Bulguksa Temple’s Chief Monk, Jong-sang, passed away on the 8th. He was 76 years old with 60 years in the monastic life. The funeral and cremation ceremonies are expected to be solemnly held at Bulguksa Temple on the 12th.
According to the Buddhist community, Monk Jong-sang passed away at around 1:02 a.m. at Jeonghye-ryo in Bulguksa Temple, Gyeongju, Gyeongbuk. He had been receiving treatment for a worsening chronic illness at a hospital in Seoul before moving to Bulguksa Temple the day prior.
Monk Jong-sang left a Nirvana verse, which means, “Where would slander or praise attach when dislike and disdain are completely washed away? Transcending life and death indifferently, the golden crow flies piercing the sky.”
A Nirvana verse conveys the enlightenment a monk has achieved through practice, intended to be passed down to future generations.
Born in 1948 in Imsil County, Jeollabuk-do, Monk Jong-sang received his novice precepts at Beopjusa Temple in 1965, with Monk Wolsan as his mentor. In 1973, he took full ordination (Bhikkhu precepts) under Monk Seokam at Beopjusa Temple and graduated from the Beopjusa Monastic College the following year. He served as a member of the Jogye Order’s central council, the head monk of Seokguram, Cheonggye Temple, and Bulguksa Temple, as well as a director of Buddhist Broadcasting and Dongguk University. In November 2020, he achieved the highest Buddhist title given to monks in the Jogye Order, the Daejongsa.
In his 2001 book, “Polishing Roof Tiles into a Mirror” (published by Cheonggye Temple), Monk Jong-sang argued, “For Korean Buddhism to change anew, there must first be awareness of Buddhist culture, and we must gather our energy towards fostering people rather than just building homes, statues, and pagodas.”