Mind Lab Association will hold ‘Healing Universe 2 – Healing and Happiness, Soma Samuryangsim Arts Meditation Journey’ for 2 nights and 3 days at the Korea DMZ Peace Life Ecosphere in Inje, Gangwon-do, from 21 to 23.
This programme is a two-night, three-day arts meditation workshop with arts meditation healing expert Jeong Yeon-jae Ma (Anshinjeong), where participants feel their body and mind in nature, and restore their sense of connection with themselves and others, and with nature.
Introduction to the Arts Meditation Journey programme
This journey focuses on experiencing and internalising ‘soma’ and ‘samuryangsim’ directly through arts meditation. Participants will examine their own body and emotions and experience mutual interconnectedness with others and nature through meditation, sound healing with singing bowls, movement and touch, artistic expression, and activities in the forest.
‘Soma’ refers not to a simple body, but to the whole of life as a body that senses itself and lives in motion. ‘Samuryangsim (四無量心)’ in Buddhism means four minds grown towards oneself and the world: loving-kindness (慈), compassion/mercy (悲), joy (喜), and tranquillity/equanimity (捨).
The programme consists of six sessions in total. On the first day, ‘Dropping anchor: interconnectedness and hospitality’ and ‘Wholeness and presence: interconnectedness and singing-bowl sound healing’ will take participants out of their everyday routine for a time dedicated to focusing on their body and mind and staying in the present. On the second day, ‘Tranquillity: interconnectedness and new eyes’, ‘No boundaries: interconnectedness and support’, and ‘Soma and touch: interconnectedness and compassion’ will be held. In particular, the sessions in the forest are designed to help participants look at the boundary between nature and the body in a new way, and to experience the meaning of connection through senses and relationships. On the final day, participants will have time to carry the connection and joy they experience in the programme into everyday life through ‘A new journey: interconnectedness and joy’.
In addition, they will set aside time to think about peace, life, and the relationship between nature and humans through a special lecture by Jeong Seong-heon, the chairperson of the Korea DMZ Peace Life Ecosphere.
- Led by Jeong Yeon-jae Ma, an arts meditation and healing expert
Jeong Yeon-jae Ma, who runs the programme, is a Buddhist monk of the Jogye Order of Korean Buddhism and holds a doctorate in literature. She also serves as the representative of the AUM Arts Meditation Healing Centre. She is a regular guest on the BBS Radio programme ‘Clearing away the darkness’ in the ‘Meditation is good’ segment, and is active in a wide range of body-and-mind healing areas, including singing-bowl sound healing and meditation, expressive arts psychological counselling, and Buddhist psychological counselling.
The programme differs from existing meditation programmes in that it does not merely teach samuryangsim as Buddhist doctrine, but allows participants to experience and internalise it through bodily sensations and artistic expression, sound and movement, and encounters with nature.
- A workshop for those who want to understand themselves more deeply
Mind Lab’s director Cho Seong-taek said, “In this programme, meditation does not require any special spiritual practice ability. It begins with the experience of feeling and becoming aware of your body and mind as they are,” adding that “we structured the programme so that participants can understand themselves more deeply and restore their sense of connection in life, using nature and art, and sound and movement, as the medium.”
She added, “It is a journey that allows people who want to pause in a busy daily routine to take care of their body and mind, as well as those who found meditation difficult, to take part in an approachable way through art.”
This programme is recommended for: people who want to understand themselves more deeply; people who want to experience healing that cares for both body and mind; people who want to release stress and tension in a healthy way; people who want to experience meditation easily and enjoyably; people who want to cultivate love, compassion, joy and tranquillity; people who want to express themselves freely through art; and people who want to spend time connected with warm-hearted people.
- For 2 nights and 3 days in the nature of Inje, Gangwon
‘Healing Universe 2’ will take place for 2 nights and 3 days at the Korea DMZ Peace Life Ecosphere, located in Inje, Gangwon-do, from Friday 21 August to Sunday 23 August. The participation fee is 300,000 won for the general public, and 210,000 won for Mind Lab members and subscribers to the IPKU newsletter. The participation fee includes 2 nights’ accommodation, 6 meals, and fees for exploring forest trails, while transport costs are separate. For participants’ convenience, carpool matching is also supported. Registration is available via the Mind Lab Association website.
■ Event overview
Event name: Healing Universe 2 – Healing and Happiness, Soma Samuryangsim Arts Meditation Journey
Dates: 21 August 2026 (Fri) to 23 August 2026 (Sun), 2 nights and 3 days
Venue: Korea DMZ Peace Life Ecosphere (1630 Geumgang-ro, Seohwa-myeon, Inje-gun, Gangwon-do)
Organiser: Mind Lab Association, spiritual lifestyle webzine IPKU
Host: Jeong Yeon-jae Ma (Anshinjeong)
Participation fee: 300,000 won (general) / 210,000 won (Mind Lab members & IPKU newsletter subscribers)
Applications: https://forms.gle/hVedMfGJPSKqrmZz7
Enquiries: Mind Lab Association 010-9245-3412 (Senior Researcher Minji Kang, text inquiries) / 02-6954-1977 / desk@ipku.co.kr
* Detailed programmes may change depending on participants’ characteristics and on-site circumstances