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Seicho-No-Ie News

STUDENTS’ SEMINAR HELD IN THE REPUBLIC OF KOREA


“KNOWING IS PRACTICING”

The 21st Republic of Korea Students’ Seminar was held from August 15 to 17 at a youth training center in Gyeongsangnam-do. The number of attendees was 117, including 39 first-timers (33%). They studied the truth that man is a child of God.

This Seminar is held every year for elementary, middle school, and high school students. This year’s Seminar aimed to teach: (1) the wonderfulness of gratitude, and (2) the importance of treating everything with care, as well as (3) help to intuitively feel the Truth from actual practice. Rev. Masashi Shindo (Ordained Minister, Vice Chief of Youth and Young Adult Association) was dispatched from the International Headquarters as a lecturer. The Seminar was also guided by Rev. Jeong Hee Kim (Assistant Minister, Chairman of Kwang Myong Hoy), Rev. Jeong Ho Kim (Assistant Minister, Vice Chairman of Kwang Myong Hoy) and Regional Lecturers.

According to Kwang Myong Hoy, there was a session designed to enable the attendees to not only understand the Truth intellectually but also get an actual feel for the Truth from experience so that knowing and practice become the same.

Specifically, a session was held on four themes: “Look at the Bright Side of Things and Be Grateful,” “Man Is a Child of God,” “Gratitude to One’s Parents,” and “In Order to Make This World Better.” Each theme had a lecture, discussion, group workshop and presentation, and closing lecture, in that order. For example, during the “Look at the Bright Side of Things and Be Grateful” workshop, each attendee expressed his gratitude by artistically expressing himself in his talented area, such as painting, cartoon, poetry, and letter-writing, which was followed by group presentations.

Comments received from the attendees included: “I realized that I like my parents very much (a 10 year old elementary school pupil)”; and “I was touched by the teaching that one should ‘look at the bright side of things (an 18 years old senior high school student).

Rev. Shindo commented, “Many people worked very hard from the Seminar’s preparatory stage with a hope of developing youth. I believe that by developing leaders among the youth, who will hold Readers’ Meetings, the Movement’s organization will greatly improve in the Republic of Korea.”


Remarks by Rev. Leong Hee Kim,

Chairman of Kwang Myong Hoy

“We separated the attendees by age into elementary school students, high school students, and mothers who came along and assigned a different lecturer to each group. This helped the attendees to concentrate on their study. The students were touched by Rev. Shindo’s cheerful and sincere personality. The Seminar proceeded amid a wonderful atmosphere and turned out to be a fulfilling one.”