1966

VOLUME 1 NUMBER 9

KOREA

r3lr30

WON BUDDI{ISM

Published by:

WON KWANG COLLBGEIri City Cholla Pukdo, Korea.

CONTENTS

Editorial

The Virtuous Path ......

The Sunlight Reaches the Summitof Mountain FirstFrom the Supreme Scriptures ol Won Buddhism

Four Forms of ObligationR. E. Suk .

What is Buddhism as a Religion?P. K. C. ...

Buddhism and its Liberal ThoughtProf. Chun Eun Song ...

My Approach to Won BuddhismHomann

As the material civilization makes rapid progress, cultivate the

All communications should be addressed to;-The editor, Miss Pal Khn Chon

Won Kwang College, Iri City Cholla Pukdo, Korea

11

Vol. i No. 9 WON BUDDHISM 1966

EDITORIAL

The Dialogues of Religionists

In Octob er, 1965, in Seoul, the capital of Korea, two noteworthyspiritual movements were held successively. Olg rras the -Dialogue -ofIteligionists which lasted for two days from the, 18th to the 19t1r, on thesubjEct "The Cornmon Task Due to be Imposgd_g, Religions of Korea",whittr was arranged by the representatives of Six g_rea! religions Qud-dhism. Won Buddhism. Catholitism. Protestantism. Confucianism. Chon-dokyo Religion.) under the auspices of Christian Academy of Korea.-

The olher was "Moral Re-Armament World. Assembly" which washeld under the auspices of the M.R.A. Korean Headquarters for fourdays from the 20th to the 23rd.'

The former was a meeting composed of twenty-six representativesof Six Religions in Korea undei the purport that "prio-r to trying to drawthis world nearer and making it one, tret the people of the religions cometogether on a common ground and talk", and the latter purported that"Korea is the conscience of the world, a bridge of unificaion for Asia.Let Korea be a torch for the reconstruction of the world." The programof this assembly proceeded in a pleasant atmosphere with the music per--formance proceeded by "Sing out 65',, members which are composed ofthe studenis from 52 American universities and highschools and of thecombined casts from 17 countries of the world, and with greetings givenby the Korean Prime Minister and other well known authorities.

Of the two movements the dialogue of religionists gave us an im-pi"ession of a revolution of the spiritual world. This Dialogue meetingof the representatives of religions was not fully reported to our society,but we were able to perceive from these two days dialogues somethingpowerful which marches towards the "One World".

Representatives insisted with one voice that all religions shouldcoexist in peace and should take the initiative in constructing the oneworld, paving the way to promote the mutual understanding, coopera-tion and good will by means of this Dialogue Ground.

It rvas impressi.re and pleasant to see the scene that these who havedifferent principles and systems of religion were sharing their frankopinions freely from their different religious standpoints of view, takingrileals at the same table and sleeping side by side at the same place.

"......they have come to the noteworthy agreement to arrange op-portunities more frequently for promoting mutual friendship, for practic-irg associated studies and participation in social works, consistentlyshowing the virtue of modesty beyond the religious boundary......," dnewspaper reported the meeting atmosphere like this.

As one of the representatives said, we, as religionists should not

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commit the same faults as we did in the past time; the disgust towardother sects and schools, the obstinacy and the persistence in. our ownpiir.ipttt or doctiines,'wbich should not be able to escape being the

i;i;';f ;rlti.it- ot iay tottowers, and we should not reduce the sacred

ori[inal doctrines of their own patriarchs.- -- n.fgions which do not c6ntribute to world -peace.

and the well-U.irg tT io;i;y must be orphans of our society. Not to be orphanl thep.opi.-of ttre ietlgions should ponder over whlt the present world ex-

;;ir ft;m iefigi;ns and how^can we meet-the requirements of our

I".GIV, iuff.ing frore freely with each other with opj:.n 1I1$t: From this;i;;, "iTh. DIalogues of the Representatives of

-Six Religions" has asignihcant meanirig. We h9P9 fo. see the.second, -third, fourth"""D?;l;g;;r of nehgi;nists to U_i tretO ceaselessly, extending their friendly,coope-rative relationships to those of all nations.

The Virtuous Path

l. The fletcher makes the arrow straight; the wise man makes straight

his crooked thinking.2. Resembting a fish tafen from his- watery home and thrown upon the

OiV f"ra, 6-ri tt orghts quiver all over, to escape the dominion of

evil.3. Thinking is difficult to dis_ciplirg.. The mind. is flighty, wandering

where it"will. But a tamed mind brings happiness4. Let a wise man guard his thinking. The mind is crafty, it moves

without U.ing ;oiiced. It seizes wh-at it desires. To watch the mindis conducivelo haPPiness.

5. If a man -controls

his mind, he will be freed from the shackles ofDeath. 1't. mind is without a body, it travels far, it travels alone

and rests in the cave of the Heart'6. If a man's faith is weak, if he does not perceive the true Precepts,

if his mind is troubled, his knowledge witl never be perfect.

