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<\/p>\n","post_title":"Special Report: Footsteps of the Buddha \u2013 Ven. Pomnyun Sunim Leads 500 Practitioners on the 33rd Jungto Pilgrimage across India and Nepal","post_excerpt":"The Korean Seon (Zen) master Venerable Pomnyun Sunim (\ubc95\ub95c\uc2a4\ub2d8) wears many hats: Buddhist monk, teacher, author, environmentalist, and social activist, to name a few. As a widely respected Dharma teacher and a tireless socially engaged activist in his native South Korea, Ven. Pomnyun Sunim has founded numerous Dharma-based organizations, initiatives, and projects that are active across the world. Among them, Jungto Society, a volunteer-based community founded on the Buddhist teachings and expressing equality, simple living, and sustainability, is dedicated to addressing modern social issues that lead to suffering, including environmental degradation, poverty, and conflict.\n\nThis column, shared by Jungto Society, presents a series of highlights from Ven. Pomnyun Sunim\u2019s writings, teachings, public talks, and regular live-streamed Dharma Q+A sessions, which are accessible across the globe.\n","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","post_password":"","post_name":"special-report-footsteps-of-the-buddha-ven-pomnyun-sunim-leads-500-practitioners-on-the-33rd-jungto-pilgrimage-across-india-and-nepal","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2024-02-09 11:17:33","post_modified_gmt":"2024-02-09 16:17:33","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/www.jungtosociety.org\/?p=18003","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"};

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<\/p>\n","post_title":"Special Report: Footsteps of the Buddha \u2013 Ven. Pomnyun Sunim Leads 500 Practitioners on the 33rd Jungto Pilgrimage across India and Nepal","post_excerpt":"The Korean Seon (Zen) master Venerable Pomnyun Sunim (\ubc95\ub95c\uc2a4\ub2d8) wears many hats: Buddhist monk, teacher, author, environmentalist, and social activist, to name a few. As a widely respected Dharma teacher and a tireless socially engaged activist in his native South Korea, Ven. Pomnyun Sunim has founded numerous Dharma-based organizations, initiatives, and projects that are active across the world. Among them, Jungto Society, a volunteer-based community founded on the Buddhist teachings and expressing equality, simple living, and sustainability, is dedicated to addressing modern social issues that lead to suffering, including environmental degradation, poverty, and conflict.\n\nThis column, shared by Jungto Society, presents a series of highlights from Ven. Pomnyun Sunim\u2019s writings, teachings, public talks, and regular live-streamed Dharma Q+A sessions, which are accessible across the globe.\n","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","post_password":"","post_name":"special-report-footsteps-of-the-buddha-ven-pomnyun-sunim-leads-500-practitioners-on-the-33rd-jungto-pilgrimage-across-india-and-nepal","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2024-02-09 11:17:33","post_modified_gmt":"2024-02-09 16:17:33","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/www.jungtosociety.org\/?p=18003","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"};

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<\/p>\n","post_title":"Special Report: Footsteps of the Buddha \u2013 Ven. Pomnyun Sunim Leads 500 Practitioners on the 33rd Jungto Pilgrimage across India and Nepal","post_excerpt":"The Korean Seon (Zen) master Venerable Pomnyun Sunim (\ubc95\ub95c\uc2a4\ub2d8) wears many hats: Buddhist monk, teacher, author, environmentalist, and social activist, to name a few. As a widely respected Dharma teacher and a tireless socially engaged activist in his native South Korea, Ven. Pomnyun Sunim has founded numerous Dharma-based organizations, initiatives, and projects that are active across the world. Among them, Jungto Society, a volunteer-based community founded on the Buddhist teachings and expressing equality, simple living, and sustainability, is dedicated to addressing modern social issues that lead to suffering, including environmental degradation, poverty, and conflict.\n\nThis column, shared by Jungto Society, presents a series of highlights from Ven. Pomnyun Sunim\u2019s writings, teachings, public talks, and regular live-streamed Dharma Q+A sessions, which are accessible across the globe.\n","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","post_password":"","post_name":"special-report-footsteps-of-the-buddha-ven-pomnyun-sunim-leads-500-practitioners-on-the-33rd-jungto-pilgrimage-across-india-and-nepal","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2024-02-09 11:17:33","post_modified_gmt":"2024-02-09 16:17:33","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/www.jungtosociety.org\/?p=18003","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"};

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<\/p>\n","post_title":"Special Report: Footsteps of the Buddha \u2013 Ven. Pomnyun Sunim Leads 500 Practitioners on the 33rd Jungto Pilgrimage across India and Nepal","post_excerpt":"The Korean Seon (Zen) master Venerable Pomnyun Sunim (\ubc95\ub95c\uc2a4\ub2d8) wears many hats: Buddhist monk, teacher, author, environmentalist, and social activist, to name a few. As a widely respected Dharma teacher and a tireless socially engaged activist in his native South Korea, Ven. Pomnyun Sunim has founded numerous Dharma-based organizations, initiatives, and projects that are active across the world. Among them, Jungto Society, a volunteer-based community founded on the Buddhist teachings and expressing equality, simple living, and sustainability, is dedicated to addressing modern social issues that lead to suffering, including environmental degradation, poverty, and conflict.\n\nThis column, shared by Jungto Society, presents a series of highlights from Ven. Pomnyun Sunim\u2019s writings, teachings, public talks, and regular live-streamed Dharma Q+A sessions, which are accessible across the globe.\n","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","post_password":"","post_name":"special-report-footsteps-of-the-buddha-ven-pomnyun-sunim-leads-500-practitioners-on-the-33rd-jungto-pilgrimage-across-india-and-nepal","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2024-02-09 11:17:33","post_modified_gmt":"2024-02-09 16:17:33","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/www.jungtosociety.org\/?p=18003","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"};

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<\/p>\n","post_title":"Special Report: Footsteps of the Buddha \u2013 Ven. Pomnyun Sunim Leads 500 Practitioners on the 33rd Jungto Pilgrimage across India and Nepal","post_excerpt":"The Korean Seon (Zen) master Venerable Pomnyun Sunim (\ubc95\ub95c\uc2a4\ub2d8) wears many hats: Buddhist monk, teacher, author, environmentalist, and social activist, to name a few. As a widely respected Dharma teacher and a tireless socially engaged activist in his native South Korea, Ven. Pomnyun Sunim has founded numerous Dharma-based organizations, initiatives, and projects that are active across the world. Among them, Jungto Society, a volunteer-based community founded on the Buddhist teachings and expressing equality, simple living, and sustainability, is dedicated to addressing modern social issues that lead to suffering, including environmental degradation, poverty, and conflict.\n\nThis column, shared by Jungto Society, presents a series of highlights from Ven. Pomnyun Sunim\u2019s writings, teachings, public talks, and regular live-streamed Dharma Q+A sessions, which are accessible across the globe.\n","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","post_password":"","post_name":"special-report-footsteps-of-the-buddha-ven-pomnyun-sunim-leads-500-practitioners-on-the-33rd-jungto-pilgrimage-across-india-and-nepal","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2024-02-09 11:17:33","post_modified_gmt":"2024-02-09 16:17:33","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/www.jungtosociety.org\/?p=18003","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"};

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\u25b6\ufe0f Read more: <\/a>https:\/\/www.buddhistdoor.net\/news\/special-report-footsteps-of-the-buddha-ven-pomnyun-sunim-leads-500-practitioners-on-the-33rd-jungto-pilgrimage-across-india-and-nepal\/<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

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<\/p>\n","post_title":"Special Report: Footsteps of the Buddha \u2013 Ven. Pomnyun Sunim Leads 500 Practitioners on the 33rd Jungto Pilgrimage across India and Nepal","post_excerpt":"The Korean Seon (Zen) master Venerable Pomnyun Sunim (\ubc95\ub95c\uc2a4\ub2d8) wears many hats: Buddhist monk, teacher, author, environmentalist, and social activist, to name a few. As a widely respected Dharma teacher and a tireless socially engaged activist in his native South Korea, Ven. Pomnyun Sunim has founded numerous Dharma-based organizations, initiatives, and projects that are active across the world. Among them, Jungto Society, a volunteer-based community founded on the Buddhist teachings and expressing equality, simple living, and sustainability, is dedicated to addressing modern social issues that lead to suffering, including environmental degradation, poverty, and conflict.\n\nThis column, shared by Jungto Society, presents a series of highlights from Ven. Pomnyun Sunim\u2019s writings, teachings, public talks, and regular live-streamed Dharma Q+A sessions, which are accessible across the globe.\n","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","post_password":"","post_name":"special-report-footsteps-of-the-buddha-ven-pomnyun-sunim-leads-500-practitioners-on-the-33rd-jungto-pilgrimage-across-india-and-nepal","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2024-02-09 11:17:33","post_modified_gmt":"2024-02-09 16:17:33","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/www.jungtosociety.org\/?p=18003","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"};

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\u25b6\ufe0f Published by BDG on February 7, 2024<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u25b6\ufe0f Read more: <\/a>https:\/\/www.buddhistdoor.net\/news\/special-report-footsteps-of-the-buddha-ven-pomnyun-sunim-leads-500-practitioners-on-the-33rd-jungto-pilgrimage-across-india-and-nepal\/<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

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<\/p>\n","post_title":"Special Report: Footsteps of the Buddha \u2013 Ven. Pomnyun Sunim Leads 500 Practitioners on the 33rd Jungto Pilgrimage across India and Nepal","post_excerpt":"The Korean Seon (Zen) master Venerable Pomnyun Sunim (\ubc95\ub95c\uc2a4\ub2d8) wears many hats: Buddhist monk, teacher, author, environmentalist, and social activist, to name a few. As a widely respected Dharma teacher and a tireless socially engaged activist in his native South Korea, Ven. Pomnyun Sunim has founded numerous Dharma-based organizations, initiatives, and projects that are active across the world. Among them, Jungto Society, a volunteer-based community founded on the Buddhist teachings and expressing equality, simple living, and sustainability, is dedicated to addressing modern social issues that lead to suffering, including environmental degradation, poverty, and conflict.\n\nThis column, shared by Jungto Society, presents a series of highlights from Ven. Pomnyun Sunim\u2019s writings, teachings, public talks, and regular live-streamed Dharma Q+A sessions, which are accessible across the globe.\n","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","post_password":"","post_name":"special-report-footsteps-of-the-buddha-ven-pomnyun-sunim-leads-500-practitioners-on-the-33rd-jungto-pilgrimage-across-india-and-nepal","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2024-02-09 11:17:33","post_modified_gmt":"2024-02-09 16:17:33","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/www.jungtosociety.org\/?p=18003","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"};

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Although fewer in number than the 1,250 practitioners who attended Jungto Society\u2019s 2023 pilgrimage,2<\/sup> the 500-plus Korean Buddhist pilgrims who recently returned from India were accompanied nine practitioners from Italy, Japan, Thailand, the United Kingdom, the United States, and Vietnam\u2014some of whom are members of the the International Network of Engaged Buddhists (INEB), including two bhikkhunis<\/em> from Thailand, while others are graduates of Jungto Society\u2019s English-language Dharma School.3<\/sup><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u25b6\ufe0f Published by BDG on February 7, 2024<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u25b6\ufe0f Read more: <\/a>https:\/\/www.buddhistdoor.net\/news\/special-report-footsteps-of-the-buddha-ven-pomnyun-sunim-leads-500-practitioners-on-the-33rd-jungto-pilgrimage-across-india-and-nepal\/<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

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<\/p>\n","post_title":"Special Report: Footsteps of the Buddha \u2013 Ven. Pomnyun Sunim Leads 500 Practitioners on the 33rd Jungto Pilgrimage across India and Nepal","post_excerpt":"The Korean Seon (Zen) master Venerable Pomnyun Sunim (\ubc95\ub95c\uc2a4\ub2d8) wears many hats: Buddhist monk, teacher, author, environmentalist, and social activist, to name a few. As a widely respected Dharma teacher and a tireless socially engaged activist in his native South Korea, Ven. Pomnyun Sunim has founded numerous Dharma-based organizations, initiatives, and projects that are active across the world. Among them, Jungto Society, a volunteer-based community founded on the Buddhist teachings and expressing equality, simple living, and sustainability, is dedicated to addressing modern social issues that lead to suffering, including environmental degradation, poverty, and conflict.\n\nThis column, shared by Jungto Society, presents a series of highlights from Ven. Pomnyun Sunim\u2019s writings, teachings, public talks, and regular live-streamed Dharma Q+A sessions, which are accessible across the globe.\n","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","post_password":"","post_name":"special-report-footsteps-of-the-buddha-ven-pomnyun-sunim-leads-500-practitioners-on-the-33rd-jungto-pilgrimage-across-india-and-nepal","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2024-02-09 11:17:33","post_modified_gmt":"2024-02-09 16:17:33","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/www.jungtosociety.org\/?p=18003","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

Jungto Society is a volunteer-run community of practitioners that aspires to embody the Buddhist teachings through social engagement, and by promoting a simple lifestyle centered on sustainable living. The community seeks to address the crises of modern society, such as greed, poverty, conflict, and environmental degradation, by applying a Buddhist worldview of interconnectedness and living in line with the principle that everyone can find happiness through Buddhist practice and active participation in social movements.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Although fewer in number than the 1,250 practitioners who attended Jungto Society\u2019s 2023 pilgrimage,2<\/sup> the 500-plus Korean Buddhist pilgrims who recently returned from India were accompanied nine practitioners from Italy, Japan, Thailand, the United Kingdom, the United States, and Vietnam\u2014some of whom are members of the the International Network of Engaged Buddhists (INEB), including two bhikkhunis<\/em> from Thailand, while others are graduates of Jungto Society\u2019s English-language Dharma School.3<\/sup><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u25b6\ufe0f Published by BDG on February 7, 2024<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u25b6\ufe0f Read more: <\/a>https:\/\/www.buddhistdoor.net\/news\/special-report-footsteps-of-the-buddha-ven-pomnyun-sunim-leads-500-practitioners-on-the-33rd-jungto-pilgrimage-across-india-and-nepal\/<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

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<\/p>\n","post_title":"Special Report: Footsteps of the Buddha \u2013 Ven. Pomnyun Sunim Leads 500 Practitioners on the 33rd Jungto Pilgrimage across India and Nepal","post_excerpt":"The Korean Seon (Zen) master Venerable Pomnyun Sunim (\ubc95\ub95c\uc2a4\ub2d8) wears many hats: Buddhist monk, teacher, author, environmentalist, and social activist, to name a few. As a widely respected Dharma teacher and a tireless socially engaged activist in his native South Korea, Ven. Pomnyun Sunim has founded numerous Dharma-based organizations, initiatives, and projects that are active across the world. Among them, Jungto Society, a volunteer-based community founded on the Buddhist teachings and expressing equality, simple living, and sustainability, is dedicated to addressing modern social issues that lead to suffering, including environmental degradation, poverty, and conflict.\n\nThis column, shared by Jungto Society, presents a series of highlights from Ven. Pomnyun Sunim\u2019s writings, teachings, public talks, and regular live-streamed Dharma Q+A sessions, which are accessible across the globe.\n","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","post_password":"","post_name":"special-report-footsteps-of-the-buddha-ven-pomnyun-sunim-leads-500-practitioners-on-the-33rd-jungto-pilgrimage-across-india-and-nepal","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2024-02-09 11:17:33","post_modified_gmt":"2024-02-09 16:17:33","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/www.jungtosociety.org\/?p=18003","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"};

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<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Jungto Society is a volunteer-run community of practitioners that aspires to embody the Buddhist teachings through social engagement, and by promoting a simple lifestyle centered on sustainable living. The community seeks to address the crises of modern society, such as greed, poverty, conflict, and environmental degradation, by applying a Buddhist worldview of interconnectedness and living in line with the principle that everyone can find happiness through Buddhist practice and active participation in social movements.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Although fewer in number than the 1,250 practitioners who attended Jungto Society\u2019s 2023 pilgrimage,2<\/sup> the 500-plus Korean Buddhist pilgrims who recently returned from India were accompanied nine practitioners from Italy, Japan, Thailand, the United Kingdom, the United States, and Vietnam\u2014some of whom are members of the the International Network of Engaged Buddhists (INEB), including two bhikkhunis<\/em> from Thailand, while others are graduates of Jungto Society\u2019s English-language Dharma School.3<\/sup><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u25b6\ufe0f Published by BDG on February 7, 2024<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u25b6\ufe0f Read more: <\/a>https:\/\/www.buddhistdoor.net\/news\/special-report-footsteps-of-the-buddha-ven-pomnyun-sunim-leads-500-practitioners-on-the-33rd-jungto-pilgrimage-across-india-and-nepal\/<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

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<\/p>\n","post_title":"Special Report: Footsteps of the Buddha \u2013 Ven. Pomnyun Sunim Leads 500 Practitioners on the 33rd Jungto Pilgrimage across India and Nepal","post_excerpt":"The Korean Seon (Zen) master Venerable Pomnyun Sunim (\ubc95\ub95c\uc2a4\ub2d8) wears many hats: Buddhist monk, teacher, author, environmentalist, and social activist, to name a few. As a widely respected Dharma teacher and a tireless socially engaged activist in his native South Korea, Ven. Pomnyun Sunim has founded numerous Dharma-based organizations, initiatives, and projects that are active across the world. Among them, Jungto Society, a volunteer-based community founded on the Buddhist teachings and expressing equality, simple living, and sustainability, is dedicated to addressing modern social issues that lead to suffering, including environmental degradation, poverty, and conflict.\n\nThis column, shared by Jungto Society, presents a series of highlights from Ven. Pomnyun Sunim\u2019s writings, teachings, public talks, and regular live-streamed Dharma Q+A sessions, which are accessible across the globe.\n","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","post_password":"","post_name":"special-report-footsteps-of-the-buddha-ven-pomnyun-sunim-leads-500-practitioners-on-the-33rd-jungto-pilgrimage-across-india-and-nepal","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2024-02-09 11:17:33","post_modified_gmt":"2024-02-09 16:17:33","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/www.jungtosociety.org\/?p=18003","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"};

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Jungto Society is a volunteer-run community of practitioners that aspires to embody the Buddhist teachings through social engagement, and by promoting a simple lifestyle centered on sustainable living. The community seeks to address the crises of modern society, such as greed, poverty, conflict, and environmental degradation, by applying a Buddhist worldview of interconnectedness and living in line with the principle that everyone can find happiness through Buddhist practice and active participation in social movements.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Although fewer in number than the 1,250 practitioners who attended Jungto Society\u2019s 2023 pilgrimage,2<\/sup> the 500-plus Korean Buddhist pilgrims who recently returned from India were accompanied nine practitioners from Italy, Japan, Thailand, the United Kingdom, the United States, and Vietnam\u2014some of whom are members of the the International Network of Engaged Buddhists (INEB), including two bhikkhunis<\/em> from Thailand, while others are graduates of Jungto Society\u2019s English-language Dharma School.3<\/sup><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u25b6\ufe0f Published by BDG on February 7, 2024<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u25b6\ufe0f Read more: <\/a>https:\/\/www.buddhistdoor.net\/news\/special-report-footsteps-of-the-buddha-ven-pomnyun-sunim-leads-500-practitioners-on-the-33rd-jungto-pilgrimage-across-india-and-nepal\/<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

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<\/p>\n","post_title":"Special Report: Footsteps of the Buddha \u2013 Ven. Pomnyun Sunim Leads 500 Practitioners on the 33rd Jungto Pilgrimage across India and Nepal","post_excerpt":"The Korean Seon (Zen) master Venerable Pomnyun Sunim (\ubc95\ub95c\uc2a4\ub2d8) wears many hats: Buddhist monk, teacher, author, environmentalist, and social activist, to name a few. As a widely respected Dharma teacher and a tireless socially engaged activist in his native South Korea, Ven. Pomnyun Sunim has founded numerous Dharma-based organizations, initiatives, and projects that are active across the world. Among them, Jungto Society, a volunteer-based community founded on the Buddhist teachings and expressing equality, simple living, and sustainability, is dedicated to addressing modern social issues that lead to suffering, including environmental degradation, poverty, and conflict.\n\nThis column, shared by Jungto Society, presents a series of highlights from Ven. Pomnyun Sunim\u2019s writings, teachings, public talks, and regular live-streamed Dharma Q+A sessions, which are accessible across the globe.\n","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","post_password":"","post_name":"special-report-footsteps-of-the-buddha-ven-pomnyun-sunim-leads-500-practitioners-on-the-33rd-jungto-pilgrimage-across-india-and-nepal","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2024-02-09 11:17:33","post_modified_gmt":"2024-02-09 16:17:33","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/www.jungtosociety.org\/?p=18003","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"};

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<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Jungto Society is a volunteer-run community of practitioners that aspires to embody the Buddhist teachings through social engagement, and by promoting a simple lifestyle centered on sustainable living. The community seeks to address the crises of modern society, such as greed, poverty, conflict, and environmental degradation, by applying a Buddhist worldview of interconnectedness and living in line with the principle that everyone can find happiness through Buddhist practice and active participation in social movements.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Although fewer in number than the 1,250 practitioners who attended Jungto Society\u2019s 2023 pilgrimage,2<\/sup> the 500-plus Korean Buddhist pilgrims who recently returned from India were accompanied nine practitioners from Italy, Japan, Thailand, the United Kingdom, the United States, and Vietnam\u2014some of whom are members of the the International Network of Engaged Buddhists (INEB), including two bhikkhunis<\/em> from Thailand, while others are graduates of Jungto Society\u2019s English-language Dharma School.3<\/sup><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u25b6\ufe0f Published by BDG on February 7, 2024<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u25b6\ufe0f Read more: <\/a>https:\/\/www.buddhistdoor.net\/news\/special-report-footsteps-of-the-buddha-ven-pomnyun-sunim-leads-500-practitioners-on-the-33rd-jungto-pilgrimage-across-india-and-nepal\/<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

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<\/p>\n","post_title":"Special Report: Footsteps of the Buddha \u2013 Ven. Pomnyun Sunim Leads 500 Practitioners on the 33rd Jungto Pilgrimage across India and Nepal","post_excerpt":"The Korean Seon (Zen) master Venerable Pomnyun Sunim (\ubc95\ub95c\uc2a4\ub2d8) wears many hats: Buddhist monk, teacher, author, environmentalist, and social activist, to name a few. As a widely respected Dharma teacher and a tireless socially engaged activist in his native South Korea, Ven. Pomnyun Sunim has founded numerous Dharma-based organizations, initiatives, and projects that are active across the world. Among them, Jungto Society, a volunteer-based community founded on the Buddhist teachings and expressing equality, simple living, and sustainability, is dedicated to addressing modern social issues that lead to suffering, including environmental degradation, poverty, and conflict.\n\nThis column, shared by Jungto Society, presents a series of highlights from Ven. Pomnyun Sunim\u2019s writings, teachings, public talks, and regular live-streamed Dharma Q+A sessions, which are accessible across the globe.\n","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","post_password":"","post_name":"special-report-footsteps-of-the-buddha-ven-pomnyun-sunim-leads-500-practitioners-on-the-33rd-jungto-pilgrimage-across-india-and-nepal","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2024-02-09 11:17:33","post_modified_gmt":"2024-02-09 16:17:33","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/www.jungtosociety.org\/?p=18003","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"};

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Jungto Society is a volunteer-run community of practitioners that aspires to embody the Buddhist teachings through social engagement, and by promoting a simple lifestyle centered on sustainable living. The community seeks to address the crises of modern society, such as greed, poverty, conflict, and environmental degradation, by applying a Buddhist worldview of interconnectedness and living in line with the principle that everyone can find happiness through Buddhist practice and active participation in social movements.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Although fewer in number than the 1,250 practitioners who attended Jungto Society\u2019s 2023 pilgrimage,2<\/sup> the 500-plus Korean Buddhist pilgrims who recently returned from India were accompanied nine practitioners from Italy, Japan, Thailand, the United Kingdom, the United States, and Vietnam\u2014some of whom are members of the the International Network of Engaged Buddhists (INEB), including two bhikkhunis<\/em> from Thailand, while others are graduates of Jungto Society\u2019s English-language Dharma School.3<\/sup><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u25b6\ufe0f Published by BDG on February 7, 2024<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u25b6\ufe0f Read more: <\/a>https:\/\/www.buddhistdoor.net\/news\/special-report-footsteps-of-the-buddha-ven-pomnyun-sunim-leads-500-practitioners-on-the-33rd-jungto-pilgrimage-across-india-and-nepal\/<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

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<\/p>\n","post_title":"Special Report: Footsteps of the Buddha \u2013 Ven. Pomnyun Sunim Leads 500 Practitioners on the 33rd Jungto Pilgrimage across India and Nepal","post_excerpt":"The Korean Seon (Zen) master Venerable Pomnyun Sunim (\ubc95\ub95c\uc2a4\ub2d8) wears many hats: Buddhist monk, teacher, author, environmentalist, and social activist, to name a few. As a widely respected Dharma teacher and a tireless socially engaged activist in his native South Korea, Ven. Pomnyun Sunim has founded numerous Dharma-based organizations, initiatives, and projects that are active across the world. Among them, Jungto Society, a volunteer-based community founded on the Buddhist teachings and expressing equality, simple living, and sustainability, is dedicated to addressing modern social issues that lead to suffering, including environmental degradation, poverty, and conflict.\n\nThis column, shared by Jungto Society, presents a series of highlights from Ven. Pomnyun Sunim\u2019s writings, teachings, public talks, and regular live-streamed Dharma Q+A sessions, which are accessible across the globe.\n","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","post_password":"","post_name":"special-report-footsteps-of-the-buddha-ven-pomnyun-sunim-leads-500-practitioners-on-the-33rd-jungto-pilgrimage-across-india-and-nepal","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2024-02-09 11:17:33","post_modified_gmt":"2024-02-09 16:17:33","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/www.jungtosociety.org\/?p=18003","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"};

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<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Jungto Society is a volunteer-run community of practitioners that aspires to embody the Buddhist teachings through social engagement, and by promoting a simple lifestyle centered on sustainable living. The community seeks to address the crises of modern society, such as greed, poverty, conflict, and environmental degradation, by applying a Buddhist worldview of interconnectedness and living in line with the principle that everyone can find happiness through Buddhist practice and active participation in social movements.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Although fewer in number than the 1,250 practitioners who attended Jungto Society\u2019s 2023 pilgrimage,2<\/sup> the 500-plus Korean Buddhist pilgrims who recently returned from India were accompanied nine practitioners from Italy, Japan, Thailand, the United Kingdom, the United States, and Vietnam\u2014some of whom are members of the the International Network of Engaged Buddhists (INEB), including two bhikkhunis<\/em> from Thailand, while others are graduates of Jungto Society\u2019s English-language Dharma School.3<\/sup><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u25b6\ufe0f Published by BDG on February 7, 2024<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u25b6\ufe0f Read more: <\/a>https:\/\/www.buddhistdoor.net\/news\/special-report-footsteps-of-the-buddha-ven-pomnyun-sunim-leads-500-practitioners-on-the-33rd-jungto-pilgrimage-across-india-and-nepal\/<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

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<\/p>\n","post_title":"Special Report: Footsteps of the Buddha \u2013 Ven. Pomnyun Sunim Leads 500 Practitioners on the 33rd Jungto Pilgrimage across India and Nepal","post_excerpt":"The Korean Seon (Zen) master Venerable Pomnyun Sunim (\ubc95\ub95c\uc2a4\ub2d8) wears many hats: Buddhist monk, teacher, author, environmentalist, and social activist, to name a few. As a widely respected Dharma teacher and a tireless socially engaged activist in his native South Korea, Ven. Pomnyun Sunim has founded numerous Dharma-based organizations, initiatives, and projects that are active across the world. Among them, Jungto Society, a volunteer-based community founded on the Buddhist teachings and expressing equality, simple living, and sustainability, is dedicated to addressing modern social issues that lead to suffering, including environmental degradation, poverty, and conflict.\n\nThis column, shared by Jungto Society, presents a series of highlights from Ven. Pomnyun Sunim\u2019s writings, teachings, public talks, and regular live-streamed Dharma Q+A sessions, which are accessible across the globe.\n","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","post_password":"","post_name":"special-report-footsteps-of-the-buddha-ven-pomnyun-sunim-leads-500-practitioners-on-the-33rd-jungto-pilgrimage-across-india-and-nepal","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2024-02-09 11:17:33","post_modified_gmt":"2024-02-09 16:17:33","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/www.jungtosociety.org\/?p=18003","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"};

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Because of the unique significance of the Sujata Academy\u2019s 30th anniversary, BDG will cover that event in more depth in a separate upcoming report and interview.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\"\"<\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Jungto Society is a volunteer-run community of practitioners that aspires to embody the Buddhist teachings through social engagement, and by promoting a simple lifestyle centered on sustainable living. The community seeks to address the crises of modern society, such as greed, poverty, conflict, and environmental degradation, by applying a Buddhist worldview of interconnectedness and living in line with the principle that everyone can find happiness through Buddhist practice and active participation in social movements.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Although fewer in number than the 1,250 practitioners who attended Jungto Society\u2019s 2023 pilgrimage,2<\/sup> the 500-plus Korean Buddhist pilgrims who recently returned from India were accompanied nine practitioners from Italy, Japan, Thailand, the United Kingdom, the United States, and Vietnam\u2014some of whom are members of the the International Network of Engaged Buddhists (INEB), including two bhikkhunis<\/em> from Thailand, while others are graduates of Jungto Society\u2019s English-language Dharma School.3<\/sup><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u25b6\ufe0f Published by BDG on February 7, 2024<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u25b6\ufe0f Read more: <\/a>https:\/\/www.buddhistdoor.net\/news\/special-report-footsteps-of-the-buddha-ven-pomnyun-sunim-leads-500-practitioners-on-the-33rd-jungto-pilgrimage-across-india-and-nepal\/<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

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<\/p>\n","post_title":"Special Report: Footsteps of the Buddha \u2013 Ven. Pomnyun Sunim Leads 500 Practitioners on the 33rd Jungto Pilgrimage across India and Nepal","post_excerpt":"The Korean Seon (Zen) master Venerable Pomnyun Sunim (\ubc95\ub95c\uc2a4\ub2d8) wears many hats: Buddhist monk, teacher, author, environmentalist, and social activist, to name a few. As a widely respected Dharma teacher and a tireless socially engaged activist in his native South Korea, Ven. Pomnyun Sunim has founded numerous Dharma-based organizations, initiatives, and projects that are active across the world. Among them, Jungto Society, a volunteer-based community founded on the Buddhist teachings and expressing equality, simple living, and sustainability, is dedicated to addressing modern social issues that lead to suffering, including environmental degradation, poverty, and conflict.\n\nThis column, shared by Jungto Society, presents a series of highlights from Ven. Pomnyun Sunim\u2019s writings, teachings, public talks, and regular live-streamed Dharma Q+A sessions, which are accessible across the globe.\n","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","post_password":"","post_name":"special-report-footsteps-of-the-buddha-ven-pomnyun-sunim-leads-500-practitioners-on-the-33rd-jungto-pilgrimage-across-india-and-nepal","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2024-02-09 11:17:33","post_modified_gmt":"2024-02-09 16:17:33","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/www.jungtosociety.org\/?p=18003","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

The pilgrimage was particularly notable for two reasons: this year saw the participation, for the first time in the Jungto pilgrimage\u2019s 33-year history, of non-Korean practitioners. It also celebrated the 30th anniversary of Sujata Academy, a remarkable community school established by Ven. Pomnyun Sunim in Dungheswari, Bihar, that has transformed the lives of an entire community of people who have faced systemic social and economic exclusion as a result of India\u2019s conservative Hindu caste hierarchy.1<\/sup><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Because of the unique significance of the Sujata Academy\u2019s 30th anniversary, BDG will cover that event in more depth in a separate upcoming report and interview.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\"\"<\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Jungto Society is a volunteer-run community of practitioners that aspires to embody the Buddhist teachings through social engagement, and by promoting a simple lifestyle centered on sustainable living. The community seeks to address the crises of modern society, such as greed, poverty, conflict, and environmental degradation, by applying a Buddhist worldview of interconnectedness and living in line with the principle that everyone can find happiness through Buddhist practice and active participation in social movements.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Although fewer in number than the 1,250 practitioners who attended Jungto Society\u2019s 2023 pilgrimage,2<\/sup> the 500-plus Korean Buddhist pilgrims who recently returned from India were accompanied nine practitioners from Italy, Japan, Thailand, the United Kingdom, the United States, and Vietnam\u2014some of whom are members of the the International Network of Engaged Buddhists (INEB), including two bhikkhunis<\/em> from Thailand, while others are graduates of Jungto Society\u2019s English-language Dharma School.3<\/sup><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u25b6\ufe0f Published by BDG on February 7, 2024<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u25b6\ufe0f Read more: <\/a>https:\/\/www.buddhistdoor.net\/news\/special-report-footsteps-of-the-buddha-ven-pomnyun-sunim-leads-500-practitioners-on-the-33rd-jungto-pilgrimage-across-india-and-nepal\/<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

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<\/p>\n","post_title":"Special Report: Footsteps of the Buddha \u2013 Ven. Pomnyun Sunim Leads 500 Practitioners on the 33rd Jungto Pilgrimage across India and Nepal","post_excerpt":"The Korean Seon (Zen) master Venerable Pomnyun Sunim (\ubc95\ub95c\uc2a4\ub2d8) wears many hats: Buddhist monk, teacher, author, environmentalist, and social activist, to name a few. As a widely respected Dharma teacher and a tireless socially engaged activist in his native South Korea, Ven. Pomnyun Sunim has founded numerous Dharma-based organizations, initiatives, and projects that are active across the world. Among them, Jungto Society, a volunteer-based community founded on the Buddhist teachings and expressing equality, simple living, and sustainability, is dedicated to addressing modern social issues that lead to suffering, including environmental degradation, poverty, and conflict.\n\nThis column, shared by Jungto Society, presents a series of highlights from Ven. Pomnyun Sunim\u2019s writings, teachings, public talks, and regular live-streamed Dharma Q+A sessions, which are accessible across the globe.\n","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","post_password":"","post_name":"special-report-footsteps-of-the-buddha-ven-pomnyun-sunim-leads-500-practitioners-on-the-33rd-jungto-pilgrimage-across-india-and-nepal","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2024-02-09 11:17:33","post_modified_gmt":"2024-02-09 16:17:33","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/www.jungtosociety.org\/?p=18003","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

Jungto Society, the international Buddhist community founded by the revered Korean Dharma master and social activist Venerable Pomnyun Sunim (\ubc95\ub95c\uc2a4\ub2d8), has conducted its 33rd annual pilgrimage across India and to Nepal. Held under the theme \u201cFollowing in the Footsteps of the Buddha,\u201d the pilgrimage, which ran from 19 January to 2 February, was attended by more 500 practitioners.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The pilgrimage was particularly notable for two reasons: this year saw the participation, for the first time in the Jungto pilgrimage\u2019s 33-year history, of non-Korean practitioners. It also celebrated the 30th anniversary of Sujata Academy, a remarkable community school established by Ven. Pomnyun Sunim in Dungheswari, Bihar, that has transformed the lives of an entire community of people who have faced systemic social and economic exclusion as a result of India\u2019s conservative Hindu caste hierarchy.1<\/sup><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Because of the unique significance of the Sujata Academy\u2019s 30th anniversary, BDG will cover that event in more depth in a separate upcoming report and interview.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\"\"<\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Jungto Society is a volunteer-run community of practitioners that aspires to embody the Buddhist teachings through social engagement, and by promoting a simple lifestyle centered on sustainable living. The community seeks to address the crises of modern society, such as greed, poverty, conflict, and environmental degradation, by applying a Buddhist worldview of interconnectedness and living in line with the principle that everyone can find happiness through Buddhist practice and active participation in social movements.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Although fewer in number than the 1,250 practitioners who attended Jungto Society\u2019s 2023 pilgrimage,2<\/sup> the 500-plus Korean Buddhist pilgrims who recently returned from India were accompanied nine practitioners from Italy, Japan, Thailand, the United Kingdom, the United States, and Vietnam\u2014some of whom are members of the the International Network of Engaged Buddhists (INEB), including two bhikkhunis<\/em> from Thailand, while others are graduates of Jungto Society\u2019s English-language Dharma School.3<\/sup><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u25b6\ufe0f Published by BDG on February 7, 2024<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u25b6\ufe0f Read more: <\/a>https:\/\/www.buddhistdoor.net\/news\/special-report-footsteps-of-the-buddha-ven-pomnyun-sunim-leads-500-practitioners-on-the-33rd-jungto-pilgrimage-across-india-and-nepal\/<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

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<\/p>\n","post_title":"Special Report: Footsteps of the Buddha \u2013 Ven. Pomnyun Sunim Leads 500 Practitioners on the 33rd Jungto Pilgrimage across India and Nepal","post_excerpt":"The Korean Seon (Zen) master Venerable Pomnyun Sunim (\ubc95\ub95c\uc2a4\ub2d8) wears many hats: Buddhist monk, teacher, author, environmentalist, and social activist, to name a few. As a widely respected Dharma teacher and a tireless socially engaged activist in his native South Korea, Ven. Pomnyun Sunim has founded numerous Dharma-based organizations, initiatives, and projects that are active across the world. Among them, Jungto Society, a volunteer-based community founded on the Buddhist teachings and expressing equality, simple living, and sustainability, is dedicated to addressing modern social issues that lead to suffering, including environmental degradation, poverty, and conflict.\n\nThis column, shared by Jungto Society, presents a series of highlights from Ven. Pomnyun Sunim\u2019s writings, teachings, public talks, and regular live-streamed Dharma Q+A sessions, which are accessible across the globe.\n","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","post_password":"","post_name":"special-report-footsteps-of-the-buddha-ven-pomnyun-sunim-leads-500-practitioners-on-the-33rd-jungto-pilgrimage-across-india-and-nepal","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2024-02-09 11:17:33","post_modified_gmt":"2024-02-09 16:17:33","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/www.jungtosociety.org\/?p=18003","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

Jungto Society, the international Buddhist community founded by the revered Korean Dharma master and social activist Venerable Pomnyun Sunim (\ubc95\ub95c\uc2a4\ub2d8), has conducted its 33rd annual pilgrimage across India and to Nepal. Held under the theme \u201cFollowing in the Footsteps of the Buddha,\u201d the pilgrimage, which ran from 19 January to 2 February, was attended by more 500 practitioners.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The pilgrimage was particularly notable for two reasons: this year saw the participation, for the first time in the Jungto pilgrimage\u2019s 33-year history, of non-Korean practitioners. It also celebrated the 30th anniversary of Sujata Academy, a remarkable community school established by Ven. Pomnyun Sunim in Dungheswari, Bihar, that has transformed the lives of an entire community of people who have faced systemic social and economic exclusion as a result of India\u2019s conservative Hindu caste hierarchy.1<\/sup><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Because of the unique significance of the Sujata Academy\u2019s 30th anniversary, BDG will cover that event in more depth in a separate upcoming report and interview.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n
\n
\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\"\"<\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Jungto Society is a volunteer-run community of practitioners that aspires to embody the Buddhist teachings through social engagement, and by promoting a simple lifestyle centered on sustainable living. The community seeks to address the crises of modern society, such as greed, poverty, conflict, and environmental degradation, by applying a Buddhist worldview of interconnectedness and living in line with the principle that everyone can find happiness through Buddhist practice and active participation in social movements.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Although fewer in number than the 1,250 practitioners who attended Jungto Society\u2019s 2023 pilgrimage,2<\/sup> the 500-plus Korean Buddhist pilgrims who recently returned from India were accompanied nine practitioners from Italy, Japan, Thailand, the United Kingdom, the United States, and Vietnam\u2014some of whom are members of the the International Network of Engaged Buddhists (INEB), including two bhikkhunis<\/em> from Thailand, while others are graduates of Jungto Society\u2019s English-language Dharma School.3<\/sup><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u25b6\ufe0f Published by BDG on February 7, 2024<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u25b6\ufe0f Read more: <\/a>https:\/\/www.buddhistdoor.net\/news\/special-report-footsteps-of-the-buddha-ven-pomnyun-sunim-leads-500-practitioners-on-the-33rd-jungto-pilgrimage-across-india-and-nepal\/<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

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<\/p>\n","post_title":"Special Report: Footsteps of the Buddha \u2013 Ven. Pomnyun Sunim Leads 500 Practitioners on the 33rd Jungto Pilgrimage across India and Nepal","post_excerpt":"The Korean Seon (Zen) master Venerable Pomnyun Sunim (\ubc95\ub95c\uc2a4\ub2d8) wears many hats: Buddhist monk, teacher, author, environmentalist, and social activist, to name a few. As a widely respected Dharma teacher and a tireless socially engaged activist in his native South Korea, Ven. Pomnyun Sunim has founded numerous Dharma-based organizations, initiatives, and projects that are active across the world. Among them, Jungto Society, a volunteer-based community founded on the Buddhist teachings and expressing equality, simple living, and sustainability, is dedicated to addressing modern social issues that lead to suffering, including environmental degradation, poverty, and conflict.\n\nThis column, shared by Jungto Society, presents a series of highlights from Ven. Pomnyun Sunim\u2019s writings, teachings, public talks, and regular live-streamed Dharma Q+A sessions, which are accessible across the globe.\n","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","post_password":"","post_name":"special-report-footsteps-of-the-buddha-ven-pomnyun-sunim-leads-500-practitioners-on-the-33rd-jungto-pilgrimage-across-india-and-nepal","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2024-02-09 11:17:33","post_modified_gmt":"2024-02-09 16:17:33","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/www.jungtosociety.org\/?p=18003","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","post_title":"Special Report: The Hope of the World \u2013 Ven. Pomnyun Sunim Marks the 30th Anniversary of the Sujata Academy Project in India","post_excerpt":"The Korean Seon (Zen) master Venerable Pomnyun Sunim (\ubc95\ub95c\uc2a4\ub2d8) wears many hats: Buddhist monk, teacher, author, environmentalist, and social activist, to name a few. As a widely respected Dharma teacher and a tireless socially engaged activist in his native South Korea, Ven. Pomnyun Sunim has founded numerous Dharma-based organizations, initiatives, and projects that are active across the world. Among them, Jungto Society, a volunteer-based community founded on the Buddhist teachings and expressing equality, simple living, and sustainability, is dedicated to addressing modern social issues that lead to suffering, including environmental degradation, poverty, and conflict.\n\nThis column, shared by Jungto Society, presents a series of highlights from Ven. Pomnyun Sunim\u2019s writings, teachings, public talks, and regular live-streamed Dharma Q+A sessions, which are accessible across the globe.\n","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","post_password":"","post_name":"special-report-the-hope-of-the-world-ven-pomnyun-sunim-marks-the-30th-anniversary-of-the-sujata-academy-project-in-india","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2024-02-14 23:46:42","post_modified_gmt":"2024-02-15 04:46:42","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/www.jungtosociety.org\/?p=18019","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"},{"ID":18003,"post_author":"13","post_date":"2024-02-09 11:17:31","post_date_gmt":"2024-02-09 16:17:31","post_content":"\n

<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Jungto Society, the international Buddhist community founded by the revered Korean Dharma master and social activist Venerable Pomnyun Sunim (\ubc95\ub95c\uc2a4\ub2d8), has conducted its 33rd annual pilgrimage across India and to Nepal. Held under the theme \u201cFollowing in the Footsteps of the Buddha,\u201d the pilgrimage, which ran from 19 January to 2 February, was attended by more 500 practitioners.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The pilgrimage was particularly notable for two reasons: this year saw the participation, for the first time in the Jungto pilgrimage\u2019s 33-year history, of non-Korean practitioners. It also celebrated the 30th anniversary of Sujata Academy, a remarkable community school established by Ven. Pomnyun Sunim in Dungheswari, Bihar, that has transformed the lives of an entire community of people who have faced systemic social and economic exclusion as a result of India\u2019s conservative Hindu caste hierarchy.1<\/sup><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Because of the unique significance of the Sujata Academy\u2019s 30th anniversary, BDG will cover that event in more depth in a separate upcoming report and interview.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n
\n
\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\"\"<\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Jungto Society is a volunteer-run community of practitioners that aspires to embody the Buddhist teachings through social engagement, and by promoting a simple lifestyle centered on sustainable living. The community seeks to address the crises of modern society, such as greed, poverty, conflict, and environmental degradation, by applying a Buddhist worldview of interconnectedness and living in line with the principle that everyone can find happiness through Buddhist practice and active participation in social movements.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Although fewer in number than the 1,250 practitioners who attended Jungto Society\u2019s 2023 pilgrimage,2<\/sup> the 500-plus Korean Buddhist pilgrims who recently returned from India were accompanied nine practitioners from Italy, Japan, Thailand, the United Kingdom, the United States, and Vietnam\u2014some of whom are members of the the International Network of Engaged Buddhists (INEB), including two bhikkhunis<\/em> from Thailand, while others are graduates of Jungto Society\u2019s English-language Dharma School.3<\/sup><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u25b6\ufe0f Published by BDG on February 7, 2024<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u25b6\ufe0f Read more: <\/a>https:\/\/www.buddhistdoor.net\/news\/special-report-footsteps-of-the-buddha-ven-pomnyun-sunim-leads-500-practitioners-on-the-33rd-jungto-pilgrimage-across-india-and-nepal\/<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

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<\/p>\n","post_title":"Special Report: Footsteps of the Buddha \u2013 Ven. Pomnyun Sunim Leads 500 Practitioners on the 33rd Jungto Pilgrimage across India and Nepal","post_excerpt":"The Korean Seon (Zen) master Venerable Pomnyun Sunim (\ubc95\ub95c\uc2a4\ub2d8) wears many hats: Buddhist monk, teacher, author, environmentalist, and social activist, to name a few. As a widely respected Dharma teacher and a tireless socially engaged activist in his native South Korea, Ven. Pomnyun Sunim has founded numerous Dharma-based organizations, initiatives, and projects that are active across the world. Among them, Jungto Society, a volunteer-based community founded on the Buddhist teachings and expressing equality, simple living, and sustainability, is dedicated to addressing modern social issues that lead to suffering, including environmental degradation, poverty, and conflict.\n\nThis column, shared by Jungto Society, presents a series of highlights from Ven. Pomnyun Sunim\u2019s writings, teachings, public talks, and regular live-streamed Dharma Q+A sessions, which are accessible across the globe.\n","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","post_password":"","post_name":"special-report-footsteps-of-the-buddha-ven-pomnyun-sunim-leads-500-practitioners-on-the-33rd-jungto-pilgrimage-across-india-and-nepal","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2024-02-09 11:17:33","post_modified_gmt":"2024-02-09 16:17:33","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/www.jungtosociety.org\/?p=18003","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","post_title":"Special Report: The Hope of the World \u2013 Ven. Pomnyun Sunim Marks the 30th Anniversary of the Sujata Academy Project in India","post_excerpt":"The Korean Seon (Zen) master Venerable Pomnyun Sunim (\ubc95\ub95c\uc2a4\ub2d8) wears many hats: Buddhist monk, teacher, author, environmentalist, and social activist, to name a few. As a widely respected Dharma teacher and a tireless socially engaged activist in his native South Korea, Ven. Pomnyun Sunim has founded numerous Dharma-based organizations, initiatives, and projects that are active across the world. Among them, Jungto Society, a volunteer-based community founded on the Buddhist teachings and expressing equality, simple living, and sustainability, is dedicated to addressing modern social issues that lead to suffering, including environmental degradation, poverty, and conflict.\n\nThis column, shared by Jungto Society, presents a series of highlights from Ven. Pomnyun Sunim\u2019s writings, teachings, public talks, and regular live-streamed Dharma Q+A sessions, which are accessible across the globe.\n","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","post_password":"","post_name":"special-report-the-hope-of-the-world-ven-pomnyun-sunim-marks-the-30th-anniversary-of-the-sujata-academy-project-in-india","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2024-02-14 23:46:42","post_modified_gmt":"2024-02-15 04:46:42","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/www.jungtosociety.org\/?p=18019","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"},{"ID":18003,"post_author":"13","post_date":"2024-02-09 11:17:31","post_date_gmt":"2024-02-09 16:17:31","post_content":"\n

<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Jungto Society, the international Buddhist community founded by the revered Korean Dharma master and social activist Venerable Pomnyun Sunim (\ubc95\ub95c\uc2a4\ub2d8), has conducted its 33rd annual pilgrimage across India and to Nepal. Held under the theme \u201cFollowing in the Footsteps of the Buddha,\u201d the pilgrimage, which ran from 19 January to 2 February, was attended by more 500 practitioners.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The pilgrimage was particularly notable for two reasons: this year saw the participation, for the first time in the Jungto pilgrimage\u2019s 33-year history, of non-Korean practitioners. It also celebrated the 30th anniversary of Sujata Academy, a remarkable community school established by Ven. Pomnyun Sunim in Dungheswari, Bihar, that has transformed the lives of an entire community of people who have faced systemic social and economic exclusion as a result of India\u2019s conservative Hindu caste hierarchy.1<\/sup><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Because of the unique significance of the Sujata Academy\u2019s 30th anniversary, BDG will cover that event in more depth in a separate upcoming report and interview.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n
\n
\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\"\"<\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Jungto Society is a volunteer-run community of practitioners that aspires to embody the Buddhist teachings through social engagement, and by promoting a simple lifestyle centered on sustainable living. The community seeks to address the crises of modern society, such as greed, poverty, conflict, and environmental degradation, by applying a Buddhist worldview of interconnectedness and living in line with the principle that everyone can find happiness through Buddhist practice and active participation in social movements.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Although fewer in number than the 1,250 practitioners who attended Jungto Society\u2019s 2023 pilgrimage,2<\/sup> the 500-plus Korean Buddhist pilgrims who recently returned from India were accompanied nine practitioners from Italy, Japan, Thailand, the United Kingdom, the United States, and Vietnam\u2014some of whom are members of the the International Network of Engaged Buddhists (INEB), including two bhikkhunis<\/em> from Thailand, while others are graduates of Jungto Society\u2019s English-language Dharma School.3<\/sup><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u25b6\ufe0f Published by BDG on February 7, 2024<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u25b6\ufe0f Read more: <\/a>https:\/\/www.buddhistdoor.net\/news\/special-report-footsteps-of-the-buddha-ven-pomnyun-sunim-leads-500-practitioners-on-the-33rd-jungto-pilgrimage-across-india-and-nepal\/<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

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<\/p>\n","post_title":"Special Report: Footsteps of the Buddha \u2013 Ven. Pomnyun Sunim Leads 500 Practitioners on the 33rd Jungto Pilgrimage across India and Nepal","post_excerpt":"The Korean Seon (Zen) master Venerable Pomnyun Sunim (\ubc95\ub95c\uc2a4\ub2d8) wears many hats: Buddhist monk, teacher, author, environmentalist, and social activist, to name a few. As a widely respected Dharma teacher and a tireless socially engaged activist in his native South Korea, Ven. Pomnyun Sunim has founded numerous Dharma-based organizations, initiatives, and projects that are active across the world. Among them, Jungto Society, a volunteer-based community founded on the Buddhist teachings and expressing equality, simple living, and sustainability, is dedicated to addressing modern social issues that lead to suffering, including environmental degradation, poverty, and conflict.\n\nThis column, shared by Jungto Society, presents a series of highlights from Ven. Pomnyun Sunim\u2019s writings, teachings, public talks, and regular live-streamed Dharma Q+A sessions, which are accessible across the globe.\n","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","post_password":"","post_name":"special-report-footsteps-of-the-buddha-ven-pomnyun-sunim-leads-500-practitioners-on-the-33rd-jungto-pilgrimage-across-india-and-nepal","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2024-02-09 11:17:33","post_modified_gmt":"2024-02-09 16:17:33","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/www.jungtosociety.org\/?p=18003","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

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<\/p>\n","post_title":"Special Report: The Hope of the World \u2013 Ven. Pomnyun Sunim Marks the 30th Anniversary of the Sujata Academy Project in India","post_excerpt":"The Korean Seon (Zen) master Venerable Pomnyun Sunim (\ubc95\ub95c\uc2a4\ub2d8) wears many hats: Buddhist monk, teacher, author, environmentalist, and social activist, to name a few. As a widely respected Dharma teacher and a tireless socially engaged activist in his native South Korea, Ven. Pomnyun Sunim has founded numerous Dharma-based organizations, initiatives, and projects that are active across the world. Among them, Jungto Society, a volunteer-based community founded on the Buddhist teachings and expressing equality, simple living, and sustainability, is dedicated to addressing modern social issues that lead to suffering, including environmental degradation, poverty, and conflict.\n\nThis column, shared by Jungto Society, presents a series of highlights from Ven. Pomnyun Sunim\u2019s writings, teachings, public talks, and regular live-streamed Dharma Q+A sessions, which are accessible across the globe.\n","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","post_password":"","post_name":"special-report-the-hope-of-the-world-ven-pomnyun-sunim-marks-the-30th-anniversary-of-the-sujata-academy-project-in-india","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2024-02-14 23:46:42","post_modified_gmt":"2024-02-15 04:46:42","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/www.jungtosociety.org\/?p=18019","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"},{"ID":18003,"post_author":"13","post_date":"2024-02-09 11:17:31","post_date_gmt":"2024-02-09 16:17:31","post_content":"\n

