So when I chose the path of engaged Buddhism over traditional Buddhism in Korea, I knew there were a lot of issues that came with that choice. I will be thrown off from the actual discipline. There will be renunciation. There will be criticisms. There will be a lot of recriminations. So I could have said, why should I go through all that suffering?<\/p>\n\n\n\n
I should not say that because I fully recognized that there will be consequences to my choice. So all choices are equal except when you make a choice you have to be aware of the consequences and be willing to accept this consequences.<\/p>\n","post_title":"How Do We Make A Good Choice?","post_excerpt":"Sunim gave a Dharma Q&A session at George Washington University on Oct. 8, 2014","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","post_password":"","post_name":"how-do-we-make-a-good-choice","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2022-11-13 12:09:08","post_modified_gmt":"2022-11-13 17:09:08","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/www.jungtosociety.org\/?p=14112","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"}],"next":false,"prev":false,"total_page":1},"paged":1,"column_class":"jeg_col_2o3","class":"jnews_block_37"};
\n
So choose whatever you want to choose, but when you choose there are consequences. You have to be receptive and be fully willing to accept what the consequences are.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So when I chose the path of engaged Buddhism over traditional Buddhism in Korea, I knew there were a lot of issues that came with that choice. I will be thrown off from the actual discipline. There will be renunciation. There will be criticisms. There will be a lot of recriminations. So I could have said, why should I go through all that suffering?<\/p>\n\n\n\n
I should not say that because I fully recognized that there will be consequences to my choice. So all choices are equal except when you make a choice you have to be aware of the consequences and be willing to accept this consequences.<\/p>\n","post_title":"How Do We Make A Good Choice?","post_excerpt":"Sunim gave a Dharma Q&A session at George Washington University on Oct. 8, 2014","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","post_password":"","post_name":"how-do-we-make-a-good-choice","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2022-11-13 12:09:08","post_modified_gmt":"2022-11-13 17:09:08","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/www.jungtosociety.org\/?p=14112","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"}],"next":false,"prev":false,"total_page":1},"paged":1,"column_class":"jeg_col_2o3","class":"jnews_block_37"};
\n
So it's not whether a choice is good or bad, it's what the consequences are, the responsibility that comes with the choice. We have difficult time making choices because we have an innate nature within ourselves to want to borrow the money but not the sense of responsibility to pay it back.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So choose whatever you want to choose, but when you choose there are consequences. You have to be receptive and be fully willing to accept what the consequences are.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So when I chose the path of engaged Buddhism over traditional Buddhism in Korea, I knew there were a lot of issues that came with that choice. I will be thrown off from the actual discipline. There will be renunciation. There will be criticisms. There will be a lot of recriminations. So I could have said, why should I go through all that suffering?<\/p>\n\n\n\n
I should not say that because I fully recognized that there will be consequences to my choice. So all choices are equal except when you make a choice you have to be aware of the consequences and be willing to accept this consequences.<\/p>\n","post_title":"How Do We Make A Good Choice?","post_excerpt":"Sunim gave a Dharma Q&A session at George Washington University on Oct. 8, 2014","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","post_password":"","post_name":"how-do-we-make-a-good-choice","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2022-11-13 12:09:08","post_modified_gmt":"2022-11-13 17:09:08","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/www.jungtosociety.org\/?p=14112","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"}],"next":false,"prev":false,"total_page":1},"paged":1,"column_class":"jeg_col_2o3","class":"jnews_block_37"};
\n
For example. Shall I take out a loan or not? Doesn't matter what you choose. But if you borrow money, you have to pay it back. If you don't want to pay back, then you shouldn't borrow the money in the first place.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So it's not whether a choice is good or bad, it's what the consequences are, the responsibility that comes with the choice. We have difficult time making choices because we have an innate nature within ourselves to want to borrow the money but not the sense of responsibility to pay it back.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So choose whatever you want to choose, but when you choose there are consequences. You have to be receptive and be fully willing to accept what the consequences are.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So when I chose the path of engaged Buddhism over traditional Buddhism in Korea, I knew there were a lot of issues that came with that choice. I will be thrown off from the actual discipline. There will be renunciation. There will be criticisms. There will be a lot of recriminations. So I could have said, why should I go through all that suffering?<\/p>\n\n\n\n
I should not say that because I fully recognized that there will be consequences to my choice. So all choices are equal except when you make a choice you have to be aware of the consequences and be willing to accept this consequences.<\/p>\n","post_title":"How Do We Make A Good Choice?","post_excerpt":"Sunim gave a Dharma Q&A session at George Washington University on Oct. 8, 2014","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","post_password":"","post_name":"how-do-we-make-a-good-choice","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2022-11-13 12:09:08","post_modified_gmt":"2022-11-13 17:09:08","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/www.jungtosociety.org\/?p=14112","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"}],"next":false,"prev":false,"total_page":1},"paged":1,"column_class":"jeg_col_2o3","class":"jnews_block_37"};
\n
We are actually referring to the result of that choice. We have a tendency to want to choose but we also have the tendency to not want to be responsible for the consequences of that choice. That is why we have a difficult time making choices.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
For example. Shall I take out a loan or not? Doesn't matter what you choose. But if you borrow money, you have to pay it back. If you don't want to pay back, then you shouldn't borrow the money in the first place.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So it's not whether a choice is good or bad, it's what the consequences are, the responsibility that comes with the choice. We have difficult time making choices because we have an innate nature within ourselves to want to borrow the money but not the sense of responsibility to pay it back.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So choose whatever you want to choose, but when you choose there are consequences. You have to be receptive and be fully willing to accept what the consequences are.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So when I chose the path of engaged Buddhism over traditional Buddhism in Korea, I knew there were a lot of issues that came with that choice. I will be thrown off from the actual discipline. There will be renunciation. There will be criticisms. There will be a lot of recriminations. So I could have said, why should I go through all that suffering?<\/p>\n\n\n\n
I should not say that because I fully recognized that there will be consequences to my choice. So all choices are equal except when you make a choice you have to be aware of the consequences and be willing to accept this consequences.<\/p>\n","post_title":"How Do We Make A Good Choice?","post_excerpt":"Sunim gave a Dharma Q&A session at George Washington University on Oct. 8, 2014","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","post_password":"","post_name":"how-do-we-make-a-good-choice","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2022-11-13 12:09:08","post_modified_gmt":"2022-11-13 17:09:08","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/www.jungtosociety.org\/?p=14112","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"}],"next":false,"prev":false,"total_page":1},"paged":1,"column_class":"jeg_col_2o3","class":"jnews_block_37"};
\n
P<\/strong>: There is no value judgment for any choices you make, there is no good or bad choice. A choice is a choice. So what do we mean by a good choice or a bad choice?<\/p>\n\n\n\n
We are actually referring to the result of that choice. We have a tendency to want to choose but we also have the tendency to not want to be responsible for the consequences of that choice. That is why we have a difficult time making choices.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
For example. Shall I take out a loan or not? Doesn't matter what you choose. But if you borrow money, you have to pay it back. If you don't want to pay back, then you shouldn't borrow the money in the first place.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So it's not whether a choice is good or bad, it's what the consequences are, the responsibility that comes with the choice. We have difficult time making choices because we have an innate nature within ourselves to want to borrow the money but not the sense of responsibility to pay it back.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So choose whatever you want to choose, but when you choose there are consequences. You have to be receptive and be fully willing to accept what the consequences are.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So when I chose the path of engaged Buddhism over traditional Buddhism in Korea, I knew there were a lot of issues that came with that choice. I will be thrown off from the actual discipline. There will be renunciation. There will be criticisms. There will be a lot of recriminations. So I could have said, why should I go through all that suffering?<\/p>\n\n\n\n
I should not say that because I fully recognized that there will be consequences to my choice. So all choices are equal except when you make a choice you have to be aware of the consequences and be willing to accept this consequences.<\/p>\n","post_title":"How Do We Make A Good Choice?","post_excerpt":"Sunim gave a Dharma Q&A session at George Washington University on Oct. 8, 2014","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","post_password":"","post_name":"how-do-we-make-a-good-choice","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2022-11-13 12:09:08","post_modified_gmt":"2022-11-13 17:09:08","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/www.jungtosociety.org\/?p=14112","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"}],"next":false,"prev":false,"total_page":1},"paged":1,"column_class":"jeg_col_2o3","class":"jnews_block_37"};
\n
<\/gwmw><\/h1>\n\n\n\n
P<\/strong>: There is no value judgment for any choices you make, there is no good or bad choice. A choice is a choice. So what do we mean by a good choice or a bad choice?<\/p>\n\n\n\n
We are actually referring to the result of that choice. We have a tendency to want to choose but we also have the tendency to not want to be responsible for the consequences of that choice. That is why we have a difficult time making choices.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
For example. Shall I take out a loan or not? Doesn't matter what you choose. But if you borrow money, you have to pay it back. If you don't want to pay back, then you shouldn't borrow the money in the first place.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So it's not whether a choice is good or bad, it's what the consequences are, the responsibility that comes with the choice. We have difficult time making choices because we have an innate nature within ourselves to want to borrow the money but not the sense of responsibility to pay it back.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So choose whatever you want to choose, but when you choose there are consequences. You have to be receptive and be fully willing to accept what the consequences are.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So when I chose the path of engaged Buddhism over traditional Buddhism in Korea, I knew there were a lot of issues that came with that choice. I will be thrown off from the actual discipline. There will be renunciation. There will be criticisms. There will be a lot of recriminations. So I could have said, why should I go through all that suffering?<\/p>\n\n\n\n
I should not say that because I fully recognized that there will be consequences to my choice. So all choices are equal except when you make a choice you have to be aware of the consequences and be willing to accept this consequences.<\/p>\n","post_title":"How Do We Make A Good Choice?","post_excerpt":"Sunim gave a Dharma Q&A session at George Washington University on Oct. 8, 2014","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","post_password":"","post_name":"how-do-we-make-a-good-choice","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2022-11-13 12:09:08","post_modified_gmt":"2022-11-13 17:09:08","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/www.jungtosociety.org\/?p=14112","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"}],"next":false,"prev":false,"total_page":1},"paged":1,"column_class":"jeg_col_2o3","class":"jnews_block_37"};
\n
Q: How do we make a good choice?<\/strong><\/h1>\n\n\n\n
<\/gwmw><\/h1>\n\n\n\n
P<\/strong>: There is no value judgment for any choices you make, there is no good or bad choice. A choice is a choice. So what do we mean by a good choice or a bad choice?<\/p>\n\n\n\n
We are actually referring to the result of that choice. We have a tendency to want to choose but we also have the tendency to not want to be responsible for the consequences of that choice. That is why we have a difficult time making choices.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
For example. Shall I take out a loan or not? Doesn't matter what you choose. But if you borrow money, you have to pay it back. If you don't want to pay back, then you shouldn't borrow the money in the first place.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So it's not whether a choice is good or bad, it's what the consequences are, the responsibility that comes with the choice. We have difficult time making choices because we have an innate nature within ourselves to want to borrow the money but not the sense of responsibility to pay it back.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So choose whatever you want to choose, but when you choose there are consequences. You have to be receptive and be fully willing to accept what the consequences are.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So when I chose the path of engaged Buddhism over traditional Buddhism in Korea, I knew there were a lot of issues that came with that choice. I will be thrown off from the actual discipline. There will be renunciation. There will be criticisms. There will be a lot of recriminations. So I could have said, why should I go through all that suffering?<\/p>\n\n\n\n
I should not say that because I fully recognized that there will be consequences to my choice. So all choices are equal except when you make a choice you have to be aware of the consequences and be willing to accept this consequences.<\/p>\n","post_title":"How Do We Make A Good Choice?","post_excerpt":"Sunim gave a Dharma Q&A session at George Washington University on Oct. 8, 2014","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","post_password":"","post_name":"how-do-we-make-a-good-choice","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2022-11-13 12:09:08","post_modified_gmt":"2022-11-13 17:09:08","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/www.jungtosociety.org\/?p=14112","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"}],"next":false,"prev":false,"total_page":1},"paged":1,"column_class":"jeg_col_2o3","class":"jnews_block_37"};
\n\n\n\n\n
Q: How do we make a good choice?<\/strong><\/h1>\n\n\n\n
<\/gwmw><\/h1>\n\n\n\n
P<\/strong>: There is no value judgment for any choices you make, there is no good or bad choice. A choice is a choice. So what do we mean by a good choice or a bad choice?<\/p>\n\n\n\n
We are actually referring to the result of that choice. We have a tendency to want to choose but we also have the tendency to not want to be responsible for the consequences of that choice. That is why we have a difficult time making choices.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
For example. Shall I take out a loan or not? Doesn't matter what you choose. But if you borrow money, you have to pay it back. If you don't want to pay back, then you shouldn't borrow the money in the first place.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So it's not whether a choice is good or bad, it's what the consequences are, the responsibility that comes with the choice. We have difficult time making choices because we have an innate nature within ourselves to want to borrow the money but not the sense of responsibility to pay it back.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So choose whatever you want to choose, but when you choose there are consequences. You have to be receptive and be fully willing to accept what the consequences are.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So when I chose the path of engaged Buddhism over traditional Buddhism in Korea, I knew there were a lot of issues that came with that choice. I will be thrown off from the actual discipline. There will be renunciation. There will be criticisms. There will be a lot of recriminations. So I could have said, why should I go through all that suffering?<\/p>\n\n\n\n
