When Helping Others, We Must Help Them Become Self-Reliant.

Hello. Today is the last day of our visit to Sri Lanka. After completing meetings with JTS volunteers, we’re heading back home, wrapping up our five-day relief mission.

After completing his morning practice, Sunim had breakfast with Sri Lanka JTS volunteers at 6:10 AM to start the day. A volunteer living near the accommodation had prepared homemade lunch boxes early in the morning.

On this last morning in Sri Lanka, everyone began the day energetically by sharing a meal prepared with care.

After finishing the meal, they immediately organized the space, and from 7 AM, Sunim held a meeting with Sri Lanka JTS members who had actively participated in this relief work.

The meeting began with everyone reciting the Three Refuges (삼귀의) together in the Theravada Buddhist tradition, led by Venerable Dhammananda.

Buddhaṃ saraṇaṃ gacchāmi,
Dhammaṃ saraṇaṃ gacchāmi,
Saṅghaṃ saraṇaṃ gacchāmi

After a brief meditation, Sunim introduced three topics he wanted to discuss today.

“Today, we will discuss three main topics. First is the Buddhist perspective – how we should view life. Second is reviewing the projects we have conducted and discussing what areas need improvement going forward. In particular, we’ll examine from what perspective we should pursue flood damage recovery and reconstruction efforts. Third is thinking together about the future direction of Sri Lanka JTS.”

First, Sunim spoke about what perspective we should have when living life from a Buddhist viewpoint. Since all the volunteers share Buddhism as their faith, Sunim explained in detail what the Buddha’s core teachings are.

“First, let’s discuss how we should live. People usually say humans consist of two aspects combined. One is the physical life that follows the natural ecosystem, and the other is the spiritual life. In terms of having a living body, dogs, squirrels, insects, and humans are all the same. Let’s look at how these living beings live. Even small insects don’t live with someone’s help – they live their own lives independently. The same goes for squirrels in the mountains. Thus, life itself, whether human or insect, inherently possesses the power to live independently. However, there are occasional cases where beings cannot live independently. Until they become adults, children need help from parents or someone else. Also, when injured or sick, we need others’ help. In nature, most of these cases simply result in death. Therefore, ‘self-reliance’ – the ability to live independently – is the source and core of life.

When Helping Others, We Must Help Them Become Self-Reliant

Children only need temporary help until they become adults. So from what perspective should we help children? We should help them become self-reliant, that is, able to live independently. Adults are people who live independently, while children are beings who need help. When helping children, we should help them so they can live independently later, not make them continuously dependent and unable to live alone. That would be helping incorrectly. We must provide help that contributes to self-reliance. If our help actually hinders self-reliance, then our helping has no value. When helping someone, ‘helping’ itself should not be the goal – what’s most important is whether that help contributes to their ability to live independently or not. Let me explain with an analogy. When you injure your leg and have difficulty walking, a cane is very helpful. You use the cane while your leg heals. But what should you do once your leg is healed? Should you continue using the cane out of gratitude, or should you discard it?”

“We should discard the cane.”

“No matter how helpful it was, once your leg is healed, you must discard the cane. The Buddha also said that while we use a raft to cross a river, we must abandon it after crossing. We don’t carry the raft on our backs out of gratitude. When we help others, we temporarily play the role of a cane. But if we continue playing that cane role, the person doesn’t heal their leg but rather becomes disabled. That’s why helping should be minimal and only what’s necessary, not unconditional helping as if it’s always good. Children are beings who cannot live independently and need adult help, while adults can not only live alone but can also help children. Children gain joy from receiving help, while adults feel fulfillment from raising children. The types of joy are different. The Buddha’s teaching is like raising a child to become an adult. Those who cannot live independently and ask ‘please help me’ are called children physically, and sentient beings spiritually. The Buddha’s teaching helps these sentient beings become ‘Buddhas’ like adults.

Dhamma is the teaching that helps sentient beings become Buddhas. The Buddha’s teaching leads suffering sentient beings to become Buddhas free from suffering. Those who walk this path before becoming fully enlightened Buddhas are called ‘Bodhisattvas.’ A Bodhisattva is someone who has no personal troubles, needs no help from others, yet can help those in difficulty. Leading sentient beings to become Bodhisattvas and ultimately Buddhas—this is the essence of the Buddha’s teaching.

