\n
Similarly, the mother has been grieving the loss of her baby for 14 years because she was unable to let go of the trauma from the experience. To this day, she blames herself for resting in the living room and not being with her baby when he was dying alone in his room. While we do not know the exact cause of the death, it is highly probable that he had a heart attack since the child died when the mother thought he was sleeping. That being the case, it is safe to assume that as he grew up, he would have suffered from heart problems. She can take some consolation in knowing that his premature death has spared him and both her and her husband considerable heartache and trouble down the road.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
If the mother had had a chance to raise her son and he had died while in elementary school or middle school, her grief might have been even greater than it is now. Furthermore, It\u2019s not as if the child died because she did something wrong such as carelessly placing the blanket over his face, thereby suffocating him to death. It was just a natural death. Logically speaking, there is really no need for her to feel guilty for not having been there with the child at the time of his death. It is better for her to think, \u201cHe is gone because that was all the time God gave us to spend together.\u201d and release her emotional attachment to him with a prayer like, \u201c\u2018I hope he will be blessed with a healthy body in his next life and lead a happy life.\u201d<\/gwmw><\/p>\n","post_title":"When The Grieving Continues","post_excerpt":"","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","post_password":"","post_name":"when-the-grieving-continues","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2023-10-22 19:57:38","post_modified_gmt":"2023-10-23 00:57:38","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/www.jungtosociety.org\/?p=16893","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"};
If a widow is in deep agony over her husband\u2019s death, she is suffering not because her husband has passed away but because she is obsessing over the thought of her husband\u2019s death. Even at her husband\u2019s funeral, if she sees food that looks appetizing and imagines how good it would taste, she is free of agony at that moment because she has momentarily let go of the thought that her husband has died. However, if her mind reverts back to thinking about her husband, she will in agony again. Being trapped in the thought that her husband has died, rather than the death itself, is what is making her suffer. Once she releases the thought from her mind, she will feel better right away.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Similarly, the mother has been grieving the loss of her baby for 14 years because she was unable to let go of the trauma from the experience. To this day, she blames herself for resting in the living room and not being with her baby when he was dying alone in his room. While we do not know the exact cause of the death, it is highly probable that he had a heart attack since the child died when the mother thought he was sleeping. That being the case, it is safe to assume that as he grew up, he would have suffered from heart problems. She can take some consolation in knowing that his premature death has spared him and both her and her husband considerable heartache and trouble down the road.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
If the mother had had a chance to raise her son and he had died while in elementary school or middle school, her grief might have been even greater than it is now. Furthermore, It\u2019s not as if the child died because she did something wrong such as carelessly placing the blanket over his face, thereby suffocating him to death. It was just a natural death. Logically speaking, there is really no need for her to feel guilty for not having been there with the child at the time of his death. It is better for her to think, \u201cHe is gone because that was all the time God gave us to spend together.\u201d and release her emotional attachment to him with a prayer like, \u201c\u2018I hope he will be blessed with a healthy body in his next life and lead a happy life.\u201d<\/gwmw><\/p>\n","post_title":"When The Grieving Continues","post_excerpt":"","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","post_password":"","post_name":"when-the-grieving-continues","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2023-10-22 19:57:38","post_modified_gmt":"2023-10-23 00:57:38","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/www.jungtosociety.org\/?p=16893","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"}; \nP:<\/strong> While the pain of losing a baby must be immense for any parent, just thinking about her baby still makes her weep even after 14 years. It\u2019s not as if the child has died recently, but thinking about her deceased son makes her fall into a mental state that can be described as \u201cbeing trapped in one\u2019s own thoughts.\u201d When she recalls a past event like watching a video clip and perceives it as something that is happening to her now, both her brain and mind will respond in the same way as the time when the child died. She will begin to shed tears and her throat will get choked up, and she will be unable to calm herself down. However, if she becomes preoccupied by thinking and talking about other things at that moment, she will be relieved from that state of mind. In a similar way, once she begins to ruminate about her deceased son and becomes absorbed in that thought, she will feel sad all over again.<\/p>\n\n\n\nIf a widow is in deep agony over her husband\u2019s death, she is suffering not because her husband has passed away but because she is obsessing over the thought of her husband\u2019s death. Even at her husband\u2019s funeral, if she sees food that looks appetizing and imagines how good it would taste, she is free of agony at that moment because she has momentarily let go of the thought that her husband has died. However, if her mind reverts back to thinking about her husband, she will in agony again. Being trapped in the thought that her husband has died, rather than the death itself, is what is making her suffer. Once she releases the thought from her mind, she will feel better right away.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Similarly, the mother has been grieving the loss of her baby for 14 years because she was unable to let go of the trauma from the experience. To this day, she blames herself for resting in the living room and not being with her baby when he was dying alone in his room. While we do not know the exact cause of the death, it is highly probable that he had a heart attack since the child died when the mother thought he was sleeping. That being the case, it is safe to assume that as he grew up, he would have suffered from heart problems. She can take some consolation in knowing that his premature death has spared him and both her and her husband considerable heartache and trouble down the road.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
If the mother had had a chance to raise her son and he had died while in elementary school or middle school, her grief might have been even greater than it is now. Furthermore, It\u2019s not as if the child died because she did something wrong such as carelessly placing the blanket over his face, thereby suffocating him to death. It was just a natural death. Logically speaking, there is really no need for her to feel guilty for not having been there with the child at the time of his death. It is better for her to think, \u201cHe is gone because that was all the time God gave us to spend together.\u201d and release her emotional attachment to him with a prayer like, \u201c\u2018I hope he will be blessed with a healthy body in his next life and lead a happy life.\u201d<\/gwmw><\/p>\n","post_title":"When The Grieving Continues","post_excerpt":"","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","post_password":"","post_name":"when-the-grieving-continues","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2023-10-22 19:57:38","post_modified_gmt":"2023-10-23 00:57:38","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/www.jungtosociety.org\/?p=16893","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"}; \nQ:<\/strong> \u201cI lost my baby boy 14 years ago. He was 9 months old at the time and had just begun to utter the word, \u2018Mom.\u2019 After putting him down for a nap in his room, my husband and I were enjoying each other\u2019s company in the living room. However, when I realized that the baby hadn\u2019t woken up past the usual time, I went into his room to check and found him dead.\u201d The mother shed tears while talking about her son who had died 14 years ago.<\/p>\n\n\n\nP:<\/strong> While the pain of losing a baby must be immense for any parent, just thinking about her baby still makes her weep even after 14 years. It\u2019s not as if the child has died recently, but thinking about her deceased son makes her fall into a mental state that can be described as \u201cbeing trapped in one\u2019s own thoughts.\u201d When she recalls a past event like watching a video clip and perceives it as something that is happening to her now, both her brain and mind will respond in the same way as the time when the child died. She will begin to shed tears and her throat will get choked up, and she will be unable to calm herself down. However, if she becomes preoccupied by thinking and talking about other things at that moment, she will be relieved from that state of mind. In a similar way, once she begins to ruminate about her deceased son and becomes absorbed in that thought, she will feel sad all over again.<\/p>\n\n\n\nIf a widow is in deep agony over her husband\u2019s death, she is suffering not because her husband has passed away but because she is obsessing over the thought of her husband\u2019s death. Even at her husband\u2019s funeral, if she sees food that looks appetizing and imagines how good it would taste, she is free of agony at that moment because she has momentarily let go of the thought that her husband has died. However, if her mind reverts back to thinking about her husband, she will in agony again. Being trapped in the thought that her husband has died, rather than the death itself, is what is making her suffer. Once she releases the thought from her mind, she will feel better right away.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Similarly, the mother has been grieving the loss of her baby for 14 years because she was unable to let go of the trauma from the experience. To this day, she blames herself for resting in the living room and not being with her baby when he was dying alone in his room. While we do not know the exact cause of the death, it is highly probable that he had a heart attack since the child died when the mother thought he was sleeping. That being the case, it is safe to assume that as he grew up, he would have suffered from heart problems. She can take some consolation in knowing that his premature death has spared him and both her and her husband considerable heartache and trouble down the road.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
If the mother had had a chance to raise her son and he had died while in elementary school or middle school, her grief might have been even greater than it is now. Furthermore, It\u2019s not as if the child died because she did something wrong such as carelessly placing the blanket over his face, thereby suffocating him to death. It was just a natural death. Logically speaking, there is really no need for her to feel guilty for not having been there with the child at the time of his death. It is better for her to think, \u201cHe is gone because that was all the time God gave us to spend together.\u201d and release her emotional attachment to him with a prayer like, \u201c\u2018I hope he will be blessed with a healthy body in his next life and lead a happy life.\u201d<\/gwmw><\/p>\n","post_title":"When The Grieving Continues","post_excerpt":"","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","post_password":"","post_name":"when-the-grieving-continues","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2023-10-22 19:57:38","post_modified_gmt":"2023-10-23 00:57:38","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/www.jungtosociety.org\/?p=16893","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<\/h1>\n\n\n\n
Q:<\/strong> \u201cI lost my baby boy 14 years ago. He was 9 months old at the time and had just begun to utter the word, \u2018Mom.\u2019 After putting him down for a nap in his room, my husband and I were enjoying each other\u2019s company in the living room. However, when I realized that the baby hadn\u2019t woken up past the usual time, I went into his room to check and found him dead.\u201d The mother shed tears while talking about her son who had died 14 years ago.<\/p>\n\n\n\nP:<\/strong> While the pain of losing a baby must be immense for any parent, just thinking about her baby still makes her weep even after 14 years. It\u2019s not as if the child has died recently, but thinking about her deceased son makes her fall into a mental state that can be described as \u201cbeing trapped in one\u2019s own thoughts.\u201d When she recalls a past event like watching a video clip and perceives it as something that is happening to her now, both her brain and mind will respond in the same way as the time when the child died. She will begin to shed tears and her throat will get choked up, and she will be unable to calm herself down. However, if she becomes preoccupied by thinking and talking about other things at that moment, she will be relieved from that state of mind. In a similar way, once she begins to ruminate about her deceased son and becomes absorbed in that thought, she will feel sad all over again.<\/p>\n\n\n\nIf a widow is in deep agony over her husband\u2019s death, she is suffering not because her husband has passed away but because she is obsessing over the thought of her husband\u2019s death. Even at her husband\u2019s funeral, if she sees food that looks appetizing and imagines how good it would taste, she is free of agony at that moment because she has momentarily let go of the thought that her husband has died. However, if her mind reverts back to thinking about her husband, she will in agony again. Being trapped in the thought that her husband has died, rather than the death itself, is what is making her suffer. Once she releases the thought from her mind, she will feel better right away.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Similarly, the mother has been grieving the loss of her baby for 14 years because she was unable to let go of the trauma from the experience. To this day, she blames herself for resting in the living room and not being with her baby when he was dying alone in his room. While we do not know the exact cause of the death, it is highly probable that he had a heart attack since the child died when the mother thought he was sleeping. That being the case, it is safe to assume that as he grew up, he would have suffered from heart problems. She can take some consolation in knowing that his premature death has spared him and both her and her husband considerable heartache and trouble down the road.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