I should not say that because I fully recognized that there will be consequences to my choice. So all choices are equal except when you make a choice you have to be aware of the consequences and be willing to accept this consequences.<\/p>\n","post_title":"How Do We Make A Good Choice?","post_excerpt":"Sunim gave a Dharma Q&A session at George Washington University on Oct. 8, 2014","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","post_password":"","post_name":"how-do-we-make-a-good-choice","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2022-11-13 12:09:08","post_modified_gmt":"2022-11-13 17:09:08","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/www.jungtosociety.org\/?p=14112","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"}],"next":false,"prev":false,"total_page":1},"paged":1,"column_class":"jeg_col_2o3","class":"jnews_block_37"};
\n
We can\u2019t say for certain that life is good or bad. There are only choices and the responsibilities that come with the choices we make. Taking responsibility for the choices we make is to willingly accept the consequences of our choices. If we readily accept the consequences of our actions, we won\u2019t be miserable or resentful no matter what happens.<\/p>\n","post_title":"Choice And Self-Contradiction","post_excerpt":"","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","post_password":"","post_name":"choice-and-self-contradiction","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2024-06-18 18:21:20","post_modified_gmt":"2024-06-18 23:21:20","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/www.jungtosociety.org\/?p=19676","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"},{"ID":14112,"post_author":"40","post_date":"2022-11-25 01:00:00","post_date_gmt":"2022-11-25 06:00:00","post_content":"\n
\n\n\n\n
Q: How do we make a good choice?<\/strong><\/h1>\n\n\n\n
<\/gwmw><\/h1>\n\n\n\n
P<\/strong>: There is no value judgment for any choices you make, there is no good or bad choice. A choice is a choice. So what do we mean by a good choice or a bad choice?<\/p>\n\n\n\n
We are actually referring to the result of that choice. We have a tendency to want to choose but we also have the tendency to not want to be responsible for the consequences of that choice. That is why we have a difficult time making choices.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
For example. Shall I take out a loan or not? Doesn't matter what you choose. But if you borrow money, you have to pay it back. If you don't want to pay back, then you shouldn't borrow the money in the first place.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So it's not whether a choice is good or bad, it's what the consequences are, the responsibility that comes with the choice. We have difficult time making choices because we have an innate nature within ourselves to want to borrow the money but not the sense of responsibility to pay it back.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So choose whatever you want to choose, but when you choose there are consequences. You have to be receptive and be fully willing to accept what the consequences are.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So when I chose the path of engaged Buddhism over traditional Buddhism in Korea, I knew there were a lot of issues that came with that choice. I will be thrown off from the actual discipline. There will be renunciation. There will be criticisms. There will be a lot of recriminations. So I could have said, why should I go through all that suffering?<\/p>\n\n\n\n
I should not say that because I fully recognized that there will be consequences to my choice. So all choices are equal except when you make a choice you have to be aware of the consequences and be willing to accept this consequences.<\/p>\n","post_title":"How Do We Make A Good Choice?","post_excerpt":"Sunim gave a Dharma Q&A session at George Washington University on Oct. 8, 2014","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","post_password":"","post_name":"how-do-we-make-a-good-choice","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2022-11-13 12:09:08","post_modified_gmt":"2022-11-13 17:09:08","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/www.jungtosociety.org\/?p=14112","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"}],"next":false,"prev":false,"total_page":1},"paged":1,"column_class":"jeg_col_2o3","class":"jnews_block_37"};
\n
There is no right answer in life. We live as we choose to. We hesitate when making choices because we don\u2019t want to be responsible for the consequences.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
We can\u2019t say for certain that life is good or bad. There are only choices and the responsibilities that come with the choices we make. Taking responsibility for the choices we make is to willingly accept the consequences of our choices. If we readily accept the consequences of our actions, we won\u2019t be miserable or resentful no matter what happens.<\/p>\n","post_title":"Choice And Self-Contradiction","post_excerpt":"","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","post_password":"","post_name":"choice-and-self-contradiction","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2024-06-18 18:21:20","post_modified_gmt":"2024-06-18 23:21:20","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/www.jungtosociety.org\/?p=19676","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"},{"ID":14112,"post_author":"40","post_date":"2022-11-25 01:00:00","post_date_gmt":"2022-11-25 06:00:00","post_content":"\n
\n\n\n\n
Q: How do we make a good choice?<\/strong><\/h1>\n\n\n\n
<\/gwmw><\/h1>\n\n\n\n
P<\/strong>: There is no value judgment for any choices you make, there is no good or bad choice. A choice is a choice. So what do we mean by a good choice or a bad choice?<\/p>\n\n\n\n
We are actually referring to the result of that choice. We have a tendency to want to choose but we also have the tendency to not want to be responsible for the consequences of that choice. That is why we have a difficult time making choices.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
For example. Shall I take out a loan or not? Doesn't matter what you choose. But if you borrow money, you have to pay it back. If you don't want to pay back, then you shouldn't borrow the money in the first place.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So it's not whether a choice is good or bad, it's what the consequences are, the responsibility that comes with the choice. We have difficult time making choices because we have an innate nature within ourselves to want to borrow the money but not the sense of responsibility to pay it back.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So choose whatever you want to choose, but when you choose there are consequences. You have to be receptive and be fully willing to accept what the consequences are.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So when I chose the path of engaged Buddhism over traditional Buddhism in Korea, I knew there were a lot of issues that came with that choice. I will be thrown off from the actual discipline. There will be renunciation. There will be criticisms. There will be a lot of recriminations. So I could have said, why should I go through all that suffering?<\/p>\n\n\n\n
I should not say that because I fully recognized that there will be consequences to my choice. So all choices are equal except when you make a choice you have to be aware of the consequences and be willing to accept this consequences.<\/p>\n","post_title":"How Do We Make A Good Choice?","post_excerpt":"Sunim gave a Dharma Q&A session at George Washington University on Oct. 8, 2014","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","post_password":"","post_name":"how-do-we-make-a-good-choice","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2022-11-13 12:09:08","post_modified_gmt":"2022-11-13 17:09:08","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/www.jungtosociety.org\/?p=14112","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"}],"next":false,"prev":false,"total_page":1},"paged":1,"column_class":"jeg_col_2o3","class":"jnews_block_37"};
\n
If we accept our lives as they are, we will become free and happy. If we have a goal that we want to achieve, we have to stop the habit of blindly running forward towards that goal. Rather than resolving to change our behavior starting tomorrow or the day after tomorrow, we have to learn to be happy here and now.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
There is no right answer in life. We live as we choose to. We hesitate when making choices because we don\u2019t want to be responsible for the consequences.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
We can\u2019t say for certain that life is good or bad. There are only choices and the responsibilities that come with the choices we make. Taking responsibility for the choices we make is to willingly accept the consequences of our choices. If we readily accept the consequences of our actions, we won\u2019t be miserable or resentful no matter what happens.<\/p>\n","post_title":"Choice And Self-Contradiction","post_excerpt":"","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","post_password":"","post_name":"choice-and-self-contradiction","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2024-06-18 18:21:20","post_modified_gmt":"2024-06-18 23:21:20","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/www.jungtosociety.org\/?p=19676","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"},{"ID":14112,"post_author":"40","post_date":"2022-11-25 01:00:00","post_date_gmt":"2022-11-25 06:00:00","post_content":"\n
\n\n\n\n
Q: How do we make a good choice?<\/strong><\/h1>\n\n\n\n
<\/gwmw><\/h1>\n\n\n\n
P<\/strong>: There is no value judgment for any choices you make, there is no good or bad choice. A choice is a choice. So what do we mean by a good choice or a bad choice?<\/p>\n\n\n\n
We are actually referring to the result of that choice. We have a tendency to want to choose but we also have the tendency to not want to be responsible for the consequences of that choice. That is why we have a difficult time making choices.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
For example. Shall I take out a loan or not? Doesn't matter what you choose. But if you borrow money, you have to pay it back. If you don't want to pay back, then you shouldn't borrow the money in the first place.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So it's not whether a choice is good or bad, it's what the consequences are, the responsibility that comes with the choice. We have difficult time making choices because we have an innate nature within ourselves to want to borrow the money but not the sense of responsibility to pay it back.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So choose whatever you want to choose, but when you choose there are consequences. You have to be receptive and be fully willing to accept what the consequences are.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So when I chose the path of engaged Buddhism over traditional Buddhism in Korea, I knew there were a lot of issues that came with that choice. I will be thrown off from the actual discipline. There will be renunciation. There will be criticisms. There will be a lot of recriminations. So I could have said, why should I go through all that suffering?<\/p>\n\n\n\n
I should not say that because I fully recognized that there will be consequences to my choice. So all choices are equal except when you make a choice you have to be aware of the consequences and be willing to accept this consequences.<\/p>\n","post_title":"How Do We Make A Good Choice?","post_excerpt":"Sunim gave a Dharma Q&A session at George Washington University on Oct. 8, 2014","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","post_password":"","post_name":"how-do-we-make-a-good-choice","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2022-11-13 12:09:08","post_modified_gmt":"2022-11-13 17:09:08","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/www.jungtosociety.org\/?p=14112","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"}],"next":false,"prev":false,"total_page":1},"paged":1,"column_class":"jeg_col_2o3","class":"jnews_block_37"};
\n
If you are married, instead of being dissatisfied and worrying about things, try to think, \u201cI have a wife(husband), a house and a job. I have nothing to envy in the world. My life is the best.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
If we accept our lives as they are, we will become free and happy. If we have a goal that we want to achieve, we have to stop the habit of blindly running forward towards that goal. Rather than resolving to change our behavior starting tomorrow or the day after tomorrow, we have to learn to be happy here and now.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
There is no right answer in life. We live as we choose to. We hesitate when making choices because we don\u2019t want to be responsible for the consequences.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
We can\u2019t say for certain that life is good or bad. There are only choices and the responsibilities that come with the choices we make. Taking responsibility for the choices we make is to willingly accept the consequences of our choices. If we readily accept the consequences of our actions, we won\u2019t be miserable or resentful no matter what happens.<\/p>\n","post_title":"Choice And Self-Contradiction","post_excerpt":"","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","post_password":"","post_name":"choice-and-self-contradiction","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2024-06-18 18:21:20","post_modified_gmt":"2024-06-18 23:21:20","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/www.jungtosociety.org\/?p=19676","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"},{"ID":14112,"post_author":"40","post_date":"2022-11-25 01:00:00","post_date_gmt":"2022-11-25 06:00:00","post_content":"\n
\n\n\n\n
Q: How do we make a good choice?<\/strong><\/h1>\n\n\n\n
<\/gwmw><\/h1>\n\n\n\n
P<\/strong>: There is no value judgment for any choices you make, there is no good or bad choice. A choice is a choice. So what do we mean by a good choice or a bad choice?<\/p>\n\n\n\n
We are actually referring to the result of that choice. We have a tendency to want to choose but we also have the tendency to not want to be responsible for the consequences of that choice. That is why we have a difficult time making choices.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
For example. Shall I take out a loan or not? Doesn't matter what you choose. But if you borrow money, you have to pay it back. If you don't want to pay back, then you shouldn't borrow the money in the first place.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So it's not whether a choice is good or bad, it's what the consequences are, the responsibility that comes with the choice. We have difficult time making choices because we have an innate nature within ourselves to want to borrow the money but not the sense of responsibility to pay it back.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So choose whatever you want to choose, but when you choose there are consequences. You have to be receptive and be fully willing to accept what the consequences are.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So when I chose the path of engaged Buddhism over traditional Buddhism in Korea, I knew there were a lot of issues that came with that choice. I will be thrown off from the actual discipline. There will be renunciation. There will be criticisms. There will be a lot of recriminations. So I could have said, why should I go through all that suffering?<\/p>\n\n\n\n
I should not say that because I fully recognized that there will be consequences to my choice. So all choices are equal except when you make a choice you have to be aware of the consequences and be willing to accept this consequences.<\/p>\n","post_title":"How Do We Make A Good Choice?","post_excerpt":"Sunim gave a Dharma Q&A session at George Washington University on Oct. 8, 2014","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","post_password":"","post_name":"how-do-we-make-a-good-choice","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2022-11-13 12:09:08","post_modified_gmt":"2022-11-13 17:09:08","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/www.jungtosociety.org\/?p=14112","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"}],"next":false,"prev":false,"total_page":1},"paged":1,"column_class":"jeg_col_2o3","class":"jnews_block_37"};
\n
Wealth, fame, family, and friends are neither the causes of suffering nor the conditions of happiness. Sometimes, we think these things make us happy, and at other times, we think they make us suffer. If we go back and forth between these two extremes, we will never be free from suffering.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
If you are married, instead of being dissatisfied and worrying about things, try to think, \u201cI have a wife(husband), a house and a job. I have nothing to envy in the world. My life is the best.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
If we accept our lives as they are, we will become free and happy. If we have a goal that we want to achieve, we have to stop the habit of blindly running forward towards that goal. Rather than resolving to change our behavior starting tomorrow or the day after tomorrow, we have to learn to be happy here and now.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
There is no right answer in life. We live as we choose to. We hesitate when making choices because we don\u2019t want to be responsible for the consequences.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
We can\u2019t say for certain that life is good or bad. There are only choices and the responsibilities that come with the choices we make. Taking responsibility for the choices we make is to willingly accept the consequences of our choices. If we readily accept the consequences of our actions, we won\u2019t be miserable or resentful no matter what happens.<\/p>\n","post_title":"Choice And Self-Contradiction","post_excerpt":"","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","post_password":"","post_name":"choice-and-self-contradiction","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2024-06-18 18:21:20","post_modified_gmt":"2024-06-18 23:21:20","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/www.jungtosociety.org\/?p=19676","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"},{"ID":14112,"post_author":"40","post_date":"2022-11-25 01:00:00","post_date_gmt":"2022-11-25 06:00:00","post_content":"\n
\n\n\n\n
Q: How do we make a good choice?<\/strong><\/h1>\n\n\n\n
<\/gwmw><\/h1>\n\n\n\n
P<\/strong>: There is no value judgment for any choices you make, there is no good or bad choice. A choice is a choice. So what do we mean by a good choice or a bad choice?<\/p>\n\n\n\n
