The Jungto Society, the international Buddhist community founded by revered Korean Dharma master and social activist Venerable Pomnyun Sunim (법륜스님), hosted a week-long intensive study tour to South Korea this month for women monastics and activists affiliated with the International Network of Engaged Buddhists (INEB).
Eleven Buddhist women from five Asian countries and territories – two from Bhutan, one from China, three from Ladakh, India, two from Sri Lanka and three from Thailand – gathered for the “INEB Jungto Society Women’s Study Tour 2024” from January 1 to 1, 2024. November 7. In a warm and welcoming atmosphere of kalyana-mitrata* Participants gathered to practice, learn, connect, and exchange ideas, with three underlying goals: to learn how Ven. Pomnyun Sunim and the Jungto Society implement the Buddha’s teachings in modern society by exposing them to the activities and philosophy of the Jungto Society; to overcome gender discrimination in Buddhist communities and promote the status of female Buddhist activists; and to explore the challenges and solutions faced by female social activists.
INEB is a global network of individuals and organizations committed to building compassionate societies and working towards environmental sustainability and world peace. INEB emphasizes the importance of developing ethical and Dharma-based approaches to its work and encourages its members to work collaboratively and respectfully based on shared values and aspirations. Based in Bangkok, INEB has established a wide range of social projects and outreach programs aimed at overcoming suffering and empowering vulnerable communities through Dharma practice and social programs such as education and training, community development, advocacy and lobbying efforts, and interfaith dialogue.
Led by Ven. Pomnyun Sunim and coordinated by the dedicated and tireless volunteers who make up the Jungto Society, and Anchalee Kurutach, INEB Executive Committee member and coordinator of the INEB Regional Network for Peacebuilders Project, the study tour’s comprehensive itinerary included visits to Buddhist monasteries and temples throughout South Korea, group presentations and discussions, Dharma talks, and Buddhist practice. All of this was intended to provide participants with an opportunity to meet and connect, as well as to present and exchange ideas for expressing and practicing engaged Buddhism in today’s increasingly polarized world.
“This was actually our second study tour this year. The first one was in May for Buddhist monks, which has been happening every year for quite some time,” Anchalee told BDG. “A few years ago, INEB Executive Secretary Somboon Chungprampree proposed to Ven. Pomnyun Sunim that we organize a study tour exclusively for women activists. And based on that proposal, I suggested that we should also include women monastics, mainly so that we can provide an environment where they don’t feel inhibited by the presence of male monks because of the vinaya and the rules they must follow in these situations. In the end, we opted for an equal distribution between lay women and bhikshunis, which made the group all the more enriching for everyone.
“Our goal has been to create a dedicated space for activists and practitioners to interact with Sunim and with Jungto society, and to really enable deeper and richer learning opportunities during these study tours,” Anchalee said.
Jungto Society is a volunteer-run community that aspires to embody Buddhist teachings through social engagement and by promoting a simple lifestyle centered on sustainable living. The community seeks to address the crises of modern society, such as greed, poverty, conflict, and environmental degradation, by applying a Buddhist worldview of interconnectedness and living according to the principle that everyone can find happiness through Buddhist practice and active participation in social movements.
"This first study tour for practitioners included: three nuns, Ven. Jigmet and Ven. Lhadon of the Ladakh Nuns Association; from Thailand, Ven. Ben, a meditation instructor and white-robed nun (Thai: maechi*); and two siksamana (novices) from Sri Lanka, Ven. Viharani Leur and Ven. Silananda,” Anchalee explained. “Then we had two lay women from Bhutan, Tshewang and Kezang, who work with Dr. Tashi Zangmo and the Bhutan Nuns Foundation; a lay woman from Thailand, Ben, who has been working with INEB’s SEM (Spirit in Education Movement) for peacebuilding and social issues in Myanmar; and a lay woman, DongDong, from the Ananda Cultural Center in China. Eleven in all, including me!”
“Overall, it was a resounding success. Each participant left the study tour with a renewed commitment to their Buddhist practice and also to adopting innovative approaches in their work,” Anchalee observed. “A key aspect of this study tour was that the educational program was led by female Dharma teachers from the Jungto Society, which I think was very important to both Jungto and the participants. It showed the strength and depth of the Jungto Society beyond the leadership of Ven. Pomnyun Sunim. The Dharma teachers designed the study tour program, led the awakening retreat for us, and provided role models of female community leadership, especially Dharma teacher Deokseong, who accompanied us throughout the program. It is very important that people recognize the role that these teachers and leaders play in a community context.”
