Daewoongdang Sambul Daejongsa, who had served as abbot of Beopheungsa in Yeongwol, Gangwon, was belatedly reported to have entered wonjeok (a monk passing away) on the 27th of last month. He had 61 years of beopnap (years counted since becoming a monk) and was 76 years old in sesu (age since birth).
According to the Buddhist community on the 1st, Venerable Sambul entered wonjeok at 3:58 p.m. on the 27th of last month. The funeral rite was held as a mountain monastery ceremony at Woljeongsa on the 29th of last month, and the cremation was solemnly conducted at the Woljeongsa cremation site.
Venerable Sambul visited Woljeongsa in Pyeongchang County, Gangwon, in 1965, received teachings from Venerable Tanheo, and left home to become a monk. After that, he practiced at Woljeongsa and Jeongamsa, and served the order in roles including abbot of Sangwonsa and Woljeongsa on Odaesan, director of the Dongguk University school foundation, and member of the Retrial Discipline Committee. In recognition of long practice and meritorious service, he was elevated to Daejongsas, the highest dharma rank, at the Council of Elders of the Jogye Order in Nov. 2024.
The monk served in the Vietnam War in 1970 as a Marine and was discharged due to injury, receiving the Hwarang Order of Military Merit. In 1980, during the 10/27 Beopnan, he was forcibly sent to the Samcheong Reeducation Camp and suffered hardships. He later served as a member of the review committee for restoring the honor of Beopnan victims.
Venerable Sambul was also known as a practitioner who lived a life of lifelong frugality. In 2015, he donated a little over 330 million won to the Jogye Order's headquarters sanctuary project and the compassion-sharing fund. In 2020, saying he would carry on his teacher Tanheo's education project, he gave all his assets—3 billion won, including lifelong award pensions saved over time—to Woljeongsa.
The monk appeared on EBS "Korean Journey – The mountain temple of that winter" in 2020, sharing daily life with his companion dog Bori, and became known to the public. At the time, a video of Bori licking the monk's head during an interview went viral online, earning him the nickname "Chupa Chups monk." Bori died in Mar. 2024 at age 10.