In an interview with Chosun Ilbo in 2020, monk Hyeonbong guided the trail behind the mountain behind Seonwon, which he calls the “Secret Garden of Songgwangsa Temple.” /Reporter Kim Young-geun
Monk Bangjang Hyeonbong (75), the most important saint of the Jogye Generallim Songgwangsa Temple, died on the night of the 1st. Monk Hyeonbong was found collapsed due to a brain hemorrhage on the morning of the 30th and was taken to hospital, but he did not regain consciousness and died at around 9:17 pm on the 1st. An official from Songgwangsa Temple said, ” Monk Hyeonbong slept well after completing the worship service on the evening of the 29th, but the next morning he did not show up for the worship service and breakfast (meal), so when we went to Samilam, his residence, he was found collapsed.” It is known that the life-sustaining treatment was not administered according to the monk’s wishes.
Monk Hyeonbong, born in Sacheon, Gyeongsangnam-do in 1949, became a monk in Songgwangsa Temple in 1974 as a mentor to Monk Gusan. In the early days of becoming a monk, he followed the Songgwangsa tradition of Zen-agriculture-unity (Zen-nun-farm-unity) and meditated during the day and night, cultivating during the day and meditating at night. He said, “I would hear compliments from adult monks, saying, ‘If Hyeonbong plants, he will grow many peppers, potatoes and pumpkins.'” He also said, “At that time, I was so envious of the senior monks who didn’t cultivate and just meditated.” Subsequently, Venerable Hyeonbong visited Zen temples across the country, including Haeinsa Temple, Tongdosa Temple, and Bongamsa Temple. , and practiced dozens of retreats (three months of intensive meditation). Not only did he stay in Zen schools and temples, but he was also a “new monk” who took a backpacking trip to Manhaeng in the late 1980s, which is rare in the Buddhist world. In 1989, when he was 40 years old, he went alone with a backpack for a year to India, Europe, Egypt and Israel. The aim was to visit the birthplace of various religions and civilizations and reflect on the intention originally to become a monk. He said, “At the time, while traveling on a budget of about $200 a month, I realized, ‘I’ve been living in a Zen room for a long time,’ and I reaffirmed my sincere desire to practice. and spread the word.”
He served as the chief priest of Songgwangsa Temple (2000–2003), as well as a member of the central council of the Jogye Order sect and a member of the Hogyewon Committee for Review and Hogye, serving as both Ipan (executioner) and executioner. Sapan (administrator). In November 2019, he was appointed head of Songgwangsa Temple, and in October 2021, he was promoted to Daejongsa, the highest Buddhist order of the Jogye Order.
Even after he became the head of the room, life was simple. The head monk’s car was provided as a public car for the senior monks of Songgwangsa Temple, and he personally traveled around the grounds with shears and saw to take care of flowers and trees whenever he had time. In December last year, the media reported that monk Hyeonbong was digging cabbage that he had grown himself, together with other young monks.
The monk Hyeonbong, who published commentaries on the sutras and books such as “You are another me”, “The Heart Sutra seen from Zen”, “Scent of Pine Wind and Tea” and “Seventy Collections”, wrote a method which explains and explains easily explains the core of Buddhism. He was also famous. After being appointed head of the temple in November 2019, the monk said: “Songgwangsa Temple has produced 16 national masters and is called a Buddhist monk, but in the past he is not a Buddhist monk, now he must become a treasure.” he encouraged their performance. Regarding the coronavirus pandemic, he said: “Corona is a situation that proves that ‘I’ and ‘you’ are no different” and that it is urgent to have a spirit of “self-reliance”. In an interview with this magazine on the occasion of Buddha’s birthday in 2020, he said: “Buddha came into the world to prove that ‘everyone can stand on their own feet’.” In an interview at a time when everyone was suffering due to the coronavirus pandemic, he stressed: “In difficult times, we must live with a cold head, a warm heart and diligent hands and feet.”
Monk Hyeonbong’s funeral program will be announced on the 2nd.
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