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On Moral Practice 1. The Great Master said, "The point of my requiring you to recite the Essentials of Daily Practice at dawn and in the evening lies not in the verbal recitation only, but in engraving their meaning on your mind, so that you will review them generally once a day, and in detail in all trying situations. You have to examine and re-examine your mind to determine whether or not there has been a disturbance in its Original Nature, whether there has been foolishness or unrighteousness there, whether there has been a drive for Belief, Courage, Query and Sincerity, whether you have been grateful in daily life, whether you have relied chiefly on your own ability in your daily life, whether your desire to learn has been sincere, whether you have taught others with sincerity, and whether or not you have served others. You have to examine your mind until you reach the stage where your mind operates perfectly without even examining it. It is said that the human mind is so subtle that it exists when you attempt to grasp it, and it disappears when you let it go. How can you cultivate your mind without examining it? This is why I have the Items for Constant Application which should be observed during daily life, and the Items to be Noted at a Temple of Won Buddhism, to enable you to undergo this process of self-examination. In order for you to verify this, I also require you to keep a diary so that your practice can be strict and integrated, I ask you to attain sainthood as early as possible through sincere effort. 2. The Great Master said, "The most effective ways to attain the Power of Cultivating Spiritual Stability through Motion and Quietness are, first, while you conduct yourself, do not commit yourself to such things as will disturb your mind or rob you of it. Stay away from such trying situations. Secondly, in all situations, do not be attached to one thing or covetous of it, but train your mind to be indifferent. Thirdly, while you are doing one thing do not be attracted to anything else, so that you may concentrate on the thing you are involved in. Fourthly, be mindful to practice Chanting the Name of Buddha and Sitting Meditation whenever leisure time is available. The most effective ways to gain the Power of Study of Facts and Principles through Motion and Quietness are: First, as you manage your various human affairs, strive to become acquainted with everything. Secondly, seek to exchange opinions with your teacher or with Dharma friends. Thirdly, strive to follow the order of study in solving any question which confronts you while you see, hear or think. Fourthly, make an effort to practice our scriptures. Fifthly, after you finish practicing our scriptures, broaden your knowledge and outlook by referring to the scriptures of the past moralists. The most effective ways of attaining the Power of Selection of Right Conduct through Motion and Quietness are: First, if the thing you are engaged in is righteous, no matter whether it is a matter of significance or a trivial one, carry it out even at the cost of your life. Secondly, if it is unrighteous, no matter whether it is a matter of significance or a trivial one, do not commit yourself to it even at the cost of your life. Thirdly, do not be discouraged at being unable to carry out something when you cannot put it into practice, but continue with your sincere effort." 3. The Great Master said, "Religious Orders in the past emphasized practice only in quietness because they thought mundane work and moral practice were incompatible. Consequently, some renounced their families, spending their entire lives in remote mountains, or some, seeking after truth, were absorbed in reading scriptures to such an extent that they did not even notice when the rain washed away the grain drying in the yard. How could this be an integrated way of study? Therefore, we should not regard study and mundane work as two separate entities. Successful study is realized through successful mundane work, and successful mundane work leads to successful study, so that together they enable you to attain the Three Great Powers in between motion and quietness. I bid you to follow constantly the practice of motion and quietness. 4. The Great Master spoke to those assembled at a monastery, "The regular training at a monastery may cause beginners to feel uncomfortable and restricted while following exclusively the required courses of meditation. However, there will not be a more comfortable or more pleasant life than this when you become proficient at it, and your mind and body gradually become disciplined. Hence, examine your mind to determined whether you are leading a hard or comfortable life while you follow the daily required courses. Those who feel monasterial life to be hard and troublesome have not sufficiently divested themselves of the Karma accumulated in worldly life. For those who do find the monasterial life pleasant, the door to attainment of Buddhahood is gradually opened." 5. The Great Master said, "The degree of sincerity with which one manages affairs depends on whether or not one knows the relationship between the work and oneself. For instance, the reason one earnestly drives oneself to earn money for food and clothing is that one knows that food and clothing are indispensable to life; the reason one who is sick is sincere in seeking medical treatment is that one knows it has a vital relationship to the maintenance of health; the reason a student is sincere in the effort to learn is that the student knows learning is important to one's future. The person who understands this principle will overcome all hardship and obstacles that confront one during practice. Such a person will not complain even if treated with indifference by the teacher or fellow members. The person who does not understand this principle will be impatient with studies, will be discontented with teachers and fellow members and will feel unwilling to cultivate the mind or accomplish any public business in an altruistic spirit. Reconsider rationally whether you have recognized the relationship between your study in this Order and yourself." 6.The Great Master said, "The hunter trying to hunt a lion or a tiger does not shoot a hare or a pheasant recklessly because shooting at small animals will cause failure in catching the larger ones. Likewise, one who has made a decision to study the great Way is similar to this hunter in not being concerned with small objects because of knowing that this small avarice will be an obstacle to achieving the goal of studying the great Way. Hence, one who seeks to attain Buddhahood should be able to ignore all worldly desires and attachments in order to accomplish the goal. if one cannot shed trivial worldly desires and is thus unable to achieve that great goal, he or she will be compared to the hunter whose shooting at a hare or a pheasant causes the loss of the lion or the tiger. What a pity it is! Therefore, I ask those who seek to attain Buddhahood to cut themselves off from trivial worldly desires." 7. The Great Muter said to those assembled at a monastery. "I have heard that one of the members of Yungkwang Temple of Won Buddhism was working to earn wages near the temple on the day of a regular Dharma meeting. What do you think of him?" One of his disciples replied, "It is wrong for him to prefer money to the study of the Law. However, if his parents, wife and children were starving, would it not be right for him to try to save his family from hunger and cold even though he missed a regular Dharma meeting?" The Great Master said, "That makes sense, but as the regular Dharma meeting is not held every day, one who is truly eager to study the Law and who regards the Law as valuable could have tried to prepare food for that one day by any means in advance. The fact that he works for a living on the very day of the regular Dharma meeting shows his indifference and insincerity toward the study of the Law. It is as I have already mentioned in the Items to be Noted at a Temple of Won Buddhism. Even if one was unable to prepare enough food for one's own family on the regular Dharma meeting day with advance effort, there is a principle that one will find something to eat if one is sincere and wholehearted in the study of the Law. For instance, a' soon