Join Together Society founder Venerable Popryun:

I do not believe that Zen alone can be considered a religious alternative for the 21st century if it does not include Buddhist teachings. Zen is just one element of the Buddhist tradition that seeks to return to the teachings of early Buddhism. I'd prefer to say, "What can Korean Zen do for the 21st century?" rather than say, "Is Zen an alternative for the 21st century?"

Seoul National University (SNU) Professor of Philosophy Dr. Shim, Jae-ryong:

Unlike Japanese and Chinese Zen, Korean Zen was maintained with strict rules and methods of practice. While Chinese Zen is the reaction or rejection to a previous religious belief, Korean Zen still has the passion of a pure religous belief. So, it is not an alternative, it is a possibility.

Ven. Popryun: An alternative for this era must offer theological, ideological, and practical answers to problems we face. The biggest problems today are the environment and confusion over self-identity. To face these issues, Buddhism offers us an understanding of existence with the "law" of pratitya samutpada (interdependent co-origination) and idea of Brahma's net expressed in the Avatamsaka Sutra.

Professor Shim: In the days of early Buddhism, it was an effective way to deal with solving problems. But over the past 1600 years or so, what the Buddha taught has been distorted. Korean Zen is now waiting for "enlightenment." One doesn't start with "enlightenment," eEnlightenment and practice go hand in hand. Korean monks are lazy and their lack of meditation practice was the root cause of the shameful Chogye Order incident last year.

Ven. Popryun: Another basic problem is the secularization of Buddhism. People just pray for personal gain such as money, health, etc. and temple monks and nuns encourage them to do this. All religions have just one "secularized religion." With this kind of orientation, Korean Buddhism will never become a global religious influence. We have to return to the original teachings of the Buddha.

Shim: But we should not only emphasize only Zen. As I said before, Zen Buddhism is just one part of the Buddhist whole. Zen helps to break the self-righteous attitudes that are common in Mahayana Buddhism. Using Zen practice. we can overcome the bias that occurs in people of different orders.

Popryun: From the beginning, Zen was unprecedented and straightforward. But now, in order to practice Zen, we have to know much more than just the sutras. As early Buddhism was criticized by Mahayana Buddhism, and the Mahayana tradition criticized by Zen Buddhists, today Zen Buddhism is being criticized by a new wave of Buddhist ideology.

Shim: Well, it is no longer strange to listen to the Dharma from a foreign monk. I met Venerable Ojin who is from Poland and became a monk on account of the teachings of Master Seung Sahn. He told me that Westerners waste less and have a stronger commitment to environmentalism than Asians have.

Common people can hear things from foreign monks that they don't hear from Korean monks. People are now realizing that Buddhism is not as difficult as they thought it was after speaking with foreign monks about the Dharma.

Today, Zen can become a part of common people's lives and not just the specialty of the monks. It should become a social movement on a wider scale.

Popryun: As I said, the environmental problem is the most urgent problem today. We need to understand the harmonization of the Buddha. The Buddhist sangha is a model of community; for example, it is based on a democratic allotment of work and economic equality. If we see this as a model of Buddhist society, we need to apply its principles as a model for the entire world.

Shim: Individuals want to possess things and compete with others. Moreover, capitalism contributed to this, making the last centurya century of rampant materialism. But, the Buddhist sangha community stresses non-possession and non-attachment, leading to an absence of competition. Today, the biggest problem is "relative poverty." We need to find an alternative in Buddhism.

Popryun: The democracy of the Buddhist sangha is different from social democracy. You shouldn't find a stubborn attachment to our personal selves there.

The worldly freedom is to do what you want to do and avoid things you don't want to do. But the freedom of Buddhist practice is contrary. In Buddhist freedom, you do what you don't want to do, and refrain from doing what you want to do! Eventually you become free from all desire. This is the Middle Way, a way to real freedom. The Pure Land Association (Jungto Society -JTS) is a test of our community.

Shim: The basic purpose of Buddhism is to bring to social welfare the real meaning of the Dharma. It needs to have a certain element of internationalism in it.

We have to return to the answer to the question, "Will Zen become an alternative in the 21st century?" When we return to our purer mind, we can perceive the answer. And through the recovery of the community is the task for Buddhists to bring back the original teachings of Buddhism.

Popryun: When you seek to change yourself, you change society as well. This is the way of the Bodhisattva.

Once we view self- transformation or work on oneself as more than just personal, self- satisfying practice, personal change is seen as something we do to enhance social justice for all. It is not just meditation and offering something to the Buddha for personal gain. Helping poor people and facing the difficulties of life in our temples and daily life are the best times to reflect on ourselves and discover real Buddhist practice. Enlightenment is to accept the truth that all things and conditions are related. Enlightenment and compassion are not two separate realities. Enlightenment is compassion, and compassion is enlightenment. As we agrow aware of this, we awaken.