If the mother had had a chance to raise her son and he had died while in elementary school or middle school, her grief might have been even greater than it is now. Furthermore, It\u2019s not as if the child died because she did something wrong such as carelessly placing the blanket over his face, thereby suffocating him to death. It was just a natural death. Logically speaking, there is really no need for her to feel guilty for not having been there with the child at the time of his death. It is better for her to think, \u201cHe is gone because that was all the time God gave us to spend together.\u201d and release her emotional attachment to him with a prayer like, \u201c\u2018I hope he will be blessed with a healthy body in his next life and lead a happy life.\u201d<\/gwmw><\/p>\n","post_title":"When The Grieving Continues","post_excerpt":"","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","post_password":"","post_name":"when-the-grieving-continues","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2023-10-22 19:57:38","post_modified_gmt":"2023-10-23 00:57:38","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/www.jungtosociety.org\/?p=16893","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<\/h1>\n\n\n\n<\/h1>\n\n\n\n
Q:<\/strong> \u201cI lost my baby boy 14 years ago. He was 9 months old at the time and had just begun to utter the word, \u2018Mom.\u2019 After putting him down for a nap in his room, my husband and I were enjoying each other\u2019s company in the living room. However, when I realized that the baby hadn\u2019t woken up past the usual time, I went into his room to check and found him dead.\u201d The mother shed tears while talking about her son who had died 14 years ago.<\/p>\n\n\n\nP:<\/strong> While the pain of losing a baby must be immense for any parent, just thinking about her baby still makes her weep even after 14 years. It\u2019s not as if the child has died recently, but thinking about her deceased son makes her fall into a mental state that can be described as \u201cbeing trapped in one\u2019s own thoughts.\u201d When she recalls a past event like watching a video clip and perceives it as something that is happening to her now, both her brain and mind will respond in the same way as the time when the child died. She will begin to shed tears and her throat will get choked up, and she will be unable to calm herself down. However, if she becomes preoccupied by thinking and talking about other things at that moment, she will be relieved from that state of mind. In a similar way, once she begins to ruminate about her deceased son and becomes absorbed in that thought, she will feel sad all over again.<\/p>\n\n\n\nIf a widow is in deep agony over her husband\u2019s death, she is suffering not because her husband has passed away but because she is obsessing over the thought of her husband\u2019s death. Even at her husband\u2019s funeral, if she sees food that looks appetizing and imagines how good it would taste, she is free of agony at that moment because she has momentarily let go of the thought that her husband has died. However, if her mind reverts back to thinking about her husband, she will in agony again. Being trapped in the thought that her husband has died, rather than the death itself, is what is making her suffer. Once she releases the thought from her mind, she will feel better right away.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Similarly, the mother has been grieving the loss of her baby for 14 years because she was unable to let go of the trauma from the experience. To this day, she blames herself for resting in the living room and not being with her baby when he was dying alone in his room. While we do not know the exact cause of the death, it is highly probable that he had a heart attack since the child died when the mother thought he was sleeping. That being the case, it is safe to assume that as he grew up, he would have suffered from heart problems. She can take some consolation in knowing that his premature death has spared him and both her and her husband considerable heartache and trouble down the road.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
If the mother had had a chance to raise her son and he had died while in elementary school or middle school, her grief might have been even greater than it is now. Furthermore, It\u2019s not as if the child died because she did something wrong such as carelessly placing the blanket over his face, thereby suffocating him to death. It was just a natural death. Logically speaking, there is really no need for her to feel guilty for not having been there with the child at the time of his death. It is better for her to think, \u201cHe is gone because that was all the time God gave us to spend together.\u201d and release her emotional attachment to him with a prayer like, \u201c\u2018I hope he will be blessed with a healthy body in his next life and lead a happy life.\u201d<\/gwmw><\/p>\n","post_title":"When The Grieving Continues","post_excerpt":"","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","post_password":"","post_name":"when-the-grieving-continues","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2023-10-22 19:57:38","post_modified_gmt":"2023-10-23 00:57:38","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/www.jungtosociety.org\/?p=16893","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<\/h1>\n\n\n\n<\/h1>\n\n\n\n
Q:<\/strong> \u201cI lost my baby boy 14 years ago. He was 9 months old at the time and had just begun to utter the word, \u2018Mom.\u2019 After putting him down for a nap in his room, my husband and I were enjoying each other\u2019s company in the living room. However, when I realized that the baby hadn\u2019t woken up past the usual time, I went into his room to check and found him dead.\u201d The mother shed tears while talking about her son who had died 14 years ago.<\/p>\n\n\n\nP:<\/strong> While the pain of losing a baby must be immense for any parent, just thinking about her baby still makes her weep even after 14 years. It\u2019s not as if the child has died recently, but thinking about her deceased son makes her fall into a mental state that can be described as \u201cbeing trapped in one\u2019s own thoughts.\u201d When she recalls a past event like watching a video clip and perceives it as something that is happening to her now, both her brain and mind will respond in the same way as the time when the child died. She will begin to shed tears and her throat will get choked up, and she will be unable to calm herself down. However, if she becomes preoccupied by thinking and talking about other things at that moment, she will be relieved from that state of mind. In a similar way, once she begins to ruminate about her deceased son and becomes absorbed in that thought, she will feel sad all over again.<\/p>\n\n\n\nIf a widow is in deep agony over her husband\u2019s death, she is suffering not because her husband has passed away but because she is obsessing over the thought of her husband\u2019s death. Even at her husband\u2019s funeral, if she sees food that looks appetizing and imagines how good it would taste, she is free of agony at that moment because she has momentarily let go of the thought that her husband has died. However, if her mind reverts back to thinking about her husband, she will in agony again. Being trapped in the thought that her husband has died, rather than the death itself, is what is making her suffer. Once she releases the thought from her mind, she will feel better right away.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Similarly, the mother has been grieving the loss of her baby for 14 years because she was unable to let go of the trauma from the experience. To this day, she blames herself for resting in the living room and not being with her baby when he was dying alone in his room. While we do not know the exact cause of the death, it is highly probable that he had a heart attack since the child died when the mother thought he was sleeping. That being the case, it is safe to assume that as he grew up, he would have suffered from heart problems. She can take some consolation in knowing that his premature death has spared him and both her and her husband considerable heartache and trouble down the road.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
If the mother had had a chance to raise her son and he had died while in elementary school or middle school, her grief might have been even greater than it is now. Furthermore, It\u2019s not as if the child died because she did something wrong such as carelessly placing the blanket over his face, thereby suffocating him to death. It was just a natural death. Logically speaking, there is really no need for her to feel guilty for not having been there with the child at the time of his death. It is better for her to think, \u201cHe is gone because that was all the time God gave us to spend together.\u201d and release her emotional attachment to him with a prayer like, \u201c\u2018I hope he will be blessed with a healthy body in his next life and lead a happy life.\u201d<\/gwmw><\/p>\n","post_title":"When The Grieving Continues","post_excerpt":"","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","post_password":"","post_name":"when-the-grieving-continues","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2023-10-22 19:57:38","post_modified_gmt":"2023-10-23 00:57:38","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/www.jungtosociety.org\/?p=16893","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><\/p>\n\n\n\n<\/gwmw><\/h1>\n\n\n\n<\/h1>\n\n\n\n<\/h1>\n\n\n\n
Q:<\/strong> \u201cI lost my baby boy 14 years ago. He was 9 months old at the time and had just begun to utter the word, \u2018Mom.\u2019 After putting him down for a nap in his room, my husband and I were enjoying each other\u2019s company in the living room. However, when I realized that the baby hadn\u2019t woken up past the usual time, I went into his room to check and found him dead.\u201d The mother shed tears while talking about her son who had died 14 years ago.<\/p>\n\n\n\nP:<\/strong> While the pain of losing a baby must be immense for any parent, just thinking about her baby still makes her weep even after 14 years. It\u2019s not as if the child has died recently, but thinking about her deceased son makes her fall into a mental state that can be described as \u201cbeing trapped in one\u2019s own thoughts.\u201d When she recalls a past event like watching a video clip and perceives it as something that is happening to her now, both her brain and mind will respond in the same way as the time when the child died. She will begin to shed tears and her throat will get choked up, and she will be unable to calm herself down. However, if she becomes preoccupied by thinking and talking about other things at that moment, she will be relieved from that state of mind. In a similar way, once she begins to ruminate about her deceased son and becomes absorbed in that thought, she will feel sad all over again.<\/p>\n\n\n\nIf a widow is in deep agony over her husband\u2019s death, she is suffering not because her husband has passed away but because she is obsessing over the thought of her husband\u2019s death. Even at her husband\u2019s funeral, if she sees food that looks appetizing and imagines how good it would taste, she is free of agony at that moment because she has momentarily let go of the thought that her husband has died. However, if her mind reverts back to thinking about her husband, she will in agony again. Being trapped in the thought that her husband has died, rather than the death itself, is what is making her suffer. Once she releases the thought from her mind, she will feel better right away.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Similarly, the mother has been grieving the loss of her baby for 14 years because she was unable to let go of the trauma from the experience. To this day, she blames herself for resting in the living room and not being with her baby when he was dying alone in his room. While we do not know the exact cause of the death, it is highly probable that he had a heart attack since the child died when the mother thought he was sleeping. That being the case, it is safe to assume that as he grew up, he would have suffered from heart problems. She can take some consolation in knowing that his premature death has spared him and both her and her husband considerable heartache and trouble down the road.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
If the mother had had a chance to raise her son and he had died while in elementary school or middle school, her grief might have been even greater than it is now. Furthermore, It\u2019s not as if the child died because she did something wrong such as carelessly placing the blanket over his face, thereby suffocating him to death. It was just a natural death. Logically speaking, there is really no need for her to feel guilty for not having been there with the child at the time of his death. It is better for her to think, \u201cHe is gone because that was all the time God gave us to spend together.\u201d and release her emotional attachment to him with a prayer like, \u201c\u2018I hope he will be blessed with a healthy body in his next life and lead a happy life.\u201d<\/gwmw><\/p>\n","post_title":"When The Grieving Continues","post_excerpt":"","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","post_password":"","post_name":"when-the-grieving-continues","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2023-10-22 19:57:38","post_modified_gmt":"2023-10-23 00:57:38","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/www.jungtosociety.org\/?p=16893","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<\/gwmw><\/p>\n\n\n\n<\/gwmw><\/h1>\n\n\n\n<\/h1>\n\n\n\n<\/h1>\n\n\n\n
Q:<\/strong> \u201cI lost my baby boy 14 years ago. He was 9 months old at the time and had just begun to utter the word, \u2018Mom.\u2019 After putting him down for a nap in his room, my husband and I were enjoying each other\u2019s company in the living room. However, when I realized that the baby hadn\u2019t woken up past the usual time, I went into his room to check and found him dead.\u201d The mother shed tears while talking about her son who had died 14 years ago.<\/p>\n\n\n\nP:<\/strong> While the pain of losing a baby must be immense for any parent, just thinking about her baby still makes her weep even after 14 years. It\u2019s not as if the child has died recently, but thinking about her deceased son makes her fall into a mental state that can be described as \u201cbeing trapped in one\u2019s own thoughts.\u201d When she recalls a past event like watching a video clip and perceives it as something that is happening to her now, both her brain and mind will respond in the same way as the time when the child died. She will begin to shed tears and her throat will get choked up, and she will be unable to calm herself down. However, if she becomes preoccupied by thinking and talking about other things at that moment, she will be relieved from that state of mind. In a similar way, once she begins to ruminate about her deceased son and becomes absorbed in that thought, she will feel sad all over again.<\/p>\n\n\n\nIf a widow is in deep agony over her husband\u2019s death, she is suffering not because her husband has passed away but because she is obsessing over the thought of her husband\u2019s death. Even at her husband\u2019s funeral, if she sees food that looks appetizing and imagines how good it would taste, she is free of agony at that moment because she has momentarily let go of the thought that her husband has died. However, if her mind reverts back to thinking about her husband, she will in agony again. Being trapped in the thought that her husband has died, rather than the death itself, is what is making her suffer. Once she releases the thought from her mind, she will feel better right away.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Similarly, the mother has been grieving the loss of her baby for 14 years because she was unable to let go of the trauma from the experience. To this day, she blames herself for resting in the living room and not being with her baby when he was dying alone in his room. While we do not know the exact cause of the death, it is highly probable that he had a heart attack since the child died when the mother thought he was sleeping. That being the case, it is safe to assume that as he grew up, he would have suffered from heart problems. She can take some consolation in knowing that his premature death has spared him and both her and her husband considerable heartache and trouble down the road.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