We are actually referring to the result of that choice. We have a tendency to want to choose but we also have the tendency to not want to be responsible for the consequences of that choice. That is why we have a difficult time making choices.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
For example. Shall I take out a loan or not? Doesn't matter what you choose. But if you borrow money, you have to pay it back. If you don't want to pay back, then you shouldn't borrow the money in the first place.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So it's not whether a choice is good or bad, it's what the consequences are, the responsibility that comes with the choice. We have difficult time making choices because we have an innate nature within ourselves to want to borrow the money but not the sense of responsibility to pay it back.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So choose whatever you want to choose, but when you choose there are consequences. You have to be receptive and be fully willing to accept what the consequences are.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So when I chose the path of engaged Buddhism over traditional Buddhism in Korea, I knew there were a lot of issues that came with that choice. I will be thrown off from the actual discipline. There will be renunciation. There will be criticisms. There will be a lot of recriminations. So I could have said, why should I go through all that suffering?<\/p>\n\n\n\n
I should not say that because I fully recognized that there will be consequences to my choice. So all choices are equal except when you make a choice you have to be aware of the consequences and be willing to accept this consequences.<\/p>\n","post_title":"How Do We Make A Good Choice?","post_excerpt":"Sunim gave a Dharma Q&A session at George Washington University on Oct. 8, 2014","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","post_password":"","post_name":"how-do-we-make-a-good-choice","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2022-11-13 12:09:08","post_modified_gmt":"2022-11-13 17:09:08","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/www.jungtosociety.org\/?p=14112","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"}],"next":false,"prev":false,"total_page":1},"paged":1,"column_class":"jeg_col_2o3","class":"jnews_block_37"};
\n
People habitually say, \u201cI will be happy when I have money,\u201d or \u201cI will be happy when I get married.\u201d However, they are not happy even though they make money and get married. When they don\u2019t have children, they say \u201cI will be happy when I have a child.\u201d When they have a child, they say, \u201cI will be happy when the child goes to elementary school.\u201d When the child goes to elementary school, they say, \u201cI will be happy when the child goes to middle school.\u201d When the child goes to middle school, they say, \u201cI will be happy when the child goes to college.\u201d When the child goes to college, they still postpone their happiness. They say that they will be happy \u201cwhen the child gets a job,\u201d \u201cwhen the child gets married,\u201d \u201cwhen I have a grandchild,\u201d and then \u201cwhen the grandchild grows up.\u201d Throughout their lives, people change the conditions that they think they need to be happy, so they end up dying without ever having tasted happiness.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Wealth, fame, family, and friends are neither the causes of suffering nor the conditions of happiness. Sometimes, we think these things make us happy, and at other times, we think they make us suffer. If we go back and forth between these two extremes, we will never be free from suffering.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
If you are married, instead of being dissatisfied and worrying about things, try to think, \u201cI have a wife(husband), a house and a job. I have nothing to envy in the world. My life is the best.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
If we accept our lives as they are, we will become free and happy. If we have a goal that we want to achieve, we have to stop the habit of blindly running forward towards that goal. Rather than resolving to change our behavior starting tomorrow or the day after tomorrow, we have to learn to be happy here and now.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
There is no right answer in life. We live as we choose to. We hesitate when making choices because we don\u2019t want to be responsible for the consequences.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
We can\u2019t say for certain that life is good or bad. There are only choices and the responsibilities that come with the choices we make. Taking responsibility for the choices we make is to willingly accept the consequences of our choices. If we readily accept the consequences of our actions, we won\u2019t be miserable or resentful no matter what happens.<\/p>\n","post_title":"Choice And Self-Contradiction","post_excerpt":"","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","post_password":"","post_name":"choice-and-self-contradiction","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2024-06-18 18:21:20","post_modified_gmt":"2024-06-18 23:21:20","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/www.jungtosociety.org\/?p=19676","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"},{"ID":14112,"post_author":"40","post_date":"2022-11-25 01:00:00","post_date_gmt":"2022-11-25 06:00:00","post_content":"\n
\n\n\n\n
Q: How do we make a good choice?<\/strong><\/h1>\n\n\n\n
<\/gwmw><\/h1>\n\n\n\n
P<\/strong>: There is no value judgment for any choices you make, there is no good or bad choice. A choice is a choice. So what do we mean by a good choice or a bad choice?<\/p>\n\n\n\n
We are actually referring to the result of that choice. We have a tendency to want to choose but we also have the tendency to not want to be responsible for the consequences of that choice. That is why we have a difficult time making choices.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
For example. Shall I take out a loan or not? Doesn't matter what you choose. But if you borrow money, you have to pay it back. If you don't want to pay back, then you shouldn't borrow the money in the first place.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So it's not whether a choice is good or bad, it's what the consequences are, the responsibility that comes with the choice. We have difficult time making choices because we have an innate nature within ourselves to want to borrow the money but not the sense of responsibility to pay it back.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So choose whatever you want to choose, but when you choose there are consequences. You have to be receptive and be fully willing to accept what the consequences are.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So when I chose the path of engaged Buddhism over traditional Buddhism in Korea, I knew there were a lot of issues that came with that choice. I will be thrown off from the actual discipline. There will be renunciation. There will be criticisms. There will be a lot of recriminations. So I could have said, why should I go through all that suffering?<\/p>\n\n\n\n
I should not say that because I fully recognized that there will be consequences to my choice. So all choices are equal except when you make a choice you have to be aware of the consequences and be willing to accept this consequences.<\/p>\n","post_title":"How Do We Make A Good Choice?","post_excerpt":"Sunim gave a Dharma Q&A session at George Washington University on Oct. 8, 2014","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","post_password":"","post_name":"how-do-we-make-a-good-choice","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2022-11-13 12:09:08","post_modified_gmt":"2022-11-13 17:09:08","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/www.jungtosociety.org\/?p=14112","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"}],"next":false,"prev":false,"total_page":1},"paged":1,"column_class":"jeg_col_2o3","class":"jnews_block_37"};
\n
We often do foolish things like the Buddhist monk in the story who lost track of his initial goal. At a time like this, we have two options. One is to forget about our initial goals and live according to the situation we are now in. There is nothing wrong with that. The other is to return to our initial goal the moment we realize we deviated from it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
People habitually say, \u201cI will be happy when I have money,\u201d or \u201cI will be happy when I get married.\u201d However, they are not happy even though they make money and get married. When they don\u2019t have children, they say \u201cI will be happy when I have a child.\u201d When they have a child, they say, \u201cI will be happy when the child goes to elementary school.\u201d When the child goes to elementary school, they say, \u201cI will be happy when the child goes to middle school.\u201d When the child goes to middle school, they say, \u201cI will be happy when the child goes to college.\u201d When the child goes to college, they still postpone their happiness. They say that they will be happy \u201cwhen the child gets a job,\u201d \u201cwhen the child gets married,\u201d \u201cwhen I have a grandchild,\u201d and then \u201cwhen the grandchild grows up.\u201d Throughout their lives, people change the conditions that they think they need to be happy, so they end up dying without ever having tasted happiness.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Wealth, fame, family, and friends are neither the causes of suffering nor the conditions of happiness. Sometimes, we think these things make us happy, and at other times, we think they make us suffer. If we go back and forth between these two extremes, we will never be free from suffering.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
If you are married, instead of being dissatisfied and worrying about things, try to think, \u201cI have a wife(husband), a house and a job. I have nothing to envy in the world. My life is the best.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
If we accept our lives as they are, we will become free and happy. If we have a goal that we want to achieve, we have to stop the habit of blindly running forward towards that goal. Rather than resolving to change our behavior starting tomorrow or the day after tomorrow, we have to learn to be happy here and now.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
There is no right answer in life. We live as we choose to. We hesitate when making choices because we don\u2019t want to be responsible for the consequences.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
We can\u2019t say for certain that life is good or bad. There are only choices and the responsibilities that come with the choices we make. Taking responsibility for the choices we make is to willingly accept the consequences of our choices. If we readily accept the consequences of our actions, we won\u2019t be miserable or resentful no matter what happens.<\/p>\n","post_title":"Choice And Self-Contradiction","post_excerpt":"","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","post_password":"","post_name":"choice-and-self-contradiction","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2024-06-18 18:21:20","post_modified_gmt":"2024-06-18 23:21:20","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/www.jungtosociety.org\/?p=19676","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"},{"ID":14112,"post_author":"40","post_date":"2022-11-25 01:00:00","post_date_gmt":"2022-11-25 06:00:00","post_content":"\n
\n\n\n\n
Q: How do we make a good choice?<\/strong><\/h1>\n\n\n\n
<\/gwmw><\/h1>\n\n\n\n
P<\/strong>: There is no value judgment for any choices you make, there is no good or bad choice. A choice is a choice. So what do we mean by a good choice or a bad choice?<\/p>\n\n\n\n
We are actually referring to the result of that choice. We have a tendency to want to choose but we also have the tendency to not want to be responsible for the consequences of that choice. That is why we have a difficult time making choices.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
For example. Shall I take out a loan or not? Doesn't matter what you choose. But if you borrow money, you have to pay it back. If you don't want to pay back, then you shouldn't borrow the money in the first place.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So it's not whether a choice is good or bad, it's what the consequences are, the responsibility that comes with the choice. We have difficult time making choices because we have an innate nature within ourselves to want to borrow the money but not the sense of responsibility to pay it back.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So choose whatever you want to choose, but when you choose there are consequences. You have to be receptive and be fully willing to accept what the consequences are.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So when I chose the path of engaged Buddhism over traditional Buddhism in Korea, I knew there were a lot of issues that came with that choice. I will be thrown off from the actual discipline. There will be renunciation. There will be criticisms. There will be a lot of recriminations. So I could have said, why should I go through all that suffering?<\/p>\n\n\n\n
I should not say that because I fully recognized that there will be consequences to my choice. So all choices are equal except when you make a choice you have to be aware of the consequences and be willing to accept this consequences.<\/p>\n","post_title":"How Do We Make A Good Choice?","post_excerpt":"Sunim gave a Dharma Q&A session at George Washington University on Oct. 8, 2014","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","post_password":"","post_name":"how-do-we-make-a-good-choice","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2022-11-13 12:09:08","post_modified_gmt":"2022-11-13 17:09:08","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/www.jungtosociety.org\/?p=14112","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"}],"next":false,"prev":false,"total_page":1},"paged":1,"column_class":"jeg_col_2o3","class":"jnews_block_37"};
\n
After hearing this man\u2019s life story, you will probably think that he is very foolish, but most of us live like him. We think that we are always making good choices. However, when we look back later, we can see that tempted by the moment\u2019s comfort and ease, we have forgotten our initial goal and purpose. If a man gets married, he should live accordingly, and if a man leaves home to become a monk, he should also live accordingly. If we have such a clear perspective on life, we will suffer less. However, we are so easily swayed that when things get tough, we say, \u201cMaybe I should become a monk.\u201d Then, after becoming a monk, we envy a layman\u2019s life and say, \u201cPractice is so hard.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
We often do foolish things like the Buddhist monk in the story who lost track of his initial goal. At a time like this, we have two options. One is to forget about our initial goals and live according to the situation we are now in. There is nothing wrong with that. The other is to return to our initial goal the moment we realize we deviated from it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
People habitually say, \u201cI will be happy when I have money,\u201d or \u201cI will be happy when I get married.\u201d However, they are not happy even though they make money and get married. When they don\u2019t have children, they say \u201cI will be happy when I have a child.\u201d When they have a child, they say, \u201cI will be happy when the child goes to elementary school.\u201d When the child goes to elementary school, they say, \u201cI will be happy when the child goes to middle school.\u201d When the child goes to middle school, they say, \u201cI will be happy when the child goes to college.\u201d When the child goes to college, they still postpone their happiness. They say that they will be happy \u201cwhen the child gets a job,\u201d \u201cwhen the child gets married,\u201d \u201cwhen I have a grandchild,\u201d and then \u201cwhen the grandchild grows up.\u201d Throughout their lives, people change the conditions that they think they need to be happy, so they end up dying without ever having tasted happiness.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Wealth, fame, family, and friends are neither the causes of suffering nor the conditions of happiness. Sometimes, we think these things make us happy, and at other times, we think they make us suffer. If we go back and forth between these two extremes, we will never be free from suffering.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
If you are married, instead of being dissatisfied and worrying about things, try to think, \u201cI have a wife(husband), a house and a job. I have nothing to envy in the world. My life is the best.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
If we accept our lives as they are, we will become free and happy. If we have a goal that we want to achieve, we have to stop the habit of blindly running forward towards that goal. Rather than resolving to change our behavior starting tomorrow or the day after tomorrow, we have to learn to be happy here and now.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
There is no right answer in life. We live as we choose to. We hesitate when making choices because we don\u2019t want to be responsible for the consequences.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
We can\u2019t say for certain that life is good or bad. There are only choices and the responsibilities that come with the choices we make. Taking responsibility for the choices we make is to willingly accept the consequences of our choices. If we readily accept the consequences of our actions, we won\u2019t be miserable or resentful no matter what happens.<\/p>\n","post_title":"Choice And Self-Contradiction","post_excerpt":"","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","post_password":"","post_name":"choice-and-self-contradiction","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2024-06-18 18:21:20","post_modified_gmt":"2024-06-18 23:21:20","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/www.jungtosociety.org\/?p=19676","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"},{"ID":14112,"post_author":"40","post_date":"2022-11-25 01:00:00","post_date_gmt":"2022-11-25 06:00:00","post_content":"\n
