How Can I Repent for Feeling Like I Failed in Raising My Child?

Hello. Today, Sunim held an online Dharma Q&A session with students from Jungto Dharma School and Jungto Buddhism Course, followed by the UN World Meditation Day commemoration event and World Meditation Day meditation assembly.

After completing his morning practice and meditation, Sunim began his day at 8 AM with an online Dharma Q&A session with Jungto Dharma School students from the broadcasting room at Seoul Jungto Center.

Twenty-two students taking Jungto Dharma School classes from seven countries – the United States, Canada, Philippines, Australia, France, Japan, and Korea – gathered together in the online space. Realizing that learning knows no borders, everyone warmly greeted each other.

When Sunim entered the video conference room, two students representing their classmates shared their reflections on the classes they had taken. First, Shelley, representing the English class, shared her thoughts.

“It has been very helpful for me to learn about Buddhism. Understanding how the mind works has helped me with my own suffering, and it also allows me to help others prevent suffering as well. We are simply helping others in the world. I enjoy meeting other people around the world who want to learn the same things as I do, and I look forward to the next course. Thank you.”

Today, Japanese class students also participated, with both English and Japanese interpretation provided. This made it clear that Jungto Dharma School is expanding into an increasingly international gathering.

Representing the Japanese class, Sato Yuji shared his reflections.

“What particularly resonated with me from the Early Buddhism course was the fact that each person creates their own worldview and values through their life experiences, and these become the standards by which they view others. As a result, when we look at others, we unconsciously use ourselves as the standard to judge things, which leads to feelings of discomfort or rejection toward things that are different from us, creating misunderstandings and conflicts. After understanding all of this, I became able to say, ‘Ah, that person thinks about things from that perspective. But I think this way.’ I became able to judge things from a positive perspective that respects others. I want to continue living without forgetting what I learned at Jungto Dharma School.”

Through the students’ presentations, it was evident that Jungto Dharma School has become a place where people experience life transformation. The students then requested a Dharma talk from Sunim with three prostrations. Sunim emphasized that studying the Buddha’s life is essential for understanding the difficulties of practice and developing a Buddhist perspective on social and historical issues, then opened the floor for questions.

During the two-hour session, four people clicked the raise hand button to ask Sunim questions. One of them sought Sunim’s advice on how to maintain a responsible attitude toward the world without being overwhelmed by anger in an era flooded with negative news about war and environmental destruction.

How Can I Stay Engaged with the World Without Being Overwhelmed by Anger?

“In our time, it can often feel like there is so much information present, and much of what comes to us through our phones and computers takes the form of bad news, such as stories of war, political corruption, famine, and environmental destruction. I often feel that it is my responsibility to stay informed about what is happening to people around the world, but it often leaves me feeling helpless. This feeling can lead to frustration and then to anger, which is a destructive emotion. How can I stay engaged with the world in a way that is helpful and in line with the Five Precepts, while avoiding becoming attached to anger?”

“To bring about social change, power is necessary. However, the source of that power is often anger. Historically, revolutions that overthrew monarchies or dictatorships were made possible by angry crowds. But power based on anger tends to manifest violently. Violence that leads to revenge against opponents has created numerous tragedies. Anger easily leads to violent responses at the individual level, and socially and collectively, it shows a tendency to try to solve many problems through violent means. So even when that anger begins very justifiably, whether through riots or revolutions, as it unfolds violently, the resulting society often creates even more tragic situations. The French Revolution and Russia’s Bolshevik Revolution also produced many tragedies due to retaliation. The Buddha taught us to pursue social change without anger. However, without anger, the driving force for change rarely arises, making it easy to turn away from social injustice or contradictions. In fact, throughout history, many Buddhists, monks, and practitioners have often shown a tendency to isolate themselves from the world, turning away from war or social injustice. However, when you study the Buddha’s life, which you will learn about in the future, you will see that the Buddha sought to improve many contradictions in the world without anger. He rejected discrimination based on caste, rejected gender discrimination by allowing women to become monastics, and in places where war was breaking out, he awakened people to their foolishness and led them to solve problems peacefully. Nevertheless, the Buddhism we are learning today has become one that perceives the Buddha merely as a god-like being, with its historical and social aspects removed. As a result, Buddhism’s social practice activities are not being properly carried out.