<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Jungto Society, the international Buddhist community founded by the revered Korean Dharma master and social activist Venerable Pomnyun Sunim (\ubc95\ub95c\uc2a4\ub2d8), has conducted its 33rd annual pilgrimage across India and to Nepal. Held under the theme \u201cFollowing in the Footsteps of the Buddha,\u201d the pilgrimage, which ran from 19 January to 2 February, was attended by more 500 practitioners.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The pilgrimage was particularly notable for two reasons: this year saw the participation, for the first time in the Jungto pilgrimage\u2019s 33-year history, of non-Korean practitioners. It also celebrated the 30th anniversary of Sujata Academy, a remarkable community school established by Ven. Pomnyun Sunim in Dungheswari, Bihar, that has transformed the lives of an entire community of people who have faced systemic social and economic exclusion as a result of India\u2019s conservative Hindu caste hierarchy.1<\/sup><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Because of the unique significance of the Sujata Academy\u2019s 30th anniversary, BDG will cover that event in more depth in a separate upcoming report and interview.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n
\n
\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\"\"<\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Jungto Society is a volunteer-run community of practitioners that aspires to embody the Buddhist teachings through social engagement, and by promoting a simple lifestyle centered on sustainable living. The community seeks to address the crises of modern society, such as greed, poverty, conflict, and environmental degradation, by applying a Buddhist worldview of interconnectedness and living in line with the principle that everyone can find happiness through Buddhist practice and active participation in social movements.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Although fewer in number than the 1,250 practitioners who attended Jungto Society\u2019s 2023 pilgrimage,2<\/sup> the 500-plus Korean Buddhist pilgrims who recently returned from India were accompanied nine practitioners from Italy, Japan, Thailand, the United Kingdom, the United States, and Vietnam\u2014some of whom are members of the the International Network of Engaged Buddhists (INEB), including two bhikkhunis<\/em> from Thailand, while others are graduates of Jungto Society\u2019s English-language Dharma School.3<\/sup><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u25b6\ufe0f Published by BDG on February 7, 2024<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u25b6\ufe0f Read more: <\/a>https:\/\/www.buddhistdoor.net\/news\/special-report-footsteps-of-the-buddha-ven-pomnyun-sunim-leads-500-practitioners-on-the-33rd-jungto-pilgrimage-across-india-and-nepal\/<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

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<\/p>\n","post_title":"Special Report: Footsteps of the Buddha \u2013 Ven. Pomnyun Sunim Leads 500 Practitioners on the 33rd Jungto Pilgrimage across India and Nepal","post_excerpt":"The Korean Seon (Zen) master Venerable Pomnyun Sunim (\ubc95\ub95c\uc2a4\ub2d8) wears many hats: Buddhist monk, teacher, author, environmentalist, and social activist, to name a few. As a widely respected Dharma teacher and a tireless socially engaged activist in his native South Korea, Ven. Pomnyun Sunim has founded numerous Dharma-based organizations, initiatives, and projects that are active across the world. Among them, Jungto Society, a volunteer-based community founded on the Buddhist teachings and expressing equality, simple living, and sustainability, is dedicated to addressing modern social issues that lead to suffering, including environmental degradation, poverty, and conflict.\n\nThis column, shared by Jungto Society, presents a series of highlights from Ven. Pomnyun Sunim\u2019s writings, teachings, public talks, and regular live-streamed Dharma Q+A sessions, which are accessible across the globe.\n","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","post_password":"","post_name":"special-report-footsteps-of-the-buddha-ven-pomnyun-sunim-leads-500-practitioners-on-the-33rd-jungto-pilgrimage-across-india-and-nepal","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2024-02-09 11:17:33","post_modified_gmt":"2024-02-09 16:17:33","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/www.jungtosociety.org\/?p=18003","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"};

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<\/p>\n","post_title":"Special Report: The Hope of the World \u2013 Ven. Pomnyun Sunim Marks the 30th Anniversary of the Sujata Academy Project in India","post_excerpt":"The Korean Seon (Zen) master Venerable Pomnyun Sunim (\ubc95\ub95c\uc2a4\ub2d8) wears many hats: Buddhist monk, teacher, author, environmentalist, and social activist, to name a few. As a widely respected Dharma teacher and a tireless socially engaged activist in his native South Korea, Ven. Pomnyun Sunim has founded numerous Dharma-based organizations, initiatives, and projects that are active across the world. Among them, Jungto Society, a volunteer-based community founded on the Buddhist teachings and expressing equality, simple living, and sustainability, is dedicated to addressing modern social issues that lead to suffering, including environmental degradation, poverty, and conflict.\n\nThis column, shared by Jungto Society, presents a series of highlights from Ven. Pomnyun Sunim\u2019s writings, teachings, public talks, and regular live-streamed Dharma Q+A sessions, which are accessible across the globe.\n","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","post_password":"","post_name":"special-report-the-hope-of-the-world-ven-pomnyun-sunim-marks-the-30th-anniversary-of-the-sujata-academy-project-in-india","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2024-02-14 23:46:42","post_modified_gmt":"2024-02-15 04:46:42","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/www.jungtosociety.org\/?p=18019","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"},{"ID":18003,"post_author":"13","post_date":"2024-02-09 11:17:31","post_date_gmt":"2024-02-09 16:17:31","post_content":"\n

<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Jungto Society, the international Buddhist community founded by the revered Korean Dharma master and social activist Venerable Pomnyun Sunim (\ubc95\ub95c\uc2a4\ub2d8), has conducted its 33rd annual pilgrimage across India and to Nepal. Held under the theme \u201cFollowing in the Footsteps of the Buddha,\u201d the pilgrimage, which ran from 19 January to 2 February, was attended by more 500 practitioners.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The pilgrimage was particularly notable for two reasons: this year saw the participation, for the first time in the Jungto pilgrimage\u2019s 33-year history, of non-Korean practitioners. It also celebrated the 30th anniversary of Sujata Academy, a remarkable community school established by Ven. Pomnyun Sunim in Dungheswari, Bihar, that has transformed the lives of an entire community of people who have faced systemic social and economic exclusion as a result of India\u2019s conservative Hindu caste hierarchy.1<\/sup><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Because of the unique significance of the Sujata Academy\u2019s 30th anniversary, BDG will cover that event in more depth in a separate upcoming report and interview.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n
\n
\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\"\"<\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Jungto Society is a volunteer-run community of practitioners that aspires to embody the Buddhist teachings through social engagement, and by promoting a simple lifestyle centered on sustainable living. The community seeks to address the crises of modern society, such as greed, poverty, conflict, and environmental degradation, by applying a Buddhist worldview of interconnectedness and living in line with the principle that everyone can find happiness through Buddhist practice and active participation in social movements.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Although fewer in number than the 1,250 practitioners who attended Jungto Society\u2019s 2023 pilgrimage,2<\/sup> the 500-plus Korean Buddhist pilgrims who recently returned from India were accompanied nine practitioners from Italy, Japan, Thailand, the United Kingdom, the United States, and Vietnam\u2014some of whom are members of the the International Network of Engaged Buddhists (INEB), including two bhikkhunis<\/em> from Thailand, while others are graduates of Jungto Society\u2019s English-language Dharma School.3<\/sup><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u25b6\ufe0f Published by BDG on February 7, 2024<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u25b6\ufe0f Read more: <\/a>https:\/\/www.buddhistdoor.net\/news\/special-report-footsteps-of-the-buddha-ven-pomnyun-sunim-leads-500-practitioners-on-the-33rd-jungto-pilgrimage-across-india-and-nepal\/<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

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<\/p>\n","post_title":"Special Report: Footsteps of the Buddha \u2013 Ven. Pomnyun Sunim Leads 500 Practitioners on the 33rd Jungto Pilgrimage across India and Nepal","post_excerpt":"The Korean Seon (Zen) master Venerable Pomnyun Sunim (\ubc95\ub95c\uc2a4\ub2d8) wears many hats: Buddhist monk, teacher, author, environmentalist, and social activist, to name a few. As a widely respected Dharma teacher and a tireless socially engaged activist in his native South Korea, Ven. Pomnyun Sunim has founded numerous Dharma-based organizations, initiatives, and projects that are active across the world. Among them, Jungto Society, a volunteer-based community founded on the Buddhist teachings and expressing equality, simple living, and sustainability, is dedicated to addressing modern social issues that lead to suffering, including environmental degradation, poverty, and conflict.\n\nThis column, shared by Jungto Society, presents a series of highlights from Ven. Pomnyun Sunim\u2019s writings, teachings, public talks, and regular live-streamed Dharma Q+A sessions, which are accessible across the globe.\n","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","post_password":"","post_name":"special-report-footsteps-of-the-buddha-ven-pomnyun-sunim-leads-500-practitioners-on-the-33rd-jungto-pilgrimage-across-india-and-nepal","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2024-02-09 11:17:33","post_modified_gmt":"2024-02-09 16:17:33","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/www.jungtosociety.org\/?p=18003","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"};

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<\/p>\n","post_title":"Special Report: The Hope of the World \u2013 Ven. Pomnyun Sunim Marks the 30th Anniversary of the Sujata Academy Project in India","post_excerpt":"The Korean Seon (Zen) master Venerable Pomnyun Sunim (\ubc95\ub95c\uc2a4\ub2d8) wears many hats: Buddhist monk, teacher, author, environmentalist, and social activist, to name a few. As a widely respected Dharma teacher and a tireless socially engaged activist in his native South Korea, Ven. Pomnyun Sunim has founded numerous Dharma-based organizations, initiatives, and projects that are active across the world. Among them, Jungto Society, a volunteer-based community founded on the Buddhist teachings and expressing equality, simple living, and sustainability, is dedicated to addressing modern social issues that lead to suffering, including environmental degradation, poverty, and conflict.\n\nThis column, shared by Jungto Society, presents a series of highlights from Ven. Pomnyun Sunim\u2019s writings, teachings, public talks, and regular live-streamed Dharma Q+A sessions, which are accessible across the globe.\n","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","post_password":"","post_name":"special-report-the-hope-of-the-world-ven-pomnyun-sunim-marks-the-30th-anniversary-of-the-sujata-academy-project-in-india","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2024-02-14 23:46:42","post_modified_gmt":"2024-02-15 04:46:42","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/www.jungtosociety.org\/?p=18019","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"},{"ID":18003,"post_author":"13","post_date":"2024-02-09 11:17:31","post_date_gmt":"2024-02-09 16:17:31","post_content":"\n

<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Jungto Society, the international Buddhist community founded by the revered Korean Dharma master and social activist Venerable Pomnyun Sunim (\ubc95\ub95c\uc2a4\ub2d8), has conducted its 33rd annual pilgrimage across India and to Nepal. Held under the theme \u201cFollowing in the Footsteps of the Buddha,\u201d the pilgrimage, which ran from 19 January to 2 February, was attended by more 500 practitioners.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The pilgrimage was particularly notable for two reasons: this year saw the participation, for the first time in the Jungto pilgrimage\u2019s 33-year history, of non-Korean practitioners. It also celebrated the 30th anniversary of Sujata Academy, a remarkable community school established by Ven. Pomnyun Sunim in Dungheswari, Bihar, that has transformed the lives of an entire community of people who have faced systemic social and economic exclusion as a result of India\u2019s conservative Hindu caste hierarchy.1<\/sup><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Because of the unique significance of the Sujata Academy\u2019s 30th anniversary, BDG will cover that event in more depth in a separate upcoming report and interview.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n
\n
\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\"\"<\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Jungto Society is a volunteer-run community of practitioners that aspires to embody the Buddhist teachings through social engagement, and by promoting a simple lifestyle centered on sustainable living. The community seeks to address the crises of modern society, such as greed, poverty, conflict, and environmental degradation, by applying a Buddhist worldview of interconnectedness and living in line with the principle that everyone can find happiness through Buddhist practice and active participation in social movements.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Although fewer in number than the 1,250 practitioners who attended Jungto Society\u2019s 2023 pilgrimage,2<\/sup> the 500-plus Korean Buddhist pilgrims who recently returned from India were accompanied nine practitioners from Italy, Japan, Thailand, the United Kingdom, the United States, and Vietnam\u2014some of whom are members of the the International Network of Engaged Buddhists (INEB), including two bhikkhunis<\/em> from Thailand, while others are graduates of Jungto Society\u2019s English-language Dharma School.3<\/sup><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u25b6\ufe0f Published by BDG on February 7, 2024<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u25b6\ufe0f Read more: <\/a>https:\/\/www.buddhistdoor.net\/news\/special-report-footsteps-of-the-buddha-ven-pomnyun-sunim-leads-500-practitioners-on-the-33rd-jungto-pilgrimage-across-india-and-nepal\/<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

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<\/p>\n","post_title":"Special Report: Footsteps of the Buddha \u2013 Ven. Pomnyun Sunim Leads 500 Practitioners on the 33rd Jungto Pilgrimage across India and Nepal","post_excerpt":"The Korean Seon (Zen) master Venerable Pomnyun Sunim (\ubc95\ub95c\uc2a4\ub2d8) wears many hats: Buddhist monk, teacher, author, environmentalist, and social activist, to name a few. As a widely respected Dharma teacher and a tireless socially engaged activist in his native South Korea, Ven. Pomnyun Sunim has founded numerous Dharma-based organizations, initiatives, and projects that are active across the world. Among them, Jungto Society, a volunteer-based community founded on the Buddhist teachings and expressing equality, simple living, and sustainability, is dedicated to addressing modern social issues that lead to suffering, including environmental degradation, poverty, and conflict.\n\nThis column, shared by Jungto Society, presents a series of highlights from Ven. Pomnyun Sunim\u2019s writings, teachings, public talks, and regular live-streamed Dharma Q+A sessions, which are accessible across the globe.\n","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","post_password":"","post_name":"special-report-footsteps-of-the-buddha-ven-pomnyun-sunim-leads-500-practitioners-on-the-33rd-jungto-pilgrimage-across-india-and-nepal","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2024-02-09 11:17:33","post_modified_gmt":"2024-02-09 16:17:33","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/www.jungtosociety.org\/?p=18003","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"};

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<\/p>\n","post_title":"Special Report: The Hope of the World \u2013 Ven. Pomnyun Sunim Marks the 30th Anniversary of the Sujata Academy Project in India","post_excerpt":"The Korean Seon (Zen) master Venerable Pomnyun Sunim (\ubc95\ub95c\uc2a4\ub2d8) wears many hats: Buddhist monk, teacher, author, environmentalist, and social activist, to name a few. As a widely respected Dharma teacher and a tireless socially engaged activist in his native South Korea, Ven. Pomnyun Sunim has founded numerous Dharma-based organizations, initiatives, and projects that are active across the world. Among them, Jungto Society, a volunteer-based community founded on the Buddhist teachings and expressing equality, simple living, and sustainability, is dedicated to addressing modern social issues that lead to suffering, including environmental degradation, poverty, and conflict.\n\nThis column, shared by Jungto Society, presents a series of highlights from Ven. Pomnyun Sunim\u2019s writings, teachings, public talks, and regular live-streamed Dharma Q+A sessions, which are accessible across the globe.\n","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","post_password":"","post_name":"special-report-the-hope-of-the-world-ven-pomnyun-sunim-marks-the-30th-anniversary-of-the-sujata-academy-project-in-india","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2024-02-14 23:46:42","post_modified_gmt":"2024-02-15 04:46:42","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/www.jungtosociety.org\/?p=18019","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"},{"ID":18003,"post_author":"13","post_date":"2024-02-09 11:17:31","post_date_gmt":"2024-02-09 16:17:31","post_content":"\n

<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Jungto Society, the international Buddhist community founded by the revered Korean Dharma master and social activist Venerable Pomnyun Sunim (\ubc95\ub95c\uc2a4\ub2d8), has conducted its 33rd annual pilgrimage across India and to Nepal. Held under the theme \u201cFollowing in the Footsteps of the Buddha,\u201d the pilgrimage, which ran from 19 January to 2 February, was attended by more 500 practitioners.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The pilgrimage was particularly notable for two reasons: this year saw the participation, for the first time in the Jungto pilgrimage\u2019s 33-year history, of non-Korean practitioners. It also celebrated the 30th anniversary of Sujata Academy, a remarkable community school established by Ven. Pomnyun Sunim in Dungheswari, Bihar, that has transformed the lives of an entire community of people who have faced systemic social and economic exclusion as a result of India\u2019s conservative Hindu caste hierarchy.1<\/sup><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Because of the unique significance of the Sujata Academy\u2019s 30th anniversary, BDG will cover that event in more depth in a separate upcoming report and interview.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n
\n
\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\"\"<\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Jungto Society is a volunteer-run community of practitioners that aspires to embody the Buddhist teachings through social engagement, and by promoting a simple lifestyle centered on sustainable living. The community seeks to address the crises of modern society, such as greed, poverty, conflict, and environmental degradation, by applying a Buddhist worldview of interconnectedness and living in line with the principle that everyone can find happiness through Buddhist practice and active participation in social movements.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Although fewer in number than the 1,250 practitioners who attended Jungto Society\u2019s 2023 pilgrimage,2<\/sup> the 500-plus Korean Buddhist pilgrims who recently returned from India were accompanied nine practitioners from Italy, Japan, Thailand, the United Kingdom, the United States, and Vietnam\u2014some of whom are members of the the International Network of Engaged Buddhists (INEB), including two bhikkhunis<\/em> from Thailand, while others are graduates of Jungto Society\u2019s English-language Dharma School.3<\/sup><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u25b6\ufe0f Published by BDG on February 7, 2024<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u25b6\ufe0f Read more: <\/a>https:\/\/www.buddhistdoor.net\/news\/special-report-footsteps-of-the-buddha-ven-pomnyun-sunim-leads-500-practitioners-on-the-33rd-jungto-pilgrimage-across-india-and-nepal\/<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

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<\/p>\n","post_title":"Special Report: Footsteps of the Buddha \u2013 Ven. Pomnyun Sunim Leads 500 Practitioners on the 33rd Jungto Pilgrimage across India and Nepal","post_excerpt":"The Korean Seon (Zen) master Venerable Pomnyun Sunim (\ubc95\ub95c\uc2a4\ub2d8) wears many hats: Buddhist monk, teacher, author, environmentalist, and social activist, to name a few. As a widely respected Dharma teacher and a tireless socially engaged activist in his native South Korea, Ven. Pomnyun Sunim has founded numerous Dharma-based organizations, initiatives, and projects that are active across the world. Among them, Jungto Society, a volunteer-based community founded on the Buddhist teachings and expressing equality, simple living, and sustainability, is dedicated to addressing modern social issues that lead to suffering, including environmental degradation, poverty, and conflict.\n\nThis column, shared by Jungto Society, presents a series of highlights from Ven. Pomnyun Sunim\u2019s writings, teachings, public talks, and regular live-streamed Dharma Q+A sessions, which are accessible across the globe.\n","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","post_password":"","post_name":"special-report-footsteps-of-the-buddha-ven-pomnyun-sunim-leads-500-practitioners-on-the-33rd-jungto-pilgrimage-across-india-and-nepal","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2024-02-09 11:17:33","post_modified_gmt":"2024-02-09 16:17:33","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/www.jungtosociety.org\/?p=18003","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

\u25b6\ufe0f Read more: <\/a>https:\/\/www.buddhistdoor.net\/news\/special-report-the-hope-of-the-world-ven-pomnyun-sunim-marks-the-30th-anniversary-of-the-sujata-academy-project-in-india\/<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

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<\/p>\n","post_title":"Special Report: The Hope of the World \u2013 Ven. Pomnyun Sunim Marks the 30th Anniversary of the Sujata Academy Project in India","post_excerpt":"The Korean Seon (Zen) master Venerable Pomnyun Sunim (\ubc95\ub95c\uc2a4\ub2d8) wears many hats: Buddhist monk, teacher, author, environmentalist, and social activist, to name a few. As a widely respected Dharma teacher and a tireless socially engaged activist in his native South Korea, Ven. Pomnyun Sunim has founded numerous Dharma-based organizations, initiatives, and projects that are active across the world. Among them, Jungto Society, a volunteer-based community founded on the Buddhist teachings and expressing equality, simple living, and sustainability, is dedicated to addressing modern social issues that lead to suffering, including environmental degradation, poverty, and conflict.\n\nThis column, shared by Jungto Society, presents a series of highlights from Ven. Pomnyun Sunim\u2019s writings, teachings, public talks, and regular live-streamed Dharma Q+A sessions, which are accessible across the globe.\n","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","post_password":"","post_name":"special-report-the-hope-of-the-world-ven-pomnyun-sunim-marks-the-30th-anniversary-of-the-sujata-academy-project-in-india","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2024-02-14 23:46:42","post_modified_gmt":"2024-02-15 04:46:42","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/www.jungtosociety.org\/?p=18019","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"},{"ID":18003,"post_author":"13","post_date":"2024-02-09 11:17:31","post_date_gmt":"2024-02-09 16:17:31","post_content":"\n

<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Jungto Society, the international Buddhist community founded by the revered Korean Dharma master and social activist Venerable Pomnyun Sunim (\ubc95\ub95c\uc2a4\ub2d8), has conducted its 33rd annual pilgrimage across India and to Nepal. Held under the theme \u201cFollowing in the Footsteps of the Buddha,\u201d the pilgrimage, which ran from 19 January to 2 February, was attended by more 500 practitioners.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The pilgrimage was particularly notable for two reasons: this year saw the participation, for the first time in the Jungto pilgrimage\u2019s 33-year history, of non-Korean practitioners. It also celebrated the 30th anniversary of Sujata Academy, a remarkable community school established by Ven. Pomnyun Sunim in Dungheswari, Bihar, that has transformed the lives of an entire community of people who have faced systemic social and economic exclusion as a result of India\u2019s conservative Hindu caste hierarchy.1<\/sup><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Because of the unique significance of the Sujata Academy\u2019s 30th anniversary, BDG will cover that event in more depth in a separate upcoming report and interview.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n
\n
\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\"\"<\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Jungto Society is a volunteer-run community of practitioners that aspires to embody the Buddhist teachings through social engagement, and by promoting a simple lifestyle centered on sustainable living. The community seeks to address the crises of modern society, such as greed, poverty, conflict, and environmental degradation, by applying a Buddhist worldview of interconnectedness and living in line with the principle that everyone can find happiness through Buddhist practice and active participation in social movements.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Although fewer in number than the 1,250 practitioners who attended Jungto Society\u2019s 2023 pilgrimage,2<\/sup> the 500-plus Korean Buddhist pilgrims who recently returned from India were accompanied nine practitioners from Italy, Japan, Thailand, the United Kingdom, the United States, and Vietnam\u2014some of whom are members of the the International Network of Engaged Buddhists (INEB), including two bhikkhunis<\/em> from Thailand, while others are graduates of Jungto Society\u2019s English-language Dharma School.3<\/sup><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u25b6\ufe0f Published by BDG on February 7, 2024<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u25b6\ufe0f Read more: <\/a>https:\/\/www.buddhistdoor.net\/news\/special-report-footsteps-of-the-buddha-ven-pomnyun-sunim-leads-500-practitioners-on-the-33rd-jungto-pilgrimage-across-india-and-nepal\/<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

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<\/p>\n","post_title":"Special Report: Footsteps of the Buddha \u2013 Ven. Pomnyun Sunim Leads 500 Practitioners on the 33rd Jungto Pilgrimage across India and Nepal","post_excerpt":"The Korean Seon (Zen) master Venerable Pomnyun Sunim (\ubc95\ub95c\uc2a4\ub2d8) wears many hats: Buddhist monk, teacher, author, environmentalist, and social activist, to name a few. As a widely respected Dharma teacher and a tireless socially engaged activist in his native South Korea, Ven. Pomnyun Sunim has founded numerous Dharma-based organizations, initiatives, and projects that are active across the world. Among them, Jungto Society, a volunteer-based community founded on the Buddhist teachings and expressing equality, simple living, and sustainability, is dedicated to addressing modern social issues that lead to suffering, including environmental degradation, poverty, and conflict.\n\nThis column, shared by Jungto Society, presents a series of highlights from Ven. Pomnyun Sunim\u2019s writings, teachings, public talks, and regular live-streamed Dharma Q+A sessions, which are accessible across the globe.\n","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","post_password":"","post_name":"special-report-footsteps-of-the-buddha-ven-pomnyun-sunim-leads-500-practitioners-on-the-33rd-jungto-pilgrimage-across-india-and-nepal","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2024-02-09 11:17:33","post_modified_gmt":"2024-02-09 16:17:33","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/www.jungtosociety.org\/?p=18003","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

\u25b6\ufe0f Published by BDG on February 14, 2024<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u25b6\ufe0f Read more: <\/a>https:\/\/www.buddhistdoor.net\/news\/special-report-the-hope-of-the-world-ven-pomnyun-sunim-marks-the-30th-anniversary-of-the-sujata-academy-project-in-india\/<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

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<\/p>\n","post_title":"Special Report: The Hope of the World \u2013 Ven. Pomnyun Sunim Marks the 30th Anniversary of the Sujata Academy Project in India","post_excerpt":"The Korean Seon (Zen) master Venerable Pomnyun Sunim (\ubc95\ub95c\uc2a4\ub2d8) wears many hats: Buddhist monk, teacher, author, environmentalist, and social activist, to name a few. As a widely respected Dharma teacher and a tireless socially engaged activist in his native South Korea, Ven. Pomnyun Sunim has founded numerous Dharma-based organizations, initiatives, and projects that are active across the world. Among them, Jungto Society, a volunteer-based community founded on the Buddhist teachings and expressing equality, simple living, and sustainability, is dedicated to addressing modern social issues that lead to suffering, including environmental degradation, poverty, and conflict.\n\nThis column, shared by Jungto Society, presents a series of highlights from Ven. Pomnyun Sunim\u2019s writings, teachings, public talks, and regular live-streamed Dharma Q+A sessions, which are accessible across the globe.\n","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","post_password":"","post_name":"special-report-the-hope-of-the-world-ven-pomnyun-sunim-marks-the-30th-anniversary-of-the-sujata-academy-project-in-india","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2024-02-14 23:46:42","post_modified_gmt":"2024-02-15 04:46:42","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/www.jungtosociety.org\/?p=18019","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"},{"ID":18003,"post_author":"13","post_date":"2024-02-09 11:17:31","post_date_gmt":"2024-02-09 16:17:31","post_content":"\n

<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Jungto Society, the international Buddhist community founded by the revered Korean Dharma master and social activist Venerable Pomnyun Sunim (\ubc95\ub95c\uc2a4\ub2d8), has conducted its 33rd annual pilgrimage across India and to Nepal. Held under the theme \u201cFollowing in the Footsteps of the Buddha,\u201d the pilgrimage, which ran from 19 January to 2 February, was attended by more 500 practitioners.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The pilgrimage was particularly notable for two reasons: this year saw the participation, for the first time in the Jungto pilgrimage\u2019s 33-year history, of non-Korean practitioners. It also celebrated the 30th anniversary of Sujata Academy, a remarkable community school established by Ven. Pomnyun Sunim in Dungheswari, Bihar, that has transformed the lives of an entire community of people who have faced systemic social and economic exclusion as a result of India\u2019s conservative Hindu caste hierarchy.1<\/sup><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Because of the unique significance of the Sujata Academy\u2019s 30th anniversary, BDG will cover that event in more depth in a separate upcoming report and interview.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n
\n
\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\"\"<\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Jungto Society is a volunteer-run community of practitioners that aspires to embody the Buddhist teachings through social engagement, and by promoting a simple lifestyle centered on sustainable living. The community seeks to address the crises of modern society, such as greed, poverty, conflict, and environmental degradation, by applying a Buddhist worldview of interconnectedness and living in line with the principle that everyone can find happiness through Buddhist practice and active participation in social movements.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Although fewer in number than the 1,250 practitioners who attended Jungto Society\u2019s 2023 pilgrimage,2<\/sup> the 500-plus Korean Buddhist pilgrims who recently returned from India were accompanied nine practitioners from Italy, Japan, Thailand, the United Kingdom, the United States, and Vietnam\u2014some of whom are members of the the International Network of Engaged Buddhists (INEB), including two bhikkhunis<\/em> from Thailand, while others are graduates of Jungto Society\u2019s English-language Dharma School.3<\/sup><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u25b6\ufe0f Published by BDG on February 7, 2024<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u25b6\ufe0f Read more: <\/a>https:\/\/www.buddhistdoor.net\/news\/special-report-footsteps-of-the-buddha-ven-pomnyun-sunim-leads-500-practitioners-on-the-33rd-jungto-pilgrimage-across-india-and-nepal\/<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

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<\/p>\n","post_title":"Special Report: Footsteps of the Buddha \u2013 Ven. Pomnyun Sunim Leads 500 Practitioners on the 33rd Jungto Pilgrimage across India and Nepal","post_excerpt":"The Korean Seon (Zen) master Venerable Pomnyun Sunim (\ubc95\ub95c\uc2a4\ub2d8) wears many hats: Buddhist monk, teacher, author, environmentalist, and social activist, to name a few. As a widely respected Dharma teacher and a tireless socially engaged activist in his native South Korea, Ven. Pomnyun Sunim has founded numerous Dharma-based organizations, initiatives, and projects that are active across the world. Among them, Jungto Society, a volunteer-based community founded on the Buddhist teachings and expressing equality, simple living, and sustainability, is dedicated to addressing modern social issues that lead to suffering, including environmental degradation, poverty, and conflict.\n\nThis column, shared by Jungto Society, presents a series of highlights from Ven. Pomnyun Sunim\u2019s writings, teachings, public talks, and regular live-streamed Dharma Q+A sessions, which are accessible across the globe.\n","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","post_password":"","post_name":"special-report-footsteps-of-the-buddha-ven-pomnyun-sunim-leads-500-practitioners-on-the-33rd-jungto-pilgrimage-across-india-and-nepal","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2024-02-09 11:17:33","post_modified_gmt":"2024-02-09 16:17:33","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/www.jungtosociety.org\/?p=18003","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"};

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This region is surrounded by the Pragbodhi Hills where the historical Buddha, Shakyamuni, is said to have spent six years in a cave as an ascetic. And it\u2019s here that JTS India has been working to empower the villagers in Dungeshwari to live their lives free from hunger, illiteracy, and disease.3<\/sup><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u25b6\ufe0f Published by BDG on February 14, 2024<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u25b6\ufe0f Read more: <\/a>https:\/\/www.buddhistdoor.net\/news\/special-report-the-hope-of-the-world-ven-pomnyun-sunim-marks-the-30th-anniversary-of-the-sujata-academy-project-in-india\/<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

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<\/p>\n","post_title":"Special Report: The Hope of the World \u2013 Ven. Pomnyun Sunim Marks the 30th Anniversary of the Sujata Academy Project in India","post_excerpt":"The Korean Seon (Zen) master Venerable Pomnyun Sunim (\ubc95\ub95c\uc2a4\ub2d8) wears many hats: Buddhist monk, teacher, author, environmentalist, and social activist, to name a few. As a widely respected Dharma teacher and a tireless socially engaged activist in his native South Korea, Ven. Pomnyun Sunim has founded numerous Dharma-based organizations, initiatives, and projects that are active across the world. Among them, Jungto Society, a volunteer-based community founded on the Buddhist teachings and expressing equality, simple living, and sustainability, is dedicated to addressing modern social issues that lead to suffering, including environmental degradation, poverty, and conflict.\n\nThis column, shared by Jungto Society, presents a series of highlights from Ven. Pomnyun Sunim\u2019s writings, teachings, public talks, and regular live-streamed Dharma Q+A sessions, which are accessible across the globe.\n","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","post_password":"","post_name":"special-report-the-hope-of-the-world-ven-pomnyun-sunim-marks-the-30th-anniversary-of-the-sujata-academy-project-in-india","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2024-02-14 23:46:42","post_modified_gmt":"2024-02-15 04:46:42","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/www.jungtosociety.org\/?p=18019","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"},{"ID":18003,"post_author":"13","post_date":"2024-02-09 11:17:31","post_date_gmt":"2024-02-09 16:17:31","post_content":"\n

<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Jungto Society, the international Buddhist community founded by the revered Korean Dharma master and social activist Venerable Pomnyun Sunim (\ubc95\ub95c\uc2a4\ub2d8), has conducted its 33rd annual pilgrimage across India and to Nepal. Held under the theme \u201cFollowing in the Footsteps of the Buddha,\u201d the pilgrimage, which ran from 19 January to 2 February, was attended by more 500 practitioners.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The pilgrimage was particularly notable for two reasons: this year saw the participation, for the first time in the Jungto pilgrimage\u2019s 33-year history, of non-Korean practitioners. It also celebrated the 30th anniversary of Sujata Academy, a remarkable community school established by Ven. Pomnyun Sunim in Dungheswari, Bihar, that has transformed the lives of an entire community of people who have faced systemic social and economic exclusion as a result of India\u2019s conservative Hindu caste hierarchy.1<\/sup><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Because of the unique significance of the Sujata Academy\u2019s 30th anniversary, BDG will cover that event in more depth in a separate upcoming report and interview.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n
\n
\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\"\"<\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Jungto Society is a volunteer-run community of practitioners that aspires to embody the Buddhist teachings through social engagement, and by promoting a simple lifestyle centered on sustainable living. The community seeks to address the crises of modern society, such as greed, poverty, conflict, and environmental degradation, by applying a Buddhist worldview of interconnectedness and living in line with the principle that everyone can find happiness through Buddhist practice and active participation in social movements.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Although fewer in number than the 1,250 practitioners who attended Jungto Society\u2019s 2023 pilgrimage,2<\/sup> the 500-plus Korean Buddhist pilgrims who recently returned from India were accompanied nine practitioners from Italy, Japan, Thailand, the United Kingdom, the United States, and Vietnam\u2014some of whom are members of the the International Network of Engaged Buddhists (INEB), including two bhikkhunis<\/em> from Thailand, while others are graduates of Jungto Society\u2019s English-language Dharma School.3<\/sup><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u25b6\ufe0f Published by BDG on February 7, 2024<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u25b6\ufe0f Read more: <\/a>https:\/\/www.buddhistdoor.net\/news\/special-report-footsteps-of-the-buddha-ven-pomnyun-sunim-leads-500-practitioners-on-the-33rd-jungto-pilgrimage-across-india-and-nepal\/<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

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<\/p>\n","post_title":"Special Report: Footsteps of the Buddha \u2013 Ven. Pomnyun Sunim Leads 500 Practitioners on the 33rd Jungto Pilgrimage across India and Nepal","post_excerpt":"The Korean Seon (Zen) master Venerable Pomnyun Sunim (\ubc95\ub95c\uc2a4\ub2d8) wears many hats: Buddhist monk, teacher, author, environmentalist, and social activist, to name a few. As a widely respected Dharma teacher and a tireless socially engaged activist in his native South Korea, Ven. Pomnyun Sunim has founded numerous Dharma-based organizations, initiatives, and projects that are active across the world. Among them, Jungto Society, a volunteer-based community founded on the Buddhist teachings and expressing equality, simple living, and sustainability, is dedicated to addressing modern social issues that lead to suffering, including environmental degradation, poverty, and conflict.\n\nThis column, shared by Jungto Society, presents a series of highlights from Ven. Pomnyun Sunim\u2019s writings, teachings, public talks, and regular live-streamed Dharma Q+A sessions, which are accessible across the globe.\n","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","post_password":"","post_name":"special-report-footsteps-of-the-buddha-ven-pomnyun-sunim-leads-500-practitioners-on-the-33rd-jungto-pilgrimage-across-india-and-nepal","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2024-02-09 11:17:33","post_modified_gmt":"2024-02-09 16:17:33","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/www.jungtosociety.org\/?p=18003","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

JTS India began its work in Dungeshwari, some 12 kilometers northeast of the Buddhist pilgrimage hub of Bodh Gaya, in the early 1990s, aspiring to fulfill the mission: \u201cThe hungry should eat; the sick should be treated; children should be educated in time.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This region is surrounded by the Pragbodhi Hills where the historical Buddha, Shakyamuni, is said to have spent six years in a cave as an ascetic. And it\u2019s here that JTS India has been working to empower the villagers in Dungeshwari to live their lives free from hunger, illiteracy, and disease.3<\/sup><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u25b6\ufe0f Published by BDG on February 14, 2024<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u25b6\ufe0f Read more: <\/a>https:\/\/www.buddhistdoor.net\/news\/special-report-the-hope-of-the-world-ven-pomnyun-sunim-marks-the-30th-anniversary-of-the-sujata-academy-project-in-india\/<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

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<\/p>\n","post_title":"Special Report: The Hope of the World \u2013 Ven. Pomnyun Sunim Marks the 30th Anniversary of the Sujata Academy Project in India","post_excerpt":"The Korean Seon (Zen) master Venerable Pomnyun Sunim (\ubc95\ub95c\uc2a4\ub2d8) wears many hats: Buddhist monk, teacher, author, environmentalist, and social activist, to name a few. As a widely respected Dharma teacher and a tireless socially engaged activist in his native South Korea, Ven. Pomnyun Sunim has founded numerous Dharma-based organizations, initiatives, and projects that are active across the world. Among them, Jungto Society, a volunteer-based community founded on the Buddhist teachings and expressing equality, simple living, and sustainability, is dedicated to addressing modern social issues that lead to suffering, including environmental degradation, poverty, and conflict.\n\nThis column, shared by Jungto Society, presents a series of highlights from Ven. Pomnyun Sunim\u2019s writings, teachings, public talks, and regular live-streamed Dharma Q+A sessions, which are accessible across the globe.\n","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","post_password":"","post_name":"special-report-the-hope-of-the-world-ven-pomnyun-sunim-marks-the-30th-anniversary-of-the-sujata-academy-project-in-india","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2024-02-14 23:46:42","post_modified_gmt":"2024-02-15 04:46:42","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/www.jungtosociety.org\/?p=18019","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"},{"ID":18003,"post_author":"13","post_date":"2024-02-09 11:17:31","post_date_gmt":"2024-02-09 16:17:31","post_content":"\n

<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Jungto Society, the international Buddhist community founded by the revered Korean Dharma master and social activist Venerable Pomnyun Sunim (\ubc95\ub95c\uc2a4\ub2d8), has conducted its 33rd annual pilgrimage across India and to Nepal. Held under the theme \u201cFollowing in the Footsteps of the Buddha,\u201d the pilgrimage, which ran from 19 January to 2 February, was attended by more 500 practitioners.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The pilgrimage was particularly notable for two reasons: this year saw the participation, for the first time in the Jungto pilgrimage\u2019s 33-year history, of non-Korean practitioners. It also celebrated the 30th anniversary of Sujata Academy, a remarkable community school established by Ven. Pomnyun Sunim in Dungheswari, Bihar, that has transformed the lives of an entire community of people who have faced systemic social and economic exclusion as a result of India\u2019s conservative Hindu caste hierarchy.1<\/sup><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Because of the unique significance of the Sujata Academy\u2019s 30th anniversary, BDG will cover that event in more depth in a separate upcoming report and interview.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n
\n
\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\"\"<\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Jungto Society is a volunteer-run community of practitioners that aspires to embody the Buddhist teachings through social engagement, and by promoting a simple lifestyle centered on sustainable living. The community seeks to address the crises of modern society, such as greed, poverty, conflict, and environmental degradation, by applying a Buddhist worldview of interconnectedness and living in line with the principle that everyone can find happiness through Buddhist practice and active participation in social movements.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Although fewer in number than the 1,250 practitioners who attended Jungto Society\u2019s 2023 pilgrimage,2<\/sup> the 500-plus Korean Buddhist pilgrims who recently returned from India were accompanied nine practitioners from Italy, Japan, Thailand, the United Kingdom, the United States, and Vietnam\u2014some of whom are members of the the International Network of Engaged Buddhists (INEB), including two bhikkhunis<\/em> from Thailand, while others are graduates of Jungto Society\u2019s English-language Dharma School.3<\/sup><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u25b6\ufe0f Published by BDG on February 7, 2024<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u25b6\ufe0f Read more: <\/a>https:\/\/www.buddhistdoor.net\/news\/special-report-footsteps-of-the-buddha-ven-pomnyun-sunim-leads-500-practitioners-on-the-33rd-jungto-pilgrimage-across-india-and-nepal\/<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

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<\/p>\n","post_title":"Special Report: Footsteps of the Buddha \u2013 Ven. Pomnyun Sunim Leads 500 Practitioners on the 33rd Jungto Pilgrimage across India and Nepal","post_excerpt":"The Korean Seon (Zen) master Venerable Pomnyun Sunim (\ubc95\ub95c\uc2a4\ub2d8) wears many hats: Buddhist monk, teacher, author, environmentalist, and social activist, to name a few. As a widely respected Dharma teacher and a tireless socially engaged activist in his native South Korea, Ven. Pomnyun Sunim has founded numerous Dharma-based organizations, initiatives, and projects that are active across the world. Among them, Jungto Society, a volunteer-based community founded on the Buddhist teachings and expressing equality, simple living, and sustainability, is dedicated to addressing modern social issues that lead to suffering, including environmental degradation, poverty, and conflict.\n\nThis column, shared by Jungto Society, presents a series of highlights from Ven. Pomnyun Sunim\u2019s writings, teachings, public talks, and regular live-streamed Dharma Q+A sessions, which are accessible across the globe.\n","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","post_password":"","post_name":"special-report-footsteps-of-the-buddha-ven-pomnyun-sunim-leads-500-practitioners-on-the-33rd-jungto-pilgrimage-across-india-and-nepal","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2024-02-09 11:17:33","post_modified_gmt":"2024-02-09 16:17:33","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/www.jungtosociety.org\/?p=18003","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

Ven. Pomnyun Sunim established the international Buddhist humanitarian relief organization Join Together Society (JTS) as an expression of the compassion of engaged Buddhism and the belief that helping others is the best way to enrich one\u2019s own life. Headquartered in Seoul, JTS operates four branch offices in South Korea and the United States, along with field offices in India and the Philippines. JTS Korea and JTS America oversee fundraising, while JTS India and JTS Philippines conduct development projects in cooperation with local communities. The relief organization has also earned Special Consultative Status to the United Nations Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

JTS India began its work in Dungeshwari, some 12 kilometers northeast of the Buddhist pilgrimage hub of Bodh Gaya, in the early 1990s, aspiring to fulfill the mission: \u201cThe hungry should eat; the sick should be treated; children should be educated in time.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This region is surrounded by the Pragbodhi Hills where the historical Buddha, Shakyamuni, is said to have spent six years in a cave as an ascetic. And it\u2019s here that JTS India has been working to empower the villagers in Dungeshwari to live their lives free from hunger, illiteracy, and disease.3<\/sup><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u25b6\ufe0f Published by BDG on February 14, 2024<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u25b6\ufe0f Read more: <\/a>https:\/\/www.buddhistdoor.net\/news\/special-report-the-hope-of-the-world-ven-pomnyun-sunim-marks-the-30th-anniversary-of-the-sujata-academy-project-in-india\/<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

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<\/p>\n","post_title":"Special Report: The Hope of the World \u2013 Ven. Pomnyun Sunim Marks the 30th Anniversary of the Sujata Academy Project in India","post_excerpt":"The Korean Seon (Zen) master Venerable Pomnyun Sunim (\ubc95\ub95c\uc2a4\ub2d8) wears many hats: Buddhist monk, teacher, author, environmentalist, and social activist, to name a few. As a widely respected Dharma teacher and a tireless socially engaged activist in his native South Korea, Ven. Pomnyun Sunim has founded numerous Dharma-based organizations, initiatives, and projects that are active across the world. Among them, Jungto Society, a volunteer-based community founded on the Buddhist teachings and expressing equality, simple living, and sustainability, is dedicated to addressing modern social issues that lead to suffering, including environmental degradation, poverty, and conflict.\n\nThis column, shared by Jungto Society, presents a series of highlights from Ven. Pomnyun Sunim\u2019s writings, teachings, public talks, and regular live-streamed Dharma Q+A sessions, which are accessible across the globe.\n","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","post_password":"","post_name":"special-report-the-hope-of-the-world-ven-pomnyun-sunim-marks-the-30th-anniversary-of-the-sujata-academy-project-in-india","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2024-02-14 23:46:42","post_modified_gmt":"2024-02-15 04:46:42","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/www.jungtosociety.org\/?p=18019","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"},{"ID":18003,"post_author":"13","post_date":"2024-02-09 11:17:31","post_date_gmt":"2024-02-09 16:17:31","post_content":"\n

<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Jungto Society, the international Buddhist community founded by the revered Korean Dharma master and social activist Venerable Pomnyun Sunim (\ubc95\ub95c\uc2a4\ub2d8), has conducted its 33rd annual pilgrimage across India and to Nepal. Held under the theme \u201cFollowing in the Footsteps of the Buddha,\u201d the pilgrimage, which ran from 19 January to 2 February, was attended by more 500 practitioners.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The pilgrimage was particularly notable for two reasons: this year saw the participation, for the first time in the Jungto pilgrimage\u2019s 33-year history, of non-Korean practitioners. It also celebrated the 30th anniversary of Sujata Academy, a remarkable community school established by Ven. Pomnyun Sunim in Dungheswari, Bihar, that has transformed the lives of an entire community of people who have faced systemic social and economic exclusion as a result of India\u2019s conservative Hindu caste hierarchy.1<\/sup><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Because of the unique significance of the Sujata Academy\u2019s 30th anniversary, BDG will cover that event in more depth in a separate upcoming report and interview.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n
\n
\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\"\"<\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Jungto Society is a volunteer-run community of practitioners that aspires to embody the Buddhist teachings through social engagement, and by promoting a simple lifestyle centered on sustainable living. The community seeks to address the crises of modern society, such as greed, poverty, conflict, and environmental degradation, by applying a Buddhist worldview of interconnectedness and living in line with the principle that everyone can find happiness through Buddhist practice and active participation in social movements.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Although fewer in number than the 1,250 practitioners who attended Jungto Society\u2019s 2023 pilgrimage,2<\/sup> the 500-plus Korean Buddhist pilgrims who recently returned from India were accompanied nine practitioners from Italy, Japan, Thailand, the United Kingdom, the United States, and Vietnam\u2014some of whom are members of the the International Network of Engaged Buddhists (INEB), including two bhikkhunis<\/em> from Thailand, while others are graduates of Jungto Society\u2019s English-language Dharma School.3<\/sup><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u25b6\ufe0f Published by BDG on February 7, 2024<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u25b6\ufe0f Read more: <\/a>https:\/\/www.buddhistdoor.net\/news\/special-report-footsteps-of-the-buddha-ven-pomnyun-sunim-leads-500-practitioners-on-the-33rd-jungto-pilgrimage-across-india-and-nepal\/<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

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<\/p>\n","post_title":"Special Report: Footsteps of the Buddha \u2013 Ven. Pomnyun Sunim Leads 500 Practitioners on the 33rd Jungto Pilgrimage across India and Nepal","post_excerpt":"The Korean Seon (Zen) master Venerable Pomnyun Sunim (\ubc95\ub95c\uc2a4\ub2d8) wears many hats: Buddhist monk, teacher, author, environmentalist, and social activist, to name a few. As a widely respected Dharma teacher and a tireless socially engaged activist in his native South Korea, Ven. Pomnyun Sunim has founded numerous Dharma-based organizations, initiatives, and projects that are active across the world. Among them, Jungto Society, a volunteer-based community founded on the Buddhist teachings and expressing equality, simple living, and sustainability, is dedicated to addressing modern social issues that lead to suffering, including environmental degradation, poverty, and conflict.\n\nThis column, shared by Jungto Society, presents a series of highlights from Ven. Pomnyun Sunim\u2019s writings, teachings, public talks, and regular live-streamed Dharma Q+A sessions, which are accessible across the globe.\n","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","post_password":"","post_name":"special-report-footsteps-of-the-buddha-ven-pomnyun-sunim-leads-500-practitioners-on-the-33rd-jungto-pilgrimage-across-india-and-nepal","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2024-02-09 11:17:33","post_modified_gmt":"2024-02-09 16:17:33","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/www.jungtosociety.org\/?p=18003","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

<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Ven. Pomnyun Sunim established the international Buddhist humanitarian relief organization Join Together Society (JTS) as an expression of the compassion of engaged Buddhism and the belief that helping others is the best way to enrich one\u2019s own life. Headquartered in Seoul, JTS operates four branch offices in South Korea and the United States, along with field offices in India and the Philippines. JTS Korea and JTS America oversee fundraising, while JTS India and JTS Philippines conduct development projects in cooperation with local communities. The relief organization has also earned Special Consultative Status to the United Nations Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

JTS India began its work in Dungeshwari, some 12 kilometers northeast of the Buddhist pilgrimage hub of Bodh Gaya, in the early 1990s, aspiring to fulfill the mission: \u201cThe hungry should eat; the sick should be treated; children should be educated in time.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This region is surrounded by the Pragbodhi Hills where the historical Buddha, Shakyamuni, is said to have spent six years in a cave as an ascetic. And it\u2019s here that JTS India has been working to empower the villagers in Dungeshwari to live their lives free from hunger, illiteracy, and disease.3<\/sup><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u25b6\ufe0f Published by BDG on February 14, 2024<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u25b6\ufe0f Read more: <\/a>https:\/\/www.buddhistdoor.net\/news\/special-report-the-hope-of-the-world-ven-pomnyun-sunim-marks-the-30th-anniversary-of-the-sujata-academy-project-in-india\/<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

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<\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/p>\n","post_title":"Special Report: The Hope of the World \u2013 Ven. Pomnyun Sunim Marks the 30th Anniversary of the Sujata Academy Project in India","post_excerpt":"The Korean Seon (Zen) master Venerable Pomnyun Sunim (\ubc95\ub95c\uc2a4\ub2d8) wears many hats: Buddhist monk, teacher, author, environmentalist, and social activist, to name a few. As a widely respected Dharma teacher and a tireless socially engaged activist in his native South Korea, Ven. Pomnyun Sunim has founded numerous Dharma-based organizations, initiatives, and projects that are active across the world. Among them, Jungto Society, a volunteer-based community founded on the Buddhist teachings and expressing equality, simple living, and sustainability, is dedicated to addressing modern social issues that lead to suffering, including environmental degradation, poverty, and conflict.\n\nThis column, shared by Jungto Society, presents a series of highlights from Ven. Pomnyun Sunim\u2019s writings, teachings, public talks, and regular live-streamed Dharma Q+A sessions, which are accessible across the globe.\n","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","post_password":"","post_name":"special-report-the-hope-of-the-world-ven-pomnyun-sunim-marks-the-30th-anniversary-of-the-sujata-academy-project-in-india","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2024-02-14 23:46:42","post_modified_gmt":"2024-02-15 04:46:42","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/www.jungtosociety.org\/?p=18019","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"},{"ID":18003,"post_author":"13","post_date":"2024-02-09 11:17:31","post_date_gmt":"2024-02-09 16:17:31","post_content":"\n

<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Jungto Society, the international Buddhist community founded by the revered Korean Dharma master and social activist Venerable Pomnyun Sunim (\ubc95\ub95c\uc2a4\ub2d8), has conducted its 33rd annual pilgrimage across India and to Nepal. Held under the theme \u201cFollowing in the Footsteps of the Buddha,\u201d the pilgrimage, which ran from 19 January to 2 February, was attended by more 500 practitioners.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The pilgrimage was particularly notable for two reasons: this year saw the participation, for the first time in the Jungto pilgrimage\u2019s 33-year history, of non-Korean practitioners. It also celebrated the 30th anniversary of Sujata Academy, a remarkable community school established by Ven. Pomnyun Sunim in Dungheswari, Bihar, that has transformed the lives of an entire community of people who have faced systemic social and economic exclusion as a result of India\u2019s conservative Hindu caste hierarchy.1<\/sup><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Because of the unique significance of the Sujata Academy\u2019s 30th anniversary, BDG will cover that event in more depth in a separate upcoming report and interview.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n
\n
\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\"\"<\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Jungto Society is a volunteer-run community of practitioners that aspires to embody the Buddhist teachings through social engagement, and by promoting a simple lifestyle centered on sustainable living. The community seeks to address the crises of modern society, such as greed, poverty, conflict, and environmental degradation, by applying a Buddhist worldview of interconnectedness and living in line with the principle that everyone can find happiness through Buddhist practice and active participation in social movements.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Although fewer in number than the 1,250 practitioners who attended Jungto Society\u2019s 2023 pilgrimage,2<\/sup> the 500-plus Korean Buddhist pilgrims who recently returned from India were accompanied nine practitioners from Italy, Japan, Thailand, the United Kingdom, the United States, and Vietnam\u2014some of whom are members of the the International Network of Engaged Buddhists (INEB), including two bhikkhunis<\/em> from Thailand, while others are graduates of Jungto Society\u2019s English-language Dharma School.3<\/sup><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u25b6\ufe0f Published by BDG on February 7, 2024<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u25b6\ufe0f Read more: <\/a>https:\/\/www.buddhistdoor.net\/news\/special-report-footsteps-of-the-buddha-ven-pomnyun-sunim-leads-500-practitioners-on-the-33rd-jungto-pilgrimage-across-india-and-nepal\/<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

