Why Can’t We Feel Satisfied Even After Getting What We Want?

Hello. Today, about 800 Happy Citizens from all over the country have gathered for a historical tour of Gyeongju with Venerable Pomnyun Sunim.

After completing his morning practice and meditation, Sunim began his day at 8 AM with an online Dharma Q&A session with students from the Jungto Dharma School. The Jungto Dharma School is an English-language course equivalent to the Jungto Buddhism Course. Seventeen students from the Western and Eastern United States, Canada, the United Kingdom, Germany, Cyprus, Indonesia, the Philippines, Vietnam, Hong Kong, and Korea are attending the class.

After hearing feedback from a few participants, everyone bowed three times to Sunim, requesting his Dharma teaching. Sunim greeted them.

“I returned from Türkiye yesterday. Last year, there was significant damage due to the earthquake in Türkiye and Syria. JTS built a new school to replace one destroyed by the earthquake, aiming to give hope to the people in the area. We constructed a large school that can accommodate 4,000 students and held an opening ceremony. The residents and students were overjoyed. While we live comfortably, it may seem that the world is peaceful, but many people are suffering from wars, earthquakes, and natural disasters like floods in various parts of the world. In developed countries, they can quickly recover from natural disasters on their own, but in poor countries, it’s difficult to overcome such calamities independently. Therefore, we need to gather our strength to help them stand up again, even if they are not from our country or our relatives. Especially with the Ukraine-Russia war and the Israel-Hamas conflict in the Middle East, the amount of aid for areas affected by natural disasters has reportedly decreased significantly. I hope we can focus more on helping those suffering behind these issues rather than just on elections or wars.

Today is an opportunity for you to freely discuss any difficulties or questions you have while studying at the Jungto Dharma School, or any personal concerns. There are no fixed answers to any problem. However, it’s necessary to understand things as close to the truth as possible. Now, let’s hear your stories.”

For an hour and a half, four people pressed the raise hand button and conversed with Sunim. One of them asked how to approach practice and maintain perspective, noting that despite striving for desired outcomes, satisfaction remains elusive even after achieving them.

Why Can’t We Feel Satisfied Even After Getting What We Want?

“Why is there always a contradiction in human behavior? First, We desire something, when we get it we feel happy for a short while, but soon after, we return to a sense of lack. For example, I want to be successful or earn a lot of money, but when I get it, the feeling of satisfaction is somehow lacking; it is not the same feeling of satisfaction that I had before when I only imagined getting it. Second, a desire arises in me to do something, but I find myself lazy or procrastinating about doing it. For example, I have a desire to read self-help books to improve myself, but after buying about 20 books, I don’t read them at all. Why is that? Why did I want to do it in the first place if I am not going to do it later? Is the ‘me’ of yesterday, who has the desire to do something, and the ‘me’ of today, who feels lazy to do it, not the same person? These are some of the cases where I somehow feel that there is a contradiction in my behavior and I feel that there is no consistent ‘me’.”

“While it could be seen as a contradiction, I don’t view it that way. I see it as a characteristic of human psychology. This trait doesn’t always lead to negative outcomes. In fact, it’s because of this trait that people can live. If people were expected to keep 100% of their promises, we wouldn’t be able to live due to the constraints of those promises. We can live like this because we sometimes keep promises and sometimes don’t. Also, when a loved one dies, the grief might seem eternal, but as time passes, we gradually forget and may even come to love someone else. The changing of the mind is not a contradiction. It’s precisely because of this trait that people can continue living. You should understand this as ‘the inherent characteristic of how the mind works.’

Once you understand this nature of the mind, you can live accordingly. For example, when poor, one might think, ‘If I just had $10,000, I wouldn’t want anything more.’ So when they get $10,000, they’re very happy. But soon, it starts to feel like $10,000 is not enough. Then they think, ‘If I had $1 million, I really wouldn’t want anything more.’ But when they get $1 million, the joy is fleeting. Next, they feel they need $1 billion. If you see through this, you realize that having a lot of money doesn’t make you happy. The same goes for status, popularity, or health. When sick, we think we’d be content if only we weren’t ill, but once healthy, other desires arise. Understanding this principle helps you learn to be content here and now. This doesn’t mean you shouldn’t take any action. If necessary, you can earn more money or seek a higher position. But that doesn’t necessarily make you happier. So, whether rich or poor, high-ranking or low-ranking, everyone can live happily, right? If this trait didn’t exist, it would mean that those with high status or wealth should be happier, and those with low status or poverty should be unhappy. That’s why it’s important to understand this not as a contradiction, but as the inherent nature of how the mind works.

