Bopjong

Bŏpjŏng (or Beopjeong, Beop Jeong, Korean: 법정 스님, 法頂, born Park Jae Cheol or Pak Jae-cheol, Korean: 박재철, 朴在喆)[1] (November 5, 1932 - March 11, 2010) was a Buddhist monk and writer of South Korea.[2]

Bŏpjŏng
Personal
Born
Pak Jae-cheol

November 5, 1932
South Korea
DiedMarch 11, 2010 (77 years old)
Gilsangsa Temple, Seoul, South Korea
ReligionBuddhism
NationalityKorean
EducationChonnam National University

Biography

Born in 1932 in Haenam, South Jeolla Province (전라남도), Bŏpjŏng graduated from Mokpo Commercial High School, and entered Chonnam National University (전남대학교). In his junior year in 1954, he left school and decided to become a Buddhist monk as a follower of Hyobong, a Korean Jogye Seon master.

Bŏpjŏng was widely known for the musoyu (Non-Possession, 무소유) spirit[3][4] and he propagated his philosophy through many of his publications, which have been loved by many Koreans.[5] The following is a representative passage of his direct, poignant style:

자연의 질서에 귀를 기울이고 있으면,
마음에 묻은 때가 조금씩 씻겨나가는 것을
가늠할 수 있다.

이런 날 누구에게도,
그 어떤 것에도 방해받음 없이
적적히 앉아 있으면
그대로가 존재의 기쁨이 된다.

산방한담

Listening to the sounds of nature,
I can ponder how best
to scrub away the grime of my heart.

On a day like this,
with nothing to disturb me,
sitting alone,
I know the joy of being.

Quiet Talks in the Mountains[6]

On December 14, 1997, Cardinal Kim Su-hwan from Korean Catholic Church attended and congratulated on the opening of Gilsangsa located in Seongbuk-dong, Seoul. In return, he visited Myeong-dong Cathedral on February 24, 1998 and held a special speech, which showed the harmony between religions.[7]

On March 11, 2010, at the age of 77, in the 55th year of his monkhood, he died from chronic lung cancer in Gilsangsa (길상사) in Seoul.

He said in his will: "Don't hold a funeral for me. Don't make a coffin. Dress me in cotton, which I used to wear. Scatter my ashes on the flower garden of the hut where I used to live." In accordance with his will, a simple cremation rite was held at Songgwangsa in Suncheon on March 13, 2010.[8] There was no decorated bier or elegies, and thousands of people from all over the country attended.

Bibliography

In Korean:

  • Musoyu (Non-Possession, 무소유, 無所有)[9] ISBN 9788908041318
  • The Sound of the Soul (영혼의 모음) ISBN 8946413409
  • Words and Silence (말과 침묵) ISBN 9788946413429
  • The Sound of Water, The Sound of Wind (물 소리 바람 소리) ISBN 9788946413375
  • Quiet Talks in the Mountains (산방한담) ISBN 8946411368
  • Throwing it Away, Leaving it all Behind (버리고 떠나기) ISBN 8946413360
  • India Travel Journal (인도 기행) ISBN 9788946415539
  • Desolate Forests, as Birds have gone (새들이 떠나간 숲은 적막하다) ISBN 8946413417
  • Flowers Blossoms in the Mountains (산에는 꽃이 피네) ISBN 9788995904992
  • The Beautiful Finish (아름다운 마무리) ISBN 9788995904961
  • The Joy of Living Alone (홀로 사는 즐거움) ISBN 9788946414709
  • One Life, One Meeting (일기일회) ISBN 9788995904985
  • One for All, All for One (한 사람은 모두를 모두는 한 사람을) ISBN 9788993838022
  • May All Beings Be Happy (살아있는 것은 다 행복하라) ISBN 8995757701
  • The Books I Loved (내가 사랑한 책들) ISBN 9788993838107

In English Translation:

  • May All Beings Be Happy, ed. Shiva Ryu, trans. Matty Wegehaupt (The Good Life, 2006), ISBN 8995757736[10]
  • The Sound of Water, the Sound of Wind, ed. and trans. Brian Barry (Jain, 2010), ISBN 9780895818256[11]
  • Meditations of a Zen Master, ed. and trans. David Bannon (Bilingual Library, 2012), ISBN 1300327405[12]
  • Meditations of a Korean Monk, ed. and trans. David Bannon (Bilingual Library, 2012), ISBN 1105519201[13]

See also
  • Buddhism in Korea

References
  1. Naver people - Bop Jong
  2. 법정 (法頂) Doosan Encyclopedia Bop Jong
  3. '무소유' 법정 스님 4주기 추모법회 열려 연합뉴스TV February 25, 2014
  4. 무소유의 수행자, 법정 스님 입적 Hankook IlboMarch 10, 2014
  5. 베스트셀러 20위 안에 11권 법정스님 책 세계일보 March 26, 2010
  6. Beopjeong, Meditations of a Zen Master, ed. and trans. David Bannon, (Bilingual Library, 2012): 38-39.
  7. 천주교-불교 종교 초월한 교감 확산 The Chosun Ilbo, February 27, 1998. Catholic-Buddhism Spreading communion beyond religion
  8. "The Venerable Beopjeong: Profile". Gilsangsa. Retrieved 7 March 2017.
  9. 법정스님 수필 무소유 Encyclopedia of Korean Culture
  10. May All Beings Be Happy: The Selected Dharma Sayings of Beop Jeong, ed. Shiva Ryu, trans. Matty Wegehaupt (The Good Life, 2006)
  11. The Sound of Water, the Sound of Wind, ed. and trans. Brian Barry (Jain, 2010)
  12. Meditations of a Zen Master, ed. and trans. David Bannon (Bilingual Library, 2012)
  13. Meditations of a Korean Monk, ed. and trans. David Bannon (Bilingual Library, 2012)
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