Welcome, and thank you for visiting my modest gallery tucked away in a quiet corner.

Here you will find a variety of my works—large and small, diverse in character and spirit. I arranged them in this way because, seen together, they may give you a clearer sense of who I am.

To be honest, I often feel my lack of formal training and the limited time I have been able to devote to art. Yet I continue without pause—feeling, learning, and growing in the process.

I am not a master of any single field, nor do I belong wholly to any place. Take what you see as it is, and carry with you whatever impressions remain. Though I began in earnest later in life, I have always sought to keep faith with my first intent—to let neither results nor criticism define me, but to follow the quiet integrity of my own path in art.

At times, a sudden impulse led me to submit small works to competitions, and a few were recognized. In Korea, I once taught art at a high school for about ten years. In 2009, after twenty years of living in Australia, I returned to Korea, where I now work as a sculptor. That, in essence, is the whole of my artistic journey.

I have no interest in heavy philosophy. What moves me are the kinds of impressions that feel like music, and the vivid realities that the world tirelessly brings forth.

I love travel and every kind of documentary, and hold special respect for the creators of BBC Earth, whose programs I watch with admiration. And one thing is certain: without music, I imagine my veins would carry nothing but plain water.

Perhaps artists are simply those who live in the busy square between the entrance of expectation and the exit of fulfillment.

Even if you arrived here by chance, I am grateful.

Yoonki Hong
Born 1952

ADORE-GALLERY
85 Cheongun-ro, Mungyeong-eup, Mungyeong-si Gyeongsangbuk-do, Republic of Korea

The 108 Repentance Verses

THE 108 REPENTANCE PRAYERS ARE, TO MY KNOWLEDGE, ORIGINATED AND PRACTICED WITHIN KOREAN BUDDHISM

Repentance

  • With utmost sincerity, I take refuge in the Buddha.

  • With utmost sincerity, I take refuge in the Dharma.

  • With utmost sincerity, I take refuge in the Sangha.

  • I repent and bow for living without reflecting on where I have come from or where I am going.

  • I repent and bow for living while forgetting who I truly am and where my true nature abides.

  • I repent and bow for failing to cherish this body entrusted to me.

  • I repent and bow for betraying my true heart.

  • I repent and bow for forgetting the grace of my ancestors.

  • I repent and bow for forgetting gratitude toward my parents.

  • I repent and bow for forgetting the virtues of my family and relatives.

  • I repent and bow for forgetting the karmic ties that allowed me to learn.

  • I repent and bow for forgetting the karmic ties that allowed me to be nourished.

  • I repent and bow for forgetting the karmic ties that allowed me to be clothed.

  • I repent and bow for forgetting the preciousness of all conditions that sustain my life in this world.

  • I repent and bow for forgetting gratitude toward all beings around me.

  • I repent and bow for the ignorance of living while forgetting my accumulated wrongdoings.

  • I sincerely repent and bow to purify the karmic consequences of past, present, and future lives.

  • I repent and bow for the relationships I have harmed through anger.

  • I repent and bow for the relationships I have harmed through harsh speech.

  • I repent and bow for the relationships I have harmed through arrogance.

  • I repent and bow for the relationships I have harmed through greed.

  • I repent and bow for the relationships I have harmed through jealousy.

  • I repent and bow for the relationships I have harmed through hatred.

  • I repent and bow for the relationships I have harmed through stinginess.

  • I repent and bow for the relationships I have harmed through resentment.

  • I repent and bow for the relationships I have harmed through slander.

  • I repent and bow for the relationships I have harmed through disparagement.

  • I repent and bow for the relationships I have harmed through neglect and disregard.

  • I repent and bow for cowardly thoughts, words, and actions.

  • I repent and bow for my lies and all forms of hypocrisy.

  • I repent and bow for thoughts and actions that sought to take what was not given.

  • I repent and bow for taking the lives of other beings for mere pleasure or pastime.

  • I repent and bow for living with self-centered thoughts.

  • I repent and bow for foolish thoughts that sow the seeds of harmful karmic ties.

  • I repent and bow for foolish words that lead others astray.

  • I repent and bow for foolish actions that give rise to harmful consequences.

  • I repent and bow for my attachments in thought, word, and deed.

  • I repent and bow for the delusion of believing only what I see with my eyes.

  • I repent and bow for the delusion of believing only what I hear with my ears.

  • I repent and bow for the delusion of believing only what I smell with my nose.

  • I repent and bow for the delusion of believing only what I taste with my tongue.

  • I repent and bow for the delusion of believing only what I feel with my body.

  • I repent and bow for the delusion of trusting only my own thoughts.

  • I sincerely repent and bow for all karmic ties throughout past, present, and future lives.

  • I repent and bow for living without reverence for the Earth that sustains me.

  • I repent and bow for polluting the air of this world.

  • I repent and bow for polluting the waters of this world.

  • I repent and bow for polluting sky and land through self-centered living.

