(Unofficial Translation)

Today, the Most Venerable Master Jungbong Seongpa has been elected the 15th Supreme Patriarch of the Jogye Order of Korean Buddhism. I extend heartfelt congratulations with my hands pressed together.

In spring when all things come to life, every part of Jogyesa Temple is festooned with congratulatory mandala lanterns. Our bodies and minds are warmly imbued with the spirit of the Mahayana Bodhisattva – one that aims to share in the pain of our neighbors.

I am grateful to the Buddhist followers and distinguished guests who are with us at this meaningful event. I extend my respectful greetings to the Venerable Wonhaeng, President of the Jogye Order, as well as other prominent elder masters.

I met His Highness the Supreme Patriarch on several occasions at Tongdosa Temple in the Yeongchuk Monastic Complex. Every time that we met, he gave great teachings. I harbor those as pure and fragrant memories that awake my mind. I still vividly remember Seoun Hermitage, whose surroundings were ablaze with seasonal wild flowers and whose thousands of earthenware sauce-jars were steeped in history and tradition.

Buddha taught that compassion and wisdom are like two wheels on a cart or two wings on a bird. His Highness the Supreme Patriarch has successfully practiced zen in combination with farming as well as the arts – proving that work and religious practice, life and the arts, and nature and culture can never be separated.

He made traditional sauces, facilitating fermentation with the sunshine and winds from our fields and mountains, as well as used our soil to create 3,000 ceramic Buddha statues and a 160,000-piece ceramic replica of the Tripitaka Koreana to wish for unification. He restored natural dyeing with around 30 varieties of indigenous flowers and plants and developed traditional lacquer techniques to re-draw Buddhist and folk paintings. All of these constitute the quintessence of Buddhist and traditional cultures as well as precious cultural heritage that connects the past, present and future.

The wholesome roots of the virtuous merit of His Highness, one who has remained devoted to cultivating Buddhist and spiritual cultures, are immeasurably deep and immense. I hope that the spirit and fragrance of the arts that His Highness and the Jogye Order have embraced will reach every nook and corner of the world.

Buddhist followers, distinguished guests,

Our Buddhism has long been a part of our people’s lives. The spirit of compassion and mutual benefit as practiced by Buddhism has permeated our hearts, becoming a will to care for our neighbors and cherish nature.

Even amid the COVID-19 pandemic, our Buddhism has been faithful to the spirit of the one body’s great compassion, keeping the lamp of hope alight for our people. The Jogye Order made a resolute decision to cancel Yeondeunghoe, its one thousand-year-long Lotus Lantern Festival, and – through generous donations, sharing and volunteer services – has warmly held the hands of the people and medical professionals who are weary. The people also yielded their daily routines in consideration of their neighbors and endured sacrifices and dedicated efforts for everyone’s freedom. We are turning the current hardship into a steppingstone to a better life. I believe that Buddhism will provide steadfast courage and strength to the public as we pass the last critical juncture of the Omicron crisis.

His Highness the Supreme Patriarch has emphasized the good heart of each and every citizen and Sadāparibhūta Bodhisattva’s spirit that respects and gives consideration to all without discrimination. I hope that in line with these teachings, our society will move toward an era of harmony and unity beyond conflict and confrontation.

I congratulate Your Highness the Supreme Patriarch once more on your inauguration. I hope that you will always stay healthy and provide many teachings to this country and society. In the new spring, I pray that the compassion and light of Buddha will embrace the whole world.

Thank you.