'Mute' and meet your inner compassion. BTN Buddhist TV, the head monk of Jeonggaksa Temple in Seoul, who has been conveying life's comfort, courage, and wisdom to many Buddhists with his warm and cozy voice, took the microphone. He touched on a topic that anyone who has ever prayed in their life is interested in and curious about. 'How do you pray?' The unexpected question that Jeongmok brought up instantly sucked the audience into the lecture. Why do we raise our voices when we fight? When we are angry, when we want to take the initiative, when we want to assert that we are right... The answer is that we think our hearts have grown distant. The psychological distance between two people who fight loudly in close physical proximity is thousands of miles. Everyone agreed with Jeongmok's explanation that they think their hearts have grown distant and that their voices will reach the other person's heart while swearing, but in the end, they cannot meet and end up yelling even more. "Prayer is the opposite. Rather, it is silence. Prayer is the way to express a wish in a quiet voice and have that voice reach the other person or oneself. There are prayers that are done while crying, but it is better to go deep inside and meet yourself silently.” Monk Jeongmok, who attempted a methodological approach, recommended meditation or precession for introverts and bowing or prostration for extroverts as a method of prayer. In particular, he recommended three prayers: gratitude, purification, and tonglen. Monk Jeongmok explained that “there is no prayer that changes my life as much as this one.” The prayer is gratitude. The monk said, “Even when there is nothing to be thankful for, saving is gratitude.” He also asserted, “A prayer that is done because of ~ is not a prayer of gratitude.” The prayer of gratitude was unconditional, regardless of the reason. “At this moment, there is no moment when I am not thankful for the existence of this one being. Everything in the world existed and exists for me. It is something to be thankful for. I am thankful for the mattress that receives my tired body, and I am thankful for the blanket that covers my body so that it does not get cold. I have been praying this prayer for over 20 years. I am thankful for the cup that gave me water. When I am thankful for everyone in the world, my life becomes richer.” Monk Jeongmok said that the power of prayer lies in the mind that is considerate of others. This is also the reason why prayer is not difficult. He said that every single act of consideration is a prayer. He emphasized that prayer is not just about going to a temple or church, putting your hands together, and chanting. The monk emphasized again that “the power of prayer is the mind that does not want to harm even a small life.” #JeongmokMonk #BuddhaBigQuestion #Prayer