티스토리 뷰
Looking Back on our life we can understand that cause & Effect are clear
Brief History
He was born Kong Ju in Chun Ahan, 1929
He became a monk by the teaching of Ko Kyung at Tong do-sa temple, 1942
He graduated the Master course of Tong do-sa monks' college, 1949
He became the abbot of Hae In-sa temple, 1983
He has been the teacher of Precept Transmitter in the Chogye Order from 1993
He is present precept master of Hae In Monastery, and a member of th senior Committee of the Chogye Order.
He wrote the book "The precept of Samini" "Pray" "How to pray in daily life"
"Offering the Dharma"
The endless blue sky
Rain falls from the clouds
In the empty mountains
The stream flow with flowers blossom
It was well known that 41 people became monks from my family. The relation between Buddhism and my family started with my great grand mother. She had three sons, who worked for the family willow business. The Japanese willow machine made good money for the domestic economy. Every months they divided all the income, she took one-fourth of it, and among the rest, the son who attended her best last month would take more. Because all the sons wanted to let their mother stay in their homes, all the neighbors envied their good family relationship.
She was very content with her sons. One day a Buddhist nun came begging and said to her, "Attaching to home business too much will make bad karma." My grandma was surprised by her saying this and , begged her to say how to avoid the bad karma following her as for as 3 miles. The nun stayed at her house one night without speaking, and at last said, "If you want to avoid the bad Karma, don't be proud of your sons in front of your neighbors and instead, do mantra practicing, "Namu Amitabul" as many times as you can. So she did this for 30 years until she died. So when her consciousness became clear she received magic power , and saw everything. One day she said "Prepare water instead of working." There was a fire on that day but they could escape.
When my mother became old enough to get married, she said to my grandfather "Go to the north as far as 12 km then you will find a young man named Kim. He will be your daughter's good husband"
After she died, there was a light around the house for 7 days and that's why all of my family was determined to become monks. My mother was as sincere a buddhist as my grandmother. My father was also sincere in Buddhism. They went to Man Kong zen master and received a writing "Everything comes from one thing, where does it come from?"
They put this writing on the wall to sit with this kongan. They moved this writing on their side of the wall when they went to sleep. They might be good dharma friends before life. I was accustomed to Buddhism since I was young. My uncle graduated Maichi University in Japan, he used to say to me "Everything comes from the mind."
I carved it on the board and recited it everyday. One time I fell down and hurt my knee, I meditated it by heart, and the pain disappeared. After becoming a monk, I practiced with fasting and got some mysterious experience, and the strength to concentrate.
If you do mantra practicing, fast or vowing then you can clean your bad karma by what you have done before.
It's nice that daily life would be a prayer itself. Every moment we should keep a praying mind and sincerely pay attentions to whoever we meet and whatever we do. Even in the case when we meet a person who we dislike, if we pray for him, then we don't need spare time to pray.
I learned the "The great mantra and Chunsu Kyung" from my uncle. Once I recited in front of my friends at the picnic while dancing, they laughed. So my nickname was sunim (Monk).
When I was 14 years old, my father became a monk under the Man kong zen master's teaching, and I went to Tong do-sa in Yang san and became one of Ko Kyung sunim's disciples. Ko Kyung sunim became the Sutra master in Tong do-sa at the age of 26. But he did many odd jobs like cooking and washing clothes by himself, so visitors misunderstood him; as an attendant asked him where Ko Kyung sunim was. He took care of his mother after she became old. After sixty, he cooked for her in her eighties by himself. His mother also, did mantra practicing for a long time. She passed very comfortably.
He was just like a clean mirror.
Once I was called to the government office. They asked me if there was an article to prevent monks to marry. As for the commandments, if the precept of sensual appetite is broken, then it is just the same as breaking the rock(crag). If the precept of a false remark is broken, then it is just same as cutting the head. Breaking the precepts makes it useless, just the same as needles without eyes. Occasionally I was called to be asked about the commandments. So I was determined to go to the O Dai mountains to practice hard. I burnt my fingers to make my heart strong. One day I saw a cloud in the sky. I felt that my body was impermanent and shapeless just like the cloud.
With this thought, I burnt my right hand after vowing 3,000 times everyday for 7 days. Then I went into Do sol Ahm hermitage to the Tae Baik Mountains alone. I was determined to sit without sleeping nor eating after lunch for ten years. Kong an practicing is the way of looking inside myself and it is the way to control my mind by mind. What is Kong an? It is just like the key that opens the mind, which is full of eighty-four-thousand dharma. It is this way that can make us like the Buddha. But it is not easy.