7. th.r. is no fear for him whose min-d is not burning with desires,

whose ttrougtrt is calm, whose- tJrough.t has risen above likes and

dislikes. He is among the enlightened'g. Knowing that his body is fraglle like.an earthen jar, valuing his

mind ui"r fi.* fortresi, let a-man fight evil with the weapon -ofwisdom. Let him guard what knowlidge he has gained, but, lethim progress, also.it;i;[ t8ng, alas, this body will lie on the Earth, despised, withoutconscionesi,like a useless log.Whatever an enemy may do to an enemy,.-)vhatever a hater may

Oo to a hater, a wiongly-directed mind will do us greater harm.A well-directed mind wiil Ao us great service; not a Mother, not a

Father, not any relative will do so much.

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. .The Sunlight Reaches the Summit of Mountain first

thc suprem, ,!n*)rrs of won Buddhism

once the ven. sotesan said that he, reading one of the Buddhistscript-ures b-y chance, had found such a dialogue -between the GautamaBuddha and one of His disciples as follows;- -

"whenever we see you, The world Honored one, and hear whatyou preach, we can_not keep from feeling respect for you and being de-lighted--- There are, however-, some poor souls'who noi only slander" and.speak

111_ of y_ou, but hinder the way of those who come to hear what you

teach. Now I want to know why they are foolish enough to do so inspite 9f tle compassionate salvation you provide for their,,.

To this question answered the Buddha;-"when the sun rises in the east, the light reaches the summit of

Mount Sumeru fl-rs!, a plateau next, and then the whole plain. This isso not because of the discriminative character of the sun but because ofthe height of the place feceiving the light.

. . Thg Tathagata's teaching, likewise, spreads the boundless light ofwisdom indiscriminately all over the world, the Dharma which is'com-prehended earlier or later accordinq to the ability of the listeners.. Ever! lislsn.t to a sermon differs from another in understanding

the profound meaning; Boddhisatta becomes enlightened to it flrst]Sravaka, the Hearer, next and then Pratyeka-Buddhas, and at lastpote-ntial buddhas. Even the p_oor souls will be enlightened in time bythe.light of th-e wisdom. As a blind person is ungrateful to the sun thou$hhe lives on the favour of it, so the poor souls slander the Dharma theTathagata teaches. You had better do your best for your own business.Never hate such fellows, nor be discouraged. And do not deteriorate.It is natural that there should be many grades among human abilities."

Finishing this story, The Ven. Sotesan asked his disciples to learnthe point and make good use of it for the purpose of their future cultiva-tion. He said, "Do not be concerned too much about what they say ofwhat you do and not of what they despise. The vicissitude of the worldis not so much different as that of day and night; and when the worldof darkness brightens itself, all human beings will make efforts to requitethe favour of the Buddhas, realizing it."

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Four Forms or Obligatlon;Buddha Dharma is life itself,

Life is no other than Buddha Dharma;

Everytime Ch'anna, Everywhere Ch'anna

IN WON BUDDHISM

The Four Forms of obligation, the gate of faith, oc-cupy.an. im-

oortant Darr;i the doctrine of "Won Buddh-ism: Thgy are the principles

;hi;,d-;ipti."t. the reciprocal relationships of ethics existing between

the universe and human treings. Such relationships were^, in the.past,.so

mere and nairow that humai beings could not escape from living withthe mind timitea to a family, u tri6e, or a natiog. At the present time,

t o*.uui, the progress of civiiization has changed the world into a narrow

urO to-piicated"one where all human races in the world should, to a

large extint, communicate one another. This very,ch.ange,however, has

siven ,, u qrlrtion whether or not the whole woild in such a condition

EilG;iiip.u..tully. What is, thenr. the cause of the tormenting..se?

oi the worldf ft. t-ui. Ven. Sotesan diagnosed the world and prescribed

the Four Formr of Obligation which eieryone should. feel. grateful to.

The Four Forms of Oblig"ation, therefore, sh_ould b-e r-ealized by the whole

*ortO so that all the *j1nU... of the world can fi.nd the gratitude which

i; th; only unr*er to the question. What are the Four Forms of Obliga-ii"nf OUiigation to Heaven and Earth; Filiaf Piety; Brotherly Love; The

F..fing foi Justigs-1hsse have been helping human beings since the

commencement of human historY'---- Or. of the specific terms in Won Buddhism is "Buddha Dharura is

life itself, Life is no other than Buddha Dharma; Everywhere Ch'anna,E*iytir* Chlanna." We are to reform the life of traditional established

*fGi* in which the believer had to abolish the normal human life.

