At that time, my mother had a hard time finding my whereabouts and came looking for me.
The words my mother spoke to me then, looking at me with wet eyes, still sting like a sharp knife.
My mother put 30,000 won in my pocket and made an earnest request.

“Since you have already become a monk, don’t think about your home. Become a great monk like Monk Seosan and save your poor mother.”
--- p.20

“Monk Jibeom said that Chilbulsa Temple created people.”

This is what my close friends still say when they meet me.
That's not wrong.
The three years at Chilbulsa Temple gave me a break from my rough and challenging life.
It allowed me to establish a firm opinion on studying the koan and gave me confidence in enlightenment.

--- p.25

I think I lived a very strange life back then.
Even after the meditation time was over, he did not leave the sitting position.
He lived apart from the public, not even going to the main room where monks could have tea and rest.
It was a time when I would roam the entire mountain day and night with only one topic in mind.
However, when I had questions while studying, everything went smoothly when I met with Master Seoong.
--- p.28

Looking back on my past, I find myself resonating with the words of Kyobo Bookstore founder Shin Yong-ho, “Books make people, and people make books.” It was the joy of reading that allowed me to live a life of serenity in the heart of Seoul.
When I go to a bookstore, the scent of books refreshes my life and I discover a new side of myself.

--- p.32

Even if you study the sutras, open your eyes, break through the koan, and attain enlightenment, your life as a monk is not over.
These things are not goals, they are just processes.
The mission of a practicing monk is to rescue sentient beings who are sinking into ignorance and defilements.
It is a duty and responsibility in return for alms and offerings.
If you turn your back on these responsibilities, you will inevitably be called a 'playboy'.

--- p.34

In the mid-1980s, during a summer vacation, I went on a pilgrimage to Gakhwasa Temple in Taebaek Mountain, dressed in shabby clothes and a musty smell.
Everyone turned away and pretended not to see him, but a tall, handsome monk approached him.

“Even if the radiation is shabby, let’s stay together.”

Who knows, maybe those kind words changed my life.
Since then, I have put aside my misfortune and wandering, returned to my original position from my derailed path of practice, and am still practicing like this.

--- p.36

As the kudzu vine climbs up the tall pine tree, when it reaches its highest point, only the blue sky is revealed.
At that moment, the scenery of the land suddenly brightens the world and the work of the warrior is completed.
It is to become a great free person who transcends the Buddha.

--- p.53

In 1990, during the 100-day bravery training of the monks of Gogeumdang in Uiseong Gounsa Temple, Seonwon Master Geunil was invited to the main room and Seon Master Beopung held the bamboo pole.
The bravery and determination of that time was the very essence of desperation.
Before entering the Yongmaengjeongjin, he collapsed at a hot spring during a march in Busan.
While hospitalized and fighting a life-or-death struggle, I became convinced that only by breaking through the koan could I escape life and death.
I decided that I would fight bravely even if I died.
It was the most difficult moment of my life, and I was able to cross the river of life and death because I was prepared to die and jumped into it.

--- p.62

The practitioner is not required to have academic knowledge or knowledge, but rather to have wise, warm, and compassionate actions.
Knowledge sometimes brings pride, but compassion always cultivates virtue.
Therefore, living and moving compassionate actions are the correct practice of the Buddha's teachings.

--- p.87

A person who lives the life of a Buddha is a Buddha.
If you do not live the life of a Buddha, but just cling to the koan and sit in meditation until you die, saying you will become a Buddha, you will never become a Buddha.
Even if you become a Buddha that way, that Buddha is already no different from a dead Buddha.
We must be able to listen to the stories of those reborn, empathize with them, and deliver messages of hope.

--- p.100

You won't achieve enlightenment by sitting in meditation all day, nor will you pass an exam by sitting in the library from dawn until late at night.
It doesn't matter how much time you spend.
Sometimes it doesn't matter how hard you work.
The key to success is superhuman focus and immersion.
It is concentration and immersion that is not disturbed by the environment and is not swayed by variables.
Neither the school, nor the workplace, nor life will give you a prize just for holding out for a long time.

--- p.151

These days, there is so much knowledge and information flowing in.
While such information might seem like it would provide a wealth of opportunity and wisdom, it only serves to confuse us.
In this chaos and confusion, the answer lies within me.
You must let go of all the perceptions and karma you have seen, heard, learned, and acquired so far, and meet the clear and refreshing self through the inner resonance.
We are people who know enough, are prepared enough, and are perfect enough.

--- p.201

If we spend our time envying others and seeking happiness in a world other than our own, peace and happiness will be a distant prospect.
As I thank myself and feel satisfied, a happy spring day comes when birds sing and flowers bloom from where I stand.
Happy people always live in the present.
Because there is no past to regret and no future to worry about, life as a whole is present.

--- p.212