The Ven. Wonhaeng, president of the country’s largest Buddhist order Jogye, on April 30 performs the ritual of pouring water over a Buddha statue to mark the national holiday Buddha’s Birthday after holding a prayer service for the overcoming and treatment of the novel coronavirus disease (COVID-19) at Seoul’s Jogyesa Temple.
By Jeon Han and Lee Jihae
Photos = Jeon Han
Seoul | April 30, 2020
A prayer service for the overcoming and treatment of the novel coronavirus disease (COVID-19) was held on April 30, a national holiday marking the 2,564th birthday of Buddha, at Jogyesa Temple in Seoul.
“Today, COVID-19 has alerted all of us in this modern era about our great ignorance,” said the Ven. Wonhaeng, president of the country’s largest Buddhist order Jogye. “We’ve come to realize how precious daily life is and how valuable the people we always encounter are.”
“Now, it made us realize that our breathing and living come from the sunlight, air, water and earth, as well as the purity of all living creatures that coexist.”
The Association of Korean Buddhist Orders also held ceremonies at about 15,000 temples nationwide including Jogyesa, and began a month-long prayer for the overcoming and treatment of COVID-19.
The Central Disease Control Headquarters announced that as of April 30 at midnight, the country had four newly confirmed patients of the pandemic. All of them, however, were imported from abroad and detected in the quarantine process at the airport.
A sign held by a staff member at Seoul’s Jogyesa Temple on April 30 informs people about COVID-19 quarantine rules.
The Ven. Wonhaeng, president of the Jogye Order (second from left), on April 30 gets his temperature checked at Seoul’s Jogyesa Temple before entering the temple’s main hall Daewoong-jeon.
Buddhists at Seoul’s Jogyesa Temple on April 30 mark the national holiday Buddha’s Birthday while maintaining a certain distance among themselves, praying for the overcoming and treatment of COVID-19.
hanjeon@korea.kr
