July 12, 1998, Destiny

July 12, 1998, Dong-Dae-Shin Dong

 Most people believe that destiny can neither be changed nor avoided. How is destiny formed? Why do people have to live carrying their own destiny? 

 This passage comes from an explanation of karma (業). What comes to exist within a person as a result of their actions does not easily disappear. Not only does it not easily vanish, but it continues its existence through activity. This fact helps us to see what destiny is. In other words, what people have created within themselves through their actions does not disappear. Furthermore, that which was created causes people to act in the same manner as their past actions that brought that which was created into being. Like this, what causes people to act in specific types of activity is called destiny(運命).

 People see, hear, understand, and act upon what exists in the world in their own ways, based on what exists within them. For example, a person makes a mistake for the first time. Afterwards, that person repeats the same mistake. This is because a cause came to exist within that person that makes them continue to make the same mistake.

 People say that destiny cannot be changed. In fact, that is not true. Destiny can be changed as much as you want.

 For example, when mixing white paint with red paint, as the amount mixed increases, the red paint changes from red to deep pink, from deep pink to pink, and then from pink to light pink, eventually becoming closer to white. In the same way, if people accept and internalize enlightenment about what exists in the world, the causes within them that make them continue to make specific mistakes gradually weaken. In this manner, they can change their destiny.

If you fail to attain enlightenment, destiny neither changes nor disappears; it continues its activity.

 Repeating the same mistakes is not something you do because you want to. It is what exists within you—that is, destiny—that makes you do it.

 The problem is that if you repeat the same mistakes without attaining enlightenment, you end up committing new ones. In this way, your destiny grows darker.

 The statement that destiny can change means that when new things enter and become active within yourself through life, your destiny can change for the better or for the worse depending on the causality those things bring.

 Destiny is involved in all the events that occur within the process of reincarnation, such as being born, growing old, getting sick, and dying.

 Reincarnation refers to the process of repeating ourselves through the activities occurring within us. Just as we can be reborn through reincarnation based on our own activities, the things existing within us can also continue to exist through their activities. They endlessly influence us.

 Does destiny exist only for the individual? What exists in the world affects not only individuals but also society. In other words, everything that happens in the world becomes the cause that shapes and changes the destiny of not only individuals but also society, the nation, and even the world as a whole.

 It is not so difficult for us to discern the future of our society. Just as people can change according to principles, society or the nation can also change according to principles.

When examining the destiny of individuals, societies, or nations, we can observe some interesting things. In the past, people of the Joseon Dynasty regarded Japan as an uncivilized country. They believed that Japan possessed no teachings. This belief stemmed from the fact that the Joseon people did not properly know the world.

At that time, there was a set of teachings in Japan. The teaching was superior to the teachings of Confucianism or those of other religions in the Joseon Dynasty. It was thanks to the teaching that existed during that era that Japan was able to overtake Korea in the modern era.

 It is not that there were many teachings in Japanese society. At that time, there was a figure named Toyotomi Hideyoshi in Japan. After unifying Japan, he established various systems. For instance, judging that there was no need for foreign gods since Japan already had its own gods, he prohibited the acceptance of Christianity or other religions. He also tried to awaken people to the importance of reality. During the Imjin War, many Korean technicians and craftsmen from various fields were taken to Japan. It has been reported through the mass media that the descendants of the Korean potters taken at that time formed prominent families by integrating their skills with Japanese traditions.

 A noteworthy point is that he institutionally taught people the importance of reality. This is a very important fact, because it made them outstanding in reality.

 Then, what did the people of Joseon accept, and what did they learn? They accepted Confucianism. The teachings of Confucianism cannot awaken people. Confucianism created problems and answers, but these were merely abstract tales completely unrelated to reality. What the leaders of Joseon, who had become blind to reality, did was introduce and propagate idealistic teachings throughout the country. Through these idealistic teachings, people became blind to reality. The fact that a scholar, the head of a household, was reading books even though there was no food in the house is one of the representative examples of these misguided consequences.

 The point is that since about 400 years ago, the Japanese have been wiser than the Koreans regarding reality. The Japanese were wise in life in reality, whereas the Koreans developed their intellect toward ideals. Consequently, there were many dark events in Korean society. Such dark events did not exist in Japan or the world's advanced nations. In such advanced societies, which are free of problems and possess growing national power, there were many teachings about reality. These teachings made those societies leading the world.

 Our society today is unstable. However, no one is taking steps to deal with this instability because people are so immersed in ideals that they are unaware of the real problems facing society. 

