"There Is No Life or Death, Yet There Is No Place Without Life or Death"… Monk Jaseung's Cremation Ceremony Held

On the 3rd, former Jogye Order of Korean Buddhism Chief Executive Monk Jaseung, who self-immolated and passed away on the 29th of last month, returned to ashes. On this day, the Jogye Order transported the monk's remains to Yongjusa Temple in Hwaseong, Gyeonggi Province, where the cremation ceremony was held.

[Image source=Yonhap News]

When the hearse carrying Monk Jaseung's remains entered Yeongjusa Temple at around 1:49 PM, about 2,000 mourners who had gathered in advance joined their hands in prayer simultaneously.

At Yeonhwadae, where the cremation ceremony took place, a Nirvana verse by Monk Jaseung was inscribed: "They say there is no life and death, yet there is no place without life and death. Having nothing more to seek, all connections also disappear." Throughout the cremation, Buddhists chanted "Namu Amitabul" to send off the monk on his final journey.

Key figures such as Elder Monk Iksandohu, Honorary Elder Monk Subongsemin, and Head of the Discipline Committee Monk Bogwang attended the cremation ceremony to bid farewell to Monk Jaseung. Gyeonggi Province Governor Kim Dong-yeon, along with Kwon Chil-seung, Chief Spokesperson of the Democratic Party, and Assemblyman Lee Won-wook, were also present.

The cremation ceremony is expected to continue until 9 AM on the 4th. Afterwards, the remaining ashes will be collected through the bone-picking ritual and enshrined in the Cheonbuljeon Hall of Yongjusa Temple.

The subsequent 49-day memorial rites will begin at Yongjusa Temple on the 5th and continue until January 16 of next year at Jogyesa Temple, Bongseonsa Temple, Daedeoksa Temple, Bongeunsa Temple, and Beopryongsa Temple, the National Bhikkhuni Association Hall.

Meanwhile, Monk Jaseung, born in 1954 in Chuncheon, Gangwon Province, received novice ordination under Monk Jigwan of Haeinsa Temple in 1972. He served as the head of the Finance Department and General Affairs Department of the Jogye Order, as well as a member and chairman of the Central Council. From October 2009 to October 2017, he led the order as the 33rd and 34th Chief Executive Monk for eight years.

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