Meditation brings calm to Gwanghwamun

Tens of thousands descended on Gwanghwamun Square in Seoul for a Buddhist meditation retreat Saturday, as the nation’s largest Buddhist sect seeks to address real-life challenges.

The second day of the five-day Seon Meditation Summit, attended by 35,000 people, is the latest highlight of the Jogye Order of Korean Buddhism’s push to promote its own style of meditation.

“It’s time for a spiritual revolution. No matter how advanced technologies or the economy becomes, the mind will always be haunted by suffering,” said the Ven. Jinwoo, president of the Jogye Order.

Wars and the rapidly warming Earth are signs of worsening suffering, Jinwoo noted, adding that practicing seon -- staying vigilant against recurring emotions and thoughts -- could help find real peace of mind.

“This has to be done right now, at this moment,” Jinwoo said.

The Buddhist leader led eight other seon practitioners, including five from overseas, in a five-minute open demonstration, all of them sitting cross-legged with eyes shut for an exercise meant to deepen understanding, compassion and acceptance.

The Ven. Tulku Jigme Thrinley Rinpoche -- one of the practitioners on the stage as well as the spiritual director and co-founder of the US-based Palmo Center for Peace and Education -- has previously emphasized this exercise.

During a press conference in Seoul last week, Rinpoche said, “As I’m sure many of you are already familiar with the teaching of the Buddha, the root cause of suffering is actually this untrained mind.”

Thupten Jinpa, a Tibetan Buddhist scholar also present at the press event, acknowledged that Buddhist teachings might not outright resolve individual or global crises. But internalizing Buddhist teachings through seon at least prevents individuals from becoming victims of hatred, said the scholar, who was one of nine seon demonstrators Saturday.

Jinwoo promised that the weekend summit would be followed by concrete measures, such as setting up seon centers, developing programs and training monks to make seon a daily routine not only for Buddhists, but for every Korean.

Websites and apps exclusively dealing with seon will make that effortless, Jinwoo said of what he cast as a “five-minute journey of the mind.”

Herald Corp. Chairman Jung Won-ju, president-elect of a group representing Jogye Buddhists including some 25,000 at Saturday’s rally, said he would back efforts to put seon front and center. Jung officially takes office Tuesday.

“I have no doubt that Korean Buddhism would play a big role in bringing peace of mind to the pained Korean people as it has done over the past centuries,” said Jung, who is also chairman of Daewoo E&C, during the Saturday summit, adding that Buddhists are committed to the Jogye initiative.

Through Monday, temples across the country will host seon practitioners and lecturers. The Seon Mediation Summit draws to a close Tuesday, when Jinwoo is to speak on gaining “eternal wisdom” through seon at a conference of international experts on the topic.

Jinwoo is to set off on a US tour this week to advance the seon campaign. The Oct. 5-13 trip includes a stop at the United Nations, where the Jogye president is expected to propose the creation of World Meditation Day.