If the mother had had a chance to raise her son and he had died while in elementary school or middle school, her grief might have been even greater than it is now. Furthermore, It\u2019s not as if the child died because she did something wrong such as carelessly placing the blanket over his face, thereby suffocating him to death. It was just a natural death. Logically speaking, there is really no need for her to feel guilty for not having been there with the child at the time of his death. It is better for her to think, \u201cHe is gone because that was all the time God gave us to spend together.\u201d and release her emotional attachment to him with a prayer like, \u201c\u2018I hope he will be blessed with a healthy body in his next life and lead a happy life.\u201d<\/gwmw><\/p>\n","post_title":"When The Grieving Continues","post_excerpt":"","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","post_password":"","post_name":"when-the-grieving-continues","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2023-10-22 19:57:38","post_modified_gmt":"2023-10-23 00:57:38","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/www.jungtosociety.org\/?p=16893","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
\n\n\n\n<\/gwmw><\/p>\n\n\n\n<\/gwmw><\/h1>\n\n\n\n<\/h1>\n\n\n\n<\/h1>\n\n\n\n
Q:<\/strong> \u201cI lost my baby boy 14 years ago. He was 9 months old at the time and had just begun to utter the word, \u2018Mom.\u2019 After putting him down for a nap in his room, my husband and I were enjoying each other\u2019s company in the living room. However, when I realized that the baby hadn\u2019t woken up past the usual time, I went into his room to check and found him dead.\u201d The mother shed tears while talking about her son who had died 14 years ago.<\/p>\n\n\n\nP:<\/strong> While the pain of losing a baby must be immense for any parent, just thinking about her baby still makes her weep even after 14 years. It\u2019s not as if the child has died recently, but thinking about her deceased son makes her fall into a mental state that can be described as \u201cbeing trapped in one\u2019s own thoughts.\u201d When she recalls a past event like watching a video clip and perceives it as something that is happening to her now, both her brain and mind will respond in the same way as the time when the child died. She will begin to shed tears and her throat will get choked up, and she will be unable to calm herself down. However, if she becomes preoccupied by thinking and talking about other things at that moment, she will be relieved from that state of mind. In a similar way, once she begins to ruminate about her deceased son and becomes absorbed in that thought, she will feel sad all over again.<\/p>\n\n\n\nIf a widow is in deep agony over her husband\u2019s death, she is suffering not because her husband has passed away but because she is obsessing over the thought of her husband\u2019s death. Even at her husband\u2019s funeral, if she sees food that looks appetizing and imagines how good it would taste, she is free of agony at that moment because she has momentarily let go of the thought that her husband has died. However, if her mind reverts back to thinking about her husband, she will in agony again. Being trapped in the thought that her husband has died, rather than the death itself, is what is making her suffer. Once she releases the thought from her mind, she will feel better right away.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Similarly, the mother has been grieving the loss of her baby for 14 years because she was unable to let go of the trauma from the experience. To this day, she blames herself for resting in the living room and not being with her baby when he was dying alone in his room. While we do not know the exact cause of the death, it is highly probable that he had a heart attack since the child died when the mother thought he was sleeping. That being the case, it is safe to assume that as he grew up, he would have suffered from heart problems. She can take some consolation in knowing that his premature death has spared him and both her and her husband considerable heartache and trouble down the road.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
If the mother had had a chance to raise her son and he had died while in elementary school or middle school, her grief might have been even greater than it is now. Furthermore, It\u2019s not as if the child died because she did something wrong such as carelessly placing the blanket over his face, thereby suffocating him to death. It was just a natural death. Logically speaking, there is really no need for her to feel guilty for not having been there with the child at the time of his death. It is better for her to think, \u201cHe is gone because that was all the time God gave us to spend together.\u201d and release her emotional attachment to him with a prayer like, \u201c\u2018I hope he will be blessed with a healthy body in his next life and lead a happy life.\u201d<\/gwmw><\/p>\n","post_title":"When The Grieving Continues","post_excerpt":"","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","post_password":"","post_name":"when-the-grieving-continues","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2023-10-22 19:57:38","post_modified_gmt":"2023-10-23 00:57:38","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/www.jungtosociety.org\/?p=16893","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
<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\n\n\n\n<\/gwmw><\/p>\n\n\n\n<\/gwmw><\/h1>\n\n\n\n<\/h1>\n\n\n\n<\/h1>\n\n\n\n
Q:<\/strong> \u201cI lost my baby boy 14 years ago. He was 9 months old at the time and had just begun to utter the word, \u2018Mom.\u2019 After putting him down for a nap in his room, my husband and I were enjoying each other\u2019s company in the living room. However, when I realized that the baby hadn\u2019t woken up past the usual time, I went into his room to check and found him dead.\u201d The mother shed tears while talking about her son who had died 14 years ago.<\/p>\n\n\n\nP:<\/strong> While the pain of losing a baby must be immense for any parent, just thinking about her baby still makes her weep even after 14 years. It\u2019s not as if the child has died recently, but thinking about her deceased son makes her fall into a mental state that can be described as \u201cbeing trapped in one\u2019s own thoughts.\u201d When she recalls a past event like watching a video clip and perceives it as something that is happening to her now, both her brain and mind will respond in the same way as the time when the child died. She will begin to shed tears and her throat will get choked up, and she will be unable to calm herself down. However, if she becomes preoccupied by thinking and talking about other things at that moment, she will be relieved from that state of mind. In a similar way, once she begins to ruminate about her deceased son and becomes absorbed in that thought, she will feel sad all over again.<\/p>\n\n\n\nIf a widow is in deep agony over her husband\u2019s death, she is suffering not because her husband has passed away but because she is obsessing over the thought of her husband\u2019s death. Even at her husband\u2019s funeral, if she sees food that looks appetizing and imagines how good it would taste, she is free of agony at that moment because she has momentarily let go of the thought that her husband has died. However, if her mind reverts back to thinking about her husband, she will in agony again. Being trapped in the thought that her husband has died, rather than the death itself, is what is making her suffer. Once she releases the thought from her mind, she will feel better right away.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Similarly, the mother has been grieving the loss of her baby for 14 years because she was unable to let go of the trauma from the experience. To this day, she blames herself for resting in the living room and not being with her baby when he was dying alone in his room. While we do not know the exact cause of the death, it is highly probable that he had a heart attack since the child died when the mother thought he was sleeping. That being the case, it is safe to assume that as he grew up, he would have suffered from heart problems. She can take some consolation in knowing that his premature death has spared him and both her and her husband considerable heartache and trouble down the road.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
If the mother had had a chance to raise her son and he had died while in elementary school or middle school, her grief might have been even greater than it is now. Furthermore, It\u2019s not as if the child died because she did something wrong such as carelessly placing the blanket over his face, thereby suffocating him to death. It was just a natural death. Logically speaking, there is really no need for her to feel guilty for not having been there with the child at the time of his death. It is better for her to think, \u201cHe is gone because that was all the time God gave us to spend together.\u201d and release her emotional attachment to him with a prayer like, \u201c\u2018I hope he will be blessed with a healthy body in his next life and lead a happy life.\u201d<\/gwmw><\/p>\n","post_title":"When The Grieving Continues","post_excerpt":"","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","post_password":"","post_name":"when-the-grieving-continues","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2023-10-22 19:57:38","post_modified_gmt":"2023-10-23 00:57:38","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/www.jungtosociety.org\/?p=16893","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
<\/p>\n\n\n\n
<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\n\n\n\n<\/gwmw><\/p>\n\n\n\n<\/gwmw><\/h1>\n\n\n\n<\/h1>\n\n\n\n<\/h1>\n\n\n\n
Q:<\/strong> \u201cI lost my baby boy 14 years ago. He was 9 months old at the time and had just begun to utter the word, \u2018Mom.\u2019 After putting him down for a nap in his room, my husband and I were enjoying each other\u2019s company in the living room. However, when I realized that the baby hadn\u2019t woken up past the usual time, I went into his room to check and found him dead.\u201d The mother shed tears while talking about her son who had died 14 years ago.<\/p>\n\n\n\nP:<\/strong> While the pain of losing a baby must be immense for any parent, just thinking about her baby still makes her weep even after 14 years. It\u2019s not as if the child has died recently, but thinking about her deceased son makes her fall into a mental state that can be described as \u201cbeing trapped in one\u2019s own thoughts.\u201d When she recalls a past event like watching a video clip and perceives it as something that is happening to her now, both her brain and mind will respond in the same way as the time when the child died. She will begin to shed tears and her throat will get choked up, and she will be unable to calm herself down. However, if she becomes preoccupied by thinking and talking about other things at that moment, she will be relieved from that state of mind. In a similar way, once she begins to ruminate about her deceased son and becomes absorbed in that thought, she will feel sad all over again.<\/p>\n\n\n\nIf a widow is in deep agony over her husband\u2019s death, she is suffering not because her husband has passed away but because she is obsessing over the thought of her husband\u2019s death. Even at her husband\u2019s funeral, if she sees food that looks appetizing and imagines how good it would taste, she is free of agony at that moment because she has momentarily let go of the thought that her husband has died. However, if her mind reverts back to thinking about her husband, she will in agony again. Being trapped in the thought that her husband has died, rather than the death itself, is what is making her suffer. Once she releases the thought from her mind, she will feel better right away.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Similarly, the mother has been grieving the loss of her baby for 14 years because she was unable to let go of the trauma from the experience. To this day, she blames herself for resting in the living room and not being with her baby when he was dying alone in his room. While we do not know the exact cause of the death, it is highly probable that he had a heart attack since the child died when the mother thought he was sleeping. That being the case, it is safe to assume that as he grew up, he would have suffered from heart problems. She can take some consolation in knowing that his premature death has spared him and both her and her husband considerable heartache and trouble down the road.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
If the mother had had a chance to raise her son and he had died while in elementary school or middle school, her grief might have been even greater than it is now. Furthermore, It\u2019s not as if the child died because she did something wrong such as carelessly placing the blanket over his face, thereby suffocating him to death. It was just a natural death. Logically speaking, there is really no need for her to feel guilty for not having been there with the child at the time of his death. It is better for her to think, \u201cHe is gone because that was all the time God gave us to spend together.\u201d and release her emotional attachment to him with a prayer like, \u201c\u2018I hope he will be blessed with a healthy body in his next life and lead a happy life.\u201d<\/gwmw><\/p>\n","post_title":"When The Grieving Continues","post_excerpt":"","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","post_password":"","post_name":"when-the-grieving-continues","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2023-10-22 19:57:38","post_modified_gmt":"2023-10-23 00:57:38","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/www.jungtosociety.org\/?p=16893","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-An extract from Venerable Pomnyun's book, Life Lessons<\/em>-<\/p>\n\n\n\n<\/p>\n\n\n\n
<\/p>\n\n\n\n
<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\n\n\n\n<\/gwmw><\/p>\n\n\n\n<\/gwmw><\/h1>\n\n\n\n<\/h1>\n\n\n\n<\/h1>\n\n\n\n
