The sutra “Dhammapada”, a collection of words spoken directly by the Buddha!
Taken from the world's most read Buddhist scriptures
How to Transform a Worried Life into a Peaceful Life

A Buddhist monk who is greatly respected by Koreans said, "Our true mind is empty, and if it is filled with something, it is not our true mind."
This means that you can live a happy life only if you know how to manage your inner negative emotions well.
However, this is extremely difficult for modern people who are surrounded by various noises every day, constantly comparing themselves to others, and wanting to have even one more thing.
We live every day consumed by thoughts that torment us.
How can we break free from the cycle of suffering and regain peace of mind?

The sutra that provides the answer to this question in a way that anyone can easily understand is the Dhammapada.
The Dhammapada, which contains 423 verses containing the teachings of the Buddha during his lifetime, is also the most widely read Buddhist scripture in the world.
The Dhammapada tells living beings suffering from afflictions to 'live focusing only on the present, not on the past or the future.'
It means to face the world as if you are meeting it for the first time, not being caught up in stereotypes, and looking at your emotions transparently at each moment.
When you look at yourself and the world as they are, you can solve the root causes of your problems and find peace in your life and mind.


A monk teaching a monk!
A clear explanation by monk Jeongun, a scholar of sutras.

《The Study of the Mind of the Dhammapada Sutra》 is a book written by Monk Jeongun, who has devoted his life to studying the sutras since becoming a monk about 40 years ago. It contains only the teachings of the Dhammapada Sutra that are directly helpful to our lives.
Rather than simply transcribing the content of the sutra, it provides a detailed explanation from a modern perspective so that anyone can easily understand the wisdom of the Dhammapada.


Those who live fiercely, only looking at their goals, find it difficult to recognize the wounds, fears, loneliness, and anger that are deeply rooted in their hearts.
Even if you are not a Buddhist, if you look into your own mind with this book, you will be able to untangle the complex tangled threads of your mind and regain peace.


I hope to naturally acquire the wisdom of the Dhammapada, which allows me to live each moment naturally without discrimination, while maintaining my own steadfastness and not being swept away by the flow.

The ancient Roman philosopher Epictetus said, “People are not troubled by things, but by the ‘thought’ of things.”
It means that happiness and unhappiness are divided depending on how you look at the same situation.

In Buddhism, this is said to be “With one thought, one can become a foolish being or a wise Buddha (成佛成魔一念之間).”
The direction of your life changes depending on whether you view a situation (or event, object, or person) as suffering or happiness.
There is no suffering if you do not question anything yourself.
Happiness will always be there waiting for you if you just want it.
---From "Overcome 84,000 Afflictions"

This happened when the Buddha was staying at the Jetavana Monastery in Savatthi.
Among the practitioners, Mandongja was sitting alone in a quiet place, and then he came to where the Buddha was and asked him.

“Buddha, even when I meditate, my delusions do not go away.
“I have a question, may I ask it?”

(syncopation)
“Mandongja, let’s say someone is suffering from being hit by a poisoned arrow.
Those guys will be rushing to call a doctor.
But he tried to dissuade his friends, saying, 'Don't pull out this arrow yet! I need to find out who shot it first.
I need to know what that person's last name is, what his first name is, and what his status is.
And I need to know what kind of wood the bow is made of, and what kind of poison is in the arrows.
After knowing all these things, what would happen to that person if he said, 'I will pull out this poisoned arrow'? The poison would probably spread throughout his body and kill him before he even knew all these things.
Mandongja, knowing whether the world is eternal or impermanent, whether body and soul are one or separate, or whether there is an afterlife or not, does not solve the suffering of life.
Overcoming and resolving the suffering that is occurring in our current lives must be a priority.
---From "To Escape from the Source of Pain"

“The monk Revata, whom the Buddha introduced, was too insincere and kept silent; the Venerable Sariputra expounded the truth too much and bored us; and the Venerable Ananda spoke only to the point, making it impossible to understand the Buddhist teachings.
“We don’t like any of their teachings.”

After listening to their words, the Buddha said:

“You have a habit of slandering and complaining about others.
There is probably no one in this world who has not heard slander from others.
Even the emperor of a country or Buddha hears slander.
Try to think from a different perspective.
What if you hear slander from people? If that happens, ignore whatever they say.
But if you think the other person is better than you, you should use that criticism as a reference to correct yourself.”

I cannot help but be surprised by the story of someone criticizing and slandering someone because they disagreed with him.
Even in modern times, there are countless cases of people posting baseless malicious comments and spreading slander, so it is surprising that such cases existed even in ancient times.
I must always remember that if I criticize or slander someone, that arrow will eventually boomerang back at me.
---From "No one is immune from blame"

The phrase "Do not deceive" in the introduction song is engraved in my heart.
Monk Seongcheol (1912-1993) of Haeinsa Temple said, “Do not deceive yourself” while he was still alive.
It means 'don't deceive your own heart'.
Humans can deceive others, and even God.
The human brain can also rationalize its own mistakes and fool itself.
Therefore, I believe that 'don't be deceived' means 'face your true self' in the heart, not in the brain.
During the Tang Dynasty, Zen Master Seo Am-eon (850-910) climbed up a rock every day and asked himself questions out loud.

“Protagonist!”
"yes."
“Are your eyes wide open?”
"yes."
“Don’t lie.”
"yes."
---From "In the end, the most important thing is truthfulness"

It is said that when the monk Beopjeong went out for a short time while he was alive, he always packed his bags as if he were facing the moment of death.
It was an action that originated from the meaning of 'When New Year's Eve (death) comes, everyone puts down their own things, so let's practice this in advance.'
The monk described the feeling of a sudden market feeling that came to him while he was packing his belongings alone as the essence of a futile existence.
Additionally, the monk described his will as a 'white book of life' rather than a writing left before death, and it is said that he wrote it several years before his death.


(Omitted) As the monk Beopjeong said, the thought of death is the white paper of life, so the most important thing is ‘the present moment.’
Rather than trembling with anxiety and worrying about the future, let's focus on the present and live diligently.

---From "Focus on the time to worry"