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Daegak Temple, Buddhist center of Korea's independence movement

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Ven. Dongbong, chief monk of Daegak Temple in Jongno-gu, central Seoul, speaks during an interview with The Korea Times, Aug. 21. Korea Times photo by Shim Hyun-chul
Ven. Dongbong, chief monk of Daegak Temple in Jongno-gu, central Seoul, speaks during an interview with The Korea Times, Aug. 21. Korea Times photo by Shim Hyun-chul

By Kwon Mee-yoo

The year 2019 marks the 100th anniversary of the March 1 Independence Movement, which provided a catalyst for the Korean independence movement. Over 2 million took part in the demonstrations and some 47,000 people were arrested and taken into custody.

Thirty-three representatives, consisting of various people including prominent members of the Catholic Church and Protestant Church as well as distinguished Buddhist monks, gathered and signed the Korean Declaration of Independence.

The two delegates representing Buddhism were Han Yong-un, a Buddhist monk and poet better known as Manhae, and Baek Yong-seong, or Ven. Yongseong. Among the two, Han is more widely known due to his poetry, which is included in Korean literature textbooks.

The other figure, Ven. Yongseong (1864-1940), who established the foundation of the Jogye Order, the largest sect in Korean Buddhism, was based at Daegak Temple, which is in the heart of Seoul, near Jongmyo Shrine.

Ven. Dongbong, chief monk of the temple, gave a tour of the historic site which played a pivotal role in Korea's independence movement and outlined the achievements of Ven. Yongseong to The Korea Times.

Located in Seoul's central Jongno-gu, Daegak Temple has a unique three-story building that attracts foreign visitors.

Ven. Dongbong referred to the temple as home to the Korean independence fighters under the 1910-45 Japanese colonial rule. The temple was established in 1911 by Ven. Yongseong.

A portrait of Ven. Yongseong (1864-1940), founder of Daegak Temple / Korea Times photo by Shim Hyun-chul
A portrait of Ven. Yongseong (1864-1940), founder of Daegak Temple / Korea Times photo by Shim Hyun-chul

"This site is inside the four main gates of old Seoul. There were no Buddhist temples inside the gates during the 1392-1910 Joseon Kingdom, because Buddhism was suppressed in favor of Confucianism. So the first Buddhist temple built inside Seoul's city walls was Jogye Temple in 1907 and the next was this temple," he said.

"The temple was founded around the time of Japan's annexation of Korea and later become the center of Korea's independence activities."

The temple's gate has paintings paying tribute to the temple's history, with one showing the grey-haired Ven. Yongseong at his writing desk as well as another showing Korean people fighting against Japanese colonial rule.

A painting of Ven. Yongseong at his writing desk on the gate of Daegak Temple / Korea Times photo by Shim Hyun-chul
A painting of Ven. Yongseong at his writing desk on the gate of Daegak Temple / Korea Times photo by Shim Hyun-chul

"His hair is different from the typical shaved heads of monks, but that is because he could not shave his head very often," Ven. Dongbong said.

The gate also displays Korean texts of the Diamond Sutra, translated into Korean by Ven. Yongseong. One of Ven. Yongseong's notable accomplishments is translating Buddhist scriptures and dharma into Korean to teach Buddhism to the public.

"Ven. Yongseong was the first Buddhist monk to translate Buddhist texts into Korean for the public. Back then, Christian scriptures such as the Bible were already available in Korean, but not Buddhist ones. So Ven. Yongseong started to translate them into Korean," he said. "He also raised funding for the independence movement through farms and mines in Manchuria."

A painting of Korean people fighting against Japanese colonial rule is displayed on the gate of Daegak Temple. / Korea Times photo by Shim Hyun-chul
A painting of Korean people fighting against Japanese colonial rule is displayed on the gate of Daegak Temple. / Korea Times photo by Shim Hyun-chul

The current building was built around 1985.

