파워 트위터리안이자 수많은 사람들의 고민을 들어주는 멘토로 통했던 혜민 스님이 당분간 트위터를 그만두겠다고 선언했다.
그는 1일, 자신의 트위터의 계정에 “여러가지로 부족한 제가 트위터를 하게 되면서 너무 많은 말을 했던 것이 아닌가 하는 반성을 하게 되었다”면서 “당분간 묵언수행을 하면서 부족한 스스로를 성찰하고 마음을 밝히는 시간을 가지도록 할 것”이라고 밝혔다.
<관련 영문 기사>
Influential monk quits Twitter
By Yoon Min-sik
Ven. Hyemin, a well-known Buddhist monk and an influential figure on South Korean social networks, announced Monday that he is quitting Twitter to “look back at himself.”
“Recently I came to think that maybe I have spoken too much since starting to use Twitter,” he wrote on his Twitter. “I will now take a vow of silence and look back at myself.”
He added that communicating online had brought him “much joy.”
Ven. Hyemin had been giving online advice and thought-provoking comments to his half million followers on Twitter. Among young Koreans, he is considered a leading mentor that counsels people suffering from various difficulties in relationships.
“(Young people) do not want a revelation. They just want to cure their wounds left by relationships. They want someone who will listen and connect to them,” Ven. Hyemin recently said.
His book on soul searching, “Things Can Be Seen When You Stop,” was voted the Best Book of 2012 by users of online bookseller Interpark. The book offers insights into relationships, finding life’s passions, and appreciating one’s own values.
The Princeton-educated monk -- whose real name is Joo Bong-seok -- is currently working as an assistant professor of East Asian religions at Hampshire College.
(minsikyoon@heraldcorp.com)
