BREAKING NEWS: KIM JONG-IL HAS DIED

Kim Jong-il, the leader of North Korea, has died at the age of 69 after suffering a heart attack, North Korean state media has announced.

Kim, known in the communist country as the "Dear Leader", died on Saturday aboard a train during a trip out of Pyongyang, a tearful presenter for the official KCNA news agency said on Monday.

May we all keep the people of the Korean Peninsula (North and South) in our hearts and thoughts as they face uncertainty in this time of change and hope that this transition does not bring any more suffering.

BBC Coverage here.

ABC Video here.

Wikipedia Entry on Death of Kim Jong-Il

CNN Coverage here.

USA Today Coverage

NYTimes Coverage here.

Restored scroll painting exhibited at Yeongsanjae Buddhist Ceremony in LA

Korean monks of Kuyangsa Temple in Incheon, South Korea, performed a ceremony combining chants, dance, and music. Also included was an exhibition of a recently restored important Korean Buddhist painting, Buddha Seokamoni (Shakyamuni) Preaching to the Assembly on Vulture Peak.

Watch a fascinating video about the painting and its restoration, and read more about this weekend’s ceremony, below.




According to Unesco, the ceremony is largely maintained today by the Korean Buddhist Taego Order. Unesco also reports that “Yeongsanjae is held in temples throughout the Republic of Korea to help all beings enter the world of truth by worshiping and admiring the Buddha and his laws and monks. The ceremony serves as an important space for transmission of values and art forms and for meditation, training and enlightenment.”

Source: Shambhala Sun News

2011 Bhikkhu Ordination

Taego order's Bhikkhu ordination that conducted by supreme patriarch of Taego order. Ven. Hae In (Virginia) and Ven. Myong Ahn (New Jersey) from overseas parish were participated 2011 Bhikkhu ordination

More Latinos Choose a Less Travelled Road to Spirituality

An article featuring Taego-jong Overseas Parish's own Mooh-Sang Sunim (So Shim Sa, NJ)

Ruben Lambert was educated in Catholic schools and grew up as a faithful Roman Catholic. As he grew older, the first generation Cuban-American decided to adopt a religion more rooted in meditation and enlightenment.

Now he follows the practices of Zen Buddhism and has assumed the name Venerable Mooh-Sang Sunim.

Like Lambert, many Latinos are shedding their traditional spiritual beliefs for non-traditional, non-Christian religions. Whether it involves praying five times a day or forsaking a suit and tie for long robes, these people are firm believers in the doctrines of their chosen convictions....

At first, it was like anything new and my family was reluctant to except it. The idea of a Buddhist monk is not an idea my parents expected me to become. So, taking those factors to account, there was a natural resistance.

Read the full article from FOX News Latino

Congratulations Bup Mee Sunim!

Photo Taken At Bup Ryun-sa in Seoul.

Bup Mee Sunim (Kevin Hickey) from Muddy Water Zen in Royal Oak, Michigan recently returned from South Korea where he completed 3 weeks of monastic training as a junior monk apprentice at Seonam-sa under the Taego Order. He was ordained at Seonam-sa on Wednesday October 19, 2011 and was also voted by his peers and instructors and awarded the President's Award for most committed and diligent hard-working student. He will be inducted formally next week at Muddy Water Zen and taken on as staff clergy under his teacher Hae Doh Sunim.

Congratulations Bup Mee Sunim!

Yongsanjae in Hollywood

From Ven. Bishop Dr. Jongmae's email,

Dear Taego sangha and IBS students
World UNESCO heritage "Yongsanjae" ritual took place at Ford Theater in Hollywood, yesterday.
President of Taego order (Most Venerable In-Gong) and 17 other Taego monks performed very beautifully
and about 800 audiences gathered at wonderful Ford Theater. Ritual manifests the utmost pleasure of Buddha-Dharm and faithful cultivation yet the rite that shows ancient musics and dancing...
Especially, Venerable Koo-Hae (Korea's national living treasure 50) and Dr. Ae-Jo-Lee (Korea's national living treasure 27) were drew out the most attention from audiences because their supreme performance.
Congratulations! and deeply appreciated to President of Taego order and 17 others supreme performers!
Enjoy the photos took by one of fellow Taego sangha.

