Even Those Who Live Dishonestly Seem to Prosper. Am I the Only One Losing Out by Being Honest?

Hello. Today, Sunim visited villages to understand what the residents of Dungeshwari need or what difficulties they face in their daily lives, and conducted a live Friday Dharma Q&A session (금요 즉문즉설).

Sunim practiced and meditated at dawn, edited manuscripts, and then had breakfast. As promised during yesterday’s conversation with village leaders, today was dedicated to visiting villages all day. Since the Dharma Q&A broadcast was scheduled for 4 PM, village visits needed to be completed by 3:30 PM, so Sunim departed for the villages at 7 AM.

In the morning, Sunim decided to visit all the villages beyond Jeonjeongak Mountain (전정각산). He arrived at Gawalbigha at 7:30 AM.

First, Sunim visited the Gawalbigha preschool. Although it was still early and no students were present, a village leader was waiting for Sunim at the preschool.

The skylights on the roof were old and didn’t let in much sunlight, making the classroom very dark inside.

“We need to replace the preschool roof. Let’s go see the village drainage system.”

While the drainage system (하수로) wasn’t properly constructed in the open area outside the village, some houses inside the village had drainage systems installed in front of them.

Sunim asked the village leader:

“If we provide building materials like cement and bricks to the villagers, would they be able to construct drainage facilities?”

“Yes, Sunim. It’s possible.”

As Sunim was leaving Gawalbigha, he looked at the access road from the main road to the village and said:

“With such a steep slope, it’s dangerous to pull carts. Please consider whether this access road can also be improved.”

Sunim arrived at Kanahol at 8 AM. In Kanahol, there is a Sujata Academy branch school established for children living beyond Jeonjeongak Mountain. However, news had come that the government was constructing a government office building on this branch school site.

Upon arriving at the site, a government office was being built in the Sujata Academy branch school yard. Sunim asked:

“Are they going to build a wall between the school and the office? The school yard will become the government office yard.”

Sunim approached the students who were having morning assembly.

“Namaste (Hello). How have you been?”

“Namaste, Sunim!”

“Do you need anything for your studies?”

The children just smiled brightly.

“Alright, study hard.”

Sunim looked at the school building and said:

“Many villagers have talked about the need for a community space. If we close the branch school and integrate it with the government school, using this building as a village hall would be one option.”

Sunim went outside the school and carefully examined the surroundings. There was an open space behind the wall, but it didn’t seem suitable for building a village hall due to poor accessibility.

In front of the school was a small Hindu temple with an open space next to it. Sunim looked at it and said:

“That would be a good site for the village hall.”

Sunim went closer to examine the open space. The villagers also agreed that it would be a good location.

“If all the villagers agree, build the village hall here. Of course, the villagers must work together to build it.”

Next, Sunim went into the village to examine the drainage system. As heard in yesterday’s conversation with village leaders, Kanahol’s alleyways were much narrower compared to other villages. However, during this visit, he noticed that the government had widened some roads.

After touring the entire village, Sunim told the Kanahol village leader:

“If each villager moves their wall just a little bit inward, we can widen the alleyways in front of the houses. Soon you’ll need to harvest and transport wheat – do you carry everything by hand? You’ve lived this way until now, but young people won’t do it. As you get older, you won’t be able to carry things by hand anymore either. That’s why we need to widen the alleyways so carts can enter. The government will probably do it in about 10 years. But if you don’t want to wait that long and decide to improve your own village with your own hands, JTS will provide the materials. Please discuss this with the villagers.”

At 8:50 AM, Sunim left Kana Hall and went to Bagahi to inspect the preschool and drainage system before moving on to Srirampur.

After 9 AM, they arrived at Srirampur preschool. Two teachers were conducting classes. Here too, the translucent panels on the slate roof were worn out, making the classroom very dark. It was decided to replace the roof.

Sunim asked the teachers.

“Are there any difficulties in running the classroom?”

“The wall is too low, so villagers sit on it and use it like a chair. Sometimes during class, villagers line up sitting on the wall. Even after school ends and we lock the door and leave, people climb over because the wall is low and sometimes urinate inside. It would be good if the wall could be raised for better management of the preschool. Also, the hand pump inside the school cannot be used for drinking water. Since the children have no water to drink, we are using the village hand pump behind the school.”