Q:<\/strong> \u201cI lost my baby boy 14 years ago. He was 9 months old at the time and had just begun to utter the word, \u2018Mom.\u2019 After putting him down for a nap in his room, my husband and I were enjoying each other\u2019s company in the living room. However, when I realized that the baby hadn\u2019t woken up past the usual time, I went into his room to check and found him dead.\u201d The mother shed tears while talking about her son who had died 14 years ago.<\/p>\n\n\n\nP:<\/strong> While the pain of losing a baby must be immense for any parent, just thinking about her baby still makes her weep even after 14 years. It\u2019s not as if the child has died recently, but thinking about her deceased son makes her fall into a mental state that can be described as \u201cbeing trapped in one\u2019s own thoughts.\u201d When she recalls a past event like watching a video clip and perceives it as something that is happening to her now, both her brain and mind will respond in the same way as the time when the child died. She will begin to shed tears and her throat will get choked up, and she will be unable to calm herself down. However, if she becomes preoccupied by thinking and talking about other things at that moment, she will be relieved from that state of mind. In a similar way, once she begins to ruminate about her deceased son and becomes absorbed in that thought, she will feel sad all over again.<\/p>\n\n\n\nIf a widow is in deep agony over her husband\u2019s death, she is suffering not because her husband has passed away but because she is obsessing over the thought of her husband\u2019s death. Even at her husband\u2019s funeral, if she sees food that looks appetizing and imagines how good it would taste, she is free of agony at that moment because she has momentarily let go of the thought that her husband has died. However, if her mind reverts back to thinking about her husband, she will in agony again. Being trapped in the thought that her husband has died, rather than the death itself, is what is making her suffer. Once she releases the thought from her mind, she will feel better right away.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Similarly, the mother has been grieving the loss of her baby for 14 years because she was unable to let go of the trauma from the experience. To this day, she blames herself for resting in the living room and not being with her baby when he was dying alone in his room. While we do not know the exact cause of the death, it is highly probable that he had a heart attack since the child died when the mother thought he was sleeping. That being the case, it is safe to assume that as he grew up, he would have suffered from heart problems. She can take some consolation in knowing that his premature death has spared him and both her and her husband considerable heartache and trouble down the road.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
If the mother had had a chance to raise her son and he had died while in elementary school or middle school, her grief might have been even greater than it is now. Furthermore, It\u2019s not as if the child died because she did something wrong such as carelessly placing the blanket over his face, thereby suffocating him to death. It was just a natural death. Logically speaking, there is really no need for her to feel guilty for not having been there with the child at the time of his death. It is better for her to think, \u201cHe is gone because that was all the time God gave us to spend together.\u201d and release her emotional attachment to him with a prayer like, \u201c\u2018I hope he will be blessed with a healthy body in his next life and lead a happy life.\u201d<\/gwmw><\/p>\n","post_title":"When The Grieving Continues","post_excerpt":"","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","post_password":"","post_name":"when-the-grieving-continues","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2023-10-22 19:57:38","post_modified_gmt":"2023-10-23 00:57:38","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/www.jungtosociety.org\/?p=16893","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"}; \nNevertheless, if we keep making ourselves miserable with various excuses, we are actually throwing away the happy life we rightfully deserve. Therefore, instead of asking the question of \u201cWhy do I live?\u201d which will only make us feel negative about life, we should utilize our valuable time and energy to think about \u201cHow can I live happily today? This is the way to live as masters who have both the responsibilities for and the rights to their own lives.<\/p>\n","post_title":"When You Want To Revisit The Question Why A Person Lives","post_excerpt":"","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","post_password":"","post_name":"when-you-want-to-revisit-the-question-why-a-person-lives","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2024-01-16 16:22:01","post_modified_gmt":"2024-01-16 21:22:01","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/www.jungtosociety.org\/?p=16898","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"},{"ID":16893,"post_author":"40","post_date":"2023-10-22 16:55:28","post_date_gmt":"2023-10-22 21:55:28","post_content":"\n
-An extract from Venerable Pomnyun's book, Life Lessons<\/em>-<\/p>\n\n\n\n<\/p>\n\n\n\n
<\/p>\n\n\n\n
<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\n\n\n\n<\/gwmw><\/p>\n\n\n\n<\/gwmw><\/h1>\n\n\n\n<\/h1>\n\n\n\n<\/h1>\n\n\n\n
Q:<\/strong> \u201cI lost my baby boy 14 years ago. He was 9 months old at the time and had just begun to utter the word, \u2018Mom.\u2019 After putting him down for a nap in his room, my husband and I were enjoying each other\u2019s company in the living room. However, when I realized that the baby hadn\u2019t woken up past the usual time, I went into his room to check and found him dead.\u201d The mother shed tears while talking about her son who had died 14 years ago.<\/p>\n\n\n\nP:<\/strong> While the pain of losing a baby must be immense for any parent, just thinking about her baby still makes her weep even after 14 years. It\u2019s not as if the child has died recently, but thinking about her deceased son makes her fall into a mental state that can be described as \u201cbeing trapped in one\u2019s own thoughts.\u201d When she recalls a past event like watching a video clip and perceives it as something that is happening to her now, both her brain and mind will respond in the same way as the time when the child died. She will begin to shed tears and her throat will get choked up, and she will be unable to calm herself down. However, if she becomes preoccupied by thinking and talking about other things at that moment, she will be relieved from that state of mind. In a similar way, once she begins to ruminate about her deceased son and becomes absorbed in that thought, she will feel sad all over again.<\/p>\n\n\n\nIf a widow is in deep agony over her husband\u2019s death, she is suffering not because her husband has passed away but because she is obsessing over the thought of her husband\u2019s death. Even at her husband\u2019s funeral, if she sees food that looks appetizing and imagines how good it would taste, she is free of agony at that moment because she has momentarily let go of the thought that her husband has died. However, if her mind reverts back to thinking about her husband, she will in agony again. Being trapped in the thought that her husband has died, rather than the death itself, is what is making her suffer. Once she releases the thought from her mind, she will feel better right away.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Similarly, the mother has been grieving the loss of her baby for 14 years because she was unable to let go of the trauma from the experience. To this day, she blames herself for resting in the living room and not being with her baby when he was dying alone in his room. While we do not know the exact cause of the death, it is highly probable that he had a heart attack since the child died when the mother thought he was sleeping. That being the case, it is safe to assume that as he grew up, he would have suffered from heart problems. She can take some consolation in knowing that his premature death has spared him and both her and her husband considerable heartache and trouble down the road.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
If the mother had had a chance to raise her son and he had died while in elementary school or middle school, her grief might have been even greater than it is now. Furthermore, It\u2019s not as if the child died because she did something wrong such as carelessly placing the blanket over his face, thereby suffocating him to death. It was just a natural death. Logically speaking, there is really no need for her to feel guilty for not having been there with the child at the time of his death. It is better for her to think, \u201cHe is gone because that was all the time God gave us to spend together.\u201d and release her emotional attachment to him with a prayer like, \u201c\u2018I hope he will be blessed with a healthy body in his next life and lead a happy life.\u201d<\/gwmw><\/p>\n","post_title":"When The Grieving Continues","post_excerpt":"","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","post_password":"","post_name":"when-the-grieving-continues","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2023-10-22 19:57:38","post_modified_gmt":"2023-10-23 00:57:38","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/www.jungtosociety.org\/?p=16893","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"}; \nAlthough we consider ourselves special beings, we are not. No matter how conceited we are, we will die if we don\u2019t eat for 100 days or if we can\u2019t breathe for 10 minutes. Therefore, it is extremely important that we don\u2019t consider ourselves special. That way, we can be relieved from the burden of being special and just live lightheartedly. Then, we can be comfortable with anybody we meet and any task we take up. We are the masters of our own lives. Thus, we have both the responsibility and the right to make our lives happy.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Nevertheless, if we keep making ourselves miserable with various excuses, we are actually throwing away the happy life we rightfully deserve. Therefore, instead of asking the question of \u201cWhy do I live?\u201d which will only make us feel negative about life, we should utilize our valuable time and energy to think about \u201cHow can I live happily today? This is the way to live as masters who have both the responsibilities for and the rights to their own lives.<\/p>\n","post_title":"When You Want To Revisit The Question Why A Person Lives","post_excerpt":"","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","post_password":"","post_name":"when-you-want-to-revisit-the-question-why-a-person-lives","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2024-01-16 16:22:01","post_modified_gmt":"2024-01-16 21:22:01","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/www.jungtosociety.org\/?p=16898","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"},{"ID":16893,"post_author":"40","post_date":"2023-10-22 16:55:28","post_date_gmt":"2023-10-22 21:55:28","post_content":"\n
-An extract from Venerable Pomnyun's book, Life Lessons<\/em>-<\/p>\n\n\n\n<\/p>\n\n\n\n
<\/p>\n\n\n\n
<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\n\n\n\n<\/gwmw><\/p>\n\n\n\n<\/gwmw><\/h1>\n\n\n\n<\/h1>\n\n\n\n<\/h1>\n\n\n\n
Q:<\/strong> \u201cI lost my baby boy 14 years ago. He was 9 months old at the time and had just begun to utter the word, \u2018Mom.\u2019 After putting him down for a nap in his room, my husband and I were enjoying each other\u2019s company in the living room. However, when I realized that the baby hadn\u2019t woken up past the usual time, I went into his room to check and found him dead.\u201d The mother shed tears while talking about her son who had died 14 years ago.<\/p>\n\n\n\nP:<\/strong> While the pain of losing a baby must be immense for any parent, just thinking about her baby still makes her weep even after 14 years. It\u2019s not as if the child has died recently, but thinking about her deceased son makes her fall into a mental state that can be described as \u201cbeing trapped in one\u2019s own thoughts.\u201d When she recalls a past event like watching a video clip and perceives it as something that is happening to her now, both her brain and mind will respond in the same way as the time when the child died. She will begin to shed tears and her throat will get choked up, and she will be unable to calm herself down. However, if she becomes preoccupied by thinking and talking about other things at that moment, she will be relieved from that state of mind. In a similar way, once she begins to ruminate about her deceased son and becomes absorbed in that thought, she will feel sad all over again.<\/p>\n\n\n\nIf a widow is in deep agony over her husband\u2019s death, she is suffering not because her husband has passed away but because she is obsessing over the thought of her husband\u2019s death. Even at her husband\u2019s funeral, if she sees food that looks appetizing and imagines how good it would taste, she is free of agony at that moment because she has momentarily let go of the thought that her husband has died. However, if her mind reverts back to thinking about her husband, she will in agony again. Being trapped in the thought that her husband has died, rather than the death itself, is what is making her suffer. Once she releases the thought from her mind, she will feel better right away.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Similarly, the mother has been grieving the loss of her baby for 14 years because she was unable to let go of the trauma from the experience. To this day, she blames herself for resting in the living room and not being with her baby when he was dying alone in his room. While we do not know the exact cause of the death, it is highly probable that he had a heart attack since the child died when the mother thought he was sleeping. That being the case, it is safe to assume that as he grew up, he would have suffered from heart problems. She can take some consolation in knowing that his premature death has spared him and both her and her husband considerable heartache and trouble down the road.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
If the mother had had a chance to raise her son and he had died while in elementary school or middle school, her grief might have been even greater than it is now. Furthermore, It\u2019s not as if the child died because she did something wrong such as carelessly placing the blanket over his face, thereby suffocating him to death. It was just a natural death. Logically speaking, there is really no need for her to feel guilty for not having been there with the child at the time of his death. It is better for her to think, \u201cHe is gone because that was all the time God gave us to spend together.\u201d and release her emotional attachment to him with a prayer like, \u201c\u2018I hope he will be blessed with a healthy body in his next life and lead a happy life.\u201d<\/gwmw><\/p>\n","post_title":"When The Grieving Continues","post_excerpt":"","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","post_password":"","post_name":"when-the-grieving-continues","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2023-10-22 19:57:38","post_modified_gmt":"2023-10-23 00:57:38","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/www.jungtosociety.org\/?p=16893","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"}; \nHidden behind the question \u201cWhy should I live?\u201d is the thought, \u201cI am special. Therefore, I have to live a special life, but I can\u2019t make my life special, so I am unhappy.\u201d Ironically, such a thought makes us feel miserable because we can\u2019t live up to the standard we have set for ourselves. Consequently, when we assign special values to our lives, we end up feeling the burden of having to meet the expectations we have set for ourselves. In the grand scheme of things, our lives are no different from those of a plant alongside the road or a squirrel in the mountain.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Although we consider ourselves special beings, we are not. No matter how conceited we are, we will die if we don\u2019t eat for 100 days or if we can\u2019t breathe for 10 minutes. Therefore, it is extremely important that we don\u2019t consider ourselves special. That way, we can be relieved from the burden of being special and just live lightheartedly. Then, we can be comfortable with anybody we meet and any task we take up. We are the masters of our own lives. Thus, we have both the responsibility and the right to make our lives happy.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Nevertheless, if we keep making ourselves miserable with various excuses, we are actually throwing away the happy life we rightfully deserve. Therefore, instead of asking the question of \u201cWhy do I live?\u201d which will only make us feel negative about life, we should utilize our valuable time and energy to think about \u201cHow can I live happily today? This is the way to live as masters who have both the responsibilities for and the rights to their own lives.<\/p>\n","post_title":"When You Want To Revisit The Question Why A Person Lives","post_excerpt":"","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","post_password":"","post_name":"when-you-want-to-revisit-the-question-why-a-person-lives","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2024-01-16 16:22:01","post_modified_gmt":"2024-01-16 21:22:01","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/www.jungtosociety.org\/?p=16898","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"},{"ID":16893,"post_author":"40","post_date":"2023-10-22 16:55:28","post_date_gmt":"2023-10-22 21:55:28","post_content":"\n