i{.uTiiiog the original purpose ?ng d11p of religion,.we are to br.igtrten,

with the-Buddhabharma,^our daily lif6; and through normal social life,we are to realize the Buddha Dhaima. Ch'anna in-Buddhism is, in the

real meaning of the word, no other than this type of life. Ch'anna means

i1. pute staie of mind; the qi,m of Ch'anna is to-keeP lhe calmness, clear-,.st, of our original mind. It is not compulsory for one. to enter amountain to med-itate,'for one can practice 1n one's own mind in every

au/ tif.. Wheneve. oi Wherever you may.be, you.arg to practice gsilgtttd pe.tecr mind, finding it (keeping. thg_9rigina1 minll), reahzing it (self-

enlilhtenment), using itlapplyirig ii). We call this "Everytime Ch'anna,Everywhere Ch'anna."

bn" of the creeds of religious life in Won Buddhism is "Ev-erywhereone sees Buddha's Images, Att ttrings are offerings to Buddha." As ourlives are performed c&responding-to everything in the universe, we

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should realize it, man and universe, to be Buddhas; and should resPect

.r.iyttrirg * ru6fr with pious attitude before we ask itforblessings- This

means that we should'behave properly to the truth throughout the

universe.With such a doctrine and faith, we have practiced and evangelized,

so that there are half a million laymen. Main activities in this Orderhur.. been culture, education, charity and industry, which are-not onlyitrr -oa.l for others but a light for spiritual world even though it is as

faint as the glow of a fireflY.et this" important moment of historical change, the light, I hope,

should. grow toward the whole world.

What is Buddhism as a Religion?

By P. K. C.

Once upon a time a few blind men were trying to. draw a co:tclusionof the features of an elephant by feelirrg of it with iheir hands. One who

io*fr.O one of its legs [or. u deflnition that it was like.a pole; another

*fi" p"ti.O it ;; ttr? iUaomen declared that it was like a wall;. and

ott .ri who took it by the trunk and the tail disputed all other conclusioqsti;;l;tirgituiir*ut iik. u snake or a serpent. As these blind men could

i"der e"verything frorn only touching it, not knowing- the wholeness, so'the"unelight.rr.d people aie unable to define the whole truth.

truth and botiomless means of deliverancl took a subjective view ongoAdhir- from their own standpoints causing various setcs and schools

*fti.t, are far from Buddha's orifinal intention. One sect stresses only on"Calling Buddha" aiming at the rebirth in Pure Land; Sgry. insist onpracticilng only sitting m6ditation to obtain Buddhahood; Others believe[trat ttre Buddha's int"rinsic thought should be grasped on-lV through stu-dying Buddhist Sutras. Besides, too many sects and.schools with difterentuir.ition. prevent us from understandin! the cor.e of Buddhism, causing,i to misconceive Buddhism to be incomprehensible. Some women also

have been apt to think that the meaning bt guAahism is to worshiq lhPguOOlru image, offering things before it to be blessed, to -h.?Ye

a child,to tir. longir,'with su-ch an-obscure conceplion that Buddhist truth is

too profound and abstruse to be_com-pr.ehended.'We should understand that Buddhism is not a religion of only lofty

and profound truth, but a religion of common and living truth; and it isnot iuch a negative religion that seeks for a Buddha Land in the lifeafter death, b"ut an acti-ve religion which teaches us the- pre_scriqtion

which lead us into a blessed and-happy life in this very world. Therefore,we should know that Buddhism is the religion which everybody can ap-

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proach and practice every moment.Unfortunately, however, Buddhism as known generally today, is

misunderstood as a c.omplicated and fantastic religio"n, and it it ir "*t ythe Ven. Sotesan unified the whole truth and siirpiihed the truth ofe-ssentialities, c^omp_osing a Buddhist canonical Text ^Book, which showsthe right path for all sentient beings.

Then what are the intrinsic elements of Buddhism as a religion? Iam going to describe what I understand of it.

First, Buddhism is a religion of Self-Awakening. It means not totry to find out any mysterioul existence outside se"lf as the absolutesource of our bliss and punishment, as is often seen in some religions,but to be conscious of our essential mind which is the real sourc. 6t oriown merit and sin.

In the old days yh,en Buddha was practicing the ascetic life ofm_editation, a group of.lad-s.carye up Buddha ancl askld about a prostituteIhqt they had. been looking for.

- prior to giving the answer to them,Buddha asked in return that, of either seffi 5r a

"prostitute which they

think is more rvorthwhile to look for, preaching tb them that the miniof the self should be the first thing to

-be looked for. Disillusioned, the

lads immediatelv became Buddha-s followers. Most of us neglect tofind o-u.r _mind, which has been carelessly neglected. This is the vely pointon which Buddha wished to cnlighten us. Setting aside our mind, *hutelse should we look for?

Our essential mind is in such a state that we can find no bliss andsin, no good. and evil, keeping its original purity. Such a self-centeredthought as tries to take advanlage of unhappy p'eople for himself or hisfamilv is not cttr Natural-Mind, or even gri<iri fnougtrts for others is notto be found in it.