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<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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<\/p>\n","post_title":"Special Report: Footsteps of the Buddha \u2013 Ven. Pomnyun Sunim Leads 500 Practitioners on the 33rd Jungto Pilgrimage across India and Nepal","post_excerpt":"The Korean Seon (Zen) master Venerable Pomnyun Sunim (\ubc95\ub95c\uc2a4\ub2d8) wears many hats: Buddhist monk, teacher, author, environmentalist, and social activist, to name a few. As a widely respected Dharma teacher and a tireless socially engaged activist in his native South Korea, Ven. Pomnyun Sunim has founded numerous Dharma-based organizations, initiatives, and projects that are active across the world. Among them, Jungto Society, a volunteer-based community founded on the Buddhist teachings and expressing equality, simple living, and sustainability, is dedicated to addressing modern social issues that lead to suffering, including environmental degradation, poverty, and conflict.\n\nThis column, shared by Jungto Society, presents a series of highlights from Ven. Pomnyun Sunim\u2019s writings, teachings, public talks, and regular live-streamed Dharma Q+A sessions, which are accessible across the globe.\n","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","post_password":"","post_name":"special-report-footsteps-of-the-buddha-ven-pomnyun-sunim-leads-500-practitioners-on-the-33rd-jungto-pilgrimage-across-india-and-nepal","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2024-02-09 11:17:33","post_modified_gmt":"2024-02-09 16:17:33","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/www.jungtosociety.org\/?p=18003","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
\"\"<\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Ven. Pomnyun Sunim established the international Buddhist humanitarian relief organization Join Together Society (JTS) as an expression of the compassion of engaged Buddhism and the belief that helping others is the best way to enrich one\u2019s own life. Headquartered in Seoul, JTS operates four branch offices in South Korea and the United States, along with field offices in India and the Philippines. JTS Korea and JTS America oversee fundraising, while JTS India and JTS Philippines conduct development projects in cooperation with local communities. The relief organization has also earned Special Consultative Status to the United Nations Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

JTS India began its work in Dungeshwari, some 12 kilometers northeast of the Buddhist pilgrimage hub of Bodh Gaya, in the early 1990s, aspiring to fulfill the mission: \u201cThe hungry should eat; the sick should be treated; children should be educated in time.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This region is surrounded by the Pragbodhi Hills where the historical Buddha, Shakyamuni, is said to have spent six years in a cave as an ascetic. And it\u2019s here that JTS India has been working to empower the villagers in Dungeshwari to live their lives free from hunger, illiteracy, and disease.3<\/sup><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u25b6\ufe0f Published by BDG on February 14, 2024<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u25b6\ufe0f Read more: <\/a>https:\/\/www.buddhistdoor.net\/news\/special-report-the-hope-of-the-world-ven-pomnyun-sunim-marks-the-30th-anniversary-of-the-sujata-academy-project-in-india\/<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

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<\/p>\n","post_title":"Special Report: The Hope of the World \u2013 Ven. Pomnyun Sunim Marks the 30th Anniversary of the Sujata Academy Project in India","post_excerpt":"The Korean Seon (Zen) master Venerable Pomnyun Sunim (\ubc95\ub95c\uc2a4\ub2d8) wears many hats: Buddhist monk, teacher, author, environmentalist, and social activist, to name a few. As a widely respected Dharma teacher and a tireless socially engaged activist in his native South Korea, Ven. Pomnyun Sunim has founded numerous Dharma-based organizations, initiatives, and projects that are active across the world. Among them, Jungto Society, a volunteer-based community founded on the Buddhist teachings and expressing equality, simple living, and sustainability, is dedicated to addressing modern social issues that lead to suffering, including environmental degradation, poverty, and conflict.\n\nThis column, shared by Jungto Society, presents a series of highlights from Ven. Pomnyun Sunim\u2019s writings, teachings, public talks, and regular live-streamed Dharma Q+A sessions, which are accessible across the globe.\n","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","post_password":"","post_name":"special-report-the-hope-of-the-world-ven-pomnyun-sunim-marks-the-30th-anniversary-of-the-sujata-academy-project-in-india","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2024-02-14 23:46:42","post_modified_gmt":"2024-02-15 04:46:42","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/www.jungtosociety.org\/?p=18019","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"},{"ID":18003,"post_author":"13","post_date":"2024-02-09 11:17:31","post_date_gmt":"2024-02-09 16:17:31","post_content":"\n

<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Jungto Society, the international Buddhist community founded by the revered Korean Dharma master and social activist Venerable Pomnyun Sunim (\ubc95\ub95c\uc2a4\ub2d8), has conducted its 33rd annual pilgrimage across India and to Nepal. Held under the theme \u201cFollowing in the Footsteps of the Buddha,\u201d the pilgrimage, which ran from 19 January to 2 February, was attended by more 500 practitioners.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The pilgrimage was particularly notable for two reasons: this year saw the participation, for the first time in the Jungto pilgrimage\u2019s 33-year history, of non-Korean practitioners. It also celebrated the 30th anniversary of Sujata Academy, a remarkable community school established by Ven. Pomnyun Sunim in Dungheswari, Bihar, that has transformed the lives of an entire community of people who have faced systemic social and economic exclusion as a result of India\u2019s conservative Hindu caste hierarchy.1<\/sup><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Because of the unique significance of the Sujata Academy\u2019s 30th anniversary, BDG will cover that event in more depth in a separate upcoming report and interview.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n
\n
\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\"\"<\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Jungto Society is a volunteer-run community of practitioners that aspires to embody the Buddhist teachings through social engagement, and by promoting a simple lifestyle centered on sustainable living. The community seeks to address the crises of modern society, such as greed, poverty, conflict, and environmental degradation, by applying a Buddhist worldview of interconnectedness and living in line with the principle that everyone can find happiness through Buddhist practice and active participation in social movements.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Although fewer in number than the 1,250 practitioners who attended Jungto Society\u2019s 2023 pilgrimage,2<\/sup> the 500-plus Korean Buddhist pilgrims who recently returned from India were accompanied nine practitioners from Italy, Japan, Thailand, the United Kingdom, the United States, and Vietnam\u2014some of whom are members of the the International Network of Engaged Buddhists (INEB), including two bhikkhunis<\/em> from Thailand, while others are graduates of Jungto Society\u2019s English-language Dharma School.3<\/sup><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u25b6\ufe0f Published by BDG on February 7, 2024<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u25b6\ufe0f Read more: <\/a>https:\/\/www.buddhistdoor.net\/news\/special-report-footsteps-of-the-buddha-ven-pomnyun-sunim-leads-500-practitioners-on-the-33rd-jungto-pilgrimage-across-india-and-nepal\/<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

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<\/p>\n","post_title":"Special Report: Footsteps of the Buddha \u2013 Ven. Pomnyun Sunim Leads 500 Practitioners on the 33rd Jungto Pilgrimage across India and Nepal","post_excerpt":"The Korean Seon (Zen) master Venerable Pomnyun Sunim (\ubc95\ub95c\uc2a4\ub2d8) wears many hats: Buddhist monk, teacher, author, environmentalist, and social activist, to name a few. As a widely respected Dharma teacher and a tireless socially engaged activist in his native South Korea, Ven. Pomnyun Sunim has founded numerous Dharma-based organizations, initiatives, and projects that are active across the world. Among them, Jungto Society, a volunteer-based community founded on the Buddhist teachings and expressing equality, simple living, and sustainability, is dedicated to addressing modern social issues that lead to suffering, including environmental degradation, poverty, and conflict.\n\nThis column, shared by Jungto Society, presents a series of highlights from Ven. Pomnyun Sunim\u2019s writings, teachings, public talks, and regular live-streamed Dharma Q+A sessions, which are accessible across the globe.\n","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","post_password":"","post_name":"special-report-footsteps-of-the-buddha-ven-pomnyun-sunim-leads-500-practitioners-on-the-33rd-jungto-pilgrimage-across-india-and-nepal","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2024-02-09 11:17:33","post_modified_gmt":"2024-02-09 16:17:33","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/www.jungtosociety.org\/?p=18003","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
\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\"\"<\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Ven. Pomnyun Sunim established the international Buddhist humanitarian relief organization Join Together Society (JTS) as an expression of the compassion of engaged Buddhism and the belief that helping others is the best way to enrich one\u2019s own life. Headquartered in Seoul, JTS operates four branch offices in South Korea and the United States, along with field offices in India and the Philippines. JTS Korea and JTS America oversee fundraising, while JTS India and JTS Philippines conduct development projects in cooperation with local communities. The relief organization has also earned Special Consultative Status to the United Nations Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

JTS India began its work in Dungeshwari, some 12 kilometers northeast of the Buddhist pilgrimage hub of Bodh Gaya, in the early 1990s, aspiring to fulfill the mission: \u201cThe hungry should eat; the sick should be treated; children should be educated in time.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This region is surrounded by the Pragbodhi Hills where the historical Buddha, Shakyamuni, is said to have spent six years in a cave as an ascetic. And it\u2019s here that JTS India has been working to empower the villagers in Dungeshwari to live their lives free from hunger, illiteracy, and disease.3<\/sup><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u25b6\ufe0f Published by BDG on February 14, 2024<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u25b6\ufe0f Read more: <\/a>https:\/\/www.buddhistdoor.net\/news\/special-report-the-hope-of-the-world-ven-pomnyun-sunim-marks-the-30th-anniversary-of-the-sujata-academy-project-in-india\/<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

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<\/p>\n","post_title":"Special Report: The Hope of the World \u2013 Ven. Pomnyun Sunim Marks the 30th Anniversary of the Sujata Academy Project in India","post_excerpt":"The Korean Seon (Zen) master Venerable Pomnyun Sunim (\ubc95\ub95c\uc2a4\ub2d8) wears many hats: Buddhist monk, teacher, author, environmentalist, and social activist, to name a few. As a widely respected Dharma teacher and a tireless socially engaged activist in his native South Korea, Ven. Pomnyun Sunim has founded numerous Dharma-based organizations, initiatives, and projects that are active across the world. Among them, Jungto Society, a volunteer-based community founded on the Buddhist teachings and expressing equality, simple living, and sustainability, is dedicated to addressing modern social issues that lead to suffering, including environmental degradation, poverty, and conflict.\n\nThis column, shared by Jungto Society, presents a series of highlights from Ven. Pomnyun Sunim\u2019s writings, teachings, public talks, and regular live-streamed Dharma Q+A sessions, which are accessible across the globe.\n","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","post_password":"","post_name":"special-report-the-hope-of-the-world-ven-pomnyun-sunim-marks-the-30th-anniversary-of-the-sujata-academy-project-in-india","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2024-02-14 23:46:42","post_modified_gmt":"2024-02-15 04:46:42","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/www.jungtosociety.org\/?p=18019","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"},{"ID":18003,"post_author":"13","post_date":"2024-02-09 11:17:31","post_date_gmt":"2024-02-09 16:17:31","post_content":"\n

<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Jungto Society, the international Buddhist community founded by the revered Korean Dharma master and social activist Venerable Pomnyun Sunim (\ubc95\ub95c\uc2a4\ub2d8), has conducted its 33rd annual pilgrimage across India and to Nepal. Held under the theme \u201cFollowing in the Footsteps of the Buddha,\u201d the pilgrimage, which ran from 19 January to 2 February, was attended by more 500 practitioners.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The pilgrimage was particularly notable for two reasons: this year saw the participation, for the first time in the Jungto pilgrimage\u2019s 33-year history, of non-Korean practitioners. It also celebrated the 30th anniversary of Sujata Academy, a remarkable community school established by Ven. Pomnyun Sunim in Dungheswari, Bihar, that has transformed the lives of an entire community of people who have faced systemic social and economic exclusion as a result of India\u2019s conservative Hindu caste hierarchy.1<\/sup><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Because of the unique significance of the Sujata Academy\u2019s 30th anniversary, BDG will cover that event in more depth in a separate upcoming report and interview.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n
\n
\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\"\"<\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Jungto Society is a volunteer-run community of practitioners that aspires to embody the Buddhist teachings through social engagement, and by promoting a simple lifestyle centered on sustainable living. The community seeks to address the crises of modern society, such as greed, poverty, conflict, and environmental degradation, by applying a Buddhist worldview of interconnectedness and living in line with the principle that everyone can find happiness through Buddhist practice and active participation in social movements.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Although fewer in number than the 1,250 practitioners who attended Jungto Society\u2019s 2023 pilgrimage,2<\/sup> the 500-plus Korean Buddhist pilgrims who recently returned from India were accompanied nine practitioners from Italy, Japan, Thailand, the United Kingdom, the United States, and Vietnam\u2014some of whom are members of the the International Network of Engaged Buddhists (INEB), including two bhikkhunis<\/em> from Thailand, while others are graduates of Jungto Society\u2019s English-language Dharma School.3<\/sup><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u25b6\ufe0f Published by BDG on February 7, 2024<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u25b6\ufe0f Read more: <\/a>https:\/\/www.buddhistdoor.net\/news\/special-report-footsteps-of-the-buddha-ven-pomnyun-sunim-leads-500-practitioners-on-the-33rd-jungto-pilgrimage-across-india-and-nepal\/<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

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<\/p>\n","post_title":"Special Report: Footsteps of the Buddha \u2013 Ven. Pomnyun Sunim Leads 500 Practitioners on the 33rd Jungto Pilgrimage across India and Nepal","post_excerpt":"The Korean Seon (Zen) master Venerable Pomnyun Sunim (\ubc95\ub95c\uc2a4\ub2d8) wears many hats: Buddhist monk, teacher, author, environmentalist, and social activist, to name a few. As a widely respected Dharma teacher and a tireless socially engaged activist in his native South Korea, Ven. Pomnyun Sunim has founded numerous Dharma-based organizations, initiatives, and projects that are active across the world. Among them, Jungto Society, a volunteer-based community founded on the Buddhist teachings and expressing equality, simple living, and sustainability, is dedicated to addressing modern social issues that lead to suffering, including environmental degradation, poverty, and conflict.\n\nThis column, shared by Jungto Society, presents a series of highlights from Ven. Pomnyun Sunim\u2019s writings, teachings, public talks, and regular live-streamed Dharma Q+A sessions, which are accessible across the globe.\n","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","post_password":"","post_name":"special-report-footsteps-of-the-buddha-ven-pomnyun-sunim-leads-500-practitioners-on-the-33rd-jungto-pilgrimage-across-india-and-nepal","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2024-02-09 11:17:33","post_modified_gmt":"2024-02-09 16:17:33","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/www.jungtosociety.org\/?p=18003","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
\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\"\"<\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Ven. Pomnyun Sunim established the international Buddhist humanitarian relief organization Join Together Society (JTS) as an expression of the compassion of engaged Buddhism and the belief that helping others is the best way to enrich one\u2019s own life. Headquartered in Seoul, JTS operates four branch offices in South Korea and the United States, along with field offices in India and the Philippines. JTS Korea and JTS America oversee fundraising, while JTS India and JTS Philippines conduct development projects in cooperation with local communities. The relief organization has also earned Special Consultative Status to the United Nations Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

JTS India began its work in Dungeshwari, some 12 kilometers northeast of the Buddhist pilgrimage hub of Bodh Gaya, in the early 1990s, aspiring to fulfill the mission: \u201cThe hungry should eat; the sick should be treated; children should be educated in time.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This region is surrounded by the Pragbodhi Hills where the historical Buddha, Shakyamuni, is said to have spent six years in a cave as an ascetic. And it\u2019s here that JTS India has been working to empower the villagers in Dungeshwari to live their lives free from hunger, illiteracy, and disease.3<\/sup><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u25b6\ufe0f Published by BDG on February 14, 2024<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u25b6\ufe0f Read more: <\/a>https:\/\/www.buddhistdoor.net\/news\/special-report-the-hope-of-the-world-ven-pomnyun-sunim-marks-the-30th-anniversary-of-the-sujata-academy-project-in-india\/<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

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<\/p>\n","post_title":"Special Report: The Hope of the World \u2013 Ven. Pomnyun Sunim Marks the 30th Anniversary of the Sujata Academy Project in India","post_excerpt":"The Korean Seon (Zen) master Venerable Pomnyun Sunim (\ubc95\ub95c\uc2a4\ub2d8) wears many hats: Buddhist monk, teacher, author, environmentalist, and social activist, to name a few. As a widely respected Dharma teacher and a tireless socially engaged activist in his native South Korea, Ven. Pomnyun Sunim has founded numerous Dharma-based organizations, initiatives, and projects that are active across the world. Among them, Jungto Society, a volunteer-based community founded on the Buddhist teachings and expressing equality, simple living, and sustainability, is dedicated to addressing modern social issues that lead to suffering, including environmental degradation, poverty, and conflict.\n\nThis column, shared by Jungto Society, presents a series of highlights from Ven. Pomnyun Sunim\u2019s writings, teachings, public talks, and regular live-streamed Dharma Q+A sessions, which are accessible across the globe.\n","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","post_password":"","post_name":"special-report-the-hope-of-the-world-ven-pomnyun-sunim-marks-the-30th-anniversary-of-the-sujata-academy-project-in-india","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2024-02-14 23:46:42","post_modified_gmt":"2024-02-15 04:46:42","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/www.jungtosociety.org\/?p=18019","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"},{"ID":18003,"post_author":"13","post_date":"2024-02-09 11:17:31","post_date_gmt":"2024-02-09 16:17:31","post_content":"\n

<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Jungto Society, the international Buddhist community founded by the revered Korean Dharma master and social activist Venerable Pomnyun Sunim (\ubc95\ub95c\uc2a4\ub2d8), has conducted its 33rd annual pilgrimage across India and to Nepal. Held under the theme \u201cFollowing in the Footsteps of the Buddha,\u201d the pilgrimage, which ran from 19 January to 2 February, was attended by more 500 practitioners.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The pilgrimage was particularly notable for two reasons: this year saw the participation, for the first time in the Jungto pilgrimage\u2019s 33-year history, of non-Korean practitioners. It also celebrated the 30th anniversary of Sujata Academy, a remarkable community school established by Ven. Pomnyun Sunim in Dungheswari, Bihar, that has transformed the lives of an entire community of people who have faced systemic social and economic exclusion as a result of India\u2019s conservative Hindu caste hierarchy.1<\/sup><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Because of the unique significance of the Sujata Academy\u2019s 30th anniversary, BDG will cover that event in more depth in a separate upcoming report and interview.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n
\n
\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\"\"<\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Jungto Society is a volunteer-run community of practitioners that aspires to embody the Buddhist teachings through social engagement, and by promoting a simple lifestyle centered on sustainable living. The community seeks to address the crises of modern society, such as greed, poverty, conflict, and environmental degradation, by applying a Buddhist worldview of interconnectedness and living in line with the principle that everyone can find happiness through Buddhist practice and active participation in social movements.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Although fewer in number than the 1,250 practitioners who attended Jungto Society\u2019s 2023 pilgrimage,2<\/sup> the 500-plus Korean Buddhist pilgrims who recently returned from India were accompanied nine practitioners from Italy, Japan, Thailand, the United Kingdom, the United States, and Vietnam\u2014some of whom are members of the the International Network of Engaged Buddhists (INEB), including two bhikkhunis<\/em> from Thailand, while others are graduates of Jungto Society\u2019s English-language Dharma School.3<\/sup><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u25b6\ufe0f Published by BDG on February 7, 2024<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u25b6\ufe0f Read more: <\/a>https:\/\/www.buddhistdoor.net\/news\/special-report-footsteps-of-the-buddha-ven-pomnyun-sunim-leads-500-practitioners-on-the-33rd-jungto-pilgrimage-across-india-and-nepal\/<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

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<\/p>\n","post_title":"Special Report: Footsteps of the Buddha \u2013 Ven. Pomnyun Sunim Leads 500 Practitioners on the 33rd Jungto Pilgrimage across India and Nepal","post_excerpt":"The Korean Seon (Zen) master Venerable Pomnyun Sunim (\ubc95\ub95c\uc2a4\ub2d8) wears many hats: Buddhist monk, teacher, author, environmentalist, and social activist, to name a few. As a widely respected Dharma teacher and a tireless socially engaged activist in his native South Korea, Ven. Pomnyun Sunim has founded numerous Dharma-based organizations, initiatives, and projects that are active across the world. Among them, Jungto Society, a volunteer-based community founded on the Buddhist teachings and expressing equality, simple living, and sustainability, is dedicated to addressing modern social issues that lead to suffering, including environmental degradation, poverty, and conflict.\n\nThis column, shared by Jungto Society, presents a series of highlights from Ven. Pomnyun Sunim\u2019s writings, teachings, public talks, and regular live-streamed Dharma Q+A sessions, which are accessible across the globe.\n","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","post_password":"","post_name":"special-report-footsteps-of-the-buddha-ven-pomnyun-sunim-leads-500-practitioners-on-the-33rd-jungto-pilgrimage-across-india-and-nepal","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2024-02-09 11:17:33","post_modified_gmt":"2024-02-09 16:17:33","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/www.jungtosociety.org\/?p=18003","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"};

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\"\"<\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Ven. Pomnyun Sunim established the international Buddhist humanitarian relief organization Join Together Society (JTS) as an expression of the compassion of engaged Buddhism and the belief that helping others is the best way to enrich one\u2019s own life. Headquartered in Seoul, JTS operates four branch offices in South Korea and the United States, along with field offices in India and the Philippines. JTS Korea and JTS America oversee fundraising, while JTS India and JTS Philippines conduct development projects in cooperation with local communities. The relief organization has also earned Special Consultative Status to the United Nations Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

JTS India began its work in Dungeshwari, some 12 kilometers northeast of the Buddhist pilgrimage hub of Bodh Gaya, in the early 1990s, aspiring to fulfill the mission: \u201cThe hungry should eat; the sick should be treated; children should be educated in time.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This region is surrounded by the Pragbodhi Hills where the historical Buddha, Shakyamuni, is said to have spent six years in a cave as an ascetic. And it\u2019s here that JTS India has been working to empower the villagers in Dungeshwari to live their lives free from hunger, illiteracy, and disease.3<\/sup><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u25b6\ufe0f Published by BDG on February 14, 2024<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u25b6\ufe0f Read more: <\/a>https:\/\/www.buddhistdoor.net\/news\/special-report-the-hope-of-the-world-ven-pomnyun-sunim-marks-the-30th-anniversary-of-the-sujata-academy-project-in-india\/<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

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<\/p>\n","post_title":"Special Report: The Hope of the World \u2013 Ven. Pomnyun Sunim Marks the 30th Anniversary of the Sujata Academy Project in India","post_excerpt":"The Korean Seon (Zen) master Venerable Pomnyun Sunim (\ubc95\ub95c\uc2a4\ub2d8) wears many hats: Buddhist monk, teacher, author, environmentalist, and social activist, to name a few. As a widely respected Dharma teacher and a tireless socially engaged activist in his native South Korea, Ven. Pomnyun Sunim has founded numerous Dharma-based organizations, initiatives, and projects that are active across the world. Among them, Jungto Society, a volunteer-based community founded on the Buddhist teachings and expressing equality, simple living, and sustainability, is dedicated to addressing modern social issues that lead to suffering, including environmental degradation, poverty, and conflict.\n\nThis column, shared by Jungto Society, presents a series of highlights from Ven. Pomnyun Sunim\u2019s writings, teachings, public talks, and regular live-streamed Dharma Q+A sessions, which are accessible across the globe.\n","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","post_password":"","post_name":"special-report-the-hope-of-the-world-ven-pomnyun-sunim-marks-the-30th-anniversary-of-the-sujata-academy-project-in-india","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2024-02-14 23:46:42","post_modified_gmt":"2024-02-15 04:46:42","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/www.jungtosociety.org\/?p=18019","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"},{"ID":18003,"post_author":"13","post_date":"2024-02-09 11:17:31","post_date_gmt":"2024-02-09 16:17:31","post_content":"\n

<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Jungto Society, the international Buddhist community founded by the revered Korean Dharma master and social activist Venerable Pomnyun Sunim (\ubc95\ub95c\uc2a4\ub2d8), has conducted its 33rd annual pilgrimage across India and to Nepal. Held under the theme \u201cFollowing in the Footsteps of the Buddha,\u201d the pilgrimage, which ran from 19 January to 2 February, was attended by more 500 practitioners.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The pilgrimage was particularly notable for two reasons: this year saw the participation, for the first time in the Jungto pilgrimage\u2019s 33-year history, of non-Korean practitioners. It also celebrated the 30th anniversary of Sujata Academy, a remarkable community school established by Ven. Pomnyun Sunim in Dungheswari, Bihar, that has transformed the lives of an entire community of people who have faced systemic social and economic exclusion as a result of India\u2019s conservative Hindu caste hierarchy.1<\/sup><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Because of the unique significance of the Sujata Academy\u2019s 30th anniversary, BDG will cover that event in more depth in a separate upcoming report and interview.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n
\n
\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\"\"<\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Jungto Society is a volunteer-run community of practitioners that aspires to embody the Buddhist teachings through social engagement, and by promoting a simple lifestyle centered on sustainable living. The community seeks to address the crises of modern society, such as greed, poverty, conflict, and environmental degradation, by applying a Buddhist worldview of interconnectedness and living in line with the principle that everyone can find happiness through Buddhist practice and active participation in social movements.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Although fewer in number than the 1,250 practitioners who attended Jungto Society\u2019s 2023 pilgrimage,2<\/sup> the 500-plus Korean Buddhist pilgrims who recently returned from India were accompanied nine practitioners from Italy, Japan, Thailand, the United Kingdom, the United States, and Vietnam\u2014some of whom are members of the the International Network of Engaged Buddhists (INEB), including two bhikkhunis<\/em> from Thailand, while others are graduates of Jungto Society\u2019s English-language Dharma School.3<\/sup><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u25b6\ufe0f Published by BDG on February 7, 2024<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u25b6\ufe0f Read more: <\/a>https:\/\/www.buddhistdoor.net\/news\/special-report-footsteps-of-the-buddha-ven-pomnyun-sunim-leads-500-practitioners-on-the-33rd-jungto-pilgrimage-across-india-and-nepal\/<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

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<\/p>\n","post_title":"Special Report: Footsteps of the Buddha \u2013 Ven. Pomnyun Sunim Leads 500 Practitioners on the 33rd Jungto Pilgrimage across India and Nepal","post_excerpt":"The Korean Seon (Zen) master Venerable Pomnyun Sunim (\ubc95\ub95c\uc2a4\ub2d8) wears many hats: Buddhist monk, teacher, author, environmentalist, and social activist, to name a few. As a widely respected Dharma teacher and a tireless socially engaged activist in his native South Korea, Ven. Pomnyun Sunim has founded numerous Dharma-based organizations, initiatives, and projects that are active across the world. Among them, Jungto Society, a volunteer-based community founded on the Buddhist teachings and expressing equality, simple living, and sustainability, is dedicated to addressing modern social issues that lead to suffering, including environmental degradation, poverty, and conflict.\n\nThis column, shared by Jungto Society, presents a series of highlights from Ven. Pomnyun Sunim\u2019s writings, teachings, public talks, and regular live-streamed Dharma Q+A sessions, which are accessible across the globe.\n","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","post_password":"","post_name":"special-report-footsteps-of-the-buddha-ven-pomnyun-sunim-leads-500-practitioners-on-the-33rd-jungto-pilgrimage-across-india-and-nepal","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2024-02-09 11:17:33","post_modified_gmt":"2024-02-09 16:17:33","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/www.jungtosociety.org\/?p=18003","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

Significantly, the pilgrimage also coincided with celebrations for the 30th anniversary of Sujata Academy, a remarkable community school and social empowerment project established by Ven. Pomnyun Sunim in Dungheswari, in the northeastern Indian state of Bihar, that has transformed the lives of an entire community of people who have faced systemic social and economic exclusion as a result of India\u2019s conservative Hindu caste hierarchy.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n
\n
\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\"\"<\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Ven. Pomnyun Sunim established the international Buddhist humanitarian relief organization Join Together Society (JTS) as an expression of the compassion of engaged Buddhism and the belief that helping others is the best way to enrich one\u2019s own life. Headquartered in Seoul, JTS operates four branch offices in South Korea and the United States, along with field offices in India and the Philippines. JTS Korea and JTS America oversee fundraising, while JTS India and JTS Philippines conduct development projects in cooperation with local communities. The relief organization has also earned Special Consultative Status to the United Nations Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

JTS India began its work in Dungeshwari, some 12 kilometers northeast of the Buddhist pilgrimage hub of Bodh Gaya, in the early 1990s, aspiring to fulfill the mission: \u201cThe hungry should eat; the sick should be treated; children should be educated in time.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This region is surrounded by the Pragbodhi Hills where the historical Buddha, Shakyamuni, is said to have spent six years in a cave as an ascetic. And it\u2019s here that JTS India has been working to empower the villagers in Dungeshwari to live their lives free from hunger, illiteracy, and disease.3<\/sup><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u25b6\ufe0f Published by BDG on February 14, 2024<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u25b6\ufe0f Read more: <\/a>https:\/\/www.buddhistdoor.net\/news\/special-report-the-hope-of-the-world-ven-pomnyun-sunim-marks-the-30th-anniversary-of-the-sujata-academy-project-in-india\/<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

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<\/p>\n","post_title":"Special Report: The Hope of the World \u2013 Ven. Pomnyun Sunim Marks the 30th Anniversary of the Sujata Academy Project in India","post_excerpt":"The Korean Seon (Zen) master Venerable Pomnyun Sunim (\ubc95\ub95c\uc2a4\ub2d8) wears many hats: Buddhist monk, teacher, author, environmentalist, and social activist, to name a few. As a widely respected Dharma teacher and a tireless socially engaged activist in his native South Korea, Ven. Pomnyun Sunim has founded numerous Dharma-based organizations, initiatives, and projects that are active across the world. Among them, Jungto Society, a volunteer-based community founded on the Buddhist teachings and expressing equality, simple living, and sustainability, is dedicated to addressing modern social issues that lead to suffering, including environmental degradation, poverty, and conflict.\n\nThis column, shared by Jungto Society, presents a series of highlights from Ven. Pomnyun Sunim\u2019s writings, teachings, public talks, and regular live-streamed Dharma Q+A sessions, which are accessible across the globe.\n","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","post_password":"","post_name":"special-report-the-hope-of-the-world-ven-pomnyun-sunim-marks-the-30th-anniversary-of-the-sujata-academy-project-in-india","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2024-02-14 23:46:42","post_modified_gmt":"2024-02-15 04:46:42","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/www.jungtosociety.org\/?p=18019","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"},{"ID":18003,"post_author":"13","post_date":"2024-02-09 11:17:31","post_date_gmt":"2024-02-09 16:17:31","post_content":"\n

<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Jungto Society, the international Buddhist community founded by the revered Korean Dharma master and social activist Venerable Pomnyun Sunim (\ubc95\ub95c\uc2a4\ub2d8), has conducted its 33rd annual pilgrimage across India and to Nepal. Held under the theme \u201cFollowing in the Footsteps of the Buddha,\u201d the pilgrimage, which ran from 19 January to 2 February, was attended by more 500 practitioners.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The pilgrimage was particularly notable for two reasons: this year saw the participation, for the first time in the Jungto pilgrimage\u2019s 33-year history, of non-Korean practitioners. It also celebrated the 30th anniversary of Sujata Academy, a remarkable community school established by Ven. Pomnyun Sunim in Dungheswari, Bihar, that has transformed the lives of an entire community of people who have faced systemic social and economic exclusion as a result of India\u2019s conservative Hindu caste hierarchy.1<\/sup><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Because of the unique significance of the Sujata Academy\u2019s 30th anniversary, BDG will cover that event in more depth in a separate upcoming report and interview.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n
\n
\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\"\"<\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Jungto Society is a volunteer-run community of practitioners that aspires to embody the Buddhist teachings through social engagement, and by promoting a simple lifestyle centered on sustainable living. The community seeks to address the crises of modern society, such as greed, poverty, conflict, and environmental degradation, by applying a Buddhist worldview of interconnectedness and living in line with the principle that everyone can find happiness through Buddhist practice and active participation in social movements.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Although fewer in number than the 1,250 practitioners who attended Jungto Society\u2019s 2023 pilgrimage,2<\/sup> the 500-plus Korean Buddhist pilgrims who recently returned from India were accompanied nine practitioners from Italy, Japan, Thailand, the United Kingdom, the United States, and Vietnam\u2014some of whom are members of the the International Network of Engaged Buddhists (INEB), including two bhikkhunis<\/em> from Thailand, while others are graduates of Jungto Society\u2019s English-language Dharma School.3<\/sup><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u25b6\ufe0f Published by BDG on February 7, 2024<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u25b6\ufe0f Read more: <\/a>https:\/\/www.buddhistdoor.net\/news\/special-report-footsteps-of-the-buddha-ven-pomnyun-sunim-leads-500-practitioners-on-the-33rd-jungto-pilgrimage-across-india-and-nepal\/<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

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<\/p>\n","post_title":"Special Report: Footsteps of the Buddha \u2013 Ven. Pomnyun Sunim Leads 500 Practitioners on the 33rd Jungto Pilgrimage across India and Nepal","post_excerpt":"The Korean Seon (Zen) master Venerable Pomnyun Sunim (\ubc95\ub95c\uc2a4\ub2d8) wears many hats: Buddhist monk, teacher, author, environmentalist, and social activist, to name a few. As a widely respected Dharma teacher and a tireless socially engaged activist in his native South Korea, Ven. Pomnyun Sunim has founded numerous Dharma-based organizations, initiatives, and projects that are active across the world. Among them, Jungto Society, a volunteer-based community founded on the Buddhist teachings and expressing equality, simple living, and sustainability, is dedicated to addressing modern social issues that lead to suffering, including environmental degradation, poverty, and conflict.\n\nThis column, shared by Jungto Society, presents a series of highlights from Ven. Pomnyun Sunim\u2019s writings, teachings, public talks, and regular live-streamed Dharma Q+A sessions, which are accessible across the globe.\n","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","post_password":"","post_name":"special-report-footsteps-of-the-buddha-ven-pomnyun-sunim-leads-500-practitioners-on-the-33rd-jungto-pilgrimage-across-india-and-nepal","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2024-02-09 11:17:33","post_modified_gmt":"2024-02-09 16:17:33","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/www.jungtosociety.org\/?p=18003","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

This year\u2019s pilgrimage was particularly notable for two reasons: the participation, for the first time in the Jungto pilgrimage\u2019s 33-year history, of non-Korean practitioners: the 500-plus Korean Buddhist pilgrims were accompanied nine practitioners from Italy, Japan, Thailand, the United Kingdom, the United States, and Vietnam\u2014some of whom are members of the the International Network of Engaged Buddhists (INEB), including two bhikkhunis<\/em> from Thailand, while others are graduates of Jungto Society\u2019s English-language Dharma School.2<\/sup><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Significantly, the pilgrimage also coincided with celebrations for the 30th anniversary of Sujata Academy, a remarkable community school and social empowerment project established by Ven. Pomnyun Sunim in Dungheswari, in the northeastern Indian state of Bihar, that has transformed the lives of an entire community of people who have faced systemic social and economic exclusion as a result of India\u2019s conservative Hindu caste hierarchy.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n
\n
\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\"\"<\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Ven. Pomnyun Sunim established the international Buddhist humanitarian relief organization Join Together Society (JTS) as an expression of the compassion of engaged Buddhism and the belief that helping others is the best way to enrich one\u2019s own life. Headquartered in Seoul, JTS operates four branch offices in South Korea and the United States, along with field offices in India and the Philippines. JTS Korea and JTS America oversee fundraising, while JTS India and JTS Philippines conduct development projects in cooperation with local communities. The relief organization has also earned Special Consultative Status to the United Nations Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

JTS India began its work in Dungeshwari, some 12 kilometers northeast of the Buddhist pilgrimage hub of Bodh Gaya, in the early 1990s, aspiring to fulfill the mission: \u201cThe hungry should eat; the sick should be treated; children should be educated in time.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This region is surrounded by the Pragbodhi Hills where the historical Buddha, Shakyamuni, is said to have spent six years in a cave as an ascetic. And it\u2019s here that JTS India has been working to empower the villagers in Dungeshwari to live their lives free from hunger, illiteracy, and disease.3<\/sup><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u25b6\ufe0f Published by BDG on February 14, 2024<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u25b6\ufe0f Read more: <\/a>https:\/\/www.buddhistdoor.net\/news\/special-report-the-hope-of-the-world-ven-pomnyun-sunim-marks-the-30th-anniversary-of-the-sujata-academy-project-in-india\/<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

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<\/p>\n","post_title":"Special Report: The Hope of the World \u2013 Ven. Pomnyun Sunim Marks the 30th Anniversary of the Sujata Academy Project in India","post_excerpt":"The Korean Seon (Zen) master Venerable Pomnyun Sunim (\ubc95\ub95c\uc2a4\ub2d8) wears many hats: Buddhist monk, teacher, author, environmentalist, and social activist, to name a few. As a widely respected Dharma teacher and a tireless socially engaged activist in his native South Korea, Ven. Pomnyun Sunim has founded numerous Dharma-based organizations, initiatives, and projects that are active across the world. Among them, Jungto Society, a volunteer-based community founded on the Buddhist teachings and expressing equality, simple living, and sustainability, is dedicated to addressing modern social issues that lead to suffering, including environmental degradation, poverty, and conflict.\n\nThis column, shared by Jungto Society, presents a series of highlights from Ven. Pomnyun Sunim\u2019s writings, teachings, public talks, and regular live-streamed Dharma Q+A sessions, which are accessible across the globe.\n","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","post_password":"","post_name":"special-report-the-hope-of-the-world-ven-pomnyun-sunim-marks-the-30th-anniversary-of-the-sujata-academy-project-in-india","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2024-02-14 23:46:42","post_modified_gmt":"2024-02-15 04:46:42","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/www.jungtosociety.org\/?p=18019","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"},{"ID":18003,"post_author":"13","post_date":"2024-02-09 11:17:31","post_date_gmt":"2024-02-09 16:17:31","post_content":"\n

<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Jungto Society, the international Buddhist community founded by the revered Korean Dharma master and social activist Venerable Pomnyun Sunim (\ubc95\ub95c\uc2a4\ub2d8), has conducted its 33rd annual pilgrimage across India and to Nepal. Held under the theme \u201cFollowing in the Footsteps of the Buddha,\u201d the pilgrimage, which ran from 19 January to 2 February, was attended by more 500 practitioners.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The pilgrimage was particularly notable for two reasons: this year saw the participation, for the first time in the Jungto pilgrimage\u2019s 33-year history, of non-Korean practitioners. It also celebrated the 30th anniversary of Sujata Academy, a remarkable community school established by Ven. Pomnyun Sunim in Dungheswari, Bihar, that has transformed the lives of an entire community of people who have faced systemic social and economic exclusion as a result of India\u2019s conservative Hindu caste hierarchy.1<\/sup><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Because of the unique significance of the Sujata Academy\u2019s 30th anniversary, BDG will cover that event in more depth in a separate upcoming report and interview.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n
\n
\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\"\"<\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Jungto Society is a volunteer-run community of practitioners that aspires to embody the Buddhist teachings through social engagement, and by promoting a simple lifestyle centered on sustainable living. The community seeks to address the crises of modern society, such as greed, poverty, conflict, and environmental degradation, by applying a Buddhist worldview of interconnectedness and living in line with the principle that everyone can find happiness through Buddhist practice and active participation in social movements.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Although fewer in number than the 1,250 practitioners who attended Jungto Society\u2019s 2023 pilgrimage,2<\/sup> the 500-plus Korean Buddhist pilgrims who recently returned from India were accompanied nine practitioners from Italy, Japan, Thailand, the United Kingdom, the United States, and Vietnam\u2014some of whom are members of the the International Network of Engaged Buddhists (INEB), including two bhikkhunis<\/em> from Thailand, while others are graduates of Jungto Society\u2019s English-language Dharma School.3<\/sup><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u25b6\ufe0f Published by BDG on February 7, 2024<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u25b6\ufe0f Read more: <\/a>https:\/\/www.buddhistdoor.net\/news\/special-report-footsteps-of-the-buddha-ven-pomnyun-sunim-leads-500-practitioners-on-the-33rd-jungto-pilgrimage-across-india-and-nepal\/<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

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<\/p>\n","post_title":"Special Report: Footsteps of the Buddha \u2013 Ven. Pomnyun Sunim Leads 500 Practitioners on the 33rd Jungto Pilgrimage across India and Nepal","post_excerpt":"The Korean Seon (Zen) master Venerable Pomnyun Sunim (\ubc95\ub95c\uc2a4\ub2d8) wears many hats: Buddhist monk, teacher, author, environmentalist, and social activist, to name a few. As a widely respected Dharma teacher and a tireless socially engaged activist in his native South Korea, Ven. Pomnyun Sunim has founded numerous Dharma-based organizations, initiatives, and projects that are active across the world. Among them, Jungto Society, a volunteer-based community founded on the Buddhist teachings and expressing equality, simple living, and sustainability, is dedicated to addressing modern social issues that lead to suffering, including environmental degradation, poverty, and conflict.\n\nThis column, shared by Jungto Society, presents a series of highlights from Ven. Pomnyun Sunim\u2019s writings, teachings, public talks, and regular live-streamed Dharma Q+A sessions, which are accessible across the globe.\n","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","post_password":"","post_name":"special-report-footsteps-of-the-buddha-ven-pomnyun-sunim-leads-500-practitioners-on-the-33rd-jungto-pilgrimage-across-india-and-nepal","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2024-02-09 11:17:33","post_modified_gmt":"2024-02-09 16:17:33","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/www.jungtosociety.org\/?p=18003","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

Jungto Society, the international Buddhist community founded by the revered Korean Dharma master and social activist Venerable Pomnyun Sunim (\ubc95\ub95c\uc2a4\ub2d8), recently conducted its 33rd annual pilgrimage across India and to Nepal. Held under the theme \u201cFollowing in the Footsteps of the Buddha,\u201d the pilgrimage, which ran from 19 January to 2 February, was attended by more 500 practitioners.1<\/sup><\/p>\n\n\n\n

This year\u2019s pilgrimage was particularly notable for two reasons: the participation, for the first time in the Jungto pilgrimage\u2019s 33-year history, of non-Korean practitioners: the 500-plus Korean Buddhist pilgrims were accompanied nine practitioners from Italy, Japan, Thailand, the United Kingdom, the United States, and Vietnam\u2014some of whom are members of the the International Network of Engaged Buddhists (INEB), including two bhikkhunis<\/em> from Thailand, while others are graduates of Jungto Society\u2019s English-language Dharma School.2<\/sup><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Significantly, the pilgrimage also coincided with celebrations for the 30th anniversary of Sujata Academy, a remarkable community school and social empowerment project established by Ven. Pomnyun Sunim in Dungheswari, in the northeastern Indian state of Bihar, that has transformed the lives of an entire community of people who have faced systemic social and economic exclusion as a result of India\u2019s conservative Hindu caste hierarchy.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n
\n
\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\"\"<\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Ven. Pomnyun Sunim established the international Buddhist humanitarian relief organization Join Together Society (JTS) as an expression of the compassion of engaged Buddhism and the belief that helping others is the best way to enrich one\u2019s own life. Headquartered in Seoul, JTS operates four branch offices in South Korea and the United States, along with field offices in India and the Philippines. JTS Korea and JTS America oversee fundraising, while JTS India and JTS Philippines conduct development projects in cooperation with local communities. The relief organization has also earned Special Consultative Status to the United Nations Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

JTS India began its work in Dungeshwari, some 12 kilometers northeast of the Buddhist pilgrimage hub of Bodh Gaya, in the early 1990s, aspiring to fulfill the mission: \u201cThe hungry should eat; the sick should be treated; children should be educated in time.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This region is surrounded by the Pragbodhi Hills where the historical Buddha, Shakyamuni, is said to have spent six years in a cave as an ascetic. And it\u2019s here that JTS India has been working to empower the villagers in Dungeshwari to live their lives free from hunger, illiteracy, and disease.3<\/sup><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u25b6\ufe0f Published by BDG on February 14, 2024<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u25b6\ufe0f Read more: <\/a>https:\/\/www.buddhistdoor.net\/news\/special-report-the-hope-of-the-world-ven-pomnyun-sunim-marks-the-30th-anniversary-of-the-sujata-academy-project-in-india\/<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

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<\/p>\n","post_title":"Special Report: The Hope of the World \u2013 Ven. Pomnyun Sunim Marks the 30th Anniversary of the Sujata Academy Project in India","post_excerpt":"The Korean Seon (Zen) master Venerable Pomnyun Sunim (\ubc95\ub95c\uc2a4\ub2d8) wears many hats: Buddhist monk, teacher, author, environmentalist, and social activist, to name a few. As a widely respected Dharma teacher and a tireless socially engaged activist in his native South Korea, Ven. Pomnyun Sunim has founded numerous Dharma-based organizations, initiatives, and projects that are active across the world. Among them, Jungto Society, a volunteer-based community founded on the Buddhist teachings and expressing equality, simple living, and sustainability, is dedicated to addressing modern social issues that lead to suffering, including environmental degradation, poverty, and conflict.\n\nThis column, shared by Jungto Society, presents a series of highlights from Ven. Pomnyun Sunim\u2019s writings, teachings, public talks, and regular live-streamed Dharma Q+A sessions, which are accessible across the globe.\n","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","post_password":"","post_name":"special-report-the-hope-of-the-world-ven-pomnyun-sunim-marks-the-30th-anniversary-of-the-sujata-academy-project-in-india","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2024-02-14 23:46:42","post_modified_gmt":"2024-02-15 04:46:42","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/www.jungtosociety.org\/?p=18019","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"},{"ID":18003,"post_author":"13","post_date":"2024-02-09 11:17:31","post_date_gmt":"2024-02-09 16:17:31","post_content":"\n

<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Jungto Society, the international Buddhist community founded by the revered Korean Dharma master and social activist Venerable Pomnyun Sunim (\ubc95\ub95c\uc2a4\ub2d8), has conducted its 33rd annual pilgrimage across India and to Nepal. Held under the theme \u201cFollowing in the Footsteps of the Buddha,\u201d the pilgrimage, which ran from 19 January to 2 February, was attended by more 500 practitioners.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The pilgrimage was particularly notable for two reasons: this year saw the participation, for the first time in the Jungto pilgrimage\u2019s 33-year history, of non-Korean practitioners. It also celebrated the 30th anniversary of Sujata Academy, a remarkable community school established by Ven. Pomnyun Sunim in Dungheswari, Bihar, that has transformed the lives of an entire community of people who have faced systemic social and economic exclusion as a result of India\u2019s conservative Hindu caste hierarchy.1<\/sup><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Because of the unique significance of the Sujata Academy\u2019s 30th anniversary, BDG will cover that event in more depth in a separate upcoming report and interview.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n
\n
\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\"\"<\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Jungto Society is a volunteer-run community of practitioners that aspires to embody the Buddhist teachings through social engagement, and by promoting a simple lifestyle centered on sustainable living. The community seeks to address the crises of modern society, such as greed, poverty, conflict, and environmental degradation, by applying a Buddhist worldview of interconnectedness and living in line with the principle that everyone can find happiness through Buddhist practice and active participation in social movements.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Although fewer in number than the 1,250 practitioners who attended Jungto Society\u2019s 2023 pilgrimage,2<\/sup> the 500-plus Korean Buddhist pilgrims who recently returned from India were accompanied nine practitioners from Italy, Japan, Thailand, the United Kingdom, the United States, and Vietnam\u2014some of whom are members of the the International Network of Engaged Buddhists (INEB), including two bhikkhunis<\/em> from Thailand, while others are graduates of Jungto Society\u2019s English-language Dharma School.3<\/sup><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u25b6\ufe0f Published by BDG on February 7, 2024<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u25b6\ufe0f Read more: <\/a>https:\/\/www.buddhistdoor.net\/news\/special-report-footsteps-of-the-buddha-ven-pomnyun-sunim-leads-500-practitioners-on-the-33rd-jungto-pilgrimage-across-india-and-nepal\/<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

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<\/p>\n","post_title":"Special Report: Footsteps of the Buddha \u2013 Ven. Pomnyun Sunim Leads 500 Practitioners on the 33rd Jungto Pilgrimage across India and Nepal","post_excerpt":"The Korean Seon (Zen) master Venerable Pomnyun Sunim (\ubc95\ub95c\uc2a4\ub2d8) wears many hats: Buddhist monk, teacher, author, environmentalist, and social activist, to name a few. As a widely respected Dharma teacher and a tireless socially engaged activist in his native South Korea, Ven. Pomnyun Sunim has founded numerous Dharma-based organizations, initiatives, and projects that are active across the world. Among them, Jungto Society, a volunteer-based community founded on the Buddhist teachings and expressing equality, simple living, and sustainability, is dedicated to addressing modern social issues that lead to suffering, including environmental degradation, poverty, and conflict.\n\nThis column, shared by Jungto Society, presents a series of highlights from Ven. Pomnyun Sunim\u2019s writings, teachings, public talks, and regular live-streamed Dharma Q+A sessions, which are accessible across the globe.\n","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","post_password":"","post_name":"special-report-footsteps-of-the-buddha-ven-pomnyun-sunim-leads-500-practitioners-on-the-33rd-jungto-pilgrimage-across-india-and-nepal","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2024-02-09 11:17:33","post_modified_gmt":"2024-02-09 16:17:33","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/www.jungtosociety.org\/?p=18003","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

Jungto Society, the international Buddhist community founded by the revered Korean Dharma master and social activist Venerable Pomnyun Sunim (\ubc95\ub95c\uc2a4\ub2d8), recently conducted its 33rd annual pilgrimage across India and to Nepal. Held under the theme \u201cFollowing in the Footsteps of the Buddha,\u201d the pilgrimage, which ran from 19 January to 2 February, was attended by more 500 practitioners.1<\/sup><\/p>\n\n\n\n

This year\u2019s pilgrimage was particularly notable for two reasons: the participation, for the first time in the Jungto pilgrimage\u2019s 33-year history, of non-Korean practitioners: the 500-plus Korean Buddhist pilgrims were accompanied nine practitioners from Italy, Japan, Thailand, the United Kingdom, the United States, and Vietnam\u2014some of whom are members of the the International Network of Engaged Buddhists (INEB), including two bhikkhunis<\/em> from Thailand, while others are graduates of Jungto Society\u2019s English-language Dharma School.2<\/sup><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Significantly, the pilgrimage also coincided with celebrations for the 30th anniversary of Sujata Academy, a remarkable community school and social empowerment project established by Ven. Pomnyun Sunim in Dungheswari, in the northeastern Indian state of Bihar, that has transformed the lives of an entire community of people who have faced systemic social and economic exclusion as a result of India\u2019s conservative Hindu caste hierarchy.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n
\n
\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\"\"<\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Ven. Pomnyun Sunim established the international Buddhist humanitarian relief organization Join Together Society (JTS) as an expression of the compassion of engaged Buddhism and the belief that helping others is the best way to enrich one\u2019s own life. Headquartered in Seoul, JTS operates four branch offices in South Korea and the United States, along with field offices in India and the Philippines. JTS Korea and JTS America oversee fundraising, while JTS India and JTS Philippines conduct development projects in cooperation with local communities. The relief organization has also earned Special Consultative Status to the United Nations Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

JTS India began its work in Dungeshwari, some 12 kilometers northeast of the Buddhist pilgrimage hub of Bodh Gaya, in the early 1990s, aspiring to fulfill the mission: \u201cThe hungry should eat; the sick should be treated; children should be educated in time.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This region is surrounded by the Pragbodhi Hills where the historical Buddha, Shakyamuni, is said to have spent six years in a cave as an ascetic. And it\u2019s here that JTS India has been working to empower the villagers in Dungeshwari to live their lives free from hunger, illiteracy, and disease.3<\/sup><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u25b6\ufe0f Published by BDG on February 14, 2024<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u25b6\ufe0f Read more: <\/a>https:\/\/www.buddhistdoor.net\/news\/special-report-the-hope-of-the-world-ven-pomnyun-sunim-marks-the-30th-anniversary-of-the-sujata-academy-project-in-india\/<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

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<\/p>\n","post_title":"Special Report: The Hope of the World \u2013 Ven. Pomnyun Sunim Marks the 30th Anniversary of the Sujata Academy Project in India","post_excerpt":"The Korean Seon (Zen) master Venerable Pomnyun Sunim (\ubc95\ub95c\uc2a4\ub2d8) wears many hats: Buddhist monk, teacher, author, environmentalist, and social activist, to name a few. As a widely respected Dharma teacher and a tireless socially engaged activist in his native South Korea, Ven. Pomnyun Sunim has founded numerous Dharma-based organizations, initiatives, and projects that are active across the world. Among them, Jungto Society, a volunteer-based community founded on the Buddhist teachings and expressing equality, simple living, and sustainability, is dedicated to addressing modern social issues that lead to suffering, including environmental degradation, poverty, and conflict.\n\nThis column, shared by Jungto Society, presents a series of highlights from Ven. Pomnyun Sunim\u2019s writings, teachings, public talks, and regular live-streamed Dharma Q+A sessions, which are accessible across the globe.\n","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","post_password":"","post_name":"special-report-the-hope-of-the-world-ven-pomnyun-sunim-marks-the-30th-anniversary-of-the-sujata-academy-project-in-india","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2024-02-14 23:46:42","post_modified_gmt":"2024-02-15 04:46:42","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/www.jungtosociety.org\/?p=18019","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"},{"ID":18003,"post_author":"13","post_date":"2024-02-09 11:17:31","post_date_gmt":"2024-02-09 16:17:31","post_content":"\n