as a baby is born it grows on the heavenly sustenance of its mother's milk." 8. The Great Master said at a regular Dharma meeting: "Today I am going to tell you how to make money. Listen, and try to become well-to-do. The way I suggest is not by any outward technical skill, but by using one's own mind inwardly. Our doctrine can be used as a way to make money. Look at how much money is wasted wantonly for wine, sex and gambling! How much they waste for vanity and display! How much they lose because of their laziness and loss of public confidence! if a person who used to live without any standard of life comes to the regular Dharma meeting to learn the various laws and regulations, practices that which is recommended and abstains from that which is prohibited, that person may be able to save the money which otherwise will leak out and be wasted. The property acquired from such diligence and economy and the public's confidence in that person will both increase. This is how to make money. The world, however, does not understand that religious practice is closely related to making money. They say that they cannot practice the Law or that they cannot come to the regular Dharma meeting because they are forced to earn money. This is certainly a one-sided view. Hence, those who understand this principle will become more confident in the fact that as they are poor, they need to study the Law more, and as they need to gain money, they should attend the regular Dharma meeting more faithfully. Then they will enjoy the integrated progress of practice of the Law and daily life." 9. The Great Master said, "People generally think that Sitting Meditation, Chanting the Name of Buddha or reading scriptures at a quiet place are the only ways of practicing the Law. They do not know that there is a way of practice to train one's mind in practical daily life. How, then, can they be expected to know the great practice way of Internal Meditation and External Meditation? Generally, the great way of practicing the Law is first to study the principle of one's Nature, to know the state of the Nature which is originally not attached to anything and to act with detachment toward anything in practical life. Those who know this way will succeed in attaining the superior ability of practice within a certain time. If one practicing the Way is not attached or drawn to any other matter while doing something, or not drawn to another concern while doing something else, then one is practicing concentration of mind. One who manages all affairs in good order after fully comprehending the principle of them is actually practicing the Study of Facts and Principles. If one is not attached or drawn to anything while doing this or that, one is actually practicing the Selection of Right Conduct. Thus one can place emphasis on Chanting the Name of Buddha and Sitting Meditation at one's leisure, to attain concentration of spirit, or on practice in scriptures for the Study of Facts and Principles, regardless of whether one is working or not. If one can follow this way, the Power of Cultivation of Spiritual Stability will accumulate by itself in one's mind, the Power of Study of Facts and Principles will be attained and the Power of Selection of Right Conduct will grow. Look! Song Kyu did not even attend the three month intensive regular training session of meditation as he was absorbed in his duties at Headquarters or at regional temples since his conversion. His ability, if investigated, shows that by his Power of Cultivation of Spiritual Stability he has almost completely emancipated himself from attachments and avarice, so that he is little given to feelings of joy or anger, pleasure or sorrow, or to personal relationships of closeness and intimacy or remoteness and estrangement. By his Power of Study of Facts and Principles he has generally mastered the analysis of Right from Wrong, of Advantage from Disadvantage, and of the Absolute Unity and its Components. By this Power of Selection of Right Conduct he ably analyzes Right from Wrong, and he will practice what is right nine times out of ten. Besides, the essays he has written and sent to me show that he understands the deep state of profound truth, and they are written in an easy style and in very good order so that they need almost no correction. In short, he will become a very important person who can be of benefit to the public wherever he goes. This is the result of his constant practice regardless of whether he is in Motion or in Quietness. You, too, should devote yourselves to the practice of Continual Meditation under the principle of 'Oneness in Motion and in Quietness' so that you may attain fully the Three Great Powers." 10. The Great Master said, "When you are free from work, always prepare yourself for things to do, and while you are doing something, always keep the tranquility of mind which you had when you were free from work. If you do not prepare yourself while you are free from work for the things that must be done, you cannot but get confused and upset by trying situations, and if you cannot keep the tranquility of mind which you had when you were free from work while you are doing something, you will become enslaved by that situation." 11. In the course of discussion, Chun Eum-Kwang was expressing his opinion on the subject "The difference between those who practice the Law and those who do not." The argument went as follows: "Even those who do not practice our doctrine utilize the Threefold Learnings in some cases. However, they become careless and indifferent as soon as the situation has passed, so that they do not make any progress m the Threefold Learnings during their whole lifetime. As one who studies the Law practices the Threefold Learrings continuously, regardless of Motion or Quietness or of working or not working, he will achieve a great personality." The Great Master, hearing this, said, "Eum-Kwang's opinion has some sense in it. I shall make this point clearer with some concrete examples. Suppose three people are sitting here, the first one trying to invent a machine, the second one practicing Sitting Meditation, and the third one sitting still for no reason. Though there is no difference in the ways they are sitting, after a long time the differences between them will emerge. The one who is contemplating a machine will invent a machine, the one who is practicing Sitting Meditation will attain the power of concentration and the one who is sitting for no reason will attain nothing. Thus there is a great difference in results after a long period of continued effort. To give another example, there is a man with whom I studied for a while at an institute when I was a child. He had little interest in studying, but used to derive pleasure from singing. He would sing while reading or walking. I saw him a couple of years ago and he had not given up singing even though Ms hair was gray and he had never received professional recognition. As for me, I happened to have had an interest in the field of truth since my childhood, and have had little interest in reading books; my thoughts, day and night, concerned the abstruse principles of the universe. In my sincere search for Truth I have quite often been absorbed in meditation without sparing myself, and my sincere effort has never ceased; thus, I have been leading a life of truth. This illustrates that the selection of one's future career is most important. Once a right way is decided, the foundation of success lies in continuous and sincere effort toward that goal." 12. The Great Master said, "Although many patriarchs of Zen Sects have expounded various ways and means to Zen, the main idea lies in calming delusions and in fostering the true Nature of mind, so that the Divine Wisdom in the Void may appear. Therefore, we take the following as the principle of meditation: 'A continuously and fully awakened state of mind in tranquility is right, whereas a senseless state of no-consciousness in tranquility is wrong; the tranquility in the awakened state of mind is right, while delusions in the awakened state of mind are wrong'." 