\n\n\n\n
Q: How do we make a good choice?<\/strong><\/h1>\n\n\n\n
<\/gwmw><\/h1>\n\n\n\n
P<\/strong>: There is no value judgment for any choices you make, there is no good or bad choice. A choice is a choice. So what do we mean by a good choice or a bad choice?<\/p>\n\n\n\n
We are actually referring to the result of that choice. We have a tendency to want to choose but we also have the tendency to not want to be responsible for the consequences of that choice. That is why we have a difficult time making choices.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
For example. Shall I take out a loan or not? Doesn't matter what you choose. But if you borrow money, you have to pay it back. If you don't want to pay back, then you shouldn't borrow the money in the first place.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So it's not whether a choice is good or bad, it's what the consequences are, the responsibility that comes with the choice. We have difficult time making choices because we have an innate nature within ourselves to want to borrow the money but not the sense of responsibility to pay it back.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So choose whatever you want to choose, but when you choose there are consequences. You have to be receptive and be fully willing to accept what the consequences are.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So when I chose the path of engaged Buddhism over traditional Buddhism in Korea, I knew there were a lot of issues that came with that choice. I will be thrown off from the actual discipline. There will be renunciation. There will be criticisms. There will be a lot of recriminations. So I could have said, why should I go through all that suffering?<\/p>\n\n\n\n
I should not say that because I fully recognized that there will be consequences to my choice. So all choices are equal except when you make a choice you have to be aware of the consequences and be willing to accept this consequences.<\/p>\n","post_title":"How Do We Make A Good Choice?","post_excerpt":"Sunim gave a Dharma Q&A session at George Washington University on Oct. 8, 2014","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","post_password":"","post_name":"how-do-we-make-a-good-choice","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2022-11-13 12:09:08","post_modified_gmt":"2022-11-13 17:09:08","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/www.jungtosociety.org\/?p=14112","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"}],"next":false,"prev":false,"total_page":1},"paged":1,"column_class":"jeg_col_2o3","class":"jnews_block_37"};
\n
So the man who left his home and family to become a monk and attain enlightenment got married, had children, and ended up scraping a living just like any other lay person.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
After hearing this man\u2019s life story, you will probably think that he is very foolish, but most of us live like him. We think that we are always making good choices. However, when we look back later, we can see that tempted by the moment\u2019s comfort and ease, we have forgotten our initial goal and purpose. If a man gets married, he should live accordingly, and if a man leaves home to become a monk, he should also live accordingly. If we have such a clear perspective on life, we will suffer less. However, we are so easily swayed that when things get tough, we say, \u201cMaybe I should become a monk.\u201d Then, after becoming a monk, we envy a layman\u2019s life and say, \u201cPractice is so hard.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
We often do foolish things like the Buddhist monk in the story who lost track of his initial goal. At a time like this, we have two options. One is to forget about our initial goals and live according to the situation we are now in. There is nothing wrong with that. The other is to return to our initial goal the moment we realize we deviated from it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
People habitually say, \u201cI will be happy when I have money,\u201d or \u201cI will be happy when I get married.\u201d However, they are not happy even though they make money and get married. When they don\u2019t have children, they say \u201cI will be happy when I have a child.\u201d When they have a child, they say, \u201cI will be happy when the child goes to elementary school.\u201d When the child goes to elementary school, they say, \u201cI will be happy when the child goes to middle school.\u201d When the child goes to middle school, they say, \u201cI will be happy when the child goes to college.\u201d When the child goes to college, they still postpone their happiness. They say that they will be happy \u201cwhen the child gets a job,\u201d \u201cwhen the child gets married,\u201d \u201cwhen I have a grandchild,\u201d and then \u201cwhen the grandchild grows up.\u201d Throughout their lives, people change the conditions that they think they need to be happy, so they end up dying without ever having tasted happiness.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Wealth, fame, family, and friends are neither the causes of suffering nor the conditions of happiness. Sometimes, we think these things make us happy, and at other times, we think they make us suffer. If we go back and forth between these two extremes, we will never be free from suffering.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
If you are married, instead of being dissatisfied and worrying about things, try to think, \u201cI have a wife(husband), a house and a job. I have nothing to envy in the world. My life is the best.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
If we accept our lives as they are, we will become free and happy. If we have a goal that we want to achieve, we have to stop the habit of blindly running forward towards that goal. Rather than resolving to change our behavior starting tomorrow or the day after tomorrow, we have to learn to be happy here and now.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
There is no right answer in life. We live as we choose to. We hesitate when making choices because we don\u2019t want to be responsible for the consequences.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
We can\u2019t say for certain that life is good or bad. There are only choices and the responsibilities that come with the choices we make. Taking responsibility for the choices we make is to willingly accept the consequences of our choices. If we readily accept the consequences of our actions, we won\u2019t be miserable or resentful no matter what happens.<\/p>\n","post_title":"Choice And Self-Contradiction","post_excerpt":"","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","post_password":"","post_name":"choice-and-self-contradiction","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2024-06-18 18:21:20","post_modified_gmt":"2024-06-18 23:21:20","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/www.jungtosociety.org\/?p=19676","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"},{"ID":14112,"post_author":"40","post_date":"2022-11-25 01:00:00","post_date_gmt":"2022-11-25 06:00:00","post_content":"\n
\n\n\n\n
Q: How do we make a good choice?<\/strong><\/h1>\n\n\n\n
<\/gwmw><\/h1>\n\n\n\n
P<\/strong>: There is no value judgment for any choices you make, there is no good or bad choice. A choice is a choice. So what do we mean by a good choice or a bad choice?<\/p>\n\n\n\n
We are actually referring to the result of that choice. We have a tendency to want to choose but we also have the tendency to not want to be responsible for the consequences of that choice. That is why we have a difficult time making choices.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
For example. Shall I take out a loan or not? Doesn't matter what you choose. But if you borrow money, you have to pay it back. If you don't want to pay back, then you shouldn't borrow the money in the first place.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So it's not whether a choice is good or bad, it's what the consequences are, the responsibility that comes with the choice. We have difficult time making choices because we have an innate nature within ourselves to want to borrow the money but not the sense of responsibility to pay it back.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So choose whatever you want to choose, but when you choose there are consequences. You have to be receptive and be fully willing to accept what the consequences are.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So when I chose the path of engaged Buddhism over traditional Buddhism in Korea, I knew there were a lot of issues that came with that choice. I will be thrown off from the actual discipline. There will be renunciation. There will be criticisms. There will be a lot of recriminations. So I could have said, why should I go through all that suffering?<\/p>\n\n\n\n
I should not say that because I fully recognized that there will be consequences to my choice. So all choices are equal except when you make a choice you have to be aware of the consequences and be willing to accept this consequences.<\/p>\n","post_title":"How Do We Make A Good Choice?","post_excerpt":"Sunim gave a Dharma Q&A session at George Washington University on Oct. 8, 2014","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","post_password":"","post_name":"how-do-we-make-a-good-choice","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2022-11-13 12:09:08","post_modified_gmt":"2022-11-13 17:09:08","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/www.jungtosociety.org\/?p=14112","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"}],"next":false,"prev":false,"total_page":1},"paged":1,"column_class":"jeg_col_2o3","class":"jnews_block_37"};
\n
He got married, and he was happy that he didn\u2019t have to pay the goat keeper or do any housework. He thought that he could finally concentrate on his practice. But alas, his wife became pregnant.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So the man who left his home and family to become a monk and attain enlightenment got married, had children, and ended up scraping a living just like any other lay person.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
After hearing this man\u2019s life story, you will probably think that he is very foolish, but most of us live like him. We think that we are always making good choices. However, when we look back later, we can see that tempted by the moment\u2019s comfort and ease, we have forgotten our initial goal and purpose. If a man gets married, he should live accordingly, and if a man leaves home to become a monk, he should also live accordingly. If we have such a clear perspective on life, we will suffer less. However, we are so easily swayed that when things get tough, we say, \u201cMaybe I should become a monk.\u201d Then, after becoming a monk, we envy a layman\u2019s life and say, \u201cPractice is so hard.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
We often do foolish things like the Buddhist monk in the story who lost track of his initial goal. At a time like this, we have two options. One is to forget about our initial goals and live according to the situation we are now in. There is nothing wrong with that. The other is to return to our initial goal the moment we realize we deviated from it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
People habitually say, \u201cI will be happy when I have money,\u201d or \u201cI will be happy when I get married.\u201d However, they are not happy even though they make money and get married. When they don\u2019t have children, they say \u201cI will be happy when I have a child.\u201d When they have a child, they say, \u201cI will be happy when the child goes to elementary school.\u201d When the child goes to elementary school, they say, \u201cI will be happy when the child goes to middle school.\u201d When the child goes to middle school, they say, \u201cI will be happy when the child goes to college.\u201d When the child goes to college, they still postpone their happiness. They say that they will be happy \u201cwhen the child gets a job,\u201d \u201cwhen the child gets married,\u201d \u201cwhen I have a grandchild,\u201d and then \u201cwhen the grandchild grows up.\u201d Throughout their lives, people change the conditions that they think they need to be happy, so they end up dying without ever having tasted happiness.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Wealth, fame, family, and friends are neither the causes of suffering nor the conditions of happiness. Sometimes, we think these things make us happy, and at other times, we think they make us suffer. If we go back and forth between these two extremes, we will never be free from suffering.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
If you are married, instead of being dissatisfied and worrying about things, try to think, \u201cI have a wife(husband), a house and a job. I have nothing to envy in the world. My life is the best.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
If we accept our lives as they are, we will become free and happy. If we have a goal that we want to achieve, we have to stop the habit of blindly running forward towards that goal. Rather than resolving to change our behavior starting tomorrow or the day after tomorrow, we have to learn to be happy here and now.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
There is no right answer in life. We live as we choose to. We hesitate when making choices because we don\u2019t want to be responsible for the consequences.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
We can\u2019t say for certain that life is good or bad. There are only choices and the responsibilities that come with the choices we make. Taking responsibility for the choices we make is to willingly accept the consequences of our choices. If we readily accept the consequences of our actions, we won\u2019t be miserable or resentful no matter what happens.<\/p>\n","post_title":"Choice And Self-Contradiction","post_excerpt":"","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","post_password":"","post_name":"choice-and-self-contradiction","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2024-06-18 18:21:20","post_modified_gmt":"2024-06-18 23:21:20","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/www.jungtosociety.org\/?p=19676","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"},{"ID":14112,"post_author":"40","post_date":"2022-11-25 01:00:00","post_date_gmt":"2022-11-25 06:00:00","post_content":"\n
\n\n\n\n
Q: How do we make a good choice?<\/strong><\/h1>\n\n\n\n
<\/gwmw><\/h1>\n\n\n\n
P<\/strong>: There is no value judgment for any choices you make, there is no good or bad choice. A choice is a choice. So what do we mean by a good choice or a bad choice?<\/p>\n\n\n\n
We are actually referring to the result of that choice. We have a tendency to want to choose but we also have the tendency to not want to be responsible for the consequences of that choice. That is why we have a difficult time making choices.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
For example. Shall I take out a loan or not? Doesn't matter what you choose. But if you borrow money, you have to pay it back. If you don't want to pay back, then you shouldn't borrow the money in the first place.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So it's not whether a choice is good or bad, it's what the consequences are, the responsibility that comes with the choice. We have difficult time making choices because we have an innate nature within ourselves to want to borrow the money but not the sense of responsibility to pay it back.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So choose whatever you want to choose, but when you choose there are consequences. You have to be receptive and be fully willing to accept what the consequences are.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So when I chose the path of engaged Buddhism over traditional Buddhism in Korea, I knew there were a lot of issues that came with that choice. I will be thrown off from the actual discipline. There will be renunciation. There will be criticisms. There will be a lot of recriminations. So I could have said, why should I go through all that suffering?<\/p>\n\n\n\n
I should not say that because I fully recognized that there will be consequences to my choice. So all choices are equal except when you make a choice you have to be aware of the consequences and be willing to accept this consequences.<\/p>\n","post_title":"How Do We Make A Good Choice?","post_excerpt":"Sunim gave a Dharma Q&A session at George Washington University on Oct. 8, 2014","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","post_password":"","post_name":"how-do-we-make-a-good-choice","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2022-11-13 12:09:08","post_modified_gmt":"2022-11-13 17:09:08","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/www.jungtosociety.org\/?p=14112","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"}],"next":false,"prev":false,"total_page":1},"paged":1,"column_class":"jeg_col_2o3","class":"jnews_block_37"};
\n
Now he needed to pay the goat keeper. Before, he only had to get enough food to feed himself during his alms round. However, he now also had to get food and money to give to the goat keeper, so his alms round took much longer. He couldn\u2019t let this go on. He thought to himself, \u201cIt may be better to get married than go on like this.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
He got married, and he was happy that he didn\u2019t have to pay the goat keeper or do any housework. He thought that he could finally concentrate on his practice. But alas, his wife became pregnant.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So the man who left his home and family to become a monk and attain enlightenment got married, had children, and ended up scraping a living just like any other lay person.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
After hearing this man\u2019s life story, you will probably think that he is very foolish, but most of us live like him. We think that we are always making good choices. However, when we look back later, we can see that tempted by the moment\u2019s comfort and ease, we have forgotten our initial goal and purpose. If a man gets married, he should live accordingly, and if a man leaves home to become a monk, he should also live accordingly. If we have such a clear perspective on life, we will suffer less. However, we are so easily swayed that when things get tough, we say, \u201cMaybe I should become a monk.\u201d Then, after becoming a monk, we envy a layman\u2019s life and say, \u201cPractice is so hard.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