Today, through various media outlets, we can learn about events happening all over the world. Through the media, we encounter facts such as the destruction of the natural environment, the formation of massive garbage patches in the North Pacific Ocean, and the dangers of climate change and microplastics. We can also learn that in some countries on the other side of the globe, human rights are being violated under dictatorial regimes, and we hear news of people facing threats to their survival due to natural disasters. Knowing these realities is necessary for taking action to solve problems. However, the reason anger arises when we encounter such facts is that we place the responsibility on others. We must realize that our very way of life is one of the causes creating these phenomena. Therefore, when we become aware of these realities, rather than responding with anger, we should adopt the perspective of how to solve these problems. When trying to solve problems, our abilities have limitations, so we cannot solve all problems. Therefore, we must do what we can. While we should do our best, problems may or may not be resolved. However, we don’t need to view the current reality as only a very bad situation. Looking back at history, there have been countless situations worse than this. Through such processes, we have arrived at today. Therefore, we must realize that our current situation is not the worst. The problems we cannot solve will be addressed by the next generation. Thus, we should remain focused on doing our best. When we adopt this perspective, we can walk the middle path of overcoming reality without anger and participating steadily, transcending the two extremes of responding violently with anger or turning away from reality.

Let me explain using my body as an example. Currently, I am experiencing significant pain in my arm. Of course, I wish I didn’t have this pain. However, if I didn’t feel pain right now, I wouldn’t know that something was wrong with my body. While pain is very uncomfortable, it helps us identify what’s broken. Through various tests including X-rays and MRIs, I discovered that I have a neck disc problem and one of my shoulder ligaments is torn. Even though it will take time, I am finding ways to address these issues one by one. Getting angry or hating the pain doesn’t make it disappear. Rather, just as pain helps us identify what’s broken, we need to use media to learn about what’s happening in the world, prioritize issues based on their urgency and importance, and work together to solve them. Let me give another example. Two weeks ago, there was a major flood in the Aceh region of Indonesia. I learned about it through the news and dispatched people there. However, most Indonesians living in Jakarta were unaware of this disaster. When information is blocked or not properly transmitted for whatever reason, people nearby may not know about it. When we don’t know about something, it’s as if it doesn’t exist. While too much information can certainly confuse us, if we look carefully, we can find many advantages in having access to information.”

“Thank you so much for that perspective on how our bodies are related to the world. This is very helpful to reflect on.”

Questions continued to flow.

I was impressed by the history and transformation of Mungyeong Jungto Retreat Center shown in the class video, and I’m curious about the situation after the 2021 pandemic. How has Mungyeong Jungto Retreat Center changed since the pandemic, and what does it look like now?

I’m curious about the relationship between repentance prostrations and prayer, and I’m confused about why it’s called a ‘prayer text’ rather than a ‘repentance text.’ What mindset should a practitioner have when praying, and how should one pray at a shrine?

I’m curious about how to understand the teaching that the present is both the result of the past and the cause of the future. Does this mean that everything I experience now is my own doing, and everything eventually comes back to me?

While answering various questions, the scheduled time had long passed. Sunim agreed to have another session to address remaining questions and ended the live broadcast as it approached 10 o’clock.

Students gathered in group video conference rooms to continue their mindful sharing sessions.

Without a moment’s rest, Sunim began an online Dharma Q&A session with Jungto Dharma School students at 10 o’clock. After about 2,000 students connected to the live broadcast, they recited the Three Refuges and Words for Practice, then watched a video of the students’ practice activities from last month.

The video showed various environmental practices carried out by each class. After hearing students’ reflections, everyone requested a Dharma talk from Sunim with three prostrations.