Welcome and Congratulations Rev. Daebi!

Dulcinea Circelli finally become a Dharma instructor under the Korean Buddhist Taego order. H.Q of Taego order bestows her certificate and ID card and Reverend Hae Joong Maxwell and I gave her Dharma instructor robe and kasa (as a gift). Therefore, overseas parish pleased to announce that Reverend Daebi Circelli is now, a new sangha member of Korean Buddhist Taego order and yet a Dharma teacher at Bo Kwang Buddhist temple Anaheim, CA. Congratulations!

MWZ in Modern Buddhism!

Scan of the story on Muddy Water Zen and the Overseas Taego Parish in the May Edition of Modern Buddhism

Modern Buddhism Scan

Buddha’s Birthday: Streetfair in Seoul

Post by Chong Go Sunim for Wake Up and Laugh!

The Buddha’s Birthday is almost upon us, (tomorrow in fact) which means that yesterday was the street fair in front of Jogye Temple in Seoul. For an entire block, the road was filled with activities and booths set up by Buddhist organizations and NGO’s from around the world. I can’t imagine any other place in the world where one could see so many different types of Buddhism and Buddhist organizations. In fact, I have too many photos, and not enough time, so I’ll have to divide this post into two parts. (You can see larger images of most photos by clicking on the image.)

See all the photos here.

Interview: Seon Buddhism seeks spiritual guidance

Religion has improved the quality of spiritual life of human beings and influenced societal development for a long time through various moral roles in the public sphere by giving ethical inspiration to civil society activity and political discussion.

Zen-Master Subul, head of the Anguk Zen Center, stresses the very essence of Buddhism, particularly Seon (Zen) Buddhism — the spiritual guidance — to show people the right direction with a balance between materialistic and spiritual civilizations.

To commemorate Buddha’s Birthday which falls today, Master Subul, who puts the Buddha’s teachings into practice, talked about his vision on Seon Buddhism through “ganhwaseon” in an interview with The Korea Times. Ganhwaseon is a traditional way of Seon meditation in which the main practice is to investigate “hwadu” in order to attain enlightenment toward True Nature.

Read the interview from Korea Times.

Lantern festival to light up world for harmony

Making and hanging lotus lanterns is one of the oldest Buddhist traditions, which continues until today. Yeondeunghoe is a traditional Korean folk festival that goes back to the Silla Kingdom (B.C. 57-935 A.D.). It was inherited as the Lotus Lantern Assembly in Goryeo Kingdom (918-1392) and continued as the Lantern Celebration (Gwandeung-nori) during the Joseon Kingdom (1392-1910).

For the welfare of the community and fulfillment of personal wishes, the Lotus Lantern Festival will be held May 6-8 just ahead of Buddha’s Birthday which falls on May 10 this year. Buddha’s Birthday is the biggest day of the year as Buddhists celebrate by attending the Buddha’s Birthday Dharma Service at temples.

More than 100,000 colorful lanterns in various shapes such as dragons, elephants, phoenixes, drums, turtles and lotuses decorate the main streets nationwide along with diverse programs and activities.

The lanterns are symbols of light, wisdom and compassion that dispel the dark and suffering of the world. Through the lotus lanterns, the dark become bright as Buddhists believe that the light brings enlightenment to those who are in pain and are lost.

Read more at Buddhist Channel.

Buddha’s Birthday in Korea, a preview

From Wake Up and Laugh!

The Buddha’s birthday celebrations won’t begin until this Saturday, but on Sunday we(Hanmaum Seon Center) had a preview of the activities our center’s groups are planning. There’s nothing else for it, but to say they were incredible! The planning and effort they’ve put into the designs and rehearsals really show up.

