Maum Meditation: Happiness, Peace, and Coexistence International Conference Sponsored by UCLA

On May 3rd, the 2014 International Conference of Human Completion will hold a conference called “Maum Meditation: Happiness, Peace, and Coexistence” held at UCLA (University of California, Los Angeles). There are scholars from around the world that have been invited to discuss how to realize happiness, peace, and coexistence in a practical way.


  • Venue: UCLA Humanities Lecture Room A51, University of California, Los Angeles, USA
  • Date: May 3, 2014

How do we find inner peace and realize it in our daily lives? The effects of mind subtraction as a method of realizing the world peace as well as inner peace in our lives are scheduled to be presented and it is worthy of paying attention.

On May 3rd, the 2014 International Conference of Human Completion will hold a conference called “Maum Meditation: Happiness, Peace, and Coexistence” held at UCLA (University of California, Los Angeles). There are scholars from around the world that have been invited to discuss how to realize happiness, peace, and coexistence in a practical way. The conference is hosted by the Academic Society of Human Completion and supported by the Center for Korean Studies, UCLA.

Maum Meditation was founded in 1996 and has been practiced in 37 countries around the world as of now and its effects on the promotion of personal happiness and peace will be presented at the event. And many scholars studying the human mind will gather together to discuss a realistic way to realize happiness, peace, and coexistence.

Professor Charles Mercieca (PhD, President of International Association of Educators for World Peace; Professor Emeritus, Alabama A&M University) will be presenting a keynote speech titled Peace as a Break Between Wars and Preparation for New Wars. Professor Michael Furlong, world-renowned specialist in educational psychology (PhD, Professor at Department of Counseling, Clinical, and School Psychology, UCSB) will be giving a keynote speech called When the Sum Is Greater than the Parts: Combined Strengths Build Youth Subjective Well-Being. Other guest speakers include: Professor Lobsang Rapgay, a psychologist and the aide of Dalai Lama; and Dr. Sam Himelstein, Director of Programs and Research at the Mind Body Awareness. Lastly, Professor Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi from the Claremont Graduate University is a world leading researcher on Positive Psychology who is best known as an architect of the flow model. He will participate in the conference through a video message, encouraging the spirit of the conference.

The conference will cover a broad range of topics. It will range from discussing the method of mind subtraction to realize inner peace for the general public to achieving peace in society and also as a nation.


Maum Meditation as a method of accomplishing happiness and peace

Most noticeable event is the keynote speech by Dr. Chong Bum Lee, the president of Academic Society for Human Completion and Professor Emeritus at Korea University. Its theme is, Maum Meditation: A holistic education perspective for complete human beings. In the speech the mind subtracting method will be presented specifically with relevant research results as the method of accomplishing happiness, and consequent coexistence as well as peace. It premises as follows: “People are starting to truly understand what is most important. It is no longer about materialistic possessions, social positions, and other achievements. The most fundamental aspiration of human life, as many would agree, has to do with personal achievement of inner peace and happiness.” Here is the synopsis of the lecture.

To arrive at desired state of peace, happiness, and co-existence, many are seeking meditation practices and related modalities. In this perspective, Maum Meditation enables human being to practice the clear and scientific method of mind subtraction to cleanse mind and to become the true self. People are influenced more by negative emotions than positive ones. But Maum Meditation calls both pictures of mind accumulated through their lives. The method of Maum Meditation to subtract such mind of pictures is practiced repeatedly and reflectively in terms of cognitive science, and so it requires honesty to face inner self. The result of the meditation program practiced in such a way is very fundamental and holistic; and embraces changes in whole range of life. With the personal recovery of human nature and the accompanying happiness, people can afford to take care of others’ happiness. Consequently it results in the way of life in peace and coexistence without fail.

The lecture verifies: In psychosocial aspects extensive researches have been conducted with respect to the stress, depression, and anxiety of the ordinary and students as well as the patients with cancer or neuropsychiatric diseases in Korea. Particularly, 88.3% out of adults with mental illness diagnoses were reporting lessening of such symptoms as depression, tension, and anger and increasing of positive emotions such as satisfaction, interpersonal relationships, and happiness. 
   
Significant effectiveness was found in the researches on the juveniles’ changes at school curricular settings and also in the researches on the stress, depression, and the quality of life of teachers.

In university settings, some researchers examined the effect of the Maum Meditation program on power and wellbeing in faculty, students, and staff of a university in Philadelphia, PA. The researchers reported the scores of wellbeing and power for the experimental group were significantly improved after 8 weeks of the meditation sessions.