Sunim began with a warm greeting. He emphasized why it’s important to study the Buddha’s life, then shared news about his recent visit to Mindanao, Philippines, where he attended the opening ceremonies for an indigenous school and a special school for children with disabilities.

“Since Buddhism’s fundamental teachings don’t inherently include social or historical aspects, it’s difficult to understand how the Buddha responded to social contradictions of his time. However, by studying the Buddha’s life, we can learn how the Buddha, as a historical and social being 2,600 years ago, faced and navigated the social contradictions and chaos of his era. Through this, we can understand what social justice means from a Buddhist perspective, what social justice means today, and from what perspective we should address social issues. Therefore, I hope you’ll see the Buddha’s life as an opportunity to understand Buddhism’s social perspective and practice. Since childhood, I’ve been drawn to Buddhism because its philosophy and teachings are scientific and rational. However, I felt deeply disappointed by what I saw in the actual Buddhist community – the lives of monks in temples, the activities of religious organizations, and so on. While a wave of democratization swept across society to address the harsh labor conditions, collapsing rural communities, and suffering urban residents, the Buddhist community turned away from these social issues. Some Buddhist leaders colluded with the dictatorship, eager to receive various benefits from the government. This left me deeply disappointed and conflicted about whether I should leave the Buddhist community. However, as I studied the Buddha’s life again, I realized that the Buddhism I knew wasn’t authentic Buddhism, and I came to understand the Buddha’s teachings a bit better. That’s why I hope you won’t feel resistant to studying the Buddha’s life.

Every Child Deserves to Learn at the Right Time

I visited Mindanao in the Philippines last week. Mindanao has been in a state of conflict for a long time due to tensions between Islam and Christianity and the presence of an Islamic rebel group called the MILF (Moro Islamic Liberation Front). In these conflict zones, there are no schools because security cannot be maintained. Indigenous people live in the mountains where the NPA (New People’s Army), a communist rebel group, is active. This area is also a conflict zone, and since most people live scattered in small numbers, they have even fewer opportunities to receive school education. Given that even healthy children find it difficult to access educational opportunities under these conditions, children with disabilities have almost no chance for education. That’s why JTS is supporting the establishment of one special school for children with disabilities at the central elementary school in each municipality, so that children with disabilities can also have educational opportunities. ‘Children in remote areas should have access to education. Children with disabilities should have opportunities to learn. Children in conflict zones should have opportunities to learn. Every child born into this world has the right to have the opportunity to learn at the appropriate time.’

To realize this vision, Sunim has established schools for indigenous children in remote mountainous areas, special schools for children with disabilities in towns, and schools in conflict zones. This year, 15 schools were built. Ten schools were constructed in remote indigenous villages in mountainous areas, and five special schools were built for children with disabilities. It would be great if you could see all the completion ceremonies on video, but since we don’t have time, let’s watch just one. Let’s briefly look at my first survey visit two years ago, the construction process with the villagers working together, and how the school has now been completed.”

They then watched the video together.

▲ Watch Video

After the video ended, Sunim continued speaking.

“To build a single school, JTS volunteers must visit the village more than 10 times. Only then can the school be properly built. In this way, the small donations you make become great hope for them. I hope you understand that the money you donate is not wasted but is used carefully to provide educational opportunities for children who would otherwise have no access to education.”

Next, Sunim took questions about any concerns. The students had enrolled in September, completed the ‘Fundamental Buddhism’ course, and were now in their second session of the ‘Human Buddha’ course. Those who had questions about the previous lessons pressed the hand-raising button and asked Sunim their questions.

Seven people had conversations with Sunim over the course of two hours. One of them said that although she recognized her mistakes, the regret and sadness wouldn’t go away, and she was troubled about her relationship with her eldest son who had become independent. She asked Sunim for advice on how to look at her son with a peaceful mind.

I Feel Like I Raised My Child Wrong. How Can I Repent?