What Kind of Help Should Be Given, and What Kind Should Be Stopped?

Even small insects and squirrels live well on their own, so why do humans, who are far superior to them, constantly plead “Please help me”? It is because of ignorance. Due to ignorant thinking, despite being far greater beings than insects or squirrels, humans cannot live independently and always seek help. This is why we are called ‘sentient beings (중생).’ However, when we overcome this ignorance and gain wisdom, we can not only live independently but also help others. This is why the Buddha’s teaching does not end with simply helping others. The Buddha’s teaching is about helping people become self-reliant and, furthermore, enabling them to help others. Therefore, when a Bodhisattva helps others, the key is not the ‘act of helping’ itself. Even if someone receives help initially, they must ultimately be able to live without assistance, and taking it a step further, that person should also become capable of helping others. This is how practitioners help others. This is the fundamental reason why JTS differs from typical charity organizations. The Buddha focused more on awakening people from ignorance to help them live independently rather than providing material assistance. The Buddha identified ignorance as the reason we cannot be self-reliant, which can be divided into three types: greed (탐), anger (진), and ignorance (치). Because of these three poisons, we use our energy to torment ourselves, which is why we cannot be self-reliant and always seek help from others. However, if we eliminate these three, we can live independently without needing to ask for help and can even help others. This is why we must eliminate the three poisons of greed, anger, and ignorance. Ultimately, the primary work of a Bodhisattva is to help awaken sentient beings from their ignorance, and the most important thing is to help sentient beings become self-reliant and live without suffering.

However, even though we cannot enlighten injured animals, we can still treat their wounds, can’t we? The same applies to people. There are cases where it’s difficult to enlighten someone immediately, like with young children, and there are urgent situations like when someone’s home is swept away by floods. In such times, helping them comes first. That’s why when helping others, we must have the right perspective and principles. Only then does it become clear what we should help with and what we shouldn’t. For example, if someone without a home is getting soaked in the rain, we should build them even a small house. However, helping someone who already has a house but wants to build a bigger one is not the work of a practitioner. Let me talk about the two schools we saw yesterday. One was a school at a temple, and the other was a public school. The school at the temple was clean and well-managed. The monk there wanted to make it even better. While we might think we should help because we’re fellow Buddhists, that’s not JTS’s work to do. It’s that monk’s work. This doesn’t mean the work is unnecessary; it means it’s that monk’s job to do, not something JTS should take on. It’s the same principle as how making a small house bigger is that person’s work, not something we should help with. On the other hand, when we visited the public school, there weren’t enough classrooms. Four classes were gathered in the auditorium for lessons, and some children were studying outside in temporary classrooms. When we think about which of the two places we should help, the answer is clear: the public school. Furthermore, if there’s a place like in Myanmar where schools have completely collapsed due to earthquakes or typhoons and students are studying under tents, we should help such places before the public school we saw yesterday. And if there are people living in tents on the roadside because their homes were swept away, while schools are important, building homes for those people is more urgent. This means there are priorities even in helping others.

From this perspective, when we help others, we must first help those in the most difficult situations, and second, help them become self-reliant. Making things a little better is their responsibility, not something we need to help with. What we Buddhists should do is help people awaken from ignorance so they can live on their own. That’s why spreading the Dharma is most important. However, there are people who are not in a position to hear the Dharma. For such people, we must first help them materially, and then spread the Dharma. Material assistance should also be provided within these limited boundaries, not to make them wealthy unconditionally. We shouldn’t think that JTS helps with everything or makes people wealthy unconditionally. Help is meaningful only when someone is in a situation where they absolutely cannot manage alone, or when just a little help would enable them to succeed on their own. The most important thing is to help people become self-reliant. It’s not about doing things for them, but helping them become masters of their own lives and stand on their own feet. For example, when someone asks us to build an irrigation channel because of water shortage, we should first ask, ‘You are the owner here, so what can you do?’ Only when we can determine what help would contribute to this person’s self-reliance should we provide assistance. That’s why wherever I go, I ask, “What will you do?” and “What do you think?” JTS doesn’t automatically fix things just because someone requests it. Only when a person shows the will to do it themselves, saying ‘I want to fix this, and if I just had this, I could do it,’ do we help with what they lack.

