1. Dongsasub:
A History
• Dongsasub is a meditation program focused on happiness
• Founded by Ven. Yongtah Sunim 33 years ago
• Two locations: Happy Village in Hamyang, Happy Village in
Seoul
• Over 20,000 participants to date

2. Ven. Yongtah Sunim
• Elder monk of the
Chogye Order of Korean
Buddhism
• Became a monk on Aug.
15th, 1964
• Undergraduate and
Graduate Degrees in
Philosophy
• Spent time in Minnesota
and California as Abbot

3. Purpose of Dongsasub
What is the purpose of life?
– Happiness
What is happiness?
– Good feeling
What is the subject of happiness?
– Me/Us
Therefore, the purpose of life is our
happiness

4. Ignorance, Desire, Anger
• Cycle of: Conceptu
Anger
alization
Desire Value
• = Dissatisfaction
• E.g. Money, Power, Fame

5. Five Principles of Life
Life
Purpose
Heart/Mind
Harmony True Self Training
Acts of
Good

6. True Self
• Understanding one’s identity

7. Life Purpose
• To live our lives for the sake of a brighter and
more joyful world
• To live for the happiness of all beings

8. Heart/Mind Training
• Create a joyful paradise within
• Attain inner peace

9. Harmony
• Foster harmonious inter-personal
relationships
• Foundation in mutual interest, sympathy, and
communication

10. Right Action
• Loving speech
• Acts of kindness
• Doing your best to fulfill your tasks and
responsibilities

11. Dongsasub Meditations
• Gratitude Meditation
– Be grateful for the things you have
– Exercise: a common object (e.g. a kettle)
– List as many reasons to be thankful for the object
– E.g. I’m thankful the handle on the kettle is
plastic so I don’t get burnt

12. Death Meditation
• Liberating yourself from the anxieties of dying
• Letting go of attachments to life
• E.g. Parents, children, self

13. Four Virtues of Relationships
I (주기) II (받기)
表現 反應
感知 共感
關 心

14. Four Virtues of Relationships
• There are four outcomes of human interaction:
Me Other

15. Four Virtues of Relationships, contd.
• Four skillful responses to the four outcomes:
Give Selflessly
Thank Sincerely
Apologize Deeply
Show Clemency

16. Aphorisms (Choncheol)
• The absence of expression is an absence of substance and/or intention
• Emotion is the first sound of life
• The essential traits of a mature character are minute details + feelings
• We already know everything there is to know; it is simply a matter of
review and practice

17. Dongsasub Programs
• Hamyang 함양
– Beginner: 5 nights 6 days; 600,000 Won
– Intermediate: 3 nights 4 days; 500,000 Won원
– Advanced: 3 nights 4 days; 1,000,000 Won
– Master: 1 night 2 days a month for a total of 18 months; 2,700,000 Won
• Seoul 서울
– Beginner (Harmony OR Heart/Mind Training): 2 nights 3 days (no overnight stay);
300,000 per course
• Fulfilling both the Harmony and Heart/Mind Training
courses is equivalent to the Beginner course at
Hamyang.

18. http://seoul.dongsasub.org
http://www.dongsasub.org
jainamchun@gmail.com
at Dongsasub’s Seoul Center. Jai Chun