The Seon (Zen) monk and best-selling author from South Korea Haemin Sunim, recently on a book tour of Indonesia, met the public in Surabaya, Java, on 16 November. The event was organized by Gramedia Popular Library, the Young Buddhist Association of Indonesia, Mitra Uttama, Surabaya University Buddhist Activity Unit, Airlangga University Buddhist Activity Unit, Ciputra University Buddhist Community, and Widya Kartika University Buddhist Student Activity Unit.
The Young Buddhist Association (YBA) is the leading Buddhist youth organization in Indonesia. Through a deeply held conviction in the Buddha’s message of compassion, growth, and liberation, the association promotes a positive lifestyle among the young in order to cultivate a society founded on wisdom, compassion, and gratitude. The association is involved in establishing Buddhist organizations nationwide, propagating the study of the Dharma among young people, and providing leadership training.
During the event, Haemin Sunim gave a Dharma teaching on self-acceptance and overcoming mental health issues, beginning his explanation with a parable of plastic bottles of different sizes. He likened a medium-sized bottle of 600ml to oneself, then introduced a larger one-liter bottle.
“Usually, opinions will arise, such as ‘I am bigger than you,’ ‘I am better than you,’ and so on,” Haemin Sunim explained. “However, when a smaller 350ml bottle appears, we suddenly feel superior to it. This reflects human nature—how we contstantly compare ourselves to our surroundings.”
Haemin Sunim elucidated that the problems of everyday life actually come from our opinions and perspectives based on external factors that are beyond our control. The more one seeks or pursues what we call ‘happiness’ in external things, the more difficult it becomes to find true happiness, because real happiness can only come from within each person: “If we focus on ourselves, on what we feel right now, on what is right now in front of our eyes, then we can find true happiness.”
He also used sunglasses as a metaphor for the way we view the world and our surroundings. When we become accustomed to living with sunglasses on, we only recognize the world as filtered through the tinted lenses, which represents our preoccupation with our lives in the past and the future. We often fail to realize that if we remove the sunglasses, there’s another state of being that we’ve been missing: life in the present and the present moment.
“If we position ourselves to focus our attention and our emotions on what’s in front of our eyes right now, we no longer feel regret about the past and worry about the future,” Haemin Sunim said. “At that moment, we can experience life with a calm mind and slowly free ourselves from worldly attachments.”
Gramedia Popular Library’s publisher editor, Kathrine Gabby Kusuma, said that Haemin Sunim’s first book, The Things You Can See Only When You Slow Down, had been a bestseller since its first publication in 2020: “It sold more than 30,000 copies [in Indonesia alone].“
She added that Surabaya was the second city of Haemin Sunim’s book tour, following Yogyakarta and to be followed by Jakarta on 17 November: “So there are three cities that will be venues for this book tour. Hopefully this can benefit everyone.”
Meanwhile, YBA chairman Limanyono Tanto observed that amid the fast-paced and stressful dynamics of modern life, many people faced various mental health issues, especially, increasingly, the younger generation. He went on to note that Haemin Suim’s books, Things You Can See Only When You Slow Down, Love for Imperfect Things, and, most recently, When Things Don’t Go Your Way, were works that could guide all people in understanding themselves, accepting their shortcomings, and cultivating sincerity.
“Through this collaboration, we hope to continue to inspire a generation of young Buddhists and, indeed, all young people, to love reading and make reading a part of their daily lifestyle,” Limanyono said.
He added that the book tour was also a space for self-reflection—a place where people could take the opportunity can look deeper into the mind and understand the importance of life balance. On behalf of the Young Buddhist Association, he expressed gratitude to Gramedia for bringing Haemin Sunim to present this meaningful event.
“Haemin Sunim teaches the importance of serenity, acceptance, and compassion toward oneself and others,” Limanyono concluded. “We hope that through this event, more young people can find inspiration, strength, and serenity in facing all the challenges in life.”
Although officially a secular nation, Indonesia is home to a diversity of communities and religious and spiritual traditions. Islam is the most widespread religion, observed by 87 per cent of the population, according to national data for 2022. Christian traditions account for a combined 10.5 per cent, Hinduism 1.7 per cent, and Confucianism, folk, and other traditions account for a combined 0.07 per cent.
Buddhism, practiced by 0.73 per cent of the population—roughly two million people—is the second-oldest spiritual tradition in Indonesia after Hinduism. According to historical accounts, Buddhism first flourished on the archipelago around the sixth century, which was followed by ascent and decline of a number of powerful Buddhist empires, including the Shailendra dynasty (c. 8th–9th centuries), the Srivijaya empire (c. 7th–12th centuries), and the Mataram empire (c. 8th–11th centuries). Today, the majority of Indonesian Buddhists are affiliated with Mahayana schools of Buddhism, although communities of Theravada and Vajrayana practitioners also exist.
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Young Buddhist Association of Indonesia
Young Buddhist Association (YBA) of Indonesia (Instagram)
Young Buddhist Association of Indonesia (Facebook)
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