Monk Maga, one of the most prominent Buddhist monks in South Korea, visited our Maryland center recently. The following is an excerpt from his sermon translated.
One of Monk Maga’s beliefs is, “If I am full of love and mercy, that love will overflow and flow to the other person.”
‘Compassion Meditation’ developed by Monk Maga started under the name ‘Compassion Meditation Temple Stay’ at Magoksa Temple in Gongju, South Chungcheong Province in 2002, before the birth of temple stay. The compassion meditation developed by the monk is practiced in many ways, including listening, writing a will, and walking meditation. The hearing is a kind of role play, where participants ask and answer each other’s questions and make peace with the elements that have caused them pain. The reason why participants are asked to write a will is to remind them that death is right next to them and how beautiful life is. Walking meditation is done barefoot, and was created with the intention of feeling the preciousness of nature and ‘being awake at this moment.’
Monk Maga recalled, “I felt my heart brighten as I watched my family walking down the temple with their arms folded after completing the compassion meditation temple stay.”
As monk Maga’s ‘compassion meditation’ spread rapidly in our society, Chung-Ang University requested a lecture on ‘Seeing My Heart Correctly.’ The number of students enrolled in the class increased from about 150 in the first year in 2003 to 1,500 in 2011, making it so popular that five monks now have to divide the classes into classes.
“What I emphasize in class is that the main character of your life is yourself. College students are prospective workers. These are the parties who will soon be responsible for our society’s future. That is why it is more urgent than anything else for students to find a pure self. Monk Imje’s ‘Become the owner of wherever you stay. Where you are now is the world of truth.’ This is why I often refer to this wise saying from Monk Imje”