Excerpt from The Principles of Mind Training for Everyday Life by Venerable Juksanim (Head Dharma Master of Won Buddhism USA)*
In Buddhism, the body is understood not as a fixed or isolated self, but as a collective formation shaped by karma. This body moves and lives within a web of relationships, constantly influenced by the world around it. But what truly governs our actions and movements? It’s the mind. Because of this, no meaningful Buddhist practice can begin without turning attention inward, toward the mind itself. True study starts with mindful awareness. The founding master of Won Buddhism, Sotaesan, emphasized this clearly: all spiritual practice begins with caring for the mind. It is only by tending to the mind that we can begin to live with clarity and purpose.
The mind is invisible and leaves behind no physical trace. And yet, within this traceless space, an endless stream of thoughts arises. That is precisely why we must care for the mind. Traditionally, the mind is often compared to a wild colt in need of gentle training. But it can just as easily be likened to raising a child. When a child is born, a mother watches over them with unwavering attention. A moment of distraction could lead to danger. She remains present, observing and guiding. As the child grows, she gives them boundaries, a space to explore freely but still under her watchful eye. Eventually, when the child matures into an adult, they are given the freedom to navigate life on their own.
In the same way, those who are new to mind practice must watch over their minds as carefully and attentively as a mother watching over a young child. If you let go of the mind even for a moment, it will wander off in all directions. As your practice deepens, you begin to watch over your mind with more ease and confidence, much like caring for an older child who has learned some independence.
In mindfulness practice, one of the most important things is to focus on realizing the deeper principles of the mind. Without entering deeply into awakening, mindfulness can end up strengthening the ego and one’s stubborn attachments.
That is why, when practicing mindfulness, we must always reflect on the state of no-self, the place where the “I” does not exist. Our minds tend to favor categorizing and standardizing things. We like to create frameworks, divide, and classify. Therefore, while we practice mindfulness, we must learn to be aware based on the traceless ground of the mind.
The Sixth Patriarch, Huineng, captured this essential point with the phrase: “Give rise to a mind that, even while responding, does not abide anywhere.” Sotaesan also placed great importance on yunyeom practice, a form of mindfulness training centered on sustained awareness. He taught that as scientific civilization advances, our minds are exposed to far greater dangers and more sensory conditions than in the past.
Therefore, he warned that if we do not take care of our minds, we will face immense calamities and profound mental confusion. For this reason, all of us living in the modern age, shaped by scientific development, must deeply recognize the critical importance of mindfulness and diligently engage in its practice.
How can we live with a whole and sound mind at all times? And what can we gain from doing so?
A sound mind is essential for making wise and appropriate choices in action. It means that in everything we do, we must clearly discern what to take and what to leave behind, and act accordingly. When we use our eyes, ears, nose, mouth, body, and mind, we are to choose what is right and let go of what is wrong. This act of discerning and choosing in action is what Won Buddhism refers to as choice in action. When we are at rest, it is an opportunity to quietly care for the mind, keeping it steady and whole. When we are in action, it becomes a chance to act from that same place of clarity. There is one important point to note here: the moment our six sense faculties are engaged is precisely the present moment. Human beings live only in the present. Therefore, mind practice is not done in the past or in the future. It can only be done in the present. Using our body and mind in the present moment, and making choices with a sound and centered mind, is the very path of living with continuous mindfulness. In Won Buddhism, this attentive mind is examined and cultivated through the method of contrasting mindfulness and unmindfulness.
The Contrasting Mindfulness and Unmindfulness Method is one of the core practices taught by Sotaesan. In this practice, actions carried out with deliberate attention and discernment between what should and should not be done are called mindful (yunyeom), while actions performed without such attentive discernment are called unmindful (munyeom).
In the beginning stage, one checks whether or not the act was done with the awareness of choice, regardless of the outcome. But as one’s practice deepens, Sotaesan instructed that the results of the action, whether it turned out right or wrong, can become the standard for evaluation. This process of checking mindfulness and unmindfulness forms the core of the Daily Diary practicein Won Buddhism, which practitioners are encouraged to write at the end of each day. It is a way to reflect on the day’s actions, mindfulness, and whether one has broken or kept the precepts.
Sotaesan summarized this path of practice with three steps: Sound, Thought, and Choice in Action, a unified approach that integrates the threefold study. One first pauses to restore wholeness, then reflects carefully, and finally makes a wise decision and acts. In the early stages of practice, these are experienced as three distinct steps. However, as one’s training matures, one comes to realize that these three are fundamentally one.
Importantly, to engage in right thought, the mind must first come to a halt. Mind cultivation begins with stopping. Without stopping, one cannot truly reflect or discern.
In the Scripture of the Founding Master, Sotaesan clearly explains the Essential Dharmas of Daily Practice:
The purpose of having you recite the essential dharmas of daily practice in the morning and evening does not lie in simply reciting the words. Rather, it is intended to help you grasp their meaning in your hearts and assess it in your minds, reviewing them generally once a day, and more specifically examining them each time you are faced with sensory conditions. You must assess and check your mind over and over to see whether or not your mind-ground is disturbed, deluded, or subject to wrong-doing; whether or not you have been making active progress in belief, zeal, questioning, and dedication; whether or not you have been living in gratitude, living a life of self-power, readily learning, readily teaching, and benefiting others. You must do this until ultimately you reach a state in which the mind needs no checking.
Sotaesan emphasized that the mind is extremely subtle: “It exists when you take hold of it, but disappears when you let it go. How then can a person cultivate one’s mind without checking it?” To help practitioners realize this attentive state, he established the ” Items of Heedfulness in Daily Applications” and the ” Items of Heedfulness Regarding Temple Visits,” along with the Dharma of Keeping a Diary, ensuring that practitioners would have no gaps in their cultivation.
He concludes: “I urge all of you to practice diligently according to this dharma, and to accomplish the great task of transcending the ordinary and entering sagehood as quickly as possible.” This teaching highlights the essence of Won Buddhist practice: unwavering mindfulness rooted in discernment and consistent reflection, enabling a life of clarity and ethical action.
References
Venerable Juksan. Trans. by Grace Song. 2024. Ilsangŭi salmŭl wihan maŭm kongbuŭi wŏlli The Principles of Mind Training for Everyday Life. Seoul: Sorisan.
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