Venerable Unheo (耘虛, 1892-1980), born with the name Lee Hak-su, was a patriot, Buddhist monk, translator of the Tripitaka, and educator. He dedicated himself to the independence movement for about ten years in Manchuria, and after turning 30, he embraced Buddhism, establishing and running schools. In 1921, to evade Japanese police, he took on the pseudonym “Park Yong-ha” and became a monk, entering into a life of Buddhism. Although his birth name was Lee Hak-su, he changed it to Lee Si-yeol when he joined Daejonggyo for the cause of anti-Japanese resistance, and after Korea’s liberation, in 1962, he changed his name to Lee Unheo.
Translation:
面南看北斗 (Men-nam-kan-buk-du)** means “Facing south while looking at the Northern Dipper.”