13. Once the Great Master went to a monastery at the time of Sitting Meditation and asked those meditating, "Now that you are meditating and overcoming your drowsiness, what are you going to do in the future?" Kwon Tong-Hwah replied, "The human spirit is originally integrated and bright, however, it loses its integrity and the light of wisdom because it is scattered by situations which arouse avarice. The purpose of practice in Sitting Meditation is to calm illusions and to integrate the scattered mind in order to attain the power of Cultivation and the light of wisdom." Upon hearing this, the Great Master said, "If you know the merits of Cultivation you will continue sincere practice without any encouragement, however, you should be very careful about the method. If, without knowing the right way, you become impatient or try to look for miraculous sighs, this is the wrong way to meditate. It sometimes gives rise to more illusions and you will contract some disease or fall into evil ways. Hence, you have to check the ways of meditation frequently or consult your seniors for instruction, lest you fail in your practice of the Law. If you continue this practice correctly and sincerely, you will easily attain freedom of mind and body. All Buddhas, sages and great ones in the past have attained great power of mind through this way of meditation." 14. The Great Master said to the assembly at a monastery, "Recently, various Zen sects have been arguing the rightness and wrongness of various methods of meditation. I recommend the 'Method of Concentrating the Mind on the Lower Abdomen (Tan-Jun-Joo)' above the others. You must practice concentration of mind exclusively at the time of concentration, and practice training in Buddhist abstruse questions (Kung-An), once in a while at the proper times. Comprehension of kung-an does not occur when one concentrates for a long time with a dull spirit. It is more effective to train in kung-an with a bright spIrit on the proper occasions." 15. To one of his disciple's questions about the principle of the Rising of Watery Energy and the Falling of Flaming Energy in the human body, the Great Master replied, "By its original nature, water is cool and clear and flows down, while fire by its nature is hot and turbid and burns upward. When you are absorbed in troublesome thought, your head feels heavy and your spirit impure, with the sap of life being dried up. This is because the flaming Energy rises and the Watery Energy falls. If the troublesome thoughts recede and the energy becomes placid, your head becomes cooler, the spirit brighter, and you feel pure saliva circulating in your mouth. This is because Watery Energy rises and Flaming Energy falls." 16. The Great Master said, "There are two ways to gain the power of Cultivation: one is the cultivation of character, and the other the cultivation of Mind-Nature. For instance, a soldier's stable mind on the battlefield is the result of training outward character. The stable mind of one of moral training in favorable or unfavorable circumstances is the result of conquering the five evil desires through training of Mind-Nature inwardly. Thus, the training of a soldier's character cannot by itself achieve the power of Cultivation unless it is integrated with training in Mind-Nature; a monk's inward power of trained Mind-Nature cannot be the perfect power of Cultivation if he has not trained his character outwardly in actual trying situations." 17. Yang Toh-Shin said to the Great Master, "The Great Master has said that the mind must not be drawn to another affair while one is dealing with a certain matter, nor drawn to this matter while managing another one. In other words, one must have a peaceful and placid state of mind concerning that which one is doing. We disciples have been trying to practice this. Recently, I had to boil a potion of herbs and sew at the same time. As I gave all my attention to sewing, the herb medicine burned. If r had taken care of the boiling herbs while sewing, my mind would have been distracted by that matter, but because I gave all my attention to sewing, the medicine burned. what would be the correct way to practice the Law in a case like this?" The Great Master replied, "As it was your duty to take care of two things at the same time in a case like that, you should have fulfilled both of your duties with sincere effort. That would have been complete and perfect concentration and true practice. Because your mind was attached to one thing, putting the other in jeopardy, yours was not perfect concentration; you were careless and you were training your mind only partially. No matter whether you take care of ten or twenty things at the same time, if you are dealing with only those within the field of your duty, this is not carelessness but a placid mind. This can be an indispensable method of practice while moving. What you should guard against is thinking about things you don't have to be concerned about, being curious to hear about what you don't have to hear, seeing what you don't have to see, or interfering in what you don't have to interfere in. If you aren't careful, your mind is drawn to other matters when you should be concentrating on only one thing and thus you are continuously caught in worthless delusions. This is harmful to the concentration of those who want to cultivate their minds. If you take care of matters within the field of your duty, treatment of thousands of matters a day will not interfere with your practice of concentration of mind." 18. The Great Master asked, "Do you know why your mind sometimes feels peaceful or at other times disturbed while you are practicing concentration of mind? It depends on whether you are doing righteous work or unrighteous work. One who does righteous things finds them complicated and difficult at first, but the mind and body gradually become unfettered and peaceful. It becomes easier for one to concentrate and one's future opens up. One who engages in unrighteous works may find them easy and joyful at first, but the mind and body gradually become complicated and painful. It becomes harder to concentrate and the future becomes narrower. Hence, one who wants to practice pure concentration of mind should first of all eliminate unrighteous wishes and cease unrighteous conduct." 19. The Great Master asked Lee Soon-Soon, "How do you practice the Law at home?" He answered, "I insist on making my mind stable." The Great Master again asked, "What method of making your mind stable do you use?" Lee Soon-Soon replied, "Although I am trying to make my mind stable, I don't know how to do it." The Great Master said, "Generally, one is situated either in Motion or Quietness and the way to reach Tranquility of Meditation in both situations is again divided into two approaches: Internal Tranquility of Meditation and External Tranquility of Meditation. The External Tranquility of Meditation will eliminate the causes of evil which disturb one by bringing forward justice and by selecting right actions from wrong actions lest one should commit oneself to absurd and entangled work whenever one is put in a trying situation. The Internal Tranquility of Meditation is to calm stirring desires in order to foster the originally integrated spirit, through practicing Chanting the Name of Buddha or Sitting Meditation, or by all other means m which one is free from work. Because these two ways of meditation are the foundations of each other, one should follow both ways in order to attain calmness of mind." 20. Song Toh-Sung loved to read newspapers so much that he stopped his required official work to read them. If he had some urgent job to do, he would at least take a look at the headlines before returning to work. Seeing this, the Great Master warned him, saying, "If you are robbed of your mind just by reading a trivial newspaper, I am concerned whether you will behave the same way in doing other things. Everyone has both things one desires to do and doesn't want to do. One loses an integrated spirit by becoming attached to a desirable thing when one meets it. Meeting an undesired thing and being drawn to it, one forgets one's duty and gets off the right path, thereby inviting worries and suffering. Such a person never attains stability of mind and the light of wisdom. The reason I warn you of such a trivial matter is to show you the reality of your attachment to a thing: therefore, do not let your mind be attached to what you like to do nor to what you hate to do. Be one who can utilize the situations by practicing the right principles. Do not be one who is defeated by all trying situations. Then you will hold your true and proper Original Nature forever." 