 If good guidance or sound judgment is present during the process of undertaking a task, good results can be achieved. There are many failures when doing what you do not know, and many successes when doing what you do know. Why have such basic teachings not existed in our society? This is because our consciousness has been dominated by Confucianism. Due to the foolish groupthink that attempts to achieve results without grasping the underlying causes, our society's present is unstable, and its future lies in an unpredictable destiny. This destiny will absolutely not change until a certain problem is resolved.

 Let us compare the issues that have existed in our society with cases in other countries. This is a story about the younger brother of Paul, a British member of our group. It concerns an incident between Paul's youngest brother, who is 18 years old this year, and their mother. He, who was still living under his mother's care, told her one day that he wanted to go to university. Upon hearing this, his mother confronted him, asking why he wanted to go to college. It is said that this issue has caused a dispute between the parents and the child.

 What is the situation like in our country? The majority of parents raising children worry about how to successfully send them to college. If a child says they do not want to go to college, they get angry and ask why they do not want to. They go to temples to pray, pray under rocks, and pray at churches to help their children get into university. Is it because these parents live wealthy lives? No. Even while fathers work as security guards and mothers work as housekeepers, they make every effort to send their children to college. This is the difference that exists between parents in developed countries and parents in developing countries.

 I am not arguing whether sending children to college is good or bad. The problem is the fact that parents covet only a college degree, without looking into what their children will learn or how they can lay the groundwork for their future. This is a very shameful fact.

 The interesting thing is that despite having the highest number of universities relative to its population, Korea is the country where people have to put in the most effort to get into university.

 Another fact that must not be overlooked is that university education can ruin people. Education related to real-world problems, such as in natural sciences or engineering, is helpful to people. However, a significant number of university departments provide education rooted in ideals. It is even said that there are universities that teach shamanistic rituals.

 The reason I am explaining university education at length is that what is once absorbed into yourself continues to exist and be active. If you accept good things, good activities will ceaselessly arise within you, leading you to see good things; however, if you accept bad things, bad activities will ceaselessly arise within you, leading you to see bad things. In other words, what is learned through education becomes the very source of your destiny.

 Academics refers to the act of teaching and learning existing things exactly as they are. Professional education refers to the process by which a recipient acquires the skills of a professional. However, in Korea, numerous universities have been established without securing a sufficient number of skilled professionals. Furthermore, these universities have created the barrier of the entrance examination system merely to elevate their own status.

 Since the 1970s, individuals who received unspecialized university education in Korea have been entering society. What will become of this society when such people occupy key positions? It is all too obvious how this already unstable society will change. These people struggle to even look after themselves, let alone help others. They become irritable over trivial matters and cause problems. What kind of phenomenon would occur if such individuals were to enter institutions that play a pivotal role in this society?

 Korean education does not seek understanding through the exploration of existing matters, but rather forces students to memorize questions and answers. Can someone become a competent leader simply because they know many answers to riddles, without understanding what exists properly? A leader must not lie and must perform their duties well. If someone claims that people in Korean public offices do not lie and perform their assigned tasks well, I do not believe them.

 The reason so many problems exist in our society today is that we have failed to discover and nurture the talented individuals to lead society, and even the few talented individuals available have failed to properly fulfill their roles. Ultimately, as flawed education policies, misguided administration, and misguided media have become rampant in our society, individual consciousness is becoming increasingly darkened, and this dark society and consciousness are causing people to make mistakes.

 Our society must realize that a good teacher is not someone with an excellent degree, but someone with outstanding skills. Good skills are helpful to human life, but words one does not understand are of no help to anyone.

 What benefit does it bring to life to know how many peaks Mount Geumgang has, how high Mount Baekdu is, or how long the Nakdong River is? Memorizing such information should not be the main content of the educational curriculum.

 Good teachers are people who understand reality well and possess good skills, but such teachers are not receiving proper respect in this society.

 Can these wrongdoings be resolved overnight through prayers? Absolutely not. Belief cannot solve everything. What use is belief without enlightenment? No matter how much you believe that a rock will turn into gold, if gold does not exist within that rock, how can you obtain it? Belief—that is, trust—is an important process in carrying out tasks, but faith alone cannot achieve everything.

 Only when we come to fully understand what exists and carry it out well will our society be filled with the hope of revitalizing our nation. The destiny of a nation depends on the spirit of each of its citizens, while the destiny of every individual is influenced by system and environment of society. In other words, an individual's destiny changes in accordance with the destiny of the nation. 