<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Jungto Society, the international Buddhist community founded by the revered Korean Dharma master and social activist Venerable Pomnyun Sunim (\ubc95\ub95c\uc2a4\ub2d8), has conducted its 33rd annual pilgrimage across India and to Nepal. Held under the theme \u201cFollowing in the Footsteps of the Buddha,\u201d the pilgrimage, which ran from 19 January to 2 February, was attended by more 500 practitioners.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The pilgrimage was particularly notable for two reasons: this year saw the participation, for the first time in the Jungto pilgrimage\u2019s 33-year history, of non-Korean practitioners. It also celebrated the 30th anniversary of Sujata Academy, a remarkable community school established by Ven. Pomnyun Sunim in Dungheswari, Bihar, that has transformed the lives of an entire community of people who have faced systemic social and economic exclusion as a result of India\u2019s conservative Hindu caste hierarchy.1<\/sup><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Because of the unique significance of the Sujata Academy\u2019s 30th anniversary, BDG will cover that event in more depth in a separate upcoming report and interview.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n
\n
\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\"\"<\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Jungto Society is a volunteer-run community of practitioners that aspires to embody the Buddhist teachings through social engagement, and by promoting a simple lifestyle centered on sustainable living. The community seeks to address the crises of modern society, such as greed, poverty, conflict, and environmental degradation, by applying a Buddhist worldview of interconnectedness and living in line with the principle that everyone can find happiness through Buddhist practice and active participation in social movements.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Although fewer in number than the 1,250 practitioners who attended Jungto Society\u2019s 2023 pilgrimage,2<\/sup> the 500-plus Korean Buddhist pilgrims who recently returned from India were accompanied nine practitioners from Italy, Japan, Thailand, the United Kingdom, the United States, and Vietnam\u2014some of whom are members of the the International Network of Engaged Buddhists (INEB), including two bhikkhunis<\/em> from Thailand, while others are graduates of Jungto Society\u2019s English-language Dharma School.3<\/sup><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u25b6\ufe0f Published by BDG on February 7, 2024<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u25b6\ufe0f Read more: <\/a>https:\/\/www.buddhistdoor.net\/news\/special-report-footsteps-of-the-buddha-ven-pomnyun-sunim-leads-500-practitioners-on-the-33rd-jungto-pilgrimage-across-india-and-nepal\/<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

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<\/p>\n","post_title":"Special Report: Footsteps of the Buddha \u2013 Ven. Pomnyun Sunim Leads 500 Practitioners on the 33rd Jungto Pilgrimage across India and Nepal","post_excerpt":"The Korean Seon (Zen) master Venerable Pomnyun Sunim (\ubc95\ub95c\uc2a4\ub2d8) wears many hats: Buddhist monk, teacher, author, environmentalist, and social activist, to name a few. As a widely respected Dharma teacher and a tireless socially engaged activist in his native South Korea, Ven. Pomnyun Sunim has founded numerous Dharma-based organizations, initiatives, and projects that are active across the world. Among them, Jungto Society, a volunteer-based community founded on the Buddhist teachings and expressing equality, simple living, and sustainability, is dedicated to addressing modern social issues that lead to suffering, including environmental degradation, poverty, and conflict.\n\nThis column, shared by Jungto Society, presents a series of highlights from Ven. Pomnyun Sunim\u2019s writings, teachings, public talks, and regular live-streamed Dharma Q+A sessions, which are accessible across the globe.\n","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","post_password":"","post_name":"special-report-footsteps-of-the-buddha-ven-pomnyun-sunim-leads-500-practitioners-on-the-33rd-jungto-pilgrimage-across-india-and-nepal","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2024-02-09 11:17:33","post_modified_gmt":"2024-02-09 16:17:33","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/www.jungtosociety.org\/?p=18003","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","post_title":"The Sujata Academy Project: The Power of Hope and Compassion in India","post_excerpt":"The Korean Seon (Zen) master Venerable Pomnyun Sunim (\ubc95\ub95c\uc2a4\ub2d8) wears many hats: Buddhist monk, teacher, author, environmentalist, and social activist, to name a few. As a widely respected Dharma teacher and a tireless socially engaged activist in his native South Korea, Ven. Pomnyun Sunim has founded numerous Dharma-based organizations, initiatives, and projects that are active across the world. Among them, Jungto Society, a volunteer-based community founded on the Buddhist teachings and expressing equality, simple living, and sustainability, is dedicated to addressing modern social issues that lead to suffering, including environmental degradation, poverty, and conflict.\n\nThis column, shared by Jungto Society, presents a series of highlights from Ven. Pomnyun Sunim\u2019s writings, teachings, public talks, and regular live-streamed Dharma Q+A sessions, which are accessible across the globe.\n","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","post_password":"","post_name":"the-sujata-academy-project-the-power-of-hope-and-compassion-in-india","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2024-03-10 17:38:00","post_modified_gmt":"2024-03-10 22:38:00","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/www.jungtosociety.org\/?p=18140","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"},{"ID":18019,"post_author":"13","post_date":"2024-02-14 23:46:40","post_date_gmt":"2024-02-15 04:46:40","post_content":"\n

<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Jungto Society, the international Buddhist community founded by the revered Korean Dharma master and social activist Venerable Pomnyun Sunim (\ubc95\ub95c\uc2a4\ub2d8), recently conducted its 33rd annual pilgrimage across India and to Nepal. Held under the theme \u201cFollowing in the Footsteps of the Buddha,\u201d the pilgrimage, which ran from 19 January to 2 February, was attended by more 500 practitioners.1<\/sup><\/p>\n\n\n\n

This year\u2019s pilgrimage was particularly notable for two reasons: the participation, for the first time in the Jungto pilgrimage\u2019s 33-year history, of non-Korean practitioners: the 500-plus Korean Buddhist pilgrims were accompanied nine practitioners from Italy, Japan, Thailand, the United Kingdom, the United States, and Vietnam\u2014some of whom are members of the the International Network of Engaged Buddhists (INEB), including two bhikkhunis<\/em> from Thailand, while others are graduates of Jungto Society\u2019s English-language Dharma School.2<\/sup><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Significantly, the pilgrimage also coincided with celebrations for the 30th anniversary of Sujata Academy, a remarkable community school and social empowerment project established by Ven. Pomnyun Sunim in Dungheswari, in the northeastern Indian state of Bihar, that has transformed the lives of an entire community of people who have faced systemic social and economic exclusion as a result of India\u2019s conservative Hindu caste hierarchy.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n
\n
\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\"\"<\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Ven. Pomnyun Sunim established the international Buddhist humanitarian relief organization Join Together Society (JTS) as an expression of the compassion of engaged Buddhism and the belief that helping others is the best way to enrich one\u2019s own life. Headquartered in Seoul, JTS operates four branch offices in South Korea and the United States, along with field offices in India and the Philippines. JTS Korea and JTS America oversee fundraising, while JTS India and JTS Philippines conduct development projects in cooperation with local communities. The relief organization has also earned Special Consultative Status to the United Nations Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

JTS India began its work in Dungeshwari, some 12 kilometers northeast of the Buddhist pilgrimage hub of Bodh Gaya, in the early 1990s, aspiring to fulfill the mission: \u201cThe hungry should eat; the sick should be treated; children should be educated in time.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This region is surrounded by the Pragbodhi Hills where the historical Buddha, Shakyamuni, is said to have spent six years in a cave as an ascetic. And it\u2019s here that JTS India has been working to empower the villagers in Dungeshwari to live their lives free from hunger, illiteracy, and disease.3<\/sup><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u25b6\ufe0f Published by BDG on February 14, 2024<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u25b6\ufe0f Read more: <\/a>https:\/\/www.buddhistdoor.net\/news\/special-report-the-hope-of-the-world-ven-pomnyun-sunim-marks-the-30th-anniversary-of-the-sujata-academy-project-in-india\/<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

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<\/p>\n","post_title":"Special Report: The Hope of the World \u2013 Ven. Pomnyun Sunim Marks the 30th Anniversary of the Sujata Academy Project in India","post_excerpt":"The Korean Seon (Zen) master Venerable Pomnyun Sunim (\ubc95\ub95c\uc2a4\ub2d8) wears many hats: Buddhist monk, teacher, author, environmentalist, and social activist, to name a few. As a widely respected Dharma teacher and a tireless socially engaged activist in his native South Korea, Ven. Pomnyun Sunim has founded numerous Dharma-based organizations, initiatives, and projects that are active across the world. Among them, Jungto Society, a volunteer-based community founded on the Buddhist teachings and expressing equality, simple living, and sustainability, is dedicated to addressing modern social issues that lead to suffering, including environmental degradation, poverty, and conflict.\n\nThis column, shared by Jungto Society, presents a series of highlights from Ven. Pomnyun Sunim\u2019s writings, teachings, public talks, and regular live-streamed Dharma Q+A sessions, which are accessible across the globe.\n","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","post_password":"","post_name":"special-report-the-hope-of-the-world-ven-pomnyun-sunim-marks-the-30th-anniversary-of-the-sujata-academy-project-in-india","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2024-02-14 23:46:42","post_modified_gmt":"2024-02-15 04:46:42","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/www.jungtosociety.org\/?p=18019","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"},{"ID":18003,"post_author":"13","post_date":"2024-02-09 11:17:31","post_date_gmt":"2024-02-09 16:17:31","post_content":"\n

<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Jungto Society, the international Buddhist community founded by the revered Korean Dharma master and social activist Venerable Pomnyun Sunim (\ubc95\ub95c\uc2a4\ub2d8), has conducted its 33rd annual pilgrimage across India and to Nepal. Held under the theme \u201cFollowing in the Footsteps of the Buddha,\u201d the pilgrimage, which ran from 19 January to 2 February, was attended by more 500 practitioners.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The pilgrimage was particularly notable for two reasons: this year saw the participation, for the first time in the Jungto pilgrimage\u2019s 33-year history, of non-Korean practitioners. It also celebrated the 30th anniversary of Sujata Academy, a remarkable community school established by Ven. Pomnyun Sunim in Dungheswari, Bihar, that has transformed the lives of an entire community of people who have faced systemic social and economic exclusion as a result of India\u2019s conservative Hindu caste hierarchy.1<\/sup><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Because of the unique significance of the Sujata Academy\u2019s 30th anniversary, BDG will cover that event in more depth in a separate upcoming report and interview.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n
\n
\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\"\"<\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Jungto Society is a volunteer-run community of practitioners that aspires to embody the Buddhist teachings through social engagement, and by promoting a simple lifestyle centered on sustainable living. The community seeks to address the crises of modern society, such as greed, poverty, conflict, and environmental degradation, by applying a Buddhist worldview of interconnectedness and living in line with the principle that everyone can find happiness through Buddhist practice and active participation in social movements.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Although fewer in number than the 1,250 practitioners who attended Jungto Society\u2019s 2023 pilgrimage,2<\/sup> the 500-plus Korean Buddhist pilgrims who recently returned from India were accompanied nine practitioners from Italy, Japan, Thailand, the United Kingdom, the United States, and Vietnam\u2014some of whom are members of the the International Network of Engaged Buddhists (INEB), including two bhikkhunis<\/em> from Thailand, while others are graduates of Jungto Society\u2019s English-language Dharma School.3<\/sup><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u25b6\ufe0f Published by BDG on February 7, 2024<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u25b6\ufe0f Read more: <\/a>https:\/\/www.buddhistdoor.net\/news\/special-report-footsteps-of-the-buddha-ven-pomnyun-sunim-leads-500-practitioners-on-the-33rd-jungto-pilgrimage-across-india-and-nepal\/<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

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<\/p>\n","post_title":"Special Report: Footsteps of the Buddha \u2013 Ven. Pomnyun Sunim Leads 500 Practitioners on the 33rd Jungto Pilgrimage across India and Nepal","post_excerpt":"The Korean Seon (Zen) master Venerable Pomnyun Sunim (\ubc95\ub95c\uc2a4\ub2d8) wears many hats: Buddhist monk, teacher, author, environmentalist, and social activist, to name a few. As a widely respected Dharma teacher and a tireless socially engaged activist in his native South Korea, Ven. Pomnyun Sunim has founded numerous Dharma-based organizations, initiatives, and projects that are active across the world. Among them, Jungto Society, a volunteer-based community founded on the Buddhist teachings and expressing equality, simple living, and sustainability, is dedicated to addressing modern social issues that lead to suffering, including environmental degradation, poverty, and conflict.\n\nThis column, shared by Jungto Society, presents a series of highlights from Ven. Pomnyun Sunim\u2019s writings, teachings, public talks, and regular live-streamed Dharma Q+A sessions, which are accessible across the globe.\n","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","post_password":"","post_name":"special-report-footsteps-of-the-buddha-ven-pomnyun-sunim-leads-500-practitioners-on-the-33rd-jungto-pilgrimage-across-india-and-nepal","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2024-02-09 11:17:33","post_modified_gmt":"2024-02-09 16:17:33","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/www.jungtosociety.org\/?p=18003","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","post_title":"The Sujata Academy Project: The Power of Hope and Compassion in India","post_excerpt":"The Korean Seon (Zen) master Venerable Pomnyun Sunim (\ubc95\ub95c\uc2a4\ub2d8) wears many hats: Buddhist monk, teacher, author, environmentalist, and social activist, to name a few. As a widely respected Dharma teacher and a tireless socially engaged activist in his native South Korea, Ven. Pomnyun Sunim has founded numerous Dharma-based organizations, initiatives, and projects that are active across the world. Among them, Jungto Society, a volunteer-based community founded on the Buddhist teachings and expressing equality, simple living, and sustainability, is dedicated to addressing modern social issues that lead to suffering, including environmental degradation, poverty, and conflict.\n\nThis column, shared by Jungto Society, presents a series of highlights from Ven. Pomnyun Sunim\u2019s writings, teachings, public talks, and regular live-streamed Dharma Q+A sessions, which are accessible across the globe.\n","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","post_password":"","post_name":"the-sujata-academy-project-the-power-of-hope-and-compassion-in-india","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2024-03-10 17:38:00","post_modified_gmt":"2024-03-10 22:38:00","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/www.jungtosociety.org\/?p=18140","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"},{"ID":18019,"post_author":"13","post_date":"2024-02-14 23:46:40","post_date_gmt":"2024-02-15 04:46:40","post_content":"\n

<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Jungto Society, the international Buddhist community founded by the revered Korean Dharma master and social activist Venerable Pomnyun Sunim (\ubc95\ub95c\uc2a4\ub2d8), recently conducted its 33rd annual pilgrimage across India and to Nepal. Held under the theme \u201cFollowing in the Footsteps of the Buddha,\u201d the pilgrimage, which ran from 19 January to 2 February, was attended by more 500 practitioners.1<\/sup><\/p>\n\n\n\n

This year\u2019s pilgrimage was particularly notable for two reasons: the participation, for the first time in the Jungto pilgrimage\u2019s 33-year history, of non-Korean practitioners: the 500-plus Korean Buddhist pilgrims were accompanied nine practitioners from Italy, Japan, Thailand, the United Kingdom, the United States, and Vietnam\u2014some of whom are members of the the International Network of Engaged Buddhists (INEB), including two bhikkhunis<\/em> from Thailand, while others are graduates of Jungto Society\u2019s English-language Dharma School.2<\/sup><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Significantly, the pilgrimage also coincided with celebrations for the 30th anniversary of Sujata Academy, a remarkable community school and social empowerment project established by Ven. Pomnyun Sunim in Dungheswari, in the northeastern Indian state of Bihar, that has transformed the lives of an entire community of people who have faced systemic social and economic exclusion as a result of India\u2019s conservative Hindu caste hierarchy.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n
\n
\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\"\"<\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Ven. Pomnyun Sunim established the international Buddhist humanitarian relief organization Join Together Society (JTS) as an expression of the compassion of engaged Buddhism and the belief that helping others is the best way to enrich one\u2019s own life. Headquartered in Seoul, JTS operates four branch offices in South Korea and the United States, along with field offices in India and the Philippines. JTS Korea and JTS America oversee fundraising, while JTS India and JTS Philippines conduct development projects in cooperation with local communities. The relief organization has also earned Special Consultative Status to the United Nations Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

JTS India began its work in Dungeshwari, some 12 kilometers northeast of the Buddhist pilgrimage hub of Bodh Gaya, in the early 1990s, aspiring to fulfill the mission: \u201cThe hungry should eat; the sick should be treated; children should be educated in time.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This region is surrounded by the Pragbodhi Hills where the historical Buddha, Shakyamuni, is said to have spent six years in a cave as an ascetic. And it\u2019s here that JTS India has been working to empower the villagers in Dungeshwari to live their lives free from hunger, illiteracy, and disease.3<\/sup><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u25b6\ufe0f Published by BDG on February 14, 2024<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u25b6\ufe0f Read more: <\/a>https:\/\/www.buddhistdoor.net\/news\/special-report-the-hope-of-the-world-ven-pomnyun-sunim-marks-the-30th-anniversary-of-the-sujata-academy-project-in-india\/<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

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<\/p>\n","post_title":"Special Report: The Hope of the World \u2013 Ven. Pomnyun Sunim Marks the 30th Anniversary of the Sujata Academy Project in India","post_excerpt":"The Korean Seon (Zen) master Venerable Pomnyun Sunim (\ubc95\ub95c\uc2a4\ub2d8) wears many hats: Buddhist monk, teacher, author, environmentalist, and social activist, to name a few. As a widely respected Dharma teacher and a tireless socially engaged activist in his native South Korea, Ven. Pomnyun Sunim has founded numerous Dharma-based organizations, initiatives, and projects that are active across the world. Among them, Jungto Society, a volunteer-based community founded on the Buddhist teachings and expressing equality, simple living, and sustainability, is dedicated to addressing modern social issues that lead to suffering, including environmental degradation, poverty, and conflict.\n\nThis column, shared by Jungto Society, presents a series of highlights from Ven. Pomnyun Sunim\u2019s writings, teachings, public talks, and regular live-streamed Dharma Q+A sessions, which are accessible across the globe.\n","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","post_password":"","post_name":"special-report-the-hope-of-the-world-ven-pomnyun-sunim-marks-the-30th-anniversary-of-the-sujata-academy-project-in-india","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2024-02-14 23:46:42","post_modified_gmt":"2024-02-15 04:46:42","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/www.jungtosociety.org\/?p=18019","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"},{"ID":18003,"post_author":"13","post_date":"2024-02-09 11:17:31","post_date_gmt":"2024-02-09 16:17:31","post_content":"\n

<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Jungto Society, the international Buddhist community founded by the revered Korean Dharma master and social activist Venerable Pomnyun Sunim (\ubc95\ub95c\uc2a4\ub2d8), has conducted its 33rd annual pilgrimage across India and to Nepal. Held under the theme \u201cFollowing in the Footsteps of the Buddha,\u201d the pilgrimage, which ran from 19 January to 2 February, was attended by more 500 practitioners.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The pilgrimage was particularly notable for two reasons: this year saw the participation, for the first time in the Jungto pilgrimage\u2019s 33-year history, of non-Korean practitioners. It also celebrated the 30th anniversary of Sujata Academy, a remarkable community school established by Ven. Pomnyun Sunim in Dungheswari, Bihar, that has transformed the lives of an entire community of people who have faced systemic social and economic exclusion as a result of India\u2019s conservative Hindu caste hierarchy.1<\/sup><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Because of the unique significance of the Sujata Academy\u2019s 30th anniversary, BDG will cover that event in more depth in a separate upcoming report and interview.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n
\n
\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\"\"<\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Jungto Society is a volunteer-run community of practitioners that aspires to embody the Buddhist teachings through social engagement, and by promoting a simple lifestyle centered on sustainable living. The community seeks to address the crises of modern society, such as greed, poverty, conflict, and environmental degradation, by applying a Buddhist worldview of interconnectedness and living in line with the principle that everyone can find happiness through Buddhist practice and active participation in social movements.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Although fewer in number than the 1,250 practitioners who attended Jungto Society\u2019s 2023 pilgrimage,2<\/sup> the 500-plus Korean Buddhist pilgrims who recently returned from India were accompanied nine practitioners from Italy, Japan, Thailand, the United Kingdom, the United States, and Vietnam\u2014some of whom are members of the the International Network of Engaged Buddhists (INEB), including two bhikkhunis<\/em> from Thailand, while others are graduates of Jungto Society\u2019s English-language Dharma School.3<\/sup><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u25b6\ufe0f Published by BDG on February 7, 2024<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u25b6\ufe0f Read more: <\/a>https:\/\/www.buddhistdoor.net\/news\/special-report-footsteps-of-the-buddha-ven-pomnyun-sunim-leads-500-practitioners-on-the-33rd-jungto-pilgrimage-across-india-and-nepal\/<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

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<\/p>\n","post_title":"Special Report: Footsteps of the Buddha \u2013 Ven. Pomnyun Sunim Leads 500 Practitioners on the 33rd Jungto Pilgrimage across India and Nepal","post_excerpt":"The Korean Seon (Zen) master Venerable Pomnyun Sunim (\ubc95\ub95c\uc2a4\ub2d8) wears many hats: Buddhist monk, teacher, author, environmentalist, and social activist, to name a few. As a widely respected Dharma teacher and a tireless socially engaged activist in his native South Korea, Ven. Pomnyun Sunim has founded numerous Dharma-based organizations, initiatives, and projects that are active across the world. Among them, Jungto Society, a volunteer-based community founded on the Buddhist teachings and expressing equality, simple living, and sustainability, is dedicated to addressing modern social issues that lead to suffering, including environmental degradation, poverty, and conflict.\n\nThis column, shared by Jungto Society, presents a series of highlights from Ven. Pomnyun Sunim\u2019s writings, teachings, public talks, and regular live-streamed Dharma Q+A sessions, which are accessible across the globe.\n","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","post_password":"","post_name":"special-report-footsteps-of-the-buddha-ven-pomnyun-sunim-leads-500-practitioners-on-the-33rd-jungto-pilgrimage-across-india-and-nepal","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2024-02-09 11:17:33","post_modified_gmt":"2024-02-09 16:17:33","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/www.jungtosociety.org\/?p=18003","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","post_title":"The Sujata Academy Project: The Power of Hope and Compassion in India","post_excerpt":"The Korean Seon (Zen) master Venerable Pomnyun Sunim (\ubc95\ub95c\uc2a4\ub2d8) wears many hats: Buddhist monk, teacher, author, environmentalist, and social activist, to name a few. As a widely respected Dharma teacher and a tireless socially engaged activist in his native South Korea, Ven. Pomnyun Sunim has founded numerous Dharma-based organizations, initiatives, and projects that are active across the world. Among them, Jungto Society, a volunteer-based community founded on the Buddhist teachings and expressing equality, simple living, and sustainability, is dedicated to addressing modern social issues that lead to suffering, including environmental degradation, poverty, and conflict.\n\nThis column, shared by Jungto Society, presents a series of highlights from Ven. Pomnyun Sunim\u2019s writings, teachings, public talks, and regular live-streamed Dharma Q+A sessions, which are accessible across the globe.\n","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","post_password":"","post_name":"the-sujata-academy-project-the-power-of-hope-and-compassion-in-india","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2024-03-10 17:38:00","post_modified_gmt":"2024-03-10 22:38:00","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/www.jungtosociety.org\/?p=18140","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"},{"ID":18019,"post_author":"13","post_date":"2024-02-14 23:46:40","post_date_gmt":"2024-02-15 04:46:40","post_content":"\n

<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Jungto Society, the international Buddhist community founded by the revered Korean Dharma master and social activist Venerable Pomnyun Sunim (\ubc95\ub95c\uc2a4\ub2d8), recently conducted its 33rd annual pilgrimage across India and to Nepal. Held under the theme \u201cFollowing in the Footsteps of the Buddha,\u201d the pilgrimage, which ran from 19 January to 2 February, was attended by more 500 practitioners.1<\/sup><\/p>\n\n\n\n

This year\u2019s pilgrimage was particularly notable for two reasons: the participation, for the first time in the Jungto pilgrimage\u2019s 33-year history, of non-Korean practitioners: the 500-plus Korean Buddhist pilgrims were accompanied nine practitioners from Italy, Japan, Thailand, the United Kingdom, the United States, and Vietnam\u2014some of whom are members of the the International Network of Engaged Buddhists (INEB), including two bhikkhunis<\/em> from Thailand, while others are graduates of Jungto Society\u2019s English-language Dharma School.2<\/sup><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Significantly, the pilgrimage also coincided with celebrations for the 30th anniversary of Sujata Academy, a remarkable community school and social empowerment project established by Ven. Pomnyun Sunim in Dungheswari, in the northeastern Indian state of Bihar, that has transformed the lives of an entire community of people who have faced systemic social and economic exclusion as a result of India\u2019s conservative Hindu caste hierarchy.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n
\n
\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\"\"<\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Ven. Pomnyun Sunim established the international Buddhist humanitarian relief organization Join Together Society (JTS) as an expression of the compassion of engaged Buddhism and the belief that helping others is the best way to enrich one\u2019s own life. Headquartered in Seoul, JTS operates four branch offices in South Korea and the United States, along with field offices in India and the Philippines. JTS Korea and JTS America oversee fundraising, while JTS India and JTS Philippines conduct development projects in cooperation with local communities. The relief organization has also earned Special Consultative Status to the United Nations Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

JTS India began its work in Dungeshwari, some 12 kilometers northeast of the Buddhist pilgrimage hub of Bodh Gaya, in the early 1990s, aspiring to fulfill the mission: \u201cThe hungry should eat; the sick should be treated; children should be educated in time.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This region is surrounded by the Pragbodhi Hills where the historical Buddha, Shakyamuni, is said to have spent six years in a cave as an ascetic. And it\u2019s here that JTS India has been working to empower the villagers in Dungeshwari to live their lives free from hunger, illiteracy, and disease.3<\/sup><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u25b6\ufe0f Published by BDG on February 14, 2024<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u25b6\ufe0f Read more: <\/a>https:\/\/www.buddhistdoor.net\/news\/special-report-the-hope-of-the-world-ven-pomnyun-sunim-marks-the-30th-anniversary-of-the-sujata-academy-project-in-india\/<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

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<\/p>\n","post_title":"Special Report: The Hope of the World \u2013 Ven. Pomnyun Sunim Marks the 30th Anniversary of the Sujata Academy Project in India","post_excerpt":"The Korean Seon (Zen) master Venerable Pomnyun Sunim (\ubc95\ub95c\uc2a4\ub2d8) wears many hats: Buddhist monk, teacher, author, environmentalist, and social activist, to name a few. As a widely respected Dharma teacher and a tireless socially engaged activist in his native South Korea, Ven. Pomnyun Sunim has founded numerous Dharma-based organizations, initiatives, and projects that are active across the world. Among them, Jungto Society, a volunteer-based community founded on the Buddhist teachings and expressing equality, simple living, and sustainability, is dedicated to addressing modern social issues that lead to suffering, including environmental degradation, poverty, and conflict.\n\nThis column, shared by Jungto Society, presents a series of highlights from Ven. Pomnyun Sunim\u2019s writings, teachings, public talks, and regular live-streamed Dharma Q+A sessions, which are accessible across the globe.\n","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","post_password":"","post_name":"special-report-the-hope-of-the-world-ven-pomnyun-sunim-marks-the-30th-anniversary-of-the-sujata-academy-project-in-india","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2024-02-14 23:46:42","post_modified_gmt":"2024-02-15 04:46:42","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/www.jungtosociety.org\/?p=18019","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"},{"ID":18003,"post_author":"13","post_date":"2024-02-09 11:17:31","post_date_gmt":"2024-02-09 16:17:31","post_content":"\n

<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Jungto Society, the international Buddhist community founded by the revered Korean Dharma master and social activist Venerable Pomnyun Sunim (\ubc95\ub95c\uc2a4\ub2d8), has conducted its 33rd annual pilgrimage across India and to Nepal. Held under the theme \u201cFollowing in the Footsteps of the Buddha,\u201d the pilgrimage, which ran from 19 January to 2 February, was attended by more 500 practitioners.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The pilgrimage was particularly notable for two reasons: this year saw the participation, for the first time in the Jungto pilgrimage\u2019s 33-year history, of non-Korean practitioners. It also celebrated the 30th anniversary of Sujata Academy, a remarkable community school established by Ven. Pomnyun Sunim in Dungheswari, Bihar, that has transformed the lives of an entire community of people who have faced systemic social and economic exclusion as a result of India\u2019s conservative Hindu caste hierarchy.1<\/sup><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Because of the unique significance of the Sujata Academy\u2019s 30th anniversary, BDG will cover that event in more depth in a separate upcoming report and interview.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n
\n
\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\"\"<\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Jungto Society is a volunteer-run community of practitioners that aspires to embody the Buddhist teachings through social engagement, and by promoting a simple lifestyle centered on sustainable living. The community seeks to address the crises of modern society, such as greed, poverty, conflict, and environmental degradation, by applying a Buddhist worldview of interconnectedness and living in line with the principle that everyone can find happiness through Buddhist practice and active participation in social movements.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Although fewer in number than the 1,250 practitioners who attended Jungto Society\u2019s 2023 pilgrimage,2<\/sup> the 500-plus Korean Buddhist pilgrims who recently returned from India were accompanied nine practitioners from Italy, Japan, Thailand, the United Kingdom, the United States, and Vietnam\u2014some of whom are members of the the International Network of Engaged Buddhists (INEB), including two bhikkhunis<\/em> from Thailand, while others are graduates of Jungto Society\u2019s English-language Dharma School.3<\/sup><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u25b6\ufe0f Published by BDG on February 7, 2024<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u25b6\ufe0f Read more: <\/a>https:\/\/www.buddhistdoor.net\/news\/special-report-footsteps-of-the-buddha-ven-pomnyun-sunim-leads-500-practitioners-on-the-33rd-jungto-pilgrimage-across-india-and-nepal\/<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

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<\/p>\n","post_title":"Special Report: Footsteps of the Buddha \u2013 Ven. Pomnyun Sunim Leads 500 Practitioners on the 33rd Jungto Pilgrimage across India and Nepal","post_excerpt":"The Korean Seon (Zen) master Venerable Pomnyun Sunim (\ubc95\ub95c\uc2a4\ub2d8) wears many hats: Buddhist monk, teacher, author, environmentalist, and social activist, to name a few. As a widely respected Dharma teacher and a tireless socially engaged activist in his native South Korea, Ven. Pomnyun Sunim has founded numerous Dharma-based organizations, initiatives, and projects that are active across the world. Among them, Jungto Society, a volunteer-based community founded on the Buddhist teachings and expressing equality, simple living, and sustainability, is dedicated to addressing modern social issues that lead to suffering, including environmental degradation, poverty, and conflict.\n\nThis column, shared by Jungto Society, presents a series of highlights from Ven. Pomnyun Sunim\u2019s writings, teachings, public talks, and regular live-streamed Dharma Q+A sessions, which are accessible across the globe.\n","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","post_password":"","post_name":"special-report-footsteps-of-the-buddha-ven-pomnyun-sunim-leads-500-practitioners-on-the-33rd-jungto-pilgrimage-across-india-and-nepal","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2024-02-09 11:17:33","post_modified_gmt":"2024-02-09 16:17:33","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/www.jungtosociety.org\/?p=18003","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

<\/p>\n","post_title":"The Sujata Academy Project: The Power of Hope and Compassion in India","post_excerpt":"The Korean Seon (Zen) master Venerable Pomnyun Sunim (\ubc95\ub95c\uc2a4\ub2d8) wears many hats: Buddhist monk, teacher, author, environmentalist, and social activist, to name a few. As a widely respected Dharma teacher and a tireless socially engaged activist in his native South Korea, Ven. Pomnyun Sunim has founded numerous Dharma-based organizations, initiatives, and projects that are active across the world. Among them, Jungto Society, a volunteer-based community founded on the Buddhist teachings and expressing equality, simple living, and sustainability, is dedicated to addressing modern social issues that lead to suffering, including environmental degradation, poverty, and conflict.\n\nThis column, shared by Jungto Society, presents a series of highlights from Ven. Pomnyun Sunim\u2019s writings, teachings, public talks, and regular live-streamed Dharma Q+A sessions, which are accessible across the globe.\n","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","post_password":"","post_name":"the-sujata-academy-project-the-power-of-hope-and-compassion-in-india","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2024-03-10 17:38:00","post_modified_gmt":"2024-03-10 22:38:00","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/www.jungtosociety.org\/?p=18140","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"},{"ID":18019,"post_author":"13","post_date":"2024-02-14 23:46:40","post_date_gmt":"2024-02-15 04:46:40","post_content":"\n

<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Jungto Society, the international Buddhist community founded by the revered Korean Dharma master and social activist Venerable Pomnyun Sunim (\ubc95\ub95c\uc2a4\ub2d8), recently conducted its 33rd annual pilgrimage across India and to Nepal. Held under the theme \u201cFollowing in the Footsteps of the Buddha,\u201d the pilgrimage, which ran from 19 January to 2 February, was attended by more 500 practitioners.1<\/sup><\/p>\n\n\n\n

This year\u2019s pilgrimage was particularly notable for two reasons: the participation, for the first time in the Jungto pilgrimage\u2019s 33-year history, of non-Korean practitioners: the 500-plus Korean Buddhist pilgrims were accompanied nine practitioners from Italy, Japan, Thailand, the United Kingdom, the United States, and Vietnam\u2014some of whom are members of the the International Network of Engaged Buddhists (INEB), including two bhikkhunis<\/em> from Thailand, while others are graduates of Jungto Society\u2019s English-language Dharma School.2<\/sup><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Significantly, the pilgrimage also coincided with celebrations for the 30th anniversary of Sujata Academy, a remarkable community school and social empowerment project established by Ven. Pomnyun Sunim in Dungheswari, in the northeastern Indian state of Bihar, that has transformed the lives of an entire community of people who have faced systemic social and economic exclusion as a result of India\u2019s conservative Hindu caste hierarchy.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n
\n
\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\"\"<\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Ven. Pomnyun Sunim established the international Buddhist humanitarian relief organization Join Together Society (JTS) as an expression of the compassion of engaged Buddhism and the belief that helping others is the best way to enrich one\u2019s own life. Headquartered in Seoul, JTS operates four branch offices in South Korea and the United States, along with field offices in India and the Philippines. JTS Korea and JTS America oversee fundraising, while JTS India and JTS Philippines conduct development projects in cooperation with local communities. The relief organization has also earned Special Consultative Status to the United Nations Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

JTS India began its work in Dungeshwari, some 12 kilometers northeast of the Buddhist pilgrimage hub of Bodh Gaya, in the early 1990s, aspiring to fulfill the mission: \u201cThe hungry should eat; the sick should be treated; children should be educated in time.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This region is surrounded by the Pragbodhi Hills where the historical Buddha, Shakyamuni, is said to have spent six years in a cave as an ascetic. And it\u2019s here that JTS India has been working to empower the villagers in Dungeshwari to live their lives free from hunger, illiteracy, and disease.3<\/sup><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u25b6\ufe0f Published by BDG on February 14, 2024<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u25b6\ufe0f Read more: <\/a>https:\/\/www.buddhistdoor.net\/news\/special-report-the-hope-of-the-world-ven-pomnyun-sunim-marks-the-30th-anniversary-of-the-sujata-academy-project-in-india\/<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

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<\/p>\n","post_title":"Special Report: The Hope of the World \u2013 Ven. Pomnyun Sunim Marks the 30th Anniversary of the Sujata Academy Project in India","post_excerpt":"The Korean Seon (Zen) master Venerable Pomnyun Sunim (\ubc95\ub95c\uc2a4\ub2d8) wears many hats: Buddhist monk, teacher, author, environmentalist, and social activist, to name a few. As a widely respected Dharma teacher and a tireless socially engaged activist in his native South Korea, Ven. Pomnyun Sunim has founded numerous Dharma-based organizations, initiatives, and projects that are active across the world. Among them, Jungto Society, a volunteer-based community founded on the Buddhist teachings and expressing equality, simple living, and sustainability, is dedicated to addressing modern social issues that lead to suffering, including environmental degradation, poverty, and conflict.\n\nThis column, shared by Jungto Society, presents a series of highlights from Ven. Pomnyun Sunim\u2019s writings, teachings, public talks, and regular live-streamed Dharma Q+A sessions, which are accessible across the globe.\n","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","post_password":"","post_name":"special-report-the-hope-of-the-world-ven-pomnyun-sunim-marks-the-30th-anniversary-of-the-sujata-academy-project-in-india","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2024-02-14 23:46:42","post_modified_gmt":"2024-02-15 04:46:42","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/www.jungtosociety.org\/?p=18019","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"},{"ID":18003,"post_author":"13","post_date":"2024-02-09 11:17:31","post_date_gmt":"2024-02-09 16:17:31","post_content":"\n

<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Jungto Society, the international Buddhist community founded by the revered Korean Dharma master and social activist Venerable Pomnyun Sunim (\ubc95\ub95c\uc2a4\ub2d8), has conducted its 33rd annual pilgrimage across India and to Nepal. Held under the theme \u201cFollowing in the Footsteps of the Buddha,\u201d the pilgrimage, which ran from 19 January to 2 February, was attended by more 500 practitioners.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The pilgrimage was particularly notable for two reasons: this year saw the participation, for the first time in the Jungto pilgrimage\u2019s 33-year history, of non-Korean practitioners. It also celebrated the 30th anniversary of Sujata Academy, a remarkable community school established by Ven. Pomnyun Sunim in Dungheswari, Bihar, that has transformed the lives of an entire community of people who have faced systemic social and economic exclusion as a result of India\u2019s conservative Hindu caste hierarchy.1<\/sup><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Because of the unique significance of the Sujata Academy\u2019s 30th anniversary, BDG will cover that event in more depth in a separate upcoming report and interview.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n
\n
\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\"\"<\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Jungto Society is a volunteer-run community of practitioners that aspires to embody the Buddhist teachings through social engagement, and by promoting a simple lifestyle centered on sustainable living. The community seeks to address the crises of modern society, such as greed, poverty, conflict, and environmental degradation, by applying a Buddhist worldview of interconnectedness and living in line with the principle that everyone can find happiness through Buddhist practice and active participation in social movements.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Although fewer in number than the 1,250 practitioners who attended Jungto Society\u2019s 2023 pilgrimage,2<\/sup> the 500-plus Korean Buddhist pilgrims who recently returned from India were accompanied nine practitioners from Italy, Japan, Thailand, the United Kingdom, the United States, and Vietnam\u2014some of whom are members of the the International Network of Engaged Buddhists (INEB), including two bhikkhunis<\/em> from Thailand, while others are graduates of Jungto Society\u2019s English-language Dharma School.3<\/sup><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u25b6\ufe0f Published by BDG on February 7, 2024<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u25b6\ufe0f Read more: <\/a>https:\/\/www.buddhistdoor.net\/news\/special-report-footsteps-of-the-buddha-ven-pomnyun-sunim-leads-500-practitioners-on-the-33rd-jungto-pilgrimage-across-india-and-nepal\/<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

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<\/p>\n","post_title":"Special Report: Footsteps of the Buddha \u2013 Ven. Pomnyun Sunim Leads 500 Practitioners on the 33rd Jungto Pilgrimage across India and Nepal","post_excerpt":"The Korean Seon (Zen) master Venerable Pomnyun Sunim (\ubc95\ub95c\uc2a4\ub2d8) wears many hats: Buddhist monk, teacher, author, environmentalist, and social activist, to name a few. As a widely respected Dharma teacher and a tireless socially engaged activist in his native South Korea, Ven. Pomnyun Sunim has founded numerous Dharma-based organizations, initiatives, and projects that are active across the world. Among them, Jungto Society, a volunteer-based community founded on the Buddhist teachings and expressing equality, simple living, and sustainability, is dedicated to addressing modern social issues that lead to suffering, including environmental degradation, poverty, and conflict.\n\nThis column, shared by Jungto Society, presents a series of highlights from Ven. Pomnyun Sunim\u2019s writings, teachings, public talks, and regular live-streamed Dharma Q+A sessions, which are accessible across the globe.\n","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","post_password":"","post_name":"special-report-footsteps-of-the-buddha-ven-pomnyun-sunim-leads-500-practitioners-on-the-33rd-jungto-pilgrimage-across-india-and-nepal","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2024-02-09 11:17:33","post_modified_gmt":"2024-02-09 16:17:33","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/www.jungtosociety.org\/?p=18003","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"};

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<\/p>\n","post_title":"The Sujata Academy Project: The Power of Hope and Compassion in India","post_excerpt":"The Korean Seon (Zen) master Venerable Pomnyun Sunim (\ubc95\ub95c\uc2a4\ub2d8) wears many hats: Buddhist monk, teacher, author, environmentalist, and social activist, to name a few. As a widely respected Dharma teacher and a tireless socially engaged activist in his native South Korea, Ven. Pomnyun Sunim has founded numerous Dharma-based organizations, initiatives, and projects that are active across the world. Among them, Jungto Society, a volunteer-based community founded on the Buddhist teachings and expressing equality, simple living, and sustainability, is dedicated to addressing modern social issues that lead to suffering, including environmental degradation, poverty, and conflict.\n\nThis column, shared by Jungto Society, presents a series of highlights from Ven. Pomnyun Sunim\u2019s writings, teachings, public talks, and regular live-streamed Dharma Q+A sessions, which are accessible across the globe.\n","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","post_password":"","post_name":"the-sujata-academy-project-the-power-of-hope-and-compassion-in-india","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2024-03-10 17:38:00","post_modified_gmt":"2024-03-10 22:38:00","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/www.jungtosociety.org\/?p=18140","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"},{"ID":18019,"post_author":"13","post_date":"2024-02-14 23:46:40","post_date_gmt":"2024-02-15 04:46:40","post_content":"\n

<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Jungto Society, the international Buddhist community founded by the revered Korean Dharma master and social activist Venerable Pomnyun Sunim (\ubc95\ub95c\uc2a4\ub2d8), recently conducted its 33rd annual pilgrimage across India and to Nepal. Held under the theme \u201cFollowing in the Footsteps of the Buddha,\u201d the pilgrimage, which ran from 19 January to 2 February, was attended by more 500 practitioners.1<\/sup><\/p>\n\n\n\n

This year\u2019s pilgrimage was particularly notable for two reasons: the participation, for the first time in the Jungto pilgrimage\u2019s 33-year history, of non-Korean practitioners: the 500-plus Korean Buddhist pilgrims were accompanied nine practitioners from Italy, Japan, Thailand, the United Kingdom, the United States, and Vietnam\u2014some of whom are members of the the International Network of Engaged Buddhists (INEB), including two bhikkhunis<\/em> from Thailand, while others are graduates of Jungto Society\u2019s English-language Dharma School.2<\/sup><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Significantly, the pilgrimage also coincided with celebrations for the 30th anniversary of Sujata Academy, a remarkable community school and social empowerment project established by Ven. Pomnyun Sunim in Dungheswari, in the northeastern Indian state of Bihar, that has transformed the lives of an entire community of people who have faced systemic social and economic exclusion as a result of India\u2019s conservative Hindu caste hierarchy.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n
\n
\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\"\"<\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Ven. Pomnyun Sunim established the international Buddhist humanitarian relief organization Join Together Society (JTS) as an expression of the compassion of engaged Buddhism and the belief that helping others is the best way to enrich one\u2019s own life. Headquartered in Seoul, JTS operates four branch offices in South Korea and the United States, along with field offices in India and the Philippines. JTS Korea and JTS America oversee fundraising, while JTS India and JTS Philippines conduct development projects in cooperation with local communities. The relief organization has also earned Special Consultative Status to the United Nations Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

JTS India began its work in Dungeshwari, some 12 kilometers northeast of the Buddhist pilgrimage hub of Bodh Gaya, in the early 1990s, aspiring to fulfill the mission: \u201cThe hungry should eat; the sick should be treated; children should be educated in time.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This region is surrounded by the Pragbodhi Hills where the historical Buddha, Shakyamuni, is said to have spent six years in a cave as an ascetic. And it\u2019s here that JTS India has been working to empower the villagers in Dungeshwari to live their lives free from hunger, illiteracy, and disease.3<\/sup><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u25b6\ufe0f Published by BDG on February 14, 2024<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u25b6\ufe0f Read more: <\/a>https:\/\/www.buddhistdoor.net\/news\/special-report-the-hope-of-the-world-ven-pomnyun-sunim-marks-the-30th-anniversary-of-the-sujata-academy-project-in-india\/<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

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<\/p>\n","post_title":"Special Report: The Hope of the World \u2013 Ven. Pomnyun Sunim Marks the 30th Anniversary of the Sujata Academy Project in India","post_excerpt":"The Korean Seon (Zen) master Venerable Pomnyun Sunim (\ubc95\ub95c\uc2a4\ub2d8) wears many hats: Buddhist monk, teacher, author, environmentalist, and social activist, to name a few. As a widely respected Dharma teacher and a tireless socially engaged activist in his native South Korea, Ven. Pomnyun Sunim has founded numerous Dharma-based organizations, initiatives, and projects that are active across the world. Among them, Jungto Society, a volunteer-based community founded on the Buddhist teachings and expressing equality, simple living, and sustainability, is dedicated to addressing modern social issues that lead to suffering, including environmental degradation, poverty, and conflict.\n\nThis column, shared by Jungto Society, presents a series of highlights from Ven. Pomnyun Sunim\u2019s writings, teachings, public talks, and regular live-streamed Dharma Q+A sessions, which are accessible across the globe.\n","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","post_password":"","post_name":"special-report-the-hope-of-the-world-ven-pomnyun-sunim-marks-the-30th-anniversary-of-the-sujata-academy-project-in-india","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2024-02-14 23:46:42","post_modified_gmt":"2024-02-15 04:46:42","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/www.jungtosociety.org\/?p=18019","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"},{"ID":18003,"post_author":"13","post_date":"2024-02-09 11:17:31","post_date_gmt":"2024-02-09 16:17:31","post_content":"\n

<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Jungto Society, the international Buddhist community founded by the revered Korean Dharma master and social activist Venerable Pomnyun Sunim (\ubc95\ub95c\uc2a4\ub2d8), has conducted its 33rd annual pilgrimage across India and to Nepal. Held under the theme \u201cFollowing in the Footsteps of the Buddha,\u201d the pilgrimage, which ran from 19 January to 2 February, was attended by more 500 practitioners.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The pilgrimage was particularly notable for two reasons: this year saw the participation, for the first time in the Jungto pilgrimage\u2019s 33-year history, of non-Korean practitioners. It also celebrated the 30th anniversary of Sujata Academy, a remarkable community school established by Ven. Pomnyun Sunim in Dungheswari, Bihar, that has transformed the lives of an entire community of people who have faced systemic social and economic exclusion as a result of India\u2019s conservative Hindu caste hierarchy.1<\/sup><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Because of the unique significance of the Sujata Academy\u2019s 30th anniversary, BDG will cover that event in more depth in a separate upcoming report and interview.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n
\n
\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\"\"<\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Jungto Society is a volunteer-run community of practitioners that aspires to embody the Buddhist teachings through social engagement, and by promoting a simple lifestyle centered on sustainable living. The community seeks to address the crises of modern society, such as greed, poverty, conflict, and environmental degradation, by applying a Buddhist worldview of interconnectedness and living in line with the principle that everyone can find happiness through Buddhist practice and active participation in social movements.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Although fewer in number than the 1,250 practitioners who attended Jungto Society\u2019s 2023 pilgrimage,2<\/sup> the 500-plus Korean Buddhist pilgrims who recently returned from India were accompanied nine practitioners from Italy, Japan, Thailand, the United Kingdom, the United States, and Vietnam\u2014some of whom are members of the the International Network of Engaged Buddhists (INEB), including two bhikkhunis<\/em> from Thailand, while others are graduates of Jungto Society\u2019s English-language Dharma School.3<\/sup><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u25b6\ufe0f Published by BDG on February 7, 2024<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u25b6\ufe0f Read more: <\/a>https:\/\/www.buddhistdoor.net\/news\/special-report-footsteps-of-the-buddha-ven-pomnyun-sunim-leads-500-practitioners-on-the-33rd-jungto-pilgrimage-across-india-and-nepal\/<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

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<\/p>\n","post_title":"Special Report: Footsteps of the Buddha \u2013 Ven. Pomnyun Sunim Leads 500 Practitioners on the 33rd Jungto Pilgrimage across India and Nepal","post_excerpt":"The Korean Seon (Zen) master Venerable Pomnyun Sunim (\ubc95\ub95c\uc2a4\ub2d8) wears many hats: Buddhist monk, teacher, author, environmentalist, and social activist, to name a few. As a widely respected Dharma teacher and a tireless socially engaged activist in his native South Korea, Ven. Pomnyun Sunim has founded numerous Dharma-based organizations, initiatives, and projects that are active across the world. Among them, Jungto Society, a volunteer-based community founded on the Buddhist teachings and expressing equality, simple living, and sustainability, is dedicated to addressing modern social issues that lead to suffering, including environmental degradation, poverty, and conflict.\n\nThis column, shared by Jungto Society, presents a series of highlights from Ven. Pomnyun Sunim\u2019s writings, teachings, public talks, and regular live-streamed Dharma Q+A sessions, which are accessible across the globe.\n","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","post_password":"","post_name":"special-report-footsteps-of-the-buddha-ven-pomnyun-sunim-leads-500-practitioners-on-the-33rd-jungto-pilgrimage-across-india-and-nepal","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2024-02-09 11:17:33","post_modified_gmt":"2024-02-09 16:17:33","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/www.jungtosociety.org\/?p=18003","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"};

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<\/p>\n","post_title":"The Sujata Academy Project: The Power of Hope and Compassion in India","post_excerpt":"The Korean Seon (Zen) master Venerable Pomnyun Sunim (\ubc95\ub95c\uc2a4\ub2d8) wears many hats: Buddhist monk, teacher, author, environmentalist, and social activist, to name a few. As a widely respected Dharma teacher and a tireless socially engaged activist in his native South Korea, Ven. Pomnyun Sunim has founded numerous Dharma-based organizations, initiatives, and projects that are active across the world. Among them, Jungto Society, a volunteer-based community founded on the Buddhist teachings and expressing equality, simple living, and sustainability, is dedicated to addressing modern social issues that lead to suffering, including environmental degradation, poverty, and conflict.\n\nThis column, shared by Jungto Society, presents a series of highlights from Ven. Pomnyun Sunim\u2019s writings, teachings, public talks, and regular live-streamed Dharma Q+A sessions, which are accessible across the globe.\n","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","post_password":"","post_name":"the-sujata-academy-project-the-power-of-hope-and-compassion-in-india","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2024-03-10 17:38:00","post_modified_gmt":"2024-03-10 22:38:00","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/www.jungtosociety.org\/?p=18140","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"},{"ID":18019,"post_author":"13","post_date":"2024-02-14 23:46:40","post_date_gmt":"2024-02-15 04:46:40","post_content":"\n

<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Jungto Society, the international Buddhist community founded by the revered Korean Dharma master and social activist Venerable Pomnyun Sunim (\ubc95\ub95c\uc2a4\ub2d8), recently conducted its 33rd annual pilgrimage across India and to Nepal. Held under the theme \u201cFollowing in the Footsteps of the Buddha,\u201d the pilgrimage, which ran from 19 January to 2 February, was attended by more 500 practitioners.1<\/sup><\/p>\n\n\n\n

This year\u2019s pilgrimage was particularly notable for two reasons: the participation, for the first time in the Jungto pilgrimage\u2019s 33-year history, of non-Korean practitioners: the 500-plus Korean Buddhist pilgrims were accompanied nine practitioners from Italy, Japan, Thailand, the United Kingdom, the United States, and Vietnam\u2014some of whom are members of the the International Network of Engaged Buddhists (INEB), including two bhikkhunis<\/em> from Thailand, while others are graduates of Jungto Society\u2019s English-language Dharma School.2<\/sup><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Significantly, the pilgrimage also coincided with celebrations for the 30th anniversary of Sujata Academy, a remarkable community school and social empowerment project established by Ven. Pomnyun Sunim in Dungheswari, in the northeastern Indian state of Bihar, that has transformed the lives of an entire community of people who have faced systemic social and economic exclusion as a result of India\u2019s conservative Hindu caste hierarchy.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n
\n
\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\"\"<\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Ven. Pomnyun Sunim established the international Buddhist humanitarian relief organization Join Together Society (JTS) as an expression of the compassion of engaged Buddhism and the belief that helping others is the best way to enrich one\u2019s own life. Headquartered in Seoul, JTS operates four branch offices in South Korea and the United States, along with field offices in India and the Philippines. JTS Korea and JTS America oversee fundraising, while JTS India and JTS Philippines conduct development projects in cooperation with local communities. The relief organization has also earned Special Consultative Status to the United Nations Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