This essential mind, however, implies also limitless possibilities ofcreating good and evil, bliss and sin et-c. on various occasions. He whois conscious of this mind and enlightened to this truth is called a Buddha,while the one who is unconscioui of this truth remains an ordinary man.

- Buddha, .the enliqhtened, led an ascetic life for six years -in

theSnow Mountains, thc Himalayas, to seek for this mind. with the samepurpose, the ven. Sotesan, the founder of won Buddhism, also had alengthy a.sc.etic life. for sixteen years. We also should restore our originalmind and, in the li_ght of such truth that no wrong and right, no evil"andmerit, no good and evil originally exist in our Natural-Mind, we shouldlead our life into.the righte^oy_s path. This is the intrinsic meaning ofBuddhism as a. religion of -Self-Awakening. Studying sutras, practiiingSitting Meditation and Calling Buddha, aic all just lvays of' recoverin[our Natural Mind.

Sec_ondly: Buddhism is a religion of profound truth-the truth ofLife and Death, and Cause and Effect. As the alternation of the sunand the moon makes day and night, and these alternating days and nights

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make the circulation of four seasons, so this universe changes ceaseiess-ly into the four conditions of Formation, Elistence, Destructio! and An-riihilation, and all the things of the world also change into the four formsof Birth, Decay, Disease and Death. Buddhism also teaches us clearlythat there is Suihness even in the course of these changes or alternations.In other words, our death does not mean complete annihilation; that is,Birth, Decay, Disease and Death are just the changing phenomena cir-culating forever, which are same as the circulation of seasons.

Buddhism explicated this truth of everlasting transmigration (Sary-sara). We shail transmigrate on the Six Conditions and the Four Modesaccording to our own body and mind operations. Every punishment andretribution from which we have been suftering did not come from anyother unidentified, mysterious source, but is our own product. Beingignorant of these truths we could easily rely on a diviner or a physiog-nbmist as a means of being blessed and being free from sins and crimesthat rve had once committed.

Buddhism is not such an irrational religion to believe that once wefeel penitent for the sins or crimes we committed, we are to be innocentand

^all sins and crimes will be annihilated, but is the religion which

gives us scientific explication of the truth that "As one sows, so oneieaps". Therefore we should perceive the truth of retribution andcausality; neither our happiness nor misfortune are produced by anyother things but by ourselves. If we want to keep our mind Peacefuland to live well, we should first make others huppy and peaceful, andif we want to be men of power, we should concede power to others. Onthe other hand, when we want to be forgiven for the faults and crimeswe have committed, we should directly apologize to the one concerned.When we have committed a crime to Heaven, we should apologize toHeaven; when to Parents, then to Parents; when to Brethreq then toBrethren; when to law, then to law. For instance, when we are dishonoredby being undutiful to our parents. the only way to restore our name isto be filial. This is explained by the teachings of the Ven. Sotesan: "Allthings are offerings to Buddha, Everywhere one sees Buddha's Images".In tfie old days, f,owever, some peoille begged forgiveness before Bud-dha's images for their faults and the crimes they committed againstsomeone. This is just as irrational as to apply a plaster to some otherpart instead of the affected part. We should perceive that everything inthe universe is Buddha's incarnation, having faith in the truth of retribu-tion and Eternal Life.

Thirdly, Buddhism is a religion of training. The goal of Buddhismis not attained only by faith. Faith and exercise, or training, should keeppace together until we would attain Buddhahood. Buddhism has alsoelucidated to us the way to root out the three poisonous toxins and fivedesires: desires for property, for sex, for fame, for profit and for pleasure,which occupy our minds, until we retrieve Buddha's pure mind. Bud-

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dhists whose conduct ignores Buddha's precepts should not be calledreal Buddhists. Budhism has real meaning, first of all in exercise orpractice of its profound truth in our every day life.

Briefly speaking, Buddhism is not a religion which aims at theLand of Amitabha after our life, but is the religion of Self-Awakeningwhich shows uB the way to restore our Natural-Mind; and it is not a

religion of irrational supersitition, but is the religion of truth which elu-cidated the truth of Cause and Effect" and the truth of "Neither Bornnor Ended", and is the religion of not only faith but of furthering practi-cal religion.

Buddhism and lts Liberal Thought

By Prof. Chun Eun Song

Today the word "Freedom is respectedas one of the most necessary things for ourdaily life almost all over the world. Kantand-Hegel viewed human history as a deve-loping history of human freedom. However,the real concept of freedom is very difficultfor us to define, so the definition varies ac-cording to the way of thinking of differentthinkers. I myself want to talk about Bud-dhist freedom, which I believe to be themost important one among different kindsof definitions talked by many distinguish-

Prof . Chun Eun Song able people in the world. I am sure somewill suspect whether it can really be spoken of freedom.as in religion,because we can not but think it has many ways of restraining ourselvesin it, like not to kill or not to drink etc. Nbvertheless you must knowthey have been theoretical fountains of liberalism. Above all Buddhismis, I believe, most supreme in such respects, even though it has notbeen successful in realization. In fact, whoever has studied Buddhism

