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| ▲ Cheonan Great Monk of Namu Amitabul International Prayer Center (Jogye Order) | ||
Filial duty will lead the revival of Korea
The Cheonan Great Monk pointed out the importance of filial duty if we are to expect the revival of Korea. It goes as far back as Goguryeo and Silla kingdoms that Koreans valued highly of filial duty. The time changes and people started to build their own wall to keep distance from others. And today, the meaning of this long time virtue seems rapidly to disappear. “Filial duty is the basic of all to make a nation stand strong. No matter how advanced Korea’s education is, it all is meaningless without this virtue. One way to know and to spread the value of this virtue is to know Buddhism” asserted the Great Monk who added “A monk in other words is a teacher. I would like to throw a question to our society that how many spiritual teachers we have in Korea and who can keep and pass down our culture and history? My life is quite focused on this.”
Namu Amitabul
The Great Monk is leading the Namu Amitabul International Prayer Center located in Dunchon-dong, Gangdong District in Seoul. Many Buddhists visiting there find rest and peace of their body and soul with the help of the Great Monk’s healing power. His power of Namu Amitabul prayer is praised by many for having the power of curing diseases and troubles. Namu Amitabul means to return to the Buddha (Amitabul) and it contains benevolence, wisdom and happiness of Buddha. “I’ve known nothing but Namu Amitabul in my entire life. It strengthened me to have pushed forward my training in energy treatment for the last 40 years” said the Great Monk. His healing power is so great that he once made a person who had depended on a wheelchair for 45 years stand up and walk during his spreading of Buddha’s teaching in the US. He also helped patients with asthma and concussion to improve their symptoms. “Prayer is held in the morning everyday alongside the regular prayer on every first day and fifteenth day of the month. Come and join the prayer to calm down your stress and find way to reach the Land of Happiness.”
Pilgrimage and teaching overseas
The Great Monk has traveled far and wide for the last 40 years to spread teachings of Buddha to the world. He has visited temples nationwide and flown to the US since 1998. “Temples are the places where we can find mercy of Buddha in abundance. In this respect, traveling the temples for me is an act of pilgrimage through which I can take part in flourishing Buddhism as well as spreading the benevolence and wisdom of Buddha to the people.” Last March, the Great Monk paid a visit to Seattle, US with the chief monk Bupryeon. He also holds prayer and meditation two to three times a year in Los Angeles and San Jose. He once created a big wave in a healing prayer in Vietnam and he travels wherever on earth that is in need of his help. So, if you think you are in need of rest and peace of your body and soul no matter where you are, make a worthwhile journey to the center that will change your life. For more information, visit www.namuamitabul.org
이승호 기자 tauton@naver.com
