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Times of Oman
09-07-2025
- General
- Times of Oman
Tibetans and Koreans celebrate His Holiness the 14th Dalai Lama's 90th birthday with a long-life prayer ceremony
Busan: The Tibetan and Korean Buddhist communities in Busan came together to celebrate the 90th birthday of His Holiness the 14th Dalai Lama with a Long Life Prayer Ceremony held at Gwaneumsa Temple on July 6, according to local Tibetan organizers. The event, known in Korean as Jangsu Kido Beobhoe, began at 9:30 AM and was marked by traditional Tibetan and Korean Buddhist rituals. A large portrait of His Holiness was placed before the temple's main altar, which features the thousand-armed Avalokiteshvara (Gwaneum Bosal), symbolising compassion--a virtue strongly associated with the Dalai Lama. The spiritual ceremony included mandala offerings, long-life prayers, and collective chanting of Guru Yoga by both Tibetan and Korean monks. Lay practitioners and attendees offered ceremonial white scarves, or khatags, to the portrait of the Dalai Lama, expressing their respect and prayers for his continued guidance. Leaders from the Korean Buddhist sangha delivered remarks highlighting the Dalai Lama's contributions to global peace and harmony. The atmosphere was both reverent and celebratory, with emotional moments during shared prayers and the symbolic uniting of Tibetan and Korean traditions. Following the ceremony, participants shared a vegetarian meal and enjoyed a three-tiered birthday cake inscribed with "Happy Birthday to Your Holiness the Dalai Lama." Group photos and warm conversations followed, strengthening bonds between the two communities. The term "Dalai Lama" means "Ocean of Wisdom" in Mongolian. In Tibetan Buddhism, Dalai Lamas are revered as incarnations of Avalokiteshvara, the Bodhisattva of Compassion. After the Chinese invasion of Tibet in 1949, the 14th Dalai Lama assumed full political authority but fled to India in 1959 after a failed uprising. Since then, His Holiness has lived in exile in Dharamshala, India, promoting peace, compassion, and Tibetan cultural preservation. Celebrations of his 90th birthday took place not only in South Korea but across Tibetan communities worldwide. The diaspora expressed hope that the Dalai Lama's spiritual legacy will endure through a future recognised reincarnation.
Korea Herald
13-05-2025
- Politics
- Korea Herald
Lay Buddhist Association commemorates 70th anniversary
Spouses of leading presidential candidates attend ceremony held to pray for national harmony, reaffirm its commitment to practicing Buddha's teachings The Lay Buddhist Association commemorated its 70th anniversary Monday with a ceremony dedicated to praying for national unity through harmony and mutual growth, and reaffirming its commitment to practicing the teachings of the Buddha. The event -- held at the Shilla Seoul in Jung-gu, Seoul on Monday -- drew approximately 700 attendees, including ordained monks, leaders of lay Buddhist associations from across the nation and political figures. The ceremony featured an opening declaration, a broadcast of a commemorative video marking the association's 70-year history, congratulatory speeches and celebratory performances. The event concluded with a vision declaration outlining the Lay Buddhist Association's core goals for the next century of Korean Buddhism. 'This year's 70th anniversary event has been organized as an occasion to pray for national unity through harmony and mutual growth, and to put the teachings of the Buddha into practice. I feel honored to mark this historic milestone so soon after taking office,' said Jung Won-ju, president of the Lay Buddhist Association and chairman of Herald Corp., in a press release issued ahead of the ceremony. Jung was inaugurated as the president of the association in October 2024. Jung expressed a great sense of responsibility as the head of the association and emphasized his hope that the anniversary would serve as an opportunity to redefine and strengthen the role of Buddhist followers.
Korea Herald
11-02-2025
- Business
- Korea Herald
Jogye steps up push for templestay, temple food
Korea's largest Buddhist sect will focus on templestay and temple food going forward, according to the Culture Corps of Korean Buddhism on Tuesday. The promotion arm of the Jogye Order of Korean Buddhism said it would start templestay programs specializing in Jogye's 'seon meditation' by March at 30 of the 158 temples across the country. Seon meditation is what Jogye believes will set Korean Buddhism apart from Buddhist practices elsewhere in Asia. 'What foreigners look for most in templestay, and Korean Buddhism in general, is something intrinsically Korean,' said the Ven. Mandang, who took over as director of the Culture Corps of Korean Buddhism in February 2024. The group has been running templestay programs since 2002. A book to guide practitioners by outlining 108 ways to approach seon meditation will be published by spring, while the annual Seon Meditation Summit in April will further promote the practice. The Jogye Order will also introduce templestay to those attending the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation summit in November. The event, to be held in Gyeongju, North Gyeongsang Province, will bring together over 6,000 people including global leaders and business executives. 'Our temples there will coordinate templestay tours for interested foreign nationals. Details about the plan will be out shortly,' Mandang added, describing the global meeting as instrumental in helping raise Jogye's global profile. Promoting awareness of temple food, its variety and health benefits will be another priority. 'We will revive our temple food festival this year,' Mandang said of the Jogye celebration that last took place in 2015. 'It will be a festival for not just Buddhists, but for everyone, including children,' Mandang added, saying the festival will be in June. Meanwhile, the Jogye Order will ramp up efforts to have the government officially recognize temple food as intangible cultural heritage. The sect will first begin standardizing methods of preparing temple food -- a key process essential to receiving state recognition, according to Mandang. In August, Jogye will hold an international forum on temple food, inviting food experts from the New York-based Culinary Institute of America and the University of Oxford in the UK. 'It's the universality of temple food that we want to double down on, so people of all origins can relate to it,' Mandang said. Making templestay more foreigner-friendly is a work in progress, Mandang noted, saying temples are constantly making changes to programs to better serve foreign visitors.
Korea Herald
07-02-2025
- Entertainment
- Korea Herald
Annual Buddhism expo focuses on globalization
A four-day expo held under the theme of 'Your Enlightenment! Buddhism Adventure" will take place April 3-6 at Coex in Seoul, inviting foreign monks in an effort ot advance Korean Buddhism. Some 150 Chinese monks will attend the Seoul International Buddhism Expo, an annual event initiated in 2013 by the Jogye Order of Korean Buddhism, the largest Buddhist sect in the country. The push for participation from Buddhists from abroad is the latest effort by the Jogye Order to achieve global recognition of its seon meditation practices. Last year, the Jogye Order organized the nationwide Seon Meditation Summit, and Jogye Order President Ven. Jinwoo met with prominent US Buddhist thinkers and practitioners as well as Yale University students to promote seon during his visit to the US. 'We have our eyes not only on China but also on Japan, Vietnam, Thailand and Myanmar to spread our cause,' a Jogye Order official said. Meditation, at the heart of wellness, could easily unite monks of all origins, the official added. As with last year, the expo is targeting a young audience, the official added, referring to last year's record-setting attendance level which totaled 130,000 -- three times that of the previous year. Eight out of 10 visitors last year were in their 20s and 30s. Introducing Buddhism with electronic dance music performances under the tagline 'Joyful Buddhism' is believed to have played a large part in reshaped youngsters' view of the religion. A comedian dressed as a monk DJ who has been at the center of growing popularity of Buddhism is planning to take the stage again in April.
