From Reform to Social Engagement: Steady Stream of Mourners at Ven. Myungjin's Funeral Altar

Condolences from All Sectors at Bongunsa Temple's Seonbuldang Hall... Memorial Service on the 25th
Led 1994 Jogye Order Reform, Disclosed Bongunsa's Finances
Nine-Year Conflict with the Jogye Order Concluded Early This Year
President Lee Ja

Visitors are continuously coming to pay their respects at the memorial altar of Venerable Myungjin at Seonbuldang Hall, Bongeunsa Temple in Gangnam-gu, Seoul. He stood at the forefront of the Jogye Order’s reform in 1994 and led both the 1,000-day prayer and the public disclosure of temple finances during his tenure as the abbot of Bongeunsa. He was known as an 'activist practitioner' who boldly voiced his opinions against both the Buddhist order and the political establishment. He passed away about half a year after resolving a long-standing conflict with the order, which had continued since his expulsion in 2017.

The funeral hall for Myungjin, the former head monk of Bongeunsa Temple who passed away on the 22nd in Seogwipo, Jeju, was set up on the 23rd at Seonbuldang Hall in Bongeunsa Temple, Seoul. Photo by Yonhap News Agency

According to the Buddhist community on the 24th, Venerable Myungjin’s funeral will be held as a religious-civic society event, involving both the Buddhist community and civil society. After the memorial altar was set up at Seonbuldang Hall in Bongeunsa Temple the previous day, Buddhist officials, practitioners, and citizens paid their respects in succession. The funeral ceremony will be solemnly held at Bongeunsa Temple at 10 a.m. on the 25th, followed by a cremation ceremony at Beopjusa Temple, the head temple of the 5th district of the Jogye Order, which is where Venerable Myungjin first ordained.

Venerable Myungjin was found floating in the sea near Haye Port in Seogwipo, Jeju, at 9:38 a.m. on the 22nd and was transported to the hospital, where he was pronounced dead at 10:28 a.m. He was 76 years old, with 52 years in the order. At the time of discovery, he was wearing a mask, snorkel, diving suit, and fins. It has been reported that he had been freediving in Jeju for several years, but the exact circumstances of the accident remain unconfirmed. Yoo Byungmun, Venerable Myungjin’s disciple, suggested based on the location where he was found that it is more likely he suffered cardiac arrest while swimming in the sea, rather than while diving in deep waters. No external injuries or signs of foul play were found, so an autopsy was deemed unnecessary.

Born in 1950 in Dangjin, South Chungcheong Province, Venerable Myungjin began his monastic training as a novice at Baengryeonam Hermitage of Haeinsa Temple in 1969. After serving in the military and participating in the Vietnam War, he received novice monk ordination from his mentor, Venerable Tanseong, at Beopjusa Temple in 1974. He dedicated more than 20 years of his life to ascetic training, completing 40 Ango meditation retreats at meditation halls in Songgwangsa, Haeinsa, Bongamsa, Yonghwasa, and Sangwonsa Temples.

His journey as a practitioner expanded into civic engagement from the mid-1980s. According to his biography jointly written by the Jogye Order and civil society, he first became aware of the realities of the Gwangju Democratization Movement in 1985, when he watched footage brought by university students who were hiding at Haeinsa Temple. The following year, he participated in the September 7, 1986, National Monks’ Conference at Haeinsa Temple, which demanded the autonomy of Buddhism from political power. In 1994, he served as a standing committee member during the Jogye Order’s reform against then chief administrator Seo Eui-hyun’s third consecutive term. Afterwards, he served as a member and vice-chair of the Central Council and headed the Jogye Order’s National Community Movement Headquarters.

He became widely known to the public when he became abbot of Bongeunsa Temple in 2006. Upon assuming the role, he promoted the slogan 'A temple should be true to its nature' and began a 1,000-day prayer retreat, staying within the temple grounds starting in December that year. During his tenure, he publicly disclosed the temple’s budget and finances in 2007 and allowed lay believers to participate in temple management meetings, promoting transparent operation. He left the temple grounds only once during the 1,000-day prayer—to attend the funeral of former President Roh Moo-hyun in 2009. The first place he visited after completing the prayer was Yongsan Disaster Site.

On the 23rd, citizens are paying their respects at the funeral hall set up for former head monk Myungjin at Bongeunsa Seonbul Hall in Seoul. Photo by Yonhap News

Conflicts escalated in 2010 when Bongeunsa Temple became directly managed by the Jogye Order, and Venerable Myungjin clashed with the temple administration. He raised suspicions of external political pressure at the time, completed his term as abbot in November that year, and left Bongeunsa. Even afterwards, he continued to criticize both the order’s operations and the government of the time. In a 2017 investigation by the National Intelligence Service Reform and Development Committee, it was confirmed that the Blue House under President Lee Myung-bak had ordered the NIS to monitor Venerable Myungjin, and that the intelligence service had orchestrated online criticism against him. However, the investigation did not confirm that the NIS intervened directly in Venerable Myungjin’s removal as abbot of Bongeunsa.

The conflict with the Jogye Order dragged on. In 2017, the order handed Venerable Myungjin the highest disciplinary measure, expulsion, and Venerable Myungjin filed a lawsuit challenging the disciplinary action in 2023. The courts ruled in his favor in both the first and second trials. In January this year, after the appellate court’s decision, both the Jogye Order and Venerable Myungjin decided not to appeal to the Supreme Court, thus ending the nearly nine-year conflict and restoring his monastic status. At the time, the Jogye Order stated, "We wish to heal past conflicts and move forward on the path of mutual coexistence."

The news of his passing has prompted tributes from religious circles, the political sphere, and civil society. President Lee Jaemyung said, "I share the sorrow of losing a great figure in Korean Buddhism with the entire nation," honoring Venerable Myungjin’s life devoted to equality, peace, and compassion. Former President Moon Jae-in also paid tribute to his life dedicated to democratization, peace and unification movements, and solidarity with the suffering.

Chun Seonghwan, Senior Presidential Secretary for Civil Society, visited the memorial on the afternoon of the 23rd. On the 24th, Democratic Party leader Kim Minseok and other party officials, as well as Culture, Sports and Tourism Minister Choi Hwiyoung, are scheduled to pay their respects. Civil society groups, including the Baek Giwan Nonamegi Foundation and the National Citizens' Conference, of which Venerable Myungjin served as co-chairman, also commemorated his actions in supporting the socially disadvantaged and spearheading Buddhist reform.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.