덕조 스님, 법정 스님과 세상 다시 매듭 묶다.

Re-tying the knot with Venerable Beopjeong and the world. The fragrance of non-possession, Venerable Deokjo, the hermitage head of Bul-il-am At 2 a.m., I set out. My destination was far away, and my schedule was tight. I had a tea appointment with the eldest monk, the monk I'd first encountered at the cremation. I was also on my way to a hermitage I'd never been to before. It was the same ten years ago. To be exact, on March 12, 2010, the day before Venerable Beopjeong's cremation, I headed to Songgwangsa Temple. It was my first time covering a cremation, and I felt a mixture of excitement and nervousness. I was truly captivated. It was a connection I'd had with difficulty. I forgot my fatigue and raced through the early morning to Bul-il-am. I took in every detail of the Bul-il-am scenery I'd only seen in photos. My eyes were already tracing Venerable Beopjeong's footsteps. The teahouse, Suryuhwagaesil, where guests were welcomed, the macula biloba tree planted by the monk himself and now nestled within its embrace, the "Papillon Chair" where he often sat, the sunny vegetable garden, the Haewooso (seaweed bathhouse)… It was as simple as I'd imagined. In the guestbook on the wooden chair, I wrote a small note about my connection with Venerable Beopjeong and my apologies for my late visit. It was then that a monk, walking briskly under the warm sun, approached me and exchanged a quick glance. "I love the sunlight the most right now." The monk opened the window of Suryuhwagaesil and beamed, boasting(?) of the sunlight streaming in. This was Venerable Deokjo, the head monk of Bul-il-am Hermitage, Venerable Beopjeong's first disciple. The full interview can be found in Monthly Bulgwang, Issue 557.