By Chung Ah-young
Staff Reporter

Ven. Beop Jeong, one of the most highly revered Buddhist monks in the nation who undertook an influential role in society for his frugal and secluded life, was cremated at a religious ritual at Songgwang Temple in South Jeolla Province, Saturday.

The monk died Thursday in Seoul at the age of 78 after a long battle with lung cancer.

More than 30,000 mourners, including prominent politicians and monks from the nation, gathered to attend the ceremony to pay their respects to the late leader at the temple where he began his monastic life.

According to his wishes that stick to his lifetime preachings on non-possession and frugality, his funeral rite was simple. Instead of a coffin, his body covered with a maroon Buddhist robe on a bamboo bench was transported from Gilsang Temple in Seoul to Songgwang Temple.

Some 10 disciples and monks carried the body of the monk to the cremation site on Mt. Jogye, where Songgwang Temple is situated.

His body was placed on the funeral pyre and covered with wood and was ignited at 11:41 a.m., Saturday. The cremation lasted for about 24 hours through Sunday morning and his disciples collected his remains. His ashes will be dispersed to several places around his cottage in Gangwon Province, Gilsang Temple and Songgwang Temple.

Ven. Beop Jeong was born in Haenam, South Jeolla Province in 1932 and his secular name was Park Jae-cheol. He became a monk in 1954 and became renowned for publishing a book titled "Non-possession" in 1976.

The monk had suffered from lung cancer for the past several years and had been resting on Jeju Island since last December. But after his condition recently worsened, the monk was moved to Samsung Medical Center in southern Seoul.

In 1997, he transformed Daewongak, a high-class Korean restaurant back in the 1970s and '80s, into Gilsang Temple and paid regular visits to give lectures.

But after quitting his position at Gilsang Temple, he moved to a small cottage in 2003 deep in the mountains of Gangwon Province to find peace and the meaning of life, and contemplate his religious faith.

The monk had 30 books published and donated the royalties of his book "Non-Possession," amounting to one billion won, to underprivileged students. For 30 years, some 3.4 million copies of "Non-Possession" have been sold but the exact amount of the donations has not been revealed.

A volunteer group named "Clean and Fragrant" was formed by followers of Ven. Beop Jeong in 1993 to help the underprivileged.

According to the group, about 40 to 50 million won has been endowed to students each year since its inception in 1994 but it doesn't reveal how and who donates to the scholarships for the needy.
However, as the monk stated his wish not to print any more copies of his books just before he passed away on Thursday, the remaining copies are running out.

Right after his death, his books shot on to the bestseller list in major book stores. But publishers don't know how to deal with their scarcity of stock because of the monk's last wishes. His representative books "Non-Possession," "Pleasure in Living Alone," "Words and Silence" and "Empty Abundance" are not available at online or offline bookstores.

His talented writing that portrays the meaning of life had been widely loved by readers. His trademark book "Non-Possession" preaches of a life without greed and attachment.

The monk meditated on exhaustiveness through silence and freedom from possessions by putting into practice honest poverty while living alone in the remote cabin.

In 2008, he compiled the essays he wrote for the Gilsang Temple Buddhist journal and released "The Beautiful Ending," along with a Buddhist textbook titled "Ilgi Ilhoi," or "The First Acquaintance in a Lifetime."

chungay@koreatimes.co.kr



법정스님 다비식 마쳐

검소하고 은둔생활로 사회에 영향을 크게 미친 미친 국내에서 최고로 존경받는 원로 스님 중 한 분인 법정이 토요일 전남 송광사 다비식에서 화장됐다.

법정은 오랜 동안 폐암 투병생활을 하다 목요일 78세를 일기로 서울에서 사망했다.

자신이 출가한 이 절에서 유명한 정치인과 승려 등 3만 여명이 다비식에 참석, 고 (故) 법정 스님에 조의를 표했다.

무소유와 검약에 관해 일생 동안 했던 설법을 따르겠다는 소원에 따라 장례의식은 간단했다. 관 대신 대나무 평상 위에 입던 옷 그대로 가사만 덮은 채 서울 길상사에서 전남 송광사로 운구됐다.

10여명의 승려가 법정 스님의 법구가 송광사가 있는 조계산 다비장으로 옮겨졌다.

토요일 오전 11시 41분 그의 법구가 장작더미 위에 놓이고 그 위에 장작으로 덮고 불이 붙여졌다. 화장은 일요일 아침까지 약 24시간 계속됐으며 문하생들이 유골을 수습했다. 그의 유골은 강원도 자신이 머물던 오두막집과 길상사 그리고 송광사 주위에 뿌려졌다.