The human mind is always changing. It’s particularly influenced by the six sense organs. For example, if you go to a wedding and see someone getting married beautifully, you might think, ‘I want to get married too.’ Or if you meet a monk or a priest who seems admirable, you might think, ‘I should become a priest or a monk instead of getting married.’ Or if you see someone who did great things for the country and died, with many people respecting them, you might think, ‘I want to die with dignity too.’ But what would happen if people did everything their mind suggested? Would you get married today, divorce tomorrow to become a monk, and die the day after? It’s natural that you feel one way today and another way tomorrow. That’s why the Buddha spoke of ‘observing the impermanence of the mind’ (관심무상, gwan-sim-mu-sang). The mind is not constant; it always changes according to conditions. So, the mind is not something to be fully trusted. Therefore, when a thought arises, you should observe it like, ‘Oh, this kind of thought is arising now.’ Like, ‘Now, I want to read that book!’ Tomorrow, a different thought might arise. So it’s not that you don’t want to read anymore, but that a different thought has arisen, and you’ve lost interest in that book.

Nowadays, advertisements are designed to stimulate people’s psychology to sell products. In the past, when people needed a hoe or shovel while working, they would go to a hardware store to buy it. In other words, purchases were made out of necessity. But now, it’s different. Even if you don’t really need something right now, videos stimulate your eyes and ears. They show very effective hoes or efficient shovels, and for a moment, you want to buy them. So people make purchases online. As a result, there are items that remain unopened after ordering, and an increasing number of things that are used once and discarded after opening. We keep producing goods, so there’s an abundance of materials, but most of them go unused. This phenomenon is likely to worsen over time.

Elections are also changing. In the U.S. presidential election, the ability to raise money for advertising has become more important than a candidate’s actual capabilities. Nowadays, artificial intelligence is used to create personalized advertisements tailored to each individual. When people see these ads, they’re stimulated in a way that appeals directly to them, leading them to vote without considering the candidate’s abilities or other qualifications.

Whenever such emotions arise, we need to briefly observe them, thinking, ‘Oh, this feeling is arising now!’ and calm our minds. This way, we can avoid these temptations. We should just observe, ‘This feeling is arising now!’

“I understand. Thank you.”

After answering the following questions, Sunim concluded the live broadcast at 9:30 AM.

Upon leaving the broadcasting studio, Sunim immediately headed to Gyeongju for a historical tour with Happy Citizens.

Today, Sunim planned to tour the Royal Tomb of King Muyeol, General Kim Yu-sin’s Tomb, Sacheonwangsa Temple Site, and Queen Seondeok’s Tomb with about 800 Happy Citizens from across the country. The goal was to discuss what perspective one should have to carry out activities with a proper historical consciousness.

Early in the morning, Happy Citizens who had departed early from all over the country were arriving at King Taejong Muyeol’s tomb. At 10 AM, when everyone arrived, the Gyeongju historical tour for Happy Citizens began. Sunim greeted everyone warmly and explained the purpose of this Gyeongju historical tour.

“I sincerely welcome you all for coming such a long way. The Gyeongsang-do way of saying ‘welcome’ is ‘Why did you come so far?’ (Laughter)

We are visiting this place to examine why Silla became the center of our national history. The center of our national history has been formed through Hwanin’s Hwan-guk, Hwanung’s Baedal-guk, Dangun’s Joseon, Haemosu’s Buyeo, Jumong’s Goguryeo, and Dae Jo-yeong’s Balhae. Silla was not initially part of this mainstream. We are here to study together and learn what historical lessons were gained as Silla, a small country located in the southeastern part of the Korean peninsula, emerged as the mainstream of our national history. Simply knowing historical facts is secondary. We are on this historical tour to learn what lessons we can draw from this reality before us and how we can pioneer the future.

