The Four Great Principles

We do not want to be useless to the world because we are Buddhist practitioners but to be very useful to our families, society and our nation through the practical application of the Buddhadharma.

Sotaesan

Right Enlightenment and Right Practice means that we are to be enlightened to and model ourselves after the truth of Il-Won, the mind-seal rightly transmitted by buddhas and enlightened masters, so that we can act perfectly without bias, attachment, excessiveness, or deficiency when we use our six sense organs: eyes, ears, nose, tongue, body, and mind.

The Awareness of Grace and Requital of Grace means that we put gratitude into practice by deeply feeling and knowing the content of the grace we have received from heaven and earth, parents, fellow beings, and laws, and modeling ourselves wholeheartedly on that way of indebtedness. Even in a situation where we might be resentful, we should respond with gratitude knowing that from which all grace derives, and giving thanks.

Practical Application of the Buddhadharma means we should not be incapable of handling worldly affairs because of being attached to the buddhadharma, but instead be able to handle worldly affairs even better because of being a buddhist disciple. In other words, our aim is that we should not be useless in the world by being a buddhist, but, through our practical application of the buddhadharma, we become useful people who can help individuals, families, societies, and nations.

Selfless Service to the Public means that we should abandon thoughts only of ourselves or our own families and self-indulgent conduct, and devote ourselves with sincerity to the noble task of delivering sentient beings through an altruistic Mahayana practice.