From Being Helped to Helping Others

If the Buddha’s teaching is about awakening those who cannot be self-reliant due to mental ignorance so they can stand on their own, then what JTS does is offer small assistance to those who cannot be self-reliant due to material hardship, enabling them to rise on their own. The direction is no different. Material support is on the same path as spreading the Dharma.

In Bodh Gaya, India, there is a school called ‘Sujata Academy.’ It’s a poor village where untouchables live, and 30 years ago, there was no school and all the children were begging. When I asked why they were begging instead of going to school, they said it was because there was no school to go to. When I asked if they needed a school, they said yes. So I asked them. ‘Whose child is this? Is this my child or your child?’ ‘It’s my child.’ ‘Then what can you do as a parent?’ ‘I can’t do anything because I’m poor.’ So I said again.

‘I am an unmarried monk from a foreign country. You should take responsibility for the children you gave birth to. Why are you asking a monk to do it?’ ‘We are too poor to do anything.’ ‘Still, as parents, shouldn’t you do something? Can you carry bricks and mix cement?’ ‘Yes, we can do that.’ ‘Do you have land?’ ‘We have some land.’ ‘Then donate at least a little bit of land to build a school for the children.’ So ten people donated small pieces of unused land. JTS said it would provide materials like bricks and cement, and asked the villagers to build the school themselves. When they said they lacked skills, Sunim arranged for skilled workers. After working for a few days, they said they had no food at home. So Sunim provided 1kg of rice per day. This is how the school began. Sunim provided free education up to elementary school. But when the children graduated from elementary school, they asked him to build a middle school too. So Sunim asked them: ‘Then what can you do? Can you teach preschool children?’ ‘Yes, we can teach them.’ ‘Then if you teach preschool children in the morning, I’ll arrange for you to study middle school curriculum in the afternoon.’ ‘That sounds good.’ This way, JTS doesn’t just give help – people must do something themselves to receive assistance. Middle school students teach preschoolers, high school students teach elementary students, and college students teach middle school students. This is how the school operates. Rather than unconditionally helping, Sunim guides them to be able to do something on their own.

Let’s Make Our Village Better Ourselves

It’s true that Sri Lanka is experiencing some economic difficulties right now. However, from what I see, it’s not at a level where you need to receive help from others. Therefore, those who are more educated and better off should start a movement to help those in need. In other words, you need to have the perspective that ‘we will make our country better ourselves, and we will make our village better ourselves.’ Only when you have this mindset can you truly become a JTS member.

When village residents say ‘We want to do something but we lack this,’ you should be able to say ‘We can provide this, so let’s try doing it together.’ It’s not just about helping. Just as we help people become spiritually independent by sharing the Buddha’s teachings, we must work from the perspective of how to help them become materially independent as well. Those who don’t particularly need material help from others should awaken spiritually through Jungto Dharma School, and those who have awakened should share what they have with poor neighbors little by little. Or you can do volunteer work like you are doing now. Looking at Jungto Society members in Korea, almost no one comes from the beginning saying ‘I want to help others.’ Most come saying ‘Please help me.’ They come with marital conflicts, disobedient children, or feeling too distressed. So they first study the Buddha’s teachings. They come to understand ‘Oh, this is all because of the three poisons of greed, anger, and ignorance.’ They realize on their own that it’s not because of their husband, child, or wife, but because of their own ignorance. When they awaken on their own and their minds become peaceful, gratitude arises. They feel grateful to the Buddha and grateful for the Dharma talks. Then they start making small donations. Just as the villagers brought food yesterday out of gratitude, they make offerings out of gratitude for having improved from their difficulties. And they ask ‘Is there anything I can help with?’ and start volunteering. This way, they first learn the Buddha’s teachings, then it leads to donations and volunteer work.

