Living with the Dharma in the Spaces of Our Day

At first, this teaching might appear to direct us to make every spare minute productive, as though rest were wasteful and every open space in the day should be filled with study. That interpretation assesses time mainly by efficiency. Yet, the deeper concern of teaching is not how much we produce, but whether we remain in touch with our essential nature and original purpose.

Won Buddhist perspective begins with the conviction that we, as human beings, possess a fundamental spiritual and moral orientation. We are not simply creatures of productivity and consumption. Within our original true nature lies the capacity for equanimity, wisdom, compassion, and dedication.

This does not refer to a fixed personality or to a permanent social identity; rather, it points to the clarity and compassionate responsiveness that can be observed when greed, attachment, and habitual reactions no longer obscure the mind.

The teaching can be examined through four phases of the Won Buddhist mindfulness practice: Center, Open, Recenter, and Empower—CORE.

1. Center. Return to your true self, Core.

The idle time referred to in this teaching is not simply time spent doing nothing; it is time in which we become disconnected from our true purpose when our habits, distractions, and restless thoughts carry us away.

We can be physically at rest and still fully on purpose with awareness; in that case, the time is not wasted. On the other hand, we can be extremely busy while being disconnected from our bodies, our minds, and what matters the most; in such a case, even productivity can take on the character of spiritual idleness.

Chapter 25 of the Mubon Venerable Chongsan says:

The scriptures act as a bright lamp to guide us on our way; if other activities fill the gaps in our time so that we become negligent about studying and putting the scriptures into practice, then we should consider our original purpose and once again commit ourselves to such practice.

To center is to return to the life that is unfolding here and now. We pause, feel our feet touching the ground, and become aware of the body's breath. At that time there is nothing we need to achieve. We simply arrive.

The daily life of the Founding Master, Ven. Sotaesan, offers a helpful example in this regard; when he was at Yeongsan his routine was said to be extremely ordinary, and he did not leave the lights burning all night. His practice was not one of pushing himself without rest. Rather, he lived in harmony with the needs of body and mind.

Rest is not a break from practice; on the contrary, it becomes to a return to our essential ground when it restores balance and awareness.

2. Open by observing the field of present-moment awareness.

After centering, we open to what is present.

To open means to become aware of our thoughts, emotions, bodily sensations, relationships, and surroundings without judging or trying to control them. We do not need to approve of everything we experience. We only allow the experience to reveal itself before our habitual interpretation tells us what it means.

An example involving the Venerable Sotaesan and a group of young women students illustrates this point. One moonlit evening, the students were happily playing on the field outside Songdae. Recognizing their natural desire to enjoy themselves, Venerable Sotaesan did not ask them to stop; instead, he said:

Playing should also have a purpose.

He encouraged them to observe the nearby trees, rocks, and landscape. On one occasion, while they were working at the local temples, they came across something useful for planting trees, making gardens, and caring for the environment.

The point was not to make play more productive but to remain awake while playing. In other words, play could become a way to observe the world with curiosity and to turn mundane experiences into opportunities for mindful learning.

Chapter 52 of the Mubon, Venerable Chongsan speaks of three types of scripture: written scripture, recorded in ink on paper; the scripture of reality, visible everywhere in the universe; and the formless scripture within our self-nature.

Written scripture gives us language and guidance. The scripture of reality is encountered through direct experience—in each individual person, event, and circumstance. The person who delights us becomes part of our field of awareness. So does the one who troubles us; it is through praise and criticism, success and failure, comfort and uncertainty that we expand our understanding of the universe.

The body is also part of this field of awareness, since the way we breathe, the tension we feel, our fatigue, and our state of ease show us how we are coping with this moment.

From the perspective of Won Buddhism, these experiences do not create wisdom out of nothing; instead, they help bring forth the wisdom and compassion which are already present as potentials within us. When we open ourselves, the teachings we have received, our direct experience, and the formless wisdom within us all come together.

3. Recenter: Reconnect and reflect our original purpose

Opening helps us see what is happening. Recentering helps us remember what matters most.

Reflecting on our original purpose is not the same as creating a new identity or forcing ourselves to adopt another goal; it means recovering the basic direction that has been obscured by distraction, desire, fear, or habit.

We might ask:

What is currently occupying my thoughts?

What is this reaction causing me to do?

What is the most important thing here?

What is there for wisdom and compassion to be seen here?

The scriptures are not only a source of information but also show what is right and wrong, what is beneficial and what is harmful, as well as the basic principles of human life and universal principles; they act as a bright lamp that helps us see the course that is already part of our natural nature.

