박청수교무 ‘내 영혼, 산에 기대어’ 펴내

한국의 ‘마더테레사’ 주인공

한국의 ‘마더 테레사’로 불리는 원불교 박청수 교무가 산행기 <내 영혼, 산에 기대어>를 최근 펴냈다.

박청수 교무는 26년 동안 봉직했던 원불교 강남교당을 은퇴한 후 2008년부터 용인시의 문수산 산자락에 위치한 박물관 ‘삶의 이야기가 있는 집’ 3층에서 조용히 수도생활을 하고 있다.

‘도서출판 十月(사장 박한수)’에서 스승의 날을 맞아 발간한 이번 칼럼집엔 젊은 시절 즐겨 찾던 북한산에서부터 소백산 설악산, 스위스의 알프스. 이집트의 시내산 등반기와 2022년 12월까지 언론에 보도된 주옥(珠玉)같은 글들이 실려 있다.

박한수 사장은 저자가 지구촌의 푸른 하늘과 넓은 땅을 기행하며 맑은 마음의 눈으로 보여주는 사진보다 생생하고 아름다운 산의 이야기와 칼럼이 물질문명으로 힘들어하는 현대인들에게 큰 위안과 격려를 줄 것 같다고 기대했다.

송인엽 한국교원대 전 초빙교수는 박 교무의 지난 60년 활동은 종교 수도자를 넘어 ‘박청수 국제협력단’이라고 할 만하다고 놀라움을 표시했다. 한국국제협력단은 정부에서 책정된 1조 원이 넘는 예산으로 500여 명의 직원이 130여 개국을 돕지만, 박청수 교무는 혼자서 모금하고 자신과 자원봉사자들만의 손으로 합심하여 55개국을 도운 것은 믿기 어려운 기적이라라는 것이다.

송인엽 교수는 강명구 평화마라토너를 응원하다가 2022년 8월에 처음 만난 박 교무의 책 10여 권을 밤새워 읽고 감명을 받아, 저자의 활동이 한국을 넘어 저자가 사랑한 지구촌 곳곳에 귀감이 되어야 한다고 생각했단다. 박청수 교무가 1992년에 설립한 북인도 히말라야의 마하보디 기숙 초등고등학교를 방문한 그는 저자가 2020년에 발간한 <삶의 이야기가 있는 집(A House with a Life Story)> 국내편과 해외편 2권을 영어로 번역하여, 지난 4월에 펴내기도 했다.

A House with a Life Story, 23.4, 도서출판 十月

‘성 라자로 마을’에서 40여년을 격의 없이 어울려 봉사하는 저자를 우연히 목격한 김문환 서울대 교수는 감동하여 <맑을 청(淸) 빼어날 수(秀)>라는 장문의 시를 작시하였고, 이 시가 이원파 작곡가가 칸타타로 작곡하여 2016년도에 서울과 익산에서 공연되어 많은 사람에게 큰 감명을 주었다.

박청수 교무는 어린 시절 어머니의 가르침대로 원불교 교무가 되어 재임시절 마음을 울리는 설법으로 원불교를 서울 강남지역에 뿌리를 내리고 가난하고 소외(疏外)된 지구촌 곳곳을 찾아 교도들의 정성을 모아 55개국을 도왔다. 그동안 학교 9개, 종합병원 2개, 요양원, 어린이 집, 저수지 2개, 74개 마을에 공동우물, 캄보디아 아프가니스탄의 지뢰제거, 아프리카 12개국에 의약품 지원, 히말라야 설산 지역에 겨울옷 보내기, 캄보디아 스리랑카에 여름옷 보내기는 물론 북한 등 지구촌 곳곳의 재난지역에 구호활동을 활발하게 펼쳤다.

어머니 박덕수와 함께 한 박청수 교무 1937년

또한 자신이 설립한 <청수나눔실천회>를 통하여 지금도 월 600만원씩 지원하고 천주교 시설인 성 라자로 한센마을을 40년 넘게 봉사활동 하고 있고, 기독교의 <성미 모으기 운동>, 불교의 <향기롭게 운동> 등에 활발히 참여하여 종교 간의 벽을 넘어 서로 화합하는 종교인의 사명을 다하는 데 앞장섰다.

그러한 활동으로 대한적십자사 박애상 금장(博愛賞金章, 효령상(孝寧賞), 일가상(一家賞), 용신봉사상(容信奉仕賞), 평화여성상, 자랑스런 신한국인상, 만해평화대상, 호암상은 물론 국민훈장 목련장을 수여 받았다. 또한 인도의 암베드카르 국제상과 캄보디아의 사하메트레이 왕실 훈장도 받았다.

성 라자로 한센인 마을에서, 2005.2.9

2010년에는 서울대의 이광규 교수 등 97명이 박청수 교무를 노벨 평화상에 추천, 유력한 수상자로 기대를 모았다. 성남 판교의 LUX 빌딩 이완규 소장은 박 교무의 <삶의 이야기가 있는 집> 상하권과 <내영혼, 산에 기대어>를 친구의 집에서 우연히 보고 박청수 교무는 진정 ‘우리 곁의 살아있는 성자’라고 말하였다.

