The Korean Seon (Zen) master Venerable Pomnyun Sunim (법륜스님) wears many hats: Buddhist monk, teacher, author, environmentalist, and social activist, to name a few.* As a widely respected Dharma teacher and a tireless socially engaged activist in his native South Korea, Ven. Pomnyun Sunim has founded numerous Dharma-based organizations, initiatives, and projects that are active across the world. Among them, Jungto Society, a volunteer-based community founded on the Buddhist teachings and expressing equality, simple living, and sustainability, is dedicated to addressing modern social issues that lead to suffering, including environmental degradation, poverty, and conflict.
This column, shared by Jungto Society, presents a series of highlights from Ven. Pomnyun Sunim’s writings, teachings, public talks, and regular live-streamed Dharma Q+A sessions, which are accessible across the globe. The following teaching was given in Dallas on 3 May 2024. This article is the fourth in a special series taken from Ven. Pomnyun Sunim’s 2024 Dharma tour of Asia-Pacific, Europe, and North America. Titled “Casual Conversation with Ven. Pomnyun Sunim: Come Talk about Life, Wisdom, and Happiness,” the Dharma tour ran from 29 April–21 September 2024, with Dharma talks scheduled in five countries—Australia, Canada, Germany, Japan, and the United States.**
The event was held at the Horizon Unitarian Universalist Church, where Ven. Pomnyun Sunim held a Dharma Q&A for the Korean community in September 2023. This year’s gathering was conducted with English interpretation for English speakers.
Ven. Pomnyun Sunim: Today’s conversation is not about any particular religion, philosophy, or ideology. We are going to talk about our lives. Everyone wants to live happily without suffering. However, we often experience stress and suffering in our lives. Today’s conversation is about exploring why things we don’t want keep happening to us. The goal is to move from a life of suffering to one without suffering. Feel free to share your concerns, questions, and thoughts as if you are talking with a friend. Dharma talks are not about discussing complex Buddhist doctrines but about experiencing a life without suffering through our conversation. Now, let’s begin.
I was suddenly laid off from my new job
Q: After graduating with an MBA, I landed a great job with a well-known company. I was extremely grateful for the opportunity given to me. I worked tirelessly, even on weekends, to provide the best results and to prove that the company made the right decision in hiring me. However, seven months later I was laid off. As someone who had been accustomed to working non-stop every day, it was difficult to come to terms with being laid off. In Korean culture, being laid off carries a stigma of failure and being deemed as lacking value for the company. It was difficult for me to accept this reality. Unlike in Korea, layoffs are quite common in the United States, but as a Korean, I found it really difficult to accept being laid off.
I have been struggling with sleep and find myself crying every day. I feel sad all the time, my depression has worsened, and I experience anxiety attacks. As I search for a new job within a limited timeframe, seeing my friends continue to work and enjoy their lives makes me feel left behind. It’s also heartbreaking to see my loved ones suffer because of my situation. I would like to know what kind of mindset I should adopt to overcome these challenges and move forward.”
Ven. Pomnyun Sunim: First of all, congratulations. Being laid off from your job may actually have prevented future suffering. Had you continued at that job, you might have experienced prolonged stress. (laughs)
Also, about seven months is an appropriate amount of time for some experimentation or training. Being let go after seven months may have been due to your inexperience.
There might be two main reasons for being laid off. The first is that you were probably not quite skilled enough but got lucky and were hired. The company has certain expectations of you. Given your high salary, they would have expected substantial returns from you. After observing you for seven months, it’s possible that you didn’t meet the company’s standards. Would it have been better to be fired after a year or two or to be fired now?”
Q: It’s better to be fired now.
Ven. Pomnyun Sunim: It is indeed better because you can’t live up to the company’s demands. Even if you did your best, sacrificing your personal life, it might not have been enough to meet their expectations. You could have ended up overworked or suffering from stress, damaging your health. If you can’t meet the company’s expectations, it would naturally lead to feelings of inferiority, causing significant mental strain. In this case, getting that job was a mistake to begin with.
