These days, it is hardly unusual to wake to a smartphone alert and ask artificial intelligence what needs to be done that day. Convenience has grown, but people increasingly lose track of where their minds are in the moment. Meditation practitioners and scholars from South Korea and abroad will gather to search for answers to that question together.
The meditation conference and Seon Meditation Concert of the 7th Seoul International Meditation Expo, titled 《2026: Awakening Together》, will be held Sept. 17 (Thursday) and 18 (Friday) at Namsan Hall on the third floor of Dongguk University’s Main Building. The event is organized by the Institute of Jonghak Studies at Dongguk University’s Academy of Buddhist Studies, led by Venerable Jeong Do, and sponsored by the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism. Admission is free. Details and registration are available on the official website, mind.dongguk.edu, and Instagram.
The faster technology moves, the more the mind falls behind
As artificial intelligence takes over decision-making and algorithms anticipate personal preferences, people are increasingly saying they have less time to look inward. This conference was organized to create that space again. Practitioners, scholars and experts from South Korea and abroad will come together to examine the meaning and wellness value of Seon meditation in an age of science and technology, and to explore how it can expand into the cultural and arts spheres. They will consider how artificial intelligence and advanced technology affect human judgment and daily life, while examining the role Seon meditation can play in restoring self-reflection and peace of mind.
Day one: Revisiting a fundamental question in the AI era
The first day’s conference, beginning at 1 p.m. Sept. 17, will focus on “Seon Meditation in the Age of Science and Technology.” Venerable Subul, abbot of Anguk Seon Center and a distinguished professor at Dongguk University, will open the program with a presentation titled “Why Ganhwa Seon Again in the AI Era.” Minas Kafatos, a professor of computational physics at Chapman University, will address “The Essence of Mind,” followed by Shizuka Sasaki, professor emeritus at Hanazono University, who will discuss “The Importance of Buddhism in an AI Society.” Yu Gi-joon, professor emeritus at Sangji University, will also present.
Day two: The language of wellness offered by meditation
Beginning at 10 a.m. Sept. 18, the focus will shift to “The Wellness Value of Seon Meditation,” exploring the intersections of meditation, mental health, compassion, peace and mindfulness. Venerable Yongta, chairman of the Happy Village Foundation, will open the presentations with “The Buddha and the Path to Awakening.” Rashad Aliyev, an assistant professor and director of the Innovation Center at ADA University in Azerbaijan, will follow. In the afternoon, Thubten Tendar, director of the Summer Institute for Nonviolence at the University of Rhode Island, will present “The Effects of Compassion Education for College Students,” while Ahn Hee-young, director of the Korea MBSR Mindfulness Institute, will ask “Where Should Korean Meditation Go From Here?” Together, the speakers will discuss meditation’s practical possibilities in modern life.
A night between sound and silence: Seon Meditation Concert
The Seon Meditation Concert will follow the academic program at 4:30 p.m. on Sept. 18 at the same venue. Inspired by the Oxherding Pictures, which depict a practitioner’s journey in search of an ox, the concert will bring traditional Korean music and contemporary sound together on one stage. Audience members will do more than simply listen to music; by following the sounds, they may encounter a moment of suddenly looking inward. Designed as an interactive performance that guides participants to face their own minds as they move between music and silence, the concert will turn this year’s Expo theme, “Awakening Together,” into a shared experience.
How to open the door to the mind
All programs at the event, including the meditation conference and Seon Meditation Concert, will also be streamed live on the official YouTube channel. Those unable to attend in person can still share the same questions at the same time from the other side of a screen. For anyone who wants to pause briefly amid an accelerating world and speak to themselves, Namsan Hall at Dongguk University during the third week of September may offer a clue to the answer.
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