About this ebook
Everyone deserves to be happy.
Ven. Pomnyun Sunim, who is the head monk of Jungto Society and the chairman of the Peace Foundation has recently published Prayer, the English version of Prayer, Letting Go.
People still search various religions, attending many temples and churches, in the hopes of obtaining a miracle through prayer. When they realize their wish, they are happy to have witnessed a miracle or to have received the grace of the Buddha. However, when they don’t, they fall into despair and are resentful. After explaining about prayers that bring good fortune and those that invite disaster, Ven. Pomnyun Sunim instructs the readers on “the prayer that grants all wishes,” or “the way to be happy no matter what.”
Govern your mind and design your happiness.
The view on happiness transcends language differences.
All religions, including Buddhism, talk about the life of prayer. However, what is the reality? People pray to realize their wishes, so when their wishes are fulfilled, they are happy and feel as if they were in heaven, but when they are not, they are miserable as if they were in hell. Prayer will enable the readers to gain insight into how they should pray to be truly happy!
How to Be Dignified, Not Servile and Be Humble, Not Arrogant
Each religion has its own unique way of praying. However, prayer is also a universal topic that transcends the domain of religion. In this book, Ven. Pomnyun Sunim seeks to reclaim the essential meaning of “prayer” and explores the correct view of religious faith.
Inside Prayer
◉ However, most people do not believe they need to understand the laws of nature or make the necessary effort to achieve something.
Instead, they blindly pray with the thought, “I will get what I want if I pray hard.” This behavior is foolish. This kind of prayer is not in line with the“ law of cause and effect.”
◉ To be free from suffering and constraints, we first need to discover the cause. Generally speaking, people blame others for their own misery by insisting that they married the wrong person, their children are disappointing them, their parents aren’t capable or their friends annoy them.
◉ We practice to cultivate our minds. All suffering comes from a delusive and ignorant mind. Letting go of such delusions and ignorance and living with a clear mind is called“ cultivating the mind.”This does not mean the mind has a form or substance we can manipulate. Rather, it means we should let go of our rigid opinions and avoid being controlled by our ignorance and delusions.
◉ When it’s time for your morning prayer, just get up even though you don’t want to. “How can I get up when I don’t want to?”you may ask. The answer is you just do it without thinking about it. When the alarm goes off, arise at once before the thought, “I have to get up…”even occurs to you. Even having the thought“ I have to get up…”means you are being controlled by your karma. When the alarm rings, spring up instantly. If you do, the thought “I have to get up…”will not occur to you. Such a thought only comes when you don’t get up at once.
Foreword
I. The Power of Prayer
01 Praying for the Fulfillment of Wishes
02 Going Beyond Reincarnation and Past Life
03 Heartfelt Prayer Free from Greed
04 In Search of a Path to Healing and Happiness
05 How to Cultivate the Mind
06 How to Control Anger
07 Keeping Your Mind and Body Humble
08 Reasons for Doing Daily Prayer
09 A Clear Understanding of Your Karma
10 The Sweet Temptation that Hinders Prayer – Majang
11 Be Dignified, Not Servile Be Humble, Not Arrogant
II. Prayer of a Practitioner
12 When Prayers Are Not Answered
13 When You Want to Be a Strong Support to Your Family
14 When It is Difficult to Repent
15 When Your Mind Does Not Become Earnest in Prayer
16 When Unsure About How to Meditate and Do Prostrations
17 When You Feel Too Lazy to Pray
18 When You Cannot Do Prostrations Because You Are Physically Unable
19 Morning Prayer, Evening Prayer
20 Merit of Sutra Copying in Buddhism
21 Praying for Family Members’Well-Being
III. One Hour of Happiness
22 Repentance Prayer for Jungto Practitioners
23 Taking Refuge in the Three Jewels
24 Words for Practice
25 Words for Repentance
IV. Letting Go
26 Being Awake to the Present and Recognizing Emptiness
27 Practice Diligently Like the Constant Dripping of Water That Wears Away the Stone
<기도 – 내려놓기> 영문판, <Prayer – Letting go>출간
누구나 행복할 가치가 있다.
정토회 지도법사이며 평화재단 이사장인 법륜스님은 최근 <기도-내려놓기>의 영문판 <Prayer _ Letting go>를 출간했다.
아직도 사람들은 이 종교 저 종교, 이 절 저 절 다니며 기도를 통한 영험을 찾아 헤맨다. 원하는 것이 성취되면 영험 있다거나 부처님의 가피를 입었다고 기뻐하고, 원하는 것이 이루어지지 않으면 낙담하고 원망한다. 그러나 법륜 스님은 복을 부르는 기도와 화를 부르는 기도를 설명한 뒤, ‘모두 성취되는 기도’, ‘어떤 상황에서도 행복해질 수 있는 방법’을 알려준다.
마음을 다스리고 행복을 설계하다
행복의 관점은 언어의 차이를 넘는다
불교를 비롯하여 모든 종교에서 기도하는 삶을 말한다. 하지만 실제는 어떠한가? 사람들은 흔히 기도를 통해 바라는 것을 이루면 행복해서 천국에 있는 듯하고, 이루어지지 않으면 고통스러워 지옥에 떨어진 듯한 반쪽짜리 기도를 하고 있다. 영어판 <Prayer>를 통하여 기도의 올바른 관점, 행복의 관점을 터득하는 또 하나의 재미!
