Lifestyle - The Korea Times

Zen meditation a path to find True Self

By Shim Jae-yun As society becomes more complex and competitive, people tend to feel more mental stress. Korea has become notorious for having the world record in the number of people committing suicide in recent years, apparently overridden by various sufferings. As a means of attaining true happiness and even enlightenment, Zen (Seon) meditation is drawing growing popularity here via urban centers, though such contemplation had previously been practiced only by monks nestled in deep mountainous areas. Zen-Master Subul, 59, leader of the Anguk Zen Center, says meditation or Ganhwaseon contemplation is the surest way of directly attaining enlightenment through the investigation of “hwadu,” or the “big question.” “Everything changes at every moment. Nobody can stop change. Only moments exist. No past, no future and no present,” Master Subul said in an interview with The Korea Times conducted to coincide with Buddha’s Birthday which falls today. “But there is something that never changes and exists permanently irrespective of the existence of our bodies in this world.

May 9, 2011By Shim Jae-yun

Seon Buddhism seeks spiritual guidance

By Chung Ah-young Religion has improved the quality of spiritual life of human beings and influenced societal development for a long time through various moral roles in the public sphere by giving ethical inspiration to civil society activity and political discussion. Zen-Master Subul, head of the Anguk Zen Center, stresses the very essence of Buddhism, particularly Seon (Zen) Buddhism — the spiritual guidance — to show people the right direction with a balance between materialistic and spiritual civilizations. To commemorate Buddha’s Birthday which falls today, Master Subul, who puts the Buddha’s teachings into practice, talked about his vision on Seon Buddhism through “ganhwaseon” in an interview with The Korea Times. Ganhwaseon is a traditional way of Seon meditation in which the main practice is to investigate “hwadu” in order to attain enlightenment toward True Nature. Q: What is the purpose of ganhwaseon and why is it so important for people living in modern society? A: The ganhwaseon meditation training is to help people attain enlightenment from

May 9, 2011

Premenstrual syndrome requires medical treatment

By Kelly Frances We’ve all heard the euphemism, “it’s that time of the month.” It may be a cliche, but plenty of women suffer from premenstrual syndrome, or PMS, which refers to uncomfortable symptoms before or during menstruation. The American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists estimates that at least 85 percent of women suffer from at least one PMS symptom, the usual suspects being abdominal cramping, headaches and crankiness. A far smaller number of women — between 12 and 30 percent — suffer severe mood symptoms that would qualify as premenstrual dysphoric disorder, or PMDD. For these women, the struggle to maintain professional and social normalcy can be overwhelming as a sudden hormonal disturbance plunges them into deep sadness, uncontrollable rage, or pushes them to the peaks of anxiety. The change can be so extreme that sufferers are virtually unrecognizable to their loved ones. Fortunately, the troubles vanish after menstruation begins. To diagnose PMDD, doctors look for signs that emotional and physical changes tied to a woman's mon

May 8, 2011

(135) Death of the most wanted terrorist read by saju

Various news reports related to Osama bin Laden are pouring in after his death was announced this week. Most importantly, the specifics about how he was killed, whether he was armed or not, whether and how he resisted, and issues regarding his family, especially his wife who was with bin Laden until his last minutes are continuously reported, sometimes updated or rectified. This was even notified to my cell phone by text messages in real time, saying that the United States killed Osama bin Laden. And the next messages came in asking, what his birthday is and how about his saju and so on. This was the world’s most wanted terrorist, and he has been chased by U.S. forces since the devastating September 11 terrorist attacks in 2001. He is now arousing different kinds of attention after his death. Bin Laden is still the source of prompting fear of reprisals by existing terrorist groups. And it was indeed reported that a threat was delivered about bombs being planted at a company’s headquarters and some Arabic embassies in Seoul. It may be interesting to read his saj

May 5, 2011

Lantern festival to light up world for harmony

By Chung Ah-young Making and hanging lotus lanterns is one of the oldest Buddhist traditions, which continues until today. Yeondeunghoe is a traditional Korean folk festival that goes back to the Silla Kingdom (B.C. 57-935 A.D.). It was inherited as the Lotus Lantern Assembly in Goryeo Kingdom (918-1392) and continued as the Lantern Celebration (Gwandeung-nori) during the Joseon Kingdom (1392-1910). For the welfare of the community and fulfillment of personal wishes, the Lotus Lantern Festival will be held May 6-8 just ahead of Buddha’s Birthday which falls on May 10 this year. Buddha’s Birthday is the biggest day of the year as Buddhists celebrate by attending the Buddha’s Birthday Dharma Service at temples. More than 100,000 colorful lanterns in various shapes such as dragons, elephants, phoenixes, drums, turtles and lotuses decorate the main streets nationwide along with diverse programs and activities. The lanterns are symbols of light, wisdom and compassion that dispel the dark and suffering of the world. Through the lotus lanterns, the dark become bright as Budd

