Let’s gain true happiness and freedom through the Meditation
Yi-Soon Park, Professor, Japanese Department, Gang-Won University
I was born in Nonsan, Choongnam Province but was raised in Seoul for the most of my life. So I thought Gang-Won Province wasn’t near my reach, but I am thankful for my life here in Choon Chun, Gang-Won Province.
After I graduated from college, I went to Tokyo Graduate School in Japan where I stayed for 10 years. I worked very hard, thinking if I wasn’t able to make a name for myself, I would rather be a fisherman in Saporo. Fortunately, I was able to get approvals from others and also received my graduate degree. I was able to marry and earn a position as a professor at a national university. Many were envious of my success.
I wanted to think that I was a happy person with many blessings of a human life. But this was difficult. I felt guilty but couldn’t speak of it to anyone. Long periods of studying abroad with relentless pursuit of my goals, not even once taking a walk in the sun, led to chronic gastric problems, and headaches. Giving multiple births in consecutive years also led to chronic fatigue with weak bones. Catching a short nap while commuting every day from Seoul to Choon Chun only made my fatigue grow worse. I haven’t been able to sleep deeply and appropriately for the longest time. I was always working so hard, dealing with everything life threw at me. Why didn’t think I was happy? I was questioning myself.
Then I met meditation. I saw pamphlets sticking out of my mailbox and with hope that the meditation could solve my fatigue and despair at least a little, I started emptying my mind as they taught me. The result was amazing.
I thought that a person by his very existence have to carry money, love, honor, self-conceit, and karmic connections as well as attachments and greed. But as I subtracted my mind, I found out that true happiness and freedom come when all these mindsets are thrown away.
Bible verses heard in churches that I attended to deal with my loneliness during my study abroad and Buddhist scriptures heard from monks of Indian philosophy department at Tokyo University – I was able to understand these scriptural verses, amazingly. If you are not Truth, you cannot know the words of Truth.
The shock was great when I was enlightened to the fact that all those books and materials that I studied for years were just dead, lifeless knowledge that I took pictures of. I was even angry at this. But I continued my emptying of mind. I threw away even that shock. When my mind with all those false pictures was gone, the Original mind was alive, wisdom itself. Truly precious and pristine, detached from knowing yet it is a place of all-knowing.
Now I am confident to stand in front of students and truly thankful for being able to speak the words to help the students. Now I can really laugh and say this – let’s live this way.
When I escape the self-centered greed and attachments, I am happy and joyful to live as the immense world-mind. I am excited with gratitude.
Now anyone should empty their minds. As a human being, one must know the True meaning and purpose and be truly happy. Anyone, everyone, all!