The Lantern Parade will begin at around 6pm or so from Dongguk University(Saturday, May 7). There will be performances beforehand, I think. The parade will go up to Dongdae-mun, and then down Jongno to Jogye Temple. On Sunday the 8th, there will be the street fair on the road in front of Jogye Temple, to be followed by more performances and a party in the evening. On the day itself, Tuesday May 10, there will be activities all day long at all the major temples in Korea.

View more photos here.

Korean ruling party and Buddhist order reconciles

In a possible breakthrough to the ruling Grand National Party’s (GNP) efforts to end a standoff with Buddhist circles, the Jogye Order, the largest Buddhist sect in Korea, has allowed a group of party officials to hold a Mass at one of its temples, a GNP official said yesterday.

Several GNP lawmakers who are Buddhists plan to hold the ceremony at Jogye Temple in downtown Seoul on Tuesday, according to the official at the office of GNP Representative Cho Yoon-sun. The official requested anonymity.

It would be the first time that lawmakers participate in a Mass at the temple since the summer of 2008.

In January this year, the Jogye Order sent a directive to its member temples banning government officials and GNP lawmakers from attending any Buddhist events. The action came after the GNP passed a budget bill in December slashing state aid for temple stay tourism programs from 18.5 billion won ($17 million) in 2010 to 12.2 billion won.

Government officials later explained that there was miscommunication in earmarking the budget and gave assurances that the funding would be reinstated to the former level. But that wasn’t enough to assuage suspicions of religious partiality after President Lee Myung-bak, a Presbyterian, took office in 2008. The Jogye Order also declared it would reject state funding until Lee’s term ends in February 2013.


Continue reading at The Buddhist Channel

Lanterns for Buddha's Birthday

The Buddha’s Birthday (April 10, this year) is far and away the most important celebration on the Korean Buddhist calender. The preparations start nearly a year ahead of time at our center, and by January preparations are in full gear. By the time things are finished in April, the lanterns and floats will be gorgeous!

For everyone in the Seoul area, there’s been one important change this year: the main lantern parade will begin at dusk Saturday, May 7th, and will go from Dongguk University to Jogye Temple. Sunday, May 8th, will be the street fair in front of Jogye Temple, with a celebration/party in the evening.

View more pictures at Wake Up and Laugh!

Buddhist temples, 'seowon' to go global

Seoul, South Korea -- President Lee Myung-bak called for overseas promotions of traditional Buddhist temples and “seowon,” the most common educational institutions during the Joseon Kingdom (1392-1910), Friday, to help foreigners better understand the country’s culture and customs.

“We must find effective communication tools from our rich cultural heritage. Foreigners can experience the essence of our culture at traditional temples and seowon,” Lee said during a meeting of the Presidential Council on Nation Branding at Cheong Wa Dae.

“Temples demonstrate the country’s Buddhist culture while the seowon show Confucian values. We need to share such cultural assets with foreigners and make more efforts to preserve them.”

The council plans to launch diverse programs to promote the seowon abroad, according to its Chairwoman Lee Bae-yong, a history professor.
Seowon were private institutions that combined the functions of a Confucian shrine and a preparatory school.

Read the full article from The Korea Times

2011 Spring Taego Protocol Retreat/Precept Ceremony Photo Album

Click the link below to view the photo album online at Google's Picasa Web Album. You can download, print, and share any and all of the photos.

Click here to view the photo album online.

Slideshow

Dharma Talk - Different Conditions

Given By: Venerable Dr. Jongmae Kenneth Park, Bishop of the Taego Overseas Parish during the 2011 Spring Protocol Retreat/Precept Ceremony

April 3, 2011
Duration - 11:09

Bodhisattva Action Alert: Ways to Help Japan

Jizo Chronicles has complied a list of others' blog posts on how to help Japan.

See the post here for all the links.

