Zhen Xiang
In the past few days, many media, from the "Korea Herald" to the American "Time" magazine, AFP, etc., have been paying attention to the "DJ Monk" who has quickly become popular in the Korean music scene. According to the "Korea Herald" report, "Dj Monk", whose real name is Yoon Sung-ho, is a comedian who recently became popular on social media for his bald head and monk's robes with electronic music interpretation of Buddhist scriptures. Although he was not a "real monk," a Korean eminent monk gave him the Buddhist title of Rijin.
Agence France-Presse reported on the 14th that in order to welcome the Buddha's birthday on the 15th, the "DJ monk" known as Master Rijin recently performed at the Lantern Festival in Seoul, attracting many young Koreans to join in. He sang on the stage: "It hurts not to get a raise, it hurts that Monday has come and gone, this pain will eventually be gone, we will win!" The young people in the audience waved and joined in. A 26-year-old Korean young man said that "Dj Monk" sang the voice of people in their twenties and thirties who are physically and mentally exhausted and feeling lost.
"This quirky and high-energy performance went viral", AFP reported that "DJ Monk"'s unique performance received support from the mainstream of South Korea's Buddhist community. The head of the Jogye Sect, the largest Buddhist sect in South Korea, hopes that "DJ Monk"'s performances can continue to attract young people to believe in Buddhism.
"Time" magazine quoted data from the American polling organization Gallup as saying that in 2015, about 22% of Koreans said they were Buddhists, but by 2021 this number had dropped to 17%. According to the report, in recent years, Korean Buddhist organizations have been trying to "update their image" to establish connections with young people.
According to Agence France-Presse, many "non-traditional" forms can be seen at this year's International Buddhist Expo in Seoul. Visitors can not only "ask for signatures" from Buddha statues supported by artificial intelligence technology, but also purchase clothing with scriptures printed on them. and Buddha chocolates.
However, not all Buddhist groups welcome such "innovations". After "DJ Monk" performed in a bar in Malaysia earlier this month, he received complaints from local Buddhist circles, saying that his performance was inconsistent with Buddhist beliefs and etiquette. Congressman Ma also said that he could not be allowed to perform in Kuala Lumpur wearing Buddhist attire. Saifuddin Nasudin, the Minister of Interior of Malaysia, said in an interview recently that the government has ordered the suspension of "DJ Monk" performances in the country. Affected by this, "Dj Monk"'s second show originally planned to be held in Malaysia later this month has been cancelled. ▲
