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| Ven. Wonhaeng, president of the Jogye Order of Korean Buddhism, gives a speech at the opening ceremony of the 2021 Seoul International Buddhism Expo held at the Seoul Trade Exhibition & Convention (SETEC) in southern Seoul in this Nov. 11, 2021 photo. Newsis |
By Park Han-sol
Ven. Wonhaeng, president of the largest Buddhist sect in Korea, the Jogye Order, has called for public understanding for the recent mass rally of monks held to protest against what they called the Moon Jae-in administration's "religious bias" against Buddhism.
On Jan. 21, some 5,000 monks and other Buddhists from across the country gathered at the Jogye Temple in central Seoul. The participants said what triggered the rally of such scale, despite concerns over the coronavirus, was a recent string of governmental actions allegedly fueled by an "anti-Buddhist bias."
The Jogye Order's members took offense at the remarks made by Rep. Jung Chung-rae of the ruling Democratic Party of Korea at a National Assembly audit last year, when he denounced UNESCO-designated Haein Temple that houses the "Tripitaka Koreana" ― the world's oldest surviving version of Buddhist scriptures in wooden printing blocks ― for collecting admission fees from visitors.
They also questioned the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism's December campaign to provide copyright-free Christmas carols to shop owners, arguing that the taxpayers' money was being funneled to support a specific religion over others.
The January Buddhist rally held in response ended up becoming the center of controversy. It drew both support and criticism from the public and a group of monks themselves ― notably due to the sheer number of participants amid strictly imposed social distancing rules and its apparent anti-government stance taken just weeks before the March 9 presidential election.
"Despite facing these concerns, the reason our monks felt compelled to gather that day was to bring to light the subject of bias and discrimination prevalent in our society and help build social consensus to eradicate them," Ven. Wonhaeng said in a statement released Thursday to mark the new year.
"Therefore, it is our responsibility and task as the Jogye Order of Buddhists to embrace any voice of concern about the rally, as well as seek public support and understanding."
The Buddhist leader also looked back on the order's projects carried out in the last four years since he took the helm in 2018, while announcing plans for the upcoming years with new ambitions.
Ven. Wonhaeng focused on the idea of preserving and spreading Buddhist tradition both inside and outside Korea, citing the designation of the Lotus Lantern Festival held in celebration of Buddha's Birthday as a UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage in 2020, as well as the 20-year-long templestay program that has drawn over 6 million participants worldwide so far.
In May, the order will celebrate the completion of the "Bunhwang Temple" in Bodh Gaya, India, the first Korean Buddhist temple to be constructed in the region.
With the year 2022 marking the 60th anniversary of the Jogye Order's official establishment, it also plans to ponder over the fundamental roles that must be played by the Buddhist order in the current era.
"The temple forests are the last bastion in response to the looming climate change," he stated, adding that based on such Buddhist heritage and nature-friendly practices, the order will make a pledge to pursue carbon neutrality and distribute relevant manuals to each temple across the nation.