“In class, I learned that repentance means recognizing one’s mistakes and resolving not to repeat them. I understood that through this awareness, the suffering in our hearts disappears as part of the practice process. However, when I apply this principle to my daily life, I’ve realized my past mistakes but my heart still feels uncomfortable. I especially feel heavy-hearted when I look at my eldest son. He’s now 19 years old and had conflicts with his father over gaming issues when he was young. After graduating from high school, he argued with his father about coming home late and moved out to live with a friend, saying he wanted to be independent. As I’ve been studying the Dharma teachings, looking back, I think I was ignorant as a mother when raising my child. I lacked understanding of my child and only imposed adult values on him, which created this situation. My heart feels heavy with this thought. I seem to be feeling regret, but I’m wondering how I can transform this into repentance so I can look at my child with a peaceful mind.”

“You’re feeling this way because you think you’re superior. You think, ‘I’m such a great person, how could someone as great as me make such mistakes?’ That’s why you can’t forgive yourself. Feeling regret means you can’t forgive yourself. You just need to understand that you’re not a superior being and that you can make mistakes too. You’re not Buddha, Jesus, or Confucius. You’re not an exemplary mother like Shin Saimdang either – you’re just an ordinary person. So you can be foolish sometimes, and you might not raise your child perfectly. Just acknowledge that you’re capable of making such mistakes. But because you can’t accept the part of yourself that made mistakes, you keep feeling regret. You keep thinking, ‘If only I hadn’t done that back then.’ These days, many people don’t even have children. But you had a child. Your child didn’t get into trouble and become a juvenile delinquent, and he even graduated from high school. That’s already a success. Now that he’s over twenty, you can think, ‘He’ll figure out his own life. I’ve done my part. There were some shortcomings, but that was the extent of my ability.’ Just accept it calmly like this. Just don’t be foolish going forward. Since you’re learning Buddhism and attending Jungto Society, just avoid doing foolish things in the future. Even if it’s not perfect, just try to be better than before. Since your son is now an adult, recognize him as one and listen to what he has to say. First acknowledge him by saying, ‘I see, that’s your perspective.’ Then you can offer advice like, ‘But I would prefer if you did this.’ That’s how you should live.

The reason you keep feeling regret even after realizing you made a mistake is because deep down, you have the mindset that ‘I am someone who cannot make mistakes.’ You’re unable to let go of past mistakes right now. However, you need to understand that you are an ordinary person who can make mistakes. Of course, you haven’t done everything perfectly, but you haven’t made any major mistakes either. You can think that you did your best in raising your child given your circumstances at the time, and you can work on improving what was lacking going forward. When your son talks about your mistakes, you can simply say, ‘I was inadequate back then. I made mistakes.’ There’s no need to feel guilty or think you did wrong. You can say something like, ‘I may seem great to you, but I was foolish back then. I’ll do better from now on,’ and move on. You haven’t committed any crimes, so it’s okay to be a bit shameless.”

“When acquaintances ask what my son is doing now, I feel uncomfortable and heavy-hearted.”

“Is your son working part-time now?”

“Yes, he’s working.”

“Just tell the truth. Say, ‘He graduated from high school but didn’t go to college. He’s living with a friend and working part-time.’ Why is that embarrassing? Do you want to show off through your son by saying he went to a good university? Your son is now an adult, so he’s a separate person. You don’t need to try to look good through your son’s achievements, nor do you need to feel diminished because of him. Your son isn’t in prison, and he’s not harming others. If he graduated high school and became independent, that’s great. You can say, ‘My son decided to experience social life first by becoming independent, and he’ll go to college later if needed. So I told him to do that. He became independent early and is doing well.'”

“Thank you. I understand well.”

Questions continued to follow.

I’m curious about how 108 prostrations help with practice, and what alternative practices are available for those with disabilities. What changes and spiritual significance do 108 prostrations and prayer practice bring?

I feel uncomfortable knowing that behind someone’s benefit and convenience lies someone else’s pain and sacrifice. How should we view and live in this world?