JTS India began its work in Dungeshwari, some 12 kilometers northeast of the Buddhist pilgrimage hub of Bodh Gaya, in the early 1990s, aspiring to fulfill the mission: \u201cThe hungry should eat; the sick should be treated; children should be educated in time.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This region is surrounded by the Pragbodhi Hills where the historical Buddha, Shakyamuni, is said to have spent six years in a cave as an ascetic. And it\u2019s here that JTS India has been working to empower the villagers in Dungeshwari to live their lives free from hunger, illiteracy, and disease.3<\/sup><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u25b6\ufe0f Published by BDG on February 14, 2024<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u25b6\ufe0f Read more: <\/a>https:\/\/www.buddhistdoor.net\/news\/special-report-the-hope-of-the-world-ven-pomnyun-sunim-marks-the-30th-anniversary-of-the-sujata-academy-project-in-india\/<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

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<\/p>\n","post_title":"Special Report: The Hope of the World \u2013 Ven. Pomnyun Sunim Marks the 30th Anniversary of the Sujata Academy Project in India","post_excerpt":"The Korean Seon (Zen) master Venerable Pomnyun Sunim (\ubc95\ub95c\uc2a4\ub2d8) wears many hats: Buddhist monk, teacher, author, environmentalist, and social activist, to name a few. As a widely respected Dharma teacher and a tireless socially engaged activist in his native South Korea, Ven. Pomnyun Sunim has founded numerous Dharma-based organizations, initiatives, and projects that are active across the world. Among them, Jungto Society, a volunteer-based community founded on the Buddhist teachings and expressing equality, simple living, and sustainability, is dedicated to addressing modern social issues that lead to suffering, including environmental degradation, poverty, and conflict.\n\nThis column, shared by Jungto Society, presents a series of highlights from Ven. Pomnyun Sunim\u2019s writings, teachings, public talks, and regular live-streamed Dharma Q+A sessions, which are accessible across the globe.\n","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","post_password":"","post_name":"special-report-the-hope-of-the-world-ven-pomnyun-sunim-marks-the-30th-anniversary-of-the-sujata-academy-project-in-india","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2024-02-14 23:46:42","post_modified_gmt":"2024-02-15 04:46:42","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/www.jungtosociety.org\/?p=18019","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"},{"ID":18003,"post_author":"13","post_date":"2024-02-09 11:17:31","post_date_gmt":"2024-02-09 16:17:31","post_content":"\n

<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Jungto Society, the international Buddhist community founded by the revered Korean Dharma master and social activist Venerable Pomnyun Sunim (\ubc95\ub95c\uc2a4\ub2d8), has conducted its 33rd annual pilgrimage across India and to Nepal. Held under the theme \u201cFollowing in the Footsteps of the Buddha,\u201d the pilgrimage, which ran from 19 January to 2 February, was attended by more 500 practitioners.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The pilgrimage was particularly notable for two reasons: this year saw the participation, for the first time in the Jungto pilgrimage\u2019s 33-year history, of non-Korean practitioners. It also celebrated the 30th anniversary of Sujata Academy, a remarkable community school established by Ven. Pomnyun Sunim in Dungheswari, Bihar, that has transformed the lives of an entire community of people who have faced systemic social and economic exclusion as a result of India\u2019s conservative Hindu caste hierarchy.1<\/sup><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Because of the unique significance of the Sujata Academy\u2019s 30th anniversary, BDG will cover that event in more depth in a separate upcoming report and interview.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n
\n
\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\"\"<\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Jungto Society is a volunteer-run community of practitioners that aspires to embody the Buddhist teachings through social engagement, and by promoting a simple lifestyle centered on sustainable living. The community seeks to address the crises of modern society, such as greed, poverty, conflict, and environmental degradation, by applying a Buddhist worldview of interconnectedness and living in line with the principle that everyone can find happiness through Buddhist practice and active participation in social movements.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Although fewer in number than the 1,250 practitioners who attended Jungto Society\u2019s 2023 pilgrimage,2<\/sup> the 500-plus Korean Buddhist pilgrims who recently returned from India were accompanied nine practitioners from Italy, Japan, Thailand, the United Kingdom, the United States, and Vietnam\u2014some of whom are members of the the International Network of Engaged Buddhists (INEB), including two bhikkhunis<\/em> from Thailand, while others are graduates of Jungto Society\u2019s English-language Dharma School.3<\/sup><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u25b6\ufe0f Published by BDG on February 7, 2024<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u25b6\ufe0f Read more: <\/a>https:\/\/www.buddhistdoor.net\/news\/special-report-footsteps-of-the-buddha-ven-pomnyun-sunim-leads-500-practitioners-on-the-33rd-jungto-pilgrimage-across-india-and-nepal\/<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

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<\/p>\n","post_title":"Special Report: Footsteps of the Buddha \u2013 Ven. Pomnyun Sunim Leads 500 Practitioners on the 33rd Jungto Pilgrimage across India and Nepal","post_excerpt":"The Korean Seon (Zen) master Venerable Pomnyun Sunim (\ubc95\ub95c\uc2a4\ub2d8) wears many hats: Buddhist monk, teacher, author, environmentalist, and social activist, to name a few. As a widely respected Dharma teacher and a tireless socially engaged activist in his native South Korea, Ven. Pomnyun Sunim has founded numerous Dharma-based organizations, initiatives, and projects that are active across the world. Among them, Jungto Society, a volunteer-based community founded on the Buddhist teachings and expressing equality, simple living, and sustainability, is dedicated to addressing modern social issues that lead to suffering, including environmental degradation, poverty, and conflict.\n\nThis column, shared by Jungto Society, presents a series of highlights from Ven. Pomnyun Sunim\u2019s writings, teachings, public talks, and regular live-streamed Dharma Q+A sessions, which are accessible across the globe.\n","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","post_password":"","post_name":"special-report-footsteps-of-the-buddha-ven-pomnyun-sunim-leads-500-practitioners-on-the-33rd-jungto-pilgrimage-across-india-and-nepal","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2024-02-09 11:17:33","post_modified_gmt":"2024-02-09 16:17:33","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/www.jungtosociety.org\/?p=18003","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"};

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<\/p>\n","post_title":"The Sujata Academy Project: The Power of Hope and Compassion in India","post_excerpt":"The Korean Seon (Zen) master Venerable Pomnyun Sunim (\ubc95\ub95c\uc2a4\ub2d8) wears many hats: Buddhist monk, teacher, author, environmentalist, and social activist, to name a few. As a widely respected Dharma teacher and a tireless socially engaged activist in his native South Korea, Ven. Pomnyun Sunim has founded numerous Dharma-based organizations, initiatives, and projects that are active across the world. Among them, Jungto Society, a volunteer-based community founded on the Buddhist teachings and expressing equality, simple living, and sustainability, is dedicated to addressing modern social issues that lead to suffering, including environmental degradation, poverty, and conflict.\n\nThis column, shared by Jungto Society, presents a series of highlights from Ven. Pomnyun Sunim\u2019s writings, teachings, public talks, and regular live-streamed Dharma Q+A sessions, which are accessible across the globe.\n","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","post_password":"","post_name":"the-sujata-academy-project-the-power-of-hope-and-compassion-in-india","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2024-03-10 17:38:00","post_modified_gmt":"2024-03-10 22:38:00","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/www.jungtosociety.org\/?p=18140","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"},{"ID":18019,"post_author":"13","post_date":"2024-02-14 23:46:40","post_date_gmt":"2024-02-15 04:46:40","post_content":"\n

<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Jungto Society, the international Buddhist community founded by the revered Korean Dharma master and social activist Venerable Pomnyun Sunim (\ubc95\ub95c\uc2a4\ub2d8), recently conducted its 33rd annual pilgrimage across India and to Nepal. Held under the theme \u201cFollowing in the Footsteps of the Buddha,\u201d the pilgrimage, which ran from 19 January to 2 February, was attended by more 500 practitioners.1<\/sup><\/p>\n\n\n\n

This year\u2019s pilgrimage was particularly notable for two reasons: the participation, for the first time in the Jungto pilgrimage\u2019s 33-year history, of non-Korean practitioners: the 500-plus Korean Buddhist pilgrims were accompanied nine practitioners from Italy, Japan, Thailand, the United Kingdom, the United States, and Vietnam\u2014some of whom are members of the the International Network of Engaged Buddhists (INEB), including two bhikkhunis<\/em> from Thailand, while others are graduates of Jungto Society\u2019s English-language Dharma School.2<\/sup><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Significantly, the pilgrimage also coincided with celebrations for the 30th anniversary of Sujata Academy, a remarkable community school and social empowerment project established by Ven. Pomnyun Sunim in Dungheswari, in the northeastern Indian state of Bihar, that has transformed the lives of an entire community of people who have faced systemic social and economic exclusion as a result of India\u2019s conservative Hindu caste hierarchy.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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\"\"<\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Ven. Pomnyun Sunim established the international Buddhist humanitarian relief organization Join Together Society (JTS) as an expression of the compassion of engaged Buddhism and the belief that helping others is the best way to enrich one\u2019s own life. Headquartered in Seoul, JTS operates four branch offices in South Korea and the United States, along with field offices in India and the Philippines. JTS Korea and JTS America oversee fundraising, while JTS India and JTS Philippines conduct development projects in cooperation with local communities. The relief organization has also earned Special Consultative Status to the United Nations Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

JTS India began its work in Dungeshwari, some 12 kilometers northeast of the Buddhist pilgrimage hub of Bodh Gaya, in the early 1990s, aspiring to fulfill the mission: \u201cThe hungry should eat; the sick should be treated; children should be educated in time.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This region is surrounded by the Pragbodhi Hills where the historical Buddha, Shakyamuni, is said to have spent six years in a cave as an ascetic. And it\u2019s here that JTS India has been working to empower the villagers in Dungeshwari to live their lives free from hunger, illiteracy, and disease.3<\/sup><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u25b6\ufe0f Published by BDG on February 14, 2024<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u25b6\ufe0f Read more: <\/a>https:\/\/www.buddhistdoor.net\/news\/special-report-the-hope-of-the-world-ven-pomnyun-sunim-marks-the-30th-anniversary-of-the-sujata-academy-project-in-india\/<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

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<\/p>\n","post_title":"Special Report: The Hope of the World \u2013 Ven. Pomnyun Sunim Marks the 30th Anniversary of the Sujata Academy Project in India","post_excerpt":"The Korean Seon (Zen) master Venerable Pomnyun Sunim (\ubc95\ub95c\uc2a4\ub2d8) wears many hats: Buddhist monk, teacher, author, environmentalist, and social activist, to name a few. As a widely respected Dharma teacher and a tireless socially engaged activist in his native South Korea, Ven. Pomnyun Sunim has founded numerous Dharma-based organizations, initiatives, and projects that are active across the world. Among them, Jungto Society, a volunteer-based community founded on the Buddhist teachings and expressing equality, simple living, and sustainability, is dedicated to addressing modern social issues that lead to suffering, including environmental degradation, poverty, and conflict.\n\nThis column, shared by Jungto Society, presents a series of highlights from Ven. Pomnyun Sunim\u2019s writings, teachings, public talks, and regular live-streamed Dharma Q+A sessions, which are accessible across the globe.\n","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","post_password":"","post_name":"special-report-the-hope-of-the-world-ven-pomnyun-sunim-marks-the-30th-anniversary-of-the-sujata-academy-project-in-india","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2024-02-14 23:46:42","post_modified_gmt":"2024-02-15 04:46:42","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/www.jungtosociety.org\/?p=18019","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"},{"ID":18003,"post_author":"13","post_date":"2024-02-09 11:17:31","post_date_gmt":"2024-02-09 16:17:31","post_content":"\n

<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Jungto Society, the international Buddhist community founded by the revered Korean Dharma master and social activist Venerable Pomnyun Sunim (\ubc95\ub95c\uc2a4\ub2d8), has conducted its 33rd annual pilgrimage across India and to Nepal. Held under the theme \u201cFollowing in the Footsteps of the Buddha,\u201d the pilgrimage, which ran from 19 January to 2 February, was attended by more 500 practitioners.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The pilgrimage was particularly notable for two reasons: this year saw the participation, for the first time in the Jungto pilgrimage\u2019s 33-year history, of non-Korean practitioners. It also celebrated the 30th anniversary of Sujata Academy, a remarkable community school established by Ven. Pomnyun Sunim in Dungheswari, Bihar, that has transformed the lives of an entire community of people who have faced systemic social and economic exclusion as a result of India\u2019s conservative Hindu caste hierarchy.1<\/sup><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Because of the unique significance of the Sujata Academy\u2019s 30th anniversary, BDG will cover that event in more depth in a separate upcoming report and interview.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n
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\"\"<\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Jungto Society is a volunteer-run community of practitioners that aspires to embody the Buddhist teachings through social engagement, and by promoting a simple lifestyle centered on sustainable living. The community seeks to address the crises of modern society, such as greed, poverty, conflict, and environmental degradation, by applying a Buddhist worldview of interconnectedness and living in line with the principle that everyone can find happiness through Buddhist practice and active participation in social movements.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Although fewer in number than the 1,250 practitioners who attended Jungto Society\u2019s 2023 pilgrimage,2<\/sup> the 500-plus Korean Buddhist pilgrims who recently returned from India were accompanied nine practitioners from Italy, Japan, Thailand, the United Kingdom, the United States, and Vietnam\u2014some of whom are members of the the International Network of Engaged Buddhists (INEB), including two bhikkhunis<\/em> from Thailand, while others are graduates of Jungto Society\u2019s English-language Dharma School.3<\/sup><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u25b6\ufe0f Published by BDG on February 7, 2024<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u25b6\ufe0f Read more: <\/a>https:\/\/www.buddhistdoor.net\/news\/special-report-footsteps-of-the-buddha-ven-pomnyun-sunim-leads-500-practitioners-on-the-33rd-jungto-pilgrimage-across-india-and-nepal\/<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

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<\/p>\n","post_title":"Special Report: Footsteps of the Buddha \u2013 Ven. Pomnyun Sunim Leads 500 Practitioners on the 33rd Jungto Pilgrimage across India and Nepal","post_excerpt":"The Korean Seon (Zen) master Venerable Pomnyun Sunim (\ubc95\ub95c\uc2a4\ub2d8) wears many hats: Buddhist monk, teacher, author, environmentalist, and social activist, to name a few. As a widely respected Dharma teacher and a tireless socially engaged activist in his native South Korea, Ven. Pomnyun Sunim has founded numerous Dharma-based organizations, initiatives, and projects that are active across the world. Among them, Jungto Society, a volunteer-based community founded on the Buddhist teachings and expressing equality, simple living, and sustainability, is dedicated to addressing modern social issues that lead to suffering, including environmental degradation, poverty, and conflict.\n\nThis column, shared by Jungto Society, presents a series of highlights from Ven. Pomnyun Sunim\u2019s writings, teachings, public talks, and regular live-streamed Dharma Q+A sessions, which are accessible across the globe.\n","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","post_password":"","post_name":"special-report-footsteps-of-the-buddha-ven-pomnyun-sunim-leads-500-practitioners-on-the-33rd-jungto-pilgrimage-across-india-and-nepal","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2024-02-09 11:17:33","post_modified_gmt":"2024-02-09 16:17:33","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/www.jungtosociety.org\/?p=18003","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"};

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<\/p>\n","post_title":"The Sujata Academy Project: The Power of Hope and Compassion in India","post_excerpt":"The Korean Seon (Zen) master Venerable Pomnyun Sunim (\ubc95\ub95c\uc2a4\ub2d8) wears many hats: Buddhist monk, teacher, author, environmentalist, and social activist, to name a few. As a widely respected Dharma teacher and a tireless socially engaged activist in his native South Korea, Ven. Pomnyun Sunim has founded numerous Dharma-based organizations, initiatives, and projects that are active across the world. Among them, Jungto Society, a volunteer-based community founded on the Buddhist teachings and expressing equality, simple living, and sustainability, is dedicated to addressing modern social issues that lead to suffering, including environmental degradation, poverty, and conflict.\n\nThis column, shared by Jungto Society, presents a series of highlights from Ven. Pomnyun Sunim\u2019s writings, teachings, public talks, and regular live-streamed Dharma Q+A sessions, which are accessible across the globe.\n","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","post_password":"","post_name":"the-sujata-academy-project-the-power-of-hope-and-compassion-in-india","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2024-03-10 17:38:00","post_modified_gmt":"2024-03-10 22:38:00","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/www.jungtosociety.org\/?p=18140","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"},{"ID":18019,"post_author":"13","post_date":"2024-02-14 23:46:40","post_date_gmt":"2024-02-15 04:46:40","post_content":"\n

<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Jungto Society, the international Buddhist community founded by the revered Korean Dharma master and social activist Venerable Pomnyun Sunim (\ubc95\ub95c\uc2a4\ub2d8), recently conducted its 33rd annual pilgrimage across India and to Nepal. Held under the theme \u201cFollowing in the Footsteps of the Buddha,\u201d the pilgrimage, which ran from 19 January to 2 February, was attended by more 500 practitioners.1<\/sup><\/p>\n\n\n\n

This year\u2019s pilgrimage was particularly notable for two reasons: the participation, for the first time in the Jungto pilgrimage\u2019s 33-year history, of non-Korean practitioners: the 500-plus Korean Buddhist pilgrims were accompanied nine practitioners from Italy, Japan, Thailand, the United Kingdom, the United States, and Vietnam\u2014some of whom are members of the the International Network of Engaged Buddhists (INEB), including two bhikkhunis<\/em> from Thailand, while others are graduates of Jungto Society\u2019s English-language Dharma School.2<\/sup><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Significantly, the pilgrimage also coincided with celebrations for the 30th anniversary of Sujata Academy, a remarkable community school and social empowerment project established by Ven. Pomnyun Sunim in Dungheswari, in the northeastern Indian state of Bihar, that has transformed the lives of an entire community of people who have faced systemic social and economic exclusion as a result of India\u2019s conservative Hindu caste hierarchy.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n
\n
\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\"\"<\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Ven. Pomnyun Sunim established the international Buddhist humanitarian relief organization Join Together Society (JTS) as an expression of the compassion of engaged Buddhism and the belief that helping others is the best way to enrich one\u2019s own life. Headquartered in Seoul, JTS operates four branch offices in South Korea and the United States, along with field offices in India and the Philippines. JTS Korea and JTS America oversee fundraising, while JTS India and JTS Philippines conduct development projects in cooperation with local communities. The relief organization has also earned Special Consultative Status to the United Nations Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

JTS India began its work in Dungeshwari, some 12 kilometers northeast of the Buddhist pilgrimage hub of Bodh Gaya, in the early 1990s, aspiring to fulfill the mission: \u201cThe hungry should eat; the sick should be treated; children should be educated in time.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This region is surrounded by the Pragbodhi Hills where the historical Buddha, Shakyamuni, is said to have spent six years in a cave as an ascetic. And it\u2019s here that JTS India has been working to empower the villagers in Dungeshwari to live their lives free from hunger, illiteracy, and disease.3<\/sup><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u25b6\ufe0f Published by BDG on February 14, 2024<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u25b6\ufe0f Read more: <\/a>https:\/\/www.buddhistdoor.net\/news\/special-report-the-hope-of-the-world-ven-pomnyun-sunim-marks-the-30th-anniversary-of-the-sujata-academy-project-in-india\/<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

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<\/p>\n","post_title":"Special Report: The Hope of the World \u2013 Ven. Pomnyun Sunim Marks the 30th Anniversary of the Sujata Academy Project in India","post_excerpt":"The Korean Seon (Zen) master Venerable Pomnyun Sunim (\ubc95\ub95c\uc2a4\ub2d8) wears many hats: Buddhist monk, teacher, author, environmentalist, and social activist, to name a few. As a widely respected Dharma teacher and a tireless socially engaged activist in his native South Korea, Ven. Pomnyun Sunim has founded numerous Dharma-based organizations, initiatives, and projects that are active across the world. Among them, Jungto Society, a volunteer-based community founded on the Buddhist teachings and expressing equality, simple living, and sustainability, is dedicated to addressing modern social issues that lead to suffering, including environmental degradation, poverty, and conflict.\n\nThis column, shared by Jungto Society, presents a series of highlights from Ven. Pomnyun Sunim\u2019s writings, teachings, public talks, and regular live-streamed Dharma Q+A sessions, which are accessible across the globe.\n","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","post_password":"","post_name":"special-report-the-hope-of-the-world-ven-pomnyun-sunim-marks-the-30th-anniversary-of-the-sujata-academy-project-in-india","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2024-02-14 23:46:42","post_modified_gmt":"2024-02-15 04:46:42","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/www.jungtosociety.org\/?p=18019","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"},{"ID":18003,"post_author":"13","post_date":"2024-02-09 11:17:31","post_date_gmt":"2024-02-09 16:17:31","post_content":"\n

<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Jungto Society, the international Buddhist community founded by the revered Korean Dharma master and social activist Venerable Pomnyun Sunim (\ubc95\ub95c\uc2a4\ub2d8), has conducted its 33rd annual pilgrimage across India and to Nepal. Held under the theme \u201cFollowing in the Footsteps of the Buddha,\u201d the pilgrimage, which ran from 19 January to 2 February, was attended by more 500 practitioners.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The pilgrimage was particularly notable for two reasons: this year saw the participation, for the first time in the Jungto pilgrimage\u2019s 33-year history, of non-Korean practitioners. It also celebrated the 30th anniversary of Sujata Academy, a remarkable community school established by Ven. Pomnyun Sunim in Dungheswari, Bihar, that has transformed the lives of an entire community of people who have faced systemic social and economic exclusion as a result of India\u2019s conservative Hindu caste hierarchy.1<\/sup><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Because of the unique significance of the Sujata Academy\u2019s 30th anniversary, BDG will cover that event in more depth in a separate upcoming report and interview.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n
\n
\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\"\"<\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Jungto Society is a volunteer-run community of practitioners that aspires to embody the Buddhist teachings through social engagement, and by promoting a simple lifestyle centered on sustainable living. The community seeks to address the crises of modern society, such as greed, poverty, conflict, and environmental degradation, by applying a Buddhist worldview of interconnectedness and living in line with the principle that everyone can find happiness through Buddhist practice and active participation in social movements.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Although fewer in number than the 1,250 practitioners who attended Jungto Society\u2019s 2023 pilgrimage,2<\/sup> the 500-plus Korean Buddhist pilgrims who recently returned from India were accompanied nine practitioners from Italy, Japan, Thailand, the United Kingdom, the United States, and Vietnam\u2014some of whom are members of the the International Network of Engaged Buddhists (INEB), including two bhikkhunis<\/em> from Thailand, while others are graduates of Jungto Society\u2019s English-language Dharma School.3<\/sup><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u25b6\ufe0f Published by BDG on February 7, 2024<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u25b6\ufe0f Read more: <\/a>https:\/\/www.buddhistdoor.net\/news\/special-report-footsteps-of-the-buddha-ven-pomnyun-sunim-leads-500-practitioners-on-the-33rd-jungto-pilgrimage-across-india-and-nepal\/<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

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<\/p>\n","post_title":"Special Report: Footsteps of the Buddha \u2013 Ven. Pomnyun Sunim Leads 500 Practitioners on the 33rd Jungto Pilgrimage across India and Nepal","post_excerpt":"The Korean Seon (Zen) master Venerable Pomnyun Sunim (\ubc95\ub95c\uc2a4\ub2d8) wears many hats: Buddhist monk, teacher, author, environmentalist, and social activist, to name a few. As a widely respected Dharma teacher and a tireless socially engaged activist in his native South Korea, Ven. Pomnyun Sunim has founded numerous Dharma-based organizations, initiatives, and projects that are active across the world. Among them, Jungto Society, a volunteer-based community founded on the Buddhist teachings and expressing equality, simple living, and sustainability, is dedicated to addressing modern social issues that lead to suffering, including environmental degradation, poverty, and conflict.\n\nThis column, shared by Jungto Society, presents a series of highlights from Ven. Pomnyun Sunim\u2019s writings, teachings, public talks, and regular live-streamed Dharma Q+A sessions, which are accessible across the globe.\n","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","post_password":"","post_name":"special-report-footsteps-of-the-buddha-ven-pomnyun-sunim-leads-500-practitioners-on-the-33rd-jungto-pilgrimage-across-india-and-nepal","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2024-02-09 11:17:33","post_modified_gmt":"2024-02-09 16:17:33","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/www.jungtosociety.org\/?p=18003","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"};

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\u25b6\ufe0f Read more: <\/a>https:\/\/www.buddhistdoor.net\/features\/the-sujata-academy-project-the-power-of-hope-and-compassion-in-india\/<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

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<\/p>\n","post_title":"The Sujata Academy Project: The Power of Hope and Compassion in India","post_excerpt":"The Korean Seon (Zen) master Venerable Pomnyun Sunim (\ubc95\ub95c\uc2a4\ub2d8) wears many hats: Buddhist monk, teacher, author, environmentalist, and social activist, to name a few. As a widely respected Dharma teacher and a tireless socially engaged activist in his native South Korea, Ven. Pomnyun Sunim has founded numerous Dharma-based organizations, initiatives, and projects that are active across the world. Among them, Jungto Society, a volunteer-based community founded on the Buddhist teachings and expressing equality, simple living, and sustainability, is dedicated to addressing modern social issues that lead to suffering, including environmental degradation, poverty, and conflict.\n\nThis column, shared by Jungto Society, presents a series of highlights from Ven. Pomnyun Sunim\u2019s writings, teachings, public talks, and regular live-streamed Dharma Q+A sessions, which are accessible across the globe.\n","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","post_password":"","post_name":"the-sujata-academy-project-the-power-of-hope-and-compassion-in-india","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2024-03-10 17:38:00","post_modified_gmt":"2024-03-10 22:38:00","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/www.jungtosociety.org\/?p=18140","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"},{"ID":18019,"post_author":"13","post_date":"2024-02-14 23:46:40","post_date_gmt":"2024-02-15 04:46:40","post_content":"\n

<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Jungto Society, the international Buddhist community founded by the revered Korean Dharma master and social activist Venerable Pomnyun Sunim (\ubc95\ub95c\uc2a4\ub2d8), recently conducted its 33rd annual pilgrimage across India and to Nepal. Held under the theme \u201cFollowing in the Footsteps of the Buddha,\u201d the pilgrimage, which ran from 19 January to 2 February, was attended by more 500 practitioners.1<\/sup><\/p>\n\n\n\n

This year\u2019s pilgrimage was particularly notable for two reasons: the participation, for the first time in the Jungto pilgrimage\u2019s 33-year history, of non-Korean practitioners: the 500-plus Korean Buddhist pilgrims were accompanied nine practitioners from Italy, Japan, Thailand, the United Kingdom, the United States, and Vietnam\u2014some of whom are members of the the International Network of Engaged Buddhists (INEB), including two bhikkhunis<\/em> from Thailand, while others are graduates of Jungto Society\u2019s English-language Dharma School.2<\/sup><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Significantly, the pilgrimage also coincided with celebrations for the 30th anniversary of Sujata Academy, a remarkable community school and social empowerment project established by Ven. Pomnyun Sunim in Dungheswari, in the northeastern Indian state of Bihar, that has transformed the lives of an entire community of people who have faced systemic social and economic exclusion as a result of India\u2019s conservative Hindu caste hierarchy.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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\"\"<\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Ven. Pomnyun Sunim established the international Buddhist humanitarian relief organization Join Together Society (JTS) as an expression of the compassion of engaged Buddhism and the belief that helping others is the best way to enrich one\u2019s own life. Headquartered in Seoul, JTS operates four branch offices in South Korea and the United States, along with field offices in India and the Philippines. JTS Korea and JTS America oversee fundraising, while JTS India and JTS Philippines conduct development projects in cooperation with local communities. The relief organization has also earned Special Consultative Status to the United Nations Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

JTS India began its work in Dungeshwari, some 12 kilometers northeast of the Buddhist pilgrimage hub of Bodh Gaya, in the early 1990s, aspiring to fulfill the mission: \u201cThe hungry should eat; the sick should be treated; children should be educated in time.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This region is surrounded by the Pragbodhi Hills where the historical Buddha, Shakyamuni, is said to have spent six years in a cave as an ascetic. And it\u2019s here that JTS India has been working to empower the villagers in Dungeshwari to live their lives free from hunger, illiteracy, and disease.3<\/sup><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u25b6\ufe0f Published by BDG on February 14, 2024<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u25b6\ufe0f Read more: <\/a>https:\/\/www.buddhistdoor.net\/news\/special-report-the-hope-of-the-world-ven-pomnyun-sunim-marks-the-30th-anniversary-of-the-sujata-academy-project-in-india\/<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

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<\/p>\n","post_title":"Special Report: The Hope of the World \u2013 Ven. Pomnyun Sunim Marks the 30th Anniversary of the Sujata Academy Project in India","post_excerpt":"The Korean Seon (Zen) master Venerable Pomnyun Sunim (\ubc95\ub95c\uc2a4\ub2d8) wears many hats: Buddhist monk, teacher, author, environmentalist, and social activist, to name a few. As a widely respected Dharma teacher and a tireless socially engaged activist in his native South Korea, Ven. Pomnyun Sunim has founded numerous Dharma-based organizations, initiatives, and projects that are active across the world. Among them, Jungto Society, a volunteer-based community founded on the Buddhist teachings and expressing equality, simple living, and sustainability, is dedicated to addressing modern social issues that lead to suffering, including environmental degradation, poverty, and conflict.\n\nThis column, shared by Jungto Society, presents a series of highlights from Ven. Pomnyun Sunim\u2019s writings, teachings, public talks, and regular live-streamed Dharma Q+A sessions, which are accessible across the globe.\n","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","post_password":"","post_name":"special-report-the-hope-of-the-world-ven-pomnyun-sunim-marks-the-30th-anniversary-of-the-sujata-academy-project-in-india","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2024-02-14 23:46:42","post_modified_gmt":"2024-02-15 04:46:42","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/www.jungtosociety.org\/?p=18019","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"},{"ID":18003,"post_author":"13","post_date":"2024-02-09 11:17:31","post_date_gmt":"2024-02-09 16:17:31","post_content":"\n

<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Jungto Society, the international Buddhist community founded by the revered Korean Dharma master and social activist Venerable Pomnyun Sunim (\ubc95\ub95c\uc2a4\ub2d8), has conducted its 33rd annual pilgrimage across India and to Nepal. Held under the theme \u201cFollowing in the Footsteps of the Buddha,\u201d the pilgrimage, which ran from 19 January to 2 February, was attended by more 500 practitioners.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The pilgrimage was particularly notable for two reasons: this year saw the participation, for the first time in the Jungto pilgrimage\u2019s 33-year history, of non-Korean practitioners. It also celebrated the 30th anniversary of Sujata Academy, a remarkable community school established by Ven. Pomnyun Sunim in Dungheswari, Bihar, that has transformed the lives of an entire community of people who have faced systemic social and economic exclusion as a result of India\u2019s conservative Hindu caste hierarchy.1<\/sup><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Because of the unique significance of the Sujata Academy\u2019s 30th anniversary, BDG will cover that event in more depth in a separate upcoming report and interview.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n
\n
\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\"\"<\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Jungto Society is a volunteer-run community of practitioners that aspires to embody the Buddhist teachings through social engagement, and by promoting a simple lifestyle centered on sustainable living. The community seeks to address the crises of modern society, such as greed, poverty, conflict, and environmental degradation, by applying a Buddhist worldview of interconnectedness and living in line with the principle that everyone can find happiness through Buddhist practice and active participation in social movements.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Although fewer in number than the 1,250 practitioners who attended Jungto Society\u2019s 2023 pilgrimage,2<\/sup> the 500-plus Korean Buddhist pilgrims who recently returned from India were accompanied nine practitioners from Italy, Japan, Thailand, the United Kingdom, the United States, and Vietnam\u2014some of whom are members of the the International Network of Engaged Buddhists (INEB), including two bhikkhunis<\/em> from Thailand, while others are graduates of Jungto Society\u2019s English-language Dharma School.3<\/sup><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u25b6\ufe0f Published by BDG on February 7, 2024<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u25b6\ufe0f Read more: <\/a>https:\/\/www.buddhistdoor.net\/news\/special-report-footsteps-of-the-buddha-ven-pomnyun-sunim-leads-500-practitioners-on-the-33rd-jungto-pilgrimage-across-india-and-nepal\/<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

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<\/p>\n","post_title":"Special Report: Footsteps of the Buddha \u2013 Ven. Pomnyun Sunim Leads 500 Practitioners on the 33rd Jungto Pilgrimage across India and Nepal","post_excerpt":"The Korean Seon (Zen) master Venerable Pomnyun Sunim (\ubc95\ub95c\uc2a4\ub2d8) wears many hats: Buddhist monk, teacher, author, environmentalist, and social activist, to name a few. As a widely respected Dharma teacher and a tireless socially engaged activist in his native South Korea, Ven. Pomnyun Sunim has founded numerous Dharma-based organizations, initiatives, and projects that are active across the world. Among them, Jungto Society, a volunteer-based community founded on the Buddhist teachings and expressing equality, simple living, and sustainability, is dedicated to addressing modern social issues that lead to suffering, including environmental degradation, poverty, and conflict.\n\nThis column, shared by Jungto Society, presents a series of highlights from Ven. Pomnyun Sunim\u2019s writings, teachings, public talks, and regular live-streamed Dharma Q+A sessions, which are accessible across the globe.\n","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","post_password":"","post_name":"special-report-footsteps-of-the-buddha-ven-pomnyun-sunim-leads-500-practitioners-on-the-33rd-jungto-pilgrimage-across-india-and-nepal","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2024-02-09 11:17:33","post_modified_gmt":"2024-02-09 16:17:33","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/www.jungtosociety.org\/?p=18003","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

\u25b6\ufe0f Published by BDG on March 8, 2024<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u25b6\ufe0f Read more: <\/a>https:\/\/www.buddhistdoor.net\/features\/the-sujata-academy-project-the-power-of-hope-and-compassion-in-india\/<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

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<\/p>\n","post_title":"The Sujata Academy Project: The Power of Hope and Compassion in India","post_excerpt":"The Korean Seon (Zen) master Venerable Pomnyun Sunim (\ubc95\ub95c\uc2a4\ub2d8) wears many hats: Buddhist monk, teacher, author, environmentalist, and social activist, to name a few. As a widely respected Dharma teacher and a tireless socially engaged activist in his native South Korea, Ven. Pomnyun Sunim has founded numerous Dharma-based organizations, initiatives, and projects that are active across the world. Among them, Jungto Society, a volunteer-based community founded on the Buddhist teachings and expressing equality, simple living, and sustainability, is dedicated to addressing modern social issues that lead to suffering, including environmental degradation, poverty, and conflict.\n\nThis column, shared by Jungto Society, presents a series of highlights from Ven. Pomnyun Sunim\u2019s writings, teachings, public talks, and regular live-streamed Dharma Q+A sessions, which are accessible across the globe.\n","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","post_password":"","post_name":"the-sujata-academy-project-the-power-of-hope-and-compassion-in-india","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2024-03-10 17:38:00","post_modified_gmt":"2024-03-10 22:38:00","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/www.jungtosociety.org\/?p=18140","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"},{"ID":18019,"post_author":"13","post_date":"2024-02-14 23:46:40","post_date_gmt":"2024-02-15 04:46:40","post_content":"\n

<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Jungto Society, the international Buddhist community founded by the revered Korean Dharma master and social activist Venerable Pomnyun Sunim (\ubc95\ub95c\uc2a4\ub2d8), recently conducted its 33rd annual pilgrimage across India and to Nepal. Held under the theme \u201cFollowing in the Footsteps of the Buddha,\u201d the pilgrimage, which ran from 19 January to 2 February, was attended by more 500 practitioners.1<\/sup><\/p>\n\n\n\n

This year\u2019s pilgrimage was particularly notable for two reasons: the participation, for the first time in the Jungto pilgrimage\u2019s 33-year history, of non-Korean practitioners: the 500-plus Korean Buddhist pilgrims were accompanied nine practitioners from Italy, Japan, Thailand, the United Kingdom, the United States, and Vietnam\u2014some of whom are members of the the International Network of Engaged Buddhists (INEB), including two bhikkhunis<\/em> from Thailand, while others are graduates of Jungto Society\u2019s English-language Dharma School.2<\/sup><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Significantly, the pilgrimage also coincided with celebrations for the 30th anniversary of Sujata Academy, a remarkable community school and social empowerment project established by Ven. Pomnyun Sunim in Dungheswari, in the northeastern Indian state of Bihar, that has transformed the lives of an entire community of people who have faced systemic social and economic exclusion as a result of India\u2019s conservative Hindu caste hierarchy.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n
\n
\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\"\"<\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Ven. Pomnyun Sunim established the international Buddhist humanitarian relief organization Join Together Society (JTS) as an expression of the compassion of engaged Buddhism and the belief that helping others is the best way to enrich one\u2019s own life. Headquartered in Seoul, JTS operates four branch offices in South Korea and the United States, along with field offices in India and the Philippines. JTS Korea and JTS America oversee fundraising, while JTS India and JTS Philippines conduct development projects in cooperation with local communities. The relief organization has also earned Special Consultative Status to the United Nations Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

JTS India began its work in Dungeshwari, some 12 kilometers northeast of the Buddhist pilgrimage hub of Bodh Gaya, in the early 1990s, aspiring to fulfill the mission: \u201cThe hungry should eat; the sick should be treated; children should be educated in time.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This region is surrounded by the Pragbodhi Hills where the historical Buddha, Shakyamuni, is said to have spent six years in a cave as an ascetic. And it\u2019s here that JTS India has been working to empower the villagers in Dungeshwari to live their lives free from hunger, illiteracy, and disease.3<\/sup><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u25b6\ufe0f Published by BDG on February 14, 2024<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u25b6\ufe0f Read more: <\/a>https:\/\/www.buddhistdoor.net\/news\/special-report-the-hope-of-the-world-ven-pomnyun-sunim-marks-the-30th-anniversary-of-the-sujata-academy-project-in-india\/<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

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<\/p>\n","post_title":"Special Report: The Hope of the World \u2013 Ven. Pomnyun Sunim Marks the 30th Anniversary of the Sujata Academy Project in India","post_excerpt":"The Korean Seon (Zen) master Venerable Pomnyun Sunim (\ubc95\ub95c\uc2a4\ub2d8) wears many hats: Buddhist monk, teacher, author, environmentalist, and social activist, to name a few. As a widely respected Dharma teacher and a tireless socially engaged activist in his native South Korea, Ven. Pomnyun Sunim has founded numerous Dharma-based organizations, initiatives, and projects that are active across the world. Among them, Jungto Society, a volunteer-based community founded on the Buddhist teachings and expressing equality, simple living, and sustainability, is dedicated to addressing modern social issues that lead to suffering, including environmental degradation, poverty, and conflict.\n\nThis column, shared by Jungto Society, presents a series of highlights from Ven. Pomnyun Sunim\u2019s writings, teachings, public talks, and regular live-streamed Dharma Q+A sessions, which are accessible across the globe.\n","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","post_password":"","post_name":"special-report-the-hope-of-the-world-ven-pomnyun-sunim-marks-the-30th-anniversary-of-the-sujata-academy-project-in-india","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2024-02-14 23:46:42","post_modified_gmt":"2024-02-15 04:46:42","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/www.jungtosociety.org\/?p=18019","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"},{"ID":18003,"post_author":"13","post_date":"2024-02-09 11:17:31","post_date_gmt":"2024-02-09 16:17:31","post_content":"\n

<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Jungto Society, the international Buddhist community founded by the revered Korean Dharma master and social activist Venerable Pomnyun Sunim (\ubc95\ub95c\uc2a4\ub2d8), has conducted its 33rd annual pilgrimage across India and to Nepal. Held under the theme \u201cFollowing in the Footsteps of the Buddha,\u201d the pilgrimage, which ran from 19 January to 2 February, was attended by more 500 practitioners.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The pilgrimage was particularly notable for two reasons: this year saw the participation, for the first time in the Jungto pilgrimage\u2019s 33-year history, of non-Korean practitioners. It also celebrated the 30th anniversary of Sujata Academy, a remarkable community school established by Ven. Pomnyun Sunim in Dungheswari, Bihar, that has transformed the lives of an entire community of people who have faced systemic social and economic exclusion as a result of India\u2019s conservative Hindu caste hierarchy.1<\/sup><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Because of the unique significance of the Sujata Academy\u2019s 30th anniversary, BDG will cover that event in more depth in a separate upcoming report and interview.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n
\n
\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\"\"<\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Jungto Society is a volunteer-run community of practitioners that aspires to embody the Buddhist teachings through social engagement, and by promoting a simple lifestyle centered on sustainable living. The community seeks to address the crises of modern society, such as greed, poverty, conflict, and environmental degradation, by applying a Buddhist worldview of interconnectedness and living in line with the principle that everyone can find happiness through Buddhist practice and active participation in social movements.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Although fewer in number than the 1,250 practitioners who attended Jungto Society\u2019s 2023 pilgrimage,2<\/sup> the 500-plus Korean Buddhist pilgrims who recently returned from India were accompanied nine practitioners from Italy, Japan, Thailand, the United Kingdom, the United States, and Vietnam\u2014some of whom are members of the the International Network of Engaged Buddhists (INEB), including two bhikkhunis<\/em> from Thailand, while others are graduates of Jungto Society\u2019s English-language Dharma School.3<\/sup><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u25b6\ufe0f Published by BDG on February 7, 2024<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u25b6\ufe0f Read more: <\/a>https:\/\/www.buddhistdoor.net\/news\/special-report-footsteps-of-the-buddha-ven-pomnyun-sunim-leads-500-practitioners-on-the-33rd-jungto-pilgrimage-across-india-and-nepal\/<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

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<\/p>\n","post_title":"Special Report: Footsteps of the Buddha \u2013 Ven. Pomnyun Sunim Leads 500 Practitioners on the 33rd Jungto Pilgrimage across India and Nepal","post_excerpt":"The Korean Seon (Zen) master Venerable Pomnyun Sunim (\ubc95\ub95c\uc2a4\ub2d8) wears many hats: Buddhist monk, teacher, author, environmentalist, and social activist, to name a few. As a widely respected Dharma teacher and a tireless socially engaged activist in his native South Korea, Ven. Pomnyun Sunim has founded numerous Dharma-based organizations, initiatives, and projects that are active across the world. Among them, Jungto Society, a volunteer-based community founded on the Buddhist teachings and expressing equality, simple living, and sustainability, is dedicated to addressing modern social issues that lead to suffering, including environmental degradation, poverty, and conflict.\n\nThis column, shared by Jungto Society, presents a series of highlights from Ven. Pomnyun Sunim\u2019s writings, teachings, public talks, and regular live-streamed Dharma Q+A sessions, which are accessible across the globe.\n","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","post_password":"","post_name":"special-report-footsteps-of-the-buddha-ven-pomnyun-sunim-leads-500-practitioners-on-the-33rd-jungto-pilgrimage-across-india-and-nepal","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2024-02-09 11:17:33","post_modified_gmt":"2024-02-09 16:17:33","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/www.jungtosociety.org\/?p=18003","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

Jungto Society Dharma teacher Doyeon Jang (Dharma name Bogwang), is the director of Sujata Academy. She has overseen the development of this ambitious project, facing numerous challenges, both personal and structural, in the process of bringing this expression of compassion and social transformation to fruition.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u25b6\ufe0f Published by BDG on March 8, 2024<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u25b6\ufe0f Read more: <\/a>https:\/\/www.buddhistdoor.net\/features\/the-sujata-academy-project-the-power-of-hope-and-compassion-in-india\/<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

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<\/p>\n","post_title":"The Sujata Academy Project: The Power of Hope and Compassion in India","post_excerpt":"The Korean Seon (Zen) master Venerable Pomnyun Sunim (\ubc95\ub95c\uc2a4\ub2d8) wears many hats: Buddhist monk, teacher, author, environmentalist, and social activist, to name a few. As a widely respected Dharma teacher and a tireless socially engaged activist in his native South Korea, Ven. Pomnyun Sunim has founded numerous Dharma-based organizations, initiatives, and projects that are active across the world. Among them, Jungto Society, a volunteer-based community founded on the Buddhist teachings and expressing equality, simple living, and sustainability, is dedicated to addressing modern social issues that lead to suffering, including environmental degradation, poverty, and conflict.\n\nThis column, shared by Jungto Society, presents a series of highlights from Ven. Pomnyun Sunim\u2019s writings, teachings, public talks, and regular live-streamed Dharma Q+A sessions, which are accessible across the globe.\n","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","post_password":"","post_name":"the-sujata-academy-project-the-power-of-hope-and-compassion-in-india","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2024-03-10 17:38:00","post_modified_gmt":"2024-03-10 22:38:00","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/www.jungtosociety.org\/?p=18140","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"},{"ID":18019,"post_author":"13","post_date":"2024-02-14 23:46:40","post_date_gmt":"2024-02-15 04:46:40","post_content":"\n

<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Jungto Society, the international Buddhist community founded by the revered Korean Dharma master and social activist Venerable Pomnyun Sunim (\ubc95\ub95c\uc2a4\ub2d8), recently conducted its 33rd annual pilgrimage across India and to Nepal. Held under the theme \u201cFollowing in the Footsteps of the Buddha,\u201d the pilgrimage, which ran from 19 January to 2 February, was attended by more 500 practitioners.1<\/sup><\/p>\n\n\n\n

This year\u2019s pilgrimage was particularly notable for two reasons: the participation, for the first time in the Jungto pilgrimage\u2019s 33-year history, of non-Korean practitioners: the 500-plus Korean Buddhist pilgrims were accompanied nine practitioners from Italy, Japan, Thailand, the United Kingdom, the United States, and Vietnam\u2014some of whom are members of the the International Network of Engaged Buddhists (INEB), including two bhikkhunis<\/em> from Thailand, while others are graduates of Jungto Society\u2019s English-language Dharma School.2<\/sup><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Significantly, the pilgrimage also coincided with celebrations for the 30th anniversary of Sujata Academy, a remarkable community school and social empowerment project established by Ven. Pomnyun Sunim in Dungheswari, in the northeastern Indian state of Bihar, that has transformed the lives of an entire community of people who have faced systemic social and economic exclusion as a result of India\u2019s conservative Hindu caste hierarchy.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n
\n
\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\"\"<\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Ven. Pomnyun Sunim established the international Buddhist humanitarian relief organization Join Together Society (JTS) as an expression of the compassion of engaged Buddhism and the belief that helping others is the best way to enrich one\u2019s own life. Headquartered in Seoul, JTS operates four branch offices in South Korea and the United States, along with field offices in India and the Philippines. JTS Korea and JTS America oversee fundraising, while JTS India and JTS Philippines conduct development projects in cooperation with local communities. The relief organization has also earned Special Consultative Status to the United Nations Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

JTS India began its work in Dungeshwari, some 12 kilometers northeast of the Buddhist pilgrimage hub of Bodh Gaya, in the early 1990s, aspiring to fulfill the mission: \u201cThe hungry should eat; the sick should be treated; children should be educated in time.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This region is surrounded by the Pragbodhi Hills where the historical Buddha, Shakyamuni, is said to have spent six years in a cave as an ascetic. And it\u2019s here that JTS India has been working to empower the villagers in Dungeshwari to live their lives free from hunger, illiteracy, and disease.3<\/sup><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u25b6\ufe0f Published by BDG on February 14, 2024<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u25b6\ufe0f Read more: <\/a>https:\/\/www.buddhistdoor.net\/news\/special-report-the-hope-of-the-world-ven-pomnyun-sunim-marks-the-30th-anniversary-of-the-sujata-academy-project-in-india\/<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

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<\/p>\n","post_title":"Special Report: The Hope of the World \u2013 Ven. Pomnyun Sunim Marks the 30th Anniversary of the Sujata Academy Project in India","post_excerpt":"The Korean Seon (Zen) master Venerable Pomnyun Sunim (\ubc95\ub95c\uc2a4\ub2d8) wears many hats: Buddhist monk, teacher, author, environmentalist, and social activist, to name a few. As a widely respected Dharma teacher and a tireless socially engaged activist in his native South Korea, Ven. Pomnyun Sunim has founded numerous Dharma-based organizations, initiatives, and projects that are active across the world. Among them, Jungto Society, a volunteer-based community founded on the Buddhist teachings and expressing equality, simple living, and sustainability, is dedicated to addressing modern social issues that lead to suffering, including environmental degradation, poverty, and conflict.\n\nThis column, shared by Jungto Society, presents a series of highlights from Ven. Pomnyun Sunim\u2019s writings, teachings, public talks, and regular live-streamed Dharma Q+A sessions, which are accessible across the globe.\n","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","post_password":"","post_name":"special-report-the-hope-of-the-world-ven-pomnyun-sunim-marks-the-30th-anniversary-of-the-sujata-academy-project-in-india","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2024-02-14 23:46:42","post_modified_gmt":"2024-02-15 04:46:42","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/www.jungtosociety.org\/?p=18019","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"},{"ID":18003,"post_author":"13","post_date":"2024-02-09 11:17:31","post_date_gmt":"2024-02-09 16:17:31","post_content":"\n

<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Jungto Society, the international Buddhist community founded by the revered Korean Dharma master and social activist Venerable Pomnyun Sunim (\ubc95\ub95c\uc2a4\ub2d8), has conducted its 33rd annual pilgrimage across India and to Nepal. Held under the theme \u201cFollowing in the Footsteps of the Buddha,\u201d the pilgrimage, which ran from 19 January to 2 February, was attended by more 500 practitioners.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The pilgrimage was particularly notable for two reasons: this year saw the participation, for the first time in the Jungto pilgrimage\u2019s 33-year history, of non-Korean practitioners. It also celebrated the 30th anniversary of Sujata Academy, a remarkable community school established by Ven. Pomnyun Sunim in Dungheswari, Bihar, that has transformed the lives of an entire community of people who have faced systemic social and economic exclusion as a result of India\u2019s conservative Hindu caste hierarchy.1<\/sup><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Because of the unique significance of the Sujata Academy\u2019s 30th anniversary, BDG will cover that event in more depth in a separate upcoming report and interview.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n
\n
\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\"\"<\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Jungto Society is a volunteer-run community of practitioners that aspires to embody the Buddhist teachings through social engagement, and by promoting a simple lifestyle centered on sustainable living. The community seeks to address the crises of modern society, such as greed, poverty, conflict, and environmental degradation, by applying a Buddhist worldview of interconnectedness and living in line with the principle that everyone can find happiness through Buddhist practice and active participation in social movements.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Although fewer in number than the 1,250 practitioners who attended Jungto Society\u2019s 2023 pilgrimage,2<\/sup> the 500-plus Korean Buddhist pilgrims who recently returned from India were accompanied nine practitioners from Italy, Japan, Thailand, the United Kingdom, the United States, and Vietnam\u2014some of whom are members of the the International Network of Engaged Buddhists (INEB), including two bhikkhunis<\/em> from Thailand, while others are graduates of Jungto Society\u2019s English-language Dharma School.3<\/sup><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u25b6\ufe0f Published by BDG on February 7, 2024<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u25b6\ufe0f Read more: <\/a>https:\/\/www.buddhistdoor.net\/news\/special-report-footsteps-of-the-buddha-ven-pomnyun-sunim-leads-500-practitioners-on-the-33rd-jungto-pilgrimage-across-india-and-nepal\/<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

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<\/p>\n","post_title":"Special Report: Footsteps of the Buddha \u2013 Ven. Pomnyun Sunim Leads 500 Practitioners on the 33rd Jungto Pilgrimage across India and Nepal","post_excerpt":"The Korean Seon (Zen) master Venerable Pomnyun Sunim (\ubc95\ub95c\uc2a4\ub2d8) wears many hats: Buddhist monk, teacher, author, environmentalist, and social activist, to name a few. As a widely respected Dharma teacher and a tireless socially engaged activist in his native South Korea, Ven. Pomnyun Sunim has founded numerous Dharma-based organizations, initiatives, and projects that are active across the world. Among them, Jungto Society, a volunteer-based community founded on the Buddhist teachings and expressing equality, simple living, and sustainability, is dedicated to addressing modern social issues that lead to suffering, including environmental degradation, poverty, and conflict.\n\nThis column, shared by Jungto Society, presents a series of highlights from Ven. Pomnyun Sunim\u2019s writings, teachings, public talks, and regular live-streamed Dharma Q+A sessions, which are accessible across the globe.\n","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","post_password":"","post_name":"special-report-footsteps-of-the-buddha-ven-pomnyun-sunim-leads-500-practitioners-on-the-33rd-jungto-pilgrimage-across-india-and-nepal","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2024-02-09 11:17:33","post_modified_gmt":"2024-02-09 16:17:33","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/www.jungtosociety.org\/?p=18003","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

The people of Dungeshwari are primarily Dalits, who face systemic social and economic exclusion as a result of the conservative Hindu social hierarchy. \u201cDalit,\u201d which translates as \u201cbroken\u201d in Sanskrit, is a term for the very lowest castes, whom members of the so-called \u201chigher\u201d castes still to this day deem \u201cuntouchable,\u201d despite the practice being prohibited in the Constitution of India. By working directly with disadvantaged communities, JTS aims to help them to mobilize their own capabilities and resources to create a more prosperous and sustainable future.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Jungto Society Dharma teacher Doyeon Jang (Dharma name Bogwang), is the director of Sujata Academy. She has overseen the development of this ambitious project, facing numerous challenges, both personal and structural, in the process of bringing this expression of compassion and social transformation to fruition.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u25b6\ufe0f Published by BDG on March 8, 2024<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u25b6\ufe0f Read more: <\/a>https:\/\/www.buddhistdoor.net\/features\/the-sujata-academy-project-the-power-of-hope-and-compassion-in-india\/<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

