He was born in 1932 in Haenam, Jeollanam-do, and after experiencing the tragedy of the Korean War, he grappled with human goodness before dropping out of college in his junior year to seek the path of truth. In 1956, he became a monk under the great master Hyobong, received the novice precepts that same year, and in March 1959, he was ordained as a bhikshu at Tongdosa. He later graduated from the advanced Buddhist studies program at Haeinsa.