While most temples often ask large corporations or the government for help, Jungto Society never asks anyone for assistance. This is because not only individuals but also organizations must be self-reliant. When people gathered at Jungto Society make donations and volunteer, money is raised and workers emerge, which becomes the foundation for activities. You all have above-average living standards and education levels in Sri Lanka, don’t you? Then you should help others. We must work together to launch a movement to improve our villages and our country with our own hands. The activities you are doing now are precisely that beginning. It’s not just helping others, but doing it in the same way as spreading the Buddha’s Dharma. Over the past five days, it must have been difficult carrying and transporting rice. However, this joy is like the fulfillment parents feel when raising children despite the hardships. It is exactly that kind of joy. This very sense of fulfillment leads us away from a life lived only for ourselves toward a path of living together with our neighbors.”

The Sri Lankan JTS volunteers focused intently on the story Sunim was sharing.

After a short break, they changed topics and resumed the meeting. Second, Sunim proposed several areas that needed improvement in this relief activity.

Sunim advised that rice distribution should be conducted at multiple locations rather than one large-scale site to avoid long waits and the burden of carrying heavy rice over long distances. He emphasized that school bags should be delivered directly to students in classrooms rather than to parents, and that bag sizes should be prepared according to age groups. He also stressed strictly maintaining the principle that coupons can only be collected by the person themselves at the designated time, and that vulnerable groups such as the disabled should be surveyed in advance for separate assistance. Regarding the difficulty of refusing requests from acquaintances, he offered practical advice to avoid personal awkwardness by cross-assigning responsibility areas. Finally, Sunim clarified the nature of emergency relief.

“Providing rice aid is for emergency situations. It’s already been three months since the flood. Now we should move toward supporting recovery. Even when providing separate support to the extremely poor who suffered severe damage, we need to clearly identify recipients through individual surveys. Distributing to all parents is not an appropriate method.”

Finishing the feedback, Sunim said with a smile.

“What you did well was 80%, and I’ve mentioned the 20% that needs improvement. I hope these areas can be improved. It doesn’t mean you did wrong.” (laughter)

The Sri Lankan JTS volunteers also nodded with smiles.

Third, they discussed from what perspective and how to proceed with flood damage recovery projects in the future, and what direction Sri Lankan JTS should take.

Based on field surveys, Sunim identified Madugasgala village as the first priority. He proposed specific construction methods for the three requests from residents – bridge, irrigation channel, and road – focusing on methods that would reduce costs and allow village residents to do the construction themselves. For the three schools in the Jaffna area, he addressed each school’s needs including material support for electricity, toilets, and doors, installation of water purification filter facilities for the entire village, and fence maintenance using wire mesh. For the school damaged by landslides, he proposed building two temporary classrooms first, then constructing four proper classrooms through a construction company in the long term, with JTS covering 70% and parents, the education office, and local leaders sharing 30%. Sunim’s emphasized criteria were clear.

“It should cost little money, be easy work, and village people should be able to make it themselves. When construction gets big, villagers have to pay to bring in outside technicians.”

The issue of fences to prevent animal intrusion at schools was also raised. Cement posts were expensive, and wooden posts would rot in 3-4 years. Sunim proposed a unique solution.

“First make a fence with wooden posts, and you know there are trees that survive when planted as cuttings. If you plant such trees between the posts during the rainy season, even when the wooden posts rot after 3-4 years, the grown trees will serve as posts. It becomes a natural fence, looks nice, and costs less.”

At the end of the meeting, Sunim pointed out the crucial difference between the relief supply distribution done so far and the recovery projects to be done in the future.

“Providing rice aid ends with a few days of preparation and distribution, but recovery projects require going to construction sites frequently over the next 3 or 6 months to supervise and check. It’s completely different level of work.”

The Sri Lankan JTS volunteers nodded and responded.

“What we’ve done so far was simply giving, but this is something we have to manage. It’s completely different work.”

Sunim nodded and continued.

“This is the real work we originally intended to do. It’s not JTS’s work, but your work. It’s the work of making Sri Lanka better in the future.”

He also provided direction on future operating principles. He emphasized that undertaking projects far from one’s own area is difficult to sustain, and that operations should be centered around having one volunteer in each area. This was because it would be impossible to conduct 3-month construction projects by traveling to distant places every week. Sunim concluded the meeting saying.

“Let’s try this time to understand what problems exist, find ways to improve, and gradually expand.”

The Sri Lankan JTS volunteers responded.

“Yes, we will check what to propose later and work to expand throughout Sri Lanka in the future.”

