Korean Job Discussion Forums

[sobriquet]

[caniff]

[Jeff's Cigarettes]

I reckon perhaps he thought he had failed in his Han.

[aquaponics08]

An Oriental Studies student dies by his own Han?!?

[sobriquet]

[yingwenlaoshi]

I'm thinking he wasn't too happy. At least he'll be home soon.

[Cerriowen]

And that's why I make it a point to tell all my students, starting as young as possible, that they're failures and will fail my classes. That way they are more stable individuals when they grow up

Except for the emotional scarring that is...

[yingwenlaoshi]

Yeah, it's funny.

Me: "Tell me about a time when your parents were disappointed in you."

Student: "When I 93 in test."

Me: "93? What's wrong with that? Repeat after me. When I ONLY GOT 93 ON A test."

Student: "When I only got 93 on a test. Oh, it is... so bad."

Me: "Ha! Do you think you're getting 93 in this class?"

[nosmallplans]

[samd]

What's the point of posting this article? To use a guys suicide as an excuse to have a go at Korea? Pretty low OP.

[sarbonn]

[Guri Guy]

It's a shame what happened. Students commiting suicide is all too common in South Korea.

I am curious how Buddhists view suicide.

[sobriquet]

[Guri Guy]

Good point. The Korean view of Christianity sure seems different to me so I guess Buddhists wouldn't be the same here as well.


Here are a Korean Buddhist's views on it:

Dharma Talks/Teachings
Beopjeong Sunim's Dharma Talk 2008 October


Suicide Only Contributes to the Self-destroying Karma

These kind of natural wonders are all around us. However, not many of us know how to enjoy the fresh air and bright moon. Rivers and mountains originally have no owner. Those who can appreciate their sight and feel are the owners of the rivers and mountains. It is because we only look outside that we are caught by external conditions and traps, and we do not discover these things (natural wonders).

There are many who take their own life in this wonderful age. More than 30 people per day cannot overcome that day to commit suicide. It�s never something to be proud of, but the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development lists with the highest per capita suicide rate.

There�s nothing as precious and valuable as life. This life can only be lived once. Yet we throw aside such a life. Even at this moment, countless patients are tied to respiratory machines to live a few more minutes of life. It is a disgraceful act to cast aside this magnanimous life. To take one�s life never relieves one from suffering. Death is not the end, but the beginning of another life.

Suicide creates �self-destroying karma� which chains us to Samsara. Ultimately, suicide only contributes to the self-destroying karma. Everything we see, hear, or say becomes karma. This can never finish all at once. Like the law of inertia, this becomes habit and karmic force, and then to karmic residue.

Anyone can have the impulse to commit suicide. However, as time passes we would discover the reason is that we could not free ourselves from the chains of anguish. Suffering does not last. If there are clear days, there will be cloudy days. Our lives are always changing, not static. Not only external conditions, but our thoughts also change. Even a sense of hopelessness, which seems like will never end, is only temporary.

Even those who were ready to cast aside the world by suicide, if they could have broken free from their temporary desperate trap to see widely everyday life with a clear head; they could have broken out of their extreme view to have started their life anew with a wider perspective. They could not break free from the extreme view of �only this way,� to commit an unthinkable act. None of us must fall victim to temporary thoughts. To say again, nothing is fixed, everything changes.

http://www.koreanbuddhism.net/master/dharma_talk_view.asp?cat_seq=32&content_seq=511&priest_seq=21&page=1

Mind you, I guess there might be differing views on the subject.

Buddhist Monk Attempts Suicide in Protest
Sat, 2008-08-30 17:04 � ABN

This story from The Korea Times says the monks was trying to kill himself; other news reports claim he slashed himself in protest. ABN
___________

A South Korean Buddhist monk Saturday attempted to disembowel himself in protest against what he claims to be religious discrimination by the government, Yonhap News reported quoting police.

According to police, Ven. Sambo wrote a note in his blood reading "Stop discriminating against Buddhism" and attempted a suicide at Jogye Temple in central Seoul. He was taken to a hospital and police said he is not in a life-threatening condition.

http://www.americanbuddhist.net/buddhist-monk-attempts-suicide-protest
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Regarding Ven. Sambo's suicide attempt Sunday, Ven. Seungwon advised fellow Buddhists that they should express their demands in a peaceful way.

``Ven. Sambo attempted to disembowel himself based on the `webeopmanggu' (willing to hurt the flesh for justice and law) spirit. Our beliefs of trying to end religious discrimination and realize public harmony must be carried out peacefully and abide by Buddhist teachings, not radical actions,'' he added.

http://www.buddhistchannel.tv/index.php?id=45,7048,0,0,1,0

[Viaje]

Its ironic that a Buddhist would kill himself over a disappointment. Not that a Korean or Asian would, because that is common with the academic pressure they have to do well. But a Buddhist is taught to accept suffering and to not be attached to things, and even the Phd is a form of attachment--its ok to want it but if denied they would teach not to let it be so important; and it can be rectified by resubmitting the thesis. My feeling is that he behaved in the end more like a pressured Asian student, rather than like a Buddhist. Its doubly ironic that the Phd was in Buddhism. Sad story.
I heard recently that there are many suicides happening now in Japan, due to people losing their jobs.