When disasters or crises hit Asian Buddhist countries, I believe that we as Western Buddhists are offered a way to re-pay the gift of dharma that has been shared with us so generously by our dharma brothers and sisters in the East.

Now, the people of Japan are in great need in the wake of the devastating earthquake and tsunami of March 11. Some of my Buddhist blogging colleagues have collected lists of ways to help with the relief efforts in Japan:..... (find links here)

2011 Lotus Lantern Spring Vol. 45

2011 Lotus Lantern Spring Vol.45

A Buddhist Response to the Japan Tsunami

How can meditators help with the widespread destruction caused by the earthquake and tsunami in Japan?

Practice

Even if we are novice meditators we can keep our hearts open to the suffering we see and hold the victims of the earthquake in our meditation practice. If you know tonglen practice you can do tonglen for Japan, for the victims and their friends and families. At the very least you can meditate on loving kindness and, in your own words, dedicate your meditation practice to all of those suffering in Japan.

Generosity

Many organizations state that in the midst of a crisis like this the most highly recommended form of support is through making a donation. There are a number of organizations that you will likely be able to donate to in order to support Japan. The Red Cross is just one of these organizations who, incidentally, are also providing solid information on what is happening on-the-ground. In the days ahead I am sure more information will be made available on this front. I hope people will list other worthwhile organizations in the comments section.

The important thing to remember is to continue to keep an open heart and not shut down and ignore the suffering of our fellow human beings in Japan. If we can offer our practice, service, or generosity to the victims of the tsunami then we no longer need to feel disempowered. I invite others to share their own reflections on how we can help our friends overseas.

Donate to Red Cross Relief Fund here.




Excerpts taken from Huffington Post

More information about the earthquake and Tsunami here

One-Year Anniversary Ceremony for Ven. Beopjeong

The anniversary ceremony of Ven. Beopjeong, who passed away a year ago, was held at Gilsangsa Temple on February 28. Ven. Beopjeong who wrote about and lived an upright and frugal life with few possessions, was well loved by the Korean people for his writing and life.

See more pictures and read the full story here.

Another 1080 Bows for Welfare of the People

Jogye Order Administration’s monastics and employees as well as other Buddhists offered another 1080 Bows at Nakdan Dam of the Nakdong River for the preservation of Korean culture and the welfare of the people on February 18. Over 300 began bowing around noon and finished around 4 p.m. with the Four Great Vows. This is the second time 1080 bows have been offered for the welfare of the people. The first time was on January 10 at Cheongyecheon Stream in Seoul.

The participants resolved to do their best to contribute to the preservation of the Korean culture, as well as self-introspection and reform. The Director of the Committee for the Preservation of Korean Culture, Ven. Jangjeok said, “In order to preserve Korean culture and reform, we Buddhists must change ourselves. It is an aspiration to go forth on the path of the Mahayana with society and the Korean people. The participants here resolve to walk together with the Korean people and uphold Korean Buddhism correctly with the wish to do better.”

This practice meeting was held to repent of the lack of participation by Korean Buddhism in society in the past and for the restoration of democracy for the happiness and safety of the Korean people. In addition, this meeting was held for the preservation of Korean culture and to pray for interreligious harmony. The participants resolve to personally preserve and uphold the Korean culture.

As the participants offered bows to the stone Buddha, it was a time of self-reflection on how they could not stop the environmental damage done by the Four Rivers Project of the government. It was a time to resolve that they will do their best to preserve Korean culture.

These practices are a part of the 100 days of practice for the welfare of the people and preservation of Korean culture. There will be another 1080 bows at the end of the 100 days, which will be March 23.

See more pictures here.

The Tripitaka Koreana was a “fake.”

Scholar Oh Yun-hee made waves when he claimed in his recently published book that the Tripitaka Koreana was a “fake.”

But the former director of the Tripitaka Koreana Research Institute says he has good reason for making such a controversial remark.