We often do foolish things like the Buddhist monk in the story who lost track of his initial goal. At a time like this, we have two options. One is to forget about our initial goals and live according to the situation we are now in. There is nothing wrong with that. The other is to return to our initial goal the moment we realize we deviated from it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
People habitually say, \u201cI will be happy when I have money,\u201d or \u201cI will be happy when I get married.\u201d However, they are not happy even though they make money and get married. When they don\u2019t have children, they say \u201cI will be happy when I have a child.\u201d When they have a child, they say, \u201cI will be happy when the child goes to elementary school.\u201d When the child goes to elementary school, they say, \u201cI will be happy when the child goes to middle school.\u201d When the child goes to middle school, they say, \u201cI will be happy when the child goes to college.\u201d When the child goes to college, they still postpone their happiness. They say that they will be happy \u201cwhen the child gets a job,\u201d \u201cwhen the child gets married,\u201d \u201cwhen I have a grandchild,\u201d and then \u201cwhen the grandchild grows up.\u201d Throughout their lives, people change the conditions that they think they need to be happy, so they end up dying without ever having tasted happiness.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Wealth, fame, family, and friends are neither the causes of suffering nor the conditions of happiness. Sometimes, we think these things make us happy, and at other times, we think they make us suffer. If we go back and forth between these two extremes, we will never be free from suffering.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
If you are married, instead of being dissatisfied and worrying about things, try to think, \u201cI have a wife(husband), a house and a job. I have nothing to envy in the world. My life is the best.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
If we accept our lives as they are, we will become free and happy. If we have a goal that we want to achieve, we have to stop the habit of blindly running forward towards that goal. Rather than resolving to change our behavior starting tomorrow or the day after tomorrow, we have to learn to be happy here and now.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
There is no right answer in life. We live as we choose to. We hesitate when making choices because we don\u2019t want to be responsible for the consequences.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
We can\u2019t say for certain that life is good or bad. There are only choices and the responsibilities that come with the choices we make. Taking responsibility for the choices we make is to willingly accept the consequences of our choices. If we readily accept the consequences of our actions, we won\u2019t be miserable or resentful no matter what happens.<\/p>\n","post_title":"Choice And Self-Contradiction","post_excerpt":"","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","post_password":"","post_name":"choice-and-self-contradiction","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2024-06-18 18:21:20","post_modified_gmt":"2024-06-18 23:21:20","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/www.jungtosociety.org\/?p=19676","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"},{"ID":14112,"post_author":"40","post_date":"2022-11-25 01:00:00","post_date_gmt":"2022-11-25 06:00:00","post_content":"\n
\n\n\n\n
Q: How do we make a good choice?<\/strong><\/h1>\n\n\n\n
<\/gwmw><\/h1>\n\n\n\n
P<\/strong>: There is no value judgment for any choices you make, there is no good or bad choice. A choice is a choice. So what do we mean by a good choice or a bad choice?<\/p>\n\n\n\n
We are actually referring to the result of that choice. We have a tendency to want to choose but we also have the tendency to not want to be responsible for the consequences of that choice. That is why we have a difficult time making choices.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
For example. Shall I take out a loan or not? Doesn't matter what you choose. But if you borrow money, you have to pay it back. If you don't want to pay back, then you shouldn't borrow the money in the first place.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So it's not whether a choice is good or bad, it's what the consequences are, the responsibility that comes with the choice. We have difficult time making choices because we have an innate nature within ourselves to want to borrow the money but not the sense of responsibility to pay it back.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So choose whatever you want to choose, but when you choose there are consequences. You have to be receptive and be fully willing to accept what the consequences are.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So when I chose the path of engaged Buddhism over traditional Buddhism in Korea, I knew there were a lot of issues that came with that choice. I will be thrown off from the actual discipline. There will be renunciation. There will be criticisms. There will be a lot of recriminations. So I could have said, why should I go through all that suffering?<\/p>\n\n\n\n
I should not say that because I fully recognized that there will be consequences to my choice. So all choices are equal except when you make a choice you have to be aware of the consequences and be willing to accept this consequences.<\/p>\n","post_title":"How Do We Make A Good Choice?","post_excerpt":"Sunim gave a Dharma Q&A session at George Washington University on Oct. 8, 2014","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","post_password":"","post_name":"how-do-we-make-a-good-choice","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2022-11-13 12:09:08","post_modified_gmt":"2022-11-13 17:09:08","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/www.jungtosociety.org\/?p=14112","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"}],"next":false,"prev":false,"total_page":1},"paged":1,"column_class":"jeg_col_2o3","class":"jnews_block_37"};
\n
Since he now got milk from the goats, he was spared the trouble of making a trip to the village every day. However, he now had more chores to do than before. He had to tie the goats to posts to prevent them from escaping, feed them regularly, and cut enough grass to feed all of them. He was able to drink milk thanks to the goats, but he had less time to practice as he had to take care of them. In order to solve this problem, he hired a goat keeper.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Now he needed to pay the goat keeper. Before, he only had to get enough food to feed himself during his alms round. However, he now also had to get food and money to give to the goat keeper, so his alms round took much longer. He couldn\u2019t let this go on. He thought to himself, \u201cIt may be better to get married than go on like this.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
He got married, and he was happy that he didn\u2019t have to pay the goat keeper or do any housework. He thought that he could finally concentrate on his practice. But alas, his wife became pregnant.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So the man who left his home and family to become a monk and attain enlightenment got married, had children, and ended up scraping a living just like any other lay person.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
After hearing this man\u2019s life story, you will probably think that he is very foolish, but most of us live like him. We think that we are always making good choices. However, when we look back later, we can see that tempted by the moment\u2019s comfort and ease, we have forgotten our initial goal and purpose. If a man gets married, he should live accordingly, and if a man leaves home to become a monk, he should also live accordingly. If we have such a clear perspective on life, we will suffer less. However, we are so easily swayed that when things get tough, we say, \u201cMaybe I should become a monk.\u201d Then, after becoming a monk, we envy a layman\u2019s life and say, \u201cPractice is so hard.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
We often do foolish things like the Buddhist monk in the story who lost track of his initial goal. At a time like this, we have two options. One is to forget about our initial goals and live according to the situation we are now in. There is nothing wrong with that. The other is to return to our initial goal the moment we realize we deviated from it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
People habitually say, \u201cI will be happy when I have money,\u201d or \u201cI will be happy when I get married.\u201d However, they are not happy even though they make money and get married. When they don\u2019t have children, they say \u201cI will be happy when I have a child.\u201d When they have a child, they say, \u201cI will be happy when the child goes to elementary school.\u201d When the child goes to elementary school, they say, \u201cI will be happy when the child goes to middle school.\u201d When the child goes to middle school, they say, \u201cI will be happy when the child goes to college.\u201d When the child goes to college, they still postpone their happiness. They say that they will be happy \u201cwhen the child gets a job,\u201d \u201cwhen the child gets married,\u201d \u201cwhen I have a grandchild,\u201d and then \u201cwhen the grandchild grows up.\u201d Throughout their lives, people change the conditions that they think they need to be happy, so they end up dying without ever having tasted happiness.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Wealth, fame, family, and friends are neither the causes of suffering nor the conditions of happiness. Sometimes, we think these things make us happy, and at other times, we think they make us suffer. If we go back and forth between these two extremes, we will never be free from suffering.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
If you are married, instead of being dissatisfied and worrying about things, try to think, \u201cI have a wife(husband), a house and a job. I have nothing to envy in the world. My life is the best.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
If we accept our lives as they are, we will become free and happy. If we have a goal that we want to achieve, we have to stop the habit of blindly running forward towards that goal. Rather than resolving to change our behavior starting tomorrow or the day after tomorrow, we have to learn to be happy here and now.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
There is no right answer in life. We live as we choose to. We hesitate when making choices because we don\u2019t want to be responsible for the consequences.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
We can\u2019t say for certain that life is good or bad. There are only choices and the responsibilities that come with the choices we make. Taking responsibility for the choices we make is to willingly accept the consequences of our choices. If we readily accept the consequences of our actions, we won\u2019t be miserable or resentful no matter what happens.<\/p>\n","post_title":"Choice And Self-Contradiction","post_excerpt":"","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","post_password":"","post_name":"choice-and-self-contradiction","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2024-06-18 18:21:20","post_modified_gmt":"2024-06-18 23:21:20","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/www.jungtosociety.org\/?p=19676","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"},{"ID":14112,"post_author":"40","post_date":"2022-11-25 01:00:00","post_date_gmt":"2022-11-25 06:00:00","post_content":"\n
\n\n\n\n
Q: How do we make a good choice?<\/strong><\/h1>\n\n\n\n
<\/gwmw><\/h1>\n\n\n\n
P<\/strong>: There is no value judgment for any choices you make, there is no good or bad choice. A choice is a choice. So what do we mean by a good choice or a bad choice?<\/p>\n\n\n\n
We are actually referring to the result of that choice. We have a tendency to want to choose but we also have the tendency to not want to be responsible for the consequences of that choice. That is why we have a difficult time making choices.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
For example. Shall I take out a loan or not? Doesn't matter what you choose. But if you borrow money, you have to pay it back. If you don't want to pay back, then you shouldn't borrow the money in the first place.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So it's not whether a choice is good or bad, it's what the consequences are, the responsibility that comes with the choice. We have difficult time making choices because we have an innate nature within ourselves to want to borrow the money but not the sense of responsibility to pay it back.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So choose whatever you want to choose, but when you choose there are consequences. You have to be receptive and be fully willing to accept what the consequences are.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So when I chose the path of engaged Buddhism over traditional Buddhism in Korea, I knew there were a lot of issues that came with that choice. I will be thrown off from the actual discipline. There will be renunciation. There will be criticisms. There will be a lot of recriminations. So I could have said, why should I go through all that suffering?<\/p>\n\n\n\n
I should not say that because I fully recognized that there will be consequences to my choice. So all choices are equal except when you make a choice you have to be aware of the consequences and be willing to accept this consequences.<\/p>\n","post_title":"How Do We Make A Good Choice?","post_excerpt":"Sunim gave a Dharma Q&A session at George Washington University on Oct. 8, 2014","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","post_password":"","post_name":"how-do-we-make-a-good-choice","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2022-11-13 12:09:08","post_modified_gmt":"2022-11-13 17:09:08","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/www.jungtosociety.org\/?p=14112","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"}],"next":false,"prev":false,"total_page":1},"paged":1,"column_class":"jeg_col_2o3","class":"jnews_block_37"};
\n
To make matters worse, he got sick. He went to see a doctor who said his illness was caused by malnutrition and that he needed to drink a glass of milk every day. But how could he get milk in the mountains? So, he went down to the village every day to get a glass of milk. Since this was too time consuming, he bought a couple of goats and took them to his cottage.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Since he now got milk from the goats, he was spared the trouble of making a trip to the village every day. However, he now had more chores to do than before. He had to tie the goats to posts to prevent them from escaping, feed them regularly, and cut enough grass to feed all of them. He was able to drink milk thanks to the goats, but he had less time to practice as he had to take care of them. In order to solve this problem, he hired a goat keeper.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Now he needed to pay the goat keeper. Before, he only had to get enough food to feed himself during his alms round. However, he now also had to get food and money to give to the goat keeper, so his alms round took much longer. He couldn\u2019t let this go on. He thought to himself, \u201cIt may be better to get married than go on like this.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
He got married, and he was happy that he didn\u2019t have to pay the goat keeper or do any housework. He thought that he could finally concentrate on his practice. But alas, his wife became pregnant.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So the man who left his home and family to become a monk and attain enlightenment got married, had children, and ended up scraping a living just like any other lay person.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
After hearing this man\u2019s life story, you will probably think that he is very foolish, but most of us live like him. We think that we are always making good choices. However, when we look back later, we can see that tempted by the moment\u2019s comfort and ease, we have forgotten our initial goal and purpose. If a man gets married, he should live accordingly, and if a man leaves home to become a monk, he should also live accordingly. If we have such a clear perspective on life, we will suffer less. However, we are so easily swayed that when things get tough, we say, \u201cMaybe I should become a monk.\u201d Then, after becoming a monk, we envy a layman\u2019s life and say, \u201cPractice is so hard.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
We often do foolish things like the Buddhist monk in the story who lost track of his initial goal. At a time like this, we have two options. One is to forget about our initial goals and live according to the situation we are now in. There is nothing wrong with that. The other is to return to our initial goal the moment we realize we deviated from it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
People habitually say, \u201cI will be happy when I have money,\u201d or \u201cI will be happy when I get married.\u201d However, they are not happy even though they make money and get married. When they don\u2019t have children, they say \u201cI will be happy when I have a child.\u201d When they have a child, they say, \u201cI will be happy when the child goes to elementary school.\u201d When the child goes to elementary school, they say, \u201cI will be happy when the child goes to middle school.\u201d When the child goes to middle school, they say, \u201cI will be happy when the child goes to college.\u201d When the child goes to college, they still postpone their happiness. They say that they will be happy \u201cwhen the child gets a job,\u201d \u201cwhen the child gets married,\u201d \u201cwhen I have a grandchild,\u201d and then \u201cwhen the grandchild grows up.\u201d Throughout their lives, people change the conditions that they think they need to be happy, so they end up dying without ever having tasted happiness.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Wealth, fame, family, and friends are neither the causes of suffering nor the conditions of happiness. Sometimes, we think these things make us happy, and at other times, we think they make us suffer. If we go back and forth between these two extremes, we will never be free from suffering.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