21. Lee Chung-Choon said to the Great Master, "Does a great one enlightened to the Way, become attached to anything?" The Great Master replied, "Whoever becomes attached to something cannot be called a great one enlighened to the Way." Lee Chung-Choon said, "Jungsan loves his children. Doesn't that show his attachment to them?" The Great Master replied, "Would you call even senseless logs and rocks great ones enlightened to the Way? Attachment means that one finds it difficult to leave a loved one; when separated, one misses the loved one so much that one's moral training or public duty is disturbed. To Jungsan such a thing does not happen." 22. The Great Master said, "Ordinary people of the world consider that only those who have read many sutras and scriptures are enlightened to the Way. They trust in the Truth when it is explained by citing a word from ancient sutras, but many of them become rather insincere to the same Truth when it is directly expounded in plain words. What an unreasonable way of thinking! Sutras are the Truth that is revealed by the ancient sages and saints and the philosophers in order to enlighten all people; but through the ages since their origination, expatiations and annotations have been added until they have increased to a countless number of books and sutras. It is difficult to read through them even if we make it a life's goal. But if we should do so, how could we find time to practice and acquire the power of Cultivation, the power of Study, and the power of Selection, so that we might become outstanding persons of great character? Therefore, the ancient Buddha foretold the changes of the Law according to the changes of the times, by dividing it into the periods of the Correct Law, the Law of Semblance and the Law of Termination. The main cause of the changes of the Law lies in the fact that sutras are complicated and that the unenlightened people of later generations lost their power of spiritual independence and acted foolishly, causing the correct Law to wane. Therefore, when the period of the Correct Law returns, all people can be trained through a simplified new doctrine and convenient method of practice; the correct Law can be transmitted through words and accepted by heart, the great Way will be experienced, and each person will become enlightened to the Law. Then what good will the study and reading of the uncountable numbers of books and sutras do? You disciples refrain from being attracted only to the numerous and intricate ancient sutras, but make efforts yourself to study simplified doctrines and more convenient methods. When you acquire distinguished ability, look over the ancient sutras and all other philosophies for reference. Then, this short reference will be more effective than ten years of reading sutras." 23. The Great Master said, "Has any one of you found a sutra which you can read at any moment? Ordinary people think that the Three CLasstcs and the Four Books, and the uncountable numbers of sutras and other bibles are the only sutras, but they never realize the great sutra exhibited in our real life. This is really a regrettable fact. If people attentively observe the world with an enlightened mind, all things will appear to them as nothing but sutras; when they open their eyes, they will see nothing but sutras; when they hear, they will hear nothing but sutras; when they speak it will be as if they were reading nothing but sutras. Any time or place they move, they will utilize sutras and see the exhibition of sutras constantly. Generally, sutras clearly tell about both Facts and Principles. It explains Facts by means of analyzing Right from Wrong, and Advantage from Disadvantage; it explains Principles by means of exhibiting the Absolute Unity and its Components, and Being and Non-being, leading people on to a righteous path as human beings. The sutras of Confucianism, Buddhism and other religions may be showing the same conception. Facts and Principles, however, do not actually exist in any scripture, but the whole world itself is the manifestation of Facts and Principles. We are born, live, die and are reborn in Facts and Principles. Therefore, they are inseparable from our life, and the world itself is a great sutra in which Facts and Principles are exhibited. We carefully observe right and wrong, and good and evil in this sutra, embracing righteous and advantageous things and abandoning wrong and disadvantageous things. And at the same time, we should also carefully observe the truth of the Absolute Unity and its Components, Being and Non-being, and must become enlightened to the origin of Truth. Why, then, should we not regard this sutra as the living sutra? I ask you, therefore, to notice this great sutra of the real world prior to reading the countless and complicated written sutras." 24.One of the disciples asked, "I am not efficient when I do anything. How may I become wise in doing things?" The Great Master said, "Before you attempt to do a thing, train yourself in advance so that you will be prepared for future occasions. When you attempt to do a thing, be careful in your selection of what is right from what is wrong. After you have finished doing something, do not forget to examine your work and even if it belongs to other people, faithfully continue this reflection upon it. Then, you will become skilled in doing all things without difficulty." 25. The Great Master said to an assembly at a regular Dharma meeting, "When someone is giving you a sermon or a lecture, you should be as attentive to it as if you were receiving a precious jewel. Even though a master of the Law or a preacher may speak very useful words, these words will be of very little practical use if the listeners are inattentive, insincere in their listening or unable to understand the essential points. Therefore, listen to any sermon or lecture with full attention, and try to consider it as an important point that must be questioned as a practical exercise in personal training. Then you will gain much from the presentation and, at the same time, the words will improve your personal conduct and increase the merit of our regular Dharma meeting." 26. At Bongnae Cloister, the Great Master pointed at a lamp and asked, "Why is the underside of the lamp so dark while its sides are so bright?" Kim Nam-Chun answered, "This is just like myself. I have been living with you in the same house and studying under your direction for many years, but my knowledge and practice are still inferior to my Dharma brothers who are living far away and who come and go." The Great Master, smiling, asked the same question again to Song Kyu. He answered, "The light of the lamp goes upward, brightening distant places, and the lamp stand which is very near makes its underside very dark. This may be compared to one who is well aware of the faults of other people but is still blind to the faults of one's own self. This is because people can correctly reflect upon the strengths or weaknesses and good or bad points of another person because no prejudice is in their minds. On the other hand, when they reflect upon themselves, the notion of 'own-self' which covers the light of wisdom prevents them from recognizing their own right or wrong conduct." The Great Master asked, "How, then, can imperfect people reflect upon themselves as well as upon others correctly, without a notion of 'own-self'?" Song Kyu answered, "They should not be bound by joy or anger and pleasure or sorrow, and should eliminate all kinds of notions from their minds. Then they will be free from the notion of 'own-self' and others when they reflect upon themselves and others." The Great Master said, "You have spoken correctly." The Great Master said, "If you wish to establish a perfect personality and attain extensive knowledge and views, do not become attached to any side. At the present time most people are one-sided and fail to attain the perfect Way. Confucians and Buddhist monks are bound to their own traditions. Other religious people or social workers are also attached to what they know and what they practice, and thus have limited their understanding of Right and Wrong and Advantage and Disadvantage. They do not try to adapt other people's laws for their own use, and fail to establish a perfect character." One of the disciples asked, "If we go outside our own traditions and claims, I am afraid we might lose our identity." The Great Master said, "My words are not that we should adapt all laws at random or lose our identity but rather that we must adapt other Laws extensively on the basis of a more reasonable subjectivity. Try to underttand my words correctly." 