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straints.Therefore,freedomispossibleollyforuswhoareabletothink, act, or choose !V tf.re11 o*i"*ifft,-u"O-"o.to material beings like

a rable, a chair,;;;600k it "ur,

;;;^t.; "u[.0. A table or a chair

is not located at the place_by-its wiii, aro + can not,change its situation

bv its own will. A'ccordingly, tr.,ioo* is not only a great privilege

endowed to us human beings, ;;ii^;t tryilg thiires with mind' but

also it is most fundamentat becau"st'th; *"td ;'freeddm" is meaningless

where there i. no^-*inO. tt it t.uti, u great disaster for us that we can

not control our mind. freely ngtwi?trJt""riii"g-* is our own estate and'^ifr"t *"- Oit.uta "ti

pti'ittdt -o.t

freedom of will'our prese", ,,iia^ir^i,,ir, rit. u-Jir-o.red.switch which can not be

turned on or t"in.O off is we wiih. It is said in Buddhism our es-

sential mind i, "irui JnO ..rt-inO.p."O*t of external change of eviron-

ment, good o, Uua",tr?r;. f-;-difrerent feelings such as pleasure, anger,

hatred, o, ,uo.rlil-.t". go*.r.i,-o* prrrndmenal mind is apt to be

Accordingf ";;uf ,.if ir restrained much by.differ.ent feelings

or ideas about our costu-., prlf.i;i;;, position, rrght, estate-, honor,

'f*iffi f :-t:,t;ti{j#fj#$ti:!'['r"i];{.#,r.,'wresard. It is really very difficut to

-f".t pleasure, 9t u.t l^east be 'indif-

i;fffi i. irrirur. ,Jtottres u-ong',n-urri. p.ht" of iplendid ones' So the

c:reat Enlighten;i^o;.;; -*uo. -rriiJdil6*.i, alwais wear humble gar-

ments so that ti.i ,"*ia i;; ffi;;uniiput.'mind-constraints and

attain freedom of mind' .r . - --^,-+L ,.rlra anrLately *. oit.n see in the newspapers that- a vouth who could not

obtain the love of the opposite *;'tiiG"d himielf in despair: I Y?' once

told by one of ..,r'^U.fi&'.i, tt uiu ;;ll-..*;-in.to*t cbuntry'-who had

:..hy/i?,';ilf-it'{fu l"-..f '""t'i'':'Xli,Ufi il"}":,ilfr

'li.'}13i?P",'f ;was forceo to 3"*}r1il. hi.-;*8ti'r.t; p;ii"t.club"bv national policy'

and could not even mEet his acquiintun"Jt treely on account of. shyness'

because to, tong"ffi-h;'h;J tl;i'd;J ia ; a lteat honor to him' As

Hf 'H#,U'"",xi$l:*":;Tfi 'Jfi :t*tl,-il3ffiitl"{eP':#?:iof mental, or to different material odi.6t., or to the opposiie sex which

are avery small part of -our all human races, as well di to sensual feel-

inss. A small minO makes us srriall men, and merely obeying our sen-

ffi t..tirg makes ourselves animals

It is severe ill-treatment unJ r.it-^bandonment to m-afe -our minds

slaves, instead of being tte gt.uGti[ingt in^control' A king is to be a

kins. and an inri.u-.f;t be in iil;fi;;l. A famous emperor, Soon, in

ancjent China, was very sincere ln the matter he was ficing when he

;;".r';;"piJ;; ; i;;;i uno to uure u11erazed pottery, and so was he

might learn that the trltimate goal of the religion isindependent of constiaints. Besides, we can easilyfacet of spirit for freedom from the past historicaldhism upon thc irrational differentiation of the caste

to be a frep mansee in it the v.ividresistance of Bud-system in the con-

temporary Indian society.Then how does Buddhism explain freedom? I believe I can ex-

plain it by dividing it into three parts, the so-called three studies (Dhya-na, Prajna, Sila). First of all, what can be called the most distinguish-able in Buddhism must be a spiritual freedom, namely freedom of mindor will. fn general, liberty means self-decision, not bound by any con-

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When he became an emperor, on account of his high virtues. Thereforeno one could find an$ different respects in him from the past iife, likehaughtiness. The ext6rnal change cbuld not agitate the great mind.

- A mind attached to a small things comes from spiritual constraints,and, thereby, we are not able to escape from unpleasantness and tor-ments. Thdrefore, Buddhism teaches us not only to be emancipatedfrom external things, but also even from a deflnite attachment to ourownselves, as written in the Diamond Sutra. Why isn't it possible forus to be free from those unnecessary feelings, if our substantial mindis transcendent? By means of that we can attain to Nirvana, the g_Ieatest

aim of free men, to the cessation of torments, and can live in a really freeworld. Nevertheless, we must know Buddhism does not, in fact, assertthe denial of feelings or of material things, but its real goal is in goodcontrol by transcendent mind.

