"When our land is invaded by foreign powers and our people fall into distress, our prayer mats must become battlegrounds for national salvation."

Human history has seen more turbulent times than periods of peace. The reality we face today is also engulfed by fierce waves, both internally and externally. The brutal power struggles in international politics, economic crises, and deepening social divisions leave us standing on the edge of a precipice. Today, I want to ask the Sangha and the lay community living in this precarious era:

"If Buddhists do not step forward when the nation is in trouble, what use is the Dharma we have received?"

This is not mere religious rhetoric. It is the essence of the spirit of protecting the nation that has flowed through the heart of Korean Buddhism for 1700 years, and the inescapable destiny of practitioners living in this age.

Guarding the Nation, Guarding the Dharma: The Nation and Buddhism are One Wheel

I have long emphasized that "the nation and Buddhism are like the two wheels of a cart; without both aligned, progress is impossible."

This aligns with the core ideology of the 'Sutra of the Benevolent King Protecting the Nation and Wisdom of the Prajnaparamita,' our sect's fundamental scripture, namely the principle of inner and outer correspondence. The Buddha taught that if one upholds the wisdom of Prajnaparamita when the nation is in chaos, the seven calamities will be extinguished.

The purpose of a practitioner entering the monastic life and diligently pursuing their practice is not solely for personal enlightenment. When our land is invaded by foreign powers and our people fall into distress, our prayer mats must become battlegrounds for national salvation.

Just as the venerable Seosan Daesa rose up in the past, asking, "When the nation's peril is at its peak, how can we remain solely in the tranquility of Zen?" we too need such 'fierce compassion' today. For if the foundation of our nation collapses, neither the temples for transmitting the correct Dharma nor the teachings for saving sentient beings will have a place to stand.

The Paradox of Great Compassionate Killing and the Modern Spirit of the Monk Army

The pinnacle of the national protection philosophy I advocate is the modern revival of the 'spirit of the monk army.' Buddhism's foremost precept is the prohibition of killing, but I do not confine it to a literal interpretation.

The sword drawn to prevent greater killing, and to protect the lives of innocent sentient beings, becomes not a tool of slaughter but an expedient means of salvation. This is the logic of 'great compassionate killing.'

The courageous spirit with which Monk Army Commander Samyeong Daesa declared to the enemy general, "Your head is a treasure," stemmed not from hatred but from the courage born of selfless devotion to the people. I have inherited this spirit and established the National Protection Monk Army Corps at Jeongto Temple on Samgaksan Mountain.

I am convinced that a modern monk army, armed not with physical violence but with spiritual awakening and spiritual armament, is the true guardian that will quell the chaos of this era.

The Buddhist Vow for a Pure Land on Earth: Practical Aspirations

The reason why Buddhists must take the lead when the nation is in trouble is that it is the completion of the Bodhisattva path. I believe that a Pure Land is not a distant place to go after death, but something that must be realized on this earth where we stand.

Leading a conflicted society towards harmony and demonstrating unwavering conviction in the face of security threats, this is the modern meaning of national protection prayer.

"The unsurpassed, profound, and wondrous Dharma is difficult to encounter even in hundreds of millions of kalpas." Having met the Buddha's Dharma, which is so precious, is a miraculous karmic connection. It is the natural duty of a Buddhist to dedicate the merit of this precious connection for the sake of the nation and people.

Our prayers should not remain mere echoes in the mountains but must become a living vitality that breathes within the noise of the city and the tension of the front lines, becoming a spiritual defense force that sustains a nation in crisis.

The Lion's Roar of Samgaksan Mountain, Towards Peaceful Unification

Jeongto Temple on Samgaksan Mountain, the fundamental training ground of the Korean Buddhist National Protection Sect, is a sacred site that blesses and protects the capital, Seoul. However, the liberal democracy and market economy, the very foundations of the Republic of Korea today, are in peril like piled-up eggs.

The main hall of Samgaksan Jeongto Temple. [Jeongto Temple Website]

"Just as all beasts fall silent when the lion roars, so will all national calamities vanish when the Buddhist's vow for national protection arises."

The "erasure of political opponents" that seems possessed by civil war, occurring in our society today, is heart-wrenching, reminding me of a modern-day military disaster, exceeding even the brutal purges of the Joseon Dynasty.

When power dances with the sword of division rather than harmony, the nation becomes precarious, and the people fall into distress. I hope that the flame of national protection that I ignite here on Samgaksan Mountain will spread throughout the entire land.

The only way to navigate these perilous times is for Buddhists to take the lead, exercise the wisdom of prajna, and dedicate themselves with a spirit of selfless giving (complete devotion without expecting reward). Only then will the doors to peaceful unification of the Korean Peninsula and a Pure Land on Earth be fully opened.

◆ Monk Eungcheon

Chief Abbot of the Korean Buddhist National Protection Sect

First Commander of the National Protection Monk Army Corps