A ceremony to mark Buddha’s birthday is carried out at Jogyesa Temple in Seoul on May 14.
Jogyesa Temple in central Seoul played host to a celebration marking Buddha’s 2,560th birthday on May 14.
The celebration began with a cleaning ceremony for the temple and people made six offerings to the Buddha, including incense, light, flowers, fruit, tea and rice. Then the beating of the drums and the ringing of a bell resonated across the temple grounds, a Buddhist practice performed to raise awareness among the people. TheSamguieui, a ritual in which a believer bows three times to a monk, and, the Gwanbul, a rite where you bathe the Buddha, ensued.
Attending the ceremony were Ven. Jinje and Ven. Jaseung, the supreme patriarch and the head, respectively, of the Jogye Order of Korean Buddhism, as well as leaders from other religious groups, such as the Catholic Church, Won Buddhism, Islam and many Buddhist faithful. Others in attendance included ambassadors to Korea from Sri Lanka, the Netherlands, Laos, Brazil, China, Thailand and Canada.
Minister of Culture, Sports and Tourism Kim Jongdeok delivers a message from President Park Geun-hye during a ceremony to mark Buddha’s Birthday on May 14.
In a message read by Minister of Culture, Sports and Tourism Kim Jongdeok, President Park Geun-hye said, “Over the past 1,700 years since Buddhism started to take root in this land, the religion has always been with us whenever we were going through an ordeal. As we face many difficulties today, I believe that if all Buddhists come together and work together, we will be able to get over any difficulty, together.”
“As Buddha’s teaching goes, ‘Jadeungmyeong Beopdeungmyeong‘ (자등명 법등명, 自燈明 法燈明), Buddha calls on you to, ‘Make yourself and the truth a light to guide you and rely on.’ The government will regard the people as our light and will secure the happiness and security of the people. Marking the day of Buddha’s coming today, hopefully Buddha’s teachings will enlighten our minds and bring true peace and happiness to the country,” the president said.
Ven. Jaseung (right), head of the Jogye Order, presents gymnast Yang Hak-seon with an award in recognition of his dedication to the religion and for his work as an honorary ambassador for the Jogye Order since 2013.
“We need to keep richness in the mind of the community and move away from the bountifulness of material possessions. I hope that you become friends of hope with each other, overcoming difficulties together and marching toward unity together,” said Ven. Jaseung.
Buddhists light candles and pray during a ceremony to mark Buddha’s birthday on May 14 at Jogyesa Temple in Seoul.
By Sohn JiAe
Korea.net Staff Writer
Photos: Jeon Han
jiae5853@korea.kr
