Buddhists, political leaders bid farewell to late Ven. Jaseung

Buddhists and political leaders bade their final farewell to late Ven. Jaseung, a former leader of South Korea's largest Buddhist sect Jogye, at the funeral held Sunday.

Ven. Jaseung, who served as president of the Jogye Order from 2009 to 2017, was found dead at a burnt dwelling at a temple in Anseong, south of Seoul, on Wednesday, in an apparent self-immolation, or a Buddhist practice of burning oneself alive as an offering to Buddha.

Police have discovered several notes from the monk's car that implied he was about to end his life.

Key Buddhist leaders, other religious figures and high-level politicians, including Prime Minister Han Duck-soo, attended the funeral at Jogye Temple in central Seoul, the chief temple of the Jogye Order. Thousands of Buddhist followers joined the funeral.

"There's only a small difference in terms of time, but everyone dies when their time comes, according to the natural law," Ven. Jinwoo, the incumbent leader of the sect, said in his eulogy, pledging to continue with the late monk's commitment to spreading the religion.