reality was the opposite. It was disappointing that by blocking visits to anti-Japanese historical sites, the space for Korean and Chinese people to share their hearts with each other is diminishing.
80th Anniversary of Liberation: How Should We View North Korea’s “Two-State Theory”?
Jungto Society plans to hold a commemorative ceremony for the 80th anniversary of liberation. We will present survey results on our achievements over the past 80 years and remaining challenges, and conduct in-depth discussions with experts on how to view North Korea’s recently proposed “two-state theory.” In fact, it was South Korea, not North Korea, that first proposed the “two-state theory.” North Korea advocated for one state and attempted unification by force. When North Korea realized that force wouldn’t work, they proposed the Goryeo Federation system with the intention of peaceful unification while recognizing each other’s systems. However, in South Korea, there was an atmosphere where unification was seen as North Korea’s policy toward the South, and merely talking about unification could get one labeled as pro-North.
But now North Korea is advocating the two-state theory. On the surface, one might say this is good since it aligns with South Korea’s past position. However, the situation has now reversed, with South Korea emphasizing unification and criticizing North Korea’s two-state theory. To prevent war, recognizing the two-state system might be advantageous. However, thinking about the nation’s future, we must never abandon the dream of unification. In this regard, North Korea’s change has aspects that are favorable for peacefully resolving inter-Korean relations, while also raising concerns about the future. That’s why we plan to listen to experts’ opinions through this 80th Liberation Anniversary forum.”
Next, Sunim took questions from the audience. Today, three people asked questions and had conversations with Sunim. One of them sought Sunim’s advice on how to deal with guilt after her husband drowned while saving their children during a family trip to the beach and never returned. The questioner struggled to continue speaking, unable to contain her grief.
My Husband Went to Heaven After Saving Our Children. How Should I Live Now?
My eldest child is in 5th grade and blames himself a lot, thinking this happened because he didn’t listen to his father’s warnings. Whenever the children keep crying, all I can do is hold them and comfort them. My husband was such a kind and good person, but I feel guilty that I didn’t treat him well enough and only received from him. I believe he went to a good place because he was such a good person, but what can I do to help him reach paradise? I would like to ask how I can raise my children well.”
“First, I pray for the repose of the deceased. I can imagine how much pain you must be feeling. After today’s Weekly Dharma Assembly ends, there will be Baekjung Prayer, so please pray sincerely for the deceased at that time.
Most importantly, accidents don’t happen because someone is good or bad. When a landslide occurs, it doesn’t spare good houses and only sweep away bad ones. When a plane crashes, good people don’t survive while only bad people die. In sinking accidents like the Sewol ferry, people of certain religions don’t survive while those of other religions perish. If a plane carrying me crashes or a car overturns, I would die just the same. Being ‘good’ or ‘bad’ has nothing to do with accidents.
No one harmed anyone – it was simply an accident. Blaming yourself over such accidents doesn’t help at all. For example, imagine if a family member suddenly passed away from a heart attack in a room. Anyone who was nearby would blame themselves thinking, ‘If only I had opened the door once.’ But who could predict such things? If you had known an accident would happen, you wouldn’t have gone to Jeju Island or to the beach. However, accidents are unpredictable by nature.
To prevent accidents beforehand, you should avoid places with risk factors. At beaches, they float buoys to prevent people from approaching deep water areas. If an accident occurred while playing at a beach without such safety measures, it could be seen as safety negligence. It could be viewed as insufficient awareness about safety. Of course, even if you were in a safe zone, it only reduces the probability of accidents, not guaranteeing absolute safety. As the saying goes, ‘One can drown in a dish of water.’ Accidents can happen anytime. Accidents have nothing to do with being good or bad.
Also, since this wasn’t something you intended to happen, there’s no need to blame yourself. Even if you do blame yourself, it won’t help anything. Whether your husband had gotten his way and gone to Gangwon Province or anywhere else, accidents can happen anywhere. You don’t need to blame yourself just because you suggested going to Jeju Island.
The same goes for the children. Even if the children were somewhat careless about safety, you can’t blame them for what happened. At the beach, not just young children but anyone can be in danger, and when a child is in danger, adults naturally do their best to save them. In that process, they may lose their life, but that’s a father’s love for his child and an adult’s sense of responsibility. Wasn’t there a young man who died saving a Japanese person while traveling in Japan?
What happened is indeed a tragedy. It was unexpected and unwanted. However, blaming yourself for this accident won’t solve anything. Self-blame will only make you psychologically withdrawn and fill you with guilt. Especially if you become emotionally unstable, it could leave deep psychological scars on your children. The child who fell in the water will feel sorry every time they see you, their mother, and will blame themselves even more. That’s why you need to pull yourself together first. Of course, it’s natural for the child to feel guilty. Even though they didn’t cause it, they can’t help but feel that way because their father died. You need to make it clear to the child that this was an accident.
