“Abandon the ‘signifier’ of a democratic fighter and become an ‘idol’ of a practitioner”

Jang gi-pyo and Jo Mu-ha and poet Lee Byeong-cheol and his wife (from the right)

By Lee Byung-cheol *

SEOUL: Idol (牛墒) is the name of the Janggi-pyo type. While his older brother was staying at Taejongsa Temple in Busan for a while on probation, the monk Doseong, who was the head priest of the temple, shaved his head and became a monk. This is the name he received from the monk when he ordained. It means to practice diligently like an ox plowing the field. It is the name of the law that contains.

Monk Doseong, who shaved his brother’s head and gave him ordination, closely assisted Monk Seongcheol for a long time and served as the head priest of Haeinsa Temple. Sensing the limitations of practicing Ganhwa Seon, he received formal ordination from the Thai Buddhist Order again in the early 1970s and became a member of the Southern Buddhist tradition. He is also a person who has led Korean Theravada Buddhism while devoting himself to the practice of Vipassana.

Although Jang gi-pyo’s period of becoming a monk was only about a year, his story of asceticism during that period of asceticism is said to have been ferocious and thorough, leaving a deep impression on the believers at the time.

The reason I tell this story earlier is because I think that Idol-hyung is an eternal (?) ascetic. So, I often think of my brother along with the word Sadvipra, ‘spiritual political leader’ of this era. In that respect, I sympathize with my brother calling himself an eternal political activist, but his politics has always been a path of failure.

In short, my brother is a failed politician.

However, if you think of it as a political movement, you may be able to interpret it differently. This is also the reason why I have maintained a close relationship with his brother, even though I have cut off ties with those involved in politics.

These days, I have run out of patience to look at the greed, ignorance, and false consciousness shown by those in politics, especially those who claim to be politicians in this country, and especially their shameless behavior that is worse than that of gangsters who have even lost their sense of shame. I don’t hear anything about politics on the internet at all. That’s why it’s even more unfortunate and pitiful that my older brother gets swept up in such a crowd.

Moreover, when I see the humiliation my older brother receives from those people and the group that follows them, I often think that Ki-kyo’s older brother, who still insists on his role in the situation, is foolish.

My idol brother turned 80 this year, our age. He has devoted his entire life to the so-called sports and political arena. From my first college friend who saw off Jeon Tae-il on his final journey in his 20s to now a failed (?) politician in his 80s, I think it would be no exaggeration to say that it has been a truly passionate and difficult life. The person who was wanted the longest and was imprisoned the most frequently in our sports scene, and yet was steadfast in his principles and beliefs, and was even stricter and more thorough with himself, is in his 80s and could possibly be said to be the last governor of our time.

The meaning was special to me as well. So he asked his brother and sister-in-law to come down. I said I wanted to celebrate my 80th birthday by looking at the southern sea in early summer together. So yesterday and the day before, I walked along the southern sea road with my brother and his wife. I was grateful and happy as we walked together on what I think is one of the most beautiful roads on earth.

For example, isn’t that why the last ‘national movement to abolish privileges’ failed to burn like a fire despite its validity and necessity and died out? So now is the time to change our path. I said that this means leaving the narrow political arena and living the life of a new practitioner who seeks and presents a path that encompasses humanity and the world as a whole (in the text).

Walking together along a dense forest path with the deep green leaves of camellia trees sparkling by the coastal cliffs was a small travel gift my wife and I prepared to commemorate my brother’s 80th birthday. Woo-sang’s older brother and sister-in-law could not help but be amazed. My brother said he never knew there was such a beautiful place on this earth, and he was grateful and amazed wherever he went. My wife and I were grateful and happy to see that the two of them liked it.

Suddenly, I remembered the trips I took with my brother a long time ago. When my brother was in charge of the Minmin (Democratic, People’s Movement) movement, he read a post where he wrote that he loved Mt. Seorak and desperately wanted to go there, but he was so busy with so many things to do that he could never go. There was a time when we went to Mt. Seorak together. And when he was imprisoned again after that, he wrote a letter to his brother.

Since my circumstances do not allow me to send my brother a permanent deposit, I will take him with me and guide him to Mt. Jiri when he is released from prison. So, there was a time when I took my brother and his wife up to Cheonwangbong  Peak on Mt. Jiri, then came down the Chilseon Valley all day and stayed at Byeoksongsa Temple. These are old memories from over 30 years ago. And this time, I prepared a short trip for my brother’s 80th birthday.

Yesterday morning, while having breakfast and tea, I spoke formally to my brother. Now, let him sort out the political scene and finish the last work of his life. While my brother has been involved in politics, he has devoted himself to changing the rotten political world and realizing sound politics for a healthy world in which we all live together.

However, nothing has been accomplished as planned. Even though his intentions are great and correct, the energy of the times does not respond well. That is not true, which means that Heaven’s will for my brother lies elsewhere. For example, isn’t that why the last ‘national movement to abolish privileges’ failed to burn like a fire despite its validity and necessity and died out? So now is the time to change our path. I said that this means leaving the narrow political arena and living the life of a new practitioner who seeks and presents a path that encompasses humanity and the world as a whole.

What I meant was that I would like my brother’s final task to be to organize the political and sports world from a new perspective and to suggest a new direction and path for the future. It was also because, as far as I know, there was no other person other than my brother who could handle and accomplish that task.

This is because I believe that the way for my brother to live again as a new monk and ascetic is to let go of everything else and focus on this as the last task of his life.

My brother has been running the Shinmun Research Institute for the Transformation of Civilization for a long time, and has already presented a new political discourse called ‘politics of love and self-realization’, so the role and task of organizing this into a discourse for a new era is most appropriate for him. I think this is a necessary task. I wish I could honestly pour the energy and passion of the rest of my life into this work, just like a cow plowing a field. My sister-in-law also agrees with my brother returning to the life of a monk. He says he is willing to support such a life.

This is why, using this trip as an opportunity, I decided to call my brother from the symbol of an eternal democratic fighter to the idol of a practitioner. As I went on a trip commemorating my idol’s 80th birthday, I was able to reflect on myself again, making it an even more grateful and enjoyable time.

On the southern sea road, hydrangeas had just begun to bloom next to the indigo sea, and wherever we went, yellow and golden waves of golden osmanthus welcomed us as if welcoming us. It was a dazzling journey in the southern seas in early summer.

We congratulate the eternal ascetic Woo Sang-hyeong on his 80th birthday and hope that deeper peace and joy will always be with him in the remaining journey.

How will Mr. Jang gi-pyo put these words of the female poet Lee Byeong-cheol into practice?

“What I meant was that I would like my brother’s final task to be to organize the political and sports scene from a new perspective and to suggest a new direction and path for the future. It was also because, as far as I know, there was no other person other than my brother who could handle and accomplish that task. “I believe that letting go of everything else and focusing on this as the last task of life is the way for my brother to live again as a new monk and ascetic.”

* Lee Byeong-cheol is a poet and a smartphone photographer