The second reason could be that you worked too hard. If the CEO had directly observed your hard work, they would have been impressed. However, there are many levels of management in a company, and you were among the lower ranks. If you work too hard or appear too competent, it can be threatening to mid-level employees. Therefore, if you work too hard, there is a high risk of being laid off. For instance, if the existing employees were comfortably working eight hours a day and suddenly a new employee starts working 10 hours a day and even works on weekends, how would the boss react? The boss may expect existing employees to work harder, which will put pressure on them. Although you meant well by working hard, you inadvertently caused significant harm to your colleagues. Therefore, when participating in social and work environments, it’s important not only to think of yourself but also to be mindful of others around you. Your lack of awareness in this regard could have resulted in being fired.
Whatever the reason, it’s crucial for you to quickly understand your issues. That’s why I congratulated you. Being laid off is not something to be sad about. It should be considered the first lesson learned on stepping into the real world. You might make a mistake again. But next time, you should take your previous error into consideration. Still, you might falter again if your behavior is inadequate. Let’s say you work as the secretary to the president. If you take it easy on your job, it might lead to different issues. Such experiences help you learn when to take it easy, when to work hard, when to hurry, and when to slow down. You’ll gain the ability to adjust the pace of your work based on the surrounding circumstances and atmosphere.
Just because a company pays well or is famous doesn’t mean it’s the right fit for you. A good company should, firstly, have a low-stress environment. Most of your life is spent at work. How can you keep on working at that job if you’re always tense? Secondly, the company should allow you a certain amount of freedom in your work. Thirdly, even if not perfect, the company should have a relatively fair evaluation system. If such conditions are met, it’s a good job even if the salary is on the low side. Finding such a job isn’t easy. You may have to go through five jobs before finding the right one for you. You should think, “I wasn’t fired. I just tested it out.” If you’re unlucky and end up staying in one job a long time, it’s fine to just continue working there. (laughs)
If you can maintain this perspective, choosing a job shouldn’t be difficult. How can you lose sleep over something so trivial? What good is earning a PhD if it makes you mentally exhausted? Even if you are a high school dropout, it’s better to be mentally healthy.
Q: Thank you.
Meeting attendees
As this was the first time that Ven. Pomnyun Sunim had conducted a Dharma Q&A in Dallas for English speakers, there were more Koreans than non-Koreans in attendance. After the event, he asked each non-Korean attendee about their impressions.
Ven. Pomnyun Sunim: How was the Dharma Q&A?
Q: It was awesome.
Ven. Pomnyun Sunim: What did you like about it?
Q: It was great. There were actually many lessons I took from it, some of which I can apply in the future.
I really appreciated how direct you were. You cut directly through the ideas of culture and our paths, and you go straight to what’s important.
Ven. Pomnyun Sunim: People watching may enjoy it, but imagine how painful it is for the ones asking the questions. (laughter)
Q: It was great. I wanted to ask a question, but just as I was about to get up my courage, it ended.
Ven. Pomnyun Sunim: You should have raised your hand sooner! I end the Dharma Q&A when I don’t see anyone raising their hand.” (laughter)
What did you like about it?
Q: All the questions were set in this era, and the answers were quite powerful. One person said, “I’m fired, unhappy, and don’t know how to succeed.” And you replied, “Congratulations on being fired,” as if to say, “You are dismissed from sorrow and misery.” I was even more surprised by your response: “He should be congratulated because he was fired from a job that wasn’t for him,” . . . I was able to experience a shift in perspective, realizing that good news can be found even in bad situations. I lost my brother, and I learned how to succeed even in my grief. So thank you!
* Buddhist Monk Ven. Pomnyun Sunim Awarded the 37th Niwano Peace Prize (BDG)
See more
Pomnyun
Jungto Society
JTS Korea
JTS America
International Network of Engaged Buddhists
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