Won Buddhism Dharma Talks

Brain Adams (Won SungDeok), a visiting practitioner from the Philadelphia Temple, shares his experience with chanting in the Won Buddhist tradition. His initial apprehension melted away during a retreat when he discovered what he calls "…the sincerity of whole-hearted chanting." Brian's chanting practice really took off, however, when a Kyomunim suggested he chant from his "Dan Jeon" ("Dantian" 단전 - 丹田 or "elixir field" just below the navel). When the mind drops away, and there is a union of the body and the mind, "one-pointed mind" in chanting can arise.

https://www.wonbuddhismnc.org

http://wonbuddhismpa.org

In a very personal reflection of her own experience dealing with the possibility of being a Covid carrier herself, Rev. WonGong expands upon this one single contemporary fear, to discriminatory thoughts in general, their genesis, and practice for resolving thoughts that smother love and compassion for others.

Compassion is innate to human beings, but obscured by "…fear, anxiety, and insecurity, to defend and protect our sense of self…" Rev. WonGong details the specific practice that melts away the "four false notions that come from distorted thinking" and helps lead us to the loveing kindness about which Master Sotaesan refers to in the scriptures (http://wonscripture.org/Main/SubIndex/daejong0802).

Lara Olson (Won LaSon) investigates her own day-to-day experience recognizing judgmental thought so easily engaged in erroneously labeling other people. This mind may actually be reflecting the nurturer and nature of the observer in a way familiar to the person actively exercising the discriminating mind. Lara provides tips on revealing the underlying ego that informs this judgmental mind.

https://www.wonbuddhismnc.org/

Visiting Reverend Shaun Song (Won SiJoong), details his journey toward true nature in this vulnerable and relatable message that brings hope to all of us in our path to self understanding and enlightenment. Mentors and situations are everywhere lighting the way when we look at what this reflected light reveals.

https://www.wonbuddhismnc.org/

Patty details her path toward a practice that is both introspective and skeptical, and one that has led her to a brand of "spiritualism" that is not in conflict with science and what she experiences here in the every-day world. Here, disparate people meet in a sangha and dharma of mutual service and "…a religion based on truth and a training in morality based on facts." (Master Sotesan, The Founding Motive of the Teaching)

http://wonscripture.org/Main/SubIndex/jungjun010100

In this Dharma talk, Rev. ZiYoung shares the key to bringing peace to the world starts with cultivating peace in our own mind-field. An easier way to say this is, "Oneness" and is our prayerful chant in the words, "We Are One, We Are Whole."

https://www.wonbuddhismnc.org

Kelly Denno (Won YeeSuh), shares an all too familiar experience when interconnectedness is not safe, being tailgated. Practice and the scriptures reminds us that it is important to be equitable and kind to everyone, even those who don't look like they deserve it in certain critical moments.

https://www.wonbuddhismnc.org

In this Dharma talk Rev. ZiYoung explains in a literal way, how our delusions cloud our sight, much like how our eyesight can be limited by restricting the light that enters one of our eyes with our hand. Limiting ourselves prevents us from clearly seeing great ant small, being and nonbeing, and Rev. ZiYoung's personal experience with team members illustrates this in a vivid way.

https://www.wonbuddhismnc.org

Kathleen Herr (Won HerrJu) shares a deeply personal message about becoming "lassoed" by checklist "have-to's" at the expense of meaningful and fundamental practices.

At the beginning of her talk, Kathleen mentions the practice of service, and invites practitioners near the North Carolina temple to volunteer in the garden if they are so inclined. https://www.wonbuddhismnc.org/donations

Nik Wall (WonHaeWol), a member of the North Carolina Temple, shares his thoughts on practicing mindfully as a way to loosen "thought knots" that occur in our minds. Nik explains that our knotted minds can be helped by understanding a poem by the founding master instructing us that it is "…not not, but not not either…” Nik's interpretation then becomes, "…not knot, but not knot either!" :)

https://www.wonbuddhismnc.org