I rely heavily on Venerable Pomnyun Sunim’s Dharma talks, and I’m afraid that someday Sunim won’t be able to give talks. So I’m thinking of having AI learn from Sunim’s talks to rely on. Would this be okay?

Thanks to practice, my mind has become peaceful, but as I tend to brush things off lightly in daily conversations, people around me feel I’m cold. How should I speak and act to maintain empathy and communicate well while practicing?

If I maintain awareness through meditation, will I come to understand the reality of the Buddha’s law of dependent origination? Or is moment-to-moment awareness itself the world of enlightenment?

The more I feel reluctant to do something, the more I try to just do it anyway. But sometimes this feeling seems like greed. How do I distinguish between aspiration and greed?

After answering the questions, it was almost noon. Due to severe shoulder and arm pain, Sunim couldn’t take more questions and promised to answer more questions next time when his health improved, concluding the Dharma Q&A.

After lunch, at 1 PM, Sunim headed to Bongeunsa Temple to participate in the launch ceremony of the Korean Committee for the UN International Day of Meditation.

Arriving at Seoul Bongeun Hall at 1:40 PM where the event was held, Sunim had tea and conversation with the executives who serve as co-chairs of the Korean Committee for the UN International Day of Meditation.

The co-chairs included Venerable Jinwoo, Director of the Jogye Order of Korean Buddhism; Lee Kyung-yeol, Won Buddhist priest; Bishop Yoon Jong-mo of the Anglican Church of Korea; Representative Cho Seung-rae of the National Assembly Mindfulness Forum; Lee Kang-wook, President of the Korean Society of Meditation Medicine; Yook Young-sook, President of the Korean Association of Meditational Healing; and Venerable Pomnyun Sunim, Guiding Dharma Teacher of Jungto Society.

At 2 PM, everyone moved to the event hall together to begin the UN International Day of Meditation commemoration ceremony and the launch of the Korean Committee.

The Korean Committee officially launched through a progress report by Venerable Geumgang, Chair of the Jogye Order’s Seon Meditation Committee, establishment of bylaws, and election of chairpersons and executives. The executive committee and advisory board also included figures from meditation medicine, education, and civil society, as well as religious leaders and meditation field experts.

Starting with Venerable Jinwoo’s commemorative address, there were congratulatory messages from various sectors both domestic and international, followed by children and youth presenting ‘Proposals for Future Generations’ who seek peace of mind through meditation.

At the end of the launch ceremony, a ‘Peace of Mind Meditation’ was conducted with the co-chairs reading together. Starting with Yook Young-sook, President of the Korean Association of Meditational Healing, reading ‘Observation,’ Representative Cho Seung-rae read ‘Pause,’ Bishop Yoon Jong-mo read ‘Connection,’ Won Buddhist priest Lee Kyung-yeol read ‘Compassion,’ Venerable Pomnyun Sunim read ‘Insight and Forgiveness,’ and Lee Kang-wook, President of the Korean Society of Meditation Medicine, read ‘Relaxation’ in sequence. Finally, a collective chant resonated calling for becoming peace with one mind.

“When the mind brightens, the world brightens. Today, at this very moment, we become peace with one mind.”

Following this, participants from various sectors stood in front of the stage for a commemorative photo, concluding the first part of the event.

In the second part, a K-meditation Korean Meditation Conference was held under the theme ‘Global Meditation Trends and Challenges for Korean Meditation.’ Lee Kang-wook, President of the Korean Society of Meditation Medicine, presented on scientific research achievements and prospects of meditation; Venerable Hyeju presented on global meditation education trends and Korea’s challenges; and Professor Sung Hae-young of Seoul National University presented on the direction Korean meditation should take within global meditation trends.

Sunim remained at the event venue until the end, attentively listening to the experts’ presentations.

As the event concluded, the organizers requested closing remarks from Venerable Pomnyun Sunim. Sunim briefly shared his impressions after listening to the experts’ presentations today.

