Chosun Ilbo, Seoul - "Look past others faults and forgive in lenient tolerance. To forgive instantly purifies a person and fully opens the door to love and understanding."
The 72-year-old Buddhist monk Beopjeong held a public dharma talk Sunday at Gilsang Temple in Seongbuk-dong, Seoul.
Last December, Beopjeong returned to a life of no possessions following his retirement as both head of "Clear and Fragrant," the civic organization he had led for the last 10 years, and as head of Gilsang Temple. He promised, however, to return in spring and fall of each year to give a dharma talk.
Nearly 1,000 Buddhist devotees attended this particular talk, loosing themselves in the words of the dharma.
As a person gets up close to a flower, said Beopjeong, he may see something beautiful or something rather disappointing compared to what he saw from afar. People are the same way, he said. In particular, if one approaches another person with illusions or a wandering mind, one may be disappointed with what he sees, and it would be nice if people, too, could be born anew each season like flowers and trees. With this, Beopjeong began his 30-minute long dharma talk.
He pointed to an anecdote of a monk who had a student who'd been practicing all his life. That student asked the monk for a short motto by which to live by, and the monk answered, "Forgiveness." In relaying this story, Beopjeong said that forgiveness that broadly tolerates others' faults was the highest virtue of human society.
The monk also warned U.S. President George W. Bush that in launching the Iraq War against the opposition of the entire world under the pretext of finding weapons of mass destruction, he has earned bad karma for which he will reap retribution.
"Past actions are part of one's past life, so don't go looking to dredge them up. The Buddha resides in a place of forgiveness. A person leaves this world once his or her time comes. At that time, we must leave behind everything. At life's final moment, there is nothing that cannot be forgiven. If we do not free ourselves of our baggage at the end, we carry it with us into the next life... You must think of those around you first. You mustn't be stubborn in insisting that only one side is correct."
