Introduction
ABOUT CHAIRMAN
Introduction of
Ven. Pomnyun Sunim
He diagnosed the most critical issues facing humankind today as the loss of humanity, the disintegration of community, and the destruction of the natural environment. He has sought solutions to these problems in the fundamental teachings of Buddhism.
As a starting point to overcome the crisis of modern civilization, he founded the Jungto Society, a community of practitioners. For social action, he established the Peace Foundation, which supports national happiness and world peace; Good Friends, which supports North Korean refugees and human rights; Join Together Society (JTS), which provides relief to developing countries and aid to North Korea; and EcoBuddha, which focuses on overcoming consumerism and implementing environmental practices.
Ven. Pomnyun Sunim is a religious leader who has refused to remain within the boundaries of religion and a social activist who cannot be defined solely as such. This is because he is both a practitioner and an activist who embodies the core Buddhist principle of "first attaining enlightenment and then liberating all beings."
His life during the last 30 years attests to his belief that “practice aimed at personal change” and “social movement to bring about social change” are not mutually exclusive. He calls it “practice through service.”
“Practice through service” means that individuals who have become happy and free through practice should work to make their homes, communities, countries, and the global community into “Jungto” – a world where individuals are happy, society is peaceful, and nature is preserved – thereby contributing to the happiness of humans as well as all beings in the world. Ven. Pomnyun Sunim has emphasized that individuals should resolve personal suffering by correctly learning and practicing the fundamental teachings of Buddhism, and then, practitioners should strive to resolve social suffering by addressing the problems of the global human community such as war, hunger, and unequal social structure.
Those who practice under his guidance are known as Jungto practitioners, and they volunteer in the fields such as interfaith cooperation and peace, international relief and welfare, and environmental and human rights issues. They are all unpaid volunteers walking the path of bodhisattvas.
Ven. Pomnyun Sunim is a spiritual leader who, together with these volunteers, has set an example for over 30 years in activities promoting world peace, interfaith reconciliation, and international relief efforts, as well as pioneering sustainable development models.