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6 EASTERN HORIZON | LEAD ARTICLE

Assembly and raised over 10 billion Jogye Order’s Future Planning,”
won. Through these efforts, many which was given out to 10,000
of the proposed projects came into monastics by the Buddhist
fruition. Society Institute of the 100 Year
Compendium Headquarters of the
The groundbreaking ceremony for Jogye Order, respondents suggested
the Korean temple in Bodhgaya was the following as the biggest reasons
going to be held in March 2020, but for the decline in Buddhist devotees:
the outbreak of COVID-19 forced indifference to religion (28.1 %)
the ceremony to be put off until and disgraceful behavior (27.0 %).
September 2020. The project to
Ven Manhae (1879 – 1944)
build a Dharma hall outside the Even though a few monastics have
barracks of the Korean military engaged in negative behaviors,
at Gyeryongdae will be launched I do not think this would lead to
before the end of the year. Tangible the demise of Korean Buddhism.
outcomes will also be seen for the Korean Buddhism had the resilience
establishment of the Jogye Order’s to survive suppression during the
nursing home and hospital and for Joseon Dynasty, which actively
the repositioning of the rock-carved promoted Confucianism. It was also
Buddha on Mt. Namsan in Gyeongju. able to preserve its purity during
The One Million Vows Assembly the ruthless Japanese colonial
also marks the starting point to period. And, in the midst of the total
transform the management system destruction caused by the Korean
of the Jogye Order, which currently War, it cultivated flowers of hope. Ven Yongseong (1864—1940)
operates with set contributions
from each temple. Other Buddhist Furthermore, according to
at temples nationwide and the
Orders, like the Cheontae Order attendance records for the 2019
laity who support them, Korean
and Jingak Order, are also adapting winter meditation retreat, tabulated
Buddhism will continue to develop
actively to our changing society. by the Association of Korean Seon
while keeping its purity intact.
Monks to identify practitioners

How much of the decline of for the three-month retreat, 2,000 Korean Buddhism has moved
Korean Buddhism is due to monastics practiced intensive from the mountains to the cities
corruption within it, especially meditation in 100 Seon Halls in recent times to meet the needs
the scandals in the media across Korea: 280 practiced at of the lay Buddhist community.
regarding gambling, fist fights, eight monastic training complexes To what extent has this been
sexual misconduct of monks and (chongnim); 1,069 monks in 56 successful?
financial impropriety of temples, Seon Halls for monks, and 651 nuns
rather than the lure of evangelical in 33 Seon Halls for nuns. And the
Various Buddhist monastics in
Christianity? number of monastics participating
modern Korea have propagated
in these biannual three-months
Buddhism to the masses. For
Although limited to a small minority, retreat is very consistent year after
example, Venerable Manhae (1879
it is true that negative incidents like year (at least 2,000 practitioners
– 1944), one of the 33 signatories
gambling, financial impropriety, each retreat).
to the declaration of independence,
and sexual misconduct have been wrote a treatise titled Reforms of
committed by some monastics. Because of this firmly established
Korean Buddhism (Joseon bulgyo
According to the “Survey for the tradition of monastics in practice
yusinnon) in preparation for the