Lessons from the Consensual Unification of Silla and Gaya

“Because Gaya and Silla unified peacefully, there was no Later Gaya even when Silla later weakened. However, since Baekje and Goguryeo were unified by force, Later Baekje and Later Goguryeo emerged when Silla weakened. Peaceful unification has several advantages: first, it reduces current damage; second, it can bring synergistic effects of unification; and third, it prevents future division. Unification by force has many side effects. We can learn these lessons from the integration of Silla and Gaya.”

As sunlight flickered through the clouds, a cool autumn breeze blew. The trees surrounding King Muyeol’s tomb appeared even greener. The members of the Sangha, basking in the sunlight to relieve their fatigue, were captivated by Sunim’s words.

While there were limitations to Silla’s unification of the Three Kingdoms, there were certainly lessons for today’s South Korea to learn. After listening to an hour-long explanation, people stood up and walked around King Muyeol’s tomb. Exiting through the back gate, the Seoak village appeared at the foot of Seondo Mountain.

About 800 people formed a long procession, walking through the alleys of Seoak village to explore the area. Beautiful chrysanthemums were blooming along the roadside in various spots.

After passing the three-story stone pagoda in Seoak-dong and the Dobong Seodang, a golden field spread out in front of them. They walked slowly along the road where cosmos flowers swayed in the autumn breeze. Sunim suggested singing a song using the transceiver.

“Do you know any autumn wind songs? Would someone like to sing one?”

One person volunteered to sing a song.

“As autumn comes, the autumn breeze gently blows ♬ Green leaves change into red skirts, gathering swallows heading to the southern lands, asking them to return when spring comes.”

They enjoyed the autumn scenery while singing songs in relay.

Before long, the front of the group arrived at General Kim Yu-sin’s tomb. It took 1 hour and 15 minutes to walk from King Taejong Muyeol’s tomb to General Kim Yu-sin’s tomb. The event staff warmly welcomed the happy citizens.

“Thank you for your hard work in coming such a long way.”

As the 800 happy citizens gathered again at General Kim Yu-sin’s tomb, Sunim continued his explanation.

“Kim Chunchu became king, and Kim Yu-sin became the great general. They cooperated to become the main figures in the unification of the Three Kingdoms. Then, Kim Chunchu’s son, King Munmu, completed the unification. That’s why King Taejong Muyeol, Kim Yu-sin, and King Munmu are called the heroes of the Three Kingdoms’ unification. In China, do you know who became a god among warriors? It’s Guan Yu. That’s why you can find many places in China where Guan Yu is enshrined. Similarly, in Korea, Kim Yu-sin is portrayed as reaching a divine level. That’s why there are stories like ‘Kim Yu-sin was born under the 33 heavenly constellations’ and ‘Kim Yu-sin received divine protection.’ Also, in our history, Kim Yu-sin is the only subject who received a royal title. In Silla, the prime minister was called ‘Gakgan.’ Later, the title was inflated to ‘Daegakgan.’ For Kim Yu-sin, they added ‘Tae’ in front, calling him ‘Taedaegakgan.’ After Kim Yu-sin’s death, in later Silla periods, he was even more revered and given the title ‘Heungmu Daewang,’ meaning ‘The Great King who Raised Military Prowess.’ So, the stone tablet next to the tomb is for Taedaegakgan, and the one across is for Heungmu Daewang.”

When Silla and Tang China allied to destroy Baekje, Kim Yu-sin and Gyebaek engaged in a major battle at Hwangsan Plains. Although Silla defeated Baekje, they gained nothing from it because Tang China directly ruled over Baekje’s territory. When Goguryeo fell, Tang also established the Andong Protectorate to govern that land. As a result, hardliners like Kim Yu-sin eventually launched a preemptive attack on Tang forces, leading to the Silla-Tang War. The Silla-Tang alliance turned into the Silla-Tang War, which lasted for eight years. Kim Yu-sin can be seen as a decisive figure who initially formed the Silla-Tang alliance but also fought against Tang when Silla’s sovereignty was threatened.

