Buddhist leader vows to behave

A family pours water on a statue of Buddha at Jogye Temple in central Seoul, Monday, as part of celebrations for the anniversary of his birth.

The country’s Buddhist leader expressed deep regret Monday over the gambling scandal that hit the largest Jogye Order.

In a speech commemorating the anniversary of Buddha’s birth, Ven. Jaseung, head of the order, said the scandal has provided a serious test to Korean Buddhism.

“I’m here with a heavy heart on this beautiful day because there have been so many unfortunate incidents involving the Buddhist circle,” Jaseung said before hundreds of believers who gathered at Jogye Temple in central Seoul.

“There have been conflicts and confrontations because we’ve failed to practice the teachings of Buddha well. We must overcome this.”

Temples around the country held various events to celebrate Buddha’s birthday, but they were largely overshadowed by the scandal.

Jaseung himself has been pressured to resign by his critics over the gambling scandal. Jogye has been in turmoil following the release of a video clip showing eight monks gambling with hundreds of millions of won at a hotel room in late April. The video, taken with a hidden camera, also showed them smoking and drinking in violation of the code of conduct for monks.

The incident represents the ugly side of a power struggle between monks. Ven. Seongho, who released the video, accused Jaseung of drinking at a room salon in southern Seoul and buying sex before being elected the Jogye Order’s leader in 2009.

Ven. Jaseung fell short of commenting on the accusation, but urged monks and believers to end conflicts and create a country in which everyone lives well.

Early this month, he ordered severe disciplinary action against those involved in the gambling. He himself has also conducted a 108-bow ritual every day since May 8 to atone for how the monks’ misbehavior has stained his leadership.

There, however, are suspicions that the Jogye Order has failed to address the misbehaving monks. According to Ven. Seongho, a number of monks have been gambling and drinking, but the Buddhist leadership takes little action to stop them. In a media interview, he claimed that some Buddhist leaders even have wives and kids.

“The monks who have caused public concerns are currently being investigated and will be punished according to Buddhist regulations as soon as the truth is verified by the prosecution,” said a monk from the Jogye Temple.

Reports say many temples are weighed down by internal feuds over how to manage their assets and donations from believers.

Jogye is the largest sect here with more than 2,500 temples and 13,860 monks. Monks from different groups have often clashed violently in the past over its control. <Korea Times/Na Jeong-ju>

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