Buddhist ceremony honors the sacrifice of heroes in uniforms

Jingwansa Suryukjae of Jogye Order of Korean Buddhism, the largest Buddhist rite of the Joseon royal court as well as the quintessence of Buddhist art, ended with a ceremony to share each other’s good deeds with others over the weekend.

Suryukjae, the water and land ceremony, is one of the best Buddhist rites to invite all the spirits of beings in both water and land to temples to promote Buddha’s sermons and share savory food. This year marks the 626th year of Jingwansa Suryukjae, which began with King Taejo of Joseon praying for the prosperity of the royal court and the country. Back in 2013, it was designated as a national intangible cultural heritage.

The rite, which performs memorial services every seven days for seven weeks, this year intended to commemorate the fallen heroes, independence patriots, and war victims. Monk Hyekook sent prayers of blessings to those who were sacrificed for the country on Sep. 1 at the beginning of the rite. The seventh rite of the ceremony was performed during the daytime on Saturday and Sunday night. It started with burning incense, offering ritual food and flowers, and then enshrined ancestral tablets of policemen, firefighters, servicemen, National Intelligence Service agents, and government servants.


Chin-Ku Lee sys1201@donga.com