“Congratulations on the launch of the Korean Committee for the UN International Day of Meditation. I listened well to the talks by many experts. I hope we can all work together to solve these challenges, not just one person or one organization, but by combining our efforts and gathering collective wisdom.”

After the event, Sunim exchanged greetings with participants and left the venue at 6 PM.

As the sun set, Sunim returned to the Jungto Social and Cultural Center, had dinner, and worked in his office. At 8:30 PM, he headed to the Dharma Hall on the third floor to conduct a meditation ceremony commemorating the International Day of Meditation.

The UN World Meditation Day Committee (WMDC) decided to ring the meditation bell at noon Greenwich Mean Time, which is 9 PM Korean time, and conduct a 15-minute simultaneous global online meditation. Jungto Society also participated by holding a preliminary event starting at 8:30 PM.

With about 4,000 Jungto Society members connected to the live broadcast, Sunim first explained the purpose of the 15-minute meditation event.

“Today is the International Day of Meditation established by the United Nations. As you all know, today’s scientific and technological civilization has advanced tremendously, with various technologies including artificial intelligence developing to an extent that was unimaginable in the past. Additionally, with mass production of goods, we can say that material civilization has also advanced greatly. But have modern people become proportionally happier? Taking Korea as an example, when I entered first grade in 1960, the per capita GDP was $98. While it didn’t even reach $100 then, South Korea’s current per capita GDP is about $37,000. In terms of material indicators, this represents about a 370-fold increase. However, our happiness index has not increased proportionally. Perhaps people today live with more sleeplessness and troubles than people in the past. Anxiety has grown, conflicts have increased, divorce rates after marriage have risen, and suicide rates have also increased. This shows that the development of material civilization alone cannot make humans truly happy.

The Meaning of World Meditation Day in an Era That Needs to Pause

Now, we can only achieve human happiness by purifying what we commonly call mental processes, or what is religiously referred to as spirituality—the mind. Only then can conflicts be reduced. We have been racing relentlessly for the advancement of material civilization. Now is the time to pause and ask ourselves whether this is truly the path we should be taking, and to reflect on whether the thoughts, beliefs, and convictions we have always claimed to be right are indeed correct—in other words, we need introspection to examine ourselves. This is not just one country’s problem, but a problem for the entire world and all of humanity. That’s why, just as we practice ‘turning off lights for 5 minutes’ when engaging in environmental movements while thinking about the importance of energy conservation, we felt the need for people around the world to pause their actions and thoughts for a moment to reflect on themselves, which led to the establishment of World Meditation Day. The intention is for all of us to awaken through this day. We designated this day as the winter solstice. The winter solstice, when the day is shortest and the night is longest, can be interpreted differently as the time when suffering is deepest. At the same time, being the darkest also means that from the next day, the days gradually get longer and light increases. Since the goal of meditation is to move step by step from suffering toward the light of wisdom, we designated World Meditation Day as December 21st, the winter solstice. Of course, depending on the year, the winter solstice can fall on the 21st or 22nd.

Last year, the UN designated December 21st as World Meditation Day, and today marks the second observance of this day. This year, when the bell rings at noon Greenwich Mean Time, people around the world will pause all their actions and thoughts. Even at this moment, preparations are being made in various parts of the world to enter into stillness. This is not an event limited to any specific religion. Whether you practice Buddhism, Hinduism, Protestantism, Catholicism, Judaism, Sikhism, Confucianism, or have no religion at all, everyone is welcome. World Meditation Day was established with the universal intention of pausing our thoughts for a moment, transcending religious boundaries. Today, we will enter into 15 minutes of pause, silence, and tranquil stillness. This year’s gathering was organized with the intention of having the entire world meditate at the same time.”

Next, they watched a video of former Bishop Park Kyung-jo of the Anglican Church of Korea explaining ‘The Meaning of Meditation from a Christian Perspective.’

Rest in God’s Love: The Path of Meditation in Christianity

“Some people think meditation is limited to Buddhism, but that’s not the case. I would like to share the tradition of meditation that has long existed within Christianity. We call it by various names—silent prayer, contemplative prayer, prayer of the heart—but while the expressions differ, I believe they all ultimately point in the same direction.