“I understand. Please organize this information and submit it to the village development coordinator.”

After listening carefully to the teachers’ opinions, Sunim left Srirampur.

Passing through a road lined with blooming mustard flowers, they arrived at Jarhari preschool at 9:20 AM.

The Jarhari preschool building had severe cracks in the walls. These occurred due to poor connection between the existing building and the extension during construction. After examining the structure, Sunim asked Sambu, the village development staff member, to inspect the preschool with an expert and make repairs.

Jarhari also lacked proper drainage systems. Water from washing clothes and dishes at the public hand pump flowed directly into the fields or collected in open spaces, and the stagnant water attracted many flies. Sunim told the Jarhari village leader:

“When installing drainage, it should not pass through the fields. If wastewater must be used for agriculture, a purification system should be created so it can be used after treatment.”

The water tank in the center of the village was empty. While the water problem seemed to have been somewhat resolved, water shortage issues remained as people’s water usage increased.

The Jarhari village leader brought up the water shortage problem.

“In summer, we still face water shortages. The government fills the water tank in summer, but sometimes they skip it.”

At 10 AM, they left Jarhari and moved to Santinagar. In Santinagar, there was a case where villagers had worked together to build a house for two homeless siblings. After inspecting the Santinagar preschool, they visited that house.

A male student was in the cleanly built house. The student thanked Sunim and JTS with a bright face.

Sunim asked the gathered villagers:

“Did you all help when building that student’s house?”

“I’m old and a woman, so I don’t have the strength and couldn’t go, but my son went and worked. I think he went to work about five times a month.”

After inspecting the drainage system, Sunim left Santinagar. On the way to Amarpur, they met a homeless person living in a mud house without a roof. Upon entering the house, they found only walls and a frame – it was hardly recognizable as a place where people lived. When asked why the house was in such condition, the person said they had used the government subsidy for urgent needs and now couldn’t afford to build the house as they were barely getting by.

They arrived at Amarpur at 11 AM. Although drainage had been installed next to the hand pump, the drainage was positioned higher than the hand pump, preventing water from draining.

Sunim explained to the village leader why the water wasn’t draining and suggested that the villagers work together to improve the drainage system.

Next, they visited Antubiga and Azadbiga. Both villages requested additional hand pumps due to severe water shortages. They then visited Sorajbiga, which also requested additional hand pump installation.

They had surveyed 10 villages without rest for 5 hours starting from 7 AM. At 12:10 PM, they returned to Sujata Academy for lunch. Sunim told the accompanying staff:

“Since there’s a Dharma Q&A broadcast at 4 PM today, we need to finish the survey quickly. It will be a bit difficult, but let’s finish lunch in 30 minutes and depart at 12:40 PM.”

After finishing lunch, they immediately went to Rahulnagar.

Rahul, the preschool coordinator, made a suggestion:

“Sunim, the road conditions in Rahulnagar are very poor. It’s difficult even for cars to pass, and the problem is that when it rains, the road becomes muddy and both children and adults slip while walking. It would be great if that road could be repaired.”

“Let’s go and see.”

Upon inspection, the road was completely covered in dirt and had collapsed in places with water pooling.

“Even if we repair the road at our level, it will quickly deteriorate because tractors continue to use it. So let’s first create a sidewalk for children to walk on. Infrastructure like electricity, roads, and water supply should be handled by the government.”

They went into the village to inspect the drainage system as well. Here too, only ditches had been dug for water flow, with wastewater flowing directly into open spaces. If left as is, wastewater would overflow during the rainy season, creating sanitation problems for the entire village.

As they were about to leave after inspecting the drainage, the Rahulnagar village leader said:

“Sunim, in summer the village faces water shortages. We are not currently using the hand pump that JTS installed. It would be good if you could reopen it.”

“Let’s take a look at the hand pump.”

As Sunim went to inspect the hand pump, villagers gathered around. According to the village development coordinator, this hand pump produces water well but was closed due to disputes among villagers. Sunim asked the villagers:

“Is this hand pump still needed?”

“Yes, it is needed.”

“Is there anyone who opposes it?”

“No.”

“Then we will provide materials for construction. Can the villagers clean up the surrounding area?”

