Naejangsa Temple Daeungjeon Arson was a prospective monk… Buddhism devastating room

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▲ The fire scene of Daewoongjeon at Naejangsa Temple at 8:20 pm on the 5th. Daeungjeon is burning in Hwama, leaving only a pillar.
Ⓒ Shin Yong-hoon	See related photos

The fire at the Daeungjeon Hall of Naejangsa Temple in Jeongeup, Jeollabuk-do was about 6:40 pm on the 5th. The Jeonbuk Fire Department, which received the report, went into extinguishing the fire, but it was not enough to catch the fire, and the entire Daeungjeon Hall was burned down. The Buddha statues and Buddhist paintings that were enshrined in Daeungjeon were also destroyed.

Banghwabeom is a monk who lived in the same temple, and it is reported that in a police investigation, “the monks who lived together drank alcohol and accidentally set fire” in a police investigation. As a result of the interview, he was Sami (preliminary monk) who graduated from Sanga University (Gangwon) in February this year.

The masses of Naejangsa Temple, whom I met at the Jongno Office that night, were also shocked. A monk said, “He, who had been married late, recently revealed that he wanted to live in a temple praying before graduating from Sangha University, and Naejangsa also accepted this.” “How would you have known?” he said.

A Buddhist at Naejangsa also said, “It was reported in the general press as if it was set on fire due to a conflict with another monk, but the monk was not in conflict with other monks.” “No one would have thought it would cause a problem,” he confessed. Another Buddhist said, “It would be heartbreaking and deplorable that Daeungjeon was burned, but I am glad that no one was injured,” he said with a deep sigh.

With this arson, Daewoong-jeon of Naejangsa Temple was again emptied. Naejangsa, a landmark of Naejangsan Mountain called’Geumgang of Honam’, was founded in 636 during the time of King Mu of Baekje, and the Annals of the Joseon Dynasty and King Taejo were enshrined here during the Imjin War, and the monks protected it day and night.

In 1639, Naejangsa was burned down during Jeong Yoo-jae, and in 1639, Daewoong and Yeongwoon rebuilt Daewoongjeon. It was burned down during the Korean War in 1951 and was restored to its current state in 1958, and was designated as Jeollabuk-do Monument No. 63, but on October 12, 2012, at around 2:10 am, a fire broke out due to electrical problems and burned down. As a result, the general public of Naejangsa was put into full-scale restoration in June 2014 and regained its shape at the end of July 2015.

Jo Gye-jong General Secretary “As a monk practitioner, he has forsaken even the least morality”

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▲ The Daeungjeon Hall was burned down around 9:30 PM, and firefighters are checking the remaining fires in the dark.
Ⓒ Shin Yong-hoon	See related photos

The fire prevention of Daewoongjeon, Naejangsa Temple, presents many tasks to the Buddhist world. In addition to the rigorous multi-faceted personality test in the process of leaving home, it seems that it is necessary to actively consider the operation of psychological counseling programs for monks. In particular, it is pointed out that a comprehensive inspection of the disaster prevention systems of major temples should be followed.

An official from the Buddhist world said in a phone call, “In the past, the monk Eunsa guaranteed the personality and identity of the monk, and since the days of the monk, thorough verification of character and character and taking responsibility. However, these traditions have disappeared due to the decrease in the number of monks. This is necessary,” he pointed out the lack of verification.

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▲ Daewoongjeon was burned down around 9:30 pm, but the remaining fire hidden by heavy equipment shoveling continued, and the work was continued until 12 o’clock.
Ⓒ Shin Yong-hoon	See related photos

On the other hand, when Daeungjeon’s arson was revealed as a monk, the general officer of Jogye-jong pointed out through the entrance door that night, “The act of deliberately setting a fire by a monk belonging to the sect cannot be justified with anything, and as a monk practitioner, even the least morality was abandoned.” “For the act of arson, we will make sure that the highest level of disciplinary action stipulated in the end of the final constitution, which is the internal rule of the end,” he said.

The parish headquarters, Seonunsa also said on the 6th, “Seonunsa, who is in charge of the diocese of this kind of incident, is grieving to the public and the masses of masters. The act of arson is an act that cannot be forgiven by anything,” he said. “In close cooperation with the end, we will conduct a thorough investigation into the specific cause of the occurrence of this arson incident.”