Contemplative prayer is about dwelling in the love of God, who is the source of all existence. However, the human condition is never easy, as our thoughts are always complex and our emotions entangled. Nevertheless, Christians believe that beyond all this, there is God who is love, and we seek to enter into God’s embrace to find true rest within. We consider that moment the happiest moment, believing that in Him we can let go of attachment and greed and experience true peace, joy, and rest. The cross of Jesus is the sign that fully reveals God’s love. Jesus was one who completely emptied himself and became one with God’s love, and through that love, He said to us, ‘Come to me, and I will give you rest.’ Therefore, we believe that at the deepest foundation of our being lies God’s love, and with absolute trust in that love, we walk the path of contemplative prayer. This prayer, which has continued through long monastic traditions, is a prayer of dwelling in silence before God, letting go of everything and relying on the Lord. In that moment, we taste true peace, and within us springs forth new compassion and the power of love toward our neighbors.

Though our paths and expressions may differ slightly, I believe we are ultimately walking the same path toward true truth, life, and happiness. On this World Meditation Day, I hope that all of you will walk the journey of discovering true peace within yourselves.”

Following this, Sunim briefly guided those new to meditation on how to meditate.

“This time today has nothing to do with any specific religion, whether Buddhism, Christianity, Hinduism, or Islam. Regardless of whether you have a religion or not, this is a time for us to meditate together as human beings to become free from all afflictions. While the methods of meditation may differ, what we seek is how we can become free from suffering. Today, I would like to practice mindfulness meditation focusing on breathing with all of you. Of course, during this time, you may practice meditation according to your own religion or personal method. However, for those who don’t have a particular method, we will practice ‘mindfulness of breathing,’ which involves being aware of the in-breath and out-breath. Even if thoughts arise, don’t try to block them; just let them be and simply be aware of your breathing comfortably. Then your body and mind will naturally come to rest, and your fatigue will be relieved. This has an even deeper effect in relieving brain fatigue than sleeping does.”

As the guidance concluded, it became exactly 9 PM. Members of the World Meditation Day Committee (WMDC) from various parts of the world, including Switzerland, India, and the United States, connected to the video conference room.

When the meditation bell rang, the lights went out and everyone entered into 15 minutes of meditation together.

Everything came to a pause for a moment. The frantic pace of the world was set aside briefly.

The meditation bell rang again, and the Dharma Hall brightened.

As the World Meditation Day commemoration event came to a close, Sunim offered concluding remarks.

“Were you comfortable? From the moment we are born, we have been busy running without knowing where we are going. These days, there is what they call the ‘age 4 exam’ to get into a good kindergarten, and the ‘age 7 exam’ to get into a good elementary school. Like this, from a very young age, we live as if being pushed along, regardless of our own choices. In other words, we don’t live our own lives but rather roll along with whatever is given to us. After rushing through to university and becoming adults, when we try to live on our own, we find ourselves not knowing how to live. Young people today, in particular, face the problem of feeling great anxiety about living their daily lives and navigating the world on their own.

True Rest Begins When Thoughts Stop

In many cases, we create anxiety through our thoughts. When we think about the future rather than what is actually happening now, our minds become anxious. Those thoughts affect our minds as if they were happening right now. Also, when we recall past events, those memories resurface and cause suffering. So when we hate, resent, or suffer because of someone, it’s usually when we’re dwelling on past memories. When we feel anxious, worried, and restless, it’s because we’re deeply thinking about future events, making our psychology unstable. If we stop all thoughts about the past and future and focus only on our current state of mind or breathing in the here and now, there is nothing to be anxious about, nothing to suffer from, and nothing to hate.