“석양빛이 내려앉은 북한산은 산빛이 더욱 부드러웠다. 어디선가 또 멧비둘기 소리가 들려왔다. 어린 시절, 내가 산촌에서 듣던 소리, 언제 들어도 정겹고 가슴이 설레는 소리다. 산에서 물소리, 바람 소리, 새들의 노래 그 모든 자연의 합창을 들으면 내 영혼은 깨끗하게 씻겨 있는 듯했다. 북한산은 내 영혼의 휴식처이다. 산에서 내려오면 사물을 보는 나의 눈이 맑아지는 것 같다.” (15쪽)

“알프스 중턱에서 레만 호를 내려다보았다. 아침 일찍 잠에서 깨어나 창문을 활짝 열고 레만 호를 맞는 기쁨은 매우 컸다. 어떤 때는 안개가 자욱하기도 했고, 날씨가 맑을 때는 하얀 솜 같은 구름 한 덩이가 사뿐히 내려앉아 있기도 했다. 레만 호를 바라다보고 있노라면 내 마음은 어느덧 잔잔하고 고요해졌다. 그리고 속이 깊어 심중을 헤아릴 수 없는 사람과 묵묵히 함께 있는 것 같기도 했고 모든 것을 포용하는 너그러운 사람과 함께 있는 편안함을 느끼기도 했다. 레만 호는 나에게 아름다운 시를 한 편 읽어 주기도 했고, 때로는 고운 선율의 음악을 들려주는가 하면, 어느 때는 원근법에 착실한 한 폭의 수채화로 자신의 모습을 바꾸어 보여 주기도 하였다. 저 멀리 백설을 이고 있는 알프스 연봉들을 병풍처럼 두른 레만 호를 내려다보고 있노라면 내 마음은 평화롭고 정서는 윤택해졌다. 하루 동안 밝은 빛과 모든 생성의 에너지를 골고루 대지 위에 나누어 주던 태양이 하루를 작별하기 위해 레만 호에 황금빛 융단을 길게 깔면 호면 (湖面)은 황혼의 붉은빛으로 찬란하게 반짝이며 빛났다. 밤이 되어 호숫가의 작은 동네에서 고운 등불들이 태어나면 레만 호는 환상적 신비 속으로 얼굴을 감추어 버렸다.” (62쪽)

“스물일곱 꽃 나이에 지아비와 사별하여 너희 자매를 키운 건 내가 누린 복락이니 큰 아가야 작은 아가야, 아낙의 삶에도 다른 길 있노니! 우주를 한 집 삼고 세계를 한 지붕 삼아 맑은 물로 가꾸거라 봄바람으로 깨우거라!” (198쪽)

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<꼬리뉴스>

Forever Mother Park Chung Soo's New Book

“My Soul Always with Mountains”

Mother Park Chung Soo, who quietly lives an ascetic life on the third floor of the “House with a Life Story”, a museum located at the foot of Mt. Munsusan in Yongin City, after retiring from the Gangnam Temple of Won Buddhism, for which she served for 26 years, published recently a new book of “My Soul Always with Mountains”.

Book Publishing Company (President Park Han-soo> published the climbing book on Teacher's Day, combining Mother Park's experiences which she frequently climbed Mt. Bukhansan, Mt. Moaksan, Mt. Sobaeksan and Mt. Seorocksan when she was young and the Alfs in Switzerland and Mt. Sinai in Egypt in her later days, and Park's gem-like column reported in the media until December 2022. President Park Han-soo expected that her vivid and beautiful mountain stories and media columns will give great comfort and encouragement to modern people suffering from material civilization rather than the pictures, for the author shows with clear eyes and mind while traveling the blue sky and wide land of the world.

Professor Song InYeup at Korea National University of Education expressed surprise that Mother Park's past 60 years of activities deserve to be called the “Park Chung Soo International Cooperation Agency” far beyond a religious monk’s activities. Professor Song called it an unbelievable miracle saying that, “The Korea

International Cooperation Agency (KOICA) helps 130 countries with a

budget more than one billion dollars set by the government and 500 experts, but Mother Park Chung Soo raised money alone and helped 55 countries only with her own and volunteer’s hands.” Professor Song was impressed after reading more than 10 books of Mother Park, whom he first met in August 2022 while cheering for Peace Marathoner Kang Myongku, and thought that the author's activities should serve as a model for every nation of the world which the author loved beyond Korea. So he translated into English and published in April 2023 one of Mother Park’s books, “A House with a Life Story I (domestic activities) and II (overseas activities), published in Korean. in 2020,

Professor Song InYeup, being dubbed ‘the eternal KOICAman’, personally visited, checked on the spot and filmed the snow mountain area of Ladakh in North India in March 2023, where Mother Park has devoted herself to the past 40 years. He visited

Mahabodi Dormitory Elementary and High School, which was

established in 1992, to convey Mother Park's love to about 800 students and encourage them. In addition, he visited the nursing home to convey Park's love and politely bowed to all the elders in a traditional Korean style. In addition, he confirmed that Karuna

General Charity Hospital, established by Mother Park in 1997, was being under renovation from January to June 2023 with the state budget and that only dentistry was in operation at that time.

