Temple stay program marks 10th anniversary

This year marks the tenth anniversary of temple stay programs in Korea. 

The program began in 2002 as the government and the Korean Buddhists community sought new ways to accommodate the growing number of overseas tourists who visited Korea for international soccer matches during the Korea-Japan FIFA World Cup.

Since then, temple stays have become a key tourism program, allowing visitors to learn about traditional Korean culture and Buddhism firsthand while experiencing the beauty of local temples. 

The number of temples participating in the program grew from 33 in 2002 to 122 this year, and the number of participating tourists, both local and international, has also risen dramatically.

In 2002, slightly more than 2,500 people enjoyed a temple stay. In only two years time, the program had increased 14-fold to include 37,000 people in 2004 alone. More than 170,000 people took part in the program in 2010, and is predicted to surpass 710,000 this year. 

To improve the quality of temple stay program, the Temple Stay Information Center run by the Jogye Order, plans to develop more programs with new and more diverse activities.  

The center plans to introduce new programs targeting people with distinct interests in programs on temple food and multiculturalism and healing programs people dealing with divorce, unemployment and other problems.

Earlier this year, the center upgraded its English homepage and added access in Chinese, Japanese, German, French and Spanish. It also recently developed a temple stay application in English for smartphone users. The app contains not only temple stay information but also overall tourism information and pictures. (To visit the homepage of the Temple Stay Information Center, click here)

To celebrate the program’s tenth anniversary, the Temple Stay Information Center and the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism held a cultural event from May 30 to June 1 at the Traditional Buddhist Cultural Center in Gongju, South Chungcheong Province. About 200 people, including the abbots of participating temples, attended the event.

By Yoon Sojung
Korea.net Staff Writer

Korean Catholics and Buddhists on Vesak stress shared commitment to reconciliation and dialogue

by Theresa Hwa-young Kim
Korean Catholic religious leaders offer gifts and best wishes to Buddhist leaders. A monk from Seunwun Temple calls for “new paths to save the world and humanity”. Seoul archbishop says sharing and mercy are essential values for a life of virtue.

Seoul (AsiaNews) – At a time of trials and difficulties, the great religions must promote “true reconciliation and dialogue.” For this reason, it is important “to reconfirm the common mission of Christians and Buddhists who share a deep sense of respect for human life and dignity as well as respect for and responsibility towards nature,” said Mgr Huginus Kim, archbishop of Gwangju and president of the Committee for Promoting Christian Unity and Interreligious Dialogue, in a message he delivered to Rev Beopman, a great Buddhist monk from Seunwun Temple. The Buddhist religious leader thanked the catholic representative, renewing his commitment to work together.
Mgr Kim visited Rev Beopman at Seunwun Temple, in Gochang, Jeulla Province, to celebrate Vesak,  marking 2,600 years since the Buddha’s enlightenment.
The prelate also brought a letter from the Vatican addressed to Korea’s Buddhist believers, and donated a copy of the Bible with a picture of Our Lord’s Last Supper.
Stressing the value of respect for nature and human life, Mgr Kim reiterated the importance of the journey of “reconciliation and dialogue” promoted by the great religions.
The Buddhist leader thanked his guest for the gift, stressing the importance of working together with Catholics to seek “new paths to save the world and humanity” through the “dialogue and practice.”
Rev Beopman offered the archbishop green tea and utensils for its preparation, as well as Jakbeupgwigam, a work published by Seunwun Temple.
On Tuesday, the Buddha’s birthday, Card Nicholas Cheong, archbishop of Seoul, sent a message of best wishes to the Korean Jogye Order, stressing the value of the teachings offered by Buddhism as well as the contribution it has made to the progress of the Korean nation. In modern life, the spirit of “sharing and mercy” is essential for a life of virtue, the prelate said.
Mgr Lazarus You, from the Diocese of Daejun, also brought a message of congratulations during a visit to the head of a Buddhist temple in Gwangsu.
During the friendly exchange, the Catholic representative delivered a letter of best wishes from the Vatican and shared in the joyful spirit of the occasion.