-An extract from Venerable Pomnyun's book, Life Lessons<\/em>-<\/p>\n\n\n\n<\/p>\n\n\n\n
<\/p>\n\n\n\n
<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\n\n\n\n<\/gwmw><\/p>\n\n\n\n<\/gwmw><\/h1>\n\n\n\n<\/h1>\n\n\n\n<\/h1>\n\n\n\n
Q:<\/strong> \u201cI lost my baby boy 14 years ago. He was 9 months old at the time and had just begun to utter the word, \u2018Mom.\u2019 After putting him down for a nap in his room, my husband and I were enjoying each other\u2019s company in the living room. However, when I realized that the baby hadn\u2019t woken up past the usual time, I went into his room to check and found him dead.\u201d The mother shed tears while talking about her son who had died 14 years ago.<\/p>\n\n\n\nP:<\/strong> While the pain of losing a baby must be immense for any parent, just thinking about her baby still makes her weep even after 14 years. It\u2019s not as if the child has died recently, but thinking about her deceased son makes her fall into a mental state that can be described as \u201cbeing trapped in one\u2019s own thoughts.\u201d When she recalls a past event like watching a video clip and perceives it as something that is happening to her now, both her brain and mind will respond in the same way as the time when the child died. She will begin to shed tears and her throat will get choked up, and she will be unable to calm herself down. However, if she becomes preoccupied by thinking and talking about other things at that moment, she will be relieved from that state of mind. In a similar way, once she begins to ruminate about her deceased son and becomes absorbed in that thought, she will feel sad all over again.<\/p>\n\n\n\nIf a widow is in deep agony over her husband\u2019s death, she is suffering not because her husband has passed away but because she is obsessing over the thought of her husband\u2019s death. Even at her husband\u2019s funeral, if she sees food that looks appetizing and imagines how good it would taste, she is free of agony at that moment because she has momentarily let go of the thought that her husband has died. However, if her mind reverts back to thinking about her husband, she will in agony again. Being trapped in the thought that her husband has died, rather than the death itself, is what is making her suffer. Once she releases the thought from her mind, she will feel better right away.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Similarly, the mother has been grieving the loss of her baby for 14 years because she was unable to let go of the trauma from the experience. To this day, she blames herself for resting in the living room and not being with her baby when he was dying alone in his room. While we do not know the exact cause of the death, it is highly probable that he had a heart attack since the child died when the mother thought he was sleeping. That being the case, it is safe to assume that as he grew up, he would have suffered from heart problems. She can take some consolation in knowing that his premature death has spared him and both her and her husband considerable heartache and trouble down the road.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
If the mother had had a chance to raise her son and he had died while in elementary school or middle school, her grief might have been even greater than it is now. Furthermore, It\u2019s not as if the child died because she did something wrong such as carelessly placing the blanket over his face, thereby suffocating him to death. It was just a natural death. Logically speaking, there is really no need for her to feel guilty for not having been there with the child at the time of his death. It is better for her to think, \u201cHe is gone because that was all the time God gave us to spend together.\u201d and release her emotional attachment to him with a prayer like, \u201c\u2018I hope he will be blessed with a healthy body in his next life and lead a happy life.\u201d<\/gwmw><\/p>\n","post_title":"When The Grieving Continues","post_excerpt":"","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","post_password":"","post_name":"when-the-grieving-continues","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2023-10-22 19:57:38","post_modified_gmt":"2023-10-23 00:57:38","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/www.jungtosociety.org\/?p=16893","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"}; \nAll living creatures go on living simply because they were born. Grasshoppers, squirrels, and rabbits don\u2019t question themselves why they live. They just do. You and I live just like the animals do. So, we should ask ourselves the question, \u201cWhat is the best way to lead our lives? Is it better to live happily or live miserably?\u201d Of course \u201cIt is better to live happily,\u201d so we should ponder, \u201cThen, how can I live that way?\u201d This is the healthy attitude that a person with the gift of life should take. Plants, rabbits, and humans all simply live. And, when the time comes, they all die. We don\u2019t live or die because we want to. Life is something that is just given to us, and when the time comes, it is taken away. Thus, ultimately, the only thing we can choose for ourselves is the attitude with which we embrace the life we are given. \u201cShould we live with suffering or with happiness?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Hidden behind the question \u201cWhy should I live?\u201d is the thought, \u201cI am special. Therefore, I have to live a special life, but I can\u2019t make my life special, so I am unhappy.\u201d Ironically, such a thought makes us feel miserable because we can\u2019t live up to the standard we have set for ourselves. Consequently, when we assign special values to our lives, we end up feeling the burden of having to meet the expectations we have set for ourselves. In the grand scheme of things, our lives are no different from those of a plant alongside the road or a squirrel in the mountain.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Although we consider ourselves special beings, we are not. No matter how conceited we are, we will die if we don\u2019t eat for 100 days or if we can\u2019t breathe for 10 minutes. Therefore, it is extremely important that we don\u2019t consider ourselves special. That way, we can be relieved from the burden of being special and just live lightheartedly. Then, we can be comfortable with anybody we meet and any task we take up. We are the masters of our own lives. Thus, we have both the responsibility and the right to make our lives happy.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Nevertheless, if we keep making ourselves miserable with various excuses, we are actually throwing away the happy life we rightfully deserve. Therefore, instead of asking the question of \u201cWhy do I live?\u201d which will only make us feel negative about life, we should utilize our valuable time and energy to think about \u201cHow can I live happily today? This is the way to live as masters who have both the responsibilities for and the rights to their own lives.<\/p>\n","post_title":"When You Want To Revisit The Question Why A Person Lives","post_excerpt":"","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","post_password":"","post_name":"when-you-want-to-revisit-the-question-why-a-person-lives","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2024-01-16 16:22:01","post_modified_gmt":"2024-01-16 21:22:01","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/www.jungtosociety.org\/?p=16898","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"},{"ID":16893,"post_author":"40","post_date":"2023-10-22 16:55:28","post_date_gmt":"2023-10-22 21:55:28","post_content":"\n
-An extract from Venerable Pomnyun's book, Life Lessons<\/em>-<\/p>\n\n\n\n<\/p>\n\n\n\n
<\/p>\n\n\n\n
<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\n\n\n\n<\/gwmw><\/p>\n\n\n\n<\/gwmw><\/h1>\n\n\n\n<\/h1>\n\n\n\n<\/h1>\n\n\n\n
Q:<\/strong> \u201cI lost my baby boy 14 years ago. He was 9 months old at the time and had just begun to utter the word, \u2018Mom.\u2019 After putting him down for a nap in his room, my husband and I were enjoying each other\u2019s company in the living room. However, when I realized that the baby hadn\u2019t woken up past the usual time, I went into his room to check and found him dead.\u201d The mother shed tears while talking about her son who had died 14 years ago.<\/p>\n\n\n\nP:<\/strong> While the pain of losing a baby must be immense for any parent, just thinking about her baby still makes her weep even after 14 years. It\u2019s not as if the child has died recently, but thinking about her deceased son makes her fall into a mental state that can be described as \u201cbeing trapped in one\u2019s own thoughts.\u201d When she recalls a past event like watching a video clip and perceives it as something that is happening to her now, both her brain and mind will respond in the same way as the time when the child died. She will begin to shed tears and her throat will get choked up, and she will be unable to calm herself down. However, if she becomes preoccupied by thinking and talking about other things at that moment, she will be relieved from that state of mind. In a similar way, once she begins to ruminate about her deceased son and becomes absorbed in that thought, she will feel sad all over again.<\/p>\n\n\n\nIf a widow is in deep agony over her husband\u2019s death, she is suffering not because her husband has passed away but because she is obsessing over the thought of her husband\u2019s death. Even at her husband\u2019s funeral, if she sees food that looks appetizing and imagines how good it would taste, she is free of agony at that moment because she has momentarily let go of the thought that her husband has died. However, if her mind reverts back to thinking about her husband, she will in agony again. Being trapped in the thought that her husband has died, rather than the death itself, is what is making her suffer. Once she releases the thought from her mind, she will feel better right away.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Similarly, the mother has been grieving the loss of her baby for 14 years because she was unable to let go of the trauma from the experience. To this day, she blames herself for resting in the living room and not being with her baby when he was dying alone in his room. While we do not know the exact cause of the death, it is highly probable that he had a heart attack since the child died when the mother thought he was sleeping. That being the case, it is safe to assume that as he grew up, he would have suffered from heart problems. She can take some consolation in knowing that his premature death has spared him and both her and her husband considerable heartache and trouble down the road.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
If the mother had had a chance to raise her son and he had died while in elementary school or middle school, her grief might have been even greater than it is now. Furthermore, It\u2019s not as if the child died because she did something wrong such as carelessly placing the blanket over his face, thereby suffocating him to death. It was just a natural death. Logically speaking, there is really no need for her to feel guilty for not having been there with the child at the time of his death. It is better for her to think, \u201cHe is gone because that was all the time God gave us to spend together.\u201d and release her emotional attachment to him with a prayer like, \u201c\u2018I hope he will be blessed with a healthy body in his next life and lead a happy life.\u201d<\/gwmw><\/p>\n","post_title":"When The Grieving Continues","post_excerpt":"","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","post_password":"","post_name":"when-the-grieving-continues","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2023-10-22 19:57:38","post_modified_gmt":"2023-10-23 00:57:38","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/www.jungtosociety.org\/?p=16893","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"}; \nWe weren\u2019t born Koreans because we wanted to; we just were. Consequently, there is no answer to the question, \u201c\u2018Why was I born a Korean?\u201d Yet, if we keep asking ourselves such a question, we could end up thinking, \u201cWhat\u2019s the purpose of living when I don\u2019t even know the meaning of life?\u201d When we relentlessly continue to ask, \u201cWhy do we live?\u201d we are likely to fall into negative thoughts like committing suicide. Therefore, it is imperative that we change our way of thinking.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