If you keep the Kong an in your mind, then recite inside it and think it over. Think it over without stopping, then the Kong an can be seen clearly. Then one step more; with great courage needed, it can be a true Kong an. If you come to this point then enlightenment is not far. If you want to be enlightened then you should take off the slot. To take off the slot you need great courage. It is just like a sharp sword that cut the hair by the breath on it.
I used to read the sutra when I felt sleepy. That was because I was determined not to sleep even I felt sleepy. When I finished reading the sutra, somebody outside spoke and moved. "That monk has finished reading now let's go."
According to the sutra there are references like this: " If some one reads the sutra at night, the spirits hear outside and are scattered."
Really I'd like to return back to those days of hard practicing. One day I hit my head and stomach to get rid of the slot. Old teachers pricked it with a pin to get rid of the slot. But I was only lazy. That night I could sit, keeping kong an cleary. Soon it became bright outside, I went out and found a flower smiling blossom. The sun shone and the birds sang. I thought the time to study zen had come to me. I was sure I could concentrate for 10 years. But only a few years passed when I stared to be disturbed from other businesses again. Like a stream, our lives go without stopping and are formless. Cause and effect are very clear. These days, all of us are confronted with a dilemma. So that makes us harsh easily. But this is a good time to practice zen. When we practice zen we can get an empty mind, and with an empty mind we can be happy and comfortable. Our state-of-mind can make our society bright.
I left my last words to my disciples already. After I'm dead, burn me and divide my ashes in three. One-thirds shall be flown to the air by balloons. And one of these shall be mixed with rice and be scattered in the mountain for beasts. And the last one shall be put into the sea for fish.
I don't want any sign like a stupa or tombstone for my dead corps.
coming and going
like rising and falling of moon
when the Sun set in the west valley
the Moon will shine on the shore
You must practice meditation without wishing for lucky chances
Practicing prayer in proper way is not easy. Some of practitioners who have been attending temple for many years practice prayers wishing for easy way out. That is not applicable in practicing prayers. Under the same sun, the shadow short or long reflects according to the appearances. The compassion of Buddha and Bodhisattvas respond to the hearts of the living beings, but often, living beings look for lucky chances.
Whenever you hear a rumor that certain god brings you luck, you rush over and pray. When you hear certain fortune-teller is good, you rush over for reading. Actually, any good fortune-teller can tell you only what you know. They have no way of knowing what ‘you’ don’t know. That has to be something that you know at least in your sub-consciousness. Other than that, they are guessing. Therefore you should not seek after vanity.
If you are Buddhist, you should come to your senses and follow Buddha’s teaching and practice at your strength. Wishing for lucky chances only defiles your mind and it will lead you to wrong way. You will be miles away from the path of the true teaching and your karmic obstacles will not be purified but become heavier.
Therefore, you must understand the meaning of ‘dependent-arising of the essence’, and practice meditation. Then, your karmic obstacles will clear and the fortunes will come your way naturally. The story of Master Muchak(820~900) and Munsu Bosal in China, illustrates good example of self reliant prayer and self reliant meditation.
Muchak senim, after he became a monk, practiced Munsu Bosal payer. In order to meet Bosal in person, he made full body bow from Hangju to Ohdae Mountain. When he arrived near Gumgang cave in Ohdae Mountain, he saw an old man riding an ox backwards. An old man asked him.
“Who are you? And why are you sitting in the middle of this mountain?”
“Well, I have come to meet Munsu Bosal.”
“Do you think you can meet Munsu Bosal?”
And at the end of conversation, he asked an odd question.
“Have you eaten?”
“No, I haven’t.”
“Well, you have no clue.”
Then he went away on an ox. He thought the old man was not ordinary. So, he followed him after. Soon a fancy golden colored temple appeared.
“Gyunjae!” An old man called out for his assistant boy. The boy came out running and took the ox from the old man. Shortly after, he brought tea on teapot made of jewels. After drinking tea, Muchak felt so refreshed.
‘What a wonderful tea!’ he thought.
While he was fascinated by tea, the old man asked.
“Where have you come from?”
“I’ve come from the south.”
Old man asked him again holding up a teacup.
“Do they have such thing in the south too?”
“No, they don’t.”
“Then how do they drink tea?”
“This simple monk keeps the precept.”
“How many are the members?”
“There are sometimes 300 or 500.”
Muchak thought his questions were vain. Muchak asked,
“How do they preserve Buddhadharma here?”
“The saint and ordinary live together and so are dragon and snakes.”
“How many members live here?”
“Three three in front, and three three in the back.”
He could not understand the answer. He asked how many members live here but the old man only replied with strange answer. The sun went down and Muchank asked for night’s shelter.
“You cannot stay if you have delusion and attachment.”
Old man asked again. “Do you keep precepts?”
“Yes, I have been ever since I was a child.”
“Well, isn’t that an attachment? You cannot stay here overnight.”
