NEWS

Korean Buddhist Monk Offers Refuge from Suffering with School for Broken Hearts

By Craig Lewis | | Buddhistdoor Global

South Korean Buddhist monk Haemin Sunim, a renowned meditation teacher, bestselling author, and a former professor, is determined to share the Buddhist teachings through as many channels as possible. Aiming to take the Dharma beyond the temple and into the lives of the people who need its wisdom most, Haemin Sunim has founded the School for Broken Hearts, where he shares the teachings in a way that speaks to people on a practical level and helps them cope with the heartache of their daily lives. The forty-five-year-old Seon (Zen) monk was inspired to set up the non-profit teaching center in downtown Seoul, offering free and paid courses, after he realized that many people in pain were not finding succor in the standard advice they received at the temple from himself and his fellow monastics.

With more than 20 years of experience as Buddhist teacher, Haemin Sunim explained: “In the beginning, I used to work in a Buddhist monastery and often met with people suffering with everyday difficulties. Some of the Buddhist teachers end up telling these people to just pray to the Buddha or meditate. I found their solutions to be not very satisfying.” (MPR News) Envisioned as a place of refuge for the sick at heart, the School for Broken Hearts has now been up and running for some four years, offering support for people facing a variety life crises and heartaches—from depression and loneliness to divorce, illness, and career problems—operating on a model that Haemin Sunim hopes can be replicated elsewhere in the world. “I wanted to start a school where people could actually talk about their real issues,” he observed. “If you’re going through a divorce, if you have cancer, just by being together with people who are going through a similar experience I realize that this can enormously help each other.” (MPR News)

No matter the cause of their broken hearts, people are welcomed and brought together in classes where they can share their experiences with peers, and speak with Seon monks, psychologists, and counselors. The unique center provides a haven of safety where people can receive healing in the form of connection with fellow sufferers, counseling, meditation instruction, and the wisdom of the Dharma. “We have many programs and people find it refreshing to sit down and have open and honest conversations in a supportive environment,” said Haemin Sunim. “We use drawing and dancing and singing, different way to express yourself. People find it very liberating.” (MPR News)