‘This wasn’t your fault. But from now on, you need to be more careful about safety. Dad risked his life to save you because he wanted you to be safe and happy. Dad wouldn’t want you to keep crying and suffering. So living happily is the way to honor your father.’
This is how you should encourage your child. You need to comfort the child’s wounds and calm their frightened heart.
You should also take your child to see a child psychologist for therapy. If necessary, medication should be used alongside therapy to help stabilize their emotions. Even if there appear to be no outward signs of distress, it doesn’t mean there are no wounds. Early treatment is essential to alleviate psychological trauma and help them overcome feelings of guilt. If left untreated, these wounds may harden, causing them to carry sadness in their hearts even into adulthood.
So first, make sure your child receives psychological treatment, and if necessary, you should also receive psychiatric treatment and take medication for a while. The sudden shock of the accident can cause a certain level of depression, so medication may be needed to stabilize your emotions. While taking medication to stabilize your psychological state, make this commitment in your heart:
‘We will not forget your love for us, and we will live happily with renewed strength, living for your share as well.’
It’s important to always maintain this mindset. Your husband risked his life to save you, but if those he saved continue to cry, grieve, and fail to live properly, his sacrifice becomes meaningless from his perspective. So please remember that when the family smiles and lives happily, your husband’s sacrifice truly shines.
Additionally, regardless of whether it provides practical help, follow our cultural traditions by holding the 49-day memorial service and performing the Baekjung Prayer once. Through the process of prayer, your psychological state will gradually stabilize. I hope that through this process, your family can overcome these difficulties together.”
“Thank you. I understand well.”
Questions continued to follow.
I’m curious about what activities the public can engage in after the 80th Liberation Day commemoration ceremony. In particular, when will humanitarian aid to North Korea become possible?
I try to do things without expecting anything in return, but the results are usually not good. I’m curious about how the unconscious works.
After sufficient dialogue, the live broadcast ended after 11 o’clock. After leaving the broadcasting room, Sunim immediately had lunch, while those connected to the live broadcast participated in the Baekjung 3rd memorial prayer together.
After finishing the Baekjung 3rd memorial prayer at 12:30 PM, Sunim departed from Dubuk Retreat Center at 12:40 PM and headed to Seoul.
After driving on the highway for 4 hours, Sunim arrived at Seoul Jungto Social and Cultural Center at 4:40 PM.
Upon hearing that Venerable Hyogyeong, the Honorary Chairman of Daegakhoe and abbot of Bongandang, had passed away, Sunim immediately headed to Beobanjungsa Temple where the memorial hall was set up, accompanied by Venerable Yusu.
When Sunim arrived at the Beobanjungsa memorial hall at 5:20 PM, a procession of monks from various temples was continuing to pay their respects.
Venerable Hyogyeong served as the abbot of Daegaksa Temple in Seoul from 1974 to 1989. Most importantly, he played a leading role in renovating Daegaksa Temple, founded by Master Yongseong, to its current state. He served as the spiritual leader of Beobanjungsa and Daegakjungsa temples, nurturing younger practitioners until his passing on the 10th.
Upon entering the memorial hall, Sunim first offered three prostrations before Venerable Hyogyeong’s portrait.
After offering incense, Sunim offered words of comfort to the disciple monks.
“Your grief must be profound. Still, this is the law of nature, so please don’t be too sorrowful.”
“Yes, thank you for coming.”
While leaving the memorial hall, Sunim signed the guest book.
‘I will carry on the Great Master’s will.’
After exchanging greetings with Venerable Jangsan, Chairman of Daegakhoe, Venerable Jongyeol, the spiritual leader of Hwaeomsa Temple in Gurye, and Venerable Daewon, the abbot of Haeinsa Temple, Sunim had dinner and left the memorial hall.
Sunim got back in the car and headed to Jungto Social and Cultural Center. Arriving at 7:25 PM, Sunim immediately began a meeting at 7:30 PM with JTS volunteers in the 10th-floor conference room to discuss personnel assignment to Bhutan.
The main sustainable development project in Bhutan will begin in earnest in the second half of the year, requiring significant personnel. They discussed and received recommendations on which current Jungto Society staff members could be additionally assigned. After an hour and a half of discussion, the meeting concluded.
Sunim then immediately held another meeting with JTS President Park Gina and the international cooperation team volunteers about the Southeast Asia survey trip scheduled for September, finishing the day’s activities at 9:30 PM.
Tomorrow, in commemoration of the 80th anniversary of Liberation Day, Sunim will host a ceremony and forum with leaders from various sectors of society to pray for peace on the Korean Peninsula and national unity.