  • I repent and bow for harming mountains and seas through self-centered living.

  • I repent and bow for carelessly cutting flowers and trees in ignorance.

  • I repent and bow for living while discriminating between more and less.

  • I repent and bow for living while discriminating between high and low.

  • I repent and bow for living while discriminating between good and bad.

  • I repent and bow for living while clinging to notions of right and wrong.

  • I repent and bow for my lack of compassion toward the sick.

  • I repent and bow for my lack of compassion toward the sorrowful.

  • I repent and bow for my lack of compassion toward the poor.

  • I repent and bow for my lack of compassion toward the difficult and stubborn.

  • I repent and bow for my lack of compassion toward the lonely.

  • I repent and bow for my lack of compassion toward those burdened by wrongdoing.

Gratitude

  • I bow in gratitude for the refuge of the Buddha.

  • I bow in gratitude for the refuge of the Dharma.

  • I bow in gratitude for the refuge of the Sangha.

  • I bow in gratitude for realizing the interdependence of all life.

  • I bow in gratitude for realizing that all beings communicate and respond to one another.

  • I bow in gratitude for realizing that all life abides within the principles of the universe.

  • I bow in gratitude for realizing the oneness of self and others.

  • I bow in gratitude for realizing the beauty of this world.

  • I bow in gratitude for realizing the mystery of existence.

  • I bow in gratitude for the purity of birdsong.

  • I bow in gratitude for the peace carried in the sound of the wind.

  • I bow in gratitude for the cool clarity of flowing streams.

  • I bow in gratitude for the resilience of new sprouts.

  • I bow in gratitude for the magnificence of the rainbow.

  • I bow in gratitude for realizing that living in harmony with nature brings peace to body and mind.

  • I bow in gratitude for realizing the cycles and laws of nature.

  • I bow in gratitude for realizing that nature itself is our teacher.

  • I bow in gratitude for realizing that compassion is the greatest blessing.

  • I bow in gratitude for realizing that hatred and resentment are the greatest calamities.

  • I bow in gratitude for realizing that love is the greatest power.

Aspirations

  • I bow and aspire to live always within the embrace of the Buddha.

  • I bow and aspire to dwell always within the Dharma.

  • I bow and aspire to follow the guidance of the Sangha.

  • Buddha, I bow and aspire to be free from greed.

  • Buddha, I bow and aspire to be free from anger.

  • Buddha, I bow and aspire to be free from arrogance.

  • Buddha, I bow and aspire to be free from jealousy.

  • Buddha, I bow and aspire to refrain from harsh speech.

  • Buddha, I bow and aspire to refrain from falsehood.

  • Buddha, I bow and aspire to refrain from slander.

  • Buddha, I bow and aspire to refrain from disregard toward others.

  • Buddha, I bow and aspire to release resentment.

  • Buddha, I bow and aspire to cultivate humility.

  • Buddha, I bow and aspire to always give my sincere effort.

  • Buddha, I bow and aspire to live truthfully.

  • Buddha, I bow and aspire to maintain a wholesome and positive mind.

  • Buddha, I bow and aspire to live with a compassionate heart.

  • Buddha, I bow and aspire to cultivate a pure and luminous mind.

  • Buddha, I bow and aspire for all beings to live in peace.

  • Buddha, I bow and aspire for a world free from war.

  • Buddha, I bow and aspire for a world free from poverty.

  • Buddha, I bow and aspire for a world free from disease.

  • Buddha, I bow and aspire to practice the path of the Bodhisattva.

  • Buddha, I bow and aspire to cultivate Prajna wisdom.

  • Buddha, I bow and aspire never to retreat from practice.

  • Buddha, I bow and aspire to meet wise and compassionate teachers.

  • Buddha, I bow and aspire for the Buddha’s light to manifest in this world.

  • Buddha, I bow and dedicate the merit of this practice to all beings throughout the universe.

Regardless of your religion, the 108 acts listed below pose no threat to the true values of humanity. If the specific terms used in Buddhism are replaced with those that fulfill your own religious understanding, such as changing ‘Buddha’ to ‘Lord’ or ‘God,’ there will be no deviation from your faith. The repentance and gratitude expressed in these verses are universal virtues that all humans should uphold.

Performing 108 full prostrations is physically demanding and not something everyone can easily do, but for those whose lives are burdened with earnestness and sorrow, these 108 prostrations might not be as daunting.

Christianity, based more on human-centric superiority and dominance, contrasts with Buddhism, which I perceive as more nature-friendly and valuing balance and equality among living beings. If this is true, then Buddhism, compared to Christianity, might be more modern, allowing for freedom of thought and adaptability to changing times rather than strict adherence to fixed doctrines.

Honestly, I must admit that I also have many complaints and grievances about Buddhism too.

* This repentance text was translated into English by ChatGPT, so there may be slight differences in meaning compared to the original Korean repentance text

THE 108 REPENTANCE PRAYERS