He meant that one has to enter the state where there is no distinction of cultivation or keeping, but he pointed that Muchak was still in the state where he had to make an effort to keep. That’s why he called it delusion and attachment. Old man told assistant to show Muchak way out. On his way out he found out the name of the temple was ‘Banyasa’. Puzzled by old man’s answer he asked assistant the meaning of old man’s answer when he asked how many members live here.
“Boy, why did he say ‘three three in front and three three in the back’ when I asked how many members lived here?”
“Dear venerable!”
“Yes.”
“How many is this?”
Muchak did not understand at all. He had to ask him for teaching.
”Boy, please teach me.”
“A face without anger is a true offering and a soft word is mysterious incense.
True mind free of defilements is everlasting mind of Buddha.
Leave delusion and meditate diligently. For whom will you work all day?
If you know this peaceful message in the midst of busy day,
a lotus flower will blossom in boiling water.”
Soon as he heard the song, Muchak senim realized. But when he lifted his head he no longer found any temple. After he had returned from Ohdae Mountain, he practiced diligently until he found harmony between emptiness and phenomena and became enlightened. After that, he volunteered to cook for young practitioners to help them attain enlightenment.
One day, when he was making gruel in huge pot, he saw streams of light from the pot and Munsu Bosal appeared like lotus. It was the Munsu Bosal he’s been longing to meet in person. Others who also saw the scene, appraised in awe, but Muchak senim shouted and slapped the face of Munsu Bosal with gruel stirrer saying, “Munsu is my munsu and Muchak is my Muchak!”
Then from each bubble in the gruel turned into thousands of Munsu Bosal filling the entire room. Muchak senim continued to hit the bubbles with the stirrer. Munsu Bosal finally vanished saying, “I have been practicing for three kalpas and today I am returning with accusation. The bitterness of pumpkin is bitter to the roots and sweetness of melon is sweet to the stem.”
The master Muchak knew the principle of dependent-arising from the essence that none that arise with appearance is real therefore he beat off the appearance of Munsu Bosal by hitting it with gruel stirrer. When the practitioners acquire the principle of emptiness, his or her action leaves no artificiality thus unhindered in every ways.
The nature of land and mountains become one with the self and share the same essence that you are able to return to the very natural realm. When you enter this state, numerous worlds will reveal their true appearances.
Acquiring the emptiness within the True mind and becoming free having no hindrances, is the goal of all practice including prayer.
To a practitioner, it doesn’t matter whether Buddha is made of stone, metal or wood. Without wishing for chances by luck, if you practice sincerely with diligence, all karmic obstacles will distinguish and fortune will come its way.
If you rely on outside power rather than your self-reliant power, you may loose your self. Therefore, when you have attained certain state by outside power, you have to be very careful.
There is saying that, “The heaven look after those who help themselves.” Practitioners of prayer must rely on inner strength. Even if you rely on outside power, you must proceed by understanding the principle of dependent-arising of the essence.
This is the key to accomplishing your utmost aspiration, and the teaching, which will take you to liberation through practicing prayer. When you listen to Dharma talks, you must empty your thoughts.
“Do not rush nor be lazy. If you go one step at a time, you will see the sun rising.”
This song contains great teaching in life. Your rushing will not affect the rising of the sun. Nor will your laziness slow down the rising of the sun. The sun will rise at its right time. Therefore the song teaches neither to be anxious nor be lazy. This can also apply to when you are listening to Dharma talks.
Enlightenment is far from either being anxious or lazy. Then what is not? It is attainable by empty mind. When your mind is completely empty, the teaching can settle in. Try to pour clean water into contaminated water. It will clear some impurity but it still is contaminated. If you try to pour Dharma teachings into mind full of distracting thoughts, it cannot settle in. Therefore you must first calm distracting thoughts.
When you are listening to Dharma talks, you should also let go of judgments whether you agree with it or not. All opinions of it are nothing but segments of delusion. When you empty such distraction, the teaching of thirst quenching nectar can settle in your heart.
True Dharma talks cannot be transmitted by talking or listening. It can be exchanged within empty minds.
Even any good thinking during listening Dharma talks can be distraction. Therefore if you know this, and empty your mind during Dharma talks, you may have chance for sudden realization. This is key to entering the Dharma gate. Hearing same Dharma talks, some realizes and some don’t. Some illuminate like the rays of sun and some get lost in the darkness. Should you make poison or sweet milk? Should you attain enlightenment or dwell in cycle of birth and death?
You hold the key. If you listen to Dharma talks for merely learning knowledge, you will gain nothing but cycle of birth and death. But if you listen with empty mind, you may attain enlightenment. As it has been taught by many Masters, try to listen with empty mind. You will have the day of your enlightenment soon.