Nexi, the second way to freedom in Buddhism is by wisdom. Bud-dhism puts an emphasis upon wisdom, because by it we can-gain free-dom. We may w6ll call it by intellectual freedom. If freedom couldcome from physical strength, a lion or a tiger or an elephant would bethe kings of fieedom. Ignorance is the mother of constraints and tor-ments, io we have to know the principles or the way in order to be free.

In reality, if we are ignorant of the principles, it will, for us, be verydifficult and frainful when we are doing something. Suppgge there is amouse in the ioom. If he wants to escape from there, he will wisely haveto look for an exit. We can not be a ruler of environmen'ts without knoW-ing them well. Therefore, Francis Bacon, an English philosopher, saidthat freedom comes from obedience to principles. The conveniences pro-vided today by scientific development can be called effects of intellectualfreedom. Wiidom does not necessarily mean so-called knowledge, as

we have learned from the philosopher Socrates of ancient times, muchless a trick. We often destroy ourselves and say we are tormented be-cause of our own and the world's ignorance. So, let us teach every one tolook for the Way, if he really wants to be free.

By the way, those who were enlightened to the principles or sub-stance of human beings and the world, could not help being sincerebecause insincefity would have caused their own torments and disasters.Accordingly, we had better search for the right Way in place of com-plaining about others or our present real world.

The last, and third, wzy to freedom in Buddhism is that of conduct.The Hungarians' resistance to Russian rule some years ago showed usthat they hated freedom without bread as well as bread without freedom.Their shout involved the meaning that freedom must be practical. Now,the most practical freedom in Buddhism which can be realized,,in li-vingwith many people in the world, must be that of conduct. Therefore,freedom must not be so self-indulgent as gives pain to others. But, as

the freedom of conduct is realized only through right laws or rule, so

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such laws or rules are not constraints for us, but, rather, are the rightways to rcalize freedom. We must well obey the right rules, with noresistance, if we really want freedom, since practical freedom can by nomeans be realized wiihout those. The disordered world, disordered bythe violation of traffic regulations, precepts to be kept, etc., as well as

disregard for courtesy oi giving credit, is endured by us. _The greatsages, or admirable persons, have more precepts than we do. If wecan be trusted to loyally, keep the right rules, the ways of self-realiza-tion will be opened more widely. Accordingly, free conduct, or conductof freedom, indicates the realization of independent power of act pro-perly with right spirit, without agitation of feelingq, suqh as those of|leasure or hatred, etc. 'fhe practical power which is able to do g!od,and not to do wrong, without-any constraints, is an important kind offreedom in Buddhism. Kant explained it as self-control; Confuciousattained to the stage of perfect control which does not commit errorsat seventy for the fiist time. Buddhism views those as freedom of conduct.

As stated above, the Buddha realized his freedom splendidly inthose manners, namely, freedom of mind, intellectual freedom and free-dom of conduct. We must, flrst of all, make ourselves free so as tobuild a free world.

My Approach to IVon BuddhismBy Hommann

When a rnan born of Christian parents is converted to Buddhism,ther.e are usually various reasons which are enough. to explain his con-version. My conversion has taken a long periodgf tlme for its ripening.

I was lio.o a son of a pastor in Germany. In Germany.the Christ-ians take their children to

^the churches to have them baptized, whichiho*r that Christian parents wish to foster Christianity upon theirchildren. And when thise children grow to be fourteen they are expect-ed to prove that they want to be Christians. This ceremony is known as

"Confirmation".When I had just reached fourteen, t!re_ agg_of gophistication, that is

the early third seven years of my age,.I had the "Confirmation" ceremony,too. Some years later, howevei, d-uring my_ 1-ri_ghlchoo1.days, I.Y3s llckyto have ucce.t, by chance, to books in which Buddhism and Far Eastwere written about, and I enjoyed reading these books.

During the fourth sever y-ears (from 2l to 28) I studied at an En-gineering eollege, attending lectures of professors who had a pr9-Iound k"nowled{e of Buddhism, as often as I could. As my interest inBuddhism grew] a desire to see the Far East b-egan to grow-in my mind.It was, howtver, impossible for me to rcalize this desire at that time.

At the fifth sev^en years I got married. My wife was also a Christianand had been brought up in a Lutheran family as I had been. My wife,

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who was far more sincere and devout than I, was not sceptical towardher religion, believing that Christianity is the only way which guides usto God. When, however, she noticed my interest in Buddhism, she alsobegan to show some interest in it, reading Buddhist books together withme.

Once the interest in Buddhism arose in our minds, both my wifeand I threw away the old conception that Christianity is the only guideto God, and our conviction that there must be many ways which lead toGod was more firmly crystalized. There are not many differences be-tween the doctrine of Buddha and that of Christ. Both must have passedthe same way which led them to God.

