조계종 "자승 전 총무원장 입적…칠장사 화재 현장서 법구 확인" Jogye Order says ex-leader Ven. Jaseung

[정승남세기영어교육연구회장]

(4th LD) Jogye Order says ex-leader Ven. Jaseung self-immolated

​조계종 "자승 전 총무원장 입적…칠장사 화재 현장서 법구 확인"

Shim Sun-ah All News 15:48 November 30, 2023 Yonhap News

https://youtu.be/Jrh7SV1_qic

(ATTN: UPDATES with on-site police inspection in paras 7-9, more background info in 12th para; ADDS photo)
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SEOUL, Nov. 30 (Yonhap) -- Ven. Jaseung, a former leader of South Korea's largest Buddhist sect, the Jogye Order, immolated himself, the order said Thursday, after he was found dead in a temple fire a day earlier.
"Ven. Jaseung left a warning to all Buddhists with his self-immolation, praying for the stability of the religious group and the salvation of the world through the dissemination of the Dharma," Ven. Wubong, the spokesman for the Jogye Order, said in a press briefing.
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Self-immolation is a Buddhist practice of burning oneself alive as an offering to Buddha.
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Ven. Jaseung, a former head of the Jogye Order, South Korea's largest Buddhist sect, is seen in this undated file photo. (Yonhap)
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He announced the former head passed away at age 69 in a fire that erupted at Chiljang Temple in Anseong, Gyeonggi Province, at 6:50 p.m. Wednesday.
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His body was found at a dormitory for monks in the temple, where he was staying alone, after firefighters extinguished the fire there in about three hours.
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The police discovered notes apparently written for the temple's chief priest in Jaseung's car parked nearby. They read: "I'm sorry for causing a lot of troubles by ending my life here. ... This building will be restored by my disciples, and I'm both sorry and grateful."
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The police and firefighting authorities jointly inspected the site of the fire to determine the exact cause of the fire.
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The police were also analyzing all closed-circuit TV footage from the temple. The analysis conducted so far has found no other visitor to the dormitory than the deceased, according to the police.
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The police said the body found at the scene was tentatively identified as him but that they were conducting DNA tests for more clear identification.
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Police officers and firefighters examine the site of a fire at a dormitory for Buddhist monks inside Chiljang Temple in Anseong, south of Seoul, on Nov. 30, 2023. The blaze, which erupted at 6:50 p.m. the previous day, killed Ven. Jaseung, a former head of the Jogye Order, South Korea's largest Buddhist sect, according to a senior official at Bongeun Temple in southern Seoul. (Pool photo) (Yonhap)
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The Jogye Order said it will hold a five-day funeral led by its current leader Ven. Jinwoo at Jogye Temple situated in downtown Seoul. A funeral ceremony will take place Sunday morning.
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Born in 1954, Ven. Jaseung became a Buddhist monk at age 19 and served as the president of the Jogye Order from 2009 to 2017.
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He assumed the chairmanship at the Korean Council of Religious Leaders from 2011-2017 and also served as co-chairman at the Korean Conference of Religion and Peace from 2014-2017. Before his passing, he worked as the head abbot of Bongeun Temple in southern Seoul.
His death shocked the Buddhist sect, especially as he had shown a strong desire to further spread the religion until recently.
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"As a former president of the Jogye Order, Ven. Jaseung had been concerned about the status and role of Buddhism. He had a strong will to solve the problems facing the order, such as the declining population," Ven. Jugyeong, head of the order's legislative organization, told Yonhap News Agency. He appeared visibly disconcerted by the news of his death.
Park Jeong-gyu, a public relations official of the order's labor union, also did not hide his shock, saying the death is "too unexpected."
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Firefighters extinguish a fire at a dormitory for Buddhist monks inside Chiljang Temple in Anseong, 64 kilometers south of Seoul, on Nov. 29, 2023, in this photo provided by the vernacular daily Gyeonggi Ilbo. The blaze, which erupted at 6:50 p.m. the same day, killed Ven. Jaseung, a former head of the Jogye Order, South Korea's largest Buddhist sect, according to a senior official at Bongeun Temple in southern Seoul. (PHOTO NOT FOR SALE) (Yonhap)
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jaeyeon.woo@yna.co.kr
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(END)

포토홈

조계종 "자승 전 총무원장 입적…칠장사 화재 현장

서 법구 확인"

(서울=연합뉴스) 29일 경기 안성시 소재 사찰인 칠장사에서 발생한 화재 현장에서 스님의 시신이 발견된 것과 관련해 대한불교조계종 관계자는 조계종 총무원장을 지낸 자승스님이 입적한 것으로 파악했다고 밝혔다.

조계종 관계자는 이날 연합뉴스와의 통화에서 "칠장사 화재 현장에서 발견된 법구는 자승스님"이라면서 "(종단 차원에서는) 홀로 계시다가 입적하신 것으로 공식 확인했다"고 말했다.

사진은 지난 3월 23일 조계사에서 열린 상월결사 인도순례 회향식에서 합장하는 자승 스님. 2023.11.29 [연합뉴스 자료사진]

photo@yna.co.kr

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