Over 1500 Abbots will meet to seek Greater Autonomy for Temples on National Park Land

“The temple is a place of spiritual practice. It is a place to engage on the spiritual path for spiritual transformation. It is not an amusement place for sightseeing and tourism. To make temples into parks will completely destroy the temples. If the temples cannot serve as a place of spiritual practice and becomes an amusement place, even the mind of the people who come there to have fun will eventually be ruined.”

 --Ven. Songchol

On July 2 at Tongdosa Temple over 1500 abbots will meet to discuss government policies on temples. As of now, there are numerous government limitations on Buddhist temples, which reside on National Park land. In particular, the government has placed certain limitations of building construction. This conference is to discuss petitions to the government for greater autonomy within temple grounds.