President pays tribute to late Buddhist monk as thousands mourn passing

Social Affairs

Published: 03 Dec. 2023, 16:41

President pays tribute to late Buddhist monk as thousands mourn passing

A cremation ceremony for Ven. Jaseung, a former head of the Jogye Order of Korean Buddhism, is held at Yongjusa, a temple in Hwaseong, Gyeonggi, on Sunday. A funeral ceremony attended by thousands of people, including political and religious leaders, was held at the Jogye Temple in central Seoul earlier Sunday. The late monk died after self-immolating at a temple in Gyeonggi last Wednesday. [NEWS1]

Thousands of people attended a funeral ceremony Sunday for Ven. Jaseung, the former head of Korea's largest Buddhist sect, who died last week.

Ven. Jaseung, 69, was found dead in a fire at the monk's residence of Chiljang Temple in Anseong, Gyeonggi, Wednesday evening, in an apparent act of self-immolation. Jaseung served as president of the Jogye Order from 2009 to 2017.

The Jogye Order of Korean Buddhism said on Thursday that the monk had self-immolated, in keeping with a Buddhist practice of burning oneself alive as an offering, in a show of faith.

The ceremony held at Jogye Temple in Jongno District, central Seoul, on Sunday, was attended by political and religious figures, including Prime Minister Han Duk-soo, bipartisan lawmakers, Catholic Archbishop Hyginus Kim Hee-jong and Buddhist leaders from across the country.

"There is only a difference between going early and going late, as it is the law of nature that everyone goes when their time comes," said Ven. Jinwoo, the current president of the Jogye Order. "He just showed us the path we must follow first."

Monks march in a funeral procession for Ven. Jaseung, a former head of the Jogye Order of Korean Buddhism, in Jongno District, central Seoul, on Sunday. [NEWS1]

In a message delivered by presidential chief of staff Kim Dae-ki, President Yoon Suk Yeol said, "Every moment the venerable walked will be forever remembered in the history of Korean Buddhism." He recalled the monk's leadership of "practicing inclusiveness and social integration with the Buddhist spirit of reconciliation."

Yoon and first lady Kim Keon Hee visited the memorial altar on Saturday, according to the presidential office. The president and the late monk met several times in the past.

"I will long remember the great monk who spread the teachings of Buddha for the happiness of all living beings," Yoon wrote in a condolence message during this visit.

On Saturday, the Korean government posthumously awarded the late monk a Mugunhwa Medal of the Order of Civil Merit in recognition of his decades of service to the Buddhist community. The Mugunghwa Medal is the highest of the Order of Civil Merit's five medals.

Culture Minister Yu In-chon conferred the medal during a visit to the late monk's altar at the Jogye Temple, recognizing his contributions to the development of traditional culture through working toward stability and harmony in Korean Buddhism, exchanges and cooperation with other religions and social integration.

Cabinet members, Seoul Mayor Oh Se-hyoon and members of the People Power Party and Democratic Party also visited the altar during the mourning period.

Prime Minister Han Duck-soo, center, presidential chief of staff Kim Dae-ki and other political and religious figures take part in a funeral ceremony for Ven. Jaseung at the Jogye Temple in Jongno District, central Seoul Sunday. [JOINT PRESS CORPS]

Ven. Jaseung was born in Chuncheon, Gangwon, in 1954. He was ordained as a monk in October 1972 at Haeinsa, a temple on Mount Gaya in South Gyeongsang, and began working for the Jogye Order administration in 1986 as a vice director of its education department.

In October 2009, he was elected as the 33rd president of the Jogye Order with the highest approval rating ever, receiving 290 out of 317 votes. He was re-elected in 2013 and completed his second term as Jogye Order chief in 2017.

After stepping down as head of the Jogye order, he served in an advisory role as a senior monk in Bongeun Temple in Gangnam District, southern Seoul.

Police are investigating the cause of the fire at the Chiljang Temple, leaving open the likelihood of suicide.

CCTV footage suggests that the monk was the only person present at the scene of the fire, and police discovered several notes that seemed to be suicide notes.

The monk left behind a note in his car, which reportedly said that an autopsy is unnecessary. He also apologized for the inconveniences caused by his death and said that the damages inflicted on the Chiljang Temple dormitory will be restored by his disciples by 2025.

According to the Jogye Order, the venerable in a will discovered at his residence Thursday addressed to Ven. Jinwoo wrote, "I am sorry for being unable to be with you until the end. Please take good care of the future of the order."

A cremation ceremony later took place at Yongjusa, a temple in Hwaseong, Gyeonggi, on Sunday afternoon, where some 3,000 people began gathering in the morning to commemorate the late monk.

BY SARAH KIM [kim.sarah@joongang.co.kr]