Haju Sunim‘s Dharma Talk (1 of 5) from the Farm Retreat 2026

In this opening dharma talk from the 2026 Farm Retreat, Zen teacher Haju Sunim reflects on the profound simplicity and depth of Buddhist practice, using the story of Bodhidharma’s encounter with Emperor Wu as a lens to explore the nature of emptiness, merit, and awakening. He unpacks the famous exchange where Bodhidharma declares 'vast emptiness and nothing holy,' challenging the emperor’s attachment to ritual and accumulation. Sunim reframes Bodhidharma’s nine years of wall-gazing not as physical meditation, but as a metaphor for confronting the 'thought wall' built from habitual patterns, childhood conditioning, and egoic constructs. Drawing from a personal note from Sunim himself, the talk emphasizes the ever-present, unconditioned Buddha mind—already here, beyond impermanence and attachment. The speaker also integrates teachings from Tibetan Buddhist teacher Blaise Baker and the Diamond Sutra, highlighting the importance of openness, curiosity, and the interconnected functioning of all beings as one mind. The retreat’s atmosphere—snowy, quiet, grounded—serves as a living backdrop to this inquiry into presence and non-duality.