Use Mind Well
January 1, 2019, Won-Buddhist Year 104
Venerable Jeonsan
Head Dharma Master of Won Buddhism
A hopeful new year has arrived. I sincerely hope and pray that the grace of the Dharmakāya Buddha, the Fourfold Grace be abundant to all Won-Buddhists and all peoples of the world.
Sotaesan, the founding master of Won-Buddhism taught us the dharma (path/way) for us to use our minds well so that all humanities in the world can progress spiritually and bathe in grace abundantly and endlessly so that a paradise will be realize on earth.
Our progression or regression or receiving blessings and merits or disasters depends on how we use our minds. All the saints and sages who realized this principle taught us how to use our minds.
In our minds, there are infinite and endless spiritual resources.
It is our right as practitioners to develop, expand and use these resources and lead our lives in grace and wisdom.
For that we need to train ourselves in the way of using our minds.
Sotaesan taught us the path of Six Items of Mindfulness in Daily Practice to help us in this pursuit.
The Six Items of Mindfulness in Daily Practice are:
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In all your actions, be mindful to make choices with sound thought.
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Before engaging in all actions, observe the circumstances and be mindful to study in advance.
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Be mindful to study and practice scripture when you have free time.
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People who have achieved a basic knowledge of the scriptures, be mindful to study and practice koans (the cases for questioning).
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To cultivate the spirit, be mindful to practice reciting the buddha’s name or practice sitting meditation either during the time before going to bed after completing any remaining household affairs after supper, or else early in the morning.
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After finishing any task, think about how you handled it; be mindful to assess whether or not you have carried out the task you resolved both to do and not to do.
This path is the way how living Buddhas use their minds.
The core of this practice is in the application in our daily lives. Non practitioners generally do not know how to carry out the practice. They just engage in the daily tasks without mindfulness. But the practitioners who knows the dharma of Sotaesan can perform the mind practice while engaging in their daily activities.
So when we are engaged in any activity, we need to bring our mind to a pause and restore sound thought and then we need to think about that matter to attain a right judgment and based on that judgment we are enabled to discard what is wrong and take what is right. This first item of mindfulness of Daily Practice is the essence of our daily practice. A person who does not master this practice cannot truly enter the dharma of Sotaesan.
If we are to be true Won-Buddhists, we need to practice this path and empower our minds.
Venerable Daesan, the Third Head Dharma Master of Won Buddhism, taught us that there is no secret or shortcut to the spiritual practice. We need to practice in the path once, one hundred times, one thousand times, ten thousand times, and without limit.
He taught us that if we practice in this way, everyone can attain the three great powers of the Buddha mind.
In order to carry out this practice well, we need to prepare well, study scritprues and work with koans and meditate in the morning and evening and reflect on the tasks after we've finished them.
I sincerely encourage all Won-Buddhists, and all people of the world to give rise to a great vow to practice our mind in this way and attain the Buddha’s personality and become the pioneers who will bring peace to the all nations and the world and write a new chapter to the history of the world.