Popular South Korean Buddhist monk’s un-Zen-like lifestyle ends in karmic downfall

Haemin Sunim, who wrote bestselling book on Zen principles, is returning to monastic life after being exposed as a bon vivant

In addition to being an author, he appeared on a reality TV show, ran his own app-development company and reportedly drove a Ferrari

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Buddhist monks and nuns during an ordination ceremony at Jogye Temple in Seoul. Photo: YNA/DPA

Published: 7:06pm, 18 Nov 2020Updated: 7:47pm, 18 Nov 2020

A famous South Korean Zen Buddhist monk and bestselling author has withdrawn from public life after his un-Zen-like lifestyle came under fire, adding another chapter to the religion’s sometimes sketchy history in the country.

The monk, who goes by the name Haemin Sunim, recently said he would bow out of all public activities and return to being a Zen Buddhism educator after he became a target of fierce online attacks over his lifestyle, which some critics said was closer to that of a bon vivant rather than to a Zen Buddhist monk. Haemin is also known as the “Twitter monk”, having accumulated more than a million followers on the platform.

“It is my fault for failing to fulfil my duties as a monk,” Haemin tweeted on Sunday. “As of today, I will put everything down and go back to a public [Zen Buddhism education institution] to study Buddha‘s words again and focus on my prayer.”

The 46-year-old Haemin, whose secular name is Joo Bong-suk, studied at Princeton University and Harvard Divinity School in the US and taught Asian religions at Hampshire College in Massachusetts before returning to Seoul to become a monk in 2008.

He gained international fame for his mega-seller book entitled, The Things You Can See Only When You Slow Down, which was first published in 2012 and subsequently translated into more than 35 languages. It has sold over four million copies and topped Amazon UK‘s list of bestselling books in 2017, according to the Korea Joongang daily.

He published his second book, Love for Imperfect Things, in 2016, which topped the bestseller list in South Korea, and has also been operating a counselling centre. In addition, he launched a start-up that develops mobile apps for meditation last year.

But controversy erupted after he recently appeared on a TVN entertainment show called On & Off, which follows people in the public eye at home and at work.