2024-05-01 22:45:00
Monk Bangjang Hyeonbong (75), the greatest saint of Jogye Generallim Songgwangsa Temple, died on the night of the 1st. Monk Hyeonbong was found collapsed from a brain hemorrhage on the morning of the 30th and was taken to the hospital, but did not regain consciousness and died around 9:17 p.m. on the 1st. An official from Songgwangsa Temple said, “Monk Hyeonbong slept well after finishing worship on the evening of the 29th, but the next morning he did not show up for worship and breakfast (meal), so when we went to Samilam. , his residence, he was found collapsed. It is known that life-sustaining treatment was not administered according to the monk’s wishes.
Monk Hyeonbong, born in Sacheon, Gyeongsangnam-do in 1949, became a monk at Songgwangsa Temple in 1974 as a mentor to monk Gusan. In the early days of becoming a monk, he followed the Songgwangsa tradition of Zen farming unity (Zen-nun-farm-unity) and meditated day and night, cultivating during the day and meditating at night. He said, “I used to hear compliments from adult monks saying, ‘If Hyeonbong plants, he will grow lots of peppers, potatoes and pumpkins.’ » He also said, “At that time, I was so envious of the senior monks who didn’t cultivate and only meditated. Subsequently, Venerable Hyeonbong visited Zen temples across the country, including Haeinsa Temple, Tongdosa Temple, and Bongamsa Temple, and practiced dozens of retreats (three months of intensive meditation). He not only stayed at Zen schools and temples, but was also a “new monk” who took a backpacking trip to Manhaeng in the late 1980s, which is rare in the Buddhist world. In 1989, then aged 40, he went alone with a backpack for a year to India, Europe, Egypt and Israel. The aim was to visit the birthplace of various religions and civilizations and 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 reaffirmed my sincere desire to practice and to get the message across. .”
He served as chief priest of Songgwangsa Temple (2000-2003), as well as a member of the central sectarian council of the Jogye order and a member of the Hogye and Hogye review committee of Hogyewon, serving as both an Ipan (executionist) and a 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 becoming head of the hall, life was simple. The head monk’s car was provided as a public car for the senior monks of Songgwangsa Temple, and he personally roamed the grounds with pruning shears and a saw to take care of the flowers and trees whenever he had time. In December last year, media reported that monk Hyeonbong was digging up cabbage that he had grown himself, along with other young monks.
Monk Hyeonbong, who published commentaries on sutras and books such as “You Are Another Self,” “The Heart Sutra Seen from Zen,” “The Fragrance of Wind and Pine Tea,” and “Sixty- ten collections,” wrote a method that explains and explains the core of Buddhism. He was also famous. After being appointed head of the temple in November 2019, the monk said: “Songgwangsa Temple has produced 16 national masters and is called a Buddhist monk, but it is not a Buddhist monk in the past. Every monk must now become one. a treasure. » encouraged their performance. Regarding the coronavirus pandemic, he said: “Corona is a situation that shows that ‘me’ and ‘you’ are not different” and that there is an urgent need for a spirit of “self-reliance”. In an interview with this magazine on the occasion of Buddha’s birthday in 2020, he said: “Buddha came into the world to show that ‘everyone can stand on their own two feet.’ 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 burning heart and diligent hands and feet. »
Monk Hyeonbong’s funeral schedule will be announced on the 2nd.
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