Jogye Order Welcomes Buddhist Olympians of the Vancouver Winter Olympics

The Joyge Order held a welcome ceremony for Buddhist Olympians of the Vancouver Winter Olympics at Jogye Order administration building on March 12. A crowd of over 300 welcomed the athletes with enthusiastic applause. This ceremony was sponsored by the Jogye Order Bureau of Dharma Propagation and the Buddhist Athletic Association (Lee Gi-heung President). After the refuge prayer and the Heart Sutra, a video of the athletes were shown to the jubilant response of the crowd.

Ven. Jaseung said, “To see the athletes in action again is truly thrilling. I send my applause out to these athletes who gave us hope and inspiration.” He continued, “The difference between gold and silver is one centimeter. I hope you will overcome the one centimeter through continuous effort and repeated practice.”

Ven. Jaseung presented the athletes with “Three Jewel Wheel” engraved gold medals and flower bouquets.

Olympian Mo Tae-beom said, “I’m very grateful to be invited to such a worthwhile event. I will do my best to meet the hopes of fellow Buddhists.”

There were also presentations of scholarships to 11 young Olympic hopefuls by the Buddhist Athletic Association, which has been offering scholarships since 2008. During the ceremony, there was a moment of silence for the passing of Ven. Beopjeong.