Chapter Three : Practice 20

Song Tosŏng was so fond of reading the newspaper that he would stop doing the work at hand to read it; and even when there was something urgent to do, he would at least look at the headlines before taking up his work with his mind at ease. One day, the Founding Master admonished him, “Seeing how you get lost in something as trivial as newspaper reading, I worry that you may do the same with other matters as well. Everyone has things that they like to do and hate to do. When ordinary people are doing something they like, they become drawn to it, losing their undivided and true mind. When they are doing something they hate, they become so entangled in it that they lose sight of their true responsibilities as human beings. They do not walk the right path of impartiality and attract hardship and suffering to themselves. These sorts of people ultimately do not attain tranquility of spirit or radiance of wisdom. I am warning you about such a trivial matter in order to give you a realistic picture of how your spirit becomes influenced. You should not be drawn in by things that you either like or hate, but should always follow the right path, thereby controlling the myriad sensory conditions rather than being controlled by them. Then, you will preserve forever your true and noble original nature.”

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