Silla’s Culture Shone Like Today’s Korean Wave

Today, as we walked from King Taejong Muyeol’s tomb to General Kim Yu-sin’s grave, we studied how Silla revitalized the country, achieved unification, and ultimately rose to become the central nation in East Asia. Although Silla’s territory was small, its civilization was highly advanced. It was very similar to today’s Korean Wave. At that time, Silla was a tributary state to Tang China, but Silla’s culture was so developed that it became popular within Tang. This was called “Silla-bang.” Similarly, while we are currently influenced by the United States, we are also seeing Korean culture being exported back to America through the Korean Wave.

Sunim then shared various stories about General Kim Yu-sin’s achievements and how later generations evaluated him.

After finishing the explanation, everyone chanted the Happiness School slogan together and took a commemorative photo while seated.

“Let’s all be happy! Let’s all be happy! Let’s all be happy!”

Departing from General Kim Yu-sin’s tomb, Sunim headed towards Heungmu Park. Upon arrival, people gathered in regional and small groups, spread out picnic mats, and had lunch. Everyone enjoyed a pleasant lunchtime, sharing the packed lunches they had brought from home.

After having lunch from a packed meal, Sunim headed towards Nangsan Mountain, which was considered sacred by the Silla people.

About 800 people gathered again at the site where Sacheonwangsa Temple once stood at the foot of Nangsan Mountain. Although it’s now an empty lot, some traces of the temple and pagoda have been partially restored.

Sacheonwangsa Temple was a place where people prayed earnestly to prevent the invasion of 200,000 Tang troops when news came that they were planning to attack Silla. Sunim told an entertaining story about how Silla defeated Tang China.

“Eventually, Silla attacked the Tang army, and war broke out between Silla and Tang. Angered, Tang removed the Silla king from power. They rejected King Munmu and appointed his younger brother, Kim Inmun, as the king of Silla, ordering him to attack Silla. They sent an army of 200,000 to conquer Silla. Within Silla, opinions in the court were divided. Some wanted to surrender, others wanted to fight. King Munmu ultimately decided to fight to the end. However, with Silla’s military power at the time, it was an impossible battle to win. So, a monk said, ‘This is not a battle that can be won by human power alone. We must borrow the power of the gods.’ Since Silla believed in Buddhism at that time, they sought to borrow the power of Indian gods like Indra, the Four Heavenly Kings, and the Eight Divisions of Gods and Dragons.

A National Defense Temple Built to Protect the Country from Foreign Invasion

Historically, Silla had seven sacred sites before Buddhism was introduced. One of these was Sinyurim. Sinyurim means “a sacred place where gods play,” implying its holiness. King Munmu ordered a temple to be built here to perform the Munduru esoteric ritual, a secret Tantric Buddhist practice, believing it could repel the Tang dynasty’s army. Such temples are called national defense temples. They have no relation to religious activities. The temple was not built to spread Buddhism but to protect the country. However, before the temple could be completed, news arrived that the Tang army had already set out. In haste, a temporary temple was erected using straw to create a Buddha statue and draping it with silk. After the temple was hastily built, 12 Confucian monks gathered to perform the Munduru ritual. Suddenly, a storm arose in the West Sea, causing the entire Tang army of 200,000 to be submerged in the sea. Whether you believe it or not, this account is recorded in the Samguk Yusa (Memorabilia of the Three Kingdoms). This is not a story I made up.

When they invaded for the second time and the Munduru ritual was performed again, another storm arose. If it had happened only once, it might have been considered strange, but when it occurs twice in a row, mysticism takes hold. People start to believe, ‘This must be real.’ In this way, Silla was able to repel the Tang invasion. While it’s highly likely that a typhoon occurred naturally, this is the story that has been passed down.

The reason we need to pray here is to protect our country from potential foreign intervention by Japan, the United States, China, and others in the process of achieving reunification between North and South Korea. A few years ago, Jungto Society reenacted the Munduru ritual here, praying for peace on the Korean Peninsula. Even now, Jungto Society members gather here every Sunday morning to pray for peace and reunification of the Korean Peninsula.

After touring the site where Sunim and 12 yogacara monks performed the Munduru ritual, the group left Sacheonwangsa Temple and walked along a mountain path to reach Queen Seondeok’s tomb. The cool forest path and mountain breeze were refreshing.

