Interview with Great Monk Jajae Manhyon
"The Great Monk Jajae Manhyon was born in Hampyong, Jeonnam Province
in 1937. He became a monk in Busan in 1960 (His Dharma name was Bubsung
at that time.), and served as Director of the Propagation Department and later
as Executive Propagator of the Administrative Headquarters of the Jogye Order of Korean Buddhism. He also served as the Chief Monk of Yonhwasa in Seoul and as Dean of Haedong Buddhism College, He visited various great enlightened masters extensively like Priestling Sudhana appearing in the Avatamsaka Sutra, but later met with the Buddha personally by means of meditation of reciting the Buddha's sacred name......"
This is part of the personal history of Great Monk Jajae Manhyon appearing
on the cover sheet of his book "The 21st Century Buddha's Message."
The present writer had the honour of having an interview with him at Hyonjisa
in Chuncheon in mid-May who is newly drawing great public attention through
the media Dharma talks such as "the Hyondae Buddhism Newspaper",
"The Daehan Buddhism Newspaper", "The Buddhist Television", etc. over
the past several years. This interview contains his voice: he has carried on
his practice by dwelling in retirement disappearing after having led the
Administrative Headquarters of the Jogye Order, attending to Great Monk
Chongdam. His answers to my question, "Your view is so fresh and new.
Isn't it more preferable to establish a new Buddhist sect?"
Your Dharma talk is unprecedented indeed from the beginning, but it is particularly impressive to hear that breaking through Hwadu and seeing the original nature is no more than the beginning of practice.
I am a member of the orthodox Jogye Order. I became a Monk with Great Monk
Sug-am who was a great master of the precepts, even though his name has not been
well-known. He forbade us to eat even a dry minnow in the back yard of the temple.
I attended on my teacher for about ten years until he passed away. I became a
disciple under Great Monk Gyongbong of Geug-rak-am of Tongdosa, and kept
investigating Hwadu 'what is this?' deeply in a practicing cave in Jeolla Province.
Well, this is an important question. Since when have you had skepticism about Seon of phrase investigation?
I will make it clear. I have felt so since a little time after breaking through Hwadu.
What is called, awakening to one's original nature was weak; I was not so satisfied.
The reason that I switched to meditation of reciting the sacred name of a Buddha,
came from that background.
Your original Dharma name was Bubsung, and your Dharma name has been changed to a new one now when you are preaching the Buddha's Dharma.
I have had a great aspiration to become a better disciple of the Buddha. Esoteric
Buddhism, Vypashyana, and Southern Buddhism are taking root here, but practice
was difficult under the circumstances of the temple where the practice method that
the Buddha himself had taught, was regarded as non-Buddhism, and the Sutras
were thought unimportant. With the thought that breaking through Hwadu was no
more than a beginning, I alone have committed myself to meditation of chanting the
sacred name of the Buddha.
You had contributed your Dharma talks to 'the Daehan Buddhism Newspaper'
several years before your book was published. I wonder if there is any refutation from the existing Buddhist circles.
Regrettably, there has been no answer. There is no one who has as wholeheartedly
practiced as I have done. It would not be so easy for anyone to make an opposite
opinion against mine because of the depth of my book.
I would like to ask you a question. As the viewpoint of Buddhism that Great Monk Jajae Manhyon has is so different from existing Buddhism, isn't it a better idea to establish a new Buddhist sect (juridical foundation)?
There is no reason that I should not establish a new Buddhist juridical foundation.
I am now considering. However, I make it clear at the same time that, in my opinion,
the Buddhist foundation, which is closer to true Buddhism of the Buddha and
emphasizes observation of precepts, is the Jogye Order.
I am sorry to ask you this question. In your book, it says that Great Monk Jajae Manhyon is the final body of the Noble Disciple Ananda. Furthermore, according to your practice diary, you mention that you have personally met with the Buddha. May I trust that all these descriptions are true as they appear in your book?
When I personally met with the Buddha, that was what the Buddha has spoken to me. I cannot prove or show it to you because it is one of the secrets.
Actually, Great Monk Cheong-hwa who passed away some time ago had also spoken of meditation of chanting the sacred name of a Buddha.
You are right. You have raised a very good question. However, his practice method was the recitation contemplating the true nature of suchness which is a little different from reciting the sacred name of the Buddha that I have mentioned. The recitation contemplating the true nature of suchness is the way of chanting the pronoun of suchness, regarding the original nature of all things, namely, suchness as Amitabha Buddha or Avalokiteshvara Bodhisattva. The method of my practice is to recite the sacred name of the Buddha who abides in the Absolute Realm in Selflessness.
-Thank you very much for all the invaluable answers until now.
Jajae Manhyon 自 在 滿 顯
Born in Hampyong in Jeonnam Province in 1937.
Name in the family register : Lee Hyong-bum 李 炯 範
Became a monk in Busan in 1960.
Served as a Director and Executive Propagator of the Administrative Headquarters
of the Jogye Order of Korean Buddhism. His monk name then was Bubsung.
Served as Head Monk of Yonhwa Temple and Munsu Temple in Seoul.
Served as Dean of Haedong Buddhism College.
Received Honorary Doctorate in Philosophy from the Buddhist University of
Mongolia renowned for his Holiness Zanavajra.
Visited various great enlightened masters extensively like Priestling Sudhana
appearing in the Avatamsaka Sutra, and was enlightened.
Afterwards, entered samadhi by chanting the sacred name of the Buddha and
personally met with the Buddha.
The Buddha name 'San Hae Hye Jajae Tong Wang Buddha'
and the Bodhisattva name 'Manhyon' were conferred on him by the Buddha.
Confirmed a Buddha by Buddha the World-Honoured in 2000.
His book, "The 21st century Buddha's Message" published in May 2005
became the best seller among the Buddhist books in Korea unprecedentedly
for six consecutive months.
source /Culture of Seon(zen)
publication/Hyonjisa, Yongsan Buddhism
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