Buddha's Birthday Ceremony Held at Jogyesa on May 5
Emphasis on Overcoming Turmoil from Martial Law and Wildfire Damage
Bereaved Families, Minorities, and Victims Invited
On May 5, Buddha's Birthday in the Buddhist Era 2569 (2025), ceremonies celebrating the birth of Sakyamuni Buddha were held at temples across the country. During these events, calls encouraging the nation to overcome political and social turmoil drew particular attention.
Jinwoo Sunim, the Chief Executive of the Jogye Order, is delivering a congratulatory address at the Buddha's Birthday celebration ceremony held on the 5th at Jogyesa Temple in Jongno-gu, Seoul. Photo by Yonhap News
The Jogye Order of Korean Buddhism, the largest Buddhist sect in Korea, held its main celebration ceremony at Jogyesa Temple in Jongno-gu, Seoul, on the morning of the same day. Approximately 10,000 people attended, including Jinwoo Sunim, the Chief Executive of the Jogye Order, other prominent Buddhist figures, and key political and government officials.
In his congratulatory address, Jinwoo Sunim emphasized, "The pain experienced by our neighbors who lost their homes to wildfires, and the lives lost in Myanmar due to the earthquake, is never someone else's problem," adding, "The compassion of one person can save ten, and the offering of one person can illuminate the world."
He continued, addressing the ongoing aftermath of the 12·3 Martial Law and its resulting turmoil, "Our society is currently crossing a deep and treacherous river," and urged politicians, "Empty your minds of the three poisons, and with the bodhisattva spirit of compassion and merit, please pursue clean politics and warm-hearted administration."
Lee Jooho, Acting President, Deputy Prime Minister, and Minister of Education, stated in his congratulatory remarks, "Now more than ever, we need the spirit of 'Jataburi'?the understanding that self and others are not two, but one," and pledged, "The government will do its utmost to support the Buddhist community’s practices of compassion, sharing, and respect for life so that these values can take deep root throughout our society."
Deoksu Sunim, Chief Executive of the Cheontae Order of Korean Buddhism, said in a separately distributed congratulatory address, "We now stand at a crucial crossroads, striving to overcome unprecedented chaos and suffering and to create a new order and values for a new era," and encouraged, "Let us pray for the prosperity of the Republic of Korea and for world peace, and let us walk the path of true life and true happiness shown by the Buddha."
This year’s ceremony at Jogyesa Temple was attended by many who were affected by social disasters and their families. Among those present were bereaved families of the Jeju Air disaster, Choi Hyunhwan, head of the Korea Optical High Tech branch of the Metal Workers’ Union who was dismissed after Nitto Denko in Japan decided to liquidate its Korean subsidiary, Lee Jonggeol, co-representative of the Coalition for the Enactment of an Anti-Discrimination Law, Lee Cheolbin, co-chair of the Victims’ Countermeasures Committee for Jeonse Fraud, and Yoon Jongsul, head of the National Association of Parents of the Disabled.
This was the first time in three years that the Jogye Order invited dismissed workers and bereaved families of disaster and accident victims as flower offering representatives for Buddha’s Birthday, following a similar invitation in 2022. Unlike the practice that had continued for about a decade, two years ago the Order selected flower offering representatives by age group to emphasize propagation and missionary work, and last year chose representatives of Buddhist communities among people with disabilities and immigrants.
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