Seoul, South Korea (CNN) -The Rev. Sun Myung Moon

Seoul, South Korea (CNN) -- The Rev. Sun Myung Moon, the controversial founder and "messiah" of the Unification Church, was laid to rest Saturday in an elaborate ceremony attended by tens of thousands.


The 92-year-old religious icon, who claimed that Jesus Christ had asked him to finish his work on earth, died on September 3 after pneumonia complications.

The Unification Church believes that Jesus was divine, but that he is not God, a stance that puts it outside the bounds of traditional Christianity. The church follows Moon as its messiah.

Over a dozen pallbearers donning white military-style uniforms with gold details and white caps carried his red casket to the sound of classical music through the church in a slow, unison stride.

The men marched Moon's body up red carpeted stairs, through landscaped flowing flower arrangements to an elevated altar, where they set down the coffin beneath a larger-than-life painting of the reverend. They saluted him before exiting the stage.

The pallbearers were church members, who had no military affiliation, and acquired their uniforms for the ceremony, a church spokesman said.

About 35,000 followers and dignitaries attended the funeral in Gapyeong, South Korea, the church said.

The ascension observance -- or "Seonghwa" - is the normal term for a funeral in the Unification Church, the spokesman said.

The funeral featured video highlights of Moon's lifetime achievements.

His seventh and youngest son, Rev. Hyung Jin Moon, who is also his successor, fought back tears as he held the eulogy.

"We have gathered here today to send off in holy ascension the messiah that God has sent to this world to save corrupt humanity," Moon's son said.

The ceremony marked the end of nearly two weeks of mourning, in which over 200,000 visitors attended wakes at shrines set up by the church across the country, according to a Unification Church news release.

Opinion: Moon's death marks end of an era

Moon's "holy body" was taken after the ceremony for interment to Mount Cheonseong, the church's "holy land." Media had no access to the burial.

Moon had been a high-profile international evangelist for decades. He said Jesus Christ came to him in the 1930s and "told him to finish (Jesus') mission," according to James Beverley, a professor at the Tyndale University College and Seminary in Toronto.

His church officially started in the 1950s, with missionaries being dispatched around the world by the end of that decade. His was one of several religious movements that emerged after World War II and the Korean War in South Korea and Japan, drawing from "a tremendous pool of people ... looking for answers as to why the world had turned (against them)," said Virginia Commonwealth University professor David Bromley.

Moon was imprisoned in North Korea during the Korean War before being freed by the allies, an experience that turned him "virulently anti-communist," according to Eileen Barker, a professor at the London School of Economics and Political Science.

Globally, the church's reach may have peaked in the 1970s and early 1980s, as hundreds of thousands joined the singular religious movement, Beverley said. Critics have said the controversial Moon led a cult, whose followers were colloquially known as Moonies.

In his role as church leader, Moon became famous for conducting mass weddings, including one in 1982 at New York City's Madison Square Garden and one in 1995 in South Korea uniting 360,000 couples.

He also gained influence in other ways as well -- growing a massive, diverse business empire that included holdings in industries such as chemicals, arms manufacturing, mining and pharmaceuticals.

Moon helped create news publications, including The Washington Times, as well as universities, religious institutions and other groups. Some such organizations that Moon founded stress interfaith dialogue and peace, like the Universal Peace Federation, which advocates "building a world of peace in which everyone can live in freedom, harmony, cooperation and prosperity."

But Moon also fell afoul of the law, serving a federal prison term in the United States for tax evasion. From 2003 to 2005, Britain's government also prohibited him from traveling to that country, according to a U.S. State Department report.

A video from 2004, posted on the website of what was then known as the Interreligious and International Federation for World Peace, showed a ceremony taking place in a U.S. Senate office building.

During the ceremony, Moon declares himself the messiah and says he'd spoken to the spirits of Nazi leader Adolf Hitler and Soviet leader Joseph Stalin, both of whom he said found strength in his teachings and mended their ways.

Moon was traditionally a strong supporter of Republican politicians, including Richard Nixon and Ronald Reagan, Barker said.

See more religion news on CNN's Belief Blog

TIME: The life and times of Reverend Moon

CNN's J.L. Kwon reported from Seoul, South Korea, and CNN's Ben Brumfield reported from Atlanta

Centro Cultural Coreano

Visita de Profesores de la Univ. de Nayarit y Univ. Kyung Hee


Estimados Profesores y Alumnos,

Es un placer para nosotros invitarlos a la disertación especial del Prof. Yun Sang Cheol (Universidad Autónoma de Nayarit, México), y del Prof. Kim Jung Sup (Universidad Kyung Hee, Corea) este jueves 13 de septiembre de 14 a 18 hs en nuestra sede (Coronel Díaz 2884, C.A.B.A.).

Debido a la capacidad limitada de la sala, solicitamos confirmar asistencia al teléfono 4803-1572/3167, de 9 a 13 y de 14:30 a 17:30 hs.