If you are married, instead of being dissatisfied and worrying about things, try to think, \u201cI have a wife(husband), a house and a job. I have nothing to envy in the world. My life is the best.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
If we accept our lives as they are, we will become free and happy. If we have a goal that we want to achieve, we have to stop the habit of blindly running forward towards that goal. Rather than resolving to change our behavior starting tomorrow or the day after tomorrow, we have to learn to be happy here and now.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
There is no right answer in life. We live as we choose to. We hesitate when making choices because we don\u2019t want to be responsible for the consequences.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
We can\u2019t say for certain that life is good or bad. There are only choices and the responsibilities that come with the choices we make. Taking responsibility for the choices we make is to willingly accept the consequences of our choices. If we readily accept the consequences of our actions, we won\u2019t be miserable or resentful no matter what happens.<\/p>\n","post_title":"Choice And Self-Contradiction","post_excerpt":"","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","post_password":"","post_name":"choice-and-self-contradiction","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2024-06-18 18:21:20","post_modified_gmt":"2024-06-18 23:21:20","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/www.jungtosociety.org\/?p=19676","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"},{"ID":14112,"post_author":"40","post_date":"2022-11-25 01:00:00","post_date_gmt":"2022-11-25 06:00:00","post_content":"\n
\n\n\n\n
Q: How do we make a good choice?<\/strong><\/h1>\n\n\n\n
<\/gwmw><\/h1>\n\n\n\n
P<\/strong>: There is no value judgment for any choices you make, there is no good or bad choice. A choice is a choice. So what do we mean by a good choice or a bad choice?<\/p>\n\n\n\n
We are actually referring to the result of that choice. We have a tendency to want to choose but we also have the tendency to not want to be responsible for the consequences of that choice. That is why we have a difficult time making choices.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
For example. Shall I take out a loan or not? Doesn't matter what you choose. But if you borrow money, you have to pay it back. If you don't want to pay back, then you shouldn't borrow the money in the first place.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So it's not whether a choice is good or bad, it's what the consequences are, the responsibility that comes with the choice. We have difficult time making choices because we have an innate nature within ourselves to want to borrow the money but not the sense of responsibility to pay it back.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So choose whatever you want to choose, but when you choose there are consequences. You have to be receptive and be fully willing to accept what the consequences are.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So when I chose the path of engaged Buddhism over traditional Buddhism in Korea, I knew there were a lot of issues that came with that choice. I will be thrown off from the actual discipline. There will be renunciation. There will be criticisms. There will be a lot of recriminations. So I could have said, why should I go through all that suffering?<\/p>\n\n\n\n
I should not say that because I fully recognized that there will be consequences to my choice. So all choices are equal except when you make a choice you have to be aware of the consequences and be willing to accept this consequences.<\/p>\n","post_title":"How Do We Make A Good Choice?","post_excerpt":"Sunim gave a Dharma Q&A session at George Washington University on Oct. 8, 2014","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","post_password":"","post_name":"how-do-we-make-a-good-choice","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2022-11-13 12:09:08","post_modified_gmt":"2022-11-13 17:09:08","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/www.jungtosociety.org\/?p=14112","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"}],"next":false,"prev":false,"total_page":1},"paged":1,"column_class":"jeg_col_2o3","class":"jnews_block_37"};
\n
\u201cIt would be better for me to go alone deep into the mountains and practice to my heart\u2019s content.\u201d He went deep into the mountains, about ten kilometers away from the nearest village. He first built a thatched cottage to take shelter from the elements and went down to the village regularly to get food. He had more work to do now than before. The cottage often needed repairs, and he had to walk ten kilometers almost every day to get food from the village. Since he walked long distances, he needed to make straw shoes more frequently than before. Therefore, he didn\u2019t have any time to practice.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
To make matters worse, he got sick. He went to see a doctor who said his illness was caused by malnutrition and that he needed to drink a glass of milk every day. But how could he get milk in the mountains? So, he went down to the village every day to get a glass of milk. Since this was too time consuming, he bought a couple of goats and took them to his cottage.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Since he now got milk from the goats, he was spared the trouble of making a trip to the village every day. However, he now had more chores to do than before. He had to tie the goats to posts to prevent them from escaping, feed them regularly, and cut enough grass to feed all of them. He was able to drink milk thanks to the goats, but he had less time to practice as he had to take care of them. In order to solve this problem, he hired a goat keeper.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Now he needed to pay the goat keeper. Before, he only had to get enough food to feed himself during his alms round. However, he now also had to get food and money to give to the goat keeper, so his alms round took much longer. He couldn\u2019t let this go on. He thought to himself, \u201cIt may be better to get married than go on like this.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
He got married, and he was happy that he didn\u2019t have to pay the goat keeper or do any housework. He thought that he could finally concentrate on his practice. But alas, his wife became pregnant.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So the man who left his home and family to become a monk and attain enlightenment got married, had children, and ended up scraping a living just like any other lay person.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
After hearing this man\u2019s life story, you will probably think that he is very foolish, but most of us live like him. We think that we are always making good choices. However, when we look back later, we can see that tempted by the moment\u2019s comfort and ease, we have forgotten our initial goal and purpose. If a man gets married, he should live accordingly, and if a man leaves home to become a monk, he should also live accordingly. If we have such a clear perspective on life, we will suffer less. However, we are so easily swayed that when things get tough, we say, \u201cMaybe I should become a monk.\u201d Then, after becoming a monk, we envy a layman\u2019s life and say, \u201cPractice is so hard.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
We often do foolish things like the Buddhist monk in the story who lost track of his initial goal. At a time like this, we have two options. One is to forget about our initial goals and live according to the situation we are now in. There is nothing wrong with that. The other is to return to our initial goal the moment we realize we deviated from it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
People habitually say, \u201cI will be happy when I have money,\u201d or \u201cI will be happy when I get married.\u201d However, they are not happy even though they make money and get married. When they don\u2019t have children, they say \u201cI will be happy when I have a child.\u201d When they have a child, they say, \u201cI will be happy when the child goes to elementary school.\u201d When the child goes to elementary school, they say, \u201cI will be happy when the child goes to middle school.\u201d When the child goes to middle school, they say, \u201cI will be happy when the child goes to college.\u201d When the child goes to college, they still postpone their happiness. They say that they will be happy \u201cwhen the child gets a job,\u201d \u201cwhen the child gets married,\u201d \u201cwhen I have a grandchild,\u201d and then \u201cwhen the grandchild grows up.\u201d Throughout their lives, people change the conditions that they think they need to be happy, so they end up dying without ever having tasted happiness.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Wealth, fame, family, and friends are neither the causes of suffering nor the conditions of happiness. Sometimes, we think these things make us happy, and at other times, we think they make us suffer. If we go back and forth between these two extremes, we will never be free from suffering.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
If you are married, instead of being dissatisfied and worrying about things, try to think, \u201cI have a wife(husband), a house and a job. I have nothing to envy in the world. My life is the best.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
If we accept our lives as they are, we will become free and happy. If we have a goal that we want to achieve, we have to stop the habit of blindly running forward towards that goal. Rather than resolving to change our behavior starting tomorrow or the day after tomorrow, we have to learn to be happy here and now.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
There is no right answer in life. We live as we choose to. We hesitate when making choices because we don\u2019t want to be responsible for the consequences.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
We can\u2019t say for certain that life is good or bad. There are only choices and the responsibilities that come with the choices we make. Taking responsibility for the choices we make is to willingly accept the consequences of our choices. If we readily accept the consequences of our actions, we won\u2019t be miserable or resentful no matter what happens.<\/p>\n","post_title":"Choice And Self-Contradiction","post_excerpt":"","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","post_password":"","post_name":"choice-and-self-contradiction","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2024-06-18 18:21:20","post_modified_gmt":"2024-06-18 23:21:20","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/www.jungtosociety.org\/?p=19676","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"},{"ID":14112,"post_author":"40","post_date":"2022-11-25 01:00:00","post_date_gmt":"2022-11-25 06:00:00","post_content":"\n
\n\n\n\n
Q: How do we make a good choice?<\/strong><\/h1>\n\n\n\n
<\/gwmw><\/h1>\n\n\n\n
P<\/strong>: There is no value judgment for any choices you make, there is no good or bad choice. A choice is a choice. So what do we mean by a good choice or a bad choice?<\/p>\n\n\n\n
We are actually referring to the result of that choice. We have a tendency to want to choose but we also have the tendency to not want to be responsible for the consequences of that choice. That is why we have a difficult time making choices.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
For example. Shall I take out a loan or not? Doesn't matter what you choose. But if you borrow money, you have to pay it back. If you don't want to pay back, then you shouldn't borrow the money in the first place.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So it's not whether a choice is good or bad, it's what the consequences are, the responsibility that comes with the choice. We have difficult time making choices because we have an innate nature within ourselves to want to borrow the money but not the sense of responsibility to pay it back.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So choose whatever you want to choose, but when you choose there are consequences. You have to be receptive and be fully willing to accept what the consequences are.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So when I chose the path of engaged Buddhism over traditional Buddhism in Korea, I knew there were a lot of issues that came with that choice. I will be thrown off from the actual discipline. There will be renunciation. There will be criticisms. There will be a lot of recriminations. So I could have said, why should I go through all that suffering?<\/p>\n\n\n\n
I should not say that because I fully recognized that there will be consequences to my choice. So all choices are equal except when you make a choice you have to be aware of the consequences and be willing to accept this consequences.<\/p>\n","post_title":"How Do We Make A Good Choice?","post_excerpt":"Sunim gave a Dharma Q&A session at George Washington University on Oct. 8, 2014","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","post_password":"","post_name":"how-do-we-make-a-good-choice","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2022-11-13 12:09:08","post_modified_gmt":"2022-11-13 17:09:08","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/www.jungtosociety.org\/?p=14112","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"}],"next":false,"prev":false,"total_page":1},"paged":1,"column_class":"jeg_col_2o3","class":"jnews_block_37"};
\n
Once, there was a man who left his home, his assets, his position, and loved ones to become a monk in order to attain enlightenment. After several years of practice at a temple, he came to believe that it would be impossible for him to attain enlightenment if he continued to live in a community of monks. He felt he didn\u2019t have enough time to practice as he had to do chores, cook meals, and do various other tasks that were part of communal living. He thought to himself,<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cIt would be better for me to go alone deep into the mountains and practice to my heart\u2019s content.\u201d He went deep into the mountains, about ten kilometers away from the nearest village. He first built a thatched cottage to take shelter from the elements and went down to the village regularly to get food. He had more work to do now than before. The cottage often needed repairs, and he had to walk ten kilometers almost every day to get food from the village. Since he walked long distances, he needed to make straw shoes more frequently than before. Therefore, he didn\u2019t have any time to practice.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
To make matters worse, he got sick. He went to see a doctor who said his illness was caused by malnutrition and that he needed to drink a glass of milk every day. But how could he get milk in the mountains? So, he went down to the village every day to get a glass of milk. Since this was too time consuming, he bought a couple of goats and took them to his cottage.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Since he now got milk from the goats, he was spared the trouble of making a trip to the village every day. However, he now had more chores to do than before. He had to tie the goats to posts to prevent them from escaping, feed them regularly, and cut enough grass to feed all of them. He was able to drink milk thanks to the goats, but he had less time to practice as he had to take care of them. In order to solve this problem, he hired a goat keeper.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Now he needed to pay the goat keeper. Before, he only had to get enough food to feed himself during his alms round. However, he now also had to get food and money to give to the goat keeper, so his alms round took much longer. He couldn\u2019t let this go on. He thought to himself, \u201cIt may be better to get married than go on like this.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
He got married, and he was happy that he didn\u2019t have to pay the goat keeper or do any housework. He thought that he could finally concentrate on his practice. But alas, his wife became pregnant.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So the man who left his home and family to become a monk and attain enlightenment got married, had children, and ended up scraping a living just like any other lay person.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
After hearing this man\u2019s life story, you will probably think that he is very foolish, but most of us live like him. We think that we are always making good choices. However, when we look back later, we can see that tempted by the moment\u2019s comfort and ease, we have forgotten our initial goal and purpose. If a man gets married, he should live accordingly, and if a man leaves home to become a monk, he should also live accordingly. If we have such a clear perspective on life, we will suffer less. However, we are so easily swayed that when things get tough, we say, \u201cMaybe I should become a monk.\u201d Then, after becoming a monk, we envy a layman\u2019s life and say, \u201cPractice is so hard.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
We often do foolish things like the Buddhist monk in the story who lost track of his initial goal. At a time like this, we have two options. One is to forget about our initial goals and live according to the situation we are now in. There is nothing wrong with that. The other is to return to our initial goal the moment we realize we deviated from it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