"Previously, there were several one-story buildings on the temple site. The number of Buddhists coming to the church increased and the original sanctum could not accommodate all of them. In 1985, Ven. Hyogyeong, then-chief monk of Daegak Temple, reconstructed the three-story building," Ven. Dongbong explained. "Unfortunately, the current sanctum is a concrete building, except for visible wooden decorations. The temple's value comes from its history, especially Ven. Yongseong's activities."

However, the signboard is from 1911 when the temple was raised by Ven. Yongseong.

"The temple's name means Mahabodhi, or great awakening. Ven. Yongseong compared Buddha to Mahabodhi, for his enlightenment," Ven. Dongbong said.

Due to its geographical proximity to many tourist sites in Seoul, over 100 foreigners visit the temple daily.

"We are planning to start a templestay program so foreigners can experience Korean Buddhism in the heart of Korea's capital," Ven. Dongbong said.

Daegak Temple is located near many tourist sites in Seoul including Jongmyo Shrine, Changdeok Palace and Insa-dong. Korea Times photo by Shim Hyun-chul
Daegak Temple is located near many tourist sites in Seoul including Jongmyo Shrine, Changdeok Palace and Insa-dong. Korea Times photo by Shim Hyun-chul

Buddhism in Africa

Ven. Dongbong is known for his propagation of Korean Buddhism in Africa.

In November 2004, Ven. Dongbong visited Tanzania to see the famous Mount Kilimanjaro. During this trip, the monk realized that Buddhism is little-known in the world's second-largest continent.

"There are few African countries that have Buddhists and even among them, Korean Buddhism is nonexistent," Ven. Dongbong said.

He ended up spending six years in Africa, volunteering for malaria patients and disseminating Buddhism there.

"I thought they were missing Buddhism in their religious diversity. I didn't recite Buddhist scriptures, but just tried to help them with all my might," Ven. Dongbong said.

He said Korean Buddhism has some unique qualities and thought it is worth sharing with Africans.

"Buddhism originated from India, but each country has slightly different varieties of Buddhism. Korean Buddhism is combined with shamanism, while Chinese Buddhism was influenced by Taoism and Japanese by Shintoism," the monk said.

He believes Buddhism is more of an education than religion and that is why he established the Borigaram Agriculture Technical College in Mwasonga Village, about three hours from Tanzania's largest city Dar es Salaam.

"Buddha did not start a religion. He taught people enlightenment, which makes Buddhism closer to an educational philosophy than a religion. I wanted to share the teachings of Buddhism through a school," Ven. Dongbong said. "I met Fr. John Lee Tae-seok, the Korean Catholic missionary and doctor who devoted his life for the people of Tonj, South Sudan, in Tanzania. He and I agreed that if Jesus or Buddha were to come again, they would build a school, not a temple."

He bought an estate back in 2006, but due to complicated administrative processes, the construction for Borigaram Agriculture Technical College didn't begin until 2013 after he donated the land to the Jogye Order.

Following the tradition of Ven. Yongseong, Ven. Dongbong is a prolific writer, producing over 60 books.

"I have been writing every day since I was hospitalized for an operation in 2014," he said.

Ven. Dongbong's writings and sermons combine Buddhist scriptures with astrophysics, quantum mechanics and biology, increasing his prominence.

"The hetu-pratyaya of Buddhism can explain string theory in modern physics. If Einstein knew Buddhism, he might have taken it a step further," Ven. Dongbong said.

Figures of the Provisional Government of the Republic of Korea visit the Daegak Temple, led by Ven. Ven. Yongseong, Dec. 12, 1945, after Korea's liberation from Japan. Korea Times file
Figures of the Provisional Government of the Republic of Korea visit the Daegak Temple, led by Ven. Ven. Yongseong, Dec. 12, 1945, after Korea's liberation from Japan. Korea Times file
Kwon Mee-yoo meeyoo@koreatimes.co.kr


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