The Korean Seon (Zen) master Venerable Pomnyun Sunim (법륜스님) wears many hats: Buddhist monk, teacher, author, environmentalist, and social activist, to name a few.* As a widely respected Dharma teacher and a tireless socially engaged activist in his native South Korea, Ven. Pomnyun Sunim has founded numerous Dharma-based organizations, initiatives, and projects that are active across the world. Among them, Jungto Society, a volunteer-based community founded on the Buddhist teachings and expressing equality, simple living, and sustainability, is dedicated to addressing modern social issues that lead to suffering, including environmental degradation, poverty, and conflict.
This column, shared by Jungto Society, presents highlights from Ven. Pomnyun Sunim’s writings, teachings, public talks, and regular live-streamed Dharma Q+A sessions, which are accessible across the globe.
The following teachings were given on 10 September 2024 in Brisbane, Australia.
How can we free ourselves from suffering?
After an introductory video, Ven. Pomnyun Sunim took to the stage to enthusiastic applause. He smiled and began his opening remarks. Over the course of two hours, 17 people were able to ask questions of Ven. Pomnyun Sunim.
Ven. Pomnyun Sunim: The topic I want to discuss with you all today is life itself. As we live, there are times when we wonder, “Am I living the right way?” As we face various realities in this world, questions arise in our minds but we often have no one to ask. Also, as we live, there are times when we are gripped by suffering and anxiety. We want to escape this suffering but sometimes can’t find a way on our own.
In the past, people mainly tried to resolve these issues through religious faith. However, marital conflicts are not easily resolved through faith alone. Nor are they resolved by immersing oneself in ideology. What’s really needed is dialogue. We can work through issues by acknowledging that others are different from us and trying to understand their perspective, thinking, “From their position, I can see why they might feel that way.”
Our mental processes are characterized by self-centeredness. Even when we recognize we’ve done something wrong, we tend to look for reasons to justify why we had no choice but to act that way. It would seem quite despicable if others did this, but this is what we ourselves do.
Just as living beings instinctively try to protect their physical bodies, our mental processes also unconsciously work to protect ourselves by making excuses. Even if we verbally say “I’m sorry,” in our hearts we’re looking for justifications such as, “I had no choice.” This is why communication problems often arise, especially with those closest to us. So when conflicts arise between spouses, even if it seems from an outsider’s perspective that they could be easily resolved through dialogue, in reality it’s not so simple.
As such, today I want to have a dialogue about the various questions, pains, sufferings, anxieties, and fears you experience in your lives. Of course, there are no restrictions on topics; we can talk about anything: politics, society, economy, culture, science, and so on. However, these topics become relevant for our discussion when they cause you distress, such as when political issues trouble you or AI issues make you anxious.
My superiors think I don’t work hard when I do
Q: When I go to work, I always try to work hard, but it seems that others don’t see it that way.
Ven. Pomnyun Sunim: It seems you’re thinking to yourself, “I’m a hard worker,” all on your own!
Q: When I first started, I was a bit slow because I wasn’t familiar with the work. But as time goes on, I think I’m getting faster and working harder than before, but my superiors don’t seem to think so, which worries me.
Ven. Pomnyun Sunim: What do your superiors say to you? Do they say you work a bit slowly? If so, you can just reply, “I’m sorry. I’m getting faster little by little.” What’s so difficult about that?
Q: I do say that. In fact, I could just say that and move on in the moment, but I’m afraid my superiors will continue to view me negatively and I might face disadvantages. I could even lose my job.
Ven. Pomnyun Sunim: If you work slowly, you should face disadvantages. If you work slowly, you’re doing less work than others, so it doesn’t make sense to say you shouldn’t face any disadvantages. If they give you disadvantages, you should accept them.
Q: If I could acknowledge to myself, “I didn’t work hard, so this could happen,” that would be fine. But in my mind, I am working hard. Even when others point things out, I think to myself, “Okay, I’ll work even harder,” and I do work harder.
Ven. Pomnyun Sunim: We usually say that someone who walks slowly and moves slowly is like a snail. But if you ask the snail, what do you think it would say? It would say it’s moving incredibly fast by its own standards. Slow and fast are not absolute, but relative. I’m relatively quicker at handling tasks compared to others. It might be good for you to spend some time with me. You’d be able to clearly realize how slow you are.
A few days ago during a lecture, there was a situation where people were raising their hands here and there to ask questions, and the volunteer who was supposed to pass the microphone seemed slow to me. I thought the volunteer should always be watching the lecture hall carefully and quickly go to hand the microphone to whoever raised their hand, but they didn’t even seem to notice where hands were being raised, and even when walking, they moved slowly. So I pointed out right there, “Why are you so slow like a snail?” Later, after the lecture ended, we had a sharing session and that person said, “Even though you said I was like a snail in front of all those people, I was actually moving extremely fast.” So I said, “It’s okay. I was just joking.”
Now, in your opinion, are your superiors familiar with the work or not?
Q: They’re familiar with it.
Ven. Pomnyun Sunim: Then, is a new employee familiar with the work or not?
Q: They’re not familiar with it.
Ven. Pomnyun Sunim: When someone familiar with the work uses themselves as a standard, will someone unfamiliar with the work seem fast or slow?
Q: They’ll seem slow.