28. The Great Master said, "Under two conditions the wisdom of ordinary people is often darkened. One is their covetous conduct which leads them away from the middle way and darkens their wisdom. The other is their attachment to their own skilled field, which makes them ignorant of other fields. One of moral training must pay special attention to these two conditions." 29. One of the members of the Tonghak religion, which is one of the religions indigenous to Korea, came to see the Great Master and said, "Please receive one who has heard of your name, so widely known. I have come a long way." The Great Master said, "Then, there must be something in your mind that you wish to ask me." The man answered by asking, "How can I broaden my scope of knowledge?" The Great Master replied to him, "You are practicing the way to broaden the scope of your knowledge by asking me that question. I am also broadening my scope of knowledge by listening to your talk. Let me give you some examples. if people need more utilities for their household, they should go to a market to get what they need. if one in business doesn't have enough knowledge to do business, knowledge is acquired from the world. Therefore, all my knowledge is not obtained by myself but from many people with whom I have talked. From you I have learned about the Tonghak religion and when I come to talk with a person of some other religion I may also gain knowledge of that religion." 30. The Great Master said, "Originally, human nature contains no good or evil elements. A good or an evil personality is created through the formation of habits. Habits originate when an idea is repeated many times because a particular environment or situation is met with repeatedly. For example, suppose you made a great decision to study the Law and came to this place of study to see a master and other members following the laws and regulations of the Order. In the beginning you would find all things awkward to do, and adjusting to them would be difficult. However, if you did not change your intention of studying the Law and continued practicing constantly, gradually your mind and conduct would become adjusted to the practices. Finally, and with little effort, you will become naturally harmonized with the circumstances. This is what is meant by habit. No matter whether one forms a good habit or a bad habit in each environment, the principle of habit formation is still the same. But people easily acquire bad habits, while it is more difficult to acquire good habits. Moreover, even in the course of the discipline needed to make good things a habit, if you become a little absent-minded you will find yourself moving toward bad habits unconsciously, which is exactly what you do not want to happen. You must be attentive at all times to this warning in order to establish a good personality." 31. The Great Master said, "According to my experience as a master of both male and female disciples, males generally are generous but seem to be insincere and lacking in steadiness, which is their demerit. On the other hand, females are generally scrupulous but are also single-minded and lack leniency, which is their demerit. To establish perfect characters, males must make an effort to foster steadiness and sincerity in their inner minds along with their generosity. On the other hand, females must make an effort to foster a harmonized and generous mind along with their scrupulousness." 32. The Great Master, seeing one of his disciples eat his meals too fast and talk too often, said, "Even in eating a meal or in speaking a word, we find a chance to practice the Law. if we eat too fast or overeat, we will easily become ill, or, if we talk improperly and unduly, calamity will follow us. Can we, then, be mindless in eating a meal or in speaking a word even if it is a trivial matter? Therefore, those who practice the Law regard all occasions as chances to practice the Way, and whenever they do anything, find pleasure in doing the thing properly. Therefore, you also must try to practice this study" 33. Moon Jung-Kyu asked, "In a trying situation, what standard should I take in selecting right from wrong?" The Great Master answered, "Reflect upon three things as your standard in selecting right conduct from wrong. First, reflect upon your original vow. Second, reflect upon the original spirit of the master teaching the Law. Third, judging from the situation at that time, reflect upon whether or not you are one-sided. With this standard, you will not always be lost in practicing the Law, and your management of things will naturally become harmonized." The Great Master, while crossing a steep mountain pass behind Chungnyun Hermitage with Lee Choon-Poong, said, "At a steep pass, naturally I can practice concentration of mind. Therefore, on an ordinary path we stumble more easily than on a rough path. In doing things, we make more mistakes in easy situations than in difficult ones. Those who practice the Law must follow steadfastly the standard of study everywhere, whether the going is steep or gentle, or in anything, whether it be easy or difficult. Then the practice of Meditation in Motion will be successful." The Great Master said, "Have you ever seen heavenly ones? Heavenly ones don't abide in Heaven. Babies may be said to be heavenly ones. These little ones are provided with sustenance which came from Heaven through their mothers because their minds are not even slightly tainted with evil. However, in direct proportion to the growth of an evil mind, the sustenance from Heaven ceases to come. Likewise, those of moral training, if all evils are cleared from their minds, will be provided with immeasurable sustenance from Heaven. On the other hand, if their minds become affected with evil, the sustenance from Heaven will cease." One of the disciples asked, "How should I practice Cultivation of Spiritual Stability in order to get rid of the five desires and concentrate on moral training, so that I may have the life of ease and composure that was the life of Buddha?" The Great Master said, "Those desires should be transformed into a greater wish instead of being eliminated. If you convert those little desires into a big wish and can concentrate your mind upon it, the little desires will naturally decrease. Then eventually you will have a life of ease and composure." The Great Master said, "I do not teach that you must forcefully eliminate the feelings of joy, anger, pleasure and sorrow, but say that you must control the feelings properly in terms of place and time, and that you may consummate your feelings freely as long as you do not exceed the middle way. I say also that you must not despise common talent or worthless desire, but only regret that the talent and the desire are not put to great ends. Therefore, what I teach you is only that you must turn a worthless thing into a great thing, and that you must turn the effort which you have made for a worthless desire toward a valued one. This is the way to achieve a great work." The Great Master said, "You must recognize in advance that in both the course of your practice of the Law and in business you will face a very dangerous moment. The dangerous moment for one who practices the Law is the moment when one becomes wiser. The dangerous moment for one in business is that moment when one comes to possess all rights. The reason for this is that if the one who practices the Law is of low fundamental ability, they will easily become satisfied with only a little wisdom, and become less sincere in practicing the greater Truth; while in the case of the business-person with low fundamental ability, sense of self-interest stirs and one becomes arrogant, which prevents one from further development. if one practicing the Law and one in business are not careful at that moment, eventually they will begin an unchecked descent into the depths of retrogression." 