South Korea’s largest Buddhist sect Jogye Order held a meeting on Tuesday and passed the draft version of “Seungga Cheonggyu,” a recommendation that asks monks to stay away from the luxurious life. 

The document states that monks should not frequent fancy restaurants, live in a spacious house or drive big cars. They are also restricted from investing in stocks, making financial transactions with ordinary Buddhists and traveling abroad if it is not for a pilgrimage or academic purpose.

The Jogye Order designed the Cheonggyu as an anticorruption measure in the wake of scandals involving monks last year. Last May, Buddhist monk Seongho exposed an all-night gambling and boozing party among his fellow monks, prompting nationwide criticism.

The sect‘s recommendation, however, does not hold legal force. 

“Such a movement (to simplify monks’ lives) should start from a pure heart of monks themselves. Otherwise, this nonbinding regulation wouldn’t work,” wrote one Twitter user.

The draft version will be brought to the administrative headquarters of the Buddhist Order and finalized in late July.

By Park Sui, Intern reporter
(suipark@heraldcorp.com)