As everyone gathered and sat at Queen Seondeok’s tomb, Sunim suggested singing a song. A few people enthusiastically raised their hands and began to sing.

After the lively singing session, Sunim continued with his explanation.

“We are gathered here at the tomb of Queen Seondeok, the 27th ruler of Silla. She was the first female monarch to succeed to the throne in our country. Queen Seondeok’s reign was marked by many achievements. The well-known Cheomseongdae observatory was built during her time, as was Bunhwangsa Temple. The nine-story pagoda at Hwangnyongsa Temple was also erected during her reign. When a woman ascended to the throne, there was still a tendency to look down on and disregard women at that time, so neighboring countries frequently invaded. Even Emperor Taizong of Tang China mocked, ‘Is there not a single man in your country fit to be king? Shall we send you a member of our royal family?’ It is said that Monk Jajang, while studying in Tang China, prayed for protection against constant foreign invasions and unrest in the country. At that time, a mysterious monk appeared and told Jajang:

‘Your country has a female ruler who is wise but lacks authority because she is a woman. That’s why other countries invade at will. You must build a tall nine-story pagoda at Hwangnyongsa Temple to demonstrate the nation’s authority.’

Originally, pagodas were meant to enshrine Buddha’s relics, but the nine-story pagoda at Hwangryongsa Temple was actually built for the sake of the nation. The first floor was dedicated to warding off Japan, the second floor to warding off China, and so on up to the ninth floor, each level intended to protect against surrounding foreign threats. It also expressed the wish for Samhan Iltong (unification of the three Han states). Samhan referred to Goguryeo, Baekje, and Silla, and before that, it meant Mahan, Jinhan, and Byeonhan. Today, we commonly use the term “South-North reunification,” but back then, they used the expression “Samhan Iltong,” meaning the unification of the three Han states. Simply praying to prevent foreign invasions while building a pagoda is a passive stance. More proactively, by turning crisis into opportunity and achieving Samhan Iltong, wouldn’t lasting peace be granted? In today’s context, this can be seen as a shift from the perspective of preventing North Korean invasion to achieving unification. After the nine-story pagoda at Hwangryongsa was built and prayers were offered, the unification of the Three Kingdoms was achieved in less than 30 years. It can be said that the wish was fulfilled within a single generation.

Why We Should Prepare for the Future Especially in Difficult and Bleak Times

We often talk about unification or achieving peace based solely on the results, but there are always causes leading up to those results. These outcomes are the product of 30 years of effort. Looking even further back, we can see that the peaceful merger of Silla and Gaya 150 years earlier ultimately led to Silla becoming the main player in the unification of the Three Kingdoms. Therefore, we shouldn’t chase after immediate visible benefits. We should always think about the future of the country, considering what our nation will be like at least 30 years from now. If we predict that the future will worsen, we need to make plans to prevent that. If we desire our country to be a certain way in 30 years, it’s the duty of leaders to prepare from now to make it happen. However, looking at our country’s current leaders, it seems they can’t even look three years ahead, let alone 30, and are only focused on immediate issues. This doesn’t mean we’ll collapse right away. But as the nation’s growth engines gradually deplete in various sectors, we’ll start going downhill in just 10 years. By then, no matter how hard we try, it will be difficult to prevent the decline.

Therefore, the leadership of Queen Seondeok is needed now more than ever. Although she didn’t achieve unification during her reign, the young talents who set goals and worked towards them during her time became the key figures of the country and the protagonists of unification after her death. While Kim Chunchu, Kim Yusin, and King Munmu ultimately became the main figures in the unification of the Three Kingdoms, if we examine the cause, we can see that the seeds were already sown during Queen Seondeok’s time when she set the goal of unifying the three Han states and built the nine-story pagoda at Hwangnyongsa Temple. Instead of constantly complaining about the bleak reality, you should set even greater goals, especially in these difficult times. This is a time when our aspirations to work for the happiness of the people and peace on the Korean Peninsula are needed more than ever.

All the Happy Citizens felt proud to hear that female leadership played a significant role on the Korean Peninsula 1,400 years ago.

Following this, Sunim held a Dharma Q&A session to discuss the difficulties and questions that arose while carrying out Happy Citizen activities.

