Beopjeong (; 5 November 1932 - 11 March 2010), born Pak Jaecheol (), was a

Buddhist Buddhism ( , ), also known as Buddha Dharma and Dharmavinaya (), is an Indian religion or philosophical tradition based on teachings attributed to the Buddha. It originated in northern India as a -movement in the 5th century BCE, and ...

monk and writer from

South Korea South Korea, officially the Republic of Korea (ROK), is a country in East Asia, constituting the southern part of the Korean Peninsula and sharing a land border with North Korea. Its western border is formed by the Yellow Sea, while its eas ...

Biography

Born in 1932 in

Haenam County Haenam (''Haenam-gun'') is a county in South Jeolla Province, South Korea. The capital of Haenam-gun is Haenam-eup (Haenam town). The economy of the county is based mainly on agriculture, with rice and radish being the two most common crops. Hist ...

South Jeolla Province South Jeolla Province (; ''Jeollanam-do''; ), also known as Jeonnam, is a province of South Korea. South Jeolla has a population of 1,902,324 (2014) and has a geographic area of located in the Honam region at the southwestern tip of the Korean ...

, Beopjeong graduated from Mokpo Commercial High School and entered

Chonnam National University Chonnam National University (CNU) is one of ten Flagship Korean National Universities located in Gwangju and South Jeolla Province, South Korea. In March 2006, Yeosu National University merged with Chonnam National University to become a satellit ...

. In 1954, his junior year, he left school and decided to become a Buddhist monk as a follower of Hyobong Hangnul, a

Jogye The Jogye Order, officially the Jogye Order of Korean Buddhism (대한불교조계종, 大韓佛敎曹溪宗), is the representative Religious order#Buddhist tradition, order of traditional Korean Buddhism with roots that date back 1200 years to ...

Seon master. Beopjeong was widely known for his ''musoyu'' () spirit, literally meaning "nonpossession" or "lack of possession," which he propagated through many of his publications, which have been loved by many Koreans. The following is a representative example of his direct, poignant style: On December 14, 1997, Cardinal Stephen Kim Sou-hwan of the Korean Catholic Church attended and offered congratulations on the opening of Gilsangsa Temple ( ), located in

Seongbuk District Seongbuk District (Seongbuk-gu) is one of the 25 '' gu'' which make up the city of Seoul, South Korea. It is located in the mid-north part of the city. The current Mayor is Kim Young-bae (김영배), who has been mayor since July 1, 2010. Seongbuk ...

Seoul Seoul (; ; ), officially known as the Seoul Special City, is the capital and largest metropolis of South Korea.Before 1972, Seoul was the ''de jure'' capital of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (North Korea) as stated iArticle 103 of ...

. In return, Beopjeong visited

Myeongdong Cathedral The Cathedral Church of the Virgin Mary of the Immaculate Conception ( la, Ecclesia Cathedralis Nostrae Dominae Immaculatae Conceptionis; ), informally known as Myeongdong Cathedral, is the national cathedral of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese o ...

on February 24, 1998, and delivered a special speech showing the harmony between religions. On March 11, 2010, at the age of 77, in the 55th year of his monkhood, Beopjeong died in Gilsangsa, as a result of chronic lung cancer. He said in his will: "Don't hold a funeral for me. Don't make a coffin. Dress me in cotton, which I used to wear. Scatter my ashes on the flower garden of the hut where I used to live." In accordance with his will, a simple cremation rite was held at Songgwangsa in Suncheon on March 13, 2010. There was no decorated bier or elegies, and thousands of people from all over the country attended.

Bibliography

In Korean

* ''Non-Possession'' ( 무소유, 無所有) * ''The Sound of the Soul'' () * ''Words and Silence'' () * ''The Sound of Water, the Sound of Wind'' () * ''Quiet Talks in the Mountains'' () * ''Throwing It Away, Leaving It All Behind'' () * ''India Travel Journal'' () * ''Desolate Forests, As Birds Have Gone'' () * ''Flower Blossoms in the Mountains'' () * ''The Beautiful Finish'' () * ''The Joy of Living Alone'' () * ''One Life, One Meeting'' () * ''One for All, All for One'' () * ''May All Beings Be Happy'' () * ''The Books I Have Loved'' ()

In translation

*''May All Beings Be Happy'' (2006) - edited by Ryu Shiva, translated by Matty Wegehaupt *''The Sound of Water, the Sound of Wind'' (2010) - edited and translated by Brian Barry *''Meditations of a Zen Master'' (2012) - edited and translated by David Bannon *''Meditations of a Korean Monk'' (2012) - edited and translated by David Bannon

References

External links

* Documentary
''Beopjeong's Chair'' (2011)
(), narrated by

Choi Bool-am Choi Bool-am (born June 15, 1940) is a South Korean actor and a professor. Biography Choi was born in the neighborhood of , Dong-gu, Incheon, Korea in 1940. Choi was the only son to his father Choi Cheol, a business man, and his mother Lee M ...