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WORK TITLE: The Things You Can See Only When You Slow Down
WORK NOTES:
PSEUDONYM(S):
BIRTHDATE:
WEBSITE:
CITY: Seoul
STATE:
COUNTRY: Korea (Republic)
NATIONALITY:
https://www.penguin.co.uk/authors/haemin-sunim/130602/ * http://www.npr.org/2017/02/12/514731706/things-you-see-when-you-slow-down
RESEARCHER NOTES:
PERSONAL
Male.
EDUCATION:Attended the University of California Berkeley, Harvard University, and Princeton University.
ADDRESS
CAREER
Writer, Buddhist monk, and educator. Teacher of Zen Buddhism.
WRITINGS
SIDELIGHTS
Haemin Sunim is a writer, educator, and Buddhist monk living in Seoul, South Korea. He is known for his Twitter-based program of Buddhist education and inspiration. “The Buddhist monk is a sensation in South Korea where his daily 140-character tweets promote peace and mindfulness on the otherwise hectic social media platform,” commented Lakshmi Singh on the National Public Radio Website. He has more than one million followers on Twitter, noted a writer on the Penguin Website. Many consider Sunim to be among the world’s most influential Zen Buddhist writers and teachers, the Penguin Website writer commented. As Sunim’s reputation among both the Twitter and the Zen Buddhist community continues to grow, his work has expanded to the United States and elsewhere where his message of mindfulness is reaching a new and even larger audience.
Sunim pursued his collegiate education at the University of California Berkeley, Harvard University, and Hampshire College. He received formal monastic training in Korea, the Penguin Website writer noted. Sunim has taught Buddhism at the college level at Hampshire College in Amherst, Massachusetts.
In speaking of the success of his Twitter messages, Sunim told Singh in an All Things Considered interview that he found it easier to communicate in the more personal setting of social media. “I realized that it’s very difficult to give a talk in front of, you know, 100 or 200 people. But I found it much easier by doing it online. People are holding onto their cell phone every day, so I tried that. And then little did I imagine that this will become a huge success,” Sunim told Singh.
His social media success has inspired a full-length book of his Twitter messages. The Things You Can See Only When You Slow Down: How to Be Calm and Mindful in a Fast-Paced World contains an extensive collection of Sunim’s tweets. The book presents Sunim’s Zen-based philosophy on eight different aspects of life: rest, mindfulness, passion, relationships, love, life, the future, and spirituality. By slowing down, he says, we can more easily escape the restrictions of our thoughts and pain. When we have attained some distance from those very personal and individual factors, it is easier to see how to overcome problems and achieve a greater level of personal peace and calmness.
“Sunim has a gift for speaking to the troubles, traumas, and toxins of urban dwellers,” remarked reviewers Frederic and Mary Ann Brussat on the website Spirituality and Practice. A Publishers Weekly writer concluded that The Things You Can See Only When You Slow Down “is perfect for readers looking for a respite from busy lives and tumultuous times.”
BIOCRIT
PERIODICALS
Publishers Weekly, Dec. 12, 2016, review of The Things You Can See Only When You Slow Down: How to Be Calm and Mindful in a Fast-Paced World. p. 143.
ONLINE
Haemin Sunim Twitter Page, https://twitter.com/haeminsunim (October 22, 2017).
National Public Radio Website, http://www.npr.org/ (February 11, 2017), Lakshmi Sing, All Things Considered, “Monk Spreads Buddhist Philosophy with 140-Character Tweets,” interview with Haemin Sunim.
Penguin Website, http://www.penguin.co.uk/ (October 22, 2017), biography of Haemin Sunim.
Spirituality & Practice, http://www.spiritualityandpractice.com (October 22, 2017), Frederic and Mary Ann Brussat, review of The Things You Can See Only When You Slow Down.
Monk Spreads Buddhist Philosophy With 140-Character Tweets
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February 11, 20176:23 PM ET
Heard on All Things Considered
Buddhist monk Haemin Sunim became Twitter-famous with his tweets about faith and mindfulness. His book, a compilation of tweets, went viral in South Korea, and the American edition is out now.
