By Kang Hyun-kyung
Park Gwang-seo, professor emeritus in physics at Sogang University, and Ven. Seoljo, who put an end to his 41-day hunger strike on Monday, have one thing in common -- they are Buddhist activists.
The senior monk initiated the sit-in rally on June 20, urging Jogye Order President Seoljeong, who is embroiled in multiple allegations, to step down from the leadership and calling for purging corruption inside the sect.
Park, 69, and Seoljo, 88, have known each other for decades since they teamed up to fight corruption inside Korea's largest Buddhist sect in the 1990s, a turbulent era in Korean Buddhism's history.
Back then, Park represented the Buddhist laymen group, while Seoljo served as vice president of the Purification and Reform Committee, an opposition group inside Jogye Order.
Park said Ven. Seoljo's decision to end the hunger strike was not his own.
"There were some monks who were deeply concerned about his health as his hunger strike continued under the scorching weather. They encouraged him again and again to stop it and he finally followed their advice on the 41st day of his fast," Park said. "Ven. Seoljo knew how long he could endure without food from the very beginning. He told me he could forgo food up to 40 days or so when I met him in June when he started the hunger strike."
Park said Seoljo's ending his hunger strike is not the endpoint of the anti-corruption campaign inside Jogye Order, noting rather it is a starting point for thorough reform of the sect.
He observed the corruption scandals surrounding some Buddhist leaders are the result of "tyranny by the minority."
"There are some monks inside the Jogye Order who are really influential and flex their muscles behind major decisions, while the remaining 9,000 monks and nuns are left voiceless," he said.
His remarks are in line with some Buddhist activists who demand overhauling Jogye Order to make it more transparent. They insist Buddhist leaders reform the four-year election system and allow direct voting to select a president of Jogye Order.
Under the current scheme, 300 Buddhist leaders cast their vote to elect president on behalf of monks, nuns and Buddhist laymen.
"There's no way to make ordinary Buddhists' voices heard in major decisions as they are not allowed to vote or participate in the decision-making process whatsoever inside Jogye Order," Park said.
He said Korean Buddhism suffers under corruption scandals.
A 2016 survey of the religious population showed those who identified themselves as Protestants topped with 19.7 percent of the population, surpassing the Buddhist population (15.5 percent).
It showed a 7-percentage-point fall in Buddhists in a decade. The 2015 religion census found Buddhism had most followers, followed by Protestantism and Catholicism.
Park said the dramatic fall in Buddhist followers over the past 10 years reflects their deep disappointment in Buddhist leaders. "There's no doubt that suspicions and corruption scandals surrounding Jogye Order played a key part behind the shift in religious census," he said.
However, he presented an interesting view regarding changes in the religion census.
"I think Buddhists were underrepresented in the 2016 census," he said. "The results reflect an increase in skeptical Buddhists. I mean people were sick and tired of some Buddhist leaders who were embroiled in scandals, so they were discouraged to identify themselves as Buddhists. They are still Buddhists but they are reluctant to make their religious affiliation public. I think the disappointed Buddhists were not captured in the 2016 religion census."
Park cited the late journalist and academic Rhee Young-hee as a prime example.
"Rhee was a Buddhist and served as a board member of the Buddhist media outlet Beopbo newspaper later in his life after he retired from Hanyang University. While alive, he used to say he was a disciple of Buddha but didn't identify himself as a Buddhist as he was deeply disappointed in some Buddhist leaders," Park said.
Park Gwang-seo, professor emeritus in physics at Sogang University, and Ven. Seoljo, who put an end to his 41-day hunger strike on Monday, have one thing in common -- they are Buddhist activists.
The senior monk initiated the sit-in rally on June 20, urging Jogye Order President Seoljeong, who is embroiled in multiple allegations, to step down from the leadership and calling for purging corruption inside the sect.
Park, 69, and Seoljo, 88, have known each other for decades since they teamed up to fight corruption inside Korea's largest Buddhist sect in the 1990s, a turbulent era in Korean Buddhism's history.
 |
| Park Gwang-seo, professor emeritus at Sogang University / Korea Times file |
Park said Ven. Seoljo's decision to end the hunger strike was not his own.
"There were some monks who were deeply concerned about his health as his hunger strike continued under the scorching weather. They encouraged him again and again to stop it and he finally followed their advice on the 41st day of his fast," Park said. "Ven. Seoljo knew how long he could endure without food from the very beginning. He told me he could forgo food up to 40 days or so when I met him in June when he started the hunger strike."
Park said Seoljo's ending his hunger strike is not the endpoint of the anti-corruption campaign inside Jogye Order, noting rather it is a starting point for thorough reform of the sect.
He observed the corruption scandals surrounding some Buddhist leaders are the result of "tyranny by the minority."
"There are some monks inside the Jogye Order who are really influential and flex their muscles behind major decisions, while the remaining 9,000 monks and nuns are left voiceless," he said.
His remarks are in line with some Buddhist activists who demand overhauling Jogye Order to make it more transparent. They insist Buddhist leaders reform the four-year election system and allow direct voting to select a president of Jogye Order.
Under the current scheme, 300 Buddhist leaders cast their vote to elect president on behalf of monks, nuns and Buddhist laymen.
"There's no way to make ordinary Buddhists' voices heard in major decisions as they are not allowed to vote or participate in the decision-making process whatsoever inside Jogye Order," Park said.
He said Korean Buddhism suffers under corruption scandals.
A 2016 survey of the religious population showed those who identified themselves as Protestants topped with 19.7 percent of the population, surpassing the Buddhist population (15.5 percent).
It showed a 7-percentage-point fall in Buddhists in a decade. The 2015 religion census found Buddhism had most followers, followed by Protestantism and Catholicism.
Park said the dramatic fall in Buddhist followers over the past 10 years reflects their deep disappointment in Buddhist leaders. "There's no doubt that suspicions and corruption scandals surrounding Jogye Order played a key part behind the shift in religious census," he said.
However, he presented an interesting view regarding changes in the religion census.
"I think Buddhists were underrepresented in the 2016 census," he said. "The results reflect an increase in skeptical Buddhists. I mean people were sick and tired of some Buddhist leaders who were embroiled in scandals, so they were discouraged to identify themselves as Buddhists. They are still Buddhists but they are reluctant to make their religious affiliation public. I think the disappointed Buddhists were not captured in the 2016 religion census."
Park cited the late journalist and academic Rhee Young-hee as a prime example.
"Rhee was a Buddhist and served as a board member of the Buddhist media outlet Beopbo newspaper later in his life after he retired from Hanyang University. While alive, he used to say he was a disciple of Buddha but didn't identify himself as a Buddhist as he was deeply disappointed in some Buddhist leaders," Park said.
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