All living creatures go on living simply because they were born. Grasshoppers, squirrels, and rabbits don\u2019t question themselves why they live. They just do. You and I live just like the animals do. So, we should ask ourselves the question, \u201cWhat is the best way to lead our lives? Is it better to live happily or live miserably?\u201d Of course \u201cIt is better to live happily,\u201d so we should ponder, \u201cThen, how can I live that way?\u201d This is the healthy attitude that a person with the gift of life should take. Plants, rabbits, and humans all simply live. And, when the time comes, they all die. We don\u2019t live or die because we want to. Life is something that is just given to us, and when the time comes, it is taken away. Thus, ultimately, the only thing we can choose for ourselves is the attitude with which we embrace the life we are given. \u201cShould we live with suffering or with happiness?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Hidden behind the question \u201cWhy should I live?\u201d is the thought, \u201cI am special. Therefore, I have to live a special life, but I can\u2019t make my life special, so I am unhappy.\u201d Ironically, such a thought makes us feel miserable because we can\u2019t live up to the standard we have set for ourselves. Consequently, when we assign special values to our lives, we end up feeling the burden of having to meet the expectations we have set for ourselves. In the grand scheme of things, our lives are no different from those of a plant alongside the road or a squirrel in the mountain.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Although we consider ourselves special beings, we are not. No matter how conceited we are, we will die if we don\u2019t eat for 100 days or if we can\u2019t breathe for 10 minutes. Therefore, it is extremely important that we don\u2019t consider ourselves special. That way, we can be relieved from the burden of being special and just live lightheartedly. Then, we can be comfortable with anybody we meet and any task we take up. We are the masters of our own lives. Thus, we have both the responsibility and the right to make our lives happy.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Nevertheless, if we keep making ourselves miserable with various excuses, we are actually throwing away the happy life we rightfully deserve. Therefore, instead of asking the question of \u201cWhy do I live?\u201d which will only make us feel negative about life, we should utilize our valuable time and energy to think about \u201cHow can I live happily today? This is the way to live as masters who have both the responsibilities for and the rights to their own lives.<\/p>\n","post_title":"When You Want To Revisit The Question Why A Person Lives","post_excerpt":"","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","post_password":"","post_name":"when-you-want-to-revisit-the-question-why-a-person-lives","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2024-01-16 16:22:01","post_modified_gmt":"2024-01-16 21:22:01","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/www.jungtosociety.org\/?p=16898","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"},{"ID":16893,"post_author":"40","post_date":"2023-10-22 16:55:28","post_date_gmt":"2023-10-22 21:55:28","post_content":"\n
-An extract from Venerable Pomnyun's book, Life Lessons<\/em>-<\/p>\n\n\n\n<\/p>\n\n\n\n
<\/p>\n\n\n\n
<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\n\n\n\n<\/gwmw><\/p>\n\n\n\n<\/gwmw><\/h1>\n\n\n\n<\/h1>\n\n\n\n<\/h1>\n\n\n\n
Q:<\/strong> \u201cI lost my baby boy 14 years ago. He was 9 months old at the time and had just begun to utter the word, \u2018Mom.\u2019 After putting him down for a nap in his room, my husband and I were enjoying each other\u2019s company in the living room. However, when I realized that the baby hadn\u2019t woken up past the usual time, I went into his room to check and found him dead.\u201d The mother shed tears while talking about her son who had died 14 years ago.<\/p>\n\n\n\nP:<\/strong> While the pain of losing a baby must be immense for any parent, just thinking about her baby still makes her weep even after 14 years. It\u2019s not as if the child has died recently, but thinking about her deceased son makes her fall into a mental state that can be described as \u201cbeing trapped in one\u2019s own thoughts.\u201d When she recalls a past event like watching a video clip and perceives it as something that is happening to her now, both her brain and mind will respond in the same way as the time when the child died. She will begin to shed tears and her throat will get choked up, and she will be unable to calm herself down. However, if she becomes preoccupied by thinking and talking about other things at that moment, she will be relieved from that state of mind. In a similar way, once she begins to ruminate about her deceased son and becomes absorbed in that thought, she will feel sad all over again.<\/p>\n\n\n\nIf a widow is in deep agony over her husband\u2019s death, she is suffering not because her husband has passed away but because she is obsessing over the thought of her husband\u2019s death. Even at her husband\u2019s funeral, if she sees food that looks appetizing and imagines how good it would taste, she is free of agony at that moment because she has momentarily let go of the thought that her husband has died. However, if her mind reverts back to thinking about her husband, she will in agony again. Being trapped in the thought that her husband has died, rather than the death itself, is what is making her suffer. Once she releases the thought from her mind, she will feel better right away.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Similarly, the mother has been grieving the loss of her baby for 14 years because she was unable to let go of the trauma from the experience. To this day, she blames herself for resting in the living room and not being with her baby when he was dying alone in his room. While we do not know the exact cause of the death, it is highly probable that he had a heart attack since the child died when the mother thought he was sleeping. That being the case, it is safe to assume that as he grew up, he would have suffered from heart problems. She can take some consolation in knowing that his premature death has spared him and both her and her husband considerable heartache and trouble down the road.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
If the mother had had a chance to raise her son and he had died while in elementary school or middle school, her grief might have been even greater than it is now. Furthermore, It\u2019s not as if the child died because she did something wrong such as carelessly placing the blanket over his face, thereby suffocating him to death. It was just a natural death. Logically speaking, there is really no need for her to feel guilty for not having been there with the child at the time of his death. It is better for her to think, \u201cHe is gone because that was all the time God gave us to spend together.\u201d and release her emotional attachment to him with a prayer like, \u201c\u2018I hope he will be blessed with a healthy body in his next life and lead a happy life.\u201d<\/gwmw><\/p>\n","post_title":"When The Grieving Continues","post_excerpt":"","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","post_password":"","post_name":"when-the-grieving-continues","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2023-10-22 19:57:38","post_modified_gmt":"2023-10-23 00:57:38","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/www.jungtosociety.org\/?p=16893","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"}; \nHowever, there is no answer to this question because living the life we are given comes before thinking about \u201cWhy do we live?\u201d In other words, existence precedes reasoning. Because we live, we are able to think, so we cannot possibly get an answer to the question, \u201cWhy do we live?\u201d We were already born into the world regardless of whether we wanted to or not.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
We weren\u2019t born Koreans because we wanted to; we just were. Consequently, there is no answer to the question, \u201c\u2018Why was I born a Korean?\u201d Yet, if we keep asking ourselves such a question, we could end up thinking, \u201cWhat\u2019s the purpose of living when I don\u2019t even know the meaning of life?\u201d When we relentlessly continue to ask, \u201cWhy do we live?\u201d we are likely to fall into negative thoughts like committing suicide. Therefore, it is imperative that we change our way of thinking.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
All living creatures go on living simply because they were born. Grasshoppers, squirrels, and rabbits don\u2019t question themselves why they live. They just do. You and I live just like the animals do. So, we should ask ourselves the question, \u201cWhat is the best way to lead our lives? Is it better to live happily or live miserably?\u201d Of course \u201cIt is better to live happily,\u201d so we should ponder, \u201cThen, how can I live that way?\u201d This is the healthy attitude that a person with the gift of life should take. Plants, rabbits, and humans all simply live. And, when the time comes, they all die. We don\u2019t live or die because we want to. Life is something that is just given to us, and when the time comes, it is taken away. Thus, ultimately, the only thing we can choose for ourselves is the attitude with which we embrace the life we are given. \u201cShould we live with suffering or with happiness?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Hidden behind the question \u201cWhy should I live?\u201d is the thought, \u201cI am special. Therefore, I have to live a special life, but I can\u2019t make my life special, so I am unhappy.\u201d Ironically, such a thought makes us feel miserable because we can\u2019t live up to the standard we have set for ourselves. Consequently, when we assign special values to our lives, we end up feeling the burden of having to meet the expectations we have set for ourselves. In the grand scheme of things, our lives are no different from those of a plant alongside the road or a squirrel in the mountain.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Although we consider ourselves special beings, we are not. No matter how conceited we are, we will die if we don\u2019t eat for 100 days or if we can\u2019t breathe for 10 minutes. Therefore, it is extremely important that we don\u2019t consider ourselves special. That way, we can be relieved from the burden of being special and just live lightheartedly. Then, we can be comfortable with anybody we meet and any task we take up. We are the masters of our own lives. Thus, we have both the responsibility and the right to make our lives happy.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Nevertheless, if we keep making ourselves miserable with various excuses, we are actually throwing away the happy life we rightfully deserve. Therefore, instead of asking the question of \u201cWhy do I live?\u201d which will only make us feel negative about life, we should utilize our valuable time and energy to think about \u201cHow can I live happily today? This is the way to live as masters who have both the responsibilities for and the rights to their own lives.<\/p>\n","post_title":"When You Want To Revisit The Question Why A Person Lives","post_excerpt":"","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","post_password":"","post_name":"when-you-want-to-revisit-the-question-why-a-person-lives","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2024-01-16 16:22:01","post_modified_gmt":"2024-01-16 21:22:01","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/www.jungtosociety.org\/?p=16898","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"},{"ID":16893,"post_author":"40","post_date":"2023-10-22 16:55:28","post_date_gmt":"2023-10-22 21:55:28","post_content":"\n
-An extract from Venerable Pomnyun's book, Life Lessons<\/em>-<\/p>\n\n\n\n<\/p>\n\n\n\n
<\/p>\n\n\n\n
<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\n\n\n\n<\/gwmw><\/p>\n\n\n\n<\/gwmw><\/h1>\n\n\n\n<\/h1>\n\n\n\n<\/h1>\n\n\n\n
Q:<\/strong> \u201cI lost my baby boy 14 years ago. He was 9 months old at the time and had just begun to utter the word, \u2018Mom.\u2019 After putting him down for a nap in his room, my husband and I were enjoying each other\u2019s company in the living room. However, when I realized that the baby hadn\u2019t woken up past the usual time, I went into his room to check and found him dead.\u201d The mother shed tears while talking about her son who had died 14 years ago.<\/p>\n\n\n\nP:<\/strong> While the pain of losing a baby must be immense for any parent, just thinking about her baby still makes her weep even after 14 years. It\u2019s not as if the child has died recently, but thinking about her deceased son makes her fall into a mental state that can be described as \u201cbeing trapped in one\u2019s own thoughts.\u201d When she recalls a past event like watching a video clip and perceives it as something that is happening to her now, both her brain and mind will respond in the same way as the time when the child died. She will begin to shed tears and her throat will get choked up, and she will be unable to calm herself down. However, if she becomes preoccupied by thinking and talking about other things at that moment, she will be relieved from that state of mind. In a similar way, once she begins to ruminate about her deceased son and becomes absorbed in that thought, she will feel sad all over again.<\/p>\n\n\n\nIf a widow is in deep agony over her husband\u2019s death, she is suffering not because her husband has passed away but because she is obsessing over the thought of her husband\u2019s death. Even at her husband\u2019s funeral, if she sees food that looks appetizing and imagines how good it would taste, she is free of agony at that moment because she has momentarily let go of the thought that her husband has died. However, if her mind reverts back to thinking about her husband, she will in agony again. Being trapped in the thought that her husband has died, rather than the death itself, is what is making her suffer. Once she releases the thought from her mind, she will feel better right away.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Similarly, the mother has been grieving the loss of her baby for 14 years because she was unable to let go of the trauma from the experience. To this day, she blames herself for resting in the living room and not being with her baby when he was dying alone in his room. While we do not know the exact cause of the death, it is highly probable that he had a heart attack since the child died when the mother thought he was sleeping. That being the case, it is safe to assume that as he grew up, he would have suffered from heart problems. She can take some consolation in knowing that his premature death has spared him and both her and her husband considerable heartache and trouble down the road.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
If the mother had had a chance to raise her son and he had died while in elementary school or middle school, her grief might have been even greater than it is now. Furthermore, It\u2019s not as if the child died because she did something wrong such as carelessly placing the blanket over his face, thereby suffocating him to death. It was just a natural death. Logically speaking, there is really no need for her to feel guilty for not having been there with the child at the time of his death. It is better for her to think, \u201cHe is gone because that was all the time God gave us to spend together.\u201d and release her emotional attachment to him with a prayer like, \u201c\u2018I hope he will be blessed with a healthy body in his next life and lead a happy life.\u201d<\/gwmw><\/p>\n","post_title":"When The Grieving Continues","post_excerpt":"","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","post_password":"","post_name":"when-the-grieving-continues","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2023-10-22 19:57:38","post_modified_gmt":"2023-10-23 00:57:38","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/www.jungtosociety.org\/?p=16893","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"}; \nP:<\/strong> \u201cWhy should a person live?\u201d This is a question many people ask when they are young, and then there is another phase in life when people revisit this question. As people enter into their 40s, 50s, or reach menopause, they ask again with skepticism, \u201cWhat does it mean to live, what exactly is life?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\nHowever, there is no answer to this question because living the life we are given comes before thinking about \u201cWhy do we live?\u201d In other words, existence precedes reasoning. Because we live, we are able to think, so we cannot possibly get an answer to the question, \u201cWhy do we live?\u201d We were already born into the world regardless of whether we wanted to or not.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
