Ven. Beop Jeong, a respected Buddhist monk, who died Thursday in Seoul at the age of 78 after a long battle with lung cancer, was cremated in a simple religious ceremony in an ancient temple on Saturday.
The shrouded body of the monk, who was also a popular author with a number of best-selling essay collections, was carried from the Moonsoo pavilion at Songgwang temple, about 400 kilometers southeast of Seoul, to an open field where wood was stacked for the cremation, Yonhap News Agency said.
The funeral procession was followed by 15,000 mourners from all over the country who came to watch the solemn event and pay their last respects to one of South Korea's most well-known religious figures.
In accordance with his wishes, no coffin was provided. The body was covered in cloth and carried on a flat bamboo bench, with 10 of his former disciples and monks acting as pallbearers.
Pup Jeong, whose secular name was Park Jae-cheol, became devout in his Buddhist faith in 1954. He was officially ordained in 1959, and became well-known after publishing a book titled "Non-possession" in 1976.
The monk's life followed the principles he taught, and despite his fame, he never took a high-profile position in Buddhist society, and lived alone in remote places for most of his life.
|
