Korean Buddhists concern decreasing candidate monks

I am quoting an article from the Korea Herald which appeared on May 10, 2011. After the article I am inserting my commentary.

Korea’s biggest Buddhism sect “Jogye” is reportedly anxious about a  decreasing number of people seeking to be monks.
 
The religion prospered in Korea until the end of the Koryo dynasty and, although it has declined since, remains one of the major religions in Korea.

But according to statistics the number of new monks is on the wane.

There were 466 new Jogye monks in 2005, but just 274 in 2011. The number of preparatory monks has also showed a gradual decrease of 5 percent every year since 2004.

Of the 10,744 Jogye monks in Korea today, about 3,688 are in their 40s, and 3,368 in their 50s. Just 62 monks are in their 20s.

The Jogye Order of Korean Buddhism is seeking for solutions to the problem including extending the current age limit of between 15 and 50. An official from the Order said, “the number of people seeking ‘chulga’ is falling due to multiple reasons, including the decrease in population. We will prepare a countermove by end of the year.”

Others claimed that materialism in Korea has caused the decrease. “The young generation no longer wishes to do hard things,” one elder monk said.

Those wishing to be a Jogye monk must live in a temple and complete several study courses. After that, they become preparatory monks -- “sami” for male, “samini” for female. They continue studying for four years for a Buddhism degree to become an official monk -- “bigu” or “biguni.”

The process of preparing to become a monk is called “chulga,” which literally means “leaving home.”

By Kang Yoon-seung (koreacolin@gmail.com)
Intern reporter

I am going to first briefly talk about a religion that took hold in America before the United States was a country. The United Society of Believers in Christ’s Second Appearing, known as the Shakers, is a religious sect originally thought to be a development of the Religious Society of Friends. Founded upon the teachings of Ann Lee, Shakers today are mostly known for their cultural contributions (especially style of music and furniture). However, the Shakers' enduring legacy includes their model of equality of the sexes (or gender equality), which they institutionalized in their society in the 1780s.


At its height with some eighteen active societies, over 100,000 acres of land, and thousands of members, the Shakers constituted a multistate corporation. Central authority rested with the two elders and two elderesses at the New Lebanon society, east of Albany in New York, with the head elder or elderess the official head. Elders appointed their successors. Each Shaker society was governed by two elders and two elderesses assisted by deacons, who managed the day-to-day operation of the society, and trustees, who dealt with the outside world and were essentially the financial managers. Within the communities, the Shakers were divided into Families of about one hundred persons each, who lived and worked separately from other families and with strict sexual segregation within the families. Despite the fairly rigid social structure, authoritarian rule was the exception; social cohesion was mostly the result of a shared commitment to Shaker values and beliefs. All property was owned communally, and new members were required to turn over all personal property to the society upon signing the covenant. This was a major source of the large acreage owned by the Shakers, but also the cause of a number of lawsuits by former members and heirs of deceased members. These suits were nearly always decided in favor of the Shakers.


An issue of this lay religious order has been that they demand celibacy from their members, and along with the strict rules of engagement, there are now only three living Shakers left in their religion, and the three remaining members are steadfast in not changing the rules. The two women are in their eighties and the last male is in his late fifties.


Let us shift now to the Catholic Church. At the end of 2007, Vatican records showed 408,024 Catholic priests in the world, 762 more than at the beginning of the year. This continued a trend of moderate growth, which began in 2000 following more than two decades of decrease. The main growth areas have been Asia and Africa, with 21.1 percent and 27.6 percent growth respectively. In North and South America, numbers have remained approximately the same, while there was a 6.8 percent decline in Europe and a 5.5 percent decrease in Oceania from 2000 to 2007. Priest from Asia and Africa are now being assigned to Churches in staunchly Catholic countries like France and Ireland, due to a shortage of local priests. 

Jainism used to be a dominant religion in India, in fact, Śakyamuni Buddha studied with Mahavir who was the 24th and the last Tirthankara (perfect arhat) of Jainism. Today, because of its very strict rules, only slightly more that four million Jains practice the religion today. As India has experienced a growth as a world power many of these Jain practitioners have relocated to Europe and to the US; however, they have no teachers in these countries. Because their monastic codes prevent the Monks and Nuns (Teachers) from wearing shoes, staying in one place more than a day and even traveling on an Ox Cart, much less a car or boat or plane, they have to try and make due with their own faith and draw together as communities. Several monastics have tried to break with tradition, but they failed as they have been rejected by their communities, much as Buddha was initially rejected by his followers when he broke his long fast and ate some nourishing food.

So, we can read the story of Buddha going against some idea (form) he was following to 'attain enllighentment' and yet so many are attached to the form that was created following his death, which we call Buddhism today. Also, the supposition from the lead article "“The young generation no longer wishes to do hard things,” one elder monk said" is part of the reason why these organizations are experiencing declines. Is is more difficult to live the life of a monk than live the life of a Lay Person? My Zen training tells me that this is entering into the realm of opposites, one is not better or superior to the other; and yet many of those on the path have this attitude, that somehow what they are doing is much more significant that what the guy on the street working two jobs, going to night school and trying to maintain relations with his wife and kids. I won't comment on this as there is nothing to say about it. 


I was recently talking to a friend of mine, who had recent conversations with someone who gave up his lay life and entered into the Chogye Order. He was saying how important it was to learn how to do what he was told and to not question anything his teacher told him to do. I went through that kind of training at Lackland AFB in 1974, and only learned that it was easier to give up to the 'system' if you didn't want to inherit a pile of shit in retribution. I will stop now before I embarrass myself further for having an opinion about all of this.


It has probably gone under the radar, but there are no longer any Monks/Nuns in Kwan Um North America, please see Jihyang Sunim’s post Looking Back. Although the Kwan Um monastic order seems to be thriving in Kwan Um Asia and Europe respectively.


Now, it is unfair of me to judge a path that I have never engaged in, as I am an Ordained Lay Practitioner and Teacher in a Lay Order. I think that many people feel displaced and confused in our modern world and these people are honestly seeking a spiritual practice, in fact I believe there is a huge demand for it; however, I do not think that the old model of 'home leaving' and celibacy will persevere. This, of course, will not happen in my lifetime, yet I believe that it will come to pass at some point.

We need to begin to wake up to people's needs and model our spiritual practices around engaged and sectarian lives, there will always be a handful of those who wish to sequester themselves from society; however, the people to carry all religions forward in the future will be living in this world and of this world and will know the two worlds and call them as one.