People habitually say, \u201cI will be happy when I have money,\u201d or \u201cI will be happy when I get married.\u201d However, they are not happy even though they make money and get married. When they don\u2019t have children, they say \u201cI will be happy when I have a child.\u201d When they have a child, they say, \u201cI will be happy when the child goes to elementary school.\u201d When the child goes to elementary school, they say, \u201cI will be happy when the child goes to middle school.\u201d When the child goes to middle school, they say, \u201cI will be happy when the child goes to college.\u201d When the child goes to college, they still postpone their happiness. They say that they will be happy \u201cwhen the child gets a job,\u201d \u201cwhen the child gets married,\u201d \u201cwhen I have a grandchild,\u201d and then \u201cwhen the grandchild grows up.\u201d Throughout their lives, people change the conditions that they think they need to be happy, so they end up dying without ever having tasted happiness.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Wealth, fame, family, and friends are neither the causes of suffering nor the conditions of happiness. Sometimes, we think these things make us happy, and at other times, we think they make us suffer. If we go back and forth between these two extremes, we will never be free from suffering.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
If you are married, instead of being dissatisfied and worrying about things, try to think, \u201cI have a wife(husband), a house and a job. I have nothing to envy in the world. My life is the best.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
If we accept our lives as they are, we will become free and happy. If we have a goal that we want to achieve, we have to stop the habit of blindly running forward towards that goal. Rather than resolving to change our behavior starting tomorrow or the day after tomorrow, we have to learn to be happy here and now.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
There is no right answer in life. We live as we choose to. We hesitate when making choices because we don\u2019t want to be responsible for the consequences.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
We can\u2019t say for certain that life is good or bad. There are only choices and the responsibilities that come with the choices we make. Taking responsibility for the choices we make is to willingly accept the consequences of our choices. If we readily accept the consequences of our actions, we won\u2019t be miserable or resentful no matter what happens.<\/p>\n","post_title":"Choice And Self-Contradiction","post_excerpt":"","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","post_password":"","post_name":"choice-and-self-contradiction","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2024-06-18 18:21:20","post_modified_gmt":"2024-06-18 23:21:20","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/www.jungtosociety.org\/?p=19676","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"},{"ID":14112,"post_author":"40","post_date":"2022-11-25 01:00:00","post_date_gmt":"2022-11-25 06:00:00","post_content":"\n
\n\n\n\n
Q: How do we make a good choice?<\/strong><\/h1>\n\n\n\n
<\/gwmw><\/h1>\n\n\n\n
P<\/strong>: There is no value judgment for any choices you make, there is no good or bad choice. A choice is a choice. So what do we mean by a good choice or a bad choice?<\/p>\n\n\n\n
We are actually referring to the result of that choice. We have a tendency to want to choose but we also have the tendency to not want to be responsible for the consequences of that choice. That is why we have a difficult time making choices.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
For example. Shall I take out a loan or not? Doesn't matter what you choose. But if you borrow money, you have to pay it back. If you don't want to pay back, then you shouldn't borrow the money in the first place.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So it's not whether a choice is good or bad, it's what the consequences are, the responsibility that comes with the choice. We have difficult time making choices because we have an innate nature within ourselves to want to borrow the money but not the sense of responsibility to pay it back.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So choose whatever you want to choose, but when you choose there are consequences. You have to be receptive and be fully willing to accept what the consequences are.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So when I chose the path of engaged Buddhism over traditional Buddhism in Korea, I knew there were a lot of issues that came with that choice. I will be thrown off from the actual discipline. There will be renunciation. There will be criticisms. There will be a lot of recriminations. So I could have said, why should I go through all that suffering?<\/p>\n\n\n\n
I should not say that because I fully recognized that there will be consequences to my choice. So all choices are equal except when you make a choice you have to be aware of the consequences and be willing to accept this consequences.<\/p>\n","post_title":"How Do We Make A Good Choice?","post_excerpt":"Sunim gave a Dharma Q&A session at George Washington University on Oct. 8, 2014","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","post_password":"","post_name":"how-do-we-make-a-good-choice","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2022-11-13 12:09:08","post_modified_gmt":"2022-11-13 17:09:08","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/www.jungtosociety.org\/?p=14112","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"}],"next":false,"prev":false,"total_page":1},"paged":1,"column_class":"jeg_col_2o3","class":"jnews_block_37"};
\n
\u201cAm I the master of my life?\u201d \u201cOr have I been swept here by the currents of the world?\u201d Indeed, are we living our lives as the masters of our lives?<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Once, there was a man who left his home, his assets, his position, and loved ones to become a monk in order to attain enlightenment. After several years of practice at a temple, he came to believe that it would be impossible for him to attain enlightenment if he continued to live in a community of monks. He felt he didn\u2019t have enough time to practice as he had to do chores, cook meals, and do various other tasks that were part of communal living. He thought to himself,<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cIt would be better for me to go alone deep into the mountains and practice to my heart\u2019s content.\u201d He went deep into the mountains, about ten kilometers away from the nearest village. He first built a thatched cottage to take shelter from the elements and went down to the village regularly to get food. He had more work to do now than before. The cottage often needed repairs, and he had to walk ten kilometers almost every day to get food from the village. Since he walked long distances, he needed to make straw shoes more frequently than before. Therefore, he didn\u2019t have any time to practice.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
To make matters worse, he got sick. He went to see a doctor who said his illness was caused by malnutrition and that he needed to drink a glass of milk every day. But how could he get milk in the mountains? So, he went down to the village every day to get a glass of milk. Since this was too time consuming, he bought a couple of goats and took them to his cottage.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Since he now got milk from the goats, he was spared the trouble of making a trip to the village every day. However, he now had more chores to do than before. He had to tie the goats to posts to prevent them from escaping, feed them regularly, and cut enough grass to feed all of them. He was able to drink milk thanks to the goats, but he had less time to practice as he had to take care of them. In order to solve this problem, he hired a goat keeper.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Now he needed to pay the goat keeper. Before, he only had to get enough food to feed himself during his alms round. However, he now also had to get food and money to give to the goat keeper, so his alms round took much longer. He couldn\u2019t let this go on. He thought to himself, \u201cIt may be better to get married than go on like this.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
He got married, and he was happy that he didn\u2019t have to pay the goat keeper or do any housework. He thought that he could finally concentrate on his practice. But alas, his wife became pregnant.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So the man who left his home and family to become a monk and attain enlightenment got married, had children, and ended up scraping a living just like any other lay person.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
After hearing this man\u2019s life story, you will probably think that he is very foolish, but most of us live like him. We think that we are always making good choices. However, when we look back later, we can see that tempted by the moment\u2019s comfort and ease, we have forgotten our initial goal and purpose. If a man gets married, he should live accordingly, and if a man leaves home to become a monk, he should also live accordingly. If we have such a clear perspective on life, we will suffer less. However, we are so easily swayed that when things get tough, we say, \u201cMaybe I should become a monk.\u201d Then, after becoming a monk, we envy a layman\u2019s life and say, \u201cPractice is so hard.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
We often do foolish things like the Buddhist monk in the story who lost track of his initial goal. At a time like this, we have two options. One is to forget about our initial goals and live according to the situation we are now in. There is nothing wrong with that. The other is to return to our initial goal the moment we realize we deviated from it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
People habitually say, \u201cI will be happy when I have money,\u201d or \u201cI will be happy when I get married.\u201d However, they are not happy even though they make money and get married. When they don\u2019t have children, they say \u201cI will be happy when I have a child.\u201d When they have a child, they say, \u201cI will be happy when the child goes to elementary school.\u201d When the child goes to elementary school, they say, \u201cI will be happy when the child goes to middle school.\u201d When the child goes to middle school, they say, \u201cI will be happy when the child goes to college.\u201d When the child goes to college, they still postpone their happiness. They say that they will be happy \u201cwhen the child gets a job,\u201d \u201cwhen the child gets married,\u201d \u201cwhen I have a grandchild,\u201d and then \u201cwhen the grandchild grows up.\u201d Throughout their lives, people change the conditions that they think they need to be happy, so they end up dying without ever having tasted happiness.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Wealth, fame, family, and friends are neither the causes of suffering nor the conditions of happiness. Sometimes, we think these things make us happy, and at other times, we think they make us suffer. If we go back and forth between these two extremes, we will never be free from suffering.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
If you are married, instead of being dissatisfied and worrying about things, try to think, \u201cI have a wife(husband), a house and a job. I have nothing to envy in the world. My life is the best.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
If we accept our lives as they are, we will become free and happy. If we have a goal that we want to achieve, we have to stop the habit of blindly running forward towards that goal. Rather than resolving to change our behavior starting tomorrow or the day after tomorrow, we have to learn to be happy here and now.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
There is no right answer in life. We live as we choose to. We hesitate when making choices because we don\u2019t want to be responsible for the consequences.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
We can\u2019t say for certain that life is good or bad. There are only choices and the responsibilities that come with the choices we make. Taking responsibility for the choices we make is to willingly accept the consequences of our choices. If we readily accept the consequences of our actions, we won\u2019t be miserable or resentful no matter what happens.<\/p>\n","post_title":"Choice And Self-Contradiction","post_excerpt":"","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","post_password":"","post_name":"choice-and-self-contradiction","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2024-06-18 18:21:20","post_modified_gmt":"2024-06-18 23:21:20","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/www.jungtosociety.org\/?p=19676","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"},{"ID":14112,"post_author":"40","post_date":"2022-11-25 01:00:00","post_date_gmt":"2022-11-25 06:00:00","post_content":"\n
\n\n\n\n
Q: How do we make a good choice?<\/strong><\/h1>\n\n\n\n
<\/gwmw><\/h1>\n\n\n\n
P<\/strong>: There is no value judgment for any choices you make, there is no good or bad choice. A choice is a choice. So what do we mean by a good choice or a bad choice?<\/p>\n\n\n\n
We are actually referring to the result of that choice. We have a tendency to want to choose but we also have the tendency to not want to be responsible for the consequences of that choice. That is why we have a difficult time making choices.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
For example. Shall I take out a loan or not? Doesn't matter what you choose. But if you borrow money, you have to pay it back. If you don't want to pay back, then you shouldn't borrow the money in the first place.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So it's not whether a choice is good or bad, it's what the consequences are, the responsibility that comes with the choice. We have difficult time making choices because we have an innate nature within ourselves to want to borrow the money but not the sense of responsibility to pay it back.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So choose whatever you want to choose, but when you choose there are consequences. You have to be receptive and be fully willing to accept what the consequences are.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So when I chose the path of engaged Buddhism over traditional Buddhism in Korea, I knew there were a lot of issues that came with that choice. I will be thrown off from the actual discipline. There will be renunciation. There will be criticisms. There will be a lot of recriminations. So I could have said, why should I go through all that suffering?<\/p>\n\n\n\n
I should not say that because I fully recognized that there will be consequences to my choice. So all choices are equal except when you make a choice you have to be aware of the consequences and be willing to accept this consequences.<\/p>\n","post_title":"How Do We Make A Good Choice?","post_excerpt":"Sunim gave a Dharma Q&A session at George Washington University on Oct. 8, 2014","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","post_password":"","post_name":"how-do-we-make-a-good-choice","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2022-11-13 12:09:08","post_modified_gmt":"2022-11-13 17:09:08","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/www.jungtosociety.org\/?p=14112","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"}],"next":false,"prev":false,"total_page":1},"paged":1,"column_class":"jeg_col_2o3","class":"jnews_block_37"};
\n
During the course of our lives, we make choices that we think are best at the time. However, when we look back, we realize that the choices we considered to be good before did not have the best consequences. For example, you get married to be happy, but your marriage may end up making you unhappy. You have a child and expect to become happier, but your child may end up making you so miserable that you envy people who don\u2019t have any children. You start a business to make money, but you may end up in debt. Consequently, we are often regretful and miserable because things don\u2019t turn out the way we intended. Then, we wonder:<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cAm I the master of my life?\u201d \u201cOr have I been swept here by the currents of the world?\u201d Indeed, are we living our lives as the masters of our lives?<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Once, there was a man who left his home, his assets, his position, and loved ones to become a monk in order to attain enlightenment. After several years of practice at a temple, he came to believe that it would be impossible for him to attain enlightenment if he continued to live in a community of monks. He felt he didn\u2019t have enough time to practice as he had to do chores, cook meals, and do various other tasks that were part of communal living. He thought to himself,<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cIt would be better for me to go alone deep into the mountains and practice to my heart\u2019s content.\u201d He went deep into the mountains, about ten kilometers away from the nearest village. He first built a thatched cottage to take shelter from the elements and went down to the village regularly to get food. He had more work to do now than before. The cottage often needed repairs, and he had to walk ten kilometers almost every day to get food from the village. Since he walked long distances, he needed to make straw shoes more frequently than before. Therefore, he didn\u2019t have any time to practice.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
To make matters worse, he got sick. He went to see a doctor who said his illness was caused by malnutrition and that he needed to drink a glass of milk every day. But how could he get milk in the mountains? So, he went down to the village every day to get a glass of milk. Since this was too time consuming, he bought a couple of goats and took them to his cottage.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Since he now got milk from the goats, he was spared the trouble of making a trip to the village every day. However, he now had more chores to do than before. He had to tie the goats to posts to prevent them from escaping, feed them regularly, and cut enough grass to feed all of them. He was able to drink milk thanks to the goats, but he had less time to practice as he had to take care of them. In order to solve this problem, he hired a goat keeper.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Now he needed to pay the goat keeper. Before, he only had to get enough food to feed himself during his alms round. However, he now also had to get food and money to give to the goat keeper, so his alms round took much longer. He couldn\u2019t let this go on. He thought to himself, \u201cIt may be better to get married than go on like this.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