 What exists refers not only to what we do but also to what happens to us. As we go through life, the things we have done can sometimes bring about consequences we never wanted, and those consequences may happen to us. In some cases, they can shatter our lives and lead to great unhappiness. If we fail to properly understand what exists and cannot accept them as they are, nothing will go right. To live well, understanding what exists must come first above all else.

 In Japan, there are families that have been making pottery for more than ten generations. They are descended from people who came over from Joseon. There was also a news report about a prosecutor who resigned from his position in order to take over his father’s udon shop. It is because there are people with such a spirit that their society is able to function properly. In other words, there is a shared belief in that society that a family-run udon shop can succeed when passed down from parents to children. Isn’t it precisely because the udon shop is doing well that someone can afford to leave a job as a prosecutor? Because such things exist in Japanese society, Japan today presents a different social character compared to Korean society.

Anyone can take an exam to secure a position. However, making good food, good dishes, good household goods, etc., can only be done by those with the necessary skills.

 It is because there are people like the parents mentioned earlier that the UK is able to maintain a healthy society. British people rise up and protest when the government makes a mistake. We are unable to do so now. When the powerful make a mistake, people try to flatter or comfort them, saying, "Ah! Isn't it possible for anyone to make a mistake?" There is absolutely no one who tries to take issue with the error.

 Many problems exist in our society, yet no one seeks to know the truth about them. No one is willing to scrutinize them. As a result, as foreigners have recently pointed out, the tyranny of bureaucrats has become frightening. The cause of these issues is the existence of misguided teachings in our society.

 How we live a life depends on what causality we have.

 Knowing what exists correctly is the way for all of us to live well, the way to bless society, and the way to bring glory to the nation.

 Today, the most popular people in our country are athletes and celebrities who appear on TV. Television is the closest friend of those who live in ignorance of the truth. In Korea, TV shapes figures and dictates all domestic affairs. However, such television never covers or attempts to reveal the truth regarding individuals or social events that determine the destiny of society or the nation. I, too, do not fully understand why this is the case, as there is no way to verify the reason.

 It is an undeniable fact that the destiny of good people is being plunged into a pit of darkness in order to preserve ill-gotten vested interests. To resolve this problem, all citizens of this country must become wise. To become wise, there must be genuine teachings that shed light on the causality that exists in our society and how to understand them. Unfortunately, such teachings have never existed in our society. Furthermore, there is no guarantee as to when such teachings might take root in our society.

 Even if we close our eyes to reality or deny it no matter how much we try, what exists never disappears. Existing things never vanish and influence individuals and society through their activities.

 When we undertake any task, we must live with a forward-looking mindset—that is, by considering the consequences it will bring us. This is the path to our own success.

 If we know what exists, we do not need destiny. We simply need to act according to what we know about what exists. If you discard your own bad destiny and follow the destiny of a good person, your bad destiny will disappear, and a good destiny will come your way.

 I will answer any questions you may have, and if not, I will wrap up.

Jeong: I would like to know why Socrates is considered one of the Four Great Sages. Please tell me about his teachings and what he intended to do.

 The reason Socrates was able to be included among the Four Great Sages is because of his teachings. He sought to reveal the truth in order to awaken humanity.

 It is very important to reveal what exists. When what exists is revealed, people come to know right from wrong. When people know right from wrong, they improve. They become able to shun bad things and choose good things.

 Socrates became one of the Four Great Sages because of these thoughts and actions. Ironically, it was precisely because of these thoughts and actions that he drank poison and died. The people of that time voted for Socrates to be executed simply because his ideas did not align with their feelings or desires. It was only after his death and the passage of time that people finally realized that Socrates was a great teacher.

 What I am doing here right now is also teaching about what exists. I am teaching and enlightening you so that you may know what exists. This is what Socrates did. He sought to reveal the things of the world.

Jeong : The book states that there were three ways for Socrates to survive. The first was to pay bail, the second was to seek asylum in another country, and the third was to sign a pledge not to practice teaching. What I am curious about is ‘justice.’ For Socrates, was drinking poison justice?

If a person is born with a good seed and good things exist within the person, the person would not have been able to accept any of those three things. First, paying bail is an admission that he has committed a wrong himself. Second, if he went to another country, would he have been able to speak the truth and live? Third, if the righteous cannot do the right thing and the truthful cannot reveal the truth, then that life is worthless.

 The question regarding justice is wrong. The definition of justice is to reveal the truth. Distinguishing right from wrong is the behavior of justice. If you read a book and try to understand the problem with a certain mindset based on it, you will make many mistakes.

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