BeopJiGi (λ²μ§κΈ°)
Soshimsa Dharma Keeper Formation
“A Beopjigi does not seek authority; a Beopjigi accepts responsibility.”
Beopjigi (λ²μ§κΈ°), meaning “Dharma Keeper,” is a lay Buddhist role and formation program created by Soshimsa Zen Center for dedicated disciples who wish to deepen their training and accept greater responsibility in the life, service, and continuation of the Sangha.
β
The Beopjigi stands between the ordinary Sangha member and the ordained monastic. A Beopjigi remains a lay practitioner, living within ordinary home, family, and community life, while undertaking a structured course of Buddhist formation and assuming responsibilities in service to the Sangha.
β
The purpose of Beopjigi formation is not to create status or authority. It is to prepare capable, disciplined, and dependable Dharma Keepers who can serve the Sangha, preserve the Dharma, and carry it forward.
From HengJa to Beopjigi
Formation begins as a HengJa (νμ).
The HengJa period establishes the foundations of discipline, practice, study, service, temple life, and responsibility. Upon successfully completing the HengJa portion of training, a disciple may be admitted into the stole-bearing Beopjigi formation.
β
The Four Formation Levels
White — The Seed
White represents purity, beginning, and the seed from which the Dharma Keeper will grow.
β
Green — The Sprout
Green represents the tender sprout. Practice has begun to take root, but still requires careful cultivation, guidance, and tending.
β
Blue — The Open Sky
Blue represents the growing practitioner reaching outward into the broad and visible sky. At this stage, formation increasingly includes outward sharing and appropriately authorized public-facing teaching and service.
Gold — The Sun
Gold represents the life-giving sun—the maturing Dharma Keeper whose training increasingly radiates outward for the benefit of others.
β
These four colors represent progressive stages of formation.
The Red Stole — Authorization
The cross-body Red stole is not another educational level.
β
It signifies that the disciple has completed the prescribed formation and has been recognized and authorized by Soshimsa Zen Center as an:
β
Authorized Beopjigi Dharma Keeper
β
Authorization represents a significant entrustment of responsibility by the Sangha.
An Authorized Beopjigi remains a lay Buddhist and does not become a monk or nun through Beopjigi authorization. Rather, the Dharma Keeper serves alongside and under the authority and guidance of the monastic Sangha, assuming those responsibilities for which he or she has been trained and authorized.
A Beopjigi does not seek authority; a Beopjigi accepts responsibility.
Currently in training
Wendy
Su-Wol
βμμ
Soshimsa Zen Center, USA International Headquarters
Dawn
Seon-Ji
βμ μ§
Soshimsa Zen Center, USA International Headquarters
Louise
Seong-Shim
βμ±μ¬
Soshimsa Zen Center, USA International Headquarters
Lauren
Seon-Yeong-Shim
βμ μμ¬
Soshimsa Zen Center, USA International Headquarters
Will YOU be next?
The Seven Training Rules
Throughout formation, the Beopjigi trains according to seven rules:
β
-
βRefrain from taking life.
-
Refrain from taking what is not freely given.
-
Refrain from sexual misconduct.
-
Refrain from false and harmful speech.
-
Refrain from intoxicants that cloud the mind.
-
Refrain from complaining.
-
Honor the authority of the Sangha.
β
Together, these rules cultivate not merely Buddhist morality, but the discipline, humility, reliability, and willingness to serve required of a Dharma Keeper.
Formation and Training
Beopjigi formation incorporates study, practice, service, and hands-on training.
β
Formation includes Buddhist teachings, meditation, temple practice and ceremony, Precepts, Tong-Gong health exercises, community service, practical Sangha support skills, and the curriculum designated by the Abbot, ordinarily including the Shindo 101 text and such additional instruction as may be assigned.
β
Training is not measured by study alone. A Beopjigi must demonstrate through conduct and service that the teachings are becoming part of how they live, practice, work with others, and care for the Sangha.
Beopjigi Formation at Soshimsa Today
The Beopjigi Dharma Keeper tradition is now taking root within Soshimsa Zen Center.
β
Four disciples are currently undergoing HengJa training, preparing for advancement into the stole-bearing Beopjigi formation.
β
As they progress, they become part of something larger than an individual course of study: the development of a trained body of lay Dharma Keepers capable of supporting the monastic Sangha, serving the wider Sangha Family, preserving Soshimsa's practices and traditions, and helping carry the Dharma into the future.
To Serve, Preserve, and Carry Forward
he Dharma is not preserved by study alone. It continues because people are willing to practice it, embody it, care for the community that sustains it, and accept responsibility for passing it onward.
β
That is the purpose of Beopjigi.