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<\/p>\n","post_title":"The Sujata Academy Project: The Power of Hope and Compassion in India","post_excerpt":"The Korean Seon (Zen) master Venerable Pomnyun Sunim (\ubc95\ub95c\uc2a4\ub2d8) wears many hats: Buddhist monk, teacher, author, environmentalist, and social activist, to name a few. As a widely respected Dharma teacher and a tireless socially engaged activist in his native South Korea, Ven. Pomnyun Sunim has founded numerous Dharma-based organizations, initiatives, and projects that are active across the world. Among them, Jungto Society, a volunteer-based community founded on the Buddhist teachings and expressing equality, simple living, and sustainability, is dedicated to addressing modern social issues that lead to suffering, including environmental degradation, poverty, and conflict.\n\nThis column, shared by Jungto Society, presents a series of highlights from Ven. Pomnyun Sunim\u2019s writings, teachings, public talks, and regular live-streamed Dharma Q+A sessions, which are accessible across the globe.\n","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","post_password":"","post_name":"the-sujata-academy-project-the-power-of-hope-and-compassion-in-india","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2024-03-10 17:38:00","post_modified_gmt":"2024-03-10 22:38:00","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/www.jungtosociety.org\/?p=18140","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"},{"ID":18019,"post_author":"13","post_date":"2024-02-14 23:46:40","post_date_gmt":"2024-02-15 04:46:40","post_content":"\n

<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Jungto Society, the international Buddhist community founded by the revered Korean Dharma master and social activist Venerable Pomnyun Sunim (\ubc95\ub95c\uc2a4\ub2d8), recently conducted its 33rd annual pilgrimage across India and to Nepal. Held under the theme \u201cFollowing in the Footsteps of the Buddha,\u201d the pilgrimage, which ran from 19 January to 2 February, was attended by more 500 practitioners.1<\/sup><\/p>\n\n\n\n

This year\u2019s pilgrimage was particularly notable for two reasons: the participation, for the first time in the Jungto pilgrimage\u2019s 33-year history, of non-Korean practitioners: the 500-plus Korean Buddhist pilgrims were accompanied nine practitioners from Italy, Japan, Thailand, the United Kingdom, the United States, and Vietnam\u2014some of whom are members of the the International Network of Engaged Buddhists (INEB), including two bhikkhunis<\/em> from Thailand, while others are graduates of Jungto Society\u2019s English-language Dharma School.2<\/sup><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Significantly, the pilgrimage also coincided with celebrations for the 30th anniversary of Sujata Academy, a remarkable community school and social empowerment project established by Ven. Pomnyun Sunim in Dungheswari, in the northeastern Indian state of Bihar, that has transformed the lives of an entire community of people who have faced systemic social and economic exclusion as a result of India\u2019s conservative Hindu caste hierarchy.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n
\n
\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\"\"<\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Ven. Pomnyun Sunim established the international Buddhist humanitarian relief organization Join Together Society (JTS) as an expression of the compassion of engaged Buddhism and the belief that helping others is the best way to enrich one\u2019s own life. Headquartered in Seoul, JTS operates four branch offices in South Korea and the United States, along with field offices in India and the Philippines. JTS Korea and JTS America oversee fundraising, while JTS India and JTS Philippines conduct development projects in cooperation with local communities. The relief organization has also earned Special Consultative Status to the United Nations Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

JTS India began its work in Dungeshwari, some 12 kilometers northeast of the Buddhist pilgrimage hub of Bodh Gaya, in the early 1990s, aspiring to fulfill the mission: \u201cThe hungry should eat; the sick should be treated; children should be educated in time.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This region is surrounded by the Pragbodhi Hills where the historical Buddha, Shakyamuni, is said to have spent six years in a cave as an ascetic. And it\u2019s here that JTS India has been working to empower the villagers in Dungeshwari to live their lives free from hunger, illiteracy, and disease.3<\/sup><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u25b6\ufe0f Published by BDG on February 14, 2024<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u25b6\ufe0f Read more: <\/a>https:\/\/www.buddhistdoor.net\/news\/special-report-the-hope-of-the-world-ven-pomnyun-sunim-marks-the-30th-anniversary-of-the-sujata-academy-project-in-india\/<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

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<\/p>\n","post_title":"Special Report: The Hope of the World \u2013 Ven. Pomnyun Sunim Marks the 30th Anniversary of the Sujata Academy Project in India","post_excerpt":"The Korean Seon (Zen) master Venerable Pomnyun Sunim (\ubc95\ub95c\uc2a4\ub2d8) wears many hats: Buddhist monk, teacher, author, environmentalist, and social activist, to name a few. As a widely respected Dharma teacher and a tireless socially engaged activist in his native South Korea, Ven. Pomnyun Sunim has founded numerous Dharma-based organizations, initiatives, and projects that are active across the world. Among them, Jungto Society, a volunteer-based community founded on the Buddhist teachings and expressing equality, simple living, and sustainability, is dedicated to addressing modern social issues that lead to suffering, including environmental degradation, poverty, and conflict.\n\nThis column, shared by Jungto Society, presents a series of highlights from Ven. Pomnyun Sunim\u2019s writings, teachings, public talks, and regular live-streamed Dharma Q+A sessions, which are accessible across the globe.\n","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","post_password":"","post_name":"special-report-the-hope-of-the-world-ven-pomnyun-sunim-marks-the-30th-anniversary-of-the-sujata-academy-project-in-india","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2024-02-14 23:46:42","post_modified_gmt":"2024-02-15 04:46:42","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/www.jungtosociety.org\/?p=18019","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"},{"ID":18003,"post_author":"13","post_date":"2024-02-09 11:17:31","post_date_gmt":"2024-02-09 16:17:31","post_content":"\n

<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Jungto Society, the international Buddhist community founded by the revered Korean Dharma master and social activist Venerable Pomnyun Sunim (\ubc95\ub95c\uc2a4\ub2d8), has conducted its 33rd annual pilgrimage across India and to Nepal. Held under the theme \u201cFollowing in the Footsteps of the Buddha,\u201d the pilgrimage, which ran from 19 January to 2 February, was attended by more 500 practitioners.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The pilgrimage was particularly notable for two reasons: this year saw the participation, for the first time in the Jungto pilgrimage\u2019s 33-year history, of non-Korean practitioners. It also celebrated the 30th anniversary of Sujata Academy, a remarkable community school established by Ven. Pomnyun Sunim in Dungheswari, Bihar, that has transformed the lives of an entire community of people who have faced systemic social and economic exclusion as a result of India\u2019s conservative Hindu caste hierarchy.1<\/sup><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Because of the unique significance of the Sujata Academy\u2019s 30th anniversary, BDG will cover that event in more depth in a separate upcoming report and interview.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n
\n
\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\"\"<\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Jungto Society is a volunteer-run community of practitioners that aspires to embody the Buddhist teachings through social engagement, and by promoting a simple lifestyle centered on sustainable living. The community seeks to address the crises of modern society, such as greed, poverty, conflict, and environmental degradation, by applying a Buddhist worldview of interconnectedness and living in line with the principle that everyone can find happiness through Buddhist practice and active participation in social movements.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Although fewer in number than the 1,250 practitioners who attended Jungto Society\u2019s 2023 pilgrimage,2<\/sup> the 500-plus Korean Buddhist pilgrims who recently returned from India were accompanied nine practitioners from Italy, Japan, Thailand, the United Kingdom, the United States, and Vietnam\u2014some of whom are members of the the International Network of Engaged Buddhists (INEB), including two bhikkhunis<\/em> from Thailand, while others are graduates of Jungto Society\u2019s English-language Dharma School.3<\/sup><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u25b6\ufe0f Published by BDG on February 7, 2024<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u25b6\ufe0f Read more: <\/a>https:\/\/www.buddhistdoor.net\/news\/special-report-footsteps-of-the-buddha-ven-pomnyun-sunim-leads-500-practitioners-on-the-33rd-jungto-pilgrimage-across-india-and-nepal\/<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

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<\/p>\n","post_title":"Special Report: Footsteps of the Buddha \u2013 Ven. Pomnyun Sunim Leads 500 Practitioners on the 33rd Jungto Pilgrimage across India and Nepal","post_excerpt":"The Korean Seon (Zen) master Venerable Pomnyun Sunim (\ubc95\ub95c\uc2a4\ub2d8) wears many hats: Buddhist monk, teacher, author, environmentalist, and social activist, to name a few. As a widely respected Dharma teacher and a tireless socially engaged activist in his native South Korea, Ven. Pomnyun Sunim has founded numerous Dharma-based organizations, initiatives, and projects that are active across the world. Among them, Jungto Society, a volunteer-based community founded on the Buddhist teachings and expressing equality, simple living, and sustainability, is dedicated to addressing modern social issues that lead to suffering, including environmental degradation, poverty, and conflict.\n\nThis column, shared by Jungto Society, presents a series of highlights from Ven. Pomnyun Sunim\u2019s writings, teachings, public talks, and regular live-streamed Dharma Q+A sessions, which are accessible across the globe.\n","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","post_password":"","post_name":"special-report-footsteps-of-the-buddha-ven-pomnyun-sunim-leads-500-practitioners-on-the-33rd-jungto-pilgrimage-across-india-and-nepal","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2024-02-09 11:17:33","post_modified_gmt":"2024-02-09 16:17:33","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/www.jungtosociety.org\/?p=18003","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

This region is surrounded by the Pragbodhi Hills where the historical Buddha, Shakyamuni, is said to have spent six years in a cave as an ascetic. And it\u2019s here that JTS India has been working to empower the villagers of Dungeshwari to live their lives free from hunger, illiteracy, and disease.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The people of Dungeshwari are primarily Dalits, who face systemic social and economic exclusion as a result of the conservative Hindu social hierarchy. \u201cDalit,\u201d which translates as \u201cbroken\u201d in Sanskrit, is a term for the very lowest castes, whom members of the so-called \u201chigher\u201d castes still to this day deem \u201cuntouchable,\u201d despite the practice being prohibited in the Constitution of India. By working directly with disadvantaged communities, JTS aims to help them to mobilize their own capabilities and resources to create a more prosperous and sustainable future.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Jungto Society Dharma teacher Doyeon Jang (Dharma name Bogwang), is the director of Sujata Academy. She has overseen the development of this ambitious project, facing numerous challenges, both personal and structural, in the process of bringing this expression of compassion and social transformation to fruition.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u25b6\ufe0f Published by BDG on March 8, 2024<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u25b6\ufe0f Read more: <\/a>https:\/\/www.buddhistdoor.net\/features\/the-sujata-academy-project-the-power-of-hope-and-compassion-in-india\/<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

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<\/p>\n","post_title":"The Sujata Academy Project: The Power of Hope and Compassion in India","post_excerpt":"The Korean Seon (Zen) master Venerable Pomnyun Sunim (\ubc95\ub95c\uc2a4\ub2d8) wears many hats: Buddhist monk, teacher, author, environmentalist, and social activist, to name a few. As a widely respected Dharma teacher and a tireless socially engaged activist in his native South Korea, Ven. Pomnyun Sunim has founded numerous Dharma-based organizations, initiatives, and projects that are active across the world. Among them, Jungto Society, a volunteer-based community founded on the Buddhist teachings and expressing equality, simple living, and sustainability, is dedicated to addressing modern social issues that lead to suffering, including environmental degradation, poverty, and conflict.\n\nThis column, shared by Jungto Society, presents a series of highlights from Ven. Pomnyun Sunim\u2019s writings, teachings, public talks, and regular live-streamed Dharma Q+A sessions, which are accessible across the globe.\n","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","post_password":"","post_name":"the-sujata-academy-project-the-power-of-hope-and-compassion-in-india","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2024-03-10 17:38:00","post_modified_gmt":"2024-03-10 22:38:00","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/www.jungtosociety.org\/?p=18140","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"},{"ID":18019,"post_author":"13","post_date":"2024-02-14 23:46:40","post_date_gmt":"2024-02-15 04:46:40","post_content":"\n

<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Jungto Society, the international Buddhist community founded by the revered Korean Dharma master and social activist Venerable Pomnyun Sunim (\ubc95\ub95c\uc2a4\ub2d8), recently conducted its 33rd annual pilgrimage across India and to Nepal. Held under the theme \u201cFollowing in the Footsteps of the Buddha,\u201d the pilgrimage, which ran from 19 January to 2 February, was attended by more 500 practitioners.1<\/sup><\/p>\n\n\n\n

This year\u2019s pilgrimage was particularly notable for two reasons: the participation, for the first time in the Jungto pilgrimage\u2019s 33-year history, of non-Korean practitioners: the 500-plus Korean Buddhist pilgrims were accompanied nine practitioners from Italy, Japan, Thailand, the United Kingdom, the United States, and Vietnam\u2014some of whom are members of the the International Network of Engaged Buddhists (INEB), including two bhikkhunis<\/em> from Thailand, while others are graduates of Jungto Society\u2019s English-language Dharma School.2<\/sup><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Significantly, the pilgrimage also coincided with celebrations for the 30th anniversary of Sujata Academy, a remarkable community school and social empowerment project established by Ven. Pomnyun Sunim in Dungheswari, in the northeastern Indian state of Bihar, that has transformed the lives of an entire community of people who have faced systemic social and economic exclusion as a result of India\u2019s conservative Hindu caste hierarchy.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n
\n
\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\"\"<\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Ven. Pomnyun Sunim established the international Buddhist humanitarian relief organization Join Together Society (JTS) as an expression of the compassion of engaged Buddhism and the belief that helping others is the best way to enrich one\u2019s own life. Headquartered in Seoul, JTS operates four branch offices in South Korea and the United States, along with field offices in India and the Philippines. JTS Korea and JTS America oversee fundraising, while JTS India and JTS Philippines conduct development projects in cooperation with local communities. The relief organization has also earned Special Consultative Status to the United Nations Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

JTS India began its work in Dungeshwari, some 12 kilometers northeast of the Buddhist pilgrimage hub of Bodh Gaya, in the early 1990s, aspiring to fulfill the mission: \u201cThe hungry should eat; the sick should be treated; children should be educated in time.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This region is surrounded by the Pragbodhi Hills where the historical Buddha, Shakyamuni, is said to have spent six years in a cave as an ascetic. And it\u2019s here that JTS India has been working to empower the villagers in Dungeshwari to live their lives free from hunger, illiteracy, and disease.3<\/sup><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u25b6\ufe0f Published by BDG on February 14, 2024<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u25b6\ufe0f Read more: <\/a>https:\/\/www.buddhistdoor.net\/news\/special-report-the-hope-of-the-world-ven-pomnyun-sunim-marks-the-30th-anniversary-of-the-sujata-academy-project-in-india\/<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

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<\/p>\n","post_title":"Special Report: The Hope of the World \u2013 Ven. Pomnyun Sunim Marks the 30th Anniversary of the Sujata Academy Project in India","post_excerpt":"The Korean Seon (Zen) master Venerable Pomnyun Sunim (\ubc95\ub95c\uc2a4\ub2d8) wears many hats: Buddhist monk, teacher, author, environmentalist, and social activist, to name a few. As a widely respected Dharma teacher and a tireless socially engaged activist in his native South Korea, Ven. Pomnyun Sunim has founded numerous Dharma-based organizations, initiatives, and projects that are active across the world. Among them, Jungto Society, a volunteer-based community founded on the Buddhist teachings and expressing equality, simple living, and sustainability, is dedicated to addressing modern social issues that lead to suffering, including environmental degradation, poverty, and conflict.\n\nThis column, shared by Jungto Society, presents a series of highlights from Ven. Pomnyun Sunim\u2019s writings, teachings, public talks, and regular live-streamed Dharma Q+A sessions, which are accessible across the globe.\n","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","post_password":"","post_name":"special-report-the-hope-of-the-world-ven-pomnyun-sunim-marks-the-30th-anniversary-of-the-sujata-academy-project-in-india","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2024-02-14 23:46:42","post_modified_gmt":"2024-02-15 04:46:42","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/www.jungtosociety.org\/?p=18019","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"},{"ID":18003,"post_author":"13","post_date":"2024-02-09 11:17:31","post_date_gmt":"2024-02-09 16:17:31","post_content":"\n

<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Jungto Society, the international Buddhist community founded by the revered Korean Dharma master and social activist Venerable Pomnyun Sunim (\ubc95\ub95c\uc2a4\ub2d8), has conducted its 33rd annual pilgrimage across India and to Nepal. Held under the theme \u201cFollowing in the Footsteps of the Buddha,\u201d the pilgrimage, which ran from 19 January to 2 February, was attended by more 500 practitioners.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The pilgrimage was particularly notable for two reasons: this year saw the participation, for the first time in the Jungto pilgrimage\u2019s 33-year history, of non-Korean practitioners. It also celebrated the 30th anniversary of Sujata Academy, a remarkable community school established by Ven. Pomnyun Sunim in Dungheswari, Bihar, that has transformed the lives of an entire community of people who have faced systemic social and economic exclusion as a result of India\u2019s conservative Hindu caste hierarchy.1<\/sup><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Because of the unique significance of the Sujata Academy\u2019s 30th anniversary, BDG will cover that event in more depth in a separate upcoming report and interview.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n
\n
\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\"\"<\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Jungto Society is a volunteer-run community of practitioners that aspires to embody the Buddhist teachings through social engagement, and by promoting a simple lifestyle centered on sustainable living. The community seeks to address the crises of modern society, such as greed, poverty, conflict, and environmental degradation, by applying a Buddhist worldview of interconnectedness and living in line with the principle that everyone can find happiness through Buddhist practice and active participation in social movements.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Although fewer in number than the 1,250 practitioners who attended Jungto Society\u2019s 2023 pilgrimage,2<\/sup> the 500-plus Korean Buddhist pilgrims who recently returned from India were accompanied nine practitioners from Italy, Japan, Thailand, the United Kingdom, the United States, and Vietnam\u2014some of whom are members of the the International Network of Engaged Buddhists (INEB), including two bhikkhunis<\/em> from Thailand, while others are graduates of Jungto Society\u2019s English-language Dharma School.3<\/sup><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u25b6\ufe0f Published by BDG on February 7, 2024<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u25b6\ufe0f Read more: <\/a>https:\/\/www.buddhistdoor.net\/news\/special-report-footsteps-of-the-buddha-ven-pomnyun-sunim-leads-500-practitioners-on-the-33rd-jungto-pilgrimage-across-india-and-nepal\/<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

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<\/p>\n","post_title":"Special Report: Footsteps of the Buddha \u2013 Ven. Pomnyun Sunim Leads 500 Practitioners on the 33rd Jungto Pilgrimage across India and Nepal","post_excerpt":"The Korean Seon (Zen) master Venerable Pomnyun Sunim (\ubc95\ub95c\uc2a4\ub2d8) wears many hats: Buddhist monk, teacher, author, environmentalist, and social activist, to name a few. As a widely respected Dharma teacher and a tireless socially engaged activist in his native South Korea, Ven. Pomnyun Sunim has founded numerous Dharma-based organizations, initiatives, and projects that are active across the world. Among them, Jungto Society, a volunteer-based community founded on the Buddhist teachings and expressing equality, simple living, and sustainability, is dedicated to addressing modern social issues that lead to suffering, including environmental degradation, poverty, and conflict.\n\nThis column, shared by Jungto Society, presents a series of highlights from Ven. Pomnyun Sunim\u2019s writings, teachings, public talks, and regular live-streamed Dharma Q+A sessions, which are accessible across the globe.\n","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","post_password":"","post_name":"special-report-footsteps-of-the-buddha-ven-pomnyun-sunim-leads-500-practitioners-on-the-33rd-jungto-pilgrimage-across-india-and-nepal","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2024-02-09 11:17:33","post_modified_gmt":"2024-02-09 16:17:33","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/www.jungtosociety.org\/?p=18003","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

JTS India began its work in Dungeshwari, some 12 kilometers northeast of the Buddhist pilgrimage hub of Bodh Gaya, in the early 1990s, aspiring to fulfill the mission: \u201cThe hungry should eat; the sick should be treated; children should be educated in time.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This region is surrounded by the Pragbodhi Hills where the historical Buddha, Shakyamuni, is said to have spent six years in a cave as an ascetic. And it\u2019s here that JTS India has been working to empower the villagers of Dungeshwari to live their lives free from hunger, illiteracy, and disease.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The people of Dungeshwari are primarily Dalits, who face systemic social and economic exclusion as a result of the conservative Hindu social hierarchy. \u201cDalit,\u201d which translates as \u201cbroken\u201d in Sanskrit, is a term for the very lowest castes, whom members of the so-called \u201chigher\u201d castes still to this day deem \u201cuntouchable,\u201d despite the practice being prohibited in the Constitution of India. By working directly with disadvantaged communities, JTS aims to help them to mobilize their own capabilities and resources to create a more prosperous and sustainable future.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Jungto Society Dharma teacher Doyeon Jang (Dharma name Bogwang), is the director of Sujata Academy. She has overseen the development of this ambitious project, facing numerous challenges, both personal and structural, in the process of bringing this expression of compassion and social transformation to fruition.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u25b6\ufe0f Published by BDG on March 8, 2024<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u25b6\ufe0f Read more: <\/a>https:\/\/www.buddhistdoor.net\/features\/the-sujata-academy-project-the-power-of-hope-and-compassion-in-india\/<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

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<\/p>\n","post_title":"The Sujata Academy Project: The Power of Hope and Compassion in India","post_excerpt":"The Korean Seon (Zen) master Venerable Pomnyun Sunim (\ubc95\ub95c\uc2a4\ub2d8) wears many hats: Buddhist monk, teacher, author, environmentalist, and social activist, to name a few. As a widely respected Dharma teacher and a tireless socially engaged activist in his native South Korea, Ven. Pomnyun Sunim has founded numerous Dharma-based organizations, initiatives, and projects that are active across the world. Among them, Jungto Society, a volunteer-based community founded on the Buddhist teachings and expressing equality, simple living, and sustainability, is dedicated to addressing modern social issues that lead to suffering, including environmental degradation, poverty, and conflict.\n\nThis column, shared by Jungto Society, presents a series of highlights from Ven. Pomnyun Sunim\u2019s writings, teachings, public talks, and regular live-streamed Dharma Q+A sessions, which are accessible across the globe.\n","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","post_password":"","post_name":"the-sujata-academy-project-the-power-of-hope-and-compassion-in-india","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2024-03-10 17:38:00","post_modified_gmt":"2024-03-10 22:38:00","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/www.jungtosociety.org\/?p=18140","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"},{"ID":18019,"post_author":"13","post_date":"2024-02-14 23:46:40","post_date_gmt":"2024-02-15 04:46:40","post_content":"\n

<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Jungto Society, the international Buddhist community founded by the revered Korean Dharma master and social activist Venerable Pomnyun Sunim (\ubc95\ub95c\uc2a4\ub2d8), recently conducted its 33rd annual pilgrimage across India and to Nepal. Held under the theme \u201cFollowing in the Footsteps of the Buddha,\u201d the pilgrimage, which ran from 19 January to 2 February, was attended by more 500 practitioners.1<\/sup><\/p>\n\n\n\n

This year\u2019s pilgrimage was particularly notable for two reasons: the participation, for the first time in the Jungto pilgrimage\u2019s 33-year history, of non-Korean practitioners: the 500-plus Korean Buddhist pilgrims were accompanied nine practitioners from Italy, Japan, Thailand, the United Kingdom, the United States, and Vietnam\u2014some of whom are members of the the International Network of Engaged Buddhists (INEB), including two bhikkhunis<\/em> from Thailand, while others are graduates of Jungto Society\u2019s English-language Dharma School.2<\/sup><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Significantly, the pilgrimage also coincided with celebrations for the 30th anniversary of Sujata Academy, a remarkable community school and social empowerment project established by Ven. Pomnyun Sunim in Dungheswari, in the northeastern Indian state of Bihar, that has transformed the lives of an entire community of people who have faced systemic social and economic exclusion as a result of India\u2019s conservative Hindu caste hierarchy.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n
\n
\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\"\"<\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Ven. Pomnyun Sunim established the international Buddhist humanitarian relief organization Join Together Society (JTS) as an expression of the compassion of engaged Buddhism and the belief that helping others is the best way to enrich one\u2019s own life. Headquartered in Seoul, JTS operates four branch offices in South Korea and the United States, along with field offices in India and the Philippines. JTS Korea and JTS America oversee fundraising, while JTS India and JTS Philippines conduct development projects in cooperation with local communities. The relief organization has also earned Special Consultative Status to the United Nations Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

JTS India began its work in Dungeshwari, some 12 kilometers northeast of the Buddhist pilgrimage hub of Bodh Gaya, in the early 1990s, aspiring to fulfill the mission: \u201cThe hungry should eat; the sick should be treated; children should be educated in time.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This region is surrounded by the Pragbodhi Hills where the historical Buddha, Shakyamuni, is said to have spent six years in a cave as an ascetic. And it\u2019s here that JTS India has been working to empower the villagers in Dungeshwari to live their lives free from hunger, illiteracy, and disease.3<\/sup><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u25b6\ufe0f Published by BDG on February 14, 2024<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u25b6\ufe0f Read more: <\/a>https:\/\/www.buddhistdoor.net\/news\/special-report-the-hope-of-the-world-ven-pomnyun-sunim-marks-the-30th-anniversary-of-the-sujata-academy-project-in-india\/<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

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<\/p>\n","post_title":"Special Report: The Hope of the World \u2013 Ven. Pomnyun Sunim Marks the 30th Anniversary of the Sujata Academy Project in India","post_excerpt":"The Korean Seon (Zen) master Venerable Pomnyun Sunim (\ubc95\ub95c\uc2a4\ub2d8) wears many hats: Buddhist monk, teacher, author, environmentalist, and social activist, to name a few. As a widely respected Dharma teacher and a tireless socially engaged activist in his native South Korea, Ven. Pomnyun Sunim has founded numerous Dharma-based organizations, initiatives, and projects that are active across the world. Among them, Jungto Society, a volunteer-based community founded on the Buddhist teachings and expressing equality, simple living, and sustainability, is dedicated to addressing modern social issues that lead to suffering, including environmental degradation, poverty, and conflict.\n\nThis column, shared by Jungto Society, presents a series of highlights from Ven. Pomnyun Sunim\u2019s writings, teachings, public talks, and regular live-streamed Dharma Q+A sessions, which are accessible across the globe.\n","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","post_password":"","post_name":"special-report-the-hope-of-the-world-ven-pomnyun-sunim-marks-the-30th-anniversary-of-the-sujata-academy-project-in-india","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2024-02-14 23:46:42","post_modified_gmt":"2024-02-15 04:46:42","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/www.jungtosociety.org\/?p=18019","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"},{"ID":18003,"post_author":"13","post_date":"2024-02-09 11:17:31","post_date_gmt":"2024-02-09 16:17:31","post_content":"\n

<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Jungto Society, the international Buddhist community founded by the revered Korean Dharma master and social activist Venerable Pomnyun Sunim (\ubc95\ub95c\uc2a4\ub2d8), has conducted its 33rd annual pilgrimage across India and to Nepal. Held under the theme \u201cFollowing in the Footsteps of the Buddha,\u201d the pilgrimage, which ran from 19 January to 2 February, was attended by more 500 practitioners.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The pilgrimage was particularly notable for two reasons: this year saw the participation, for the first time in the Jungto pilgrimage\u2019s 33-year history, of non-Korean practitioners. It also celebrated the 30th anniversary of Sujata Academy, a remarkable community school established by Ven. Pomnyun Sunim in Dungheswari, Bihar, that has transformed the lives of an entire community of people who have faced systemic social and economic exclusion as a result of India\u2019s conservative Hindu caste hierarchy.1<\/sup><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Because of the unique significance of the Sujata Academy\u2019s 30th anniversary, BDG will cover that event in more depth in a separate upcoming report and interview.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n
\n
\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\"\"<\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Jungto Society is a volunteer-run community of practitioners that aspires to embody the Buddhist teachings through social engagement, and by promoting a simple lifestyle centered on sustainable living. The community seeks to address the crises of modern society, such as greed, poverty, conflict, and environmental degradation, by applying a Buddhist worldview of interconnectedness and living in line with the principle that everyone can find happiness through Buddhist practice and active participation in social movements.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Although fewer in number than the 1,250 practitioners who attended Jungto Society\u2019s 2023 pilgrimage,2<\/sup> the 500-plus Korean Buddhist pilgrims who recently returned from India were accompanied nine practitioners from Italy, Japan, Thailand, the United Kingdom, the United States, and Vietnam\u2014some of whom are members of the the International Network of Engaged Buddhists (INEB), including two bhikkhunis<\/em> from Thailand, while others are graduates of Jungto Society\u2019s English-language Dharma School.3<\/sup><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u25b6\ufe0f Published by BDG on February 7, 2024<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u25b6\ufe0f Read more: <\/a>https:\/\/www.buddhistdoor.net\/news\/special-report-footsteps-of-the-buddha-ven-pomnyun-sunim-leads-500-practitioners-on-the-33rd-jungto-pilgrimage-across-india-and-nepal\/<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

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<\/p>\n","post_title":"Special Report: Footsteps of the Buddha \u2013 Ven. Pomnyun Sunim Leads 500 Practitioners on the 33rd Jungto Pilgrimage across India and Nepal","post_excerpt":"The Korean Seon (Zen) master Venerable Pomnyun Sunim (\ubc95\ub95c\uc2a4\ub2d8) wears many hats: Buddhist monk, teacher, author, environmentalist, and social activist, to name a few. As a widely respected Dharma teacher and a tireless socially engaged activist in his native South Korea, Ven. Pomnyun Sunim has founded numerous Dharma-based organizations, initiatives, and projects that are active across the world. Among them, Jungto Society, a volunteer-based community founded on the Buddhist teachings and expressing equality, simple living, and sustainability, is dedicated to addressing modern social issues that lead to suffering, including environmental degradation, poverty, and conflict.\n\nThis column, shared by Jungto Society, presents a series of highlights from Ven. Pomnyun Sunim\u2019s writings, teachings, public talks, and regular live-streamed Dharma Q+A sessions, which are accessible across the globe.\n","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","post_password":"","post_name":"special-report-footsteps-of-the-buddha-ven-pomnyun-sunim-leads-500-practitioners-on-the-33rd-jungto-pilgrimage-across-india-and-nepal","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2024-02-09 11:17:33","post_modified_gmt":"2024-02-09 16:17:33","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/www.jungtosociety.org\/?p=18003","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

Ven. Pomnyun Sunim established the international Buddhist humanitarian relief organization Join Together Society (JTS) as an expression of the compassion of engaged Buddhism and the belief that helping others is the best way to enrich one\u2019s own life. Headquartered in Seoul, JTS operates four branch offices in South Korea and the United States, along with field offices in India and the Philippines. JTS Korea and JTS America oversee fundraising, while JTS India and JTS Philippines conduct development projects in cooperation with local communities. The relief organization has also earned Special Consultative Status to the United Nations Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

JTS India began its work in Dungeshwari, some 12 kilometers northeast of the Buddhist pilgrimage hub of Bodh Gaya, in the early 1990s, aspiring to fulfill the mission: \u201cThe hungry should eat; the sick should be treated; children should be educated in time.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This region is surrounded by the Pragbodhi Hills where the historical Buddha, Shakyamuni, is said to have spent six years in a cave as an ascetic. And it\u2019s here that JTS India has been working to empower the villagers of Dungeshwari to live their lives free from hunger, illiteracy, and disease.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The people of Dungeshwari are primarily Dalits, who face systemic social and economic exclusion as a result of the conservative Hindu social hierarchy. \u201cDalit,\u201d which translates as \u201cbroken\u201d in Sanskrit, is a term for the very lowest castes, whom members of the so-called \u201chigher\u201d castes still to this day deem \u201cuntouchable,\u201d despite the practice being prohibited in the Constitution of India. By working directly with disadvantaged communities, JTS aims to help them to mobilize their own capabilities and resources to create a more prosperous and sustainable future.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Jungto Society Dharma teacher Doyeon Jang (Dharma name Bogwang), is the director of Sujata Academy. She has overseen the development of this ambitious project, facing numerous challenges, both personal and structural, in the process of bringing this expression of compassion and social transformation to fruition.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u25b6\ufe0f Published by BDG on March 8, 2024<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u25b6\ufe0f Read more: <\/a>https:\/\/www.buddhistdoor.net\/features\/the-sujata-academy-project-the-power-of-hope-and-compassion-in-india\/<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

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<\/p>\n","post_title":"The Sujata Academy Project: The Power of Hope and Compassion in India","post_excerpt":"The Korean Seon (Zen) master Venerable Pomnyun Sunim (\ubc95\ub95c\uc2a4\ub2d8) wears many hats: Buddhist monk, teacher, author, environmentalist, and social activist, to name a few. As a widely respected Dharma teacher and a tireless socially engaged activist in his native South Korea, Ven. Pomnyun Sunim has founded numerous Dharma-based organizations, initiatives, and projects that are active across the world. Among them, Jungto Society, a volunteer-based community founded on the Buddhist teachings and expressing equality, simple living, and sustainability, is dedicated to addressing modern social issues that lead to suffering, including environmental degradation, poverty, and conflict.\n\nThis column, shared by Jungto Society, presents a series of highlights from Ven. Pomnyun Sunim\u2019s writings, teachings, public talks, and regular live-streamed Dharma Q+A sessions, which are accessible across the globe.\n","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","post_password":"","post_name":"the-sujata-academy-project-the-power-of-hope-and-compassion-in-india","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2024-03-10 17:38:00","post_modified_gmt":"2024-03-10 22:38:00","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/www.jungtosociety.org\/?p=18140","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"},{"ID":18019,"post_author":"13","post_date":"2024-02-14 23:46:40","post_date_gmt":"2024-02-15 04:46:40","post_content":"\n

<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Jungto Society, the international Buddhist community founded by the revered Korean Dharma master and social activist Venerable Pomnyun Sunim (\ubc95\ub95c\uc2a4\ub2d8), recently conducted its 33rd annual pilgrimage across India and to Nepal. Held under the theme \u201cFollowing in the Footsteps of the Buddha,\u201d the pilgrimage, which ran from 19 January to 2 February, was attended by more 500 practitioners.1<\/sup><\/p>\n\n\n\n

This year\u2019s pilgrimage was particularly notable for two reasons: the participation, for the first time in the Jungto pilgrimage\u2019s 33-year history, of non-Korean practitioners: the 500-plus Korean Buddhist pilgrims were accompanied nine practitioners from Italy, Japan, Thailand, the United Kingdom, the United States, and Vietnam\u2014some of whom are members of the the International Network of Engaged Buddhists (INEB), including two bhikkhunis<\/em> from Thailand, while others are graduates of Jungto Society\u2019s English-language Dharma School.2<\/sup><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Significantly, the pilgrimage also coincided with celebrations for the 30th anniversary of Sujata Academy, a remarkable community school and social empowerment project established by Ven. Pomnyun Sunim in Dungheswari, in the northeastern Indian state of Bihar, that has transformed the lives of an entire community of people who have faced systemic social and economic exclusion as a result of India\u2019s conservative Hindu caste hierarchy.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n
\n
\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\"\"<\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Ven. Pomnyun Sunim established the international Buddhist humanitarian relief organization Join Together Society (JTS) as an expression of the compassion of engaged Buddhism and the belief that helping others is the best way to enrich one\u2019s own life. Headquartered in Seoul, JTS operates four branch offices in South Korea and the United States, along with field offices in India and the Philippines. JTS Korea and JTS America oversee fundraising, while JTS India and JTS Philippines conduct development projects in cooperation with local communities. The relief organization has also earned Special Consultative Status to the United Nations Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

JTS India began its work in Dungeshwari, some 12 kilometers northeast of the Buddhist pilgrimage hub of Bodh Gaya, in the early 1990s, aspiring to fulfill the mission: \u201cThe hungry should eat; the sick should be treated; children should be educated in time.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This region is surrounded by the Pragbodhi Hills where the historical Buddha, Shakyamuni, is said to have spent six years in a cave as an ascetic. And it\u2019s here that JTS India has been working to empower the villagers in Dungeshwari to live their lives free from hunger, illiteracy, and disease.3<\/sup><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u25b6\ufe0f Published by BDG on February 14, 2024<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u25b6\ufe0f Read more: <\/a>https:\/\/www.buddhistdoor.net\/news\/special-report-the-hope-of-the-world-ven-pomnyun-sunim-marks-the-30th-anniversary-of-the-sujata-academy-project-in-india\/<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

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<\/p>\n","post_title":"Special Report: The Hope of the World \u2013 Ven. Pomnyun Sunim Marks the 30th Anniversary of the Sujata Academy Project in India","post_excerpt":"The Korean Seon (Zen) master Venerable Pomnyun Sunim (\ubc95\ub95c\uc2a4\ub2d8) wears many hats: Buddhist monk, teacher, author, environmentalist, and social activist, to name a few. As a widely respected Dharma teacher and a tireless socially engaged activist in his native South Korea, Ven. Pomnyun Sunim has founded numerous Dharma-based organizations, initiatives, and projects that are active across the world. Among them, Jungto Society, a volunteer-based community founded on the Buddhist teachings and expressing equality, simple living, and sustainability, is dedicated to addressing modern social issues that lead to suffering, including environmental degradation, poverty, and conflict.\n\nThis column, shared by Jungto Society, presents a series of highlights from Ven. Pomnyun Sunim\u2019s writings, teachings, public talks, and regular live-streamed Dharma Q+A sessions, which are accessible across the globe.\n","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","post_password":"","post_name":"special-report-the-hope-of-the-world-ven-pomnyun-sunim-marks-the-30th-anniversary-of-the-sujata-academy-project-in-india","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2024-02-14 23:46:42","post_modified_gmt":"2024-02-15 04:46:42","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/www.jungtosociety.org\/?p=18019","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"},{"ID":18003,"post_author":"13","post_date":"2024-02-09 11:17:31","post_date_gmt":"2024-02-09 16:17:31","post_content":"\n

<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Jungto Society, the international Buddhist community founded by the revered Korean Dharma master and social activist Venerable Pomnyun Sunim (\ubc95\ub95c\uc2a4\ub2d8), has conducted its 33rd annual pilgrimage across India and to Nepal. Held under the theme \u201cFollowing in the Footsteps of the Buddha,\u201d the pilgrimage, which ran from 19 January to 2 February, was attended by more 500 practitioners.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The pilgrimage was particularly notable for two reasons: this year saw the participation, for the first time in the Jungto pilgrimage\u2019s 33-year history, of non-Korean practitioners. It also celebrated the 30th anniversary of Sujata Academy, a remarkable community school established by Ven. Pomnyun Sunim in Dungheswari, Bihar, that has transformed the lives of an entire community of people who have faced systemic social and economic exclusion as a result of India\u2019s conservative Hindu caste hierarchy.1<\/sup><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Because of the unique significance of the Sujata Academy\u2019s 30th anniversary, BDG will cover that event in more depth in a separate upcoming report and interview.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n
\n
\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\"\"<\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Jungto Society is a volunteer-run community of practitioners that aspires to embody the Buddhist teachings through social engagement, and by promoting a simple lifestyle centered on sustainable living. The community seeks to address the crises of modern society, such as greed, poverty, conflict, and environmental degradation, by applying a Buddhist worldview of interconnectedness and living in line with the principle that everyone can find happiness through Buddhist practice and active participation in social movements.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Although fewer in number than the 1,250 practitioners who attended Jungto Society\u2019s 2023 pilgrimage,2<\/sup> the 500-plus Korean Buddhist pilgrims who recently returned from India were accompanied nine practitioners from Italy, Japan, Thailand, the United Kingdom, the United States, and Vietnam\u2014some of whom are members of the the International Network of Engaged Buddhists (INEB), including two bhikkhunis<\/em> from Thailand, while others are graduates of Jungto Society\u2019s English-language Dharma School.3<\/sup><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u25b6\ufe0f Published by BDG on February 7, 2024<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u25b6\ufe0f Read more: <\/a>https:\/\/www.buddhistdoor.net\/news\/special-report-footsteps-of-the-buddha-ven-pomnyun-sunim-leads-500-practitioners-on-the-33rd-jungto-pilgrimage-across-india-and-nepal\/<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

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<\/p>\n","post_title":"Special Report: Footsteps of the Buddha \u2013 Ven. Pomnyun Sunim Leads 500 Practitioners on the 33rd Jungto Pilgrimage across India and Nepal","post_excerpt":"The Korean Seon (Zen) master Venerable Pomnyun Sunim (\ubc95\ub95c\uc2a4\ub2d8) wears many hats: Buddhist monk, teacher, author, environmentalist, and social activist, to name a few. As a widely respected Dharma teacher and a tireless socially engaged activist in his native South Korea, Ven. Pomnyun Sunim has founded numerous Dharma-based organizations, initiatives, and projects that are active across the world. Among them, Jungto Society, a volunteer-based community founded on the Buddhist teachings and expressing equality, simple living, and sustainability, is dedicated to addressing modern social issues that lead to suffering, including environmental degradation, poverty, and conflict.\n\nThis column, shared by Jungto Society, presents a series of highlights from Ven. Pomnyun Sunim\u2019s writings, teachings, public talks, and regular live-streamed Dharma Q+A sessions, which are accessible across the globe.\n","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","post_password":"","post_name":"special-report-footsteps-of-the-buddha-ven-pomnyun-sunim-leads-500-practitioners-on-the-33rd-jungto-pilgrimage-across-india-and-nepal","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2024-02-09 11:17:33","post_modified_gmt":"2024-02-09 16:17:33","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/www.jungtosociety.org\/?p=18003","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
\"\"<\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

Ven. Pomnyun Sunim established the international Buddhist humanitarian relief organization Join Together Society (JTS) as an expression of the compassion of engaged Buddhism and the belief that helping others is the best way to enrich one\u2019s own life. Headquartered in Seoul, JTS operates four branch offices in South Korea and the United States, along with field offices in India and the Philippines. JTS Korea and JTS America oversee fundraising, while JTS India and JTS Philippines conduct development projects in cooperation with local communities. The relief organization has also earned Special Consultative Status to the United Nations Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

JTS India began its work in Dungeshwari, some 12 kilometers northeast of the Buddhist pilgrimage hub of Bodh Gaya, in the early 1990s, aspiring to fulfill the mission: \u201cThe hungry should eat; the sick should be treated; children should be educated in time.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This region is surrounded by the Pragbodhi Hills where the historical Buddha, Shakyamuni, is said to have spent six years in a cave as an ascetic. And it\u2019s here that JTS India has been working to empower the villagers of Dungeshwari to live their lives free from hunger, illiteracy, and disease.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The people of Dungeshwari are primarily Dalits, who face systemic social and economic exclusion as a result of the conservative Hindu social hierarchy. \u201cDalit,\u201d which translates as \u201cbroken\u201d in Sanskrit, is a term for the very lowest castes, whom members of the so-called \u201chigher\u201d castes still to this day deem \u201cuntouchable,\u201d despite the practice being prohibited in the Constitution of India. By working directly with disadvantaged communities, JTS aims to help them to mobilize their own capabilities and resources to create a more prosperous and sustainable future.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Jungto Society Dharma teacher Doyeon Jang (Dharma name Bogwang), is the director of Sujata Academy. She has overseen the development of this ambitious project, facing numerous challenges, both personal and structural, in the process of bringing this expression of compassion and social transformation to fruition.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u25b6\ufe0f Published by BDG on March 8, 2024<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u25b6\ufe0f Read more: <\/a>https:\/\/www.buddhistdoor.net\/features\/the-sujata-academy-project-the-power-of-hope-and-compassion-in-india\/<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

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<\/p>\n","post_title":"The Sujata Academy Project: The Power of Hope and Compassion in India","post_excerpt":"The Korean Seon (Zen) master Venerable Pomnyun Sunim (\ubc95\ub95c\uc2a4\ub2d8) wears many hats: Buddhist monk, teacher, author, environmentalist, and social activist, to name a few. As a widely respected Dharma teacher and a tireless socially engaged activist in his native South Korea, Ven. Pomnyun Sunim has founded numerous Dharma-based organizations, initiatives, and projects that are active across the world. Among them, Jungto Society, a volunteer-based community founded on the Buddhist teachings and expressing equality, simple living, and sustainability, is dedicated to addressing modern social issues that lead to suffering, including environmental degradation, poverty, and conflict.\n\nThis column, shared by Jungto Society, presents a series of highlights from Ven. Pomnyun Sunim\u2019s writings, teachings, public talks, and regular live-streamed Dharma Q+A sessions, which are accessible across the globe.\n","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","post_password":"","post_name":"the-sujata-academy-project-the-power-of-hope-and-compassion-in-india","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2024-03-10 17:38:00","post_modified_gmt":"2024-03-10 22:38:00","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/www.jungtosociety.org\/?p=18140","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"},{"ID":18019,"post_author":"13","post_date":"2024-02-14 23:46:40","post_date_gmt":"2024-02-15 04:46:40","post_content":"\n

<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Jungto Society, the international Buddhist community founded by the revered Korean Dharma master and social activist Venerable Pomnyun Sunim (\ubc95\ub95c\uc2a4\ub2d8), recently conducted its 33rd annual pilgrimage across India and to Nepal. Held under the theme \u201cFollowing in the Footsteps of the Buddha,\u201d the pilgrimage, which ran from 19 January to 2 February, was attended by more 500 practitioners.1<\/sup><\/p>\n\n\n\n

This year\u2019s pilgrimage was particularly notable for two reasons: the participation, for the first time in the Jungto pilgrimage\u2019s 33-year history, of non-Korean practitioners: the 500-plus Korean Buddhist pilgrims were accompanied nine practitioners from Italy, Japan, Thailand, the United Kingdom, the United States, and Vietnam\u2014some of whom are members of the the International Network of Engaged Buddhists (INEB), including two bhikkhunis<\/em> from Thailand, while others are graduates of Jungto Society\u2019s English-language Dharma School.2<\/sup><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Significantly, the pilgrimage also coincided with celebrations for the 30th anniversary of Sujata Academy, a remarkable community school and social empowerment project established by Ven. Pomnyun Sunim in Dungheswari, in the northeastern Indian state of Bihar, that has transformed the lives of an entire community of people who have faced systemic social and economic exclusion as a result of India\u2019s conservative Hindu caste hierarchy.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n
\n
\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\"\"<\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Ven. Pomnyun Sunim established the international Buddhist humanitarian relief organization Join Together Society (JTS) as an expression of the compassion of engaged Buddhism and the belief that helping others is the best way to enrich one\u2019s own life. Headquartered in Seoul, JTS operates four branch offices in South Korea and the United States, along with field offices in India and the Philippines. JTS Korea and JTS America oversee fundraising, while JTS India and JTS Philippines conduct development projects in cooperation with local communities. The relief organization has also earned Special Consultative Status to the United Nations Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

JTS India began its work in Dungeshwari, some 12 kilometers northeast of the Buddhist pilgrimage hub of Bodh Gaya, in the early 1990s, aspiring to fulfill the mission: \u201cThe hungry should eat; the sick should be treated; children should be educated in time.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This region is surrounded by the Pragbodhi Hills where the historical Buddha, Shakyamuni, is said to have spent six years in a cave as an ascetic. And it\u2019s here that JTS India has been working to empower the villagers in Dungeshwari to live their lives free from hunger, illiteracy, and disease.3<\/sup><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u25b6\ufe0f Published by BDG on February 14, 2024<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u25b6\ufe0f Read more: <\/a>https:\/\/www.buddhistdoor.net\/news\/special-report-the-hope-of-the-world-ven-pomnyun-sunim-marks-the-30th-anniversary-of-the-sujata-academy-project-in-india\/<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

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<\/p>\n","post_title":"Special Report: The Hope of the World \u2013 Ven. Pomnyun Sunim Marks the 30th Anniversary of the Sujata Academy Project in India","post_excerpt":"The Korean Seon (Zen) master Venerable Pomnyun Sunim (\ubc95\ub95c\uc2a4\ub2d8) wears many hats: Buddhist monk, teacher, author, environmentalist, and social activist, to name a few. As a widely respected Dharma teacher and a tireless socially engaged activist in his native South Korea, Ven. Pomnyun Sunim has founded numerous Dharma-based organizations, initiatives, and projects that are active across the world. Among them, Jungto Society, a volunteer-based community founded on the Buddhist teachings and expressing equality, simple living, and sustainability, is dedicated to addressing modern social issues that lead to suffering, including environmental degradation, poverty, and conflict.\n\nThis column, shared by Jungto Society, presents a series of highlights from Ven. Pomnyun Sunim\u2019s writings, teachings, public talks, and regular live-streamed Dharma Q+A sessions, which are accessible across the globe.\n","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","post_password":"","post_name":"special-report-the-hope-of-the-world-ven-pomnyun-sunim-marks-the-30th-anniversary-of-the-sujata-academy-project-in-india","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2024-02-14 23:46:42","post_modified_gmt":"2024-02-15 04:46:42","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/www.jungtosociety.org\/?p=18019","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"},{"ID":18003,"post_author":"13","post_date":"2024-02-09 11:17:31","post_date_gmt":"2024-02-09 16:17:31","post_content":"\n

<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Jungto Society, the international Buddhist community founded by the revered Korean Dharma master and social activist Venerable Pomnyun Sunim (\ubc95\ub95c\uc2a4\ub2d8), has conducted its 33rd annual pilgrimage across India and to Nepal. Held under the theme \u201cFollowing in the Footsteps of the Buddha,\u201d the pilgrimage, which ran from 19 January to 2 February, was attended by more 500 practitioners.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The pilgrimage was particularly notable for two reasons: this year saw the participation, for the first time in the Jungto pilgrimage\u2019s 33-year history, of non-Korean practitioners. It also celebrated the 30th anniversary of Sujata Academy, a remarkable community school established by Ven. Pomnyun Sunim in Dungheswari, Bihar, that has transformed the lives of an entire community of people who have faced systemic social and economic exclusion as a result of India\u2019s conservative Hindu caste hierarchy.1<\/sup><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Because of the unique significance of the Sujata Academy\u2019s 30th anniversary, BDG will cover that event in more depth in a separate upcoming report and interview.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n
\n
\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\"\"<\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Jungto Society is a volunteer-run community of practitioners that aspires to embody the Buddhist teachings through social engagement, and by promoting a simple lifestyle centered on sustainable living. The community seeks to address the crises of modern society, such as greed, poverty, conflict, and environmental degradation, by applying a Buddhist worldview of interconnectedness and living in line with the principle that everyone can find happiness through Buddhist practice and active participation in social movements.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Although fewer in number than the 1,250 practitioners who attended Jungto Society\u2019s 2023 pilgrimage,2<\/sup> the 500-plus Korean Buddhist pilgrims who recently returned from India were accompanied nine practitioners from Italy, Japan, Thailand, the United Kingdom, the United States, and Vietnam\u2014some of whom are members of the the International Network of Engaged Buddhists (INEB), including two bhikkhunis<\/em> from Thailand, while others are graduates of Jungto Society\u2019s English-language Dharma School.3<\/sup><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u25b6\ufe0f Published by BDG on February 7, 2024<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u25b6\ufe0f Read more: <\/a>https:\/\/www.buddhistdoor.net\/news\/special-report-footsteps-of-the-buddha-ven-pomnyun-sunim-leads-500-practitioners-on-the-33rd-jungto-pilgrimage-across-india-and-nepal\/<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

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<\/p>\n","post_title":"Special Report: Footsteps of the Buddha \u2013 Ven. Pomnyun Sunim Leads 500 Practitioners on the 33rd Jungto Pilgrimage across India and Nepal","post_excerpt":"The Korean Seon (Zen) master Venerable Pomnyun Sunim (\ubc95\ub95c\uc2a4\ub2d8) wears many hats: Buddhist monk, teacher, author, environmentalist, and social activist, to name a few. As a widely respected Dharma teacher and a tireless socially engaged activist in his native South Korea, Ven. Pomnyun Sunim has founded numerous Dharma-based organizations, initiatives, and projects that are active across the world. Among them, Jungto Society, a volunteer-based community founded on the Buddhist teachings and expressing equality, simple living, and sustainability, is dedicated to addressing modern social issues that lead to suffering, including environmental degradation, poverty, and conflict.\n\nThis column, shared by Jungto Society, presents a series of highlights from Ven. Pomnyun Sunim\u2019s writings, teachings, public talks, and regular live-streamed Dharma Q+A sessions, which are accessible across the globe.\n","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","post_password":"","post_name":"special-report-footsteps-of-the-buddha-ven-pomnyun-sunim-leads-500-practitioners-on-the-33rd-jungto-pilgrimage-across-india-and-nepal","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2024-02-09 11:17:33","post_modified_gmt":"2024-02-09 16:17:33","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/www.jungtosociety.org\/?p=18003","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
\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\"\"<\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