May 4, 2011

Wrist pain: carpal tunnel syndrome

By Yoo Youk-jin Carpal tunnel syndrome is a progressively painful hand and wrist condition caused by overuse of the hand and wrist. It is one of the most common peripheral nerve diseases that can happen to the wrist, and it is 3 times more common in men than women. 50 percent of cases are bilateral and it could be related with workplace repetitive hand activities. Typical symptoms of carpal tunnel syndrome include: ― Vague aching pain in distal, palmar surface of wrist ― More pain at night with wrist flexion ― Numbness, especially in thumb, index and middle finger but not in little finger ― Weakness and clumsiness of hand, even with decreased grip strength ― Symptoms relieved by ‘shaking out’ of the patients’ hands Carpal tunnel syndrome occurs as a result of compression of the median nerve which is running through the wrist. The median nerve provides sensation to the palm side of hand and fingers, with the exception of the little finger. It also provides motor function around the base of thumb. When compression of the median nerve o

May 1, 2011

Rhinoplasty like entertainers

By Shin Hyun-deok In the case of some Asian people, their nose is low or stubby, they look broad-faced and splay-wrinkles on both sides make the mouth protrude with a flat forehead, thus in most cases, they show dissatisfaction with their face and profile. This explains the phenomenon that most patients visiting plastic surgery initially want to get a nose job; but with the passage of time, the number of operations they want has gradually increased. Plastic surgery on the nose is one of the most performed surgeries. However, the general impression of the face is decided by the image given by facial features and basic outline, so getting a nose job doesn't mean that a person’s satisfaction gets higher afterward. In order not to agonize about the choice of plastic surgery, it's important for a patient to get accurate information about which kind of surgery can change his or her own facial “weak spots.” In recent times, "multi-nose plastic surgery" has emerged as a method that can change morphological elements and outline elements through a variety of one-stop operat

May 1, 2011

(134) Expression star 1: how to express yourself

By Janet Shin We all express ourselves in various ways ― by singing, writing, speaking, dancing and so on. Traditionally in Korea, people were required to express their opinions politely or cautiously, so silence was regarded decent, more or less. Accordingly, the original Chinese terminology for the expression star (the element generated by the day master) in saju is written as sang-gwan, which means to debilitate the career star. It implies that rash expression may mislead to defamation. It is obviously important to have an appropriate expression star, but it was also rather an evading star in ancient understanding of fate. It was read that very talented people could not hide their gifts inside their pockets, so the protruding talent might hurt others while it became an easy target of others’ jealousy at the same time. Various talent shows are fascinating Korean people these days. Some Western TV shows, such as “American Idol,” “Project Runway” and “Next Top Model,” have influenced Korean shows to follow similar lines. However, there is something different in the Korean v

Apr 28, 2011

Seminar on indigenous religions to explore legacy of civilizations

By Chung Ah-young The Research Center of Religions of Wonkwang University will hold an academic seminar Friday to examine the roots of Korean spiritual cultures embodied in indigenous religions. Under the theme of “Gaebyeok Thoughts and Spiritual Civilization of Korean Modern Religions,” the seminar will explore the legacy of modern spiritual civilizations through homegrown religions such as Donghak, Jeongyeok, Jeungsangyo and Suwoongyo which emerged at the dawn of modern Korea. Gaebyeok is a term which means opening a new era through new creation with the advent of a new utopia for the Korean Peninsula and its people. “The theme will be dealt with as part of intensive research on Korea’s historical landscape and thoughts. It is also necessary to reinterpret Korean modern religions as part of ideological discourses in the 21st century,” Park Kwang-soo, director of the center, said. The event is expected to reaffirm that homegrown religions are based on the same thought “gaebyeok” to further extend the spectrum of the thoughts of Korean indigenous beliefs and religious

Apr 27, 2011

Laser treatment shaves years off skin

By Kelly Frances Lasers are no longer just for special effects in sci-fi movies. They are the tools shaping the “face” of the future, and they are the salvation of acne sufferers and reformed tanning addicts. Cosmetic dermatology offers absolution from the sunbathing sins of youth, and now, you can do it with as little as a few days downtime. The result is a new generation of faces whose dermatological “age” is hard to guess and subject to change, and the rapid progression of the technology has made it financially accessible to the working class. “Physical appearance is among the key elements for success in today’s corporate and entertainment climate, setting the stage for the growing prevalence of cosmetic dermatology in Korea,” dermatologist Kim Ji-eun said. Kim is the owner of Skin Clinic Ever, located in the heart of Itaewon. The clinic promotes laser treatments to patients seeking to turn back the clock and improve overall skin health. Kim notes that the popularity of the technology is growing exponentially, especially among working women in their 30s. “Frac

Apr 24, 2011

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