“Yes, we have always taken care of our village matters ourselves. If you just provide the materials, we can certainly do it. Thank you.”

“I understand.”

Leaving Rahulnagar, they visited Mamkoshihil, Bangalbiga, Durgapur, and Jagdishpur in succession.

In each village, they inspected the preschools, checked drainage systems with village leaders, and confirmed what each village needed. The most common request was for drainage facilities. Sunim promised to provide materials if residents in each village would directly maintain the drainage systems.

Finally, after inspecting the open space around Jagdishpur school, they returned to Sujata Academy at 3 PM.

Upon arriving at Sujata Academy, they held a meeting to organize the survey findings. Village development coordinator Sambu, school coordinator Ajay, preschool coordinator Rahul, and Korean staff members who had accompanied the day-long survey attended. Sunim summarized the tasks identified during today’s survey into five categories:

“First is preschool repairs. There were places where the translucent panels on slate roofs need to be replaced. Jarhari preschool has cracks in the building and needs inspection. Second is installing drainage in each village. Rather than implementing large-scale projects in all villages from the start, it would be better to begin with one or two locations in each village and expand support if residents actively participate. The government might do it if we wait, but there were drainage systems that the government had built but are now blocked. We will clear blocked areas and repair what needs repair, but if villagers are willing to do it themselves, we will provide materials so they can do it directly.

The third is building houses for those without homes. This work requires the agreement of the entire village. When an application comes in, you must go to the village in person to confirm whether the villagers are truly willing to help together. The fourth is the Kanahol village hall. Please build it as an open hall structure that can also be used as a stage when many people gather. Originally, when the preschool was first established, it was intended to serve as a village hall as well, but this was abandoned due to management difficulties. Now that the village says they need a communal space, let’s start with Kanahol. The fifth is creating sidewalks where children can walk safely. If the villagers can come out and work together on this as well, we’ll proceed with it. There is a proper sequence to follow when carrying out these projects. First, receive applications from each village stating ‘our village needs this.’ Next, go directly to the site to verify whether it’s actually needed and check if the residents have the will to participate. Finally, calculate the necessary materials and budget and submit them. Following this sequence will probably involve quite a lot of work.”

Sunim concluded with a smile.

“Everyone worked hard during today’s field survey. We have an outing scheduled for tomorrow, right? Since we plan to leave early tomorrow as well, please go in early today and get plenty of rest.”

The meeting ended at 3:30 PM. Sunim hurriedly prepared and began the Dharma Q&A broadcast at 4 PM. With about 2,900 people connected to the YouTube live stream, Sunim gave his greeting.

“I am currently at Sujata Academy in Bodh Gaya, where the Buddha attained enlightenment. I have been examining the education and career status of the students and visiting fifteen surrounding villages. I toured to see how the residents live, what their living conditions are like, and what the villages need, and I also listened to the villagers’ requests.” “Watching the news, I could see people heading to their hometowns with bright faces as the Lunar New Year holiday begins. I still have a few more tasks to complete here in India, so I plan to return to Korea after the New Year.”

He then had conversations with those who had submitted questions in advance. During the hour, three people pressed the hand-raising button to ask Sunim questions. One of them expressed feelings of injustice, feeling like they were losing out by living honestly while watching people who live dishonestly yet prosper.

People Who Live Dishonestly Yet Prosper… Am I Losing Out by Being Honest?

“I know many people. While there are many good people, I also see quite a few who live very badly. I’ve seen people who hide their assets while receiving near-poverty level support, driving luxury cars and buying designer goods. I’ve also seen children enjoying money their parents earned through predatory lending without any qualms. Whenever I see this, I question whether the religious teaching that ‘those who commit evil deeds will be punished’ is really true. Sometimes it seems like those who live virtuously have harder lives. Having raised my children without properly receiving child support while faithfully paying taxes, I feel even more resentful. If those who commit evil deeds are punished, when and how does this happen? And if they repent later and decide to live virtuously, do their previous sins disappear?”

“Everything you’ve said is true. However, I’d like you to reconsider one thing. It’s not certain that people who commit evil deeds live happily. They may seem happy because they wear nice clothes and drive nice cars, but we can’t know if those who live badly are truly happy. Let me ask you something. There’s a fisherman catching fish. Would a good fisherman catch more fish, or would a bad fisherman catch more fish?”