We weren\u2019t born Koreans because we wanted to; we just were. Consequently, there is no answer to the question, \u201c\u2018Why was I born a Korean?\u201d Yet, if we keep asking ourselves such a question, we could end up thinking, \u201cWhat\u2019s the purpose of living when I don\u2019t even know the meaning of life?\u201d When we relentlessly continue to ask, \u201cWhy do we live?\u201d we are likely to fall into negative thoughts like committing suicide. Therefore, it is imperative that we change our way of thinking.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
All living creatures go on living simply because they were born. Grasshoppers, squirrels, and rabbits don\u2019t question themselves why they live. They just do. You and I live just like the animals do. So, we should ask ourselves the question, \u201cWhat is the best way to lead our lives? Is it better to live happily or live miserably?\u201d Of course \u201cIt is better to live happily,\u201d so we should ponder, \u201cThen, how can I live that way?\u201d This is the healthy attitude that a person with the gift of life should take. Plants, rabbits, and humans all simply live. And, when the time comes, they all die. We don\u2019t live or die because we want to. Life is something that is just given to us, and when the time comes, it is taken away. Thus, ultimately, the only thing we can choose for ourselves is the attitude with which we embrace the life we are given. \u201cShould we live with suffering or with happiness?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Hidden behind the question \u201cWhy should I live?\u201d is the thought, \u201cI am special. Therefore, I have to live a special life, but I can\u2019t make my life special, so I am unhappy.\u201d Ironically, such a thought makes us feel miserable because we can\u2019t live up to the standard we have set for ourselves. Consequently, when we assign special values to our lives, we end up feeling the burden of having to meet the expectations we have set for ourselves. In the grand scheme of things, our lives are no different from those of a plant alongside the road or a squirrel in the mountain.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Although we consider ourselves special beings, we are not. No matter how conceited we are, we will die if we don\u2019t eat for 100 days or if we can\u2019t breathe for 10 minutes. Therefore, it is extremely important that we don\u2019t consider ourselves special. That way, we can be relieved from the burden of being special and just live lightheartedly. Then, we can be comfortable with anybody we meet and any task we take up. We are the masters of our own lives. Thus, we have both the responsibility and the right to make our lives happy.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Nevertheless, if we keep making ourselves miserable with various excuses, we are actually throwing away the happy life we rightfully deserve. Therefore, instead of asking the question of \u201cWhy do I live?\u201d which will only make us feel negative about life, we should utilize our valuable time and energy to think about \u201cHow can I live happily today? This is the way to live as masters who have both the responsibilities for and the rights to their own lives.<\/p>\n","post_title":"When You Want To Revisit The Question Why A Person Lives","post_excerpt":"","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","post_password":"","post_name":"when-you-want-to-revisit-the-question-why-a-person-lives","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2024-01-16 16:22:01","post_modified_gmt":"2024-01-16 21:22:01","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/www.jungtosociety.org\/?p=16898","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"},{"ID":16893,"post_author":"40","post_date":"2023-10-22 16:55:28","post_date_gmt":"2023-10-22 21:55:28","post_content":"\n
-An extract from Venerable Pomnyun's book, Life Lessons<\/em>-<\/p>\n\n\n\n<\/p>\n\n\n\n
<\/p>\n\n\n\n
<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\n\n\n\n<\/gwmw><\/p>\n\n\n\n<\/gwmw><\/h1>\n\n\n\n<\/h1>\n\n\n\n<\/h1>\n\n\n\n
Q:<\/strong> \u201cI lost my baby boy 14 years ago. He was 9 months old at the time and had just begun to utter the word, \u2018Mom.\u2019 After putting him down for a nap in his room, my husband and I were enjoying each other\u2019s company in the living room. However, when I realized that the baby hadn\u2019t woken up past the usual time, I went into his room to check and found him dead.\u201d The mother shed tears while talking about her son who had died 14 years ago.<\/p>\n\n\n\nP:<\/strong> While the pain of losing a baby must be immense for any parent, just thinking about her baby still makes her weep even after 14 years. It\u2019s not as if the child has died recently, but thinking about her deceased son makes her fall into a mental state that can be described as \u201cbeing trapped in one\u2019s own thoughts.\u201d When she recalls a past event like watching a video clip and perceives it as something that is happening to her now, both her brain and mind will respond in the same way as the time when the child died. She will begin to shed tears and her throat will get choked up, and she will be unable to calm herself down. However, if she becomes preoccupied by thinking and talking about other things at that moment, she will be relieved from that state of mind. In a similar way, once she begins to ruminate about her deceased son and becomes absorbed in that thought, she will feel sad all over again.<\/p>\n\n\n\nIf a widow is in deep agony over her husband\u2019s death, she is suffering not because her husband has passed away but because she is obsessing over the thought of her husband\u2019s death. Even at her husband\u2019s funeral, if she sees food that looks appetizing and imagines how good it would taste, she is free of agony at that moment because she has momentarily let go of the thought that her husband has died. However, if her mind reverts back to thinking about her husband, she will in agony again. Being trapped in the thought that her husband has died, rather than the death itself, is what is making her suffer. Once she releases the thought from her mind, she will feel better right away.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Similarly, the mother has been grieving the loss of her baby for 14 years because she was unable to let go of the trauma from the experience. To this day, she blames herself for resting in the living room and not being with her baby when he was dying alone in his room. While we do not know the exact cause of the death, it is highly probable that he had a heart attack since the child died when the mother thought he was sleeping. That being the case, it is safe to assume that as he grew up, he would have suffered from heart problems. She can take some consolation in knowing that his premature death has spared him and both her and her husband considerable heartache and trouble down the road.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
If the mother had had a chance to raise her son and he had died while in elementary school or middle school, her grief might have been even greater than it is now. Furthermore, It\u2019s not as if the child died because she did something wrong such as carelessly placing the blanket over his face, thereby suffocating him to death. It was just a natural death. Logically speaking, there is really no need for her to feel guilty for not having been there with the child at the time of his death. It is better for her to think, \u201cHe is gone because that was all the time God gave us to spend together.\u201d and release her emotional attachment to him with a prayer like, \u201c\u2018I hope he will be blessed with a healthy body in his next life and lead a happy life.\u201d<\/gwmw><\/p>\n","post_title":"When The Grieving Continues","post_excerpt":"","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","post_password":"","post_name":"when-the-grieving-continues","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2023-10-22 19:57:38","post_modified_gmt":"2023-10-23 00:57:38","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/www.jungtosociety.org\/?p=16893","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<\/h1>\n\n\n\n
P:<\/strong> \u201cWhy should a person live?\u201d This is a question many people ask when they are young, and then there is another phase in life when people revisit this question. As people enter into their 40s, 50s, or reach menopause, they ask again with skepticism, \u201cWhat does it mean to live, what exactly is life?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\nHowever, there is no answer to this question because living the life we are given comes before thinking about \u201cWhy do we live?\u201d In other words, existence precedes reasoning. Because we live, we are able to think, so we cannot possibly get an answer to the question, \u201cWhy do we live?\u201d We were already born into the world regardless of whether we wanted to or not.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
We weren\u2019t born Koreans because we wanted to; we just were. Consequently, there is no answer to the question, \u201c\u2018Why was I born a Korean?\u201d Yet, if we keep asking ourselves such a question, we could end up thinking, \u201cWhat\u2019s the purpose of living when I don\u2019t even know the meaning of life?\u201d When we relentlessly continue to ask, \u201cWhy do we live?\u201d we are likely to fall into negative thoughts like committing suicide. Therefore, it is imperative that we change our way of thinking.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
All living creatures go on living simply because they were born. Grasshoppers, squirrels, and rabbits don\u2019t question themselves why they live. They just do. You and I live just like the animals do. So, we should ask ourselves the question, \u201cWhat is the best way to lead our lives? Is it better to live happily or live miserably?\u201d Of course \u201cIt is better to live happily,\u201d so we should ponder, \u201cThen, how can I live that way?\u201d This is the healthy attitude that a person with the gift of life should take. Plants, rabbits, and humans all simply live. And, when the time comes, they all die. We don\u2019t live or die because we want to. Life is something that is just given to us, and when the time comes, it is taken away. Thus, ultimately, the only thing we can choose for ourselves is the attitude with which we embrace the life we are given. \u201cShould we live with suffering or with happiness?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Hidden behind the question \u201cWhy should I live?\u201d is the thought, \u201cI am special. Therefore, I have to live a special life, but I can\u2019t make my life special, so I am unhappy.\u201d Ironically, such a thought makes us feel miserable because we can\u2019t live up to the standard we have set for ourselves. Consequently, when we assign special values to our lives, we end up feeling the burden of having to meet the expectations we have set for ourselves. In the grand scheme of things, our lives are no different from those of a plant alongside the road or a squirrel in the mountain.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Although we consider ourselves special beings, we are not. No matter how conceited we are, we will die if we don\u2019t eat for 100 days or if we can\u2019t breathe for 10 minutes. Therefore, it is extremely important that we don\u2019t consider ourselves special. That way, we can be relieved from the burden of being special and just live lightheartedly. Then, we can be comfortable with anybody we meet and any task we take up. We are the masters of our own lives. Thus, we have both the responsibility and the right to make our lives happy.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Nevertheless, if we keep making ourselves miserable with various excuses, we are actually throwing away the happy life we rightfully deserve. Therefore, instead of asking the question of \u201cWhy do I live?\u201d which will only make us feel negative about life, we should utilize our valuable time and energy to think about \u201cHow can I live happily today? This is the way to live as masters who have both the responsibilities for and the rights to their own lives.<\/p>\n","post_title":"When You Want To Revisit The Question Why A Person Lives","post_excerpt":"","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","post_password":"","post_name":"when-you-want-to-revisit-the-question-why-a-person-lives","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2024-01-16 16:22:01","post_modified_gmt":"2024-01-16 21:22:01","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/www.jungtosociety.org\/?p=16898","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"},{"ID":16893,"post_author":"40","post_date":"2023-10-22 16:55:28","post_date_gmt":"2023-10-22 21:55:28","post_content":"\n
-An extract from Venerable Pomnyun's book, Life Lessons<\/em>-<\/p>\n\n\n\n<\/p>\n\n\n\n
<\/p>\n\n\n\n
<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\n\n\n\n<\/gwmw><\/p>\n\n\n\n<\/gwmw><\/h1>\n\n\n\n<\/h1>\n\n\n\n<\/h1>\n\n\n\n
Q:<\/strong> \u201cI lost my baby boy 14 years ago. He was 9 months old at the time and had just begun to utter the word, \u2018Mom.\u2019 After putting him down for a nap in his room, my husband and I were enjoying each other\u2019s company in the living room. However, when I realized that the baby hadn\u2019t woken up past the usual time, I went into his room to check and found him dead.\u201d The mother shed tears while talking about her son who had died 14 years ago.<\/p>\n\n\n\nP:<\/strong> While the pain of losing a baby must be immense for any parent, just thinking about her baby still makes her weep even after 14 years. It\u2019s not as if the child has died recently, but thinking about her deceased son makes her fall into a mental state that can be described as \u201cbeing trapped in one\u2019s own thoughts.\u201d When she recalls a past event like watching a video clip and perceives it as something that is happening to her now, both her brain and mind will respond in the same way as the time when the child died. She will begin to shed tears and her throat will get choked up, and she will be unable to calm herself down. However, if she becomes preoccupied by thinking and talking about other things at that moment, she will be relieved from that state of mind. In a similar way, once she begins to ruminate about her deceased son and becomes absorbed in that thought, she will feel sad all over again.<\/p>\n\n\n\nIf a widow is in deep agony over her husband\u2019s death, she is suffering not because her husband has passed away but because she is obsessing over the thought of her husband\u2019s death. Even at her husband\u2019s funeral, if she sees food that looks appetizing and imagines how good it would taste, she is free of agony at that moment because she has momentarily let go of the thought that her husband has died. However, if her mind reverts back to thinking about her husband, she will in agony again. Being trapped in the thought that her husband has died, rather than the death itself, is what is making her suffer. Once she releases the thought from her mind, she will feel better right away.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Similarly, the mother has been grieving the loss of her baby for 14 years because she was unable to let go of the trauma from the experience. To this day, she blames herself for resting in the living room and not being with her baby when he was dying alone in his room. While we do not know the exact cause of the death, it is highly probable that he had a heart attack since the child died when the mother thought he was sleeping. That being the case, it is safe to assume that as he grew up, he would have suffered from heart problems. She can take some consolation in knowing that his premature death has spared him and both her and her husband considerable heartache and trouble down the road.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