Various questions continued to be asked. After an hour of conversation, Sunim gave his closing remarks.

“If you keep making resolutions, enduring, and persevering, you’ll become stressed. Instead, just take it easy. Don’t worry about how to introduce the Happiness School to someone. Just think ‘nothing ventured, nothing gained’ and simply ask, ‘Would you like to try the Happiness School?’ If they say no, just say ‘Okay.’ If they say yes, that’s great. Worrying about whether someone will like it or not before even trying is just creating unnecessary anxiety. Just say, ‘I tried it and found it good, why don’t you give it a try?’ But don’t force it. If they like it, great. If they don’t, just say ‘Okay, see you next time.’ If they say ‘I’m Christian,’ just tell them ‘The Happiness School has nothing to do with Christianity or Buddhism.’ When you approach things lightly like this, life becomes lighter too.

How About Living Life Light-heartedly?

You’re not fighting for independence, are you? Why are you doing these activities with such a heavy heart? You’re cooking meals like everyone else in the world, cleaning like everyone else, raising children like everyone else, and working at jobs like everyone else. Are you doing anything particularly special? Yet you’re always in agony. So, this can be seen as a psychological issue. Do things light-heartedly. Cleaning is exercise. Even washing dishes is exercise. It’s nice to have a dishwasher, but it’s okay if you don’t. You have rice cookers, vacuum cleaners, and dishwashers that do everything automatically, and then you ride stationary bikes indoors for exercise. Why do you do that? If you just clean your room, wash dishes, and walk when you need to go somewhere, you’re naturally getting exercise. Do animals in nature exercise separately while searching for food? Do squirrels go to the gym? So, it would be good if you could approach life a little more lightly.

When conflicts arise between spouses, don’t take it too seriously and say, “How could you do that!” Instead, if you have something to say, try saying, “Honey, can we talk?” and have a conversation over a meal or some drinks. Say something like, “You know, I feel…” Don’t say, “Your words are making me suffer,” but rather, “I’m having a hard time with what you said. Can you help me?” This way, your partner is more likely to cooperate. Who would like it if you said, “You’re wrong”? If you tripped over something and said, “It’s Sunim’s fault I fell!” would that make you feel better? Don’t keep shifting blame. Explain by saying, “When you speak like that, it hurts my feelings.” Don’t say, “How dare you talk like that!” or “Why don’t you ever talk!” Instead, try, “Honey, when you don’t talk, I feel so frustrated I could die. Please help me out.” It’s better to approach it with a bit of wit. If nothing works, there’s always a way out. The last resort is to say, “Goodbye.” That’s why they say there are 36 stratagems. Before using the last stratagem, you should try every other method. Why do people always want to use it so quickly?

Also, if your partner gets angry and says, “I can’t live like this. Let’s get divorced,” don’t respond with, “Okay, let’s do it.” In such situations, even if you’ve been fighting, when your partner says, “Let’s get divorced,” you should kneel down and say, “Honey, anything but divorce.” You should do this even if you want a divorce deep down. This way, you can gain the upper hand later. It also allows you to maintain your dignity in front of your children. I’m not saying to live like the Buddha, but to stop doing things that harm yourself. It’s about using your head and living wisely. Don’t torment yourself, and don’t torment others.

Out of many people, you chose that man or woman because you judged them to be good. Although there might have been some issues in the selection process, you still chose someone decent. Therefore, you shouldn’t discard them just by looking at one aspect. When you chose someone decent, you’ll definitely see their good points after letting them go. That’s why you end up regretting it later. Since you chose someone decent, you should try to reconsider and see if you can make it work. Only if it’s absolutely impossible should you let them go to someone else. The same applies to children. You gave birth to them and raised them, so how could they be bad children? If you think your child is bad, it means you don’t trust yourself. Of course, you shouldn’t blindly defend them either. You should observe them carefully, asking, “Why is my child behaving this way?” and “How can I help them with what they need?” This is the perspective you should have when looking at your children. Conflicts keep escalating because you unconditionally dislike them for not listening to you.

