The Yun Hwa Sangha (meaning Lotus Flower practicioners) is a Buddhist order consisting of monks, nuns, laymen and laywomen.

From a Buddhist perspective, suffering and unhappiness exist in this world because people do not realize who they really are, and hence do not use their full potential.

The Buddha teaches us, that “Everybody has Buddha Nature”.

To awaken to this Absolute Reality is called “Enlightenment”. Our mission is to facilitate the attainment of enlightenment in order to live like a beautiful Lotus Flower, in the middle of the social world, untainted by any impurity.

So, always staying in the realm of emancipation, existence has to be lived each day as if like painting a beautiful work of art on a white canvas. On this there will be patterns of individual beautiful creations of life which become most appreciated and treasured. Living this kind of life is meant not only for personal pleasure but also to awaken the minds of others with beauty and bliss.

“Buddhism” is a word that most people immediately create a concept about when they hear it. But the Buddha wanted us to break through the wall of our concepts and fabrications, so we can be free of our delusions and see the world as it really is. Buddhism is not foremost a religion, but a method to become enlightened which has proven to be successful for more than 2600 years.

Learning this method requires help from someone who has realised it for oneself: a guide, a teacher, a master. Just as playing piano cannot be done beautifully without tutelage, so to do we approach the Dharma. Supreme Matriarch Ji Kwang Dae Poep Sa Nim, is our master, founder of the Yun Hwa Sangha and present day lineage holder of an unbroken succession of masters starting with the historical Buddha of our age, Shakyamuni Buddha. Just as all enlightened masters since the Buddha, Dae Poep Sa Nim’s greatest wish is for all students to become masters themselves.

The essence of the teaching in our tradition is that all living beings have Buddha nature, which means we are a family and all live together in this place of Buddha. Always according to cause and condition, we connect and according to cause and relation, we separate. But no matter what kind of connection, cause and condition, all relationships must be considered in a most precious way of goodness. It can then be seen that badness disappears and everyone can live a comfortable and happy life.

By performing actions of goodness and helping others, the true aspect of ourselves can be rediscovered because the self, which undertakes good deeds, is actually the true Dharma and the true entity.

“Everything is created by the mind alone.” This is an ancient buddhist realization. So whether we experience a life of suffering or a life of prosperity and happiness depends on our mental processes. Thoughts become words, words become actions and our actions become who we are. Every moment we give something to others whom we are connected with – our countenace, our emotions, our behaviour - in this way, every single moment is shaping our life and the life of others. By practicing we learn how to observe and train our mind so we become joyful ourselves and transmit that positive energy to those around us.

Buddhism is realization. Hence the Buddha always insisted we should not merely passively accept what he is teaching us, but question everything and check it against our own experience to see for oneself. The pure act of questioning is at the heart of Buddhism.

The Buddha expounded Sutras because people asked questions: Thus questions are equally important as answers. So for the seeker of truth what question could be more important than “who am I?”

In the tradition of the Yun Hwa Sangha , Buddhism is unrestricted by dogmas of specific times or cultures and seen as being universal. The teaching of Buddha does not belong to any country, region or continent but is valid and relevant in any place on this beautiful globe.

While most of the practice is done individually, it is important to at least once in a while get together with other practitioners to share realizations and practice together.