El cronograma del evento será el siguiente:

14:00~15:30 Disertación especial

- Tema: La diferencia entre el coreano y el español: No es tan difícil aprender el idioma coreano para los argentinos (Prof. Yun Sang Cheol)

15:30~16:00 Preguntas del público sobre la Cultura e Idioma Coreano

16:00~16:20 Proyección de Documentales de la Universidad de Kyung Hee

16:20~18:00 Consulta sobre estudios en la República de Corea (sistema educativo, alojamiento, carreras y becas, entre otros)

Breves CV de los Profesores

-KIM, Jung Sup (Ph. D)

Profesor, Idioma y Literatura Coreana, Universidad Kyung Hee
Decano, Instituto de Educación Internacional, Universidad Kyung Hee
Presidente, Consejo del Instituto Mundial de Idioma Coreano
Ex Presidente, Asociación Internacional para la Enseñanza del Idioma Coreano (IAKLE)

-YUN, Sang Cheol (Candidato a Ph. D)

Profesor, Idioma y Cultura Coreana, Universidad Autónoma de Nayarit
Presidente, Estudios e Idiomas Asiáticos, Universidad Autónoma de Nayarit
Director, División de Cooperación, Asociación Internacional para la Enseñanza del Idioma Coreano (IAKLE)
Director, Instituto Rey Sejong Tepic, Universidad Autónoma de Nayarit

Saludos Cordiales,

Dpto. de Prensa

Centro Cultural Coreano en América Latina

Coronel Diaz 2884 - (1425) - CABA -

Buenos Aires - Argentina

tel. 54.011)4803.1572/3167

fax. 54.011)4807.7880

www.centroculturalcoreano.org

Vikramasila Foundation and Palden Sakya Centers

Welcome to the Vikramasila Foundation and Palden Sakya Centers


Palden Sakya Center

Khenpo Pema Wangdak, Director

4 W. 101 St. #63, NYC / 212-866-4339 / www.vikramasila.org / paldensakya@vikramasila.org

C train to 103 St.

September / October 2012 Teaching Schedule

Palden Sakya NYC Programs

Tibetan language: Mondays

September 17, 24; October 1, 8, 15, 22, 29

6:00-7:30 PM Beginner

7:30-9:00 PM Advanced

$20.00 suggested donation per class

Tuesday Lecture Series: “A Guide to the Bodhisattvas Way of Life”: Tuesdays

September 18: October 2, 9, 16, 23, 30

7:00 PM Dharma recitations & Quiet Sitting and meditation (please arrive on time)

7:45 PM Lecture

$20.00 suggested donation per class

Special Events:

Friday, September 7, 7:00 PM: His Holiness Sakya Trizin’s Birthday

Join us for the 16 Arhat Puja as we wish long-life and good health for His Holiness and all the Sakya teachers and masters.

Everyone welcome

Tuesday, September 25; Wednesday, October 24

Vajrayogini Tsok: 7:00 PM

(Open for those students who have received the empowerment by any of the Sakya masters and lineage holders.) Please bring Tsok offering.

Palden Sakya New Jersey Programs

Palden Sakya New Jersey

289 Brookside Ave., Cresskill, NJ 07626

Lecture Series based on Shantideva's text: A Guide to the Bodhisattvas Way of Life"

Special event: On our September 15th class, refuge vows will be given to those who have never taken refuge before and would like to do so. Everyone welcome. What is refuge and the benefits and meaning will be explained.

Saturdays:

September 15; October 13

2:00 PM

Palden Sakya VT Program

September 22, 23

Lama Pema Wangdak returns to Springfield's VT's Studio Time and Space

On Saturday 9:00am – Noon

Lama Pema Wangdak will lead meditation, providing instruction and inspiration for maintaining personal
practices. New meditators and longtime practitioners are all welcome. From 1:30pm - 4:30pm Lama Pema
will discuss the nature of mind, presenting Shantideva's classic text, The Bodhisattva’s Way of Life.

This 1000 year old text is appreciated by Buddhists and non-Buddhists alike for its scholastic precision,
spiritual depth, and poetic beauty. On Sunday 9:00am - Noon Lama Pema will give a short talk and lead
meditation practice. Attend all or any events by voluntary contribution.

For more information call Tom or Kathleen at 802 885-5129 or 802 591-0990 or

email Tom at tomtimeandspace@gmail.com

Palden Sakya Woodstock, NY Dharma Program

Lama Pema's lecture series is based on teachings by the great Indian Mahasiddha---Shantideva: "A Guide to the Bodhisattvas Way of Life"

Saturday, October 27

2:00 PM

Palden Sakya Woodstock

15 Meads Mountain Rd., Woodstock, NY 12498

For directions, contact: Jo Schwartz: 845-679-4024


Michele Sakow
Secretary
Palden Sakya Centers
212-866-4339

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3° MUESTRA DE ARTISTAS COREANOS EN ARGENTINA

En el marco de los 50 años de relaciones diplomáticas entre Corea y Argentina

FECHA: Hasta el 14 de septiembre


HORARIO DE VISITA: Lunes a viernes de 11:00 a 13:00 y de 14:30 a 17:30 hs. Sábados, domingos y feriados CERRADO.

LUGAR: Sala de Exhibiciones Temporales del Centro Cultural Coreano - Coronel Díaz 2884 (entre Castex y Av. Libertador