39. One of the disciples who had been devout for some decades and had made particular effort in practicing Sitting Meditation came to be able to foresee with his clear mind whether or not a guest would come, or the hour it would begin to rain and the hour it would stop raining. The Great Master, seeing this, said, "This is nothing but a momentary phenomenon of false spirit which appears in the course of moral practice like the glow of a firefly. You must be alert and rid yourself of the false spirit. If you become interested in the phenomenon of the false spirit, you will not only fail in becoming enlightened to the great Truth, but you will also be prone to fall into the wicked world of asura. That cannot be permitted in our Order of the Right Law." Song Byuk-Cho, putting emphasis only on Sitting Meditation, wished impetuously to raise the Watery Energy and to let the Flaming Energy fall in his body, but only got headaches for his effort. The Great Master, seeing this, said, "This headache is a result of an incorrect study method. The perfect way to study should include constant practice in. Motion and in Quietness. In Motion, the study of Selection of Right Conduct should be practiced mainly when facing all situations, thus obtaining the Three Great Powers. In Quietness, the Cultivation of Spiritual Stability and the Study of Facts and Principles should be practiced mainly to obtain the Three Great Powers. Those who know this way of studying and practice it will find little difficulty in their study, and may keep their easy and composed state of mind like the calm surface of a great and windless sea. Eventually, they may naturally let the Watery Energy rise and the Flaming Energy fall in their bodies. On the other hand, those who are ignorant about this way of studying will foolishly become ill and continue to suffer from it for the rest of their lives. You should be most careful of this." 41. The Great Master said, "My Law is formed on the basis of the essential ways of humanity into a more perfect and easier style than the old prejudiced and difficult ones, so that all people may enter the Great Way without any difficulties. Some people, however, without understanding my intention, still harbor the old way of thinking, saying that those who want to practice the Law must go to a quiet mountain and must acquire such supernatural power as to be able to transplant mountains, cross river by walking on water and bring forth the wind and rain freely. They also say that scriptures, sermons and discussions are not necessary, but the practice of Chanting the Name of Buddha and Sitting Meditation alone are needed. Thus, some occasionally do not practice correctly, as I taught them to. This is really regrettable. Many people in temples, monasteries or in the remote, high mountains are still wandering without any occupation, but seek only for supernatural power which can gain 'Insight into Spirit and into the Way.' If one seeks the Law apart from our mundane world, or tries to attain only supernatural power, ignoring the way of humanity, one is seeking a wicked way. Therefore you disciples, as I have taught you, practice the principles of the way of humanity and the principles of training in your everyday life. Then eventually you will be blessed with both fortune and wisdom, and at the same time the supernatural power and the power of meditation will be contained in it. This is the reasonable way of practicing the Law and the Great Way rooted in the source of Truth." 42. The Great Master said, "In an order of the Right Law, supernatural power is not valued, for it is not practically advantageous and has proved to be rather harmful to the work of saving people. Those who seek for supernatural power often go to the mountains, avoiding the mundane life, and spend all their lives chanting incantations or esoteric words, being attached only to the idea of nothingness. If all people in the world come to adore such a way of life, who will do the work of scholars and officials, farmers, artisans and merchants in the world? The principle of human morality will be destroyed. Also, because they are seeking to acquire unusual faculties in order to fulfill unreasonable ideas and unrighteous desires, without knowing the source of morality, they will use miracles which may appear as momentary false spirits, deceiving and harming other people. Therefore, the saints said that 'supernatural power is incidental,' and that 'such power which is not founded on morality is no more than witchcraft.' However, when people practice the righteous Way and act decently with little avarice, the light of one's Nature occasionally may be accompanied by some mysterious phenomena. These are natural results that were obtained without any intention, and are beyond comprehension by ordinary people whose minds are full of incorrect thought." 43. The Great Master said, "Occasionally, one who has made a decision to study the Law cannot judge one's own fundamental ability, but tries just to become enlightened to the great Principle by momentary efforts alone. If one studies with such an attitude, one will become susceptible to serious physical disease. Or, when things go against one's wishes, one will quickly become tired of the study of the Law, and will give up the life of moral training. You should be careful of this. But some practicing the Way may attain Buddhahood at once. Such is the one of superior fundamental ability who practiced moral discipline in many former lives. Those of middle or low fundamental ability must do their best and strive to practice the Law over a long period of time. The sequence of the practice necessary to attain enlightenment starts with establishing a great wish. When a great wish is established, great faith comes after it, then great courage, followed by great doubt, and then great sincerity; and after this great sincerity, finally great enlightenment will be attained. This will not happen at once, but there will be thousands of enlightenments before attaining the final Enlightenment." 44. The Great Matter said, "Ordinary people, as soon as they cherish a desire to study the raw, promptly try to attain great wisdom which is outstanding and surpasses that of others. This is an unreasonable way of thinking. The water of a great ocean is the result of the convergence of many little water drops; and great fields and mountains are also the result of the convergence of little pieces of soil. The great achievement of Buddhas and saints was attained by the accumulation of their spiritual efforts which are formless and invisible. People who attempt great study and have started a great work are due first of all to start their effort with little things." 45. The Great Master said, "Some people who become Buddhist disciples in order to search for the Way occasionally forget about their original purpose in the course of their study and occupy their minds in seeking outside learning and knowledge. Such people may become possessors of wide knowledge, but their mental power will become rather weak, making it harder for them to acquire true wisdom. People who seek the real Way should reflect upon their original purpose of study and must concentrate their effort upon establishing the Three Great Powers. Then, as a result, they naturally will be able to acquire ability which outside learning and knowledge might provide them" 46. The Great Master said, "Before I had acquired awakened thought, I sometimes gave prayers, chanted extemporaneous incantations which unexpectedly sprang out of my head, or fell into contemplation unconsciously. However, since an idea - the awakened thought - arose in me, and the gate of the soul was opened, my mind darkened or lightened. This occurred sometimes at night, sometimes during the day, and sometimes for a period of a month. In the course of these changes, when wisdom became brighter, everything seemed to be clear to me and I became self-confident in my ability to know and do anything in the world. On the other hand, when the wisdom became darker, r was at a loss to know what to do with myself and was suffering with anxiety about my future life. Eventually, however, all these changes ceased, and the awakening thought remained unchangeable." The Great Master suffered from coughing every winter and the coughing always interrupted his preaching. He said to the assembly, "My