Jogye Order Suspends Donghwasa Head Monk Hyejeong for Refusing Special Audit

The Central Disciplinary Committee of the Jogye Order of Korean Buddhism announced on September 1 that it has decided to suspend the duties of Hyejeong, the head monk of Donghwasa, the main temple of the 9th parish.

The Jogye Order stated that the disciplinary action was taken because Hyejeong repeatedly refused a special audit of Donghwasa conducted by the Audit Office of the Jogye Order’s Administrative Headquarters in April, and also failed to comply with instructions to submit audit materials. The decision to suspend Hyejeong’s duties was made with all nine committee members, including Jinwoo, the President of the Administrative Headquarters and Chairperson of the Central Disciplinary Committee, in attendance.

Previously, the Central Council of the Jogye Order requested a special audit from the Administrative Headquarters, stating that “significant problems have been identified in the overall administrative and accounting management of Donghwasa.”

The Disciplinary Committee explained that Hyejeong violated the Jogye Order’s regulations, including the Temple Act and the Staff Act, by filing an injunction to suspend the effectiveness of the resolution to strip Donghwasa of its status as a comprehensive training monastery and by filing a main lawsuit against the President of the Administrative Headquarters, after the Jogye Order revoked Donghwasa’s status as a comprehensive training monastery in March. A comprehensive training monastery is a multi-purpose practice center equipped with a Seon Center, Buddhist College, Vinaya Institute, and Chanting Center, where practitioners train under the guidance of a spiritual leader (the head of the temple).

Donghwasa was previously designated as a comprehensive training monastery of Palgong, but the Central Council of the Jogye Order decided to revoke this status, judging that the Buddhist College and Vinaya Institute had effectively ceased operations due to a lack of students, and the Chanting Center was also not functioning. The Central Council also assessed that the authority of the spiritual leader, Uihyeon, was excessive, causing operational issues.

The Donghwasa side has argued that “the Seon Center, Buddhist College, and Vinaya Institute are all operating normally. The resolution to revoke the comprehensive training monastery status was made unilaterally without any opportunity to explain the reasons, which is a procedural flaw,” and has filed a lawsuit, resulting in ongoing legal proceedings.