Archive for October, 2007

The day is made up of countless meetings.
Meetings and partings…it is through partings that new meetings arise.
Whether it is a meeting between two beings or between human and nature,
Our minds are always being engulfed with contact and conflict.

Although the air that blows feels refreshing
At times it stirs the deepest scars within us.
Even the emotionless wind that comes to us
Causes multiple emotions.
There is no way we can remain detached when
We meet with beings full of emotions.
Contact between humans become
Joy, sadness, and pain.

When we do not have a map for true life
Thoughts of the future and past arise without mercy.
If you have a fantasy, it will be shattered.
If you have expectations, you will be disappointed.
It is when we calmly watch ourselves with absolute detachment that
We can see a true reflection of ourselves.

Fantasy or emotion
These are just waves and not the sea itself.
Do not cling to the waves, trying to ride it forever.
Do not try to become the sea itself either.
Become master of the seas
Master of the winds
Master of life.
This is only possible through absolute detachment.

From Ilch Lee’s lecture

I will ride my emotion and be master of my life. I don’t want to be sweaped the way I don’t want to. Being aware of me inside and listen to my soul and divinity, I am soul.. I can create myself and my life.

Wherever there is life, there has also been the taking of life.
Even in the water we take to quench our thirst
Infinite living beings breathe and move.
Drawing this line of when we can justifiably take life or not is difficult.
To draw this line between good and evil is also a difficult task.
What is good and what is evil changes with each period, each religion, and each nation.
What is the basis for defining good and evil that embraces all this?
To take or give life, good and evil are fruits cut out from one root.
There is no way to maintain life without taking life.
Evil grows by stepping on good and good rises by treading on evil.

If the purpose of one’s life is not set,
The war between good and evil will never end.
The way to live a life of dignity is to realize your higher purpose.
When you set the purpose of your life as the completion of your soul,
The circle of life and death rises to one of infinitely higher value.
The soul is precious because it is only through the soul that
You can realize the higher purpose of your life.

It is when we labor
Working for the benefit of all life,
Working for our greater selves
That our higher purpose is created.

To take life for this purpose
Is the same principle as cutting down a tree to build a table.
When biting into an apple
Or picking a flower,
It is the consciousness with which we do this that is important.

Although many lament the wrongs of this world
The world is by nature right.
It is because we are trying to fix a world that is already right,
That no matter how much we try, it does not get fixed.
The thing that needs to change is not the laws or
frameworks of this world,
But the consciousness and preconceptions of people.

From Ilch Lee’s lecture

The peace we feel when we are inside Nature
Is due to Nature’s openness. Nature does not insist upon its “self”.
Even in a drawing, each being of Nature shines with beauty.

For one tree to grow beautifully, there are countless exchanges.
The energy of the sun, moon, and wind -
Innumerable energies that cannot be seen grow the tree,
And the tree opens itself up fully to all of them.
This is the way, not only for the tree, but for birds, flowers -
All beings that exist inside Nature.
Only humans ceaselessly build walls, draw borders,
and withdraw deep inside the self.

The stars in the skies appear as if they are spread and separate,
But in the eyes of the Universe, they are one big clump.
If we observe the world while doing away with empty space,
Thousands, millions of things exist separately.
When we focus only on our thoughts and preconceptions,
The whole cannot be seen.
This is just like looking at the stars and moon
Without seeing the empty space that lies beyond.

When we lose sight of the origin of our life
We forget how to exchange
And lose our connection to our origin.
We fall into the illusion that we are
Incomplete and lonely beings.
Within this illusion we become attached to
Competition, possession, and control.

Just as the sun and moon are suspended in empty space,
So it is, that the origin of humans is empty space.
With empty space as the basis, all things that exist
Between the heaven and earth are connected as one.
When we become connected to our origin, we become the center of the Universe.
When we stand at the center, our hearts open fully
And each and every cell inside our bodies awakens.
We are able to embrace and exchange with all when we are at the center,
Holding an open love.
This is when we become complete beings.

From Ilch Lee’s lecture

Nara is an ancient capital of Japan; its quaint and beautiful parks, temples and streets make it an ideal place for people to practice Jangsaeng Walking. The audience received this new walking method with great enthusiasm.

Jangsaeng Walking is a simple yet highly beneficial way of walking, whether around the house or around the neighborhood. It involves an enhanced awareness of body angle, pelvic tilt, breath, and other body mechanics. In particular, one should walk with a firm sense of the weight distributing to the balls and toes of the foot. According to Oriental Medicine, this area contains the Yong-chon acupressure point, which is the start of meridian (energy channel) for the kidney. Kidney health relates to the speed and intensity of the aging process. Jangsaeng Walking helps to strengthen calf muscles, which put gentle pressure on the Yong-chon point. In Oriental health theory, flowing kidney energy contributes to keeping us young and healthy. Jangsaeng walking activates the power of your mind’s awareness, which has a strong influence on the body and brain.

To cultivate your character,
you first need to see
if your actions and what you want from your heart are harmonious.

What did I think today, and with what mind did I treat others?
What vision did I have today, and what did I do?
How much did I disguise my inner consciousness,
or did I expose it as it was?

If you don’t feel shame at all in speaking out what is deep inside your mind without filtering, you have built a very fine character.

Seeking after truth
without the inner consciousness being cleaned
will not bring any change.
So, we have to begin cleaning our inner selves,
sweeping out the garbage in our inner consciousness.
Listen to the voice of life underneath the fallen leaves.

From Ilch Lee’s lecture