Oh has been researching the Korean version of the Buddhist scriptures for the past 20 years and believes that Korean pride in housing the oldest extant version of the text prevents people from seeing its value.

Known as “Palman Daejanggyeong,” the Tripitaka Koreana was carved onto 81,258 wooden printing blocks during the Goryeo Dynasty (918-1392) and was modeled after the original Chinese version of the text that was created during the Song Dynasty in 983. It is the only complete edition of the Buddhist canon extant on the Asian mainland.

An improved edition of the Tripitaka Koreana was crafted in 1094, but both Korean versions were destroyed during a Mongolian invasion in 1232.

The current version of the text that is housed at Haein Temple in South Gyeongsang is actually the second edition from Korea and the third edition in the world if the edition from China is counted.

Many Koreans, however, incorrectly believe that the text originated in Korea.

In his recently published book, “Tripitaka Koreana: A Vessel Embracing the Wisdom of a Thousand Years,” Oh attempts to correct this perception while also providing new insight into the ancient text.

Read more here.

Tibetan Buddhist monk visits Korea for first time before three-year retreat

Dubbed the “world’s happiest man,” best-selling author and master Buddhist teacher Yongey Mingyur Rinpoche was in Korea for the first time last weekend, offering his take on how to be happy.

The Tibetan monk participated in a groundbreaking study of brain activity in 2002, where scientists found that advanced meditation increases mental happiness.

What is happiness to him?

“My idea of happiness is an experience of calm, peace and joy which is non-dependent on outside circumstances,” Rinpoche told The Korea Herald over a vegetarian lunch in Insa-dong, Seoul.

For 35-year-old Rinpoche ― who is to go on a three-year retreat in May ― solitary reflection develops inner happiness, unaffected by the stresses, temptations and complications of modern life.

Read the rest here.

South Korean Buddhists pray for animals killed during foot-and-mouth disease epidemic

Hundreds of South Korean Buddhist monks and believers offered prayers Wednesday for more than 1.93 million cows, pigs and other animals that have been put to death in the country's worst outbreak of foot-and-mouth disease.

The Buddhists endured subfreezing temperatures to hold the rite at Jogye Temple, the headquarters of the Jogye Order, South Korea's largest Buddhist sect.

Some monks clad in gray-and-saffron robes offered white chrysanthemums -- a traditional Korean symbol of grief -- and bowed in front of photos of animals inside the temple in central Seoul.

They also bowed toward two big golden statues of Buddha and chanted sutras before circling around a pagoda and burning mortuary tablets and incense.

Read more at Buddhist Channel

Jogye Order Monastics and Laity Offer 1080 Bows for the Welfare of Korea

Jogye Order monastics and laity offered 1080 bows for the welfare of the Korean society and the preservation of Korean culture at the Cheonggyecheon Plaza on January 10 starting at 10 a.m. This event was sponsored by the Jogye Order Committee for the Preservation of Korean Culture. Jogye Order administration’s monastics and lay employees (over 300 total) met at the Cheonggyecheon Plaza on a cold Monday morning. They began by chanting the refuge prayer and heart sutra. Thereafter, an aspiration speech was read. This was written for the citizens of Seoul. Then, everyone bowed together 1080 times.

They began with three rounds of 108 bows. After resting for about five minutes they began another three rounds of 108 bows. Then, after another 108 X 3, they rested for another five minutes. Finally, they did 108 bows to conclude the 1080 bows. At the end of the bowing, Ven. Jaseung head of the Jogye Order came by to offer words of encouragement.

This event was to repent of the way that Korean Buddhism has not been able to contribute more to Korea’s development and pray for the happiness of the Korean people. In addition, these bows were offered for the welfare of the Korean society and the restoration of democracy, and the preservation of Korean culture and for religious harmony. The preservation Korean culture is in the hands of the Korean people was also conveyed in the event.

Over 50 monastics and 250 lay people participated.

See more photos and captions from Korean Buddhism [dot]net.