birthplace, Kilyong-ni, as you know, is noted for the unusual poverty and ignorance of its people. Fortunately, however, according to my habit from former lives, I made a decision to study the Law in the early part of my life. But although I sought the way with sincerity, I had to think by myself and had to suffer from various difficult and hard ascetic disciplines because I had no teacher to inform me about the way to become enlightened to the Law. Sometimes I went to the mountains, staying there overnight, or sat up on a road or in a mom until dawn. I took baths with ice water, abstained from food, and made my room icy cold. My ascetic discipline was so severe that I became unconscious. Finally all doubts were solved, but a disease had deeply rooted itself in my body and it is growing serious according to my declining physical condition. I had no choice at that time for I did not know how to study. You are greatly blessed people because from my past experiences you have been taught the perfect way of Mahayana moral practice, without suffering from a difficult and hard ascetic discipline. Generally, the practice of constant Zen and omnipresent Zen is the shortcut in Mahayana moral practice. If people practice in this way, they will achieve twice as much with half the effort. Also, no disease will affect them. I beseech you not to practice the wrong way and hurt your body, but remember the useless sufferings that I had when I could not find the right way of study." The Great Master said, "As students in a school have tests at the end of each term, those of moral training, when they are to be elevated in their Law Ranks or attain Buddhahood, must pass various tests which are presented to them through favorable or adverse trial situations. Therefore, when Buddha was attaining Buddhahood, the Evil One, Papiyan, attacked Buddha with his countless wicked subordinates. After this, many others of moral training also faced such trials. According to my observations, some of you have been given a test and are still fighting hard against it. Some are defeated by the test, leading themselves into eternal destruction. Some are having a promising life by passing the test with satisfactory accomplishments. Each of you, reflect upon your own degree of study and do your best not to fail the test." 49. The Great Master said, "One studying technique needs an appraisal of one's technique from the teacher. Likewise, one practicing the Way must have a master who can appraise right and wrong in one's actions. Without the appraisal by a teacher the technique of a trainee cannot be expected to be correct, and one practicing morality cannot be expected to acquire the essentials of practice. Therefore, my purpose in appraising your Study of Facts and Principles is based upon my desire to lead you into a right path and away from a crooked one. If some of you are afraid of being appraised or are dissatisfied with my appraisal, I must ask you what your original purpose was in coming to me, and how you expect to make progress in your study? Correct criticism and advice not only from me but also from other people will be a great help in your course of study. If there are some who complain about those people who help them in cleaning their future way, they will become ungrateful. You disciples, therefore, be grateful to those who give you opinions, whether it be me or another person, and make more efforts to discover the real essentials of your study." 50. The Great Master said, "One of moral training who tries to train the mind in quiet places only, and who avoids facing all trying situations, is like one who avoids water to catch fish. How can such a one achieve the purpose? Therefore, those who wish to follow after the real morality should be trained in the midst of thousands of trying situations. Then they may attain great power which does not waver even in the midst of thousands of trying situations. People who have always trained their minds in situations without trial will waver as soon as they face a trying situation. This is like the mushroom which has grown in shade but fades when exposed to sunbeams. Therefore, the Vimalakirtinirdesa Sutra said, 'A Bodhisattva keeps the mind placid in noisy places, while a non-Buddhist has a clamorous mind even in a quiet place.' This teaches us that our study depends upon the attitude of mind, not upon the particular outward situation." The Great Master said to many disciples, "Try to make the best of Buddhism, and improve your life through Buddhism, but do not spend your life uselessly by being tied to Buddhism. Buddhism is originally a great Truth which is designed to save the world. However, if some of you would rather avoid the mundane world, going to the mountains, doing nothing but practice Chanting the Name of Buddha, reading sutras, and practicing Sitting Meditation for the rest of your lives, then you are tied by Buddhism without any achievement towards saving others. You will not be successful personally nor of any use to the world." 52. The Great Muter said to the assembly, "People want to know the Way in order to make use of it. If we are unable to make use of it when it is required, what good is it and what is the we of knowing the Way?" He continued his words, holding up his fan to the disciples, "If I do not know how to we this on a hot day, of what use is it to me?" The Great Master said, "Outwardly, one who practices the Law must cut off one's attachments to all relationships; and inwardly all attachments, even to the concentration of mind, should be discarded. The attachment to the concentration of mind is called 'Restraint by the Law'. Once people are restrained by the Law, they will never be free from it, for it restrains them even in the blink of an eye or smallest bodily movement. How then can the great emancipation be obtained? Human Nature, therefore, should be fostered by a natural Way, by functioning in an active fashion, by getting rid of unnecessary thoughts while the Six Roots are at rest, and by exterminating injustice while the Six Roots are at work. Why should we be especially attached to concentration of mind when our every action depends on the concentration of mind? Let me compare this situation to that of a baby-sitter An excellent babysitter leaves the baby free to play and move about, which makes the baby livelier. The baby-sitter only watches the baby, preventing it from wandering near a dangerous place or picking up dangerous things. If the babysitter holds the baby all day long to protect it from danger, the baby will eventually suffer from this restraint. The attachment to concentration of mind will cause the same undesirable result." 54. The Great Master said to Kim Nam-Chun, "One day I saw a man riding on the back of a cow. He was not leading the cow but was being taken by the cow through thorny fields, depressions in the path, and even to a mountain. Sometimes he fell off and sometimes tumbled until his clothes were torn to pieces and his body miserably hurt. Watching this, I told him to hold the reins tightly and direct the cow only along the road, thus keeping himself safe from harm. The rider answered that he wished he could do so, but that he had been too ignorant to tame the cow, and had entrusted to the cow all right to determine direction. He was getting old and the cow was getting rougher, and now it was entirely impossible for him to control the cow. Now, Nam-Chun, I see that you came here riding on your own cow, too. Tell me where the cow is." Nam-Chun answered, "I am still on its back." The Great Master said, "How does your cow look?" Nam-Chun replied, "It is six feet and yellow. It wears hempen shoes. Its beard is black and white." The Great Master said, smiling, "You seem to know about the features of your cow. But is your cow obedient to you or are you driven by it?" Nam-Chun said, "On the whole, the cow is obedient to my orders. I push the cow when it is too lazy to accomplish something, or, when the cow is attracted by something unrighteous, I scold the cow against doing it." The Great Master said, "You have already discovered your cow, are acquainted with the way to tame it and moreover, your cow on the whole is obedient to your orders. Therefore, try to tame the cow further so that it may become more obedient to your words in doing many things." 