THE DHARMA DISCOURSES O...

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THE DHARMA DISCOURSES OF CARDINAL MASTER CHŎNGSAN(CHŎNGSAN CHONGSA PŎBŎ)

Part Two: Dharma Discourses

Chapter Seven: Exhortations to Practice of the Way

37

37. In the preface to his History of the Founding of the Society for the Study of the Buddhadharma (as the Order was officially named during the Japanese colonial period), the Master wrote, “It is said that history is a mirror on the world, because, regardless of the era, the rise and fall and prosperity and degeneration of all things are reflected in history. However, a person who is studying history cannot be said to have a complete understanding of its true face simply by learning and remembering all the names of places and persons, as well as the chronologies, based merely on what is written. Rather, only by comprehending well the general trend of the time, the mental attitude of the chief actors, and the system and general thrust of the laws and institutions can one see the true face of history; only then will history become a mirror that reflects everything both internal and external. Hence, we must inquire into what kind of mission has been given to our Order, what the characteristics of the age are, how great a sage the Founding Master was, what kind of dharma he taught, what the process involved in founding the Order was, and what its ultimate prospects are.”