Jogye Order Buddhist School of International Studies holds first graduation ceremony

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Seoul, South Korea -- After 2 years since the opening, The Jogye Order Buddhist School of International Studies held it’s first graduation ceremony with 9 monastic graduates at Hwaunsa temple in Gyeonggi province on February 22nd, 2013.

These 9 monastics enrolled 2 years ago in aims of further propagating Korean Buddhism to the rest of the World. Ven. Hyun ung, the head of the Jogye Order education institute was the keynote speaker at the graduation ceremony. During his speech, he stated, “... these nine graduates will be an important resource for the promotion of Korean Buddhism in the World.”
The principal venerable, Ven. Beob in, handed out the diploma to each of the nine graduates and congratulated on them on their accomplishments.

It was noted in the keynote speech that there had been no drop outs and all nine monastics had completed the course from the beginning.

Ven. Cheong ha and Ven. Jeong Hyo will go back to the United States to continue their work on Korean Buddhist propagation, and other monastics will continue to propel the advancements for International affairs, Temple stay programs, to further propagate Korean Buddhism to the rest of the world.

Native English teachers and the 16 students who entered the school last year and this year congratulated the graduates for their accomplishments. The Jogye Order Buddhist School of International Studies will continue to develop monastics with bilingual skills to further propagate Korean traditional Buddhism to the rest of the World to liberate people across the globe from suffering.

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BTN and Jogye Order sponsors Thich Nhat Hahn inspired

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Seoul, South Korea -- Zen Master Thich Nhat Hanh is one of the most respected zen master in the world today and is the founder of Plum Village, a meditation community located in France.

<< Ven Thich Nhat Hahn

Many practitioners, Buddhist and Non-Buddhist alike, come from across the globe to Plum Village to learn the art of mindfulness, a teaching Zen Master Thich Nhat Hanh is more famous for.
There are several forms of practice in Plum Village, and the two most impressionable are the Bell of Mindfulness and Walking Meditation. When people hear the sound of bell, they must stop to breathe and stop whatever they are doing.

The two most important concepts during Walking meditation is also mindfulness and breathing.

Through these simple practices practictioners are able to introspect and restore the calm and peace to become free.

These practices and Art of Mindfulness of Plum Village is now available for the Korean Buddhist community.

In October 20th, Brother Phap Kham and Sister Thoai Ngheim, both delegates and dharma teachers of Plum Village will be at the Jogye Order International Seon center to introduce the Art of Mindfulness and Art of Mindful living through a daily temple stay program.

BTN and the Jogye Order International Seon Center will open a Day of Mindfulness and offer 100 participants a chance to practice with the monks of Plum Village.

The Plum Village delegates will arrive in Seoul, Korea on October 16th, and work with BTN to prepare for Zen Master Thich Nhat Hanh’s retreat session that is scheduled for May 2013.

The BTN sponsored Zen Master Thich Nhat Hanh 5 day retreat session will be held at Woljeongsa temple in PyeongChang in May 2013.

In the fast paced city life of Seoul, many people in and out of Korea are eager for a chance to practice with Master Thich Nhat Hanh in May 2013.

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South Korea Jogye Buddhist monks launch reforms

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Seoul, South Korea -- Buddhist leaders in South Korea have announced that they will bring in professional managers to run temple finances, following recent "misbehaviour" by several monks.

<< Jogye Order is the representative order of traditional Korean Buddhism with roots that go all the way back 1,200 years

The country's main Jogye Order has been dogged by in-fighting and criticism since the latest scandal.

It has sparked a fresh debate on the role of monks in modern-day Korea.

The reforms mean that monks will focus on "self-discipline" and "missionary work" - not running temple affairs.

Instead, financial managers will be brought in to handle the accounts, and lay people will take over the day-to-day running of temples.

The leader of Korea's Jogye Order said there was no choice but to carry out "far-reaching reform" because "pre-modern" practices had led to disputes, conflicts and scandal.

Last month, several monks were caught on camera smoking, drinking and gambling in a hotel bedroom.

Gambling is illegal in South Korea, apart from in designated places such as casinos catering mostly to tourists. It is also a violation of the code of conduct for monks of the Jogye Order.

The video unleashed a spate of allegations against senior figures in the order - that they too had drunk alcohol, gambled and even paid for sex.

The order says it has more than 10 million followers - about 20% of the population of South Korea. But it has reportedly been hit by feuds and factional in-fighting.

Buddhist leaders have repeatedly said there would be strict penalties for those who tarnished the image of the country's monks.

The BBC's Lucy Williamson in Seoul says that many in South Korea believe that Buddhism is already struggling to remain relevant in the face of Christianity and capitalism.

Local media reports last month said that the footage was thought to have been shot by a monk from the order described as an opponent of its current administration.

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Former head of the Jogye Order Venerable Ji-kwan Passes Away At the Age of 79

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Seoul, South Korea -- A revered Buddhist monk here in Korea, the Venerable Ji-kwan, has passed away at the age of 79 after battling chronic asthma for many years.

A former chief executive of the largest Buddhist sect in the country, the Jogye Order, Venerable Ji-kwan died late Monday evening at Gyeongguk temple in Seoul.

The Buddhist monk had been under medical treatment since September as his health rapidly deteriorated with age.

Venerable Ji-kwan was known as a studying monk in Korean Buddhism who founded the Kasan Institute of Buddhist Culture, a research institute dedicated to the study of Buddhism and devoting most of his life to publishing Buddhist books.

A memorial altar will be set up at the Haeinsa temple in South Gyeongsang province later this morning and a cremation rite will be held on the 8th of this month.

About Ven Ji Kwan

Ven. Ji-Kwan was born Dec. 9, 1932 and entered into the priesthood at Haein-sa Temple in South Gyeongsang Province in 1947. He served as head monk at the temple from 1970 to 1972 and has worked as a professor of Dongguk University. He was also president of the university for four years from 1986.

Ven. Ji Kwan became the 32nd top administrator of the Jogye Order, Korea's biggest Buddhist order in 2005, winning a majority 165 votes out of the order's 320 representatives.

Ven. Ji Kwan led the Jogye Order for the next four years, following his predecessor Ven. Bub Jang, who died of heart attack in September 2005.

The nation's largest religious sect runs 2,000 temples, with 15,000 Buddhist monks and nuns and around 8 million followers, making it the nation's largest religious sect. Buddhism is the biggest religion in Korea.

Related article: Buddhist Leader Stressed Simpler Lifestyle, Mind

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