Opinion | โ€˜Think of your husband as a dog.โ€™ Sage marriage advice from Korean monk Venerable Pomnyun


By Jason Lim

โ€œMy husband doesnโ€™t respond to me when I complain to him about something,โ€ a middle-aged woman grumbles to Venerable Pomnyun, a well-known Korean Seon (Zen) Buddhist monk who is famous for his ability to deliver profound life lessons in simple, sometimes startling ways.

โ€œDoes a dog answer you when you ask it a question?โ€ Venerable Pomnyun responds with his question. โ€œNo, of course not. Thatโ€™s why itโ€™s easier to raise a dog. You donโ€™t ask a dog whether it wants to eat or not. You just feed it, and itโ€™s grateful for it.

โ€œSo, think of your husband as a dog that you are raising, and you will have no problems at all. I mean, your husband goes to the bathroom by himself, right?โ€

Venerable Pomnyun is a Korean Zen Buddhist monk famous for his ability to deliver profound life lessons in simple ways. Photo: Taeyeun
Venerable Pomnyun is a Korean Zen Buddhist monk famous for his ability to deliver profound life lessons in simple ways. Photo: Taeyeun

โ€œYeah โ€ฆโ€ the questioner agrees sheepishly.

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