Famed Buddhist monk expresses will to return to secular life

Rev. Hyemun (see photo), 42, who is famous for preserving Korean cultural heritage, is said to return to secular life.

He recently shared news on the return of the Royal Seal of Queen Munjeong of the Joseon Dynasty to Korea on his Facebook page, saying, “From now on, I will put down my responsibilities and take off my Buddhist monk’s robe to become a free ordinary man.” A few days before he wrote this, he said, “I want to live freely from this year. I will take off heavy stuff and live neither as a monk nor as a secular person.”

Rev. Hyemun of the major Jogye Order of Korean Buddhism began to serve Rev. Cheolan, a former chief monk of the Bongseon Temple, to become a monk. He took the precepts of the novice (Sramanera, in Korean Sami) in 1999, but failed to become an official monk. He has worked hard for the return of “Annals” and the “Royal Protocols” of the Joseon Dynasty, the National Seal of the Korean Empire, and “Okura collection” of the Tokyo National Museum.

According to Buddhist media, he also unveiled his plan to return to secular life and other plans in Q&As with his friend on a social networking site. When the friend asked, “Are you really going to return to secular life?”, Rev. Hyemun said, “I have long thought about it.” When the friend continued to ask, “Do you also plan to get married? Do you plan to create a new order?” he said, “Yes, I’ll get married and probably have a child. I’ll also create a new order – Maitreya Buddhism…” He is now in Japan and his mobile phone is turned off.

He will return to Korea within this month and submit documents for exclaustration to the order. He is said to create a new religious order called “Yonghwa World,” which does not discriminate celibate monks from married monks. People are posting messages on his social networking site webpage such as “What do you mean by taking off your Buddhist monk’s robe to become a free and ordinary man?” “Please don’t return to secular life,” “See you at your wedding,” and “Regardless of what you look like, your heart is with cultural heritage.”