Learn Integrity From Monk Seonjae — Sharing the 'Wisdom of One Bowl'

Seoul's Seongdong-gu District Office hosted an integrity lecture for public officials titled "The Wisdom of One Bowl: Learning Integrity" on Thursday at the grand hall on the third floor of the district office, featuring Seonjae, the first designated master of Buddhist temple cuisine under the Jogye Order of Korean Buddhism.

The lecture was organized to raise awareness of integrity among public officials through Seonjae's life philosophy and the medium of temple food, while also offering comfort and a chance to recharge for staff worn down by demanding civil service work, including repeated and unusual complaints. About 150 employees handling high-stress duties attended.

The session opened with Seonjae's integrity lecture under the theme "When the mind is clear, so is the work." She introduced the philosophy behind temple cuisine — stripping away seasoning and excess to bring out the natural flavor of each ingredient — and drew a parallel to the restraint and humility required of public servants, unpacking the meaning of integrity in an accessible yet profound way.

After the lecture, Seonjae and her disciples served carrot noodles and tofu kimbap they had prepared themselves, from ingredient prep through cooking. The temple food, embodying the values of restraint and letting go, gave employees a second opportunity to reflect on the meaning of integrity they had just heard.

Seongdong-gu District Mayor Yoo Bo-hwa and Seonjae personally joined the serving line to encourage staff, and employees shared the meal in an atmosphere of open conversation that crossed generational and rank boundaries.

One employee who attended said the experience left a strong impression. "Tasting the clean, carefully prepared temple food that Seonjae made herself, I felt the heaviness in my heart lift," the employee said. "Being able to feel the meaning of integrity not just through the lecture but through the food itself made it all the more memorable."

District Mayor Yoo said she hoped the event would serve as a moment of healing and renewal for tired staff. "Just as a single bowl of food holds sincerity and the wisdom of letting go, we as public servants can only earn the trust of our residents and realize a truly upright district administration when we tend to their lives with care and set aside personal desire," she said. "I will continue to do my utmost to build a clean and transparent Seongdong-gu."