“Even if you don’t dodge the first arrow, you need the wisdom not to get hit by the second arrow.”

by times news cr

Venerable Jinwoo, General Secretary of the Jogye Order
“Everyone experiences bad things in life… But if you fight, you will get hit with a ‘second arrow’
Anger strikes again, resulting in the ‘third arrow’… Politicians and citizens alike need to calm down
‘Zen meditation’ helps you control your own mind”

Venerable Jinwoo, general secretary of the Jogye Order, said, “More than ever, we need wisdom to control our own minds. Even if we inevitably hit the first arrow, we can stop the second and third arrows with our own strength.” Reporter Jeon Young-han scoopjyh@donga.com

Venerable Jinwoo, general secretary of the Jogye Order, said, “More than ever, we need wisdom to control our own minds. Even if we inevitably hit the first arrow, we can stop the second and third arrows with our own strength.” Reporter Jeon Young-han [email protected]

“I hope we all exercise the wisdom to avoid being hit by the ‘second arrow.’”

On the 10th, we met at the Jogye Order General Office in Jongno-gu, Seoul, and Venerable Jinwoo, head of the Jogye Order of Korean Buddhism, said this as soon as he sat down. The interview on this day was designed to summarize and explain the activities of the Jogye Order this year, including the spread of the Myeongseongsang. However, Venerable Jinwoo said, “As the situation is so confusing, if we continue as we are now, anger could easily lead to a situation where anger flares up again, so I spoke out first.” He added, “I hope that not only the ruling and opposition parties but also the public will calm their excitement and respond calmly.” He said.

-You said that the second arrow should not hit… .

“Everyone experiences bad things and bad things in life. This cannot be prevented or avoided, and this is the first arrow. However, if you get angry after getting hit with the first arrow, get excited and start arguing and fighting, you will get hit with a second arrow as a result. If you can’t control yourself, you’ll get hit by the third and fourth arrow as well. That’s our society now. What has already happened has happened, and it is time for everyone to be really wise so that they do not get hit with another arrow because of it. Not to mention politicians and social leaders.”

-It seems like that’s already happening.

“If not complaining by phone or text message just because you don’t like something, then going to your house and threatening you with murder, what else would that be but a second arrow? “If we fight each other like this and the conflict escalates, we will be hit a third time.”

―This year, we have put all our efforts into spreading awareness of Zen meditation at the religious level, but I don’t think it will be easy to control our minds if something like this happens.

“Rather, in times like these, I think we really need clarity of thought to control our minds. The reason I thought I should develop and disseminate Zen meditation was not just for religious orders or the Buddhist community, but to make it a ‘people’s happiness project.’ Regardless of my intention, if I get angry over something that suddenly happened like a natural disaster, and I argue, it only makes things worse for myself. If you quiet your mind and examine it through clear meditation, you can realize what state you are in and what you are doing. Then, of course, we will be able to deal with issues wisely.”

―They say they will also build a Myeongsang Central Support Center next year.

“We are planning to start construction on an 8,000-pyeong site in Anam-dong, Seongbuk-gu, Seoul, and we plan to make it a domestic clearing hub. Its role is to research, develop, supply, and supervise programs by connecting not only the Jogye Order but also various meditation centers across the country like a network. “Events such as this year’s Myeongseong Award Competition will continue next year.”

―I gave a lecture at Yale University in September. What were American students most curious about?

“People’s lives in the U.S. and Korea are similar… . One student asked, ‘How should people who have not achieved enlightenment distinguish between right and wrong?’ He said, ‘You can judge right and wrong within the scope of your knowledge, but if you think it is unclear, boldly choose one and forget it immediately.’”

―I don’t think it would have been easy to understand… .

“I didn’t seem to understand very well. ha ha ha. There is a saying that the choices you make in the moment determine your whole life, but that is not true. Like the ‘Law of Conservation of Mass’, no matter what choice you make, the total amount of causal results, such as happiness and suffering, is the same. The only difference is which ones appear first and which ones appear later. So, you don’t have to worry about making a decision, and you don’t have to regret making the wrong choice. All you have to do is take responsibility for your choices.”

Reporter Lee Jin-gu [email protected]

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