Ven. Pomnyun Sunim: It’s natural for a new employee to be slow at handling tasks.
Q: But it seems my superiors want me to work like them.
Ven. Pomnyun Sunim: That’s also natural. Do you think you wouldn’t be the same? Try managing people yourself. You’ll want them to work at your level. It’s natural to want others to work like you do. But if you insist that they must work like you, you’ll get angry or irritated with those who don’t.
The cause of anger and irritation is not that others work slowly, but that you’re attached to the idea that they should work like you. So if you don’t want to feel angry and irritated, you need to acknowledge and understand people who are slower than you. Then you won’t get angry.
If a superior came to me and said, “We hired a new employee but they work so slowly it’s frustrating,” I would answer like this. But telling you, “It’s okay to work slowly” wouldn’t be helpful to you at all.
So how should I advise you in your case? I should say, “You need to accept that even if you think you’re working quickly, it’s bound to seem slow to your superiors.” You need to acknowledge that you have different standards from your superiors.
First, you need to accept that your superiors may think your work pace is slow. Second, you need to accept that it’s understandable for your superiors to feel irritated. If you do this, you can remain at peace even when your superiors say something to you.
Accept that, “From my superior’s perspective, it’s understandable to feel irritated,” and say with a smile, “I’m sorry. I’m still not familiar with the work, so please bear with me.”
But you’re creating conflict because you’re reacting with thoughts like, “I’m working quickly, so why are they saying I’m slow?” or, “They should try doing it themselves.” On one hand, you’re afraid of losing your job, and on the other hand, you’re reacting negatively.
Don’t grovel, don’t react negatively, just speak lightly.
Q: I understand. I’m working hard in my own way, but I can see why my superiors might say that. I understand that I’m walking like a tortoise now, so it might seem a bit frustrating to a rabbit. But I’ll become a rabbit someday too.
Ven. Pomnyun Sunim: Say this and work hard. Even if you’re still fired, that’s just how it is. Because hiring and firing people is the authority of your superiors. It’s not something you can control, so there’s no need for you to be afraid of it.
When you accept that others might have their reasons and become at peace with it, jokes will naturally come out of your mouth. You’ll be able to handle situations with humor. At a dinner or drinking occasion, you could say to your department head, “I guess you’ve forgotten what it was like to be a tadpole, huh?”
“Were you this good from the start, department head? You’re good because you have 20 years of experience. How could I be like you when I’ve been here less than a year? I know I’m not great, but please don’t set your expectations too high and give me a chance to get used to things.”
You need to have the composure to be able to say things like this. If they don’t give you a chance even after hearing you out, there’s nothing you can do. Don’t fear your superiors, and don’t hate them either. There’s no need to be servile. I hope you can gain some composure and confidence in your work life.
Also, you might naturally be a slow-moving person. Among the members of our community, there are some who move slowly. Sometimes when I talk to them, they say, ‘I’m moving very fast these days.’ At first, I thought it was nonsense, but now I understand. We consider them slow because we’re judging from our own standards. They say they’ve become faster because they feel they’ve improved compared to before. Similarly, you should reconsider your perspective on speed. Don’t be too afraid.
Q: Thank you. I understand.
How can I overcome my poor English skills at work?
Q: At my workplace, everyone except me is Australian. I feel so nervous when using English that I sometimes feel nauseous, and it’s very stressful. How can I have a more comfortable work life?”
Ven. Pomnyun Sunim: Are all the people working there Australian?
Q: Yes.
Ven. Pomnyun Sunim: You’re Australian too, aren’t you? If you have citizenship, aren’t you all Australian?
Q; Yes, I consider myself Australian. But while I’m very comfortable and can express myself freely using Korean, it’s not the same with English.
Ven. Pomnyun Sunim: So you’re Australian. Just not very fluent in the language. Most people are immigrants, so except for the indigenous people, there’s hardly anyone who can be called originally Australian. You should approach it like this: “We’re all Australian, including me, but I’m a bit intimidated because my English isn’t very good.” This way, you won’t be constrained by racial or ethnic issues.
Q; When I use English, I become very timid and tense. What should I do?
Ven. Pomnyun Sunim: You feel intimidated because you’re trying to speak English well when you’re not proficient. Others speak English well because they were born and raised in Australia or have been immigrants for a long time. It’s natural for you to be less skilled if you haven’t been in Australia for long. If someone points out that your English is poor, just admit it by saying, “I’m still not very good because I didn’t learn it from a young age.” You should accept that there might be some disadvantages due to your limited English skills.
Q: I see. Thank you.
After the conversations ended, Ven. Pomnyun Sunim held a book-signing session on stage. Many people lined up to receive his signature and to express their gratitude.
* Buddhist Monk Ven. Pomnyun Sunim Awarded the 37th Niwano Peace Prize (BDG)
See more
Pomnyun
Jungto Society
JTS Korea
JTS America
International Network of Engaged Buddhists
Related features from BDG
Live a Little More Lightly
Suffering Rooted in Desire
How Can We Live Life Without Suffering?
A Conversation That Dissolves Suffering
The Root of Suffering Is in Our Own Mind
Walking the Bodhisattva Path of Compassion
Related videos from BDG
Dharma Q+A with Ven. Pomnyun Sunim
Wisdom Notes from Ven. Pomnyun Sunim