Ven. Pomnyun Sunim established the international Buddhist humanitarian relief organization Join Together Society (JTS) as an expression of the compassion of engaged Buddhism and the belief that helping others is the best way to enrich one\u2019s own life. Headquartered in Seoul, JTS operates four branch offices in South Korea and the United States, along with field offices in India and the Philippines. JTS Korea and JTS America oversee fundraising, while JTS India and JTS Philippines conduct development projects in cooperation with local communities. The relief organization has also earned Special Consultative Status to the United Nations Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

JTS India began its work in Dungeshwari, some 12 kilometers northeast of the Buddhist pilgrimage hub of Bodh Gaya, in the early 1990s, aspiring to fulfill the mission: \u201cThe hungry should eat; the sick should be treated; children should be educated in time.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This region is surrounded by the Pragbodhi Hills where the historical Buddha, Shakyamuni, is said to have spent six years in a cave as an ascetic. And it\u2019s here that JTS India has been working to empower the villagers of Dungeshwari to live their lives free from hunger, illiteracy, and disease.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The people of Dungeshwari are primarily Dalits, who face systemic social and economic exclusion as a result of the conservative Hindu social hierarchy. \u201cDalit,\u201d which translates as \u201cbroken\u201d in Sanskrit, is a term for the very lowest castes, whom members of the so-called \u201chigher\u201d castes still to this day deem \u201cuntouchable,\u201d despite the practice being prohibited in the Constitution of India. By working directly with disadvantaged communities, JTS aims to help them to mobilize their own capabilities and resources to create a more prosperous and sustainable future.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Jungto Society Dharma teacher Doyeon Jang (Dharma name Bogwang), is the director of Sujata Academy. She has overseen the development of this ambitious project, facing numerous challenges, both personal and structural, in the process of bringing this expression of compassion and social transformation to fruition.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u25b6\ufe0f Published by BDG on March 8, 2024<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u25b6\ufe0f Read more: <\/a>https:\/\/www.buddhistdoor.net\/features\/the-sujata-academy-project-the-power-of-hope-and-compassion-in-india\/<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

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<\/p>\n","post_title":"The Sujata Academy Project: The Power of Hope and Compassion in India","post_excerpt":"The Korean Seon (Zen) master Venerable Pomnyun Sunim (\ubc95\ub95c\uc2a4\ub2d8) wears many hats: Buddhist monk, teacher, author, environmentalist, and social activist, to name a few. As a widely respected Dharma teacher and a tireless socially engaged activist in his native South Korea, Ven. Pomnyun Sunim has founded numerous Dharma-based organizations, initiatives, and projects that are active across the world. Among them, Jungto Society, a volunteer-based community founded on the Buddhist teachings and expressing equality, simple living, and sustainability, is dedicated to addressing modern social issues that lead to suffering, including environmental degradation, poverty, and conflict.\n\nThis column, shared by Jungto Society, presents a series of highlights from Ven. Pomnyun Sunim\u2019s writings, teachings, public talks, and regular live-streamed Dharma Q+A sessions, which are accessible across the globe.\n","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","post_password":"","post_name":"the-sujata-academy-project-the-power-of-hope-and-compassion-in-india","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2024-03-10 17:38:00","post_modified_gmt":"2024-03-10 22:38:00","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/www.jungtosociety.org\/?p=18140","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"},{"ID":18019,"post_author":"13","post_date":"2024-02-14 23:46:40","post_date_gmt":"2024-02-15 04:46:40","post_content":"\n

<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Jungto Society, the international Buddhist community founded by the revered Korean Dharma master and social activist Venerable Pomnyun Sunim (\ubc95\ub95c\uc2a4\ub2d8), recently conducted its 33rd annual pilgrimage across India and to Nepal. Held under the theme \u201cFollowing in the Footsteps of the Buddha,\u201d the pilgrimage, which ran from 19 January to 2 February, was attended by more 500 practitioners.1<\/sup><\/p>\n\n\n\n

This year\u2019s pilgrimage was particularly notable for two reasons: the participation, for the first time in the Jungto pilgrimage\u2019s 33-year history, of non-Korean practitioners: the 500-plus Korean Buddhist pilgrims were accompanied nine practitioners from Italy, Japan, Thailand, the United Kingdom, the United States, and Vietnam\u2014some of whom are members of the the International Network of Engaged Buddhists (INEB), including two bhikkhunis<\/em> from Thailand, while others are graduates of Jungto Society\u2019s English-language Dharma School.2<\/sup><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Significantly, the pilgrimage also coincided with celebrations for the 30th anniversary of Sujata Academy, a remarkable community school and social empowerment project established by Ven. Pomnyun Sunim in Dungheswari, in the northeastern Indian state of Bihar, that has transformed the lives of an entire community of people who have faced systemic social and economic exclusion as a result of India\u2019s conservative Hindu caste hierarchy.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n
\n
\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\"\"<\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Ven. Pomnyun Sunim established the international Buddhist humanitarian relief organization Join Together Society (JTS) as an expression of the compassion of engaged Buddhism and the belief that helping others is the best way to enrich one\u2019s own life. Headquartered in Seoul, JTS operates four branch offices in South Korea and the United States, along with field offices in India and the Philippines. JTS Korea and JTS America oversee fundraising, while JTS India and JTS Philippines conduct development projects in cooperation with local communities. The relief organization has also earned Special Consultative Status to the United Nations Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

JTS India began its work in Dungeshwari, some 12 kilometers northeast of the Buddhist pilgrimage hub of Bodh Gaya, in the early 1990s, aspiring to fulfill the mission: \u201cThe hungry should eat; the sick should be treated; children should be educated in time.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This region is surrounded by the Pragbodhi Hills where the historical Buddha, Shakyamuni, is said to have spent six years in a cave as an ascetic. And it\u2019s here that JTS India has been working to empower the villagers in Dungeshwari to live their lives free from hunger, illiteracy, and disease.3<\/sup><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u25b6\ufe0f Published by BDG on February 14, 2024<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u25b6\ufe0f Read more: <\/a>https:\/\/www.buddhistdoor.net\/news\/special-report-the-hope-of-the-world-ven-pomnyun-sunim-marks-the-30th-anniversary-of-the-sujata-academy-project-in-india\/<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

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<\/p>\n","post_title":"Special Report: The Hope of the World \u2013 Ven. Pomnyun Sunim Marks the 30th Anniversary of the Sujata Academy Project in India","post_excerpt":"The Korean Seon (Zen) master Venerable Pomnyun Sunim (\ubc95\ub95c\uc2a4\ub2d8) wears many hats: Buddhist monk, teacher, author, environmentalist, and social activist, to name a few. As a widely respected Dharma teacher and a tireless socially engaged activist in his native South Korea, Ven. Pomnyun Sunim has founded numerous Dharma-based organizations, initiatives, and projects that are active across the world. Among them, Jungto Society, a volunteer-based community founded on the Buddhist teachings and expressing equality, simple living, and sustainability, is dedicated to addressing modern social issues that lead to suffering, including environmental degradation, poverty, and conflict.\n\nThis column, shared by Jungto Society, presents a series of highlights from Ven. Pomnyun Sunim\u2019s writings, teachings, public talks, and regular live-streamed Dharma Q+A sessions, which are accessible across the globe.\n","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","post_password":"","post_name":"special-report-the-hope-of-the-world-ven-pomnyun-sunim-marks-the-30th-anniversary-of-the-sujata-academy-project-in-india","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2024-02-14 23:46:42","post_modified_gmt":"2024-02-15 04:46:42","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/www.jungtosociety.org\/?p=18019","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"},{"ID":18003,"post_author":"13","post_date":"2024-02-09 11:17:31","post_date_gmt":"2024-02-09 16:17:31","post_content":"\n

<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Jungto Society, the international Buddhist community founded by the revered Korean Dharma master and social activist Venerable Pomnyun Sunim (\ubc95\ub95c\uc2a4\ub2d8), has conducted its 33rd annual pilgrimage across India and to Nepal. Held under the theme \u201cFollowing in the Footsteps of the Buddha,\u201d the pilgrimage, which ran from 19 January to 2 February, was attended by more 500 practitioners.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The pilgrimage was particularly notable for two reasons: this year saw the participation, for the first time in the Jungto pilgrimage\u2019s 33-year history, of non-Korean practitioners. It also celebrated the 30th anniversary of Sujata Academy, a remarkable community school established by Ven. Pomnyun Sunim in Dungheswari, Bihar, that has transformed the lives of an entire community of people who have faced systemic social and economic exclusion as a result of India\u2019s conservative Hindu caste hierarchy.1<\/sup><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Because of the unique significance of the Sujata Academy\u2019s 30th anniversary, BDG will cover that event in more depth in a separate upcoming report and interview.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n
\n
\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\"\"<\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Jungto Society is a volunteer-run community of practitioners that aspires to embody the Buddhist teachings through social engagement, and by promoting a simple lifestyle centered on sustainable living. The community seeks to address the crises of modern society, such as greed, poverty, conflict, and environmental degradation, by applying a Buddhist worldview of interconnectedness and living in line with the principle that everyone can find happiness through Buddhist practice and active participation in social movements.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Although fewer in number than the 1,250 practitioners who attended Jungto Society\u2019s 2023 pilgrimage,2<\/sup> the 500-plus Korean Buddhist pilgrims who recently returned from India were accompanied nine practitioners from Italy, Japan, Thailand, the United Kingdom, the United States, and Vietnam\u2014some of whom are members of the the International Network of Engaged Buddhists (INEB), including two bhikkhunis<\/em> from Thailand, while others are graduates of Jungto Society\u2019s English-language Dharma School.3<\/sup><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u25b6\ufe0f Published by BDG on February 7, 2024<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u25b6\ufe0f Read more: <\/a>https:\/\/www.buddhistdoor.net\/news\/special-report-footsteps-of-the-buddha-ven-pomnyun-sunim-leads-500-practitioners-on-the-33rd-jungto-pilgrimage-across-india-and-nepal\/<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

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<\/p>\n","post_title":"Special Report: Footsteps of the Buddha \u2013 Ven. Pomnyun Sunim Leads 500 Practitioners on the 33rd Jungto Pilgrimage across India and Nepal","post_excerpt":"The Korean Seon (Zen) master Venerable Pomnyun Sunim (\ubc95\ub95c\uc2a4\ub2d8) wears many hats: Buddhist monk, teacher, author, environmentalist, and social activist, to name a few. As a widely respected Dharma teacher and a tireless socially engaged activist in his native South Korea, Ven. Pomnyun Sunim has founded numerous Dharma-based organizations, initiatives, and projects that are active across the world. Among them, Jungto Society, a volunteer-based community founded on the Buddhist teachings and expressing equality, simple living, and sustainability, is dedicated to addressing modern social issues that lead to suffering, including environmental degradation, poverty, and conflict.\n\nThis column, shared by Jungto Society, presents a series of highlights from Ven. Pomnyun Sunim\u2019s writings, teachings, public talks, and regular live-streamed Dharma Q+A sessions, which are accessible across the globe.\n","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","post_password":"","post_name":"special-report-footsteps-of-the-buddha-ven-pomnyun-sunim-leads-500-practitioners-on-the-33rd-jungto-pilgrimage-across-india-and-nepal","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2024-02-09 11:17:33","post_modified_gmt":"2024-02-09 16:17:33","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/www.jungtosociety.org\/?p=18003","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
\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\"\"<\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

Ven. Pomnyun Sunim established the international Buddhist humanitarian relief organization Join Together Society (JTS) as an expression of the compassion of engaged Buddhism and the belief that helping others is the best way to enrich one\u2019s own life. Headquartered in Seoul, JTS operates four branch offices in South Korea and the United States, along with field offices in India and the Philippines. JTS Korea and JTS America oversee fundraising, while JTS India and JTS Philippines conduct development projects in cooperation with local communities. The relief organization has also earned Special Consultative Status to the United Nations Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

JTS India began its work in Dungeshwari, some 12 kilometers northeast of the Buddhist pilgrimage hub of Bodh Gaya, in the early 1990s, aspiring to fulfill the mission: \u201cThe hungry should eat; the sick should be treated; children should be educated in time.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This region is surrounded by the Pragbodhi Hills where the historical Buddha, Shakyamuni, is said to have spent six years in a cave as an ascetic. And it\u2019s here that JTS India has been working to empower the villagers of Dungeshwari to live their lives free from hunger, illiteracy, and disease.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The people of Dungeshwari are primarily Dalits, who face systemic social and economic exclusion as a result of the conservative Hindu social hierarchy. \u201cDalit,\u201d which translates as \u201cbroken\u201d in Sanskrit, is a term for the very lowest castes, whom members of the so-called \u201chigher\u201d castes still to this day deem \u201cuntouchable,\u201d despite the practice being prohibited in the Constitution of India. By working directly with disadvantaged communities, JTS aims to help them to mobilize their own capabilities and resources to create a more prosperous and sustainable future.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Jungto Society Dharma teacher Doyeon Jang (Dharma name Bogwang), is the director of Sujata Academy. She has overseen the development of this ambitious project, facing numerous challenges, both personal and structural, in the process of bringing this expression of compassion and social transformation to fruition.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u25b6\ufe0f Published by BDG on March 8, 2024<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u25b6\ufe0f Read more: <\/a>https:\/\/www.buddhistdoor.net\/features\/the-sujata-academy-project-the-power-of-hope-and-compassion-in-india\/<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

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<\/p>\n","post_title":"The Sujata Academy Project: The Power of Hope and Compassion in India","post_excerpt":"The Korean Seon (Zen) master Venerable Pomnyun Sunim (\ubc95\ub95c\uc2a4\ub2d8) wears many hats: Buddhist monk, teacher, author, environmentalist, and social activist, to name a few. As a widely respected Dharma teacher and a tireless socially engaged activist in his native South Korea, Ven. Pomnyun Sunim has founded numerous Dharma-based organizations, initiatives, and projects that are active across the world. Among them, Jungto Society, a volunteer-based community founded on the Buddhist teachings and expressing equality, simple living, and sustainability, is dedicated to addressing modern social issues that lead to suffering, including environmental degradation, poverty, and conflict.\n\nThis column, shared by Jungto Society, presents a series of highlights from Ven. Pomnyun Sunim\u2019s writings, teachings, public talks, and regular live-streamed Dharma Q+A sessions, which are accessible across the globe.\n","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","post_password":"","post_name":"the-sujata-academy-project-the-power-of-hope-and-compassion-in-india","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2024-03-10 17:38:00","post_modified_gmt":"2024-03-10 22:38:00","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/www.jungtosociety.org\/?p=18140","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"},{"ID":18019,"post_author":"13","post_date":"2024-02-14 23:46:40","post_date_gmt":"2024-02-15 04:46:40","post_content":"\n

<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Jungto Society, the international Buddhist community founded by the revered Korean Dharma master and social activist Venerable Pomnyun Sunim (\ubc95\ub95c\uc2a4\ub2d8), recently conducted its 33rd annual pilgrimage across India and to Nepal. Held under the theme \u201cFollowing in the Footsteps of the Buddha,\u201d the pilgrimage, which ran from 19 January to 2 February, was attended by more 500 practitioners.1<\/sup><\/p>\n\n\n\n

This year\u2019s pilgrimage was particularly notable for two reasons: the participation, for the first time in the Jungto pilgrimage\u2019s 33-year history, of non-Korean practitioners: the 500-plus Korean Buddhist pilgrims were accompanied nine practitioners from Italy, Japan, Thailand, the United Kingdom, the United States, and Vietnam\u2014some of whom are members of the the International Network of Engaged Buddhists (INEB), including two bhikkhunis<\/em> from Thailand, while others are graduates of Jungto Society\u2019s English-language Dharma School.2<\/sup><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Significantly, the pilgrimage also coincided with celebrations for the 30th anniversary of Sujata Academy, a remarkable community school and social empowerment project established by Ven. Pomnyun Sunim in Dungheswari, in the northeastern Indian state of Bihar, that has transformed the lives of an entire community of people who have faced systemic social and economic exclusion as a result of India\u2019s conservative Hindu caste hierarchy.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n
\n
\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\"\"<\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Ven. Pomnyun Sunim established the international Buddhist humanitarian relief organization Join Together Society (JTS) as an expression of the compassion of engaged Buddhism and the belief that helping others is the best way to enrich one\u2019s own life. Headquartered in Seoul, JTS operates four branch offices in South Korea and the United States, along with field offices in India and the Philippines. JTS Korea and JTS America oversee fundraising, while JTS India and JTS Philippines conduct development projects in cooperation with local communities. The relief organization has also earned Special Consultative Status to the United Nations Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

JTS India began its work in Dungeshwari, some 12 kilometers northeast of the Buddhist pilgrimage hub of Bodh Gaya, in the early 1990s, aspiring to fulfill the mission: \u201cThe hungry should eat; the sick should be treated; children should be educated in time.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This region is surrounded by the Pragbodhi Hills where the historical Buddha, Shakyamuni, is said to have spent six years in a cave as an ascetic. And it\u2019s here that JTS India has been working to empower the villagers in Dungeshwari to live their lives free from hunger, illiteracy, and disease.3<\/sup><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u25b6\ufe0f Published by BDG on February 14, 2024<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u25b6\ufe0f Read more: <\/a>https:\/\/www.buddhistdoor.net\/news\/special-report-the-hope-of-the-world-ven-pomnyun-sunim-marks-the-30th-anniversary-of-the-sujata-academy-project-in-india\/<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

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<\/p>\n","post_title":"Special Report: The Hope of the World \u2013 Ven. Pomnyun Sunim Marks the 30th Anniversary of the Sujata Academy Project in India","post_excerpt":"The Korean Seon (Zen) master Venerable Pomnyun Sunim (\ubc95\ub95c\uc2a4\ub2d8) wears many hats: Buddhist monk, teacher, author, environmentalist, and social activist, to name a few. As a widely respected Dharma teacher and a tireless socially engaged activist in his native South Korea, Ven. Pomnyun Sunim has founded numerous Dharma-based organizations, initiatives, and projects that are active across the world. Among them, Jungto Society, a volunteer-based community founded on the Buddhist teachings and expressing equality, simple living, and sustainability, is dedicated to addressing modern social issues that lead to suffering, including environmental degradation, poverty, and conflict.\n\nThis column, shared by Jungto Society, presents a series of highlights from Ven. Pomnyun Sunim\u2019s writings, teachings, public talks, and regular live-streamed Dharma Q+A sessions, which are accessible across the globe.\n","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","post_password":"","post_name":"special-report-the-hope-of-the-world-ven-pomnyun-sunim-marks-the-30th-anniversary-of-the-sujata-academy-project-in-india","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2024-02-14 23:46:42","post_modified_gmt":"2024-02-15 04:46:42","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/www.jungtosociety.org\/?p=18019","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"},{"ID":18003,"post_author":"13","post_date":"2024-02-09 11:17:31","post_date_gmt":"2024-02-09 16:17:31","post_content":"\n

<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Jungto Society, the international Buddhist community founded by the revered Korean Dharma master and social activist Venerable Pomnyun Sunim (\ubc95\ub95c\uc2a4\ub2d8), has conducted its 33rd annual pilgrimage across India and to Nepal. Held under the theme \u201cFollowing in the Footsteps of the Buddha,\u201d the pilgrimage, which ran from 19 January to 2 February, was attended by more 500 practitioners.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The pilgrimage was particularly notable for two reasons: this year saw the participation, for the first time in the Jungto pilgrimage\u2019s 33-year history, of non-Korean practitioners. It also celebrated the 30th anniversary of Sujata Academy, a remarkable community school established by Ven. Pomnyun Sunim in Dungheswari, Bihar, that has transformed the lives of an entire community of people who have faced systemic social and economic exclusion as a result of India\u2019s conservative Hindu caste hierarchy.1<\/sup><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Because of the unique significance of the Sujata Academy\u2019s 30th anniversary, BDG will cover that event in more depth in a separate upcoming report and interview.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n
\n
\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\"\"<\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Jungto Society is a volunteer-run community of practitioners that aspires to embody the Buddhist teachings through social engagement, and by promoting a simple lifestyle centered on sustainable living. The community seeks to address the crises of modern society, such as greed, poverty, conflict, and environmental degradation, by applying a Buddhist worldview of interconnectedness and living in line with the principle that everyone can find happiness through Buddhist practice and active participation in social movements.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Although fewer in number than the 1,250 practitioners who attended Jungto Society\u2019s 2023 pilgrimage,2<\/sup> the 500-plus Korean Buddhist pilgrims who recently returned from India were accompanied nine practitioners from Italy, Japan, Thailand, the United Kingdom, the United States, and Vietnam\u2014some of whom are members of the the International Network of Engaged Buddhists (INEB), including two bhikkhunis<\/em> from Thailand, while others are graduates of Jungto Society\u2019s English-language Dharma School.3<\/sup><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u25b6\ufe0f Published by BDG on February 7, 2024<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u25b6\ufe0f Read more: <\/a>https:\/\/www.buddhistdoor.net\/news\/special-report-footsteps-of-the-buddha-ven-pomnyun-sunim-leads-500-practitioners-on-the-33rd-jungto-pilgrimage-across-india-and-nepal\/<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

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<\/p>\n","post_title":"Special Report: Footsteps of the Buddha \u2013 Ven. Pomnyun Sunim Leads 500 Practitioners on the 33rd Jungto Pilgrimage across India and Nepal","post_excerpt":"The Korean Seon (Zen) master Venerable Pomnyun Sunim (\ubc95\ub95c\uc2a4\ub2d8) wears many hats: Buddhist monk, teacher, author, environmentalist, and social activist, to name a few. As a widely respected Dharma teacher and a tireless socially engaged activist in his native South Korea, Ven. Pomnyun Sunim has founded numerous Dharma-based organizations, initiatives, and projects that are active across the world. Among them, Jungto Society, a volunteer-based community founded on the Buddhist teachings and expressing equality, simple living, and sustainability, is dedicated to addressing modern social issues that lead to suffering, including environmental degradation, poverty, and conflict.\n\nThis column, shared by Jungto Society, presents a series of highlights from Ven. Pomnyun Sunim\u2019s writings, teachings, public talks, and regular live-streamed Dharma Q+A sessions, which are accessible across the globe.\n","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","post_password":"","post_name":"special-report-footsteps-of-the-buddha-ven-pomnyun-sunim-leads-500-practitioners-on-the-33rd-jungto-pilgrimage-across-india-and-nepal","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2024-02-09 11:17:33","post_modified_gmt":"2024-02-09 16:17:33","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/www.jungtosociety.org\/?p=18003","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
\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\"\"<\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

Ven. Pomnyun Sunim established the international Buddhist humanitarian relief organization Join Together Society (JTS) as an expression of the compassion of engaged Buddhism and the belief that helping others is the best way to enrich one\u2019s own life. Headquartered in Seoul, JTS operates four branch offices in South Korea and the United States, along with field offices in India and the Philippines. JTS Korea and JTS America oversee fundraising, while JTS India and JTS Philippines conduct development projects in cooperation with local communities. The relief organization has also earned Special Consultative Status to the United Nations Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

JTS India began its work in Dungeshwari, some 12 kilometers northeast of the Buddhist pilgrimage hub of Bodh Gaya, in the early 1990s, aspiring to fulfill the mission: \u201cThe hungry should eat; the sick should be treated; children should be educated in time.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This region is surrounded by the Pragbodhi Hills where the historical Buddha, Shakyamuni, is said to have spent six years in a cave as an ascetic. And it\u2019s here that JTS India has been working to empower the villagers of Dungeshwari to live their lives free from hunger, illiteracy, and disease.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The people of Dungeshwari are primarily Dalits, who face systemic social and economic exclusion as a result of the conservative Hindu social hierarchy. \u201cDalit,\u201d which translates as \u201cbroken\u201d in Sanskrit, is a term for the very lowest castes, whom members of the so-called \u201chigher\u201d castes still to this day deem \u201cuntouchable,\u201d despite the practice being prohibited in the Constitution of India. By working directly with disadvantaged communities, JTS aims to help them to mobilize their own capabilities and resources to create a more prosperous and sustainable future.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Jungto Society Dharma teacher Doyeon Jang (Dharma name Bogwang), is the director of Sujata Academy. She has overseen the development of this ambitious project, facing numerous challenges, both personal and structural, in the process of bringing this expression of compassion and social transformation to fruition.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u25b6\ufe0f Published by BDG on March 8, 2024<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u25b6\ufe0f Read more: <\/a>https:\/\/www.buddhistdoor.net\/features\/the-sujata-academy-project-the-power-of-hope-and-compassion-in-india\/<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

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<\/p>\n","post_title":"The Sujata Academy Project: The Power of Hope and Compassion in India","post_excerpt":"The Korean Seon (Zen) master Venerable Pomnyun Sunim (\ubc95\ub95c\uc2a4\ub2d8) wears many hats: Buddhist monk, teacher, author, environmentalist, and social activist, to name a few. As a widely respected Dharma teacher and a tireless socially engaged activist in his native South Korea, Ven. Pomnyun Sunim has founded numerous Dharma-based organizations, initiatives, and projects that are active across the world. Among them, Jungto Society, a volunteer-based community founded on the Buddhist teachings and expressing equality, simple living, and sustainability, is dedicated to addressing modern social issues that lead to suffering, including environmental degradation, poverty, and conflict.\n\nThis column, shared by Jungto Society, presents a series of highlights from Ven. Pomnyun Sunim\u2019s writings, teachings, public talks, and regular live-streamed Dharma Q+A sessions, which are accessible across the globe.\n","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","post_password":"","post_name":"the-sujata-academy-project-the-power-of-hope-and-compassion-in-india","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2024-03-10 17:38:00","post_modified_gmt":"2024-03-10 22:38:00","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/www.jungtosociety.org\/?p=18140","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"},{"ID":18019,"post_author":"13","post_date":"2024-02-14 23:46:40","post_date_gmt":"2024-02-15 04:46:40","post_content":"\n

<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Jungto Society, the international Buddhist community founded by the revered Korean Dharma master and social activist Venerable Pomnyun Sunim (\ubc95\ub95c\uc2a4\ub2d8), recently conducted its 33rd annual pilgrimage across India and to Nepal. Held under the theme \u201cFollowing in the Footsteps of the Buddha,\u201d the pilgrimage, which ran from 19 January to 2 February, was attended by more 500 practitioners.1<\/sup><\/p>\n\n\n\n

This year\u2019s pilgrimage was particularly notable for two reasons: the participation, for the first time in the Jungto pilgrimage\u2019s 33-year history, of non-Korean practitioners: the 500-plus Korean Buddhist pilgrims were accompanied nine practitioners from Italy, Japan, Thailand, the United Kingdom, the United States, and Vietnam\u2014some of whom are members of the the International Network of Engaged Buddhists (INEB), including two bhikkhunis<\/em> from Thailand, while others are graduates of Jungto Society\u2019s English-language Dharma School.2<\/sup><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Significantly, the pilgrimage also coincided with celebrations for the 30th anniversary of Sujata Academy, a remarkable community school and social empowerment project established by Ven. Pomnyun Sunim in Dungheswari, in the northeastern Indian state of Bihar, that has transformed the lives of an entire community of people who have faced systemic social and economic exclusion as a result of India\u2019s conservative Hindu caste hierarchy.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n
\n
\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\"\"<\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Ven. Pomnyun Sunim established the international Buddhist humanitarian relief organization Join Together Society (JTS) as an expression of the compassion of engaged Buddhism and the belief that helping others is the best way to enrich one\u2019s own life. Headquartered in Seoul, JTS operates four branch offices in South Korea and the United States, along with field offices in India and the Philippines. JTS Korea and JTS America oversee fundraising, while JTS India and JTS Philippines conduct development projects in cooperation with local communities. The relief organization has also earned Special Consultative Status to the United Nations Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

JTS India began its work in Dungeshwari, some 12 kilometers northeast of the Buddhist pilgrimage hub of Bodh Gaya, in the early 1990s, aspiring to fulfill the mission: \u201cThe hungry should eat; the sick should be treated; children should be educated in time.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This region is surrounded by the Pragbodhi Hills where the historical Buddha, Shakyamuni, is said to have spent six years in a cave as an ascetic. And it\u2019s here that JTS India has been working to empower the villagers in Dungeshwari to live their lives free from hunger, illiteracy, and disease.3<\/sup><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u25b6\ufe0f Published by BDG on February 14, 2024<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u25b6\ufe0f Read more: <\/a>https:\/\/www.buddhistdoor.net\/news\/special-report-the-hope-of-the-world-ven-pomnyun-sunim-marks-the-30th-anniversary-of-the-sujata-academy-project-in-india\/<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

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<\/p>\n","post_title":"Special Report: The Hope of the World \u2013 Ven. Pomnyun Sunim Marks the 30th Anniversary of the Sujata Academy Project in India","post_excerpt":"The Korean Seon (Zen) master Venerable Pomnyun Sunim (\ubc95\ub95c\uc2a4\ub2d8) wears many hats: Buddhist monk, teacher, author, environmentalist, and social activist, to name a few. As a widely respected Dharma teacher and a tireless socially engaged activist in his native South Korea, Ven. Pomnyun Sunim has founded numerous Dharma-based organizations, initiatives, and projects that are active across the world. Among them, Jungto Society, a volunteer-based community founded on the Buddhist teachings and expressing equality, simple living, and sustainability, is dedicated to addressing modern social issues that lead to suffering, including environmental degradation, poverty, and conflict.\n\nThis column, shared by Jungto Society, presents a series of highlights from Ven. Pomnyun Sunim\u2019s writings, teachings, public talks, and regular live-streamed Dharma Q+A sessions, which are accessible across the globe.\n","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","post_password":"","post_name":"special-report-the-hope-of-the-world-ven-pomnyun-sunim-marks-the-30th-anniversary-of-the-sujata-academy-project-in-india","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2024-02-14 23:46:42","post_modified_gmt":"2024-02-15 04:46:42","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/www.jungtosociety.org\/?p=18019","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"},{"ID":18003,"post_author":"13","post_date":"2024-02-09 11:17:31","post_date_gmt":"2024-02-09 16:17:31","post_content":"\n

<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Jungto Society, the international Buddhist community founded by the revered Korean Dharma master and social activist Venerable Pomnyun Sunim (\ubc95\ub95c\uc2a4\ub2d8), has conducted its 33rd annual pilgrimage across India and to Nepal. Held under the theme \u201cFollowing in the Footsteps of the Buddha,\u201d the pilgrimage, which ran from 19 January to 2 February, was attended by more 500 practitioners.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The pilgrimage was particularly notable for two reasons: this year saw the participation, for the first time in the Jungto pilgrimage\u2019s 33-year history, of non-Korean practitioners. It also celebrated the 30th anniversary of Sujata Academy, a remarkable community school established by Ven. Pomnyun Sunim in Dungheswari, Bihar, that has transformed the lives of an entire community of people who have faced systemic social and economic exclusion as a result of India\u2019s conservative Hindu caste hierarchy.1<\/sup><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Because of the unique significance of the Sujata Academy\u2019s 30th anniversary, BDG will cover that event in more depth in a separate upcoming report and interview.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n
\n
\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\"\"<\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Jungto Society is a volunteer-run community of practitioners that aspires to embody the Buddhist teachings through social engagement, and by promoting a simple lifestyle centered on sustainable living. The community seeks to address the crises of modern society, such as greed, poverty, conflict, and environmental degradation, by applying a Buddhist worldview of interconnectedness and living in line with the principle that everyone can find happiness through Buddhist practice and active participation in social movements.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Although fewer in number than the 1,250 practitioners who attended Jungto Society\u2019s 2023 pilgrimage,2<\/sup> the 500-plus Korean Buddhist pilgrims who recently returned from India were accompanied nine practitioners from Italy, Japan, Thailand, the United Kingdom, the United States, and Vietnam\u2014some of whom are members of the the International Network of Engaged Buddhists (INEB), including two bhikkhunis<\/em> from Thailand, while others are graduates of Jungto Society\u2019s English-language Dharma School.3<\/sup><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u25b6\ufe0f Published by BDG on February 7, 2024<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u25b6\ufe0f Read more: <\/a>https:\/\/www.buddhistdoor.net\/news\/special-report-footsteps-of-the-buddha-ven-pomnyun-sunim-leads-500-practitioners-on-the-33rd-jungto-pilgrimage-across-india-and-nepal\/<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

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<\/p>\n","post_title":"Special Report: Footsteps of the Buddha \u2013 Ven. Pomnyun Sunim Leads 500 Practitioners on the 33rd Jungto Pilgrimage across India and Nepal","post_excerpt":"The Korean Seon (Zen) master Venerable Pomnyun Sunim (\ubc95\ub95c\uc2a4\ub2d8) wears many hats: Buddhist monk, teacher, author, environmentalist, and social activist, to name a few. As a widely respected Dharma teacher and a tireless socially engaged activist in his native South Korea, Ven. Pomnyun Sunim has founded numerous Dharma-based organizations, initiatives, and projects that are active across the world. Among them, Jungto Society, a volunteer-based community founded on the Buddhist teachings and expressing equality, simple living, and sustainability, is dedicated to addressing modern social issues that lead to suffering, including environmental degradation, poverty, and conflict.\n\nThis column, shared by Jungto Society, presents a series of highlights from Ven. Pomnyun Sunim\u2019s writings, teachings, public talks, and regular live-streamed Dharma Q+A sessions, which are accessible across the globe.\n","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","post_password":"","post_name":"special-report-footsteps-of-the-buddha-ven-pomnyun-sunim-leads-500-practitioners-on-the-33rd-jungto-pilgrimage-across-india-and-nepal","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2024-02-09 11:17:33","post_modified_gmt":"2024-02-09 16:17:33","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/www.jungtosociety.org\/?p=18003","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

<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n
\n
\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\"\"<\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

Ven. Pomnyun Sunim established the international Buddhist humanitarian relief organization Join Together Society (JTS) as an expression of the compassion of engaged Buddhism and the belief that helping others is the best way to enrich one\u2019s own life. Headquartered in Seoul, JTS operates four branch offices in South Korea and the United States, along with field offices in India and the Philippines. JTS Korea and JTS America oversee fundraising, while JTS India and JTS Philippines conduct development projects in cooperation with local communities. The relief organization has also earned Special Consultative Status to the United Nations Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

JTS India began its work in Dungeshwari, some 12 kilometers northeast of the Buddhist pilgrimage hub of Bodh Gaya, in the early 1990s, aspiring to fulfill the mission: \u201cThe hungry should eat; the sick should be treated; children should be educated in time.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This region is surrounded by the Pragbodhi Hills where the historical Buddha, Shakyamuni, is said to have spent six years in a cave as an ascetic. And it\u2019s here that JTS India has been working to empower the villagers of Dungeshwari to live their lives free from hunger, illiteracy, and disease.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The people of Dungeshwari are primarily Dalits, who face systemic social and economic exclusion as a result of the conservative Hindu social hierarchy. \u201cDalit,\u201d which translates as \u201cbroken\u201d in Sanskrit, is a term for the very lowest castes, whom members of the so-called \u201chigher\u201d castes still to this day deem \u201cuntouchable,\u201d despite the practice being prohibited in the Constitution of India. By working directly with disadvantaged communities, JTS aims to help them to mobilize their own capabilities and resources to create a more prosperous and sustainable future.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Jungto Society Dharma teacher Doyeon Jang (Dharma name Bogwang), is the director of Sujata Academy. She has overseen the development of this ambitious project, facing numerous challenges, both personal and structural, in the process of bringing this expression of compassion and social transformation to fruition.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u25b6\ufe0f Published by BDG on March 8, 2024<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u25b6\ufe0f Read more: <\/a>https:\/\/www.buddhistdoor.net\/features\/the-sujata-academy-project-the-power-of-hope-and-compassion-in-india\/<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

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<\/p>\n","post_title":"The Sujata Academy Project: The Power of Hope and Compassion in India","post_excerpt":"The Korean Seon (Zen) master Venerable Pomnyun Sunim (\ubc95\ub95c\uc2a4\ub2d8) wears many hats: Buddhist monk, teacher, author, environmentalist, and social activist, to name a few. As a widely respected Dharma teacher and a tireless socially engaged activist in his native South Korea, Ven. Pomnyun Sunim has founded numerous Dharma-based organizations, initiatives, and projects that are active across the world. Among them, Jungto Society, a volunteer-based community founded on the Buddhist teachings and expressing equality, simple living, and sustainability, is dedicated to addressing modern social issues that lead to suffering, including environmental degradation, poverty, and conflict.\n\nThis column, shared by Jungto Society, presents a series of highlights from Ven. Pomnyun Sunim\u2019s writings, teachings, public talks, and regular live-streamed Dharma Q+A sessions, which are accessible across the globe.\n","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","post_password":"","post_name":"the-sujata-academy-project-the-power-of-hope-and-compassion-in-india","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2024-03-10 17:38:00","post_modified_gmt":"2024-03-10 22:38:00","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/www.jungtosociety.org\/?p=18140","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"},{"ID":18019,"post_author":"13","post_date":"2024-02-14 23:46:40","post_date_gmt":"2024-02-15 04:46:40","post_content":"\n

<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Jungto Society, the international Buddhist community founded by the revered Korean Dharma master and social activist Venerable Pomnyun Sunim (\ubc95\ub95c\uc2a4\ub2d8), recently conducted its 33rd annual pilgrimage across India and to Nepal. Held under the theme \u201cFollowing in the Footsteps of the Buddha,\u201d the pilgrimage, which ran from 19 January to 2 February, was attended by more 500 practitioners.1<\/sup><\/p>\n\n\n\n

This year\u2019s pilgrimage was particularly notable for two reasons: the participation, for the first time in the Jungto pilgrimage\u2019s 33-year history, of non-Korean practitioners: the 500-plus Korean Buddhist pilgrims were accompanied nine practitioners from Italy, Japan, Thailand, the United Kingdom, the United States, and Vietnam\u2014some of whom are members of the the International Network of Engaged Buddhists (INEB), including two bhikkhunis<\/em> from Thailand, while others are graduates of Jungto Society\u2019s English-language Dharma School.2<\/sup><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Significantly, the pilgrimage also coincided with celebrations for the 30th anniversary of Sujata Academy, a remarkable community school and social empowerment project established by Ven. Pomnyun Sunim in Dungheswari, in the northeastern Indian state of Bihar, that has transformed the lives of an entire community of people who have faced systemic social and economic exclusion as a result of India\u2019s conservative Hindu caste hierarchy.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n
\n
\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\"\"<\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Ven. Pomnyun Sunim established the international Buddhist humanitarian relief organization Join Together Society (JTS) as an expression of the compassion of engaged Buddhism and the belief that helping others is the best way to enrich one\u2019s own life. Headquartered in Seoul, JTS operates four branch offices in South Korea and the United States, along with field offices in India and the Philippines. JTS Korea and JTS America oversee fundraising, while JTS India and JTS Philippines conduct development projects in cooperation with local communities. The relief organization has also earned Special Consultative Status to the United Nations Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

JTS India began its work in Dungeshwari, some 12 kilometers northeast of the Buddhist pilgrimage hub of Bodh Gaya, in the early 1990s, aspiring to fulfill the mission: \u201cThe hungry should eat; the sick should be treated; children should be educated in time.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This region is surrounded by the Pragbodhi Hills where the historical Buddha, Shakyamuni, is said to have spent six years in a cave as an ascetic. And it\u2019s here that JTS India has been working to empower the villagers in Dungeshwari to live their lives free from hunger, illiteracy, and disease.3<\/sup><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u25b6\ufe0f Published by BDG on February 14, 2024<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u25b6\ufe0f Read more: <\/a>https:\/\/www.buddhistdoor.net\/news\/special-report-the-hope-of-the-world-ven-pomnyun-sunim-marks-the-30th-anniversary-of-the-sujata-academy-project-in-india\/<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

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<\/p>\n","post_title":"Special Report: The Hope of the World \u2013 Ven. Pomnyun Sunim Marks the 30th Anniversary of the Sujata Academy Project in India","post_excerpt":"The Korean Seon (Zen) master Venerable Pomnyun Sunim (\ubc95\ub95c\uc2a4\ub2d8) wears many hats: Buddhist monk, teacher, author, environmentalist, and social activist, to name a few. As a widely respected Dharma teacher and a tireless socially engaged activist in his native South Korea, Ven. Pomnyun Sunim has founded numerous Dharma-based organizations, initiatives, and projects that are active across the world. Among them, Jungto Society, a volunteer-based community founded on the Buddhist teachings and expressing equality, simple living, and sustainability, is dedicated to addressing modern social issues that lead to suffering, including environmental degradation, poverty, and conflict.\n\nThis column, shared by Jungto Society, presents a series of highlights from Ven. Pomnyun Sunim\u2019s writings, teachings, public talks, and regular live-streamed Dharma Q+A sessions, which are accessible across the globe.\n","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","post_password":"","post_name":"special-report-the-hope-of-the-world-ven-pomnyun-sunim-marks-the-30th-anniversary-of-the-sujata-academy-project-in-india","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2024-02-14 23:46:42","post_modified_gmt":"2024-02-15 04:46:42","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/www.jungtosociety.org\/?p=18019","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"},{"ID":18003,"post_author":"13","post_date":"2024-02-09 11:17:31","post_date_gmt":"2024-02-09 16:17:31","post_content":"\n

<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Jungto Society, the international Buddhist community founded by the revered Korean Dharma master and social activist Venerable Pomnyun Sunim (\ubc95\ub95c\uc2a4\ub2d8), has conducted its 33rd annual pilgrimage across India and to Nepal. Held under the theme \u201cFollowing in the Footsteps of the Buddha,\u201d the pilgrimage, which ran from 19 January to 2 February, was attended by more 500 practitioners.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The pilgrimage was particularly notable for two reasons: this year saw the participation, for the first time in the Jungto pilgrimage\u2019s 33-year history, of non-Korean practitioners. It also celebrated the 30th anniversary of Sujata Academy, a remarkable community school established by Ven. Pomnyun Sunim in Dungheswari, Bihar, that has transformed the lives of an entire community of people who have faced systemic social and economic exclusion as a result of India\u2019s conservative Hindu caste hierarchy.1<\/sup><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Because of the unique significance of the Sujata Academy\u2019s 30th anniversary, BDG will cover that event in more depth in a separate upcoming report and interview.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n
\n
\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\"\"<\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Jungto Society is a volunteer-run community of practitioners that aspires to embody the Buddhist teachings through social engagement, and by promoting a simple lifestyle centered on sustainable living. The community seeks to address the crises of modern society, such as greed, poverty, conflict, and environmental degradation, by applying a Buddhist worldview of interconnectedness and living in line with the principle that everyone can find happiness through Buddhist practice and active participation in social movements.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Although fewer in number than the 1,250 practitioners who attended Jungto Society\u2019s 2023 pilgrimage,2<\/sup> the 500-plus Korean Buddhist pilgrims who recently returned from India were accompanied nine practitioners from Italy, Japan, Thailand, the United Kingdom, the United States, and Vietnam\u2014some of whom are members of the the International Network of Engaged Buddhists (INEB), including two bhikkhunis<\/em> from Thailand, while others are graduates of Jungto Society\u2019s English-language Dharma School.3<\/sup><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u25b6\ufe0f Published by BDG on February 7, 2024<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u25b6\ufe0f Read more: <\/a>https:\/\/www.buddhistdoor.net\/news\/special-report-footsteps-of-the-buddha-ven-pomnyun-sunim-leads-500-practitioners-on-the-33rd-jungto-pilgrimage-across-india-and-nepal\/<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

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<\/p>\n","post_title":"Special Report: Footsteps of the Buddha \u2013 Ven. Pomnyun Sunim Leads 500 Practitioners on the 33rd Jungto Pilgrimage across India and Nepal","post_excerpt":"The Korean Seon (Zen) master Venerable Pomnyun Sunim (\ubc95\ub95c\uc2a4\ub2d8) wears many hats: Buddhist monk, teacher, author, environmentalist, and social activist, to name a few. As a widely respected Dharma teacher and a tireless socially engaged activist in his native South Korea, Ven. Pomnyun Sunim has founded numerous Dharma-based organizations, initiatives, and projects that are active across the world. Among them, Jungto Society, a volunteer-based community founded on the Buddhist teachings and expressing equality, simple living, and sustainability, is dedicated to addressing modern social issues that lead to suffering, including environmental degradation, poverty, and conflict.\n\nThis column, shared by Jungto Society, presents a series of highlights from Ven. Pomnyun Sunim\u2019s writings, teachings, public talks, and regular live-streamed Dharma Q+A sessions, which are accessible across the globe.\n","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","post_password":"","post_name":"special-report-footsteps-of-the-buddha-ven-pomnyun-sunim-leads-500-practitioners-on-the-33rd-jungto-pilgrimage-across-india-and-nepal","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2024-02-09 11:17:33","post_modified_gmt":"2024-02-09 16:17:33","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/www.jungtosociety.org\/?p=18003","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

x<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n
\n
\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\"\"<\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

Ven. Pomnyun Sunim established the international Buddhist humanitarian relief organization Join Together Society (JTS) as an expression of the compassion of engaged Buddhism and the belief that helping others is the best way to enrich one\u2019s own life. Headquartered in Seoul, JTS operates four branch offices in South Korea and the United States, along with field offices in India and the Philippines. JTS Korea and JTS America oversee fundraising, while JTS India and JTS Philippines conduct development projects in cooperation with local communities. The relief organization has also earned Special Consultative Status to the United Nations Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

JTS India began its work in Dungeshwari, some 12 kilometers northeast of the Buddhist pilgrimage hub of Bodh Gaya, in the early 1990s, aspiring to fulfill the mission: \u201cThe hungry should eat; the sick should be treated; children should be educated in time.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This region is surrounded by the Pragbodhi Hills where the historical Buddha, Shakyamuni, is said to have spent six years in a cave as an ascetic. And it\u2019s here that JTS India has been working to empower the villagers of Dungeshwari to live their lives free from hunger, illiteracy, and disease.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The people of Dungeshwari are primarily Dalits, who face systemic social and economic exclusion as a result of the conservative Hindu social hierarchy. \u201cDalit,\u201d which translates as \u201cbroken\u201d in Sanskrit, is a term for the very lowest castes, whom members of the so-called \u201chigher\u201d castes still to this day deem \u201cuntouchable,\u201d despite the practice being prohibited in the Constitution of India. By working directly with disadvantaged communities, JTS aims to help them to mobilize their own capabilities and resources to create a more prosperous and sustainable future.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Jungto Society Dharma teacher Doyeon Jang (Dharma name Bogwang), is the director of Sujata Academy. She has overseen the development of this ambitious project, facing numerous challenges, both personal and structural, in the process of bringing this expression of compassion and social transformation to fruition.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u25b6\ufe0f Published by BDG on March 8, 2024<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u25b6\ufe0f Read more: <\/a>https:\/\/www.buddhistdoor.net\/features\/the-sujata-academy-project-the-power-of-hope-and-compassion-in-india\/<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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<\/p>\n","post_title":"The Sujata Academy Project: The Power of Hope and Compassion in India","post_excerpt":"The Korean Seon (Zen) master Venerable Pomnyun Sunim (\ubc95\ub95c\uc2a4\ub2d8) wears many hats: Buddhist monk, teacher, author, environmentalist, and social activist, to name a few. As a widely respected Dharma teacher and a tireless socially engaged activist in his native South Korea, Ven. Pomnyun Sunim has founded numerous Dharma-based organizations, initiatives, and projects that are active across the world. Among them, Jungto Society, a volunteer-based community founded on the Buddhist teachings and expressing equality, simple living, and sustainability, is dedicated to addressing modern social issues that lead to suffering, including environmental degradation, poverty, and conflict.\n\nThis column, shared by Jungto Society, presents a series of highlights from Ven. Pomnyun Sunim\u2019s writings, teachings, public talks, and regular live-streamed Dharma Q+A sessions, which are accessible across the globe.\n","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","post_password":"","post_name":"the-sujata-academy-project-the-power-of-hope-and-compassion-in-india","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2024-03-10 17:38:00","post_modified_gmt":"2024-03-10 22:38:00","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/www.jungtosociety.org\/?p=18140","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"},{"ID":18019,"post_author":"13","post_date":"2024-02-14 23:46:40","post_date_gmt":"2024-02-15 04:46:40","post_content":"\n

<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Jungto Society, the international Buddhist community founded by the revered Korean Dharma master and social activist Venerable Pomnyun Sunim (\ubc95\ub95c\uc2a4\ub2d8), recently conducted its 33rd annual pilgrimage across India and to Nepal. Held under the theme \u201cFollowing in the Footsteps of the Buddha,\u201d the pilgrimage, which ran from 19 January to 2 February, was attended by more 500 practitioners.1<\/sup><\/p>\n\n\n\n

This year\u2019s pilgrimage was particularly notable for two reasons: the participation, for the first time in the Jungto pilgrimage\u2019s 33-year history, of non-Korean practitioners: the 500-plus Korean Buddhist pilgrims were accompanied nine practitioners from Italy, Japan, Thailand, the United Kingdom, the United States, and Vietnam\u2014some of whom are members of the the International Network of Engaged Buddhists (INEB), including two bhikkhunis<\/em> from Thailand, while others are graduates of Jungto Society\u2019s English-language Dharma School.2<\/sup><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Significantly, the pilgrimage also coincided with celebrations for the 30th anniversary of Sujata Academy, a remarkable community school and social empowerment project established by Ven. Pomnyun Sunim in Dungheswari, in the northeastern Indian state of Bihar, that has transformed the lives of an entire community of people who have faced systemic social and economic exclusion as a result of India\u2019s conservative Hindu caste hierarchy.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n
\n
\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\"\"<\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Ven. Pomnyun Sunim established the international Buddhist humanitarian relief organization Join Together Society (JTS) as an expression of the compassion of engaged Buddhism and the belief that helping others is the best way to enrich one\u2019s own life. Headquartered in Seoul, JTS operates four branch offices in South Korea and the United States, along with field offices in India and the Philippines. JTS Korea and JTS America oversee fundraising, while JTS India and JTS Philippines conduct development projects in cooperation with local communities. The relief organization has also earned Special Consultative Status to the United Nations Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

JTS India began its work in Dungeshwari, some 12 kilometers northeast of the Buddhist pilgrimage hub of Bodh Gaya, in the early 1990s, aspiring to fulfill the mission: \u201cThe hungry should eat; the sick should be treated; children should be educated in time.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This region is surrounded by the Pragbodhi Hills where the historical Buddha, Shakyamuni, is said to have spent six years in a cave as an ascetic. And it\u2019s here that JTS India has been working to empower the villagers in Dungeshwari to live their lives free from hunger, illiteracy, and disease.3<\/sup><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u25b6\ufe0f Published by BDG on February 14, 2024<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u25b6\ufe0f Read more: <\/a>https:\/\/www.buddhistdoor.net\/news\/special-report-the-hope-of-the-world-ven-pomnyun-sunim-marks-the-30th-anniversary-of-the-sujata-academy-project-in-india\/<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

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<\/p>\n","post_title":"Special Report: The Hope of the World \u2013 Ven. Pomnyun Sunim Marks the 30th Anniversary of the Sujata Academy Project in India","post_excerpt":"The Korean Seon (Zen) master Venerable Pomnyun Sunim (\ubc95\ub95c\uc2a4\ub2d8) wears many hats: Buddhist monk, teacher, author, environmentalist, and social activist, to name a few. As a widely respected Dharma teacher and a tireless socially engaged activist in his native South Korea, Ven. Pomnyun Sunim has founded numerous Dharma-based organizations, initiatives, and projects that are active across the world. Among them, Jungto Society, a volunteer-based community founded on the Buddhist teachings and expressing equality, simple living, and sustainability, is dedicated to addressing modern social issues that lead to suffering, including environmental degradation, poverty, and conflict.\n\nThis column, shared by Jungto Society, presents a series of highlights from Ven. Pomnyun Sunim\u2019s writings, teachings, public talks, and regular live-streamed Dharma Q+A sessions, which are accessible across the globe.\n","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","post_password":"","post_name":"special-report-the-hope-of-the-world-ven-pomnyun-sunim-marks-the-30th-anniversary-of-the-sujata-academy-project-in-india","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2024-02-14 23:46:42","post_modified_gmt":"2024-02-15 04:46:42","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/www.jungtosociety.org\/?p=18019","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"},{"ID":18003,"post_author":"13","post_date":"2024-02-09 11:17:31","post_date_gmt":"2024-02-09 16:17:31","post_content":"\n

