A new book has arrived for modern readers who lose themselves in the present, weighed down by regret over what has passed and anxiety about tomorrow that hasn’t come yet. Jeongmok Sunim, who has helped popularize mind training and meditation beyond the boundaries of religion, has published his new book 『Daily Meditation by Jeongmok Sunim』(Suoseojae).
Jeongmok Sunim—known as the “first Korean female Buddhist nun DJ” and a longtime leader in popularizing mind training through the internet mind-training broadcast “Yuna Broadcasting,” among other platforms—uses this book to propose a “life meditation beginner’s guide.” Rather than grand moments of enlightenment, the book helps anyone look after themselves in daily life with an investment of just 10 minutes a day. It presents meditation not as sacred, special practice, but as a healthy daily habit, soothing the tired minds of busy modern people.
Instead of grand enlightenment or difficult doctrine, this book is a “life meditation beginner’s guide” that helps anyone care for themselves in their lives with an investment of 10 minutes a day. It presents meditation as a healthy daily-life habit, not as a sacred spiritual practice.
Includes voice-guidance QR codes… from a “book you read” to “meditation you do”
The biggest feature of this new book is its considerate layout designed to help readers practice. Each chapter includes QR codes, allowing readers to follow along with meditation on the spot while listening to Jeongmok Sunim’s calm voice. The book is designed so readers don’t stop at understanding concepts through text, but naturally carry that understanding into practice.
Starting with mindfulness, the book walks readers step by step through a journey toward a meditative life, covering anger, despair, anxiety, forgiveness, growth, and compassion. It also includes a variety of meditation methods that can be applied depending on the situation and your condition.
When anger and rage surge: Don’t dance with the flames; run or take a walk for 1 minute and 30 seconds and observe where the energy of anger flows—Kumbhaka breathing
When despair and depression arrive: Hold on to your mind by imagining a fish that lights its own light deep under the distant sea—body observation meditation, hand stretching meditation
When anxiety overwhelms you: Notice that anxiety is a prank your own mind creates—tapping the clavicle point, sound meditation
When you need focus and to organize your mind: Looking-at-the-second-hand meditation, breathing meditation, counting meditation, barefoot walking meditation
When you want to wrap up a tired day or heal wounds in relationships: Bell-sound meditation, forgiveness meditation, Tonglen meditation, customized meditation for families, teens, and office workers
“Meditation is the work of pulling out an old nail stuck in the mind”
Jeongmok Sunim explains meditation as “the work of pulling out an old nail stuck in the mind.” That is because our unconscious mind is like a nail stuck in a tree. It doesn’t change easily unless you make the effort to remove it yourself. Only when you discover and empty out old patterns of thought and mental habits does the power of a new mind arise.
The monk said, “There is nothing you gain through meditation. Rather, you gain the true strength of the mind only when you set down the desire to obtain something,” stressing the importance of “the power to keep going consistently” more than the techniques of doing meditation well. He also reminds readers that long-held hatred and resentment ultimately tense up one’s own body and mind, and that forgiveness is the most active practice to heal “yourself,” not the other person.
In the book’s final chapters, it connects everyday concerns we face every day—family relationships, teens’ growth, and office workers’ stress—to the seat of meditation, showing a path where life and practice become one.
10 minutes a day: a small practice of taking a breath and checking the texture of your mind. 『Daily Meditation by Jeongmok Sunim』 will be a sturdy, warm lighthouse in the mind for everyone living through a complex and steep era.
Book information: 『Daily Meditation by Jeongmok Sunim』 | Written by Jeongmok | Suoseojae | 300 pages | 18,500 won