However, even when given time to rest comfortably without thinking, while the body can remain still, thoughts don’t stop easily. Thoughts arise continuously, one after another. Thinking is information processing, so it consumes a lot of energy. On the other hand, when we stop thinking to some degree through meditation, the energy our body uses decreases significantly. The largest portion of our energy is used to maintain body temperature, the second is kinetic energy—that is, energy consumed by moving our body—and the third is the energy used for thinking. Although the head occupies a small volume in our body, it uses a tremendous amount of energy because it has to process data. So when we stop movement and thinking, there is almost no energy use except for what escapes as thermal energy. If you try fasting, you’ll find that only the first few days are a bit difficult; there’s actually no major hardship. This is because there’s almost no energy consumption during meditation. However, in reality, it’s not like that. Even while sitting still, we think tremendously, and when we sit for a long time, we find it difficult and use even more energy by being determined and straining ourselves. So even when told to rest comfortably, if you look at how people sleep at night, they snore as if they’ve done something major. This is because the whole body is tense at first.

So when meditating, first, it is important to relax both body and mind. Second is to cultivate a leisurely mindset, approaching meditation with the attitude that there is nothing to do. When we think too much, our head and brain cannot rest. That’s why we need to stop thinking, but if it doesn’t stop easily, don’t force it—just let it be. Let whatever arises remain as it is. The problem, however, is that intention intervenes without us realizing it. Instead of a thought arising briefly, we create stories by linking one thought to another. This is called indulging in delusions. It’s fine for thoughts to arise and disappear repeatedly, as this is a natural function of the brain. Just let them be. When meditation is done properly like this, it provides deeper rest than sleep. This is because even when we sleep, we dream. We are recalling memories and thinking. However, when we enter meditation and stop thinking, or reach a point where we don’t attach meaning to thoughts, the brain rests more than during sleep, and sometimes we don’t even feel sleepy. It’s not that we deliberately avoid sleep, but rather that meditation produces a rest effect similar to sleep. Modern people experience a lot of stress. In other words, they think too much. Repeatedly dwelling on past thoughts or future concerns can make our heads feel hot. It’s similar to how a computer heats up with prolonged use. If this state continues, mental illness can easily develop. So while we need to reduce thinking, we can’t avoid thinking entirely when working. In such cases, lower body exercises are good for cooling down the heat accumulated in the head. When the lower body becomes strong through activities like prostrations or walking, the mind becomes clear and the heat in the head dissipates. As the old saying goes, hands and feet should be warm while the head should be cool. However, our reality is different. We have almost no time to exercise and spend our days thinking excessively in front of computers. As a result, not only our physical health but also our mental health gradually deteriorates. These days, it’s reported that the rate of anxiety and depression among elementary school students has approached 30 percent. Our mental health condition is extremely poor to this degree. Because we ourselves are anxious and suffering, conflicts with others intensify. We lack the capacity to listen to, understand, and embrace others’ thoughts. Because I am struggling, conflicts deepen, and the number of people who feel lonely and make extreme choices increases, manifesting various social symptoms. These phenomena are likely to worsen in the future.

This issue cannot be resolved through economic growth alone. Therefore, maintaining one’s mental health requires mindfulness. Even if you don’t practice formal meditation, it’s important to always maintain an attitude of awareness. I believe that if you have even a little spare time, maintaining this awareness for just a few minutes a day is crucial for protecting mental health. This is not a matter of any particular religion. That’s why I think we need to establish World Meditation Day and organize events that universally encourage such meditation practices to many people from a young age. When we get very tired from working, what do we do? We take breaks and rest periodically. Similarly, our brains also need regular rest periods. With this intention, people around the world have agreed to meditate for 15 minutes starting at noon Greenwich Mean Time. So we also meditated for 15 minutes starting at 9 PM Korean time.”

The World Meditation Day forum scheduled for next March will be hosted by Jungto Society in Korea. Looking forward to the next event, the World Meditation Day commemorative Dharma assembly concluded at 9:30 PM.

Tomorrow, a Winter Solstice Dharma Assembly will be held at the Dharma Hall on the 3rd floor of the Jungto Social and Cultural Center, where many members of the Sangha will gather to renew their commitment to practice.