The Jogye Order of Korean Buddhism is set to unveil “BTENS,” also called Buddhist BTS, to make itself more relatable and relevant to the younger generation.
According to the Jogye Order, BTENS consists of young monks with diverse talents. Just as the Buddha had ten exceptional disciples during his lifetime, BTENS aims to encourage modern-day people to reflect on their minds through meditation, helping them find peace and tranquility in their busy lives.
BTENS consists of 10 members: Venerable Gusan (Director of the History Department of the General Affairs of the Jogye Order), Venerable Gwangwoo (Hwagye Temple), Venerable Gogeum (Gwangbulsa Temple), Venerable Songsan (Gwanghye Temple), Venerable Junhan (Just Be Hongik University Seonwon), Venerable Doguk (Cheongamsa Temple), Venerable Jian (Baekcheonsa Temple), Venerable Beomjun (Seonbuljang Leadership Academy), Venerable Kiwon(Jeonghye Temple), and Vanya (Yeongmyoam Temple).
Notably, Ven. Gogeum (traditional music), Ven Gwon (flute), Ven Jian (gayageum), Ven. Doguk (Tai Chi), Ven. Beomjun (singing), and Ven. Vanya (lyrics) will leverage their specialties to engage in cultural performances and other activities.
BTENS will officially kick off its activities at the opening ceremony of the Busan International Buddhism Expo 2024, which will be held on Thursday in Korea’s second-largest port city. The newly launched group plans to showcase performances featuring monk Beomjun’s singing, Ven Jian’s gayageum, and nun Gwon’s flute performance, including pieces like “Look at Your Heart,” “Spring in My Hometown,” and “Song of Compassion.”
To showcase Korean traditional culture to a global audience, they will perform at the ‘Meditation Temple Stay’ event at the Korean Cultural Training Institute in Gongju on Aug. 24 and 25, the international meditation conference at Gwanghwamun Square on September 28, and an event in New York, USA.
“Our future activities will aim to depict meditation in various genres, making it accessible and hip for the public. Wherever young people have concerns, we will travel to those places, communicating through contemporary language and gestures and creating a lively atmosphere,” stated Ven. Gusan, the leader of BTENS, doubles as the Director of the History Department of the General Affairs of the Jogye Order.
“This will not be a simple one-time performance; we intend to contribute to the future of Korean Buddhism and the spread of meditation.”