As they were about to end the meeting, one volunteer expressed gratitude to Sunim.

“Sunim, thank you for helping us Sri Lankan people so much over the past three years.”

“From now on, take Venerable Dhammananda as your teacher and do well independently.”

“Yes, we will consult and cooperate well with Venerable Dhammananda and the Korean volunteers to do better in the future.”

After finishing the meeting, they went out to the yard and took a commemorative photo together.

After encouraging everyone for their hard work, they boarded the bus.

At 9:50 AM, they departed from the accommodation and headed to Colombo.

At 1:30 PM, they briefly stopped at Venerable Dhammananda’s temple to say farewell. Sunim expressed gratitude for the material and spiritual support provided during the five days of relief activities.

“Venerable Dhammananda, thank you for being with us this time.”

“Thank you. I will work to develop Sri Lankan JTS well in the future.”

Venerable Dhammananda was constructing a new building. Sunim offered a donation for the construction project and then continued on the journey.

About 5 hours after leaving the accommodation, at 2:40 PM, they arrived at Sri Isipathanaarama Temple in Colombo. This is the temple operated by Venerable Assaji, who attended the ‘Inter-religious Solidarity and Peace (종교 간 연대와 평화)’ dialogue meeting hosted by The Peace Foundation last July. Since Venerable Pomnyun and Korean religious leaders are scheduled to visit Sri Lanka together in July this year, they stopped by to pay respects.

When Sunim got out of the car, Pastor Anura, who had visited Korea last year, was the first to run out and warmly welcome him.

The two shared the joy of reunion with a hug, then entered the temple and exchanged greetings with Venerable Assaji.

After the three exchanged pleasantries, they naturally began discussing JTS activities. First, Sunim explained that during this visit to Sri Lanka, relief supplies were distributed to flood-affected residents, and after directly surveying the sites, they decided to proceed with irrigation channel, bridge, and road recovery projects. They then discussed plans for Korean religious leaders’ visit to Sri Lanka scheduled for July this year. Sunim first explained the background of the visit.

“When you came to Korea last year and we heard stories of Sri Lankan religious leaders working together for peace, Korean religious leaders were deeply moved. So the idea came up to visit Sri Lanka directly to see the field. We are currently planning a 5-night, 6-day visit to Sri Lanka.”

They then discussed the detailed itinerary. Sunim proposed combining a seminar to share stories of inter-religious peace activities, visits to various religious facilities, and tours of historical sites such as Kandy, Sigiriya, and Anuradhapura. However, they decided to avoid overly strenuous schedules as two participants were over 80 years old. The delegation would consist of 9 people total, including religious leaders from Catholic, Anglican, Protestant, Buddhist, Won Buddhist, and Cheondoist traditions plus staff members. It was arranged that the Korean side would cover vehicles and accommodation, while the Sri Lankan side would handle seminars and meals during travel. Venerable Assaji and Pastor Anura promised active cooperation once a draft itinerary was prepared.

After finishing the conversation, Sunim rose from his seat and exchanged farewells with Venerable Assaji and Pastor Anura in turn. Promising to meet again in July, they left the temple at 4 PM and headed to the airport.

After an hour’s drive, they had a late lunch-dinner at a restaurant near the airport, then arrived at Colombo’s Bandaranaike Airport at 6 PM.

Namal, the Sri Lankan JTS Secretary General who served as interpreter during the relief activities, came to see them off at the airport. Sunim expressed gratitude to the driver who had driven well even to difficult-to-reach places during the tight 5-day schedule, took a commemorative photo together, and then proceeded with departure procedures.

After briefly attending to some work at the boarding gate, at 8:20 PM, they departed from Colombo’s Bandaranaike Airport and boarded the flight to Korea.

The plane is scheduled to arrive at Shanghai Pudong Airport, the transit point, tomorrow morning after a 6 hour and 45 minute flight. Perhaps the fatigue from the 5-day intensive schedule had accumulated, as Sunim fell into a deep sleep as soon as he sat down.

Arriving in Shanghai at 5:35 AM local time, after an 8-hour transit wait, and then another 2-hour flight in the afternoon, the Sri Lankan relief activity journey will come to an end at Incheon Airport.