Venerable BomHyon Sunim

Past Chair of the Australian Sangha Association, Buddhist Member of the Religious Advisory Committee to the Australian Defence Forces, Western Sydney University Chaplain and doctoral research candidate  

BomHyon Sunim is a leading representative of Buddhism in Australia, and an active advocate of chaplaincy and spiritual care. She is a Buddhist nun ordained in the Korean Zen tradition and has a deep commitment to live and learn with others who are motivated to support each other, ecologically and compassionately, in right relationship to the planet and all beings.

What does contemplative practice mean to you?

Having a contemplative practice is the essential difference between ‘living’ in the fullest sense and sleepwalking through life. Regular practice helps me to maintain inner mental, physical, and emotional balance, while at the same time attuning body/mind to subtleties of the world around me. It is our willingness to be still in motion that gives rise to wisdom, creativity and deep compassion - for the benefit of all beings.

Biography

Sunim has long been active in chaplaincy and spiritual care, having managed the Prison Chaplaincy program and established the Spiritual/Pastoral Care program for the Buddhist Council of Victoria. Since relocating to Sydney, she has been a volunteer Chaplain at Western Sydney University where she is also undertaking doctoral research into the culture and practice of chaplaincy in Australian universities, with particular interest in the religious and spiritual wellbeing needs of the Gens Y/Z demographic. Sunim is a postgraduate Fellow of the Peace and Conflict Resolution Studies program at Chulalongkorn University (Thailand) and a practitioner of Non-Violent Communication.