However, Buddhists and Christians who are still on the way toGod are different from each other. Such wars as are shown in Christianhistory did not appear in Buddhist history. The compassionate Bud-dhists have Buddha's love for their brothers even if they prove to beopponents or pagans. This is the very point about Buddhists which gaveme a favourable impression.

During my sixth seven years, World War II, the ugliest war ofChristians against Christians, broke out. Japanese and Russians, theatheists, also participated in the war, but this broke out in Europeancountries, which are Christian countries.

At that time, both my wife and I decided to secede from the Christ-ian church. My father, however, perceiving our decision asked me towait until his death. I accepted his request.

During the perioC of my seventh seven years (from 49 to 56), withmy wife I lived rvithout God and church, and in 1960 my wife died inGermany. In those days we had nothing to be dissatisfied with. It wasbecause God never abandoned us and encouraged us with a fresh strengthwhenever we read Buddhist books.

Finally our God encouraged me to realize my long-cherished desire,a trip to the Far East, and I came to Korea. After my coming here, Ihave seen and experienced so many things which I could only imaginethrough Buddhist Books before. Their generosities, mutual confidence,love for human beings etc. ......these have been fostered even in theirextreme poverty and difficulties.

At my age of fifty-six I am converted to Won Buddhism. My im-pressions and experiences which I obtained from this religion contributeso much to overcome the various hardships and difficulties in the courseof achieving my work for Korea, that is, to educate the Korean youthas modernists.

Even when I achieve my task, if only I can live longer in Korea,and can live with my beloved Koreans and believers in Won Buddhismfor my next seven years and for the rest of my life, I shall be ,mostthankful and haopy, wishing to be reborn in Korea, with even greaterrvork to do for Korea.

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PUBLICATIONS RECEIVED

We acknowledge with many thanks the receipt of the following.

Metta: Vol. 6, No. 1, Kensington, N.S.W. AustraliaLight of the Dhamma; The: Vol. X, No. 2, Rangoon, Rurma.Light of Buddha, The: Vol. X, No. 3, Mandalay, Burma.International Buddhist News Forum, The: Vol. III No. 3, Rangoon Burma.Canadian Theosophist, The: Vol. 46, No. 4, Toronto, Canada.World Buddhism: Vol. XIV, No. 4, Colombo, Ceylon.Bosat: No. 2508, Colombo, Ceylon.China Buddhist Monthly: Vol. 10, No. 4, Taipei, Taiwan, China.Bodhedrum: No. 157, Taiwan, China.Hai Ch'ao Ying Monthly: Vol. 46, Sept.-Oct., 1965 Taipei Taiwan.Western Buddhist, The: 18th Issue, London, England.Middle way: Vol. XL, No. 3, London, England.World Faith: No. 57 London, England.Voice Universal, The: No. 55, London, England.Occult Gazette: 63th Issue, Kensington, W. S., London, England.Der Keris: No. 58, Bnemen, Germany.Yana: Juli-August, 1965-2509Maha Bodhi, The: Vol. 73, No. 11, Calcutta, India.Voice of Ahinsa, The: Vol. XV, No. 6, India.Bulletin of the Ramarkrishna Mission Institute of Culture: Vol. XVI, No.

Calcutta, India.Young East: Vol. XIV, No. 55, Tokyo, Japan.Bukkyo Times: No. 644, Tokyo, Japan.KBS Bulletin: No. 67, 1963 Tokyo, Japan.Buddhist Union Newsletter, The: Vol. 13, No. 4, Singapore.Paramhansa Yogananda Magazine: Vol. 4, Nos. 9-12, South Africa.Golden Lotus, The: Yol 22, No. 4, Philadelphia, U.S.A.Hawaii Buddhism, The: No. 486, Honolulu, Hawaii, U.S.A.American Buddhist: Vol. 9, No. 11, San Francisco, California, U.S.A.Suchness: Vol. 5, No. 6, Chicago, U.S.A.Bulletin of the Washington Friends of Buddhism: Vol. 9, No. 2.

Washington, D.C. U.S.A.Lion's Roar Magazine, The: Vol. 4, No. 10, Taipei, Taiwan.Tenrikyo: New No. 48, Tenri-City, Japan.Theosophia: Vol. XX, No. 2, California, U.S.A.Zen Notes: Vol. XII, No. 10, New York, U.S.A.PRS Journal: Vol. 25, No. 3, Michigan, U.S.A.Awaken the World: No. 313, Taipei Taiwan, China.Everlasting Light: Vol. 6, No. 31, Penang, Malaya.Information Bouddhistes: Vol. 11, No. 42, Brussels Belgium.Horin (Dharmachakra) No. 17, Sao Paulo, Brazil.Buddhism in Taiwan: Vol. 19, No. 12, Taipei Taiwan China..The Source (Yuen Chunen): No. 37, Hong Kong.Daihorin (Maha Dharmachakra): Vol. 33, No. 2, Takyo, Japan.Shukyo (Religion): No. 33, Kyoto, JapanWorld Federation: Vol. 38, No. ll, VRINDBAN, U.P. INDIA.Daijo: Vol. 19, No. l, Kyoto, Japan.Hongwanji Shinpo: No. 1524, Kyoto, Japan.Layman's Buddhism: No. 142, Tokyo, Japan.Buddhism in Hong Kong: No. 68, Hong Kong.Wheel publication, The: No. 87, Kandy, Ceylon.Contemporary Religions in Japan: Vol. VI, No. 3, Tokyo Japan.E,astern Buddhist, The: Vol. 1, No. l, Tokyo, Japan.Colden Light: Vol. VII, No. 1, Penang, Malaya.Religious Digest: No. 43, Colombo, Ceylon.