55. The Great Master said to the assembly at a monastery, "To train in the intensive regular training session at a monastery can be compared to taming a cow. One whose behavior is wayward, simply following after what one sees, hears and thinks without any moral training, deviating from the right path of human beings, is like a wayward calf which still sucks from its mother's breast and runs around as it pleases. One who leaves home and goes to a monastery to attend the intensive regular training sessions, and tries to observe all regulations and precepts yet still suffers from old habits, and improper and unnecessary thoughts, becomes uncomfortable in study of the Law and in work and thus causes one's master to worry. Such a one is like a calf tied to a stake, writhing and crying for its mother. While studying the courses everyday, one gradually becomes interested in the meaning of what one's teacher says, in the meaning of Facts and Principles, and in eliminating wicked and unnecessary thought little by little. This one can be compared to a cow not yet perfectly tamed, but adjusting itself gradually to its situation. One who never deviates from the right path in expounding our doctrine and in practicing morality, whose power of Cultivation of Spiritual Stability and Study of Facts and Principles and Study of Selection of Right Conduct is maturing, who serves spiritually, physically and materially for the sake of the public welfare wherever one happens to be, such a one can be compared to a well-tamed cow that can do well, everything it is ordered to do, thus making profit for its master. Thus, the purpose of a farmer's taming a cow is to use it when ploughing the fields. My purpose in giving you these intensive courses in the training of morality is to have you make use of it in your social activities. Therefore, you disciples, do not waste your time but study hard, making use of this opportunity to train so that you may serve the whole world as a Mind-Cow which is tamed well, and become apostles who can save sentient beings and cure the world." The Great Master, at the opening ceremony of a meditation session at a monastery, said to the assembly, "To attend an intensive regular training session at a monastery can be compared to a patient who enters a hospital. A physical disease is treated at a hospital with medicine, while a spiritual disease is treated at a religious order with moral training. Therefore, as Buddha is called the King of Doctors, so His doctrine may be called medical materials and His temple a hospital. People, however, think only of physical disease and try to remedy it by spending time and money. They do not recognize spiritual disease, and are indifferent to its treatment. This is what a person of wisdom is concerned about. A physical disease, however serious the accompanying suffering may be, will remain only during one life, or, in the case of a slight illness, a short term will be enough to cure it. A disease of the mind, however, will become a seed of suffering for eternal life if it is left without treatment. Once infected with such a disease, the person loses freedom of mind, falls into temptation from the surroundings, and begins speaking, doing and thinking improper things. Such a one will often wander into the jaws of death, the self-made target of contempt from others, and the creator of one's own sufferings. One's crime will be followed by another crime and one's suffering will be followed by more suffering, thus making it impossible to recover oneself. However, people of unaffected mind can transcend all happiness and suffering, come and go freely through the whole universe, and can enjoy all blessedness and happiness at their own will. Therefore, you disciples, do your best to discover your spiritual disease and its treatment." He continued talking, "In order to find out the spiritual disease and treat it, those practicing the Law, first of all, must know how to do it. First, like a patient who would tell the symptoms to a doctor, the spiritual patient should honestly confess the symptoms to the teacher. Secondly, like the patient who should fully comply with the instructions of the doctor, the spiritual patient should fully comply with the teachings of the teacher. Thirdly, as the patient who is physically ill should faithfully continue the treatment until the disease is completely cured, the spiritual patient also should sincerely continue the treatment of the spiritual disease. Thus, by practicing in this way with sincerity, the spiritual patient will eventually be perfectly cured of the disease. In addition, one will acquire the medical technique to treat other patients suffering from spiritual diseases. Then, through eternity, one will successfully accomplish the great task of the salvation of suffering people of the world." The Great Master said to the assembly at a monastery, "Our method of practicing the Law is like the tactics which subjugate the chaotic world, and you are like trainees who are learning the tactics. This chaos means the mind chaos which is constantly occurring in our mind realm. Our mind realm is originally serene, peaceful, bright and clear, but the troops of selfish desire make the mind realm dark, impure, complicated, confused and almost without peace for eternity. Such a life for unenlightened people is called chaos of the mind. Tactics are the methods by which one subjugates evil in the mind and the method is our practice of moral training, namely, Meditation, Wisdom and Precepts, and the way by which we discriminate between the Law and evil. This method of moral training is the perfect way to subjugate the chaos of the world. It is regrettable, however, that the people of the world do not regard the chaos of the mind as chaos. How, then, can they be said to know about both the fundamental and the incidental in anything. An sorts of conflicts or wars, large or small-sized, between individuals, homes, societies or nations, originate from the chaos in the minds of human beings. Therefore, the chaos of the mind is the source of all other chaos and is the largest one. The method of subjugating the chaos of the mind is the principal Law of all laws and the greatest tactic. I hope, therefore, that you disciples understand what I mean, and will practice Meditation, cultivate Wisdom faithfully and make your best effort to observe the Precepts. By constant practice, eventually you will be able to subjugate all evil in your mind and you will then be qualified to acquire the Sacred Rank of the Power of Dharma to Overcome An Evil and, doubtlessly, you will become like a general about to subjugate the chaos of the suffering world." 59. The Great Master said, "We call our human Nature a Mind-Field, because the occurrence of good or evil in our mind, in which originally no sense of discrimination or attachment abides, is just like the growing of crops or weeds in a field. Furthermore, the words 'Cultivation of Mind-Field' originate from the purpose of encouraging people to train their original mind so that they may be blessed by both wisdom and happiness, as if they were cultivating an abandoned field to make it into a rich one. Therefore, one who examines one's mind condition continually, ridding it of evil and fostering only the good, will be blessed with wisdom and happiness as would a good farmer who weeds the field constantly, carefully grows the crops and eventually reaps a good harvest. One who is indifferent to good or evil in one's mind, whose conduct is wayward, will receive only suffering, and wisdom and blessedness will become harder to acquire. This is like the bad farmer who does not care to get rid of weeds which harm the crops in the field or who has left the field uncultivated, and cannot expect a good harvest in the autumn. Therefore, it should not be forgotten that our sins and suffering are not to be found in any outside place, but depend upon either good or bad cultivation of the Mind-Field. How could we be indifferent to this teaching?" He continued speaking, "From ancient times in religious orders they have said that to find the Mind-Field is Enlightenment to the Nature, and to cultivate the Mind-Field is both Fostering the Nature and Utilizing the Nature. All Buddhas and saints regarded mind training as their destined task, and mind training is the basic element of teaching among all peoples |