Lee Joo-been gave up a trip to New York for "The Monk and the Guest."
On the 19th, the first broadcast of SBS "The Monk and the Guest" not only showcased the cheerful chemistry between Venerable Beopryun and the guests, but also deeply captured the various scenes and realistic concerns encountered in the unfamiliar setting of India.
That day Lee Joo-been surprised those around her by revealing that she received a casting call and canceled her scheduled trip to New York. She said, "At one time I watched 'Jikmun Jikseol' a lot. I watched it so much that it felt like a close grandfather," and added, "I originally had a New York trip planned for today, but I suddenly got a call so I gave up New York and came to India." She said she canceled the New York trip, for which she had already booked tickets, two weeks earlier after receiving the casting call.
Meanwhile, Ro Hong-chul naturally addressed Venerable Beopryun as "hyeongnim," and asked, "I'm sorry, it's become a habit. But you're not uncomfortable with that, right?" In response, Venerable Beopryun laughed and said, "I'm older so it's not uncomfortable. I'm glad you don't call me little brother."
When Lee Joo-been later said, "Maybe because I often watched the monk's 'Jikmun Jikseol' at one time, he feels like a close grandfather," the monk playfully replied, "Grandfather is better than hyeongnim. If you call me hyeongnim it feels like you'll ask me to buy something."
Venerable Beopryun also explained why he chose the location of "India." He said, "If you go to Japan, the United States or Europe, the scenes of life are almost the same. But India is somewhat different from our ways and postures of life," and added, "Wouldn't it be an opportunity for people to think for themselves about how we should live?" He continued, "I invited people to India because I felt it would be a physically demanding trip that is also a journey that allows for much reflection."
Venerable Beopryun also said this journey would be "a trip and a practice." The monk explained, "Travel is seeing and hearing various outside scenery and facts; at those times there are good feelings, and practice is examining the anger and irritation that arise in my mind." He then gave the mission to pack and empty only enough belongings to fit in the small bag called a "barang," which monks use to carry their things while practicing.
Reacting to this, Ro Hong-chul said, "It's not a travel-plus-practice, it's just practice. It's asceticism," and in a later interview Venerable Beopryun explained the mission's meaning, saying, "Shouldn't we find freedom from the idea that we must have many possessions to feel secure?"
Meanwhile, SBS "Beopryun Road - The Monk and the Guest" airs every Tuesday at 9 p.m.
[Photo] OSEN DB, SBS
[OSEN]