The funeral for former Bongeunsa abbot Myeongjin was held this morning (the 25th) at Bongeunsa temple in Gangnam-gu, Seoul, as a joint religious and civil society funeral.

Organized jointly by the Jogye Order of Korean Buddhism and civil society, today's funeral was attended by figures from Buddhist, religious, cultural, artistic, and civic circles who had ties with the deceased, as well as followers, to bid farewell to the monk on his final journey.

Monk Dogong recalled the deceased in a eulogy, saying, "The monk had no hesitation in his words and did not back down in his actions," adding, "He was like a guiding hand that caressed the most painful parts of our society."

Yeom Mu-ung, former director of the National Museum of Korean Literature, who formed a bond with the deceased at Haeinsa temple 40 years ago, reflected, "Of his 76 years of life, he spent 52 years as a Buddhist monk wearing robes, but his life was neither confined to the formality of monk robes nor the loftiness of temple buildings," adding, "He was a free spirit."

Scholar Do-ol Kim Yong-ok bade farewell to Monk Myeongjin with a poem titled Dance of Youngsan, while pansori singer Jang Sa-ik sent him off with a song.

Father Ham Se-woong, an advisor to the Association of Catholic Priests for Justice, and Jeong Bu-ja, a bereaved family member of the Sewol-ho ferry disaster, also offered their farewells to the deceased.

Following the funeral service, the bier carrying the mortal remains of the deceased was transported to Beopjusa temple in Boeun-gun, Chungcheongbuk-do, his home temple of ordination, where a cremation ceremony (dabi) took place in the afternoon.

After the 49-day Buddhist memorial service, the monk will find eternal rest in the pro-democracy activists' section at Moran Park Cemetery in Namyangju, Gyeonggi-do.

(Photo: Yonhap News)