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.

A Buddha’s Birthday celebration

In the above photo, Cardinal Nicholas Cheong Jin-suk, right, Roman Catholic archbishop of Seoul, smiles at a young Buddhist monk playing at Myeongdong Catholic Cathedral in downtown Seoul, May 9.

A group of Children monks visited the cathedral to view a documentary entitled, “A Chair of Venerable Beopjeong,” on the late Buddhist leader Venerable Beopjeong. The Catholic Church held a preview of the film one day before Buddha’s Birthday to express religious love and harmony.

In the photo below, young boys with shaved heads wear 3D glasses as they watch 3D TV monitors at the SK Telecom Ubiquitous Museum in Seoul.

The children entered the Jogye Temple, the main temple of Korean Buddhism’s Jogye Order, to experience a monk’s life in the short term to celebrate Buddha’s Birthday, which falls on May 10, the eighth day of April by the lunar calendar.

(Photo by Kim Jung-hyo and Lee Jung-a)

Ten Buddhist monks allowed in North Korea

by Joseph Yun Li-sun

The ten men belong to the Jogye Order, the oldest and most respected tradition of Korean Buddhism. With the agreement of South Korean authorities, they delivered medical drugs for people in the North. They also visited a northern temple that does not have any pictures of the Kims. “It seems there are real worshippers,” one source told AsiaNews.

Seoul (AsiaNews) – Only religion can save the North Korean people from total destruction. After decades of humanitarian aid, ran mostly by Caritas South Korea, South Korean religious groups, both Catholic and Buddhist, are able to get around the ban on international aid to North Korea imposed by Seoul and Washington. “Ten Buddhist monks arrived in North Korea with government approval to bring essential drugs for the population,” a source told AsiaNews.

The venerable monks from the Jogye Order spent a day in North Korea, entering the border region near Mount Kumgang. The ten men visited one of the oldest Buddhist temples in all of Korea, located in the north, at the foot of the mountain. Inside the place of worship, they did not see any pictures of Kim Jong-il, or his father, Kim Il-sung, an exceptional circumstance since every place of worship in North Korea is usually used to venerate the two dictators.

Monks gave a village chief more than 100,000 anthelmintic tablets to kill parasitic worms. Many North Koreans suffer from them because of poor nutrition and lack of hygiene.

According to the Food and Agriculture Organisation and the World Health Organisation, North Koreans have the worst diet and healthcare in the world.

“What struck me the most was the temple visit. We did not see any of the regime’s symbols but saw those of our faith,” the source told AsiaNews. “Although there were no worshippers, it is clear that someone is keeping the place clean and in order. This filled by heart with hope because it means that there are still some Buddhists in North Korea, even if they are hiding.”

The first smart phone application developed by the Jogye Order

The Bureau of Dharma Propagation of the Jogye Order of Korean Buddhism unveiled its first smart phone applications, which were developed as part of the Jogye Order’s efforts to adapt to and utilize the ever changing digital space for the propagation of Buddhism.
Ven. Jeongho, Head of the Department of Propagation Research, the Bureau of Dharma Propagation held a press conference at the meeting room on the 2nd floor of the Korean Buddhist Culture and History Memorial Hall and introduced new smart phone applications entitled ‘Hello Dharma School’ and ‘Heart
Sutra (chanting).’ Developed by the Department of Propagation Research, these apps will be distributed and made available for free at Apple’s App Store, Android Market, T Store and KT Olleh Market.
The ‘Hello Dharma School’ app is based on the English program for Buddhist children televised on BTN (Buddhist Television Network) and English materials for Buddhist youth education published on Buddhist newspapers. The application is expected to generate much attention due to its unique contents and layout specially designed to appeal to children. The ‘Heart Sutra (chanting) ’ app is deliberately uncomplicated and straightforward for ease of use. The pure and clear chanting voice and the beautiful image will serve
as ‘a refuge of the heart’ for many people fatigued by the exigencies of modern life.
The ‘Hello Dharma School’ and ‘Heart Sutra Apps (chanting)’apps can be downloaded free of charge on all smart phones. Lee Hyeon-su, the President of the Jogyesa Temple Laity Association recited the aspiration prayer called
“Aspiration for World Peace.” Thereafter, Cheongryangsa Temple abbot led the ceremony for the repose the spirits and to send the diseased to a better rebirth. After the ceremony, participants went around the Jogyesa Temple grounds in a farewell ceremony. Then, a fire ceremony, burning the names of the diseased, ended the services.

