Donation Doesn’t Just Mean Giving, But Also Sharing!
It isn’t easy to donate one’s possessions to others. Moreover, if there are especially spiritual values in those things, making a decision could be more difficult. However, there is a person who has willingly made a donation of thousands of books gathered for decades to the CNU’s library. He not only made contributions, but also showed his philosophy and thoughts.
Sah Jae-Dong, who donated books to the CNU educated students for 30 years in the Korean Language and Literature Department at CNU as a professor emeritus. He has been a teacher at a middle school for 9 years since his graduation from the same department at CNU. After that, he started his new post as a professor at the university from 1970 to 2000. Buddhist Culturology is what he has mainly studied and vigorous academic activities related with his field of study has continued. Nowadays, he is in charge of the Baekje Buddhist Culture Graduate School as the director.
★What Has He Done for Our University?
On February 20, there was a special event for the CNU’s library. Prof. Sah Jae-Dong donated approximately 9,000 books. These books are going to be placed at the Gyungsan library which is located on the fifth floor of the central library. This library will be used for the purpose of education and study. The donations consist largely of books associated with Korean Language and Literature, also including literary materials about surrounding countries. He says, “Those who visit Gyungsan library can look at the new books on a variety of fields such as literature, history, and philosophy.” In addition, he has a plan to constantly donate additional books in the future.
★How Did He Collect the Books and Why Does He Keep Collecting?
No expenses were spared in buying books. Because he has purchased many kinds of domestic and foreign books in bulk, he was sometimes mistaken for a book seller. The reason for collecting books is to study continuously, he says. People around him have sometimes told him, “You’re already knowledgeable about your field. Isn’t it time to stop studying and just rest?” However, he wants to pursue his studies to the best of his ability and still stay as a scholar in his field after retiring from teaching. He thinks spending most of his time publishing theses and writing is a good way to maintain a healthy and long life. He ardently hopes that he can accomplish his mission as a scholar.
★What Is the Meaning of Donation to Him?
Usually most people think it would be heart-breaking to donate their valued possessions, but this is not the case for Prof. Sah Jae-Dong. He said the act of donation is a moment of great happiness, and donating books to the library would be more effective than storing them in his own house for various reasons. First, the environment of the library is better in preserving books, maintaining an even temperature all year. Second, the library is better at categorizing and arranging books. Finally, the books will be read by as many people as possible, which is the most important reason. He expects it can generate more than 2-3 times the effect in comparison to remaining as his private collection. For these reasons, he feels like having more his own laboratory at the university.
By Lee Hyo-jin / CP Reporter / lhj3220@cnu.ac.kr