▲ Gogyeong, Chief Monk of Gosung Temple

Chief Monk Gogyeong of Gosung Temple walked into a temple at the age of 14 and has walked the path for the last 30 years. He became the chief monk of Gosung Temple 5 years ago. “I’m a Buddhist, a poet and a pianist as well as a self-trainer and a volunteer” introduces Gogyeong. In fact, he released a solo album and last year also published his first collection of poems <A Man>. His piano playing is so touching that a video on his YouTube channel has drawn 10,000 viewers with many compliments. “The reason I play the piano is because I hope that my playing can give a piece of peace to the people. I also wanted to break the prejudice that Buddhism is for the hermits but for everybody. I update my daily life, a piece of thought and the playing on my SNS channels to communicate with the people.” Gogyeong has more than 1,000 subscribers and is planning to make the piece of his daily thoughts into an essay one day. As the chief monk of the temple, Gogyeong has actively engaged in various voluntary works especially for the elderlies living alone and abandoned animals. He also holds regularly free concerts at university hospitals and temple concerts; he has played alongside famous musicians including Pinocchio. “I feel really happy and rewarded whenever I play the music and help the people in need. As a Buddhist monk and a musician, I will keep trying hard to bridge religion with art in a way to promote peace in our society and the world.” 

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Jon Kim powerkorea_j@naver.com