The monk Bangjang Hyeonbong (75), the highest saint of the Jogye Generallim Songgwangsa temple, died on the night of the 1st. On the 2nd, Songgwangsa Temple said, “The head of Songgwangsa Temple of the Jogye Order of Korean Buddhism, Namdang Daejong Hyeonbong, prayed with all his strength at 8 pm on May 1, 2024 (about March 23), he prayed at Samilam Hermitage at Songgwangsa Temple, Jogye Chonglim, Suncheon-si, Jeollanam-do “I would like to inform you that he passed away at the age of 75, 50 years ago.” Monk Hyeonbong was found unconscious due to cerebral hemorrhage on the morning of the 30th and was taken to the hospital, but it was reported that he never recovered.
Monk Hyeonbong, born in Sacheon, Gyeongsangnam-do in 1949, became a monk at Songgwangsa Temple in 1974 as a mentor to Monk Gusan. In his early days as a monk, he followed the Songgwangsa tradition of Zen-nun-farm-unity and meditated day and night, working in the day and reflecting on the night. He said, “I used to hear advice from older monks, saying, ‘If Hyeonbong sows, it will grow a lot of peppers, potatoes and pumpkins.'” He also said, “At that time, I was so envious of the senior monks who did not cultivate and only meditated.” Afterwards, Venerable Hyeonbong visited Zen temples throughout the country, including Haeinsa Temple, Tongdosa, and Bongamsa Temple, and practiced dozens of retreats (three months of intensive meditation). He not only stayed in Zen schools and temples, but also became a monk. new’ who went on a backpacking trip to Manhaeng in the late 1980s, which is rare in the Buddhist world. In 1989, when he was 40 years old, he went alone with a backpack for a year to the – India, Europe, Egypt, and Israel. The purpose was to visit the birthplace of different religions and civilizations and to reflect on the original intention of becoming a monk. He said, “At the time, I was traveling on a budget of about $200 a month, and I realized, ‘I’ve been living in a Zen room for a long time,’ and I confirmed my sincere desire to to use and spread the word. .”
He was the head priest of Songgwangsa Temple (2000-2003), as well as a member of the main sect council of the Jogye Order and a member of the Hogyewon Reexamination and Hogye Committee, serving as both Ipan (sender) and Sapan (administrator). In November 2019, he was appointed head of Songgwangsa Temple, and in October 2021, he was promoted to Daejongsa, the highest Buddhist order of the Jogye Order.
Even after he became the head of the chamber, life was simple. The head monk’s car was provided as a public car for the senior monks of Songgwangsa Temple, and he personally traveled around the grounds with a shears and a saw to take care of flowers and trees whenever there was time. his Last December, the media reported that the monk Hyeonbong was digging cabbage that he grew himself, along with other young monks.
Monk Hyeonbong, who has published commentaries on sutras and books such as ‘You are another me’, ‘Heart Sutra seen from Zen’, ‘Scent of Pine Wind and Tea’, and ‘Seventy Collections’, has written a method that easy to explain and explain the heart of Buddhism He was also famous. After being appointed as the head of the temple in November 2019, the monk said, “Songgwangsa Temple has produced 16 national masters and is called a Buddhist monk, but he is not a Buddhist monk ‘ there was before this treasure.” they encouraged their performance. Regarding the corona pandemic, he said, “Corona is a situation that shows that ‘I’ and ‘you’ are not different,” and that the spirit of self-reliance is urgent ‘ to have. In an interview with this magazine to celebrate Buddha’s birthday in 2020, he said, “Buddha came to the world to show that “everyone can stand alone”. In an interview at a time when everyone was suffering from the coronavirus pandemic, he emphasized, “In difficult times, we must live with a cool head, a hot heart, and hands and hardworking feet.”
The incense burner was set up at Seonhodang Temple Songgwangsa, and the funeral ceremony will be held at Songgwangsa Temple at 2pm on the 5th at Jogye Lim General Hall.
2024-05-01 22:49:15
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