An Innovative research on the promotion of cancer survivors’ well-being

The conference will also present successful research studies conducted by many Korean researchers. Particularly, one of them is the Effects of Maum Meditation Program on Breast Cancer Survivors’ Psychological Well-Being conducted by Dr. Mi Ra Yun (PhD, Researcher, The Research Institute of Nursing Science, Seoul National University). This is an outstanding study examining the effects of Maum Meditation on breast cancer patients. Twenty-five breast cancer patients from Asan Medical Center, Korea were recruited to participate in the Maum Meditation program.  The study found that the participants’ depression and anxiety dropped significantly; for an example, some went from 16.36 down to 7.27 after participating in the program. This is a significant result that is much more effective than other compared intervention programs.

At the UCLA Maum Meditation Workshop, there will be a children’s artwork exhibition for world peace which will also be attracting great attention as special event during the conference.


UCLA Maum Meditation Workshop

The UCLA Maum Meditation Workshop will open on May 3rd, 2014 (3pm -5pm) and is open for the local students, scholars, and the general public. The workshop’s program titled, “the Mind Subtraction for Happiness” aims to introduce the definition of the human mind, a happy life, and the mind subtraction method. This workshop will be a fun way to learn and discuss with those professionals and students who are interested in the human mind.

Artwork exhibition: a message of happiness, peace, and coexistence

The Artwork Exhibition of the Children around the World, under the title of Youths, draw the beautiful world, will showcase the paintings and drawings from children around the world. These paintings are from children from 35 different countries which communicate the message of happiness, peace, and coexistence in humanity. The exhibition will be held for two days (May 2nd and 3rd, 2014) and is expected to attract a strong interest from the local community.

* Contact numbers for conference and/or workshop reservation
LA, USA: Dr. Mi Young Jung
Date : Saturday, May 3rd, 2014
Venue : Humanities A51, University of California, Los Angeles
RSVP : +1-213-908-5151 (USA) / +82-2-326-5211 (Korea)

The Academic Society for Human Completion (President Jong-Beun Lee, Emeritus Professor of Korea University), founded in 2008, with the purpose to contribute and establish a society that coexists by the realization of inner peace and happiness through a holistic complete education. The members of the Academic Society for Human Completion are people who come from a variety of backgrounds such as education, culture, science, medicine and arts. They have gathered together for research activities, educational advancements as well as sharing of knowledge related to this philosophy.

In order to establish “Jun-in” education, the Academy of Human Completion has been continuously researching and conducting study on the “mind”. As the UNESCO’s charter states, “ since wars began in the minds of men, it is the minds of men that the defences of peace must be constructed.” Thus, humanity must restore our true mind which has come to be the foremost important task for the Academy of Human Completion. 

The Academy of Human Completion, since its beginning, has presented its studies and findings through two rounds of annual conferences each year. In order to expand its cross-border solidarity and to share wisdom, the Academic of Human Completion held its 1st International Conference titled “ Happiness, ask the mind” at Seoul National University, supported by the Korean Ministry of Education.

The 2014 conference held at the UCLA will be its 2nd International Conference. This _conference is titled “Maum Meditation, Happiness, Peace and Coexistence.” It will focus on Maum Meditation as an alternative solution in pursuing happiness, peace, and coexistence. The Academy of Human Completion has confirmed that the “mind-subtraction” method from Maum Meditation is an effective alternative in “Jun-in” education, a holistic teaching, and for restoring the original self. The 2014 conference invites _renowned world scholars on mind and mental health and invites them to discuss and exchange opinions on a variety of topics including successful mind subtraction experience in the Korean medical and educational fields.

The advisory committee members of the international conference of the Academy of Human completion include Byung-Yong Ahn, Former Deputy Prime Minister of Education, Korea Government, Yoon-Jae Cho, Former Senior Presidential Secretary for Economic Affairs, Korea Government, John Endicott, President at Woosung University, Chung, Ki-un, President at Suwon Women’s University, Suh, Yoo-Hun, Director of Korea Brain Research Institute, Ki-Young Jung, professor at the College of Medicine, Seoul National University and Hort Sven, Professor at Seoul National University. International participants include Xochitl Cortez-Gonzalez, Clinical Professor at Skaggs School of Pharmacy at UCSD, USA, John Duncan, Professor at Center for Korean Studies, UCLA, USA, Faye R. Davis, Professor at Eisenhower School, National Defense University, USA, Mahdavi Kazem, Professor at Ithaca College, Cornell University, USA, Maria Soledad Faraggi Aguirre, Psychologist at Community Development Department at Las Condes Municipality, Enrique Roberto Arganaraz, Professor at Molecular Biology, University of Brasilia and Gabriella Kokas, Deák téri Evangelic High School, Budapest, Hungary.