<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Jungto Society, the international Buddhist community founded by the revered Korean Dharma master and social activist Venerable Pomnyun Sunim (\ubc95\ub95c\uc2a4\ub2d8), has conducted its 33rd annual pilgrimage across India and to Nepal. Held under the theme \u201cFollowing in the Footsteps of the Buddha,\u201d the pilgrimage, which ran from 19 January to 2 February, was attended by more 500 practitioners.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The pilgrimage was particularly notable for two reasons: this year saw the participation, for the first time in the Jungto pilgrimage\u2019s 33-year history, of non-Korean practitioners. It also celebrated the 30th anniversary of Sujata Academy, a remarkable community school established by Ven. Pomnyun Sunim in Dungheswari, Bihar, that has transformed the lives of an entire community of people who have faced systemic social and economic exclusion as a result of India\u2019s conservative Hindu caste hierarchy.1<\/sup><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Because of the unique significance of the Sujata Academy\u2019s 30th anniversary, BDG will cover that event in more depth in a separate upcoming report and interview.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n
\n
\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\"\"<\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Jungto Society is a volunteer-run community of practitioners that aspires to embody the Buddhist teachings through social engagement, and by promoting a simple lifestyle centered on sustainable living. The community seeks to address the crises of modern society, such as greed, poverty, conflict, and environmental degradation, by applying a Buddhist worldview of interconnectedness and living in line with the principle that everyone can find happiness through Buddhist practice and active participation in social movements.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Although fewer in number than the 1,250 practitioners who attended Jungto Society\u2019s 2023 pilgrimage,2<\/sup> the 500-plus Korean Buddhist pilgrims who recently returned from India were accompanied nine practitioners from Italy, Japan, Thailand, the United Kingdom, the United States, and Vietnam\u2014some of whom are members of the the International Network of Engaged Buddhists (INEB), including two bhikkhunis<\/em> from Thailand, while others are graduates of Jungto Society\u2019s English-language Dharma School.3<\/sup><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u25b6\ufe0f Published by BDG on February 7, 2024<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u25b6\ufe0f Read more: <\/a>https:\/\/www.buddhistdoor.net\/news\/special-report-footsteps-of-the-buddha-ven-pomnyun-sunim-leads-500-practitioners-on-the-33rd-jungto-pilgrimage-across-india-and-nepal\/<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

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<\/p>\n","post_title":"Special Report: Footsteps of the Buddha \u2013 Ven. Pomnyun Sunim Leads 500 Practitioners on the 33rd Jungto Pilgrimage across India and Nepal","post_excerpt":"The Korean Seon (Zen) master Venerable Pomnyun Sunim (\ubc95\ub95c\uc2a4\ub2d8) wears many hats: Buddhist monk, teacher, author, environmentalist, and social activist, to name a few. As a widely respected Dharma teacher and a tireless socially engaged activist in his native South Korea, Ven. Pomnyun Sunim has founded numerous Dharma-based organizations, initiatives, and projects that are active across the world. Among them, Jungto Society, a volunteer-based community founded on the Buddhist teachings and expressing equality, simple living, and sustainability, is dedicated to addressing modern social issues that lead to suffering, including environmental degradation, poverty, and conflict.\n\nThis column, shared by Jungto Society, presents a series of highlights from Ven. Pomnyun Sunim\u2019s writings, teachings, public talks, and regular live-streamed Dharma Q+A sessions, which are accessible across the globe.\n","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","post_password":"","post_name":"special-report-footsteps-of-the-buddha-ven-pomnyun-sunim-leads-500-practitioners-on-the-33rd-jungto-pilgrimage-across-india-and-nepal","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2024-02-09 11:17:33","post_modified_gmt":"2024-02-09 16:17:33","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/www.jungtosociety.org\/?p=18003","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

The academy is named after Sujata, the young woman who is said to have nourished the ailing and emaciated Siddhartha Gautama with a bowl of milk-rice, thus ending his six years of extreme asceticism. Tuition at the academy is provided free of charge. The school\u2019s principal goal is to educate every student in basic literacy and numeracy. Classes are taught from kindergarten to secondary level, alongside adult literacy classes and skills training. Students who wish to continue beyond elementary education and attend secondary school are required to teach kindergarteners or to help out in the onsite Jivaka Hospital in the mornings and to attend classes in the afternoon, working in the spirit of giving back to the community. The campus also includes a warehouse, a dormitory, a large playing field, and sports equipment for the children.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

x<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n
\n
\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\"\"<\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

Ven. Pomnyun Sunim established the international Buddhist humanitarian relief organization Join Together Society (JTS) as an expression of the compassion of engaged Buddhism and the belief that helping others is the best way to enrich one\u2019s own life. Headquartered in Seoul, JTS operates four branch offices in South Korea and the United States, along with field offices in India and the Philippines. JTS Korea and JTS America oversee fundraising, while JTS India and JTS Philippines conduct development projects in cooperation with local communities. The relief organization has also earned Special Consultative Status to the United Nations Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

JTS India began its work in Dungeshwari, some 12 kilometers northeast of the Buddhist pilgrimage hub of Bodh Gaya, in the early 1990s, aspiring to fulfill the mission: \u201cThe hungry should eat; the sick should be treated; children should be educated in time.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This region is surrounded by the Pragbodhi Hills where the historical Buddha, Shakyamuni, is said to have spent six years in a cave as an ascetic. And it\u2019s here that JTS India has been working to empower the villagers of Dungeshwari to live their lives free from hunger, illiteracy, and disease.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The people of Dungeshwari are primarily Dalits, who face systemic social and economic exclusion as a result of the conservative Hindu social hierarchy. \u201cDalit,\u201d which translates as \u201cbroken\u201d in Sanskrit, is a term for the very lowest castes, whom members of the so-called \u201chigher\u201d castes still to this day deem \u201cuntouchable,\u201d despite the practice being prohibited in the Constitution of India. By working directly with disadvantaged communities, JTS aims to help them to mobilize their own capabilities and resources to create a more prosperous and sustainable future.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Jungto Society Dharma teacher Doyeon Jang (Dharma name Bogwang), is the director of Sujata Academy. She has overseen the development of this ambitious project, facing numerous challenges, both personal and structural, in the process of bringing this expression of compassion and social transformation to fruition.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u25b6\ufe0f Published by BDG on March 8, 2024<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u25b6\ufe0f Read more: <\/a>https:\/\/www.buddhistdoor.net\/features\/the-sujata-academy-project-the-power-of-hope-and-compassion-in-india\/<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

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<\/p>\n","post_title":"The Sujata Academy Project: The Power of Hope and Compassion in India","post_excerpt":"The Korean Seon (Zen) master Venerable Pomnyun Sunim (\ubc95\ub95c\uc2a4\ub2d8) wears many hats: Buddhist monk, teacher, author, environmentalist, and social activist, to name a few. As a widely respected Dharma teacher and a tireless socially engaged activist in his native South Korea, Ven. Pomnyun Sunim has founded numerous Dharma-based organizations, initiatives, and projects that are active across the world. Among them, Jungto Society, a volunteer-based community founded on the Buddhist teachings and expressing equality, simple living, and sustainability, is dedicated to addressing modern social issues that lead to suffering, including environmental degradation, poverty, and conflict.\n\nThis column, shared by Jungto Society, presents a series of highlights from Ven. Pomnyun Sunim\u2019s writings, teachings, public talks, and regular live-streamed Dharma Q+A sessions, which are accessible across the globe.\n","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","post_password":"","post_name":"the-sujata-academy-project-the-power-of-hope-and-compassion-in-india","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2024-03-10 17:38:00","post_modified_gmt":"2024-03-10 22:38:00","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/www.jungtosociety.org\/?p=18140","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"},{"ID":18019,"post_author":"13","post_date":"2024-02-14 23:46:40","post_date_gmt":"2024-02-15 04:46:40","post_content":"\n

<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Jungto Society, the international Buddhist community founded by the revered Korean Dharma master and social activist Venerable Pomnyun Sunim (\ubc95\ub95c\uc2a4\ub2d8), recently conducted its 33rd annual pilgrimage across India and to Nepal. Held under the theme \u201cFollowing in the Footsteps of the Buddha,\u201d the pilgrimage, which ran from 19 January to 2 February, was attended by more 500 practitioners.1<\/sup><\/p>\n\n\n\n

This year\u2019s pilgrimage was particularly notable for two reasons: the participation, for the first time in the Jungto pilgrimage\u2019s 33-year history, of non-Korean practitioners: the 500-plus Korean Buddhist pilgrims were accompanied nine practitioners from Italy, Japan, Thailand, the United Kingdom, the United States, and Vietnam\u2014some of whom are members of the the International Network of Engaged Buddhists (INEB), including two bhikkhunis<\/em> from Thailand, while others are graduates of Jungto Society\u2019s English-language Dharma School.2<\/sup><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Significantly, the pilgrimage also coincided with celebrations for the 30th anniversary of Sujata Academy, a remarkable community school and social empowerment project established by Ven. Pomnyun Sunim in Dungheswari, in the northeastern Indian state of Bihar, that has transformed the lives of an entire community of people who have faced systemic social and economic exclusion as a result of India\u2019s conservative Hindu caste hierarchy.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n
\n
\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\"\"<\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Ven. Pomnyun Sunim established the international Buddhist humanitarian relief organization Join Together Society (JTS) as an expression of the compassion of engaged Buddhism and the belief that helping others is the best way to enrich one\u2019s own life. Headquartered in Seoul, JTS operates four branch offices in South Korea and the United States, along with field offices in India and the Philippines. JTS Korea and JTS America oversee fundraising, while JTS India and JTS Philippines conduct development projects in cooperation with local communities. The relief organization has also earned Special Consultative Status to the United Nations Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

JTS India began its work in Dungeshwari, some 12 kilometers northeast of the Buddhist pilgrimage hub of Bodh Gaya, in the early 1990s, aspiring to fulfill the mission: \u201cThe hungry should eat; the sick should be treated; children should be educated in time.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This region is surrounded by the Pragbodhi Hills where the historical Buddha, Shakyamuni, is said to have spent six years in a cave as an ascetic. And it\u2019s here that JTS India has been working to empower the villagers in Dungeshwari to live their lives free from hunger, illiteracy, and disease.3<\/sup><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u25b6\ufe0f Published by BDG on February 14, 2024<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u25b6\ufe0f Read more: <\/a>https:\/\/www.buddhistdoor.net\/news\/special-report-the-hope-of-the-world-ven-pomnyun-sunim-marks-the-30th-anniversary-of-the-sujata-academy-project-in-india\/<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

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<\/p>\n","post_title":"Special Report: The Hope of the World \u2013 Ven. Pomnyun Sunim Marks the 30th Anniversary of the Sujata Academy Project in India","post_excerpt":"The Korean Seon (Zen) master Venerable Pomnyun Sunim (\ubc95\ub95c\uc2a4\ub2d8) wears many hats: Buddhist monk, teacher, author, environmentalist, and social activist, to name a few. As a widely respected Dharma teacher and a tireless socially engaged activist in his native South Korea, Ven. Pomnyun Sunim has founded numerous Dharma-based organizations, initiatives, and projects that are active across the world. Among them, Jungto Society, a volunteer-based community founded on the Buddhist teachings and expressing equality, simple living, and sustainability, is dedicated to addressing modern social issues that lead to suffering, including environmental degradation, poverty, and conflict.\n\nThis column, shared by Jungto Society, presents a series of highlights from Ven. Pomnyun Sunim\u2019s writings, teachings, public talks, and regular live-streamed Dharma Q+A sessions, which are accessible across the globe.\n","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","post_password":"","post_name":"special-report-the-hope-of-the-world-ven-pomnyun-sunim-marks-the-30th-anniversary-of-the-sujata-academy-project-in-india","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2024-02-14 23:46:42","post_modified_gmt":"2024-02-15 04:46:42","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/www.jungtosociety.org\/?p=18019","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"},{"ID":18003,"post_author":"13","post_date":"2024-02-09 11:17:31","post_date_gmt":"2024-02-09 16:17:31","post_content":"\n

<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Jungto Society, the international Buddhist community founded by the revered Korean Dharma master and social activist Venerable Pomnyun Sunim (\ubc95\ub95c\uc2a4\ub2d8), has conducted its 33rd annual pilgrimage across India and to Nepal. Held under the theme \u201cFollowing in the Footsteps of the Buddha,\u201d the pilgrimage, which ran from 19 January to 2 February, was attended by more 500 practitioners.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The pilgrimage was particularly notable for two reasons: this year saw the participation, for the first time in the Jungto pilgrimage\u2019s 33-year history, of non-Korean practitioners. It also celebrated the 30th anniversary of Sujata Academy, a remarkable community school established by Ven. Pomnyun Sunim in Dungheswari, Bihar, that has transformed the lives of an entire community of people who have faced systemic social and economic exclusion as a result of India\u2019s conservative Hindu caste hierarchy.1<\/sup><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Because of the unique significance of the Sujata Academy\u2019s 30th anniversary, BDG will cover that event in more depth in a separate upcoming report and interview.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n
\n
\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\"\"<\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Jungto Society is a volunteer-run community of practitioners that aspires to embody the Buddhist teachings through social engagement, and by promoting a simple lifestyle centered on sustainable living. The community seeks to address the crises of modern society, such as greed, poverty, conflict, and environmental degradation, by applying a Buddhist worldview of interconnectedness and living in line with the principle that everyone can find happiness through Buddhist practice and active participation in social movements.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Although fewer in number than the 1,250 practitioners who attended Jungto Society\u2019s 2023 pilgrimage,2<\/sup> the 500-plus Korean Buddhist pilgrims who recently returned from India were accompanied nine practitioners from Italy, Japan, Thailand, the United Kingdom, the United States, and Vietnam\u2014some of whom are members of the the International Network of Engaged Buddhists (INEB), including two bhikkhunis<\/em> from Thailand, while others are graduates of Jungto Society\u2019s English-language Dharma School.3<\/sup><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u25b6\ufe0f Published by BDG on February 7, 2024<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u25b6\ufe0f Read more: <\/a>https:\/\/www.buddhistdoor.net\/news\/special-report-footsteps-of-the-buddha-ven-pomnyun-sunim-leads-500-practitioners-on-the-33rd-jungto-pilgrimage-across-india-and-nepal\/<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

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<\/p>\n","post_title":"Special Report: Footsteps of the Buddha \u2013 Ven. Pomnyun Sunim Leads 500 Practitioners on the 33rd Jungto Pilgrimage across India and Nepal","post_excerpt":"The Korean Seon (Zen) master Venerable Pomnyun Sunim (\ubc95\ub95c\uc2a4\ub2d8) wears many hats: Buddhist monk, teacher, author, environmentalist, and social activist, to name a few. As a widely respected Dharma teacher and a tireless socially engaged activist in his native South Korea, Ven. Pomnyun Sunim has founded numerous Dharma-based organizations, initiatives, and projects that are active across the world. Among them, Jungto Society, a volunteer-based community founded on the Buddhist teachings and expressing equality, simple living, and sustainability, is dedicated to addressing modern social issues that lead to suffering, including environmental degradation, poverty, and conflict.\n\nThis column, shared by Jungto Society, presents a series of highlights from Ven. Pomnyun Sunim\u2019s writings, teachings, public talks, and regular live-streamed Dharma Q+A sessions, which are accessible across the globe.\n","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","post_password":"","post_name":"special-report-footsteps-of-the-buddha-ven-pomnyun-sunim-leads-500-practitioners-on-the-33rd-jungto-pilgrimage-across-india-and-nepal","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2024-02-09 11:17:33","post_modified_gmt":"2024-02-09 16:17:33","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/www.jungtosociety.org\/?p=18003","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

This year\u2019s pilgrimage was particularly notable for two reasons: first was the participation, for the first time in the Jungto pilgrimage\u2019s 33-year history, of non-Korean practitioners: the 500-plus Korean Buddhist pilgrims were accompanied nine practitioners from Italy, Japan, Thailand, the United Kingdom, the United States, and Vietnam. Second, the pilgrimage also coincided with celebrations for the 30th anniversary of Sujata Academy, a remarkable community school and social empowerment project established by Ven. Pomnyun Sunim in Dungeshwari, in the northeastern Indian state of Bihar. This project has transformed the lives of an entire community of people who have faced systemic social and economic exclusion as a result of India\u2019s conservative Hindu caste hierarchy.2<\/sup><\/p>\n\n\n\n

The academy is named after Sujata, the young woman who is said to have nourished the ailing and emaciated Siddhartha Gautama with a bowl of milk-rice, thus ending his six years of extreme asceticism. Tuition at the academy is provided free of charge. The school\u2019s principal goal is to educate every student in basic literacy and numeracy. Classes are taught from kindergarten to secondary level, alongside adult literacy classes and skills training. Students who wish to continue beyond elementary education and attend secondary school are required to teach kindergarteners or to help out in the onsite Jivaka Hospital in the mornings and to attend classes in the afternoon, working in the spirit of giving back to the community. The campus also includes a warehouse, a dormitory, a large playing field, and sports equipment for the children.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

x<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n
\n
\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\"\"<\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

Ven. Pomnyun Sunim established the international Buddhist humanitarian relief organization Join Together Society (JTS) as an expression of the compassion of engaged Buddhism and the belief that helping others is the best way to enrich one\u2019s own life. Headquartered in Seoul, JTS operates four branch offices in South Korea and the United States, along with field offices in India and the Philippines. JTS Korea and JTS America oversee fundraising, while JTS India and JTS Philippines conduct development projects in cooperation with local communities. The relief organization has also earned Special Consultative Status to the United Nations Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

JTS India began its work in Dungeshwari, some 12 kilometers northeast of the Buddhist pilgrimage hub of Bodh Gaya, in the early 1990s, aspiring to fulfill the mission: \u201cThe hungry should eat; the sick should be treated; children should be educated in time.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This region is surrounded by the Pragbodhi Hills where the historical Buddha, Shakyamuni, is said to have spent six years in a cave as an ascetic. And it\u2019s here that JTS India has been working to empower the villagers of Dungeshwari to live their lives free from hunger, illiteracy, and disease.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The people of Dungeshwari are primarily Dalits, who face systemic social and economic exclusion as a result of the conservative Hindu social hierarchy. \u201cDalit,\u201d which translates as \u201cbroken\u201d in Sanskrit, is a term for the very lowest castes, whom members of the so-called \u201chigher\u201d castes still to this day deem \u201cuntouchable,\u201d despite the practice being prohibited in the Constitution of India. By working directly with disadvantaged communities, JTS aims to help them to mobilize their own capabilities and resources to create a more prosperous and sustainable future.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Jungto Society Dharma teacher Doyeon Jang (Dharma name Bogwang), is the director of Sujata Academy. She has overseen the development of this ambitious project, facing numerous challenges, both personal and structural, in the process of bringing this expression of compassion and social transformation to fruition.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u25b6\ufe0f Published by BDG on March 8, 2024<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u25b6\ufe0f Read more: <\/a>https:\/\/www.buddhistdoor.net\/features\/the-sujata-academy-project-the-power-of-hope-and-compassion-in-india\/<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

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<\/p>\n","post_title":"The Sujata Academy Project: The Power of Hope and Compassion in India","post_excerpt":"The Korean Seon (Zen) master Venerable Pomnyun Sunim (\ubc95\ub95c\uc2a4\ub2d8) wears many hats: Buddhist monk, teacher, author, environmentalist, and social activist, to name a few. As a widely respected Dharma teacher and a tireless socially engaged activist in his native South Korea, Ven. Pomnyun Sunim has founded numerous Dharma-based organizations, initiatives, and projects that are active across the world. Among them, Jungto Society, a volunteer-based community founded on the Buddhist teachings and expressing equality, simple living, and sustainability, is dedicated to addressing modern social issues that lead to suffering, including environmental degradation, poverty, and conflict.\n\nThis column, shared by Jungto Society, presents a series of highlights from Ven. Pomnyun Sunim\u2019s writings, teachings, public talks, and regular live-streamed Dharma Q+A sessions, which are accessible across the globe.\n","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","post_password":"","post_name":"the-sujata-academy-project-the-power-of-hope-and-compassion-in-india","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2024-03-10 17:38:00","post_modified_gmt":"2024-03-10 22:38:00","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/www.jungtosociety.org\/?p=18140","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"},{"ID":18019,"post_author":"13","post_date":"2024-02-14 23:46:40","post_date_gmt":"2024-02-15 04:46:40","post_content":"\n

<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Jungto Society, the international Buddhist community founded by the revered Korean Dharma master and social activist Venerable Pomnyun Sunim (\ubc95\ub95c\uc2a4\ub2d8), recently conducted its 33rd annual pilgrimage across India and to Nepal. Held under the theme \u201cFollowing in the Footsteps of the Buddha,\u201d the pilgrimage, which ran from 19 January to 2 February, was attended by more 500 practitioners.1<\/sup><\/p>\n\n\n\n

This year\u2019s pilgrimage was particularly notable for two reasons: the participation, for the first time in the Jungto pilgrimage\u2019s 33-year history, of non-Korean practitioners: the 500-plus Korean Buddhist pilgrims were accompanied nine practitioners from Italy, Japan, Thailand, the United Kingdom, the United States, and Vietnam\u2014some of whom are members of the the International Network of Engaged Buddhists (INEB), including two bhikkhunis<\/em> from Thailand, while others are graduates of Jungto Society\u2019s English-language Dharma School.2<\/sup><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Significantly, the pilgrimage also coincided with celebrations for the 30th anniversary of Sujata Academy, a remarkable community school and social empowerment project established by Ven. Pomnyun Sunim in Dungheswari, in the northeastern Indian state of Bihar, that has transformed the lives of an entire community of people who have faced systemic social and economic exclusion as a result of India\u2019s conservative Hindu caste hierarchy.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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\"\"<\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Ven. Pomnyun Sunim established the international Buddhist humanitarian relief organization Join Together Society (JTS) as an expression of the compassion of engaged Buddhism and the belief that helping others is the best way to enrich one\u2019s own life. Headquartered in Seoul, JTS operates four branch offices in South Korea and the United States, along with field offices in India and the Philippines. JTS Korea and JTS America oversee fundraising, while JTS India and JTS Philippines conduct development projects in cooperation with local communities. The relief organization has also earned Special Consultative Status to the United Nations Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

JTS India began its work in Dungeshwari, some 12 kilometers northeast of the Buddhist pilgrimage hub of Bodh Gaya, in the early 1990s, aspiring to fulfill the mission: \u201cThe hungry should eat; the sick should be treated; children should be educated in time.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This region is surrounded by the Pragbodhi Hills where the historical Buddha, Shakyamuni, is said to have spent six years in a cave as an ascetic. And it\u2019s here that JTS India has been working to empower the villagers in Dungeshwari to live their lives free from hunger, illiteracy, and disease.3<\/sup><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u25b6\ufe0f Published by BDG on February 14, 2024<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u25b6\ufe0f Read more: <\/a>https:\/\/www.buddhistdoor.net\/news\/special-report-the-hope-of-the-world-ven-pomnyun-sunim-marks-the-30th-anniversary-of-the-sujata-academy-project-in-india\/<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

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<\/p>\n","post_title":"Special Report: The Hope of the World \u2013 Ven. Pomnyun Sunim Marks the 30th Anniversary of the Sujata Academy Project in India","post_excerpt":"The Korean Seon (Zen) master Venerable Pomnyun Sunim (\ubc95\ub95c\uc2a4\ub2d8) wears many hats: Buddhist monk, teacher, author, environmentalist, and social activist, to name a few. As a widely respected Dharma teacher and a tireless socially engaged activist in his native South Korea, Ven. Pomnyun Sunim has founded numerous Dharma-based organizations, initiatives, and projects that are active across the world. Among them, Jungto Society, a volunteer-based community founded on the Buddhist teachings and expressing equality, simple living, and sustainability, is dedicated to addressing modern social issues that lead to suffering, including environmental degradation, poverty, and conflict.\n\nThis column, shared by Jungto Society, presents a series of highlights from Ven. Pomnyun Sunim\u2019s writings, teachings, public talks, and regular live-streamed Dharma Q+A sessions, which are accessible across the globe.\n","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","post_password":"","post_name":"special-report-the-hope-of-the-world-ven-pomnyun-sunim-marks-the-30th-anniversary-of-the-sujata-academy-project-in-india","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2024-02-14 23:46:42","post_modified_gmt":"2024-02-15 04:46:42","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/www.jungtosociety.org\/?p=18019","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"},{"ID":18003,"post_author":"13","post_date":"2024-02-09 11:17:31","post_date_gmt":"2024-02-09 16:17:31","post_content":"\n

<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Jungto Society, the international Buddhist community founded by the revered Korean Dharma master and social activist Venerable Pomnyun Sunim (\ubc95\ub95c\uc2a4\ub2d8), has conducted its 33rd annual pilgrimage across India and to Nepal. Held under the theme \u201cFollowing in the Footsteps of the Buddha,\u201d the pilgrimage, which ran from 19 January to 2 February, was attended by more 500 practitioners.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The pilgrimage was particularly notable for two reasons: this year saw the participation, for the first time in the Jungto pilgrimage\u2019s 33-year history, of non-Korean practitioners. It also celebrated the 30th anniversary of Sujata Academy, a remarkable community school established by Ven. Pomnyun Sunim in Dungheswari, Bihar, that has transformed the lives of an entire community of people who have faced systemic social and economic exclusion as a result of India\u2019s conservative Hindu caste hierarchy.1<\/sup><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Because of the unique significance of the Sujata Academy\u2019s 30th anniversary, BDG will cover that event in more depth in a separate upcoming report and interview.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n
\n
\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\"\"<\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Jungto Society is a volunteer-run community of practitioners that aspires to embody the Buddhist teachings through social engagement, and by promoting a simple lifestyle centered on sustainable living. The community seeks to address the crises of modern society, such as greed, poverty, conflict, and environmental degradation, by applying a Buddhist worldview of interconnectedness and living in line with the principle that everyone can find happiness through Buddhist practice and active participation in social movements.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Although fewer in number than the 1,250 practitioners who attended Jungto Society\u2019s 2023 pilgrimage,2<\/sup> the 500-plus Korean Buddhist pilgrims who recently returned from India were accompanied nine practitioners from Italy, Japan, Thailand, the United Kingdom, the United States, and Vietnam\u2014some of whom are members of the the International Network of Engaged Buddhists (INEB), including two bhikkhunis<\/em> from Thailand, while others are graduates of Jungto Society\u2019s English-language Dharma School.3<\/sup><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u25b6\ufe0f Published by BDG on February 7, 2024<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u25b6\ufe0f Read more: <\/a>https:\/\/www.buddhistdoor.net\/news\/special-report-footsteps-of-the-buddha-ven-pomnyun-sunim-leads-500-practitioners-on-the-33rd-jungto-pilgrimage-across-india-and-nepal\/<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

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<\/p>\n","post_title":"Special Report: Footsteps of the Buddha \u2013 Ven. Pomnyun Sunim Leads 500 Practitioners on the 33rd Jungto Pilgrimage across India and Nepal","post_excerpt":"The Korean Seon (Zen) master Venerable Pomnyun Sunim (\ubc95\ub95c\uc2a4\ub2d8) wears many hats: Buddhist monk, teacher, author, environmentalist, and social activist, to name a few. As a widely respected Dharma teacher and a tireless socially engaged activist in his native South Korea, Ven. Pomnyun Sunim has founded numerous Dharma-based organizations, initiatives, and projects that are active across the world. Among them, Jungto Society, a volunteer-based community founded on the Buddhist teachings and expressing equality, simple living, and sustainability, is dedicated to addressing modern social issues that lead to suffering, including environmental degradation, poverty, and conflict.\n\nThis column, shared by Jungto Society, presents a series of highlights from Ven. Pomnyun Sunim\u2019s writings, teachings, public talks, and regular live-streamed Dharma Q+A sessions, which are accessible across the globe.\n","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","post_password":"","post_name":"special-report-footsteps-of-the-buddha-ven-pomnyun-sunim-leads-500-practitioners-on-the-33rd-jungto-pilgrimage-across-india-and-nepal","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2024-02-09 11:17:33","post_modified_gmt":"2024-02-09 16:17:33","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/www.jungtosociety.org\/?p=18003","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

Jungto Society, the international Buddhist community founded by the revered Korean Dharma master and social activist Venerable Pomnyun Sunim (\ubc95\ub95c\uc2a4\ub2d8), recently conducted its 33rd annual pilgrimage across India and to Nepal. Held under the theme \u201cFollowing in the Footsteps of the Buddha,\u201d the pilgrimage, which ran from 19 January to 2 February, was attended by more 500 practitioners.1<\/sup><\/p>\n\n\n\n

This year\u2019s pilgrimage was particularly notable for two reasons: first was the participation, for the first time in the Jungto pilgrimage\u2019s 33-year history, of non-Korean practitioners: the 500-plus Korean Buddhist pilgrims were accompanied nine practitioners from Italy, Japan, Thailand, the United Kingdom, the United States, and Vietnam. Second, the pilgrimage also coincided with celebrations for the 30th anniversary of Sujata Academy, a remarkable community school and social empowerment project established by Ven. Pomnyun Sunim in Dungeshwari, in the northeastern Indian state of Bihar. This project has transformed the lives of an entire community of people who have faced systemic social and economic exclusion as a result of India\u2019s conservative Hindu caste hierarchy.2<\/sup><\/p>\n\n\n\n

The academy is named after Sujata, the young woman who is said to have nourished the ailing and emaciated Siddhartha Gautama with a bowl of milk-rice, thus ending his six years of extreme asceticism. Tuition at the academy is provided free of charge. The school\u2019s principal goal is to educate every student in basic literacy and numeracy. Classes are taught from kindergarten to secondary level, alongside adult literacy classes and skills training. Students who wish to continue beyond elementary education and attend secondary school are required to teach kindergarteners or to help out in the onsite Jivaka Hospital in the mornings and to attend classes in the afternoon, working in the spirit of giving back to the community. The campus also includes a warehouse, a dormitory, a large playing field, and sports equipment for the children.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

x<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n
\n
\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\"\"<\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

Ven. Pomnyun Sunim established the international Buddhist humanitarian relief organization Join Together Society (JTS) as an expression of the compassion of engaged Buddhism and the belief that helping others is the best way to enrich one\u2019s own life. Headquartered in Seoul, JTS operates four branch offices in South Korea and the United States, along with field offices in India and the Philippines. JTS Korea and JTS America oversee fundraising, while JTS India and JTS Philippines conduct development projects in cooperation with local communities. The relief organization has also earned Special Consultative Status to the United Nations Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

JTS India began its work in Dungeshwari, some 12 kilometers northeast of the Buddhist pilgrimage hub of Bodh Gaya, in the early 1990s, aspiring to fulfill the mission: \u201cThe hungry should eat; the sick should be treated; children should be educated in time.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This region is surrounded by the Pragbodhi Hills where the historical Buddha, Shakyamuni, is said to have spent six years in a cave as an ascetic. And it\u2019s here that JTS India has been working to empower the villagers of Dungeshwari to live their lives free from hunger, illiteracy, and disease.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The people of Dungeshwari are primarily Dalits, who face systemic social and economic exclusion as a result of the conservative Hindu social hierarchy. \u201cDalit,\u201d which translates as \u201cbroken\u201d in Sanskrit, is a term for the very lowest castes, whom members of the so-called \u201chigher\u201d castes still to this day deem \u201cuntouchable,\u201d despite the practice being prohibited in the Constitution of India. By working directly with disadvantaged communities, JTS aims to help them to mobilize their own capabilities and resources to create a more prosperous and sustainable future.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Jungto Society Dharma teacher Doyeon Jang (Dharma name Bogwang), is the director of Sujata Academy. She has overseen the development of this ambitious project, facing numerous challenges, both personal and structural, in the process of bringing this expression of compassion and social transformation to fruition.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u25b6\ufe0f Published by BDG on March 8, 2024<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u25b6\ufe0f Read more: <\/a>https:\/\/www.buddhistdoor.net\/features\/the-sujata-academy-project-the-power-of-hope-and-compassion-in-india\/<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

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<\/p>\n","post_title":"The Sujata Academy Project: The Power of Hope and Compassion in India","post_excerpt":"The Korean Seon (Zen) master Venerable Pomnyun Sunim (\ubc95\ub95c\uc2a4\ub2d8) wears many hats: Buddhist monk, teacher, author, environmentalist, and social activist, to name a few. As a widely respected Dharma teacher and a tireless socially engaged activist in his native South Korea, Ven. Pomnyun Sunim has founded numerous Dharma-based organizations, initiatives, and projects that are active across the world. Among them, Jungto Society, a volunteer-based community founded on the Buddhist teachings and expressing equality, simple living, and sustainability, is dedicated to addressing modern social issues that lead to suffering, including environmental degradation, poverty, and conflict.\n\nThis column, shared by Jungto Society, presents a series of highlights from Ven. Pomnyun Sunim\u2019s writings, teachings, public talks, and regular live-streamed Dharma Q+A sessions, which are accessible across the globe.\n","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","post_password":"","post_name":"the-sujata-academy-project-the-power-of-hope-and-compassion-in-india","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2024-03-10 17:38:00","post_modified_gmt":"2024-03-10 22:38:00","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/www.jungtosociety.org\/?p=18140","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"},{"ID":18019,"post_author":"13","post_date":"2024-02-14 23:46:40","post_date_gmt":"2024-02-15 04:46:40","post_content":"\n

<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Jungto Society, the international Buddhist community founded by the revered Korean Dharma master and social activist Venerable Pomnyun Sunim (\ubc95\ub95c\uc2a4\ub2d8), recently conducted its 33rd annual pilgrimage across India and to Nepal. Held under the theme \u201cFollowing in the Footsteps of the Buddha,\u201d the pilgrimage, which ran from 19 January to 2 February, was attended by more 500 practitioners.1<\/sup><\/p>\n\n\n\n

This year\u2019s pilgrimage was particularly notable for two reasons: the participation, for the first time in the Jungto pilgrimage\u2019s 33-year history, of non-Korean practitioners: the 500-plus Korean Buddhist pilgrims were accompanied nine practitioners from Italy, Japan, Thailand, the United Kingdom, the United States, and Vietnam\u2014some of whom are members of the the International Network of Engaged Buddhists (INEB), including two bhikkhunis<\/em> from Thailand, while others are graduates of Jungto Society\u2019s English-language Dharma School.2<\/sup><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Significantly, the pilgrimage also coincided with celebrations for the 30th anniversary of Sujata Academy, a remarkable community school and social empowerment project established by Ven. Pomnyun Sunim in Dungheswari, in the northeastern Indian state of Bihar, that has transformed the lives of an entire community of people who have faced systemic social and economic exclusion as a result of India\u2019s conservative Hindu caste hierarchy.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n
\n
\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\"\"<\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Ven. Pomnyun Sunim established the international Buddhist humanitarian relief organization Join Together Society (JTS) as an expression of the compassion of engaged Buddhism and the belief that helping others is the best way to enrich one\u2019s own life. Headquartered in Seoul, JTS operates four branch offices in South Korea and the United States, along with field offices in India and the Philippines. JTS Korea and JTS America oversee fundraising, while JTS India and JTS Philippines conduct development projects in cooperation with local communities. The relief organization has also earned Special Consultative Status to the United Nations Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

JTS India began its work in Dungeshwari, some 12 kilometers northeast of the Buddhist pilgrimage hub of Bodh Gaya, in the early 1990s, aspiring to fulfill the mission: \u201cThe hungry should eat; the sick should be treated; children should be educated in time.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This region is surrounded by the Pragbodhi Hills where the historical Buddha, Shakyamuni, is said to have spent six years in a cave as an ascetic. And it\u2019s here that JTS India has been working to empower the villagers in Dungeshwari to live their lives free from hunger, illiteracy, and disease.3<\/sup><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u25b6\ufe0f Published by BDG on February 14, 2024<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u25b6\ufe0f Read more: <\/a>https:\/\/www.buddhistdoor.net\/news\/special-report-the-hope-of-the-world-ven-pomnyun-sunim-marks-the-30th-anniversary-of-the-sujata-academy-project-in-india\/<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

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<\/p>\n","post_title":"Special Report: The Hope of the World \u2013 Ven. Pomnyun Sunim Marks the 30th Anniversary of the Sujata Academy Project in India","post_excerpt":"The Korean Seon (Zen) master Venerable Pomnyun Sunim (\ubc95\ub95c\uc2a4\ub2d8) wears many hats: Buddhist monk, teacher, author, environmentalist, and social activist, to name a few. As a widely respected Dharma teacher and a tireless socially engaged activist in his native South Korea, Ven. Pomnyun Sunim has founded numerous Dharma-based organizations, initiatives, and projects that are active across the world. Among them, Jungto Society, a volunteer-based community founded on the Buddhist teachings and expressing equality, simple living, and sustainability, is dedicated to addressing modern social issues that lead to suffering, including environmental degradation, poverty, and conflict.\n\nThis column, shared by Jungto Society, presents a series of highlights from Ven. Pomnyun Sunim\u2019s writings, teachings, public talks, and regular live-streamed Dharma Q+A sessions, which are accessible across the globe.\n","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","post_password":"","post_name":"special-report-the-hope-of-the-world-ven-pomnyun-sunim-marks-the-30th-anniversary-of-the-sujata-academy-project-in-india","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2024-02-14 23:46:42","post_modified_gmt":"2024-02-15 04:46:42","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/www.jungtosociety.org\/?p=18019","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"},{"ID":18003,"post_author":"13","post_date":"2024-02-09 11:17:31","post_date_gmt":"2024-02-09 16:17:31","post_content":"\n

<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Jungto Society, the international Buddhist community founded by the revered Korean Dharma master and social activist Venerable Pomnyun Sunim (\ubc95\ub95c\uc2a4\ub2d8), has conducted its 33rd annual pilgrimage across India and to Nepal. Held under the theme \u201cFollowing in the Footsteps of the Buddha,\u201d the pilgrimage, which ran from 19 January to 2 February, was attended by more 500 practitioners.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The pilgrimage was particularly notable for two reasons: this year saw the participation, for the first time in the Jungto pilgrimage\u2019s 33-year history, of non-Korean practitioners. It also celebrated the 30th anniversary of Sujata Academy, a remarkable community school established by Ven. Pomnyun Sunim in Dungheswari, Bihar, that has transformed the lives of an entire community of people who have faced systemic social and economic exclusion as a result of India\u2019s conservative Hindu caste hierarchy.1<\/sup><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Because of the unique significance of the Sujata Academy\u2019s 30th anniversary, BDG will cover that event in more depth in a separate upcoming report and interview.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n
\n
\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\"\"<\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Jungto Society is a volunteer-run community of practitioners that aspires to embody the Buddhist teachings through social engagement, and by promoting a simple lifestyle centered on sustainable living. The community seeks to address the crises of modern society, such as greed, poverty, conflict, and environmental degradation, by applying a Buddhist worldview of interconnectedness and living in line with the principle that everyone can find happiness through Buddhist practice and active participation in social movements.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Although fewer in number than the 1,250 practitioners who attended Jungto Society\u2019s 2023 pilgrimage,2<\/sup> the 500-plus Korean Buddhist pilgrims who recently returned from India were accompanied nine practitioners from Italy, Japan, Thailand, the United Kingdom, the United States, and Vietnam\u2014some of whom are members of the the International Network of Engaged Buddhists (INEB), including two bhikkhunis<\/em> from Thailand, while others are graduates of Jungto Society\u2019s English-language Dharma School.3<\/sup><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u25b6\ufe0f Published by BDG on February 7, 2024<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u25b6\ufe0f Read more: <\/a>https:\/\/www.buddhistdoor.net\/news\/special-report-footsteps-of-the-buddha-ven-pomnyun-sunim-leads-500-practitioners-on-the-33rd-jungto-pilgrimage-across-india-and-nepal\/<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

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<\/p>\n","post_title":"Special Report: Footsteps of the Buddha \u2013 Ven. Pomnyun Sunim Leads 500 Practitioners on the 33rd Jungto Pilgrimage across India and Nepal","post_excerpt":"The Korean Seon (Zen) master Venerable Pomnyun Sunim (\ubc95\ub95c\uc2a4\ub2d8) wears many hats: Buddhist monk, teacher, author, environmentalist, and social activist, to name a few. As a widely respected Dharma teacher and a tireless socially engaged activist in his native South Korea, Ven. Pomnyun Sunim has founded numerous Dharma-based organizations, initiatives, and projects that are active across the world. Among them, Jungto Society, a volunteer-based community founded on the Buddhist teachings and expressing equality, simple living, and sustainability, is dedicated to addressing modern social issues that lead to suffering, including environmental degradation, poverty, and conflict.\n\nThis column, shared by Jungto Society, presents a series of highlights from Ven. Pomnyun Sunim\u2019s writings, teachings, public talks, and regular live-streamed Dharma Q+A sessions, which are accessible across the globe.\n","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","post_password":"","post_name":"special-report-footsteps-of-the-buddha-ven-pomnyun-sunim-leads-500-practitioners-on-the-33rd-jungto-pilgrimage-across-india-and-nepal","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2024-02-09 11:17:33","post_modified_gmt":"2024-02-09 16:17:33","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/www.jungtosociety.org\/?p=18003","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

Jungto Society, the international Buddhist community founded by the revered Korean Dharma master and social activist Venerable Pomnyun Sunim (\ubc95\ub95c\uc2a4\ub2d8), recently conducted its 33rd annual pilgrimage across India and to Nepal. Held under the theme \u201cFollowing in the Footsteps of the Buddha,\u201d the pilgrimage, which ran from 19 January to 2 February, was attended by more 500 practitioners.1<\/sup><\/p>\n\n\n\n

This year\u2019s pilgrimage was particularly notable for two reasons: first was the participation, for the first time in the Jungto pilgrimage\u2019s 33-year history, of non-Korean practitioners: the 500-plus Korean Buddhist pilgrims were accompanied nine practitioners from Italy, Japan, Thailand, the United Kingdom, the United States, and Vietnam. Second, the pilgrimage also coincided with celebrations for the 30th anniversary of Sujata Academy, a remarkable community school and social empowerment project established by Ven. Pomnyun Sunim in Dungeshwari, in the northeastern Indian state of Bihar. This project has transformed the lives of an entire community of people who have faced systemic social and economic exclusion as a result of India\u2019s conservative Hindu caste hierarchy.2<\/sup><\/p>\n\n\n\n

The academy is named after Sujata, the young woman who is said to have nourished the ailing and emaciated Siddhartha Gautama with a bowl of milk-rice, thus ending his six years of extreme asceticism. Tuition at the academy is provided free of charge. The school\u2019s principal goal is to educate every student in basic literacy and numeracy. Classes are taught from kindergarten to secondary level, alongside adult literacy classes and skills training. Students who wish to continue beyond elementary education and attend secondary school are required to teach kindergarteners or to help out in the onsite Jivaka Hospital in the mornings and to attend classes in the afternoon, working in the spirit of giving back to the community. The campus also includes a warehouse, a dormitory, a large playing field, and sports equipment for the children.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

x<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n
\n
\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\"\"<\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

Ven. Pomnyun Sunim established the international Buddhist humanitarian relief organization Join Together Society (JTS) as an expression of the compassion of engaged Buddhism and the belief that helping others is the best way to enrich one\u2019s own life. Headquartered in Seoul, JTS operates four branch offices in South Korea and the United States, along with field offices in India and the Philippines. JTS Korea and JTS America oversee fundraising, while JTS India and JTS Philippines conduct development projects in cooperation with local communities. The relief organization has also earned Special Consultative Status to the United Nations Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

JTS India began its work in Dungeshwari, some 12 kilometers northeast of the Buddhist pilgrimage hub of Bodh Gaya, in the early 1990s, aspiring to fulfill the mission: \u201cThe hungry should eat; the sick should be treated; children should be educated in time.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This region is surrounded by the Pragbodhi Hills where the historical Buddha, Shakyamuni, is said to have spent six years in a cave as an ascetic. And it\u2019s here that JTS India has been working to empower the villagers of Dungeshwari to live their lives free from hunger, illiteracy, and disease.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The people of Dungeshwari are primarily Dalits, who face systemic social and economic exclusion as a result of the conservative Hindu social hierarchy. \u201cDalit,\u201d which translates as \u201cbroken\u201d in Sanskrit, is a term for the very lowest castes, whom members of the so-called \u201chigher\u201d castes still to this day deem \u201cuntouchable,\u201d despite the practice being prohibited in the Constitution of India. By working directly with disadvantaged communities, JTS aims to help them to mobilize their own capabilities and resources to create a more prosperous and sustainable future.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Jungto Society Dharma teacher Doyeon Jang (Dharma name Bogwang), is the director of Sujata Academy. She has overseen the development of this ambitious project, facing numerous challenges, both personal and structural, in the process of bringing this expression of compassion and social transformation to fruition.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u25b6\ufe0f Published by BDG on March 8, 2024<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u25b6\ufe0f Read more: <\/a>https:\/\/www.buddhistdoor.net\/features\/the-sujata-academy-project-the-power-of-hope-and-compassion-in-india\/<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

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<\/p>\n","post_title":"The Sujata Academy Project: The Power of Hope and Compassion in India","post_excerpt":"The Korean Seon (Zen) master Venerable Pomnyun Sunim (\ubc95\ub95c\uc2a4\ub2d8) wears many hats: Buddhist monk, teacher, author, environmentalist, and social activist, to name a few. As a widely respected Dharma teacher and a tireless socially engaged activist in his native South Korea, Ven. Pomnyun Sunim has founded numerous Dharma-based organizations, initiatives, and projects that are active across the world. Among them, Jungto Society, a volunteer-based community founded on the Buddhist teachings and expressing equality, simple living, and sustainability, is dedicated to addressing modern social issues that lead to suffering, including environmental degradation, poverty, and conflict.\n\nThis column, shared by Jungto Society, presents a series of highlights from Ven. Pomnyun Sunim\u2019s writings, teachings, public talks, and regular live-streamed Dharma Q+A sessions, which are accessible across the globe.\n","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","post_password":"","post_name":"the-sujata-academy-project-the-power-of-hope-and-compassion-in-india","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2024-03-10 17:38:00","post_modified_gmt":"2024-03-10 22:38:00","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/www.jungtosociety.org\/?p=18140","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"},{"ID":18019,"post_author":"13","post_date":"2024-02-14 23:46:40","post_date_gmt":"2024-02-15 04:46:40","post_content":"\n

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Jungto Society, the international Buddhist community founded by the revered Korean Dharma master and social activist Venerable Pomnyun Sunim (\ubc95\ub95c\uc2a4\ub2d8), recently conducted its 33rd annual pilgrimage across India and to Nepal. Held under the theme \u201cFollowing in the Footsteps of the Buddha,\u201d the pilgrimage, which ran from 19 January to 2 February, was attended by more 500 practitioners.1<\/sup><\/p>\n\n\n\n

This year\u2019s pilgrimage was particularly notable for two reasons: the participation, for the first time in the Jungto pilgrimage\u2019s 33-year history, of non-Korean practitioners: the 500-plus Korean Buddhist pilgrims were accompanied nine practitioners from Italy, Japan, Thailand, the United Kingdom, the United States, and Vietnam\u2014some of whom are members of the the International Network of Engaged Buddhists (INEB), including two bhikkhunis<\/em> from Thailand, while others are graduates of Jungto Society\u2019s English-language Dharma School.2<\/sup><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Significantly, the pilgrimage also coincided with celebrations for the 30th anniversary of Sujata Academy, a remarkable community school and social empowerment project established by Ven. Pomnyun Sunim in Dungheswari, in the northeastern Indian state of Bihar, that has transformed the lives of an entire community of people who have faced systemic social and economic exclusion as a result of India\u2019s conservative Hindu caste hierarchy.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Ven. Pomnyun Sunim established the international Buddhist humanitarian relief organization Join Together Society (JTS) as an expression of the compassion of engaged Buddhism and the belief that helping others is the best way to enrich one\u2019s own life. Headquartered in Seoul, JTS operates four branch offices in South Korea and the United States, along with field offices in India and the Philippines. JTS Korea and JTS America oversee fundraising, while JTS India and JTS Philippines conduct development projects in cooperation with local communities. The relief organization has also earned Special Consultative Status to the United Nations Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

JTS India began its work in Dungeshwari, some 12 kilometers northeast of the Buddhist pilgrimage hub of Bodh Gaya, in the early 1990s, aspiring to fulfill the mission: \u201cThe hungry should eat; the sick should be treated; children should be educated in time.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This region is surrounded by the Pragbodhi Hills where the historical Buddha, Shakyamuni, is said to have spent six years in a cave as an ascetic. And it\u2019s here that JTS India has been working to empower the villagers in Dungeshwari to live their lives free from hunger, illiteracy, and disease.3<\/sup><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u25b6\ufe0f Published by BDG on February 14, 2024<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u25b6\ufe0f Read more: <\/a>https:\/\/www.buddhistdoor.net\/news\/special-report-the-hope-of-the-world-ven-pomnyun-sunim-marks-the-30th-anniversary-of-the-sujata-academy-project-in-india\/<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

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<\/p>\n","post_title":"Special Report: The Hope of the World \u2013 Ven. Pomnyun Sunim Marks the 30th Anniversary of the Sujata Academy Project in India","post_excerpt":"The Korean Seon (Zen) master Venerable Pomnyun Sunim (\ubc95\ub95c\uc2a4\ub2d8) wears many hats: Buddhist monk, teacher, author, environmentalist, and social activist, to name a few. As a widely respected Dharma teacher and a tireless socially engaged activist in his native South Korea, Ven. Pomnyun Sunim has founded numerous Dharma-based organizations, initiatives, and projects that are active across the world. Among them, Jungto Society, a volunteer-based community founded on the Buddhist teachings and expressing equality, simple living, and sustainability, is dedicated to addressing modern social issues that lead to suffering, including environmental degradation, poverty, and conflict.\n\nThis column, shared by Jungto Society, presents a series of highlights from Ven. Pomnyun Sunim\u2019s writings, teachings, public talks, and regular live-streamed Dharma Q+A sessions, which are accessible across the globe.\n","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","post_password":"","post_name":"special-report-the-hope-of-the-world-ven-pomnyun-sunim-marks-the-30th-anniversary-of-the-sujata-academy-project-in-india","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2024-02-14 23:46:42","post_modified_gmt":"2024-02-15 04:46:42","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/www.jungtosociety.org\/?p=18019","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"},{"ID":18003,"post_author":"13","post_date":"2024-02-09 11:17:31","post_date_gmt":"2024-02-09 16:17:31","post_content":"\n

<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Jungto Society, the international Buddhist community founded by the revered Korean Dharma master and social activist Venerable Pomnyun Sunim (\ubc95\ub95c\uc2a4\ub2d8), has conducted its 33rd annual pilgrimage across India and to Nepal. Held under the theme \u201cFollowing in the Footsteps of the Buddha,\u201d the pilgrimage, which ran from 19 January to 2 February, was attended by more 500 practitioners.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The pilgrimage was particularly notable for two reasons: this year saw the participation, for the first time in the Jungto pilgrimage\u2019s 33-year history, of non-Korean practitioners. It also celebrated the 30th anniversary of Sujata Academy, a remarkable community school established by Ven. Pomnyun Sunim in Dungheswari, Bihar, that has transformed the lives of an entire community of people who have faced systemic social and economic exclusion as a result of India\u2019s conservative Hindu caste hierarchy.1<\/sup><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Because of the unique significance of the Sujata Academy\u2019s 30th anniversary, BDG will cover that event in more depth in a separate upcoming report and interview.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Jungto Society is a volunteer-run community of practitioners that aspires to embody the Buddhist teachings through social engagement, and by promoting a simple lifestyle centered on sustainable living. The community seeks to address the crises of modern society, such as greed, poverty, conflict, and environmental degradation, by applying a Buddhist worldview of interconnectedness and living in line with the principle that everyone can find happiness through Buddhist practice and active participation in social movements.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Although fewer in number than the 1,250 practitioners who attended Jungto Society\u2019s 2023 pilgrimage,2<\/sup> the 500-plus Korean Buddhist pilgrims who recently returned from India were accompanied nine practitioners from Italy, Japan, Thailand, the United Kingdom, the United States, and Vietnam\u2014some of whom are members of the the International Network of Engaged Buddhists (INEB), including two bhikkhunis<\/em> from Thailand, while others are graduates of Jungto Society\u2019s English-language Dharma School.3<\/sup><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u25b6\ufe0f Published by BDG on February 7, 2024<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u25b6\ufe0f Read more: <\/a>https:\/\/www.buddhistdoor.net\/news\/special-report-footsteps-of-the-buddha-ven-pomnyun-sunim-leads-500-practitioners-on-the-33rd-jungto-pilgrimage-across-india-and-nepal\/<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

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<\/p>\n","post_title":"Special Report: Footsteps of the Buddha \u2013 Ven. Pomnyun Sunim Leads 500 Practitioners on the 33rd Jungto Pilgrimage across India and Nepal","post_excerpt":"The Korean Seon (Zen) master Venerable Pomnyun Sunim (\ubc95\ub95c\uc2a4\ub2d8) wears many hats: Buddhist monk, teacher, author, environmentalist, and social activist, to name a few. As a widely respected Dharma teacher and a tireless socially engaged activist in his native South Korea, Ven. Pomnyun Sunim has founded numerous Dharma-based organizations, initiatives, and projects that are active across the world. Among them, Jungto Society, a volunteer-based community founded on the Buddhist teachings and expressing equality, simple living, and sustainability, is dedicated to addressing modern social issues that lead to suffering, including environmental degradation, poverty, and conflict.\n\nThis column, shared by Jungto Society, presents a series of highlights from Ven. Pomnyun Sunim\u2019s writings, teachings, public talks, and regular live-streamed Dharma Q+A sessions, which are accessible across the globe.\n","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","post_password":"","post_name":"special-report-footsteps-of-the-buddha-ven-pomnyun-sunim-leads-500-practitioners-on-the-33rd-jungto-pilgrimage-across-india-and-nepal","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2024-02-09 11:17:33","post_modified_gmt":"2024-02-09 16:17:33","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/www.jungtosociety.org\/?p=18003","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"};

SujataAcademy