“I think the bad person would catch more.”

“Whether someone catches a lot of fish or a little isn’t determined by moral standards of being good or bad, but by technical matters like knowing where fish gather, having good nets or boats, and having rich experience. Whether that fisherman helped someone in need the day before or lied to someone has no effect on fishing.”

“When I think about it that way, I understand.”

“But you’re asking, ‘Why does that unethical person live well while I, who am ethical, live in hardship?’ You’re connecting things that aren’t related. Being good or bad is related to being respected or criticized, not directly related to making a lot or little money. Making money is a technical matter.” “A good person with skills will be praised and have economic comfort. A good person without skills becomes a virtuous but poor person. A bad person with skills can be criticized yet economically wealthy. Living virtuously means living with praise and without criticism, not necessarily living well economically.” “Think about the Japanese colonial period. Those who collaborated with Japan lived well economically but were criticized by the people. Their children went to good universities and studied abroad thanks to their parents’ economic power, but after independence, they became children of traitors overnight. Doing bad things always carries this risk and lacks stability. Even if things go well, if fraud is discovered, everything collapses in an instant.” “On the other hand, this doesn’t happen to people who live righteously and honestly unless there’s an accident. Living virtuously doesn’t necessarily mean making a lot of money, but it greatly reduces life’s risks. That’s why we teach people to live virtuously.”

“I understand what you mean. But in cases like getting into college through near-poverty level benefits, children enjoy these benefits without knowing their parents’ wrongdoing. I’m also curious if karmic obstacles are really eliminated through repentance prayers.”

“That child doesn’t know their father is a bad person. Just like during the Japanese colonial period, children of collaborators didn’t know their fathers were traitors. You can only know when independence comes or when fraud is exposed. Right now, you’re like someone feeling resentful watching collaborators’ children before independence.” “And it’s true that our society has elements of injustice and inequality. However, realistically, there’s no absolute equality in any world. Compared to the Joseon Dynasty or the 1950s-70s, we can say things have improved a lot. The corruption that remains is something we need to improve going forward. I fully understand your feelings of injustice. However, the reason I live virtuously is for my own happiness, not to make a lot of money or receive benefits. It would be good to have the perspective of ‘Which aligns with my conscience – living badly or living virtuously?'” “And the key point of ‘sins disappear through repentance prayers’ isn’t that sins actually disappear. It’s to give hope to those who have done wrong that ‘it’s okay if you live virtuously from now on.’ If we said ‘sins never disappear,’ people would give up thinking ‘I’ve already committed so many sins, what’s the point of living virtuously now?’ Even if someone did wrong when young, isn’t it better to realize it late and live virtuously than to live badly until the end?” “But it seems you have something like a desire for revenge. A feeling that ‘I’ll only feel satisfied when bad people are punished.’ This is a punitive perspective. If we scrutinize every right and wrong for punishment and reward, what can I confidently say I’ve done well? Since we have all kinds of bad thoughts, by that standard, no one would be saved. Avalokitesvara Bodhisattva doesn’t judge our rights and wrongs but saves us out of compassion. This is called great compassion.”

“Listening to Sunim, I realized I’m still very lacking for not being able to let go of my desire to see wrongdoers punished. Though I’ve read the sutras many times, I see I’ve been lacking in daily practice.”

“Just realizing that you had a punitive perspective and discriminating mind that judges right and wrong is already great learning. Don’t be ashamed of it. Reading sutras isn’t unnecessary. However, it shouldn’t end with reading; we need practice to embody even a little of the teachings and wisdom found there.”

Questions continued to follow.

If I’m in an isolated situation where I can neither give nor receive help from anyone, should I first make efforts to go out and meet people rather than practice?

After starting meditation, I felt I was growing into a better person. But lately, I doubt whether I’m just comforting myself under the name of ‘mental victory.’

An hour passed quickly after finishing the conversations. Although the connection was interrupted due to poor local internet conditions, they were able to complete the dialogue successfully.

After the broadcast, Sunim discussed tomorrow’s JTS India staff outing schedule with Dharma Teacher Bogwang (보광 법사). He had dinner at 5:30 PM, edited manuscripts, and concluded the day.

Tomorrow, he plans to go on an outing (소풍) to Rajgir with the JTS India staff.