http://itunes.apple.com/us/app/id406108784?mt=8
http://itunes.apple.com/us/app/id412560816?mt=8
http://itunes.apple.com/us/app/id360391866?mt=8

Tripitaka Koreana

Haeinsa Temple, South Korea
Author: Theda Grimoire (Creative Commons Attribution 2.0 Generic)

The Haeinsa Temple is the head temple of the Jogye Order of Korean Buddhism. It is located in the Gaya Mountains in South Gyeongsang Province in South Korea. The temple is one of the most important Buddhist temples in the country. It is regarded as one of the Three Jewel Temples of Korea.

Within the Haeinsa Temple are storage halls called the janggyeong Panjeon Complex. This is where the woodblocks of the Tripitaka Koreana are kept. The Tripitaka Koreana, or Palman Daejanggyeong, are the Korean collections of Buddhist scriptures cared onto 81,340 wooden blocks during the 13th century. They are the world's most comprehensive and oldest intact copy of the Buddhist scriptures in Chinese script without any errors or errata in the 52,382,960 characters organised into 1,496 titles and 6,568 volumes.

The Tripitaka Koreana is the 32nd national treasure of Korea, where as the Haeinsa Temple Janggyeong Panjeon, the depository of the Tripitaka, was inscribed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site during the 19th session of the World Heritage Committee in Berlin, Germany, on 4-9 December, 1995.

Pavilion at Haeinsa Temple, South Korea
Author: Steve Ruff (Creative Commons Attribution 2.0 Generic)

Janggyeong Panjeon, Haeinsa Temple
Author: Lauren Heckler (Creative Commons Attribution 2.0 Generic)

Korean Buddhist monk vanishes in faith crisis

Venerable Su Kyung after finishing a pilgrimage

By John Choi, Seoul

A leading Buddhist environmentalist and monk has disappeared after leaving a note describing a crisis of faith.

Venerable Su Kyung, head monk at theHwagyesa Temple, Seoul, and one of the country’s best known environmental activists, left the temple on June 14. His whereabouts are still unknown and his mobile phone and email accounts are closed.

The monk left a letter behind at the temple, which is Korea’s foremost Zen Buddhist center. In his letter, he vowed to follow a purely spiritual life and renounced all his titles, both Buddhist and secular: his position as head monk at the temple, his membership of the Buddhist Jogye order and his presidency of the Buddhist Environmental Solidarity.

He said he was deeply affected by the death of a colleague, Venerable Munsu, who immolated himself in protest at the government’s controversial Four Rivers project last month.

“After Munsu’s offering,” he wrote, “I could see my problem clearly. I’m afraid of death and I cannot solve the riddle of my life and death. As a Zen Buddhist, how can I live like this?”

He also lamented his years in the environmental movement, saying they were too much concerned with the pursuit of power. “I cannot live the hypocritical life of a respected monk,” he said.

“It’s a pity he is not with us now, while there is such a strong wave against the river project,” said Myeong Gye-hwan, of the Buddhist Solidarity. “We will try even harder to save the life of the rivers, following his will,” he added.

Venerable Su Kyung was appointed head of the Solidarity in 2001. In 2003, he completed 310 kilometers of a “three-step-one-bow” protest against a land reclamation project.

Last year, along with with Father Paul Moon Kyu-hyon, he made a similar pilgrimage of 400 kilometers for the life and peace of South Korea.

He concluded his letter by saying that he “hoped to die on some warm winter day, while dozing beside a rock”.

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