Month: January 2022

This is a Dharma song written by Daehaeng Kun Sunim. It doesn’t speak much about how to practice (that’s in other songs), but instead speaks more of the beauty of freeing ourselves from the habits we’ve been dwelling in. Rather than me talking about what’s there for everyone to see, just read it through a couple of times, slowly letting it sink within you.

The one mind of all Buddhas

The one mind of all Buddhas,
shining through the dark night
like the moon.
This captain,
carrying an oceanful of moonlight,
ceaselessly travels through all realms,
brightly coaxing forward, forward,
all the quietly sleeping minds.

So many different one minds,
have freed themselves
from the habits and attachments of this fleshy container,
and ride the clouds with all Buddhas,
all together,
working, sharing, helping.

The one mind of all Buddhas,
breaking through the darkness
rising like the sun.
This captain,
carrying a worldful of sunlight,
ceaselessly traveling throughout all realms,
raising and nurturing every kind of being
under the heavens
and throughout the earth.

All grow in harmony with one mind,
freeing themselves from the habits
and attachments of this body,
one with all Buddhas,
free as the wind,
sharing, helping, dancing,
together as one.

제불의 한마음

제불의 한마음은
어두운 저녘을 비쳐주는 달님처럼
한바다에 가득 찬 달빛을 싣고
끝없이 도는 선장은
고요히 잠든 마음들 속을
밝게 이끄시니 이끄시니

천차만별의 한마음들은
육신통을 벗어나
제불과 함께 구름타고
놀았노라 놀았노라

제불의 한마음은
응달진 아침을 밝혀주는 해님처럼
한누리를 가득히 햇빛을 싣고
끝없이 도는 선장은
산하 대지에 만물만생을 길러 내시니
한마음 따라 길러지는데
육신 몸을 벗어나
제불과 함께 바람따라
놀았노라 놀았노라

Happy Lunar New Year everyone! I hope you are all staying safe and taking care of each other!

We have a new video Dharma talk up! Kun Sunim talks a bit about giving, the principles of how things come and go, and the ability we have within us to find whatever we truly need, as well as help those around us. It seems straight forward, but there are a lot of subtle implications and nuances, so it’s worthwhile to ponder the contents from time to time.

Happy New Year, everyone! I hope the new year finds you well, and growing deeper and deeper in your spiritual practice!

The quote below is from the video Dharma talk today (It was shown at Anyang, as well as on YouTube.) And this is a section that jumped out at me. The questioner was commenting that it felt like he’d barely made any progress even after coming to the temple for 15 years. Here is part of Daehaeng Kun Sunim’s answer.

January 7, 1996

You mentioned feeling like you haven’t made any progress after even years of practicing, right? Like you’re still just licking the outside of a watermelon?

Think about firewood. If the wood is dry, with just a bit of flame, it will catch fire. But when the wood is wet, it won’t burn even though you use the same amount of kindling, will it? Your kindling and tinder just burn up, leaving the wood untouched. If you want it to burn, you have to use a lot more kindling to get it to catch fire. Well, spiritual practice is what dries out the wood. Then if it meets a flame, it will ignite with just a spark. If you haven’t done that much work, the wood is probably still wet and hard to ignite. To dry out that wood, you have to dissolve the habit of looking for others to save you. Dissolve those old habits by believing in your own foundation unconditionally! Then your fire will burn hot and bright!

그러니까 아직까지…, 불을 지피는데 말입니다. 젖은 나무로 불을 지피느냐 마른 나무로 불을 지피느냐에 따라서 쏘시개가 덜 들어가고 더 들어가고 하죠. 그러니까 마른 나무와 젖은 나무에 똑같이 불쏘시개를 한다면 젖은 나무는 안 타요. 그죠? 마른 나무는 불쏘시개를 조금만 해도 타 버리는데 젖은 나무는 불쏘시개를 똑같이 갖다 놓고 하더라도 그 불쏘시개만 홀랑 타 버리고는 안 타죠. 그거와 같은 겁니다. 우리가 수행이 어느 정도 돼 있어야 나무가 말라서 잘 타는 것과 같고, 수행이 돼 있지 않다면 아주 젖은 나무와 같아서 안 타죠. 그러니까 아직도 껍데기에, 즉 말하자면 타의에서 구하는 습성이 많이 있으니까 그것을 녹이려면 아예 진짜로 무조건 믿고 그렇게 해 보세요. 그러면 훨훨 탈 테니까요. 꼭 그렇게 하실 수 있겠죠?