He got married, and he was happy that he didn\u2019t have to pay the goat keeper or do any housework. He thought that he could finally concentrate on his practice. But alas, his wife became pregnant.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So the man who left his home and family to become a monk and attain enlightenment got married, had children, and ended up scraping a living just like any other lay person.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
After hearing this man\u2019s life story, you will probably think that he is very foolish, but most of us live like him. We think that we are always making good choices. However, when we look back later, we can see that tempted by the moment\u2019s comfort and ease, we have forgotten our initial goal and purpose. If a man gets married, he should live accordingly, and if a man leaves home to become a monk, he should also live accordingly. If we have such a clear perspective on life, we will suffer less. However, we are so easily swayed that when things get tough, we say, \u201cMaybe I should become a monk.\u201d Then, after becoming a monk, we envy a layman\u2019s life and say, \u201cPractice is so hard.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
We often do foolish things like the Buddhist monk in the story who lost track of his initial goal. At a time like this, we have two options. One is to forget about our initial goals and live according to the situation we are now in. There is nothing wrong with that. The other is to return to our initial goal the moment we realize we deviated from it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
People habitually say, \u201cI will be happy when I have money,\u201d or \u201cI will be happy when I get married.\u201d However, they are not happy even though they make money and get married. When they don\u2019t have children, they say \u201cI will be happy when I have a child.\u201d When they have a child, they say, \u201cI will be happy when the child goes to elementary school.\u201d When the child goes to elementary school, they say, \u201cI will be happy when the child goes to middle school.\u201d When the child goes to middle school, they say, \u201cI will be happy when the child goes to college.\u201d When the child goes to college, they still postpone their happiness. They say that they will be happy \u201cwhen the child gets a job,\u201d \u201cwhen the child gets married,\u201d \u201cwhen I have a grandchild,\u201d and then \u201cwhen the grandchild grows up.\u201d Throughout their lives, people change the conditions that they think they need to be happy, so they end up dying without ever having tasted happiness.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Wealth, fame, family, and friends are neither the causes of suffering nor the conditions of happiness. Sometimes, we think these things make us happy, and at other times, we think they make us suffer. If we go back and forth between these two extremes, we will never be free from suffering.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
If you are married, instead of being dissatisfied and worrying about things, try to think, \u201cI have a wife(husband), a house and a job. I have nothing to envy in the world. My life is the best.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
If we accept our lives as they are, we will become free and happy. If we have a goal that we want to achieve, we have to stop the habit of blindly running forward towards that goal. Rather than resolving to change our behavior starting tomorrow or the day after tomorrow, we have to learn to be happy here and now.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
There is no right answer in life. We live as we choose to. We hesitate when making choices because we don\u2019t want to be responsible for the consequences.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
We can\u2019t say for certain that life is good or bad. There are only choices and the responsibilities that come with the choices we make. Taking responsibility for the choices we make is to willingly accept the consequences of our choices. If we readily accept the consequences of our actions, we won\u2019t be miserable or resentful no matter what happens.<\/p>\n","post_title":"Choice And Self-Contradiction","post_excerpt":"","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","post_password":"","post_name":"choice-and-self-contradiction","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2024-06-18 18:21:20","post_modified_gmt":"2024-06-18 23:21:20","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/www.jungtosociety.org\/?p=19676","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"},{"ID":14112,"post_author":"40","post_date":"2022-11-25 01:00:00","post_date_gmt":"2022-11-25 06:00:00","post_content":"\n
\n\n\n\n
Q: How do we make a good choice?<\/strong><\/h1>\n\n\n\n
<\/gwmw><\/h1>\n\n\n\n
P<\/strong>: There is no value judgment for any choices you make, there is no good or bad choice. A choice is a choice. So what do we mean by a good choice or a bad choice?<\/p>\n\n\n\n
We are actually referring to the result of that choice. We have a tendency to want to choose but we also have the tendency to not want to be responsible for the consequences of that choice. That is why we have a difficult time making choices.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
For example. Shall I take out a loan or not? Doesn't matter what you choose. But if you borrow money, you have to pay it back. If you don't want to pay back, then you shouldn't borrow the money in the first place.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So it's not whether a choice is good or bad, it's what the consequences are, the responsibility that comes with the choice. We have difficult time making choices because we have an innate nature within ourselves to want to borrow the money but not the sense of responsibility to pay it back.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So choose whatever you want to choose, but when you choose there are consequences. You have to be receptive and be fully willing to accept what the consequences are.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So when I chose the path of engaged Buddhism over traditional Buddhism in Korea, I knew there were a lot of issues that came with that choice. I will be thrown off from the actual discipline. There will be renunciation. There will be criticisms. There will be a lot of recriminations. So I could have said, why should I go through all that suffering?<\/p>\n\n\n\n
I should not say that because I fully recognized that there will be consequences to my choice. So all choices are equal except when you make a choice you have to be aware of the consequences and be willing to accept this consequences.<\/p>\n","post_title":"How Do We Make A Good Choice?","post_excerpt":"Sunim gave a Dharma Q&A session at George Washington University on Oct. 8, 2014","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","post_password":"","post_name":"how-do-we-make-a-good-choice","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2022-11-13 12:09:08","post_modified_gmt":"2022-11-13 17:09:08","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/www.jungtosociety.org\/?p=14112","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"}],"next":false,"prev":false,"total_page":1},"paged":1,"column_class":"jeg_col_2o3","class":"jnews_block_37"};
\n
<\/p>\n\n\n\n
During the course of our lives, we make choices that we think are best at the time. However, when we look back, we realize that the choices we considered to be good before did not have the best consequences. For example, you get married to be happy, but your marriage may end up making you unhappy. You have a child and expect to become happier, but your child may end up making you so miserable that you envy people who don\u2019t have any children. You start a business to make money, but you may end up in debt. Consequently, we are often regretful and miserable because things don\u2019t turn out the way we intended. Then, we wonder:<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cAm I the master of my life?\u201d \u201cOr have I been swept here by the currents of the world?\u201d Indeed, are we living our lives as the masters of our lives?<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Once, there was a man who left his home, his assets, his position, and loved ones to become a monk in order to attain enlightenment. After several years of practice at a temple, he came to believe that it would be impossible for him to attain enlightenment if he continued to live in a community of monks. He felt he didn\u2019t have enough time to practice as he had to do chores, cook meals, and do various other tasks that were part of communal living. He thought to himself,<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cIt would be better for me to go alone deep into the mountains and practice to my heart\u2019s content.\u201d He went deep into the mountains, about ten kilometers away from the nearest village. He first built a thatched cottage to take shelter from the elements and went down to the village regularly to get food. He had more work to do now than before. The cottage often needed repairs, and he had to walk ten kilometers almost every day to get food from the village. Since he walked long distances, he needed to make straw shoes more frequently than before. Therefore, he didn\u2019t have any time to practice.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
To make matters worse, he got sick. He went to see a doctor who said his illness was caused by malnutrition and that he needed to drink a glass of milk every day. But how could he get milk in the mountains? So, he went down to the village every day to get a glass of milk. Since this was too time consuming, he bought a couple of goats and took them to his cottage.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Since he now got milk from the goats, he was spared the trouble of making a trip to the village every day. However, he now had more chores to do than before. He had to tie the goats to posts to prevent them from escaping, feed them regularly, and cut enough grass to feed all of them. He was able to drink milk thanks to the goats, but he had less time to practice as he had to take care of them. In order to solve this problem, he hired a goat keeper.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Now he needed to pay the goat keeper. Before, he only had to get enough food to feed himself during his alms round. However, he now also had to get food and money to give to the goat keeper, so his alms round took much longer. He couldn\u2019t let this go on. He thought to himself, \u201cIt may be better to get married than go on like this.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
He got married, and he was happy that he didn\u2019t have to pay the goat keeper or do any housework. He thought that he could finally concentrate on his practice. But alas, his wife became pregnant.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So the man who left his home and family to become a monk and attain enlightenment got married, had children, and ended up scraping a living just like any other lay person.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
After hearing this man\u2019s life story, you will probably think that he is very foolish, but most of us live like him. We think that we are always making good choices. However, when we look back later, we can see that tempted by the moment\u2019s comfort and ease, we have forgotten our initial goal and purpose. If a man gets married, he should live accordingly, and if a man leaves home to become a monk, he should also live accordingly. If we have such a clear perspective on life, we will suffer less. However, we are so easily swayed that when things get tough, we say, \u201cMaybe I should become a monk.\u201d Then, after becoming a monk, we envy a layman\u2019s life and say, \u201cPractice is so hard.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
We often do foolish things like the Buddhist monk in the story who lost track of his initial goal. At a time like this, we have two options. One is to forget about our initial goals and live according to the situation we are now in. There is nothing wrong with that. The other is to return to our initial goal the moment we realize we deviated from it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
People habitually say, \u201cI will be happy when I have money,\u201d or \u201cI will be happy when I get married.\u201d However, they are not happy even though they make money and get married. When they don\u2019t have children, they say \u201cI will be happy when I have a child.\u201d When they have a child, they say, \u201cI will be happy when the child goes to elementary school.\u201d When the child goes to elementary school, they say, \u201cI will be happy when the child goes to middle school.\u201d When the child goes to middle school, they say, \u201cI will be happy when the child goes to college.\u201d When the child goes to college, they still postpone their happiness. They say that they will be happy \u201cwhen the child gets a job,\u201d \u201cwhen the child gets married,\u201d \u201cwhen I have a grandchild,\u201d and then \u201cwhen the grandchild grows up.\u201d Throughout their lives, people change the conditions that they think they need to be happy, so they end up dying without ever having tasted happiness.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Wealth, fame, family, and friends are neither the causes of suffering nor the conditions of happiness. Sometimes, we think these things make us happy, and at other times, we think they make us suffer. If we go back and forth between these two extremes, we will never be free from suffering.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
If you are married, instead of being dissatisfied and worrying about things, try to think, \u201cI have a wife(husband), a house and a job. I have nothing to envy in the world. My life is the best.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
If we accept our lives as they are, we will become free and happy. If we have a goal that we want to achieve, we have to stop the habit of blindly running forward towards that goal. Rather than resolving to change our behavior starting tomorrow or the day after tomorrow, we have to learn to be happy here and now.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
There is no right answer in life. We live as we choose to. We hesitate when making choices because we don\u2019t want to be responsible for the consequences.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
We can\u2019t say for certain that life is good or bad. There are only choices and the responsibilities that come with the choices we make. Taking responsibility for the choices we make is to willingly accept the consequences of our choices. If we readily accept the consequences of our actions, we won\u2019t be miserable or resentful no matter what happens.<\/p>\n","post_title":"Choice And Self-Contradiction","post_excerpt":"","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","post_password":"","post_name":"choice-and-self-contradiction","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2024-06-18 18:21:20","post_modified_gmt":"2024-06-18 23:21:20","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/www.jungtosociety.org\/?p=19676","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"},{"ID":14112,"post_author":"40","post_date":"2022-11-25 01:00:00","post_date_gmt":"2022-11-25 06:00:00","post_content":"\n
\n\n\n\n
Q: How do we make a good choice?<\/strong><\/h1>\n\n\n\n
<\/gwmw><\/h1>\n\n\n\n
P<\/strong>: There is no value judgment for any choices you make, there is no good or bad choice. A choice is a choice. So what do we mean by a good choice or a bad choice?<\/p>\n\n\n\n
We are actually referring to the result of that choice. We have a tendency to want to choose but we also have the tendency to not want to be responsible for the consequences of that choice. That is why we have a difficult time making choices.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
For example. Shall I take out a loan or not? Doesn't matter what you choose. But if you borrow money, you have to pay it back. If you don't want to pay back, then you shouldn't borrow the money in the first place.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So it's not whether a choice is good or bad, it's what the consequences are, the responsibility that comes with the choice. We have difficult time making choices because we have an innate nature within ourselves to want to borrow the money but not the sense of responsibility to pay it back.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So choose whatever you want to choose, but when you choose there are consequences. You have to be receptive and be fully willing to accept what the consequences are.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So when I chose the path of engaged Buddhism over traditional Buddhism in Korea, I knew there were a lot of issues that came with that choice. I will be thrown off from the actual discipline. There will be renunciation. There will be criticisms. There will be a lot of recriminations. So I could have said, why should I go through all that suffering?<\/p>\n\n\n\n
I should not say that because I fully recognized that there will be consequences to my choice. So all choices are equal except when you make a choice you have to be aware of the consequences and be willing to accept this consequences.<\/p>\n","post_title":"How Do We Make A Good Choice?","post_excerpt":"Sunim gave a Dharma Q&A session at George Washington University on Oct. 8, 2014","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","post_password":"","post_name":"how-do-we-make-a-good-choice","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2022-11-13 12:09:08","post_modified_gmt":"2022-11-13 17:09:08","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/www.jungtosociety.org\/?p=14112","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"}],"next":false,"prev":false,"total_page":1},"paged":1,"column_class":"jeg_col_2o3","class":"jnews_block_37"};