If the mother had had a chance to raise her son and he had died while in elementary school or middle school, her grief might have been even greater than it is now. Furthermore, It\u2019s not as if the child died because she did something wrong such as carelessly placing the blanket over his face, thereby suffocating him to death. It was just a natural death. Logically speaking, there is really no need for her to feel guilty for not having been there with the child at the time of his death. It is better for her to think, \u201cHe is gone because that was all the time God gave us to spend together.\u201d and release her emotional attachment to him with a prayer like, \u201c\u2018I hope he will be blessed with a healthy body in his next life and lead a happy life.\u201d<\/gwmw><\/p>\n","post_title":"When The Grieving Continues","post_excerpt":"","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","post_password":"","post_name":"when-the-grieving-continues","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2023-10-22 19:57:38","post_modified_gmt":"2023-10-23 00:57:38","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/www.jungtosociety.org\/?p=16893","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<\/h1>\n\n\n\n<\/h1>\n\n\n\n
P:<\/strong> \u201cWhy should a person live?\u201d This is a question many people ask when they are young, and then there is another phase in life when people revisit this question. As people enter into their 40s, 50s, or reach menopause, they ask again with skepticism, \u201cWhat does it mean to live, what exactly is life?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\nHowever, there is no answer to this question because living the life we are given comes before thinking about \u201cWhy do we live?\u201d In other words, existence precedes reasoning. Because we live, we are able to think, so we cannot possibly get an answer to the question, \u201cWhy do we live?\u201d We were already born into the world regardless of whether we wanted to or not.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
We weren\u2019t born Koreans because we wanted to; we just were. Consequently, there is no answer to the question, \u201c\u2018Why was I born a Korean?\u201d Yet, if we keep asking ourselves such a question, we could end up thinking, \u201cWhat\u2019s the purpose of living when I don\u2019t even know the meaning of life?\u201d When we relentlessly continue to ask, \u201cWhy do we live?\u201d we are likely to fall into negative thoughts like committing suicide. Therefore, it is imperative that we change our way of thinking.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
All living creatures go on living simply because they were born. Grasshoppers, squirrels, and rabbits don\u2019t question themselves why they live. They just do. You and I live just like the animals do. So, we should ask ourselves the question, \u201cWhat is the best way to lead our lives? Is it better to live happily or live miserably?\u201d Of course \u201cIt is better to live happily,\u201d so we should ponder, \u201cThen, how can I live that way?\u201d This is the healthy attitude that a person with the gift of life should take. Plants, rabbits, and humans all simply live. And, when the time comes, they all die. We don\u2019t live or die because we want to. Life is something that is just given to us, and when the time comes, it is taken away. Thus, ultimately, the only thing we can choose for ourselves is the attitude with which we embrace the life we are given. \u201cShould we live with suffering or with happiness?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Hidden behind the question \u201cWhy should I live?\u201d is the thought, \u201cI am special. Therefore, I have to live a special life, but I can\u2019t make my life special, so I am unhappy.\u201d Ironically, such a thought makes us feel miserable because we can\u2019t live up to the standard we have set for ourselves. Consequently, when we assign special values to our lives, we end up feeling the burden of having to meet the expectations we have set for ourselves. In the grand scheme of things, our lives are no different from those of a plant alongside the road or a squirrel in the mountain.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Although we consider ourselves special beings, we are not. No matter how conceited we are, we will die if we don\u2019t eat for 100 days or if we can\u2019t breathe for 10 minutes. Therefore, it is extremely important that we don\u2019t consider ourselves special. That way, we can be relieved from the burden of being special and just live lightheartedly. Then, we can be comfortable with anybody we meet and any task we take up. We are the masters of our own lives. Thus, we have both the responsibility and the right to make our lives happy.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Nevertheless, if we keep making ourselves miserable with various excuses, we are actually throwing away the happy life we rightfully deserve. Therefore, instead of asking the question of \u201cWhy do I live?\u201d which will only make us feel negative about life, we should utilize our valuable time and energy to think about \u201cHow can I live happily today? This is the way to live as masters who have both the responsibilities for and the rights to their own lives.<\/p>\n","post_title":"When You Want To Revisit The Question Why A Person Lives","post_excerpt":"","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","post_password":"","post_name":"when-you-want-to-revisit-the-question-why-a-person-lives","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2024-01-16 16:22:01","post_modified_gmt":"2024-01-16 21:22:01","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/www.jungtosociety.org\/?p=16898","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"},{"ID":16893,"post_author":"40","post_date":"2023-10-22 16:55:28","post_date_gmt":"2023-10-22 21:55:28","post_content":"\n
-An extract from Venerable Pomnyun's book, Life Lessons<\/em>-<\/p>\n\n\n\n<\/p>\n\n\n\n
<\/p>\n\n\n\n
<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\n\n\n\n<\/gwmw><\/p>\n\n\n\n<\/gwmw><\/h1>\n\n\n\n<\/h1>\n\n\n\n<\/h1>\n\n\n\n
Q:<\/strong> \u201cI lost my baby boy 14 years ago. He was 9 months old at the time and had just begun to utter the word, \u2018Mom.\u2019 After putting him down for a nap in his room, my husband and I were enjoying each other\u2019s company in the living room. However, when I realized that the baby hadn\u2019t woken up past the usual time, I went into his room to check and found him dead.\u201d The mother shed tears while talking about her son who had died 14 years ago.<\/p>\n\n\n\nP:<\/strong> While the pain of losing a baby must be immense for any parent, just thinking about her baby still makes her weep even after 14 years. It\u2019s not as if the child has died recently, but thinking about her deceased son makes her fall into a mental state that can be described as \u201cbeing trapped in one\u2019s own thoughts.\u201d When she recalls a past event like watching a video clip and perceives it as something that is happening to her now, both her brain and mind will respond in the same way as the time when the child died. She will begin to shed tears and her throat will get choked up, and she will be unable to calm herself down. However, if she becomes preoccupied by thinking and talking about other things at that moment, she will be relieved from that state of mind. In a similar way, once she begins to ruminate about her deceased son and becomes absorbed in that thought, she will feel sad all over again.<\/p>\n\n\n\nIf a widow is in deep agony over her husband\u2019s death, she is suffering not because her husband has passed away but because she is obsessing over the thought of her husband\u2019s death. Even at her husband\u2019s funeral, if she sees food that looks appetizing and imagines how good it would taste, she is free of agony at that moment because she has momentarily let go of the thought that her husband has died. However, if her mind reverts back to thinking about her husband, she will in agony again. Being trapped in the thought that her husband has died, rather than the death itself, is what is making her suffer. Once she releases the thought from her mind, she will feel better right away.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Similarly, the mother has been grieving the loss of her baby for 14 years because she was unable to let go of the trauma from the experience. To this day, she blames herself for resting in the living room and not being with her baby when he was dying alone in his room. While we do not know the exact cause of the death, it is highly probable that he had a heart attack since the child died when the mother thought he was sleeping. That being the case, it is safe to assume that as he grew up, he would have suffered from heart problems. She can take some consolation in knowing that his premature death has spared him and both her and her husband considerable heartache and trouble down the road.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
If the mother had had a chance to raise her son and he had died while in elementary school or middle school, her grief might have been even greater than it is now. Furthermore, It\u2019s not as if the child died because she did something wrong such as carelessly placing the blanket over his face, thereby suffocating him to death. It was just a natural death. Logically speaking, there is really no need for her to feel guilty for not having been there with the child at the time of his death. It is better for her to think, \u201cHe is gone because that was all the time God gave us to spend together.\u201d and release her emotional attachment to him with a prayer like, \u201c\u2018I hope he will be blessed with a healthy body in his next life and lead a happy life.\u201d<\/gwmw><\/p>\n","post_title":"When The Grieving Continues","post_excerpt":"","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","post_password":"","post_name":"when-the-grieving-continues","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2023-10-22 19:57:38","post_modified_gmt":"2023-10-23 00:57:38","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/www.jungtosociety.org\/?p=16893","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<\/h1>\n\n\n\n<\/h1>\n\n\n\n
P:<\/strong> \u201cWhy should a person live?\u201d This is a question many people ask when they are young, and then there is another phase in life when people revisit this question. As people enter into their 40s, 50s, or reach menopause, they ask again with skepticism, \u201cWhat does it mean to live, what exactly is life?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\nHowever, there is no answer to this question because living the life we are given comes before thinking about \u201cWhy do we live?\u201d In other words, existence precedes reasoning. Because we live, we are able to think, so we cannot possibly get an answer to the question, \u201cWhy do we live?\u201d We were already born into the world regardless of whether we wanted to or not.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
We weren\u2019t born Koreans because we wanted to; we just were. Consequently, there is no answer to the question, \u201c\u2018Why was I born a Korean?\u201d Yet, if we keep asking ourselves such a question, we could end up thinking, \u201cWhat\u2019s the purpose of living when I don\u2019t even know the meaning of life?\u201d When we relentlessly continue to ask, \u201cWhy do we live?\u201d we are likely to fall into negative thoughts like committing suicide. Therefore, it is imperative that we change our way of thinking.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
All living creatures go on living simply because they were born. Grasshoppers, squirrels, and rabbits don\u2019t question themselves why they live. They just do. You and I live just like the animals do. So, we should ask ourselves the question, \u201cWhat is the best way to lead our lives? Is it better to live happily or live miserably?\u201d Of course \u201cIt is better to live happily,\u201d so we should ponder, \u201cThen, how can I live that way?\u201d This is the healthy attitude that a person with the gift of life should take. Plants, rabbits, and humans all simply live. And, when the time comes, they all die. We don\u2019t live or die because we want to. Life is something that is just given to us, and when the time comes, it is taken away. Thus, ultimately, the only thing we can choose for ourselves is the attitude with which we embrace the life we are given. \u201cShould we live with suffering or with happiness?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Hidden behind the question \u201cWhy should I live?\u201d is the thought, \u201cI am special. Therefore, I have to live a special life, but I can\u2019t make my life special, so I am unhappy.\u201d Ironically, such a thought makes us feel miserable because we can\u2019t live up to the standard we have set for ourselves. Consequently, when we assign special values to our lives, we end up feeling the burden of having to meet the expectations we have set for ourselves. In the grand scheme of things, our lives are no different from those of a plant alongside the road or a squirrel in the mountain.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Although we consider ourselves special beings, we are not. No matter how conceited we are, we will die if we don\u2019t eat for 100 days or if we can\u2019t breathe for 10 minutes. Therefore, it is extremely important that we don\u2019t consider ourselves special. That way, we can be relieved from the burden of being special and just live lightheartedly. Then, we can be comfortable with anybody we meet and any task we take up. We are the masters of our own lives. Thus, we have both the responsibility and the right to make our lives happy.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Nevertheless, if we keep making ourselves miserable with various excuses, we are actually throwing away the happy life we rightfully deserve. Therefore, instead of asking the question of \u201cWhy do I live?\u201d which will only make us feel negative about life, we should utilize our valuable time and energy to think about \u201cHow can I live happily today? This is the way to live as masters who have both the responsibilities for and the rights to their own lives.<\/p>\n","post_title":"When You Want To Revisit The Question Why A Person Lives","post_excerpt":"","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","post_password":"","post_name":"when-you-want-to-revisit-the-question-why-a-person-lives","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2024-01-16 16:22:01","post_modified_gmt":"2024-01-16 21:22:01","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/www.jungtosociety.org\/?p=16898","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"},{"ID":16893,"post_author":"40","post_date":"2023-10-22 16:55:28","post_date_gmt":"2023-10-22 21:55:28","post_content":"\n
-An extract from Venerable Pomnyun's book, Life Lessons<\/em>-<\/p>\n\n\n\n<\/p>\n\n\n\n
<\/p>\n\n\n\n
<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\n\n\n\n