LAKSHMI SINGH, HOST:
It's a tale as old as Twitter. In a spare moment maybe in the elevator or at work or waiting in line at the grocery store, you open up a social media app on your phone and suddenly the floodgates are open, a deluge of memes, news alerts, complaints, annoyances - not exactly a place to find your zen, unless perhaps you've discovered Haemin Sunim's page. The Buddhist monk is a sensation in South Korea where his daily 140-character tweets promote peace and mindfulness on the otherwise hectic social media platform.
Haemin Sunim's tweets are available offline, too, in his book "The Things You Can See Only When You Slow Down." South Korean book sales have taken off with his ideas in paperback as viral as his tweets. Now the books hit the U.S. market. Haemin Sunim is with me now from the Buddhist radio station in Seoul. Thank you for joining us.
HAEMIN SUNIM: Thank you.
SINGH: So this book is in part a collection of 140-character or less tweets, and they read almost like haikus. So can you share with us one of your tweets from this week?
SUNIM: OK. (Reading) Do only one thing at a time. When you walk, just enjoy walking. When you listen, really listen. You will become happier and more center.
SINGH: That's wonderful. We mention your Twitter account because this book is a collection of tweets - we know - but you also have a podcast, and you have a YouTube channel, a Facebook page. When did you first get the idea to bring Buddhist philosophy to social media?
SUNIM: Like about five or six years ago. I realized that it's very difficult to give a talk in front of, you know, 100 or 200 people. But I found it much easier by doing it online. People are holding onto their cell phone every day, so I tried that. And then little did I imagine that this will become a huge success.
SINGH: The word unplug - we've heard that a lot, and it's become sort of shorthand for mindfulness when you can just pick up a phone and instantly find out what's trending on the other side of the world, right? It's a distraction from living in the moment, right? So some might argue, Haemin, that social media and mindfulness are directly opposed to each other. I mean, what you've hit is a contradiction.
SUNIM: Right. I thought about it, too. You can also fight against the technology, but I realize that it's difficult to fight against technology. So rather than fighting it, why don't I provide better content?
SINGH: The first chapter in your book is "Rest." Was that intentional?
SUNIM: Yes (laughter). Because we are living in a very unsettling and busy life nowadays, and we always feel pressured to produce. So I thought that maybe I can provide my readers a moment of reflections and meditations.
SINGH: One of the portions of that chapter was really intriguing. On page 41, the beginning of the chapter called "Befriend Your Emotions." Would you mind reading a bit of that for me?
SUNIM: OK. (Reading) Imagine that a strong negative emotion is like a mud swirling inside a fish tank. To get the mud to sink to the bottom of the tank so that you can have a clear view of the fish, the last thing you want to do is submerging your hands in the muddy water and try to push the mud to the bottom. The more you try to push it down, the more you turn it up. Similarly, you know, attempt to control a negative emotion, you may try to push it down. Unfortunately, the harder you try, the more it resurfaces.
SINGH: How do we take that message? How do we put that into practice?
SUNIM: Well, you can certainly return to your breathing. And also when you are feeling angry or agitated or frustrated, rather than, you know, being lost in that emotion, see if you can become aware of the fact that you are agitated and you are angry. As soon as you are aware of it, you will notice that you are actually stepping outside the emotions and thereby you are not lost in them. So my - one of my core messages is that your mind has much more power and don't think that your mind is just powerless and just vulnerable.
SINGH: Your book was released here in the United States where the power of Twitter has become much more pronounced since it became sort of a go-to mode of communication for our current President Donald Trump. How has this influenced your hopes or your expectations for the impact your work will have on a U.S. audience?
SUNIM: Well, I - to be honest, I don't know how it's going to impact. However, I hope that my message can bring some moment of calmness and reflections, especially in this very unsettling period of time. So that rather than we are lost in those messages, we can take a moment and then bring our attention to our inner side.
SINGH: I'm curious. Tell me about the people who've responded to your daily tweets. Can you give me one or two of your favorite stories most moving to you so far?
SUNIM: I still remember there was a woman who just lost her husband. It was a sudden death, I think, by car accident, and she didn't know what to do. And she was able to read some of my tweets. And she was able to find some moment of peace and calmness. And so she sent me a very heartfelt tweet message to me. And I feel very grateful because I didn't know my little message can have so much meaning to some people.
SINGH: Tell me, Haemin, how do you keep balance in your life between your online presence and your real life? What do you do on a daily basis?