Professor Kim Moon-hwan of Seoul National University, a Christian, who happened to witness Mother Park Chung Soo who served at the St. Lazaro Village, a village of HansAAen's disease patients as a catholic facility, for more than 40 years, was moved to write a long poem called ‘Clear Blue Sky(Chung) and Outstanding Water(Soo)’, and the poem was composed by Composer Lee Won-pa as a cantata and performed in Seoul and Iksan in 2016 to impress many people.

Mother Park Chung Soo became a monk of Won Buddhism as her mother wished and taught when she was a child and not only rooted Won Buddhism in Gangnam, Seoul, but also helped 55 countries by visiting poor and underprivileged villages over the world. Mother Park has been actively engaged in relief activities in disaster areas in 55 global countries, including North Korea. such as building nine schools, two general hospitals, a nursing home, two daycare centers, two reservoirs, digging 74 village-common wells, removing landmines in Cambodia and Afghanistan, providing medicine to 12 African countries through KOICA, sending winter clothes to snow mountain area in the Indian Himalayas, Yanbian in China and Pyongyang, and sending summer clothes to Cambodia and Sri Lanka. Mother Park also built 60 rooms of the Guest House for the operation of the schools, hospitals, and daycare centers which she had built and still supports five thousand US dollars per month for the insufficient operation expenses through the Chung Soo Sharing Practice Society she had founded.

In addition, she has been volunteering at St. Lazaro Hansen Village, a Catholic facility, for more than 40 years and actively participated

in Christianity's ‘Collection of Sacred Rice Movemen’ and Buddhism's ‘Scently Movement’ to fulfill the mission of religious people who should harmonize with each other beyond the walls between religions.

For such activities, she was awarded the Korean Red Cross Gold Philanthropy as well as the Korea National Medal of Magnolia. She was also awarded the Ambedkar International Prize in India and the Sahametray Royal Medal in Cambodia.

In 2010, 97 people, including Professor Lee Kwang-kyu of Seoul National University and Minister Kim Sung-jin, recommended Mother Park Chung Soo to the Nobel Peace Prize, but at that time, China's human rights issue suddenly emerged and China's Liu Xiaobo (劉曉波) was selected, leaving us disappointed. Lee Wan-kyu, director of the LUX building in Seongnam, who accidentally saw Park's < A House with a Life story> and <My Soul Always with Mountains> at his friend's house and borrowed them to read through because they were unusual, said Mother Park is truly <a living saint next to us>.

Park Sung-chul of Sillim-dong said that when he first encountered ‘My Soul Always with Mountains’ and ‘A House with a Life Story’, he was fascinated by Park's global service life and turned the page with curiosity, but as well as the author's amazing activities, the sentences were simple and beautiful, so he read through the thick books without knowing the time and was greatly impressed. Eom Kyung-sook, head of the Kkotteul Healing Recitation Center at the International Hana Arts Association, said, “These books are of great literary value beyond the records of Mother Park’s volunteer activities, so I hope there will be a chance to recite the next verse like a poem.” :

Mt. Bukhansan, when the sunset was about to fall down, had a softer mountain color. I heard the sound of a wild pigeon somewhere. The sound I used to hear in the mountain village in my childhood, it's a warm and heart-fluttering sound whenever I hear it.

When I hear the sound of water, the sound of the wind, the song of the birds in the mountains, all the choruses of nature, my soul seems to have been washed cleanly. Mt. Bukhansan is a resting place for my soul. When I come down from the mountain, my eyes looking at things seem to clear up. (Page 15)

I looked down at Lake Lehmann from the balcony in front of my room whenever I had time. The joy of waking up early in the morning and opening the window wide and welcoming the Lehmann was very great. Sometimes it was foggy, and when the weather was clear, a cloud like white cotton settled gently. Looking at Lake Lehmann, my mind became quiet and calm. And I felt like I was silently with someone who was deep inside and couldn't understand his mind, and I felt comfortable with a generous person who embraced everything. Lake Lehmann sometimes read me a beautiful poem, sometimes playing music with a fine melody, and sometimes changing its appearance with a watercolor painting that was faithful to perspective. Looking down at Lake Lehmann, which is surrounded by Alpine peaks with white snow in the distance like a folding screen, my heart was at peace and my emotions were enriched. When the sun, which had distributed bright light and all the energy of life evenly over the earth for a daytime, laid a long golden carpet on Lake Lehman to say goodbye to the day, the lake surface shone brilliantly with the twilight red light. At night, when fine lanterns were born in small villages by the lake, Lake Lehmann hid its face in a fantastic mystery. (page 62)

When you grow up, make sure you become a monk of Won Buddhism. if it's the case, live for a lot of people and make a big living. So my biggest dream since childhood was to become a monk of Won Buddhism. (page 251)

Mother Park Chung Soo smiled calmly, saying that, “Even though I am not an exposed mountaineer, I was born at the foot of Mt. Jirisan, and I enjoyed climbing mountains all my life, and now I live looking at the mountains from the foot of Mt. Munsusan, so my relationship with the mountains is 87 years old.”