While you’re alive, living is easy. So you don’t need to worry about dying in advance. When the time comes, you’ll naturally die. But you spend your whole life saying you want to die, and when it’s time to die, you struggle to live. That’s why medical expenses are so high. When it’s time to die, it’s better to remove all the oxygen masks and everything else and just die. When it’s time to die, which is easier? Living or dying? Dying is easier. When you’re alive, living is easier than dying. The point is to live the easy way. With this perspective, I hope you all become happier day by day.

It was a time to reflect on the role of happy citizens today through the historical stories Sunim shared. Everyone expressed their gratitude with a big round of applause for Sunim, who guided the historical tour throughout the day.

After completing the historical tour, Sunim immediately headed to Dubuk Jungto Retreat Center by car.

Today is the opening day of the practitioners’ quarters that have been undergoing renovation for the past six months. A small space for practitioners was created by renovating an abandoned house in the neighborhood that was falling into disrepair. It’s called the “Dolmen House” because there’s a dolmen nearby. All the lay practitioners who worked hard on the renovation during the hot summer were invited to express gratitude for their efforts.

Sunim arrived at the Dolmen House after 5 PM. As soon as he got out of the car, the opening ceremony began with the chanting of the Three Refuges and the Heart Sutra.

Then, a ribbon-cutting ceremony was held, and commemorative photos were taken.

“Thank you all for your hard work. The renovation has made it like a new house.”

After expressing his gratitude to the lay practitioners, Sunim examined every corner of the house.

“It has been neatly refurbished.”

Next, Mi-eun Lee, who oversaw the construction for the past six months, gave a progress report on the Dolmen House up to today’s opening.

“Starting with the main building maintenance on May 20th, all work including plumbing, electrical work, window sash installation, interior and exterior floor plastering, insulation, wallpapering, and floor heating was completed by Jungto practitioners on August 6th. From August 15th, we began repairing the guest house, and after completing the foundation steel work, panel work, interior wallpapering, and floor heating, it is currently over 90 percent complete. We renovated the storage from October 1st to 3rd, and after finishing the concrete pouring for the entire yard on October 8th, we are having this opening ceremony today.”

All these tasks were done by lay practitioners in their spare time outside of their regular jobs. We heard from a few of them about their experiences.

“I really felt what a mosaic Buddha means during this construction. It was moving just to see the process of work being completed one by one as the lay practitioners all contributed their time bit by bit.”

Everyone expressed their gratitude to the hardworking lay practitioners with a big round of applause. Finally, Sunim shared a few words for the lay practitioners.

“As more and more people come to volunteer or practice at Dubuk Retreat Center, I always thought we needed to create new quarters for practitioners. However, it kept getting postponed because construction material costs rose significantly after the COVID-19 pandemic. Then, as empty houses continue to appear in rural areas these days, there was a suggestion that we could renovate and utilize such empty houses, so we changed our plan to this remodeling project. Initially, we planned to repair only the guest house, but as we decided to repair the main building as well, the workload suddenly increased. I feel bad for burdening the lay practitioners. I heard that if we leave an abandoned house as it is, the government will demolish the house and use it as a public parking lot for three years. So we tried to hurry to complete the renovation within this year. Thanks to the hard work of the lay practitioners, it has been neatly renovated. Since you built this house with your own hands, please make good use of it. I express my gratitude to all those who worked hard.”

Sunim and the group shared a dinner prepared with care, taking time to encourage each other for their hard work.

During the meal, Sunim provided a detailed explanation of the village development project currently underway in Bhutan.

“There’s a lot of work for laymen in Bhutan. You can repair houses, work on road construction, build farm roads – there are many roles you can fill. Why don’t you retire early and come with me to Bhutan?” (laughter)

After the meal, Sunim presented each layman with gifts of new rice, an umbrella, and one of his books.

“Thank you for all your hard work. I’m grateful.”

After taking a commemorative photo with everyone holding their gifts from Sunim, the Dolmen House opening ceremony concluded just after 7 PM.

After all the laymen left, Sunim completed his work indoor and then finished his daily routine. Tomorrow, he is scheduled to hold a public hearing for the development of Jungto Society in the morning and a Dharma assembly for leading members combined with the opening ceremony for Semi-annual retreat for Jungto practitioners in the evening.