Regulations establish direction in our relationships and provide the common structure that allows people to live together in peace. Since the scriptures show what the fundamental principles are, regulations give these principles a social form.

The shape of a regulation can vary from time to time and according to the circumstances; but its basic ethical aim—namely, justice, responsibility, mutual respect, and concern for the common good—must still be clear.

When people regard regulations only as external orders, they may experience them as restrictive; but when they understand the deeper purpose of such regulations, they can see them as an expression of our collective awakened sense of responsibility.

Venerable Sotaesan, said:

To practice the scriptures is to learn them as thoroughly as a physician learns a medical text.

A doctor studies so that when suffering occurs, he or she will know how to respond; similarly, we study the Dharma so that when greed, anger, or ignorance arise, we have the relevant teaching at hand.

Suppose anger arises during a difficult conversation. We become aware of heat in the face, a tightness in the chest, and thoughts of blaming. We then recenter by remembering our original purpose. Do we merely want to win, or do we hope to reduce harm and preserve dignity?

Recentering restores the link between our choices and our direction.

4. Empower: Embody wisdom to become effortless.

Empowerment means embodying the freedom to respond from our essential nature rather than reacting from conditioned habit.

This is where effortlessness becomes important.

Effortlessness is not laziness, passivity, or the absence of discipline. It is the natural responsiveness that emerges when practice has become deeply embodied. At first, right action requires conscious effort. Through repetition, however, unnecessary tension and self-forcing begin to fall away. Wisdom and compassion become more readily available.

Gongtawon Jo Jeon-gwon's life is a clear example of this. While in Changsin-dong, she studied the Chinese characters in the Icheonja-jip. Even as she was looking after the kitchen fire, she would trace the characters with a fire poker. She carried small notes that included passages from the Heart Sutra and explanations of the teaching, along with a short pencil, so she could study whenever she had the chance.

Her learning was not confined to books. She gained insight through conversations, recorded meaningful words she heard on the radio, and noted the lessons that came to her while spending time with her family. Even when assisting the students in preparing their Dharma talks, she was careful to take in as much as she could.

For Gongtawon, daily life turned into a constant process of mindful learning. Her Dharma talks appeared natural, but that effortlessness rested upon sustained practice. She might spend a whole week refining a single talk. When someone asked why she continued reviewing teachings she already knew, she replied:

You have to sharpen it often, or it gets dull.

She also said:

The extent to which you can influence other people depends on how much you have developed yourself.

Her example shows that effortlessness is not absence of practice. It is practice fulfilled. Because she repeatedly returned to the teachings, the Dharma became available when it was needed. What appeared spontaneous was supported by quiet, disciplined refinement.

Venerable Chongsan stated that "receiving" means accepting the Dharma with faith; "retaining" means making up one's mind not to lose it; and "reading and reciting" means putting the Dharma into practice in all circumstances.

When anger arises, center; when in conflict, be open to another person's circumstances; and when desire arises, recenter on the common good — these are examples of embodied Dharma practice.

At first, we may have to restrain ourselves from speaking out of anger. As practice deepens, we do not merely suppress anger; we become less possessed by it. A small space opens between experience and reaction. Within that space, our essential wisdom is free to act.

5. Practicing CORE in everyday life

Whenever we come across a free moment, we do not need to turn it into another responsibility. Instead, we can go back to CORE:

Center: Return to the body, the breath, and our essential ground. Open: Accept what is happening right now without judging it right away. Recenter: Reconnect with the Dharma and our original purpose. Empower: Let wisdom and compassion take on a practical form.

We might read one passage slowly, observe something in nature, note a question, have a conversation with a Dharma friend, or look closely at a difficult situation. We might also become aware of our tiredness and then rest completely.

The purpose is not to make use of each and every idle moment. Rather it is to stay connected with what is essential in the moment as it is.

The first step is to read the written scripture; the next is to encounter the scripture of reality through direct experience through people, events, the body, and the various movements of our own minds. Through continuous practice, the formless wisdom of ture nature becomes evident in how we speak, make our choices, work, rest, and look after one another.

We do not need to improve ourselves through endless efforts in order to practice. Instead, practice asks us to become aware of what obscures our natural clarity. The more those moments of clarity are recalled and lived out, the less forced and the more natural, appropriate choices becomes.

An ordinary pause can invite us to return to our essential nature. As we meet the present moment with open awareness, disciplined practice ripens into effortlessness, and the Dharma gradually becomes embodied in how we live.