Kim Hye-kyung's Quiet Reconciliation Efforts in the Buddhist Community... Receives Dharma Name 'Cheonsuan'

Visited More Than 20 Places Including Temples

Kim Hye-kyung, spouse of Lee Jae-myung, the Democratic Party presidential candidate, attended the opening ceremony and bell-ringing ceremony grand assembly held at Seongdamsa Temple in Namhae-gun, Gyeongnam, on November 28 last year.
[Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Ki-min Lee] It has been reported that Kim Hye-kyung, the spouse of Lee Jae-myung, the Democratic Party of Korea's presidential candidate and a Protestant Christian, received the Buddhist Dharma name ‘Cheonsuan (千手眼)’ from former Jogye Order Chief Executive Monk Ja-seung last year.

Kim received the Dharma name when she met former Chief Ja-seung in September last year before he embarked on the ‘Thousand-ri Pilgrimage of the Three Treasures Temples’?a journey from Songgwangsa to Haeinsa to Tongdosa?praying for overcoming COVID-19 and other blessings. At that time, Kim visited Bongeunsa Temple in Gangnam, Seoul, together with lawmakers Kang Sun-woo, Lee Soo-jin, and former lawmaker Lee Kyu-min.

According to political and Buddhist circles on the 23rd, Kim introduced her Dharma name as ‘Cheonsuan’ when visiting temples nationwide and explained her connection to Buddhism. The Dharma name Cheonsuan is derived from the Thousand-Armed, Thousand-Eyed Avalokitesvara Bodhisattva, symbolizing the ability to carefully observe the hardships of the world and the hearts of the people, just like Avalokitesvara with a thousand hands and eyes.

Former Democratic Party lawmaker Lee Kyu-min said, "A Dharma name is often given by a great monk as a form of teaching or as an honorific title before the name, even if one does not convert religions," adding, "Since the Dharma name was given with the good meaning of watching over the people well, Kim introduces her Dharma name to senior monks whenever she visits temples."

Kim’s receipt of the Dharma name and her repeated visits to Buddhist circles are also evaluated to have contributed to easing conflicts between the Buddhist community and the government to some extent. So far, Kim has visited about 15 out of the 24 main temples of the Jogye Order’s districts, and more than 20 including major temples, showing her dedication to the Buddhist community.

After lawmaker Jung Cheong-rae made a ‘Bong Yi Kim Seon-dal remark’ regarding temple cultural heritage admission fees in October last year, which sparked strong criticism from the Buddhist community, Kim visited temples nationwide to convey her apologies. An insider familiar with Buddhist affairs evaluated, "Since she is a Protestant Christian, it seems she is putting more effort into the Buddhist community to politically compensate for weaknesses."

However, with the emergence of the so-called ‘corporate card scandal,’ her temple visit schedule has also been suspended. On the 23rd, Kwon Hyuk-ki, deputy spokesperson of the Democratic Party’s presidential campaign committee, said, "As far as I know, Kim Hye-kyung has no public or private schedules today."

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