Ven. Jaseung, a former head of the Jogye Order, South Korea’s largest Buddhist sect, is seen in this file photo. (Image courtesy of Yonhap)
SEOUL, Nov. 30 (Korea Bizwire) — Ven. Jaseung, an influential former leader of the Jogye Order, the nation’s largest Buddhist sect, has died in a fire at a temple, according to the Jogye Order on Thursday.
Ven. Jaseung was visiting Chiljang Temple in Anseong, 64 kilometers south of the capital, when a fire erupted there at around 6:50 p.m. Wednesday.
His body was found after firefighters extinguished the fire in about three hours. He was 69.
The police were investigating the exact cause of the fire and his death.
News outlets have reported two notes were discovered in his car parked near the fire scene. The notes allegedly read: “There is no need for an autopsy. I’m simply taking my own life, and it is all captured on CCTV, so please do not bother me.”
On Thursday, his death shocked the Buddhist sect, especially, as he had shown a strong desire to further spread the religion until recently.
“As a former president of the Jogye Order, Ven. Jaseung had been concerned about the status and role of Buddhism. He had a strong will to solve the problems facing the order, such as the declining population,” Ven. Jugyeong, head of the order’s legislative organization, told Yonhap News Agency. He appeared visibly disconcerted by the news of his death.
Firefighters extinguish a fire at a dormitory for Buddhist monks inside Chiljang Temple in Anseong, south of Seoul, on Nov. 29, 2023, in this photo provided by the vernacular daily Gyeonggi Ilbo. The blaze, which erupted at 6:50 p.m. the same day, killed Ven. Jaseung, a former head of the Jogye Order, South Korea’s largest Buddhist sect, according to a senior official at Bongeun Temple in southern Seoul. (Image courtesy of Yonhap)
Park Jeong-gyu, a public relations official of the order’s labor union, also said the death is “too unexpected.”
“I think the facts beyond the cause of the fire, including the cause of his death, should be confirmed through the investigation,” he added.
Born in 1954, Ven. Jaseung became a Buddhist monk at age 19 and served as the president of the Jogye Order from 2009 to 2017.
He assumed the chairmanship at the Korean Council of Religious Leaders from 2011-2017 and also served as co-chairman at the Korean Conference of Religion and Peace from 2014-2017.
(Yonhap)
