By Diplomacy Journal Kayla Lee |  The Buddhist University, affiliated with the Korean Buddhist Council (the “Buddhist Council”), held its first Buddhist sermon contest at the Supreme Hall of Bomyeong-sa Temple in Incheon, Korea on June 13, where four students from the School of Buddhist Priest Law were selected and participated in the first preaching contest with the participation of the chairman, president, dean, professors, certified teachers, and members of the congregation.

“The Buddhist University of the Buddhist Council is an academy education for the training of social leaders,” said Dr. Lee Chi-ran, president of the university. ”The opening of the Buddhist University's Department of Buddhist Priest is a golden opportunity to learn the essence of Buddha's teachings and Buddhist professional philosophy, and the Buddhist community and believers should actively participate in the educational direction of leading mental and spiritual development, healing the minds of modern people, and presenting ways to care for mental health.”

“The students of the School of Buddhist Studies are faithfully practicing the curriculum of the Buddha's teachings, which are the core of the Buddha's teachings, and based on this, chanting the Six Noble Truths in their daily lives will lead to the disappearance of discrimination.” 

”The abandonment of discrimination is the attainment of the middle way, and through the middle way, the students are faithfully implementing the educational schedule to realize understanding and comfort, which is not the dichotomy between happiness and unhappiness.”

The winners of the inaugural sermon competition were selected for the grand prize, gold, and silver awards, with the grand prize going to Jabijeong Buddhist priest Lee Yeon-hee, the gold prize to Yeonhwasim Buddhist priest Oh Mi-kyung, and the silver prizes to Geumgangryeo Buddhist priest Hwang Yoo-hwa and Minbugyeong Buddhist priest Lee Ga-eun.

In addition, the grand prize winner, Jabijeong Buddhist priest, spoke on the topic Why Should We Believe in the Buddha, Why Should We Learn the Buddha's Teachings, and Why Should We Practice, explaining that the dharma realm is created and transformed by the aryeoyasik. 

This is the basis of the fundamental mind, so it can manifest the clean and dirty worlds,” she said, adding, ”The logic is that as soon as Silla's Wonhyō drank the water from the skeleton bowl and had a mind, all things came into being, and as soon as he lost his mind, all things ceased to exist, and I realized that the reason why the Buddha told me to be virtuous and not to have bad desires was because I had practiced all these things.”