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At the President rooTn of TongDr. Kil Cbin. Park, President of Vonwas honored by Litt. D. Degree from

Kuk IJniuersit!, in Seoul,

Ktuang (JniuersitY, in lri,Tong Kuk UniuersitY.

Neus Corner

The associated Consiitution of the Six Reiigions in Korea'

Of many kind of r"iigionr in Korea, the r6presentatives of the selected six

sreat religions ( B;t?iti.;,"Wo"---br,tattitin, Catholicism, Protestantism'

ilJrir.ii"iJ-,- CirorfO"-(yo refigion) have col.ne to. an agreement.to con-

srruct an associat.i';i;;;i Jig?oni'to prtmote inutual understanding and

io iont". on varioui problems conerned'

The journal "Religion" established'Won Buddhisnr esiJbli.ttlJ-u louin^al."Religio:r"' .which is expected to con-

tribute to n-iutual ;;A;'6t".;ii,g of it e co*:nmunity of . all religions and to

D;oinote friendly r.fuiio"it ip Uit*"., religro:rs people by arranging an op-

bortunity to talk over their thoughts'

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The thirteenth missionary training course.In October, at Headquaiters of Won Buddhism, the thirteenth missionarytraining course of Won Buddhism was held. The attendant monks and nuns

were about five hundred in number.

M.R.A. members visit Won Buddhism.The second Moral Re-Armament World Assembly took place at Seoul inKorea with the participatidn of representatives from many countries_ of theworld. Thirtv r6presentatives from Won Kwanq Universitv and other jn-stitutions of Won Buddhism attended the Assembly. An American and aJapanese M.R.A. members called at Won Buddhism for a visit and stayedfoi two days, delivering good speeches and exchanging mutual views.

Mr. Alex Lanehof visits Won Buddhism.Mr. Alex A. Langhof, the founder of Solar Service Group in Califor_nia,U.S.A., visited Headquarters of Won Buddhism and slayed for two daysin the home of the President of Won Kwang University.

Won Kwanq University established a new course'Won Kwang University was allowed to establish a new coulqe of agricuitureby the Ministry of Education from the first semester in 1966. Mr. Homahn,a'German. is io be invited as one of the instructors of this course. He hasbeen working as an adviser at Ra-Ju fertilizer plant, and recently has be-corne a Won Buddhist member.

On 21st January, 1966, Dr. Kil Chin Park, President o[ Wo1 Kwang Uni-versity, was honored bv a Litt. D. Degree from Tong-Kuk University, whichis the other, Buddhist University in Korea.

In October, the thirty students of Homann Vocational Institute visited WonBuddhism and perfoimed a German drama at the garden of Won KwangUniversity from eight o'clock P.M.

9) Won Kwang University has completed the construction of the Pharmacy. Laboratory building which had been under construction and is equippedwith the latest experimental equipment.

10) Won Kwang University Presented Toyo University in Tokyo, Japair, witha complete collection of Buddhist Sutras.

In August, 1965, the Bukkyo Times in Tokyo, Japan, presented WonKwang University with three hundred eight Buddhist books which they hadcollected through the na-tionalwide book collection campaign in Japan.

At Won Kwang University the nineteen applicants who were proved to beeligiable for scholarship through the qualification examination for next aca-demic year 1966, were selected among other hundreds of applicants.

Tong-lae branch temple, one of the branch teinple of Won Buddhism, hasremoved to a new larger temple which has been under construction and wascompleted in November, 1965. It was celebrated by a lot of devotees andfollowers from other places.

Mr. Renovich, who has been a Won BudChist member since 1963, wasmarried to a Japanese woman after his removal to Canada from New Yorkin the spring of last year. His permanent address will be in Canada.This new couple hopes to establish a meditation hall in Canada. His newwife applied fbr a niember of Won Buddhism and'in January this year re-gistered. Her Dharma name is 'Won Myung Ryun", "Bright Lotus".

Mrs. Linda S. Svece again mailed a parcel of clothes to the editor of WonBuddhism for the needy people in Korea. She wishes to continue her helpfor the needy Korean and orPhans.

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