Seongpa dignified as 15th supreme master of Jogye Order

Seongpa (pictured), the chief at Tongdosa Temple of Yeongchook Chongrim, was chosen as the 15th supreme master of the Korean Buddhist Jogye Order on Monday.

The Jogye Order master’s veneration committee announced Monday that it has unanimously chosen Seongpa as supreme master of Jogye Order. Born in 1939 in Hapcheon, South Gyeongsang Province, Master Seongpa became a Buddhist monk under the teachings of Wolha, who was dignified as 9th supreme master of the Jogye Order, and he sat on the Order’s central deliberative body and served as a caretake monk at Tongdosa Temple. In 2014, he reached the highest level of Daejongsa before being selected as chief of Yeongchook Chongrim in 2018.

According to the Jogye Order’s constitution, supreme master symbolizes the Order’s sacredness, and the one who holds the position is bestowed with the highest power and level of authority. The supreme master is granted the powers to appoint personnel to control the Order’s religious precepts and exercise the rights of pardoning, commuting penalties, and reinstating positions according to the rules set by the Order’s constitution. It is a five-year term, with reappointment allowed once.


Gab-Sik Kim dunanworld@donga.com