[People Met Through Books] "With a Praying Heart and the Power to Write... I Will Give You Everything I Have"

60 Years Since Joining the Convent in 1964
Themes of Poverty, Coexistence, Joy, Comfort, Gratitude, and Love
Heart Reflecting on Life Captured in a Book

"All I have is a praying heart and the power to write, so you may consider that I have given everything."

This is the reflection of Sister Lee Hae-in, who published the prose collection Ten Thoughts on Life (Maumsanchaek). Born in 1945 amid the joy of liberation, she entered the convent in 1964 and has lived as a religious sister for over 60 years. With a heart to organize her life, she included in the book important themes she has valued: poverty, coexistence, joy, comfort, gratitude, love, forgiveness, hope, memories, and death.

Sister Lee Hae-in, who spends time reviewing books, letters, and materials, personally owns 179 volumes of records. She also included in the book some of the sentiments she felt while uncovering the stories of “becoming a flower and a star for a day.” Even for someone who has lived a religious life, the world is a mysterious place full of incomprehensible things. What she can grasp is only the fact that "not only bad things but also good things do not happen by human power alone." She has lived nurturing comfort amid pain that cannot be fully understood. Calling everything a ‘grace,’ she confesses, "I have lived and will continue to live day by day by constantly praying and constantly writing."

We met Sister Lee Hae-in’s ‘Ten Thoughts’ in writing, who wishes to greet even death with joy.

Sister Lee Hae-in

-What kind of daily life are you living?

▲I live a communal life of prayer and work every day at the main convent in Gwangalli, where about 130 sisters live together. I commute to the convent’s ‘Haein Geulbang’ (writing room) as my studio, writing, taking walks, and occasionally welcoming visitors. I have so many books piled up to read, but unlike when I was young, I don’t make much progress and just look at them, which sometimes makes me feel the loneliness of old age.

-When you became a nun over 60 years ago, you said, "I want to convey God’s love to many people through literature." You have since comforted many hearts using your literary talents, resulting in dozens of books. Each book must have had different purposes and backgrounds for publication, but you said you wrote this prose collection "with a heart to organize life." Is there a special reason?

▲Perhaps because I experienced my childhood just after the Korean War, I think I felt more sorrow and grief seeing the tragic rather than the bright side of life. I thought a lot about the finiteness of life and naturally lived often contemplating death. At this point in life, where ‘the days to live are fewer than the days lived,’ the word death feels more concrete. Hearing and seeing obituaries almost daily inside and outside the community made me feel the urgent need to organize my life in some way.

-You discovered your literary talent early and presented many good works, offering comfort, inspiration, and empathy to many readers. What are your reflections on the ‘life of a nun with a pen’? It seems there must have been difficulties.

▲I am happy that many of my books have become steady sellers even 47 years after publishing my first poetry collection, The Territory of Dandelions. In the early 1980s, when my books sold like wildfire, the media attention and the production of illegal publications and recordings were difficult to handle as a nun. However, I am very grateful that many readers beyond religion have emerged and that through poetry, we can share good energy and friendship. Though I am lacking in many ways, I felt once again through the signing event and special lecture at the Seoul International Book Fair that the poems I wrote flutter like dandelion fluff here and there, playing a good role.

-The book mentions that an obsession with non-possession can ironically lead to self-idolatry. It seems that being religious does not necessarily mean living in poverty is the only right answer. What do you think ‘frugality’ means in a healthy sense?

▲As a nun, frugality means the freedom of the heart not bound to anyone or anything. I think it is the courage of love that does not cling to material things, honor, or time, and is always willing to give oneself.

-The book frequently mentions stories related to Venerable Beopjeong. Although your religions were different, it seems you shared much in common.

▲I maintained a long friendship with the monk. Although we did not meet often, I think we understood each other well regardless of religious differences. I still sometimes think of the first line of a letter he gave me: ‘Sister, by the kinship of the Little Prince, we are friends.’ Through the letters we exchanged, we mainly talked about nature, books, and music. Occasionally, when I had personal worries, I sought his counsel. Now that the monk has passed away, I often communicate with his chief disciple, Monk Deokjo, and his nephew, Monk Hyeonjang.

-You said, "Living an ordinary daily life is the way to gain extraordinary hope." Personally, what does ‘ordinary daily life’ mean to you, and what is the ‘extraordinary hope’ that follows?

▲Ordinary daily life means all the actions of eating, washing dishes, cleaning, doing laundry, walking, and attending classes every day. Extraordinary hope is to color those repetitive, mechanical, and possibly boring days with love so that each new time shines brightly. I believe the hope of life to overcome hardships is hidden here.

-You have always focused your attention on those in our society who need comfort. Where is your focus now?

▲Lately, I am concerned about the increasing depression and suicide among youth and the elderly. I feel great compassion for those battling mental illness and those caring for them. Our society should continuously show interest and love to them, but often it does not, which is very regrettable.

-Do you often receive requests for help?

▲As a nun, I often experience that people easily share their hardships and want to be comforted. Once, a single mother who had decided to have an abortion came to me holding her baby, asking for adoption help, and I connected her with someone. I also met a mother who wanted to read her daughter’s suicide notes with me; I comforted her and prayed with her at a temple where her daughter was buried in a tree burial.

-God allows only the suffering one can bear, but there is so much incomprehensible pain in the world. For example, in cases of dementia, the suffering of the patient and those around them is so great that families sometimes face extreme outcomes due to caregiving children.

▲It is a difficult question to answer clearly. However, even though we are powerless humans who must accept incomprehensible pain, I believe we must make efforts to turn adversity into an opportunity for blessing. This is true even without faith.

-In your book, you often recall ‘memento mori’ and seem to prepare for the inevitable ‘death.’ Are there any special preparations, and how do you want to be remembered after death?

▲I remember October 10, 1975, when Professor Lee Eo-ryeong visited our convent with writer Luise Rinser and wrote "memento mori (remember death)" in the guestbook. After the professor passed away, I put that phrase on a poetry postcard and sent it to the Youngin Literature Museum. That phrase makes me think a lot. Personally, after leaving this world, I hope to be remembered as a happy pilgrim who loved God, humans, and nature, and as a poem or a love letter-like existence. Recently, thinking ‘this moment may be the last and there may be no tomorrow,’ I have been organizing diaries, photos, and letters I have collected. Soon, I plan to notarize (which I have done twice already) and write a will entrusting the copyrights of my works to the religious community.

-Do you have any words you want to convey to readers living today?

▲I want to share my short poem titled ‘Things I Want to Fill’: "No matter how much I think, thoughts remain / No matter how much I love, love remains / No matter how much I write, writing remains / The rest can all be filled in heaven."

Sister Lee Hae-in

A nun and poet. Born in 1945 in Yanggu, Gangwon Province, she entered the convent (Olivetano St. Benedictine Sisters) in 1964 and took her perpetual vows in 1976. She has lived in Busan ever since. She graduated from the Department of English Literature at the University of Saint Louis in the Philippines and earned a master's degree in Religious Studies from Sogang University Graduate School. She has received the 9th Saessak Literary Award, 2nd Women’s Dong-A Award, 6th Busan Women’s Literary Award, 5th Cheonsangbyeong Poetry Literary Award, and the 26th Korean Catholic Literary Award Grand Prize. Since publishing her first poetry collection The Territory of Dandelions in 1976, she has produced nearly 30 works.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.