'Papillon Chair' Personally Crafted and Used by Monk Beopjeong Selected as Preliminary Cultural Heritage

A Representative Cultural Heritage Symbolizing the Austere Life of a Practitioner

Suncheon City announced that ten items, including the 'Papillon Chair' personally crafted and used by the late Monk Beopjeong at Bulgiram Hermitage in Songgwangsa Temple, Suncheon, have been selected as modern and contemporary preliminary cultural heritage.

Beopjeong Monk's 'Papillon Chair' Selected as a Preliminary Cultural Heritage. Provided by Suncheon City

The preliminary cultural heritage system is an initiative by the National Heritage Administration to designate modern and contemporary cultural assets that are less than 50 years old but hold high preservation value as future registered cultural heritage. This system was established to prevent damage or loss and to lay the foundation for future cultural resources within local communities.

The 'Beopjeong Monk Papillon Chair' is a wooden chair made by the monk himself in 1976 at Bulgiram Hermitage, Songgwangsa Temple, Suncheon, using firewood. It stands as a representative cultural heritage symbolizing the life of an austere practitioner. The name 'Papillon' refers to the protagonist of the film "Papillon," who wasted his life confined to a remote island, reflecting Monk Beopjeong's own contemplation of solitude and spiritual practice while seated in the chair.

A city official stated, "Monk Beopjeong was a figure who moved everyone deeply with his teaching of 'non-possession,' transcending religion," adding, "The selection of this preliminary cultural heritage is a meaningful first step in passing down the monk's philosophy to future generations and expanding it as a spiritual asset of the Suncheon region."

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