Review | The Things You Can See Only When You Slow Down

This is a book like no other. If I were to choose a category for « The Things You Can See Only When You Slow Down », I would put it somewhere between Self-Help, Education and Autobiography. One thing is guaranteed: the book will take you on a trip within You, on an unprecedented journey of self discovery. 

In a nutshell, Haemin Sunim, « one of the most influential Zen Buddhist teachers and writers in the world » from Korea, explains how to be calm in a busy world. He does it not by telling a story, not by sharing the teachings he got during his years of formal monastic training at the Haein monastery in South Korea, neither by narrating his own experiences in life, nor by asking the reader questions that prove that he went through the same thing you are probably going through now. Rather, he did it all.

Chapter Eight :Spirituality, page 248, Haemin suggests: « Faith is overvalued while practice is undervalued. If we emphasize faith over practice, spirituality remains ideology, creating theological conflicts. But if we focus in carrying out the teachings in our actual lives, we realize that the love taught by Jesus is no different from the compassion taught by Buddha. If you wish for peace among different spiritual paths, then practice what you preach. »

Turn the page backwards, and you’ll find one of the lines of wisdom that captivated me the most:
« We must cultivate all three intelligences for our overall health: critical intelligence, emotional intelligence, and spiritual intelligence. If one falls to the wayside, it slows the growth of the other two. » He goes on to explain that « If you have developed critical intelligence but neglected emotional intelligence, then you may not be sensitive to the suffering of others. If you have developed emotional intelligence but neglected spiritual intelligence, then you may lose hope after seeing the world’s suffering. If you have developed spiritual intelligence but neglected critical intelligence, then you may fall victim to the abuse of a cult. »

On a literature note, the book is an easy (and quick) read, despite being seemingly lengthy. The style is light, elegant and deep. The author seems to follow the golden rule of Few Words, Extraordinary Wisdom. Yet, you will definitely feel, as you read, that most of it is already known to you. The book, in this regards, serves as a reminder of what is essential in life. Tranquility, peace of mind, softness are among the basics of well-being that you might want to revive in you while enduring in a busy world.

The book has eight chapters. Starting from Rest, ending with Spirituality, going through Mindfulness, Passion, Love, … When I first started reading, I decided that it would be only on my bed, before sleeping. The title and the author made me expect a book that will help me feel calm and relaxed. I looked for the right state of mind that will make it easier for me to fall asleep, maybe even help me have a better night sleep. In this regard, Haemin Sunim did a great job in writing a book that truly speaks to people who have a busy life, live in stressful environments, or need to manage many things at once. All these make one’s mind crave for rest, whether when it’s time to go to bed, or during the weekends and the holidays ».

« How to rest? » might then be a real challenge. The solution, according to Haemin Sunim, lies in a good management of emotions, coupled with a savoir-faire when it comes to relationships (or how to deal with others) and knowledge of the true inner self. This is all what this book is about.

Throughout the early chapters of the book, there is a clear invitation from the author to be mindful about the ‘observer’ that lies within each of us. There is a warm invitation, at times of calamities, to retreat from the ocean of negative emotions surrounding us, and « Observe the changing energy both attentively and lovingly as it unfolds in the space of your mind. » I smiled widely when I later read: « Do not fight your negative emotions. Observe and befriend them. »  As easy as it may sound, putting these wise words into practice is ultimately what the monks in Haein monastery and other cult places around the world are being trained to master. It is also one of the main calls of monodeist beliefs, for it is indeed oneself (and the turmoil of changing thoughts and emotions) that it is the most challenging to deal with.

By now, you might be telling yourself that this book is too theoretical, that the teachings you will find are perhaps too perfect to be effective in the real world. Well, try this « Do memories cause you pain? Practice being in the present moment. Turn your attention to the here and now. Notice that your thoughts subside when you focus on the present. As your thoughts quiet, so, too, the memories. Because memories are, in essence, thoughts. » and this: « If you would like to sleep more peacefully, as you lay your head on your pillow, think of the people whom you are grateful to, or the times you helped others and felt good about yourself. It will warm your heart, gifting you with more peaceful sleep. » How about this: « Do you feel unsettled or depressed? Then look at a child »s sleeping face for one minute. You will soon feel ripples of peace. »

To conclude, I would also like to point out that this book, in its most popular Penguin Books Edition, has been made colorful and pleasant to read thanks to the paintings of Young-Cheol Lee, a Korean artist with an admirable simple style, that you can peacefully discover here.