To become liberated we must first rid ourselves of desire, which is the cause of both happiness and misery. We must change our belief,“ We will be happy only if we achieve what we have been yearning for.”
비굴하지 않고 당당하게, 교만하지 않고 겸손하게 살아가는 법
‘기도’는 모든 종교에서 저마다의 형식과 내용을 가지고 행해지고 있다. 하지만 기도는 또한 각 종교의 영역을 넘어선 보편적인 가치를 가진 주제이기도 하다. 법륜스님은 이 책에서 종교와 종파를 넘어서서 ‘기도’의 본질적 의미를 되찾고, 올바른 신앙관을 모색하고 있다.
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About the author
About the Author
Ven. Pomnyun Sunim is the founder and the Head Monk of the Jungto Society. Guided by his teacher Ven. Bulshim Domoon Sunim, he entered the Buddhist Sangha at Boonwhangsa Temple, South Korea, in 1969, and was ordained a bihikku in 1991. He is not only a Buddhist monk but also a social activist who leads various movements such as an ecological awareness campaign, promotion of human rights and world peace, and eradication of famine, disease, and illiteracy.
Ven. Pomnyun Sunim has been advocating a new paradigm of civilization movement in which everyone becomes happy through practice, creates a happy society through active participation in social movements, and protects our environment and the Earth by leading a simple lifestyle. This vision is expressed in the Jungto Society’s motto, “Open Mind, Good Friends, and Clean Earth.”
Ven. Pomnyun Sunim has an exceptional ability for explaining the Buddha’s teachings in simple layman’s terms. Instead of giving lectures about Buddhist principles, he invites individuals in his audience to ask him questions about their concerns and doubts. Then he engages them in a dialogue to help them gain insight into the true nature of their problems, based on Buddhist principles. He challenges them to question their personal biases and helps them become more aware of their own perception of the world.
His talks have become very popular and familiar among South Korean audiences over the years. His “Hope” speaking tour from 2011 until 2014 was attended by more than 600,000 participants across 436 locations in South Korea. In 2014, he visited 106 cities around the world in 114 days and delivered 115 talks to more than 20,000 Koreans living overseas. Of these 115 talks, 8 were conducted in English for English-speaking audiences. Currently, in 2017, he is holding “Happiness” and “Reunification of the two Koreas” speaking engagements all over South Korea.
Pomnyun Sunim’s words of wisdom can be accessed through his books, social media, YouTube, TV, and radio. He has published more than 50 books since 1994, and many of his books were #1 bestsellers in South Korea. He has over 1 million followers in South Korea’s most popular messaging platform KaKao Talk, 100,000 daily downloads of his podcasts, and over 3 million views of his YouTube videos.
His extensive humanitarian work includes efforts to alleviate the suffering of ordinary North Koreans through the development of food aid programs and by working with marginalized people in Asian countries to build schools and promote community development. In recognition of his humanitarian work, he received the Ramon Magsaysay Award for Peace and International Understanding in 2002 and the POSCO TJ Park Community Development and Philanthropy Prize in 2011. Finally, in 2015, Pomnyun Sunim received Kripasaran Award from the Bengal Association at the 150th Birth Anniversary Celebration of Ven. Mahasthavir Kripasaran, for his efforts in reviving Buddhism in India.
For more information and resources, please visit https://pomnyun.com/
법륜法輪 스님은 평화와 화해의 메시지를 전하는 평화운동가이자 제3세계를 지원하는 활동가이며 인류의 문명전환을 실현해 가는 사상가, 깨어있는수행자이다. 1988년, 괴로움이 없고 자유로운 사람, 이웃과 세상에 보탬이 되는 보살의 삶을 서원으로 한 수행공동체(정토회)를 설립해수행자들과 함께 생활하고 있다. 법륜 스님의 법문은 쉽고 명쾌하다. 언제나 현대인의 눈높이에 맞추어 깨달음과 수행을 이야기 한다.
법륜 스님의 말과 글은 빙돌려 말하지 않고 군더더기 없이 근본을 직시한다. 밖을 향해 있는 우리의 시선을 안으로 돌이킨다. 어렵고 난해한 경전 역시 법륜스님을 만나면 스님의 지혜와 직관, 통찰의 힘으로 살아 숨쉬는 가르침이 된다.
지은 책으로는 직장인을 위한 <행복한 출근길>, 즐거운가정을 위한 법문집 <날마다 웃는집>, 부처님의 교화사례 <붓다, 나를 흔들다>, <붓다에게 물들다>, 불교입문서 <실천적 불교사상>, 대승불교의 대표 경전인 <금강경 강의>, 부처님의 일생을 다룬 <인간 붓다>, 즉문즉설 시리즈 <답답하면 물어라>, <스님 마음이 불편해요>, <행복하기 행복전하기>, 수행지침서 <기도_내려놓기>, <깨달음_내 눈 뜨기>, 젊은이들에게 꾸준히 사랑받고 있는 <스님의 주례사>, 자녀 교육의 마음 지침서 <엄마수업>, 청춘들을 위로하는 <방황해도 괜찮아>, 한반도의 평화와 통일의 비전을 제시하는 <새로운 100년> 등이 있다.
2000년 만해상 포교상(좋은벗들), 2002년 라몬 막사이사이상, 2007년 민족화해상, 2011년 포스코 청암봉사상, 통일문화대상, 2015 인도 벵골 불자연합 크리파사란 상 등을 수상했다.
