http://www.todayonline.com/articles/186221.asp
TODAY -- Mediacorp News
He went to Yale and Harvard but chose to be a monk
Venerable Hyon Gak Sunim believes
that Buddhism can help answer his questions
Wednesday May 2, 2007
Daphne Chuah spoke to Venerable Hyon Gak Sunim which means
"endless profound enlightenment" last Friday, when he was in
Singapore to give a talk.
"The most important thing in life is to be a human being."
Who would have thought that life could revolve around this simple
statement? Venerable Hyon Gak Sunim did, and he has not looked back
since.
Born Paul Muenzen in New Jersey, in the United States, to a family
of devout Catholics, this American Zen monk armed with a degree
in philosophy and literature from Yale University, and who went on
to study comparative religions at the Harvard Divinity School
chose to follow the teachings of Buddhism.
Now based in South Korea, the Head Teacher of the Seoul
International Zen Centre at the Hwa Gye Sah Temple goes on
meditation retreats which could last up to 100 days in the remote
mountainous regions, and draws several thousands to his
talks.
You come from a family of Catholics. Why did you become a
Buddhist?
When I was growing up, I was absorbed with the question of human
suffering, especially after watching so many people die in the
Vietnam War, and also from Aids.
Many babies were born to people who used drugs, and the babies were
born with HIV. So, I looked at that, and thought, the babies did
not do anything wrong, why did they automatically have to have
Aids?
These questions troubled me and I wanted to really see and have
some insight into that. Why are people born in poor countries with
no food and no medicine? I was born in America with money and a
good home and a good situation. Why is this?
Buddhism does not give the answers. Buddhism provided me with a way
to find the answers, and it's not in some book or some belief
system. But I'm looking in time and seeing cause and effect. For
example the weather it's cause and effect, 20 years apart. I saw
that Buddhism had a very rational, very clear, and also very
scientific way of looking into that.
How did your parents react to it?
Of course they were very shocked, and not comfortable. But now,
they see that I am very happy. While growing up, I was very
concerned about human suffering and got a little depressed about
it. The world felt so heavy to me. Now, they see that since I do
meditation a lot, I am happier and more content.
And that is all any parents would want for their child to be
happy.
You have gone on countless retreats in the mountains. What have you
experienced in the mountains that is different in the city, and
what have you gained from those stays?
Well, life in the city just happens faster. There are more objects
moving, more speed. When I did my first solo retreat in the
mountains the trees are green, the sky is blue and the fastest
object you see is a bird going back and forth. And so your computer
your mind gets used to that kind of speed.
When I came out to the city, there were many more objects moving at
a much faster pace, and you have to react quicker, and it's just
more stressful for your computer. And that's why we have a lot more
psychological problems with people who live in the city, not people
who live in the countryside. What I've learnt from retreats is that
the outside world doesn't matter, but the inside world the soul
must be clear.
What do you see are some of the problems that urbanites face in
today's world?
Urbanites face the problem of "too much" too much sound, too much
colour, too much light. You realise that when you go out, there are
always these lights and colours to get your attention. It's too
much sensory overload.
Like water one cup is good, but a whole gallon could kill me. But
water is not bad. City light is not bad. Sensation is not bad. But
with too much, we get very tired inside.
Like this sound (taps on the chair incessantly) it's no problem
for a while, but if I did that for an hour or if you had to listen
to this for three hours, it could drive you crazy.
Since being ordained in 1992, what is one important life lesson you
have learnt?
(Laughs) Oh, every moment is a life lesson for me. It's just to
accept every moment as it comes, to accept every moment as
complete, every moment as perfect and every moment as enough.
What values do you live by?
Serving other people first. And to realise that there is no private
self, no separate self, no separate egos, no separate "I" between
"you" and "me".
The space in this room is space, and in my mother's home in New
Jersey, it's still space. We think they're two separate spaces, but
they're not. They made this wall here, so we think that there's
inside space and outside space, but they're the same. If you blew
up this whole building, or blew up the whole world, it's all the
same space.
We always think "I'm American", "I'm Buddhist", "I'm a male", "I'm
depressed" and "you don't understand me" in our relationships and
in our lives, but that's an illusion.
I try to live by the fact that everyone's nature is the same. Yes,
our thinking is different, but the space is the same, our
fundamental mind is the same.
What is your advice to urbanites who are caught up in the hustle
and bustle of city life?
There are many important things in life travel is important,
meeting your friends is important, studying this thing is
important, doing a good job is important and getting a relationship
is important.
But my teacher told me: "You must decide what is most important for
your life."
And when he said that, it shocked me, because I knew I had many
options I had gone to Yale and I had gone to Harvard. I could
have made a lot of money, done a lot of good things and had a lot
of fun.
But I knew I wanted to find myself, before I die. I wanted to be a
human being before I die, not just a machine, not a robot. I just
want to be a real human being to give love and to receive
love.
A couple of weeks ago, in Hong Kong, the richest woman in Asia
died.
But what could she take with her? Nothing. So, I think before I
die, being a human being is what I want.
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