The study tour was broad in scope while providing an opportunity to delve deeper into key issues for committed Buddhists, introducing the history of Korean Buddhism and the emergence of the Jungto Society and its mission as a Dharma community with a unique volunteer-based structure. Participants also engaged in dialogues and exchanges with Korean bhikshunis on monastery management, practice methods, bhikshuni training, and social engagement, and experienced practical organic farming and learned about socially engaged organizations, sustainable living, peacemaking, and humanitarian aid.
On the final day of the study tour, participants gathered to share their experiences and learnings, and to hear Ven. Pomnyun Sunim's closing remarks:
When I first met you all, I was delighted to hear about the activities you are doing in each country. I was particularly impressed by the medical volunteer work with the people of Ladakh. In fact, activities that address the health problems of the residents are much needed in poor countries. There are many areas that do not require much expenditure and can be done without professional medical personnel. I thought it would be good if these aspects were well developed.
I think people should basically live independently. Indeed, all living beings in nature live alone. When they receive support from outside, their wildness or autonomy is largely damaged. For example, livestock live with the help of humans. In return, they have to provide work. Otherwise, they have to provide milk or meat; there is always a price to pay for support. That is why it is important to be self-sufficient as much as possible. Even if it is difficult to be self-sufficient, it is the only way to become master of one's own life.
However, there are cases in nature where autonomy is not possible. This is the case of offspring. For humans, it can be said that it is during these juvenile years. Apart from this, there is no living being in nature that survives thanks to external support. However, in the case of humans, when it is difficult to live alone, such as when people are sick, old or disabled, they live with the help of others, while in nature they would naturally be eliminated.
This is why we must be very careful when helping those in need. First, we should not help in a way that compromises their autonomy. Second, we should not support anything that encourages desire. While this is possible in society in general, for groups of practitioners like us who follow the Buddha's teachings, we should not provide support that encourages desire. We must always provide support in a way that allows those receiving help to be the main actors, thereby developing their autonomy. . . .
However, in modern society, even helping others has become a business. Nowadays, television commercials often show images of people living in poverty and misery to play on their emotions and raise funds. I don’t think this approach is desirable. When I visit earthquake or flood-hit areas as part of an international relief operation, I often see that the suffering on the ground is used as a means of raising funds. In a way, it could be seen as a business that feeds on people’s misfortune. As practitioners, we should not engage in this type of charity work. We should help them by providing them with what they really need, adhering to the principle of not infringing on their autonomy or encouraging greed. If these principles and conditions are met, I am willing to contribute to improving people’s lives, regardless of their country or religion. It is about transferring resources or goods from those who have a little more to those who lack.
However, the fundamental principle that practitioners must uphold is to give priority to alleviating people's spiritual suffering through the Buddhadharma. I believe that material support is also necessary when people face temporary difficulties due to major disasters. Indeed, the Buddha said that offering food to the hungry and medicine to the sick is as meritorious as making offerings to the Buddha. I hope that your activities will not only alleviate the suffering of sentient beings through the Buddhadharma, but also provide material support to those who truly need it, thereby addressing their suffering in both ways. (Jungto Company)
Ven. Pomnyun Sunim, the leading Dharma teacher of the Jungto Society, is a highly respected author and social activist. He has founded numerous organizations, initiatives, and projects around the world. In October 2020, the Niwano Peace Foundation in Japan presented the 37th Niwano Peace Prize to Ven. Pomnyun Sunim in recognition of the revered monk’s international humanitarian work, environmental and social activism, and tireless efforts to build trust and goodwill among communities of different faiths and cultures, toward the goal of world peace.***
* Kalyana mitrata (without.), Kalyaṇune-mittata (Pali); the Buddhist concept of virtuous spiritual friendship.
** Maechis wear white robes to distinguish them from Buddhist monks and lay people. They are not fully ordained because full ordination of women is not yet recognized by Thai monastic authorities, despite the existence in Thailand of female monastics who have been ordained in other countries.
*** Buddhist monk Ven. Pomnyun Sunim receives the 37th Niwano Peace Prize (BDG)
See more
International Network of Engaged Buddhists (INEB)
Jungto Company
Jungto International Society
How to reach an agreement when we have different opinions? (Jungto Society)
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The article Special Report on Engaged Buddhism: Jungto Society Organizes INEB Study Tour to South Korea for Women Monastics and Social Activists appeared first on Buddhadoor Global.
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