and Korea, and was ordained in 2000, after which he
continued his studies and worked in the New York
temple of his master, going on to teach Asian religions
at Hampshire College in Massachusetts.
HAPPINESS NOW
The Things You Can See Only When You Slow Down,
a collection of Haemin’s teachings and advice to help
“connect with the kinder and wiser side of yourself,”
published seven years ago, surprised both him and
his publishers by selling three million copies to date,
a hit both in the East and West.
Haemin believes that there is an equal need for
mindful teachings on both sides of the world and
that living too fast isn’t just a symptom of Western
lifestyles. The main inspiration for the book was
another lesson learned from his South Korean
childhood: that material ambitions often turn out to
be a mirage. “Society was better, the political system
was better, but we were still unhappy, so what was
happening? It’s like when you buy what you thought
was your dream house and you think you’ll be happier
“ThethingI lovetodois walk,
preferablyinnature.I practisewhat
ThichNhatHanhsays:‘Walkasif you
arekissingtheearthwithyourfeet.’”
when you have it and you then see something better.
We must stop this train or we’ll never reach the
destination we dream of.” How do you apply the brakes
then, Haemin? “It’s about bringing your mind to the
present moment and appreciating what’s here.” He
gestures by opening his hand towards the table in front
of him, then holding up the white bone china cup.
Against the chatter and clatter of a London hotel lobby,
he says: “If I can appreciate this English Breakfast tea,
which I will not have when I get back to Korea, then it
makes me happy.” He takes a sip. “And the thing I love
to do wherever I am is walk. I take an hour, preferably
in nature, after meditation and breakfast. I practise
what [Vietnamese monk] Thich Nhat Hanh says:
‘Walk as if you are kissing the earth with your feet.’”GOOD INTENTIONS
Hand in hand with mindfulness is what Haemin
calls intentional living: taking control of your life
and planning your time. “When you care for yourself
first, the world will also find you worthy of care,” he
says. “In the same way that when you’re in love and
you want to spend time with that person only – you
deserve your care and attention. Treat yourself to a
delicious meal, a good book, a nice walk with a lovely
view.” If a Buddhist monk tells us to be kind to
ourselves, who are we to argue?
“We are so busy using phones, computers, TV, that
we go to bed late – so the next morning, we are already
tired as we have only had six hours instead of seven or
eight. So, one of the kindest things you can do is go to
bed an hour early... or get up an hour later.” And on the
theme of technology: “Rather than being in reactive
mode, when you feel as if you’re not in control of your
life and you waste time, have an intention not to
respond to every message as soon as it appears, but tell
yourself you are going to check your phone only once
in the morning, afternoon and evening.”
Despite Haemin’s prolific advice, he admits – with
typical humility – that he is still a work in progress
and perhaps this is as encouraging as his other
insights: “The hardest thing in the world is putting
what you know into practice, and making sure your
actions don’t contradict your words. Looking at myself,
the gap between the two still seems very wide.”
Love for Imperfect Things by Haemin Sunim (Penguin)
is available now. Visit haeminsunim.com for more or
follow Haemin on Instagram at @haemin_ sunim.WISDOM