SUNIM: Well, I try to practice mindfulness, and so whenever I feel agitated or unhappy and - you know, try to become aware of it. And also when I'm with friends or people around me, I try to really listen to what they're saying, and that's my - one of my main practice.
SINGH: Haemin Sunim. His book is called "The Things You Can See Only When You Slow Down." Thank you.
SUNIM: Thank you.
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Biography
Haemin Sunim is one of the most influential Zen Buddhist teachers and writers in the world. Born in South Korea and educated at Berkeley, Harvard, and Princeton, he received formal monastic training in Korea and taught Buddhism at Hampshire College in Massachusetts. He has more than a million followers on Twitter (@haeminsunim) and Facebook and lives in Seoul when not traveling to share his teachings. In Korea, his book sold more than three million copies and spent 41 weeks at Number One.
The Things You Can See Only When You Slow Down: How to Be Calm and Mindful in a Fast-Paced World
Publishers Weekly. 263.51 (Dec. 12, 2016): p143.
Copyright: COPYRIGHT 2016 PWxyz, LLC
http://www.publishersweekly.com/
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Full Text:
The Things You Can See Only When You Slow Down: How to Be Calm and Mindful in a Fast-Paced World Haemin Sunim, trans, from the Korean by Chi-Young Kim. Penguin, $18 trade paper (288p) ISBN 978-0-14-313077-2
Sunim, a Korean Buddhist monk educated in America, confronts life's challenges in this practical book, which has sold more than three million copies in Korea. In mostly six- or seven-line stanzas, Sunim presents his philosophy on well-being and happiness in eight areas: rest, mindfulness, passion, relationships, love, life, the future, and spirituality. Using modern colloquial language for concrete examples, he explains that when we slow down, we are no longer tangled with our own thoughts and pain. Much of Sunim's wisdom is common sense: learn from mistakes; build in some personal time in your relationship with your loved one. He also offers insightful observations: the world has never complained about how busy it is, so it is we who are too busy; love is real once you stop trying so hard; it's important to let children know that it's okay to fail. Sunim evokes a calm assuredness in his philosophy, reminiscent of Lebanese-American poet Kahlil Gibran, whose spiritual prose has inspired Sunim. In today's divisive world, Sunim's call for selflessness and generosity sometimes comes across as too idealistic, but his book is perfect for readers looking for a respite from busy lives and tumultuous times. (Feb.)
The Things You Can See Only When You Slow Down
How to Be Calm and Mindful in a Fast-Paced World
By Haemin Sunim
Cogent bites of practical spiritual wisdom for everyday life.
Book Review by Frederic and Mary Ann Brussat
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Haemin Sunim is one of the most popular Zen Buddhist teachers and writers in Korea. He leap-frogged to fame when his advice column for the Korean Ties led to his reign as a social media self-help guru. He has 1.21 million followers on Twitter (@haeminsunim) and 440,000 on Facebook.
This book, which taps into the practical wisdom of Buddhism and psychology, has sold over 3 million copies; it was the #1 bestseller for 41 weeks in Korea. It is divided into eight sections: Rest, Mindfulness, Passion, Relationships, Love, Life, The Future, and Spirituality, plus an epilogue on Your Original Face.
Sunim has a gift for speaking to the troubles, traumas, and toxins of urban dwellers. Be sure to savor his cogent essays about work, getting ahead, trying to change a bad situation, having love in your heart, learning from your mistakes, and patting yourself on the back for working so hard.
Sunim reveals that he takes seriously the yearning we all have for change and personal transformation. For instance:
"Things I liked when I was young but now couldn't care less about:
Airplane rides, all-you-can-eat buffets, horror movies, staying up all night.
Things I enjoy now that I am older:
Mozart, brown rice, meditation, spending time alone, regular exercise.
We change without realizing it. We are in the midst of change even now."
Although Sunin has his own blend of Eastern and Western wisdom, he sees spiritual teachers everywhere:
"A large boulder is an example to us
of how to stay true and not to waver
even when waves of praise or criticism rush over us."
"The toll of a bell is heard far and wide only when the
bell is struck hard.
Your influence won't spread far without the sacrifice of
hard work.
the world notices your efforts more quickly
than you think."
The ample wisdom on these pages is best shared with others. All will also enjoy the simple and colorful artwork by Youngcheol Lee.
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