It's hard to find words for experiences like these ones. I've mentioned before that every temple has a way about it, a uniqueness, a feeling that sometimes stirs me deep down inside? This was another one of those times... I know I won't be able to pass on to you just what that means for me, so instead I'll share some of the loveliness of it all... (I'll post about a few activities a bit later)...
When you arrive through these gates it is said that you leave all of your troubles and baggage behind, free to embrace the peace and spirit of the Buddhist temple
These are the guardians of the 4 directions who keep the temple and its occupants free from all things bad that might try to enter
Buddha's birthday is coming up, May 21st, so there are lanterns everywhere in celebration... these ones guided us along the pathway to the next gate for another meeting...
The guardians with Action (with the elephant) and Wisdom... either one without the other doesn't really get you anywhere, so you should embrace them both as you travel through the second gate
The view when you first enter the temple grounds once you are past the gates... beautiful
The five-storied Ocheung Stone Pagoda is found in the centre of the temple grounds... it is unique because of the bronze that was used on the top of it (this technique was borrowed from the style of Tibetan Buddhism)
I love doorways most days, but I particularly loved this one with the light sneaking out... a doorway to illumination
This dragon is on the frame for the gong in the drum area... in Buddhism dragons are the highest creatures, so you see a lot of them
The view of one of the main temple halls where prayer is held... this one houses 3 Buddhas, one for long life, one for health, and one for... oh, I've forgotten, I hate that!
A view of the main temple hall from my favorite little temple on the hill
Lanterns marked most pathways... candles are strung within them, and many were lit up at night
We went to bed at 9pm (more like 10pm) and woke at 3am - monks do this every day. Despite being a little tired, the beauty of the morning made me forget -about it... no tourists, no bugs, the only things you could hear were the river and the birds. I left the group again for a walk on my own to soak in the peacefulness of the morning before morning prayers at 3:40am
The pathway up the mountain to my favorite little temple
(there are lots of temples at Magoksa (maybe 9 or 10?), all very different from one another)
(there are lots of temples at Magoksa (maybe 9 or 10?), all very different from one another)
The papers hanging from these lanterns are wishes that people have written to Buddha on this upcoming birthday... wishes for themselves, for others, for big things and little... the red lantern holds my wish
We all wore temple clothing, lovely and flattering as you can see :)
This is me with our monk, the one who was in charge of our very large ANYTHING-BUT peaceful temple stay group... I think he may have even more patience than your average monk. Next time I temple stay I am definitely going groupless, because the experience really wasn't a peaceful one at most times!
This is me with our monk, the one who was in charge of our very large ANYTHING-BUT peaceful temple stay group... I think he may have even more patience than your average monk. Next time I temple stay I am definitely going groupless, because the experience really wasn't a peaceful one at most times!
This is my teacher monk... I skipped out on arts and crafts block after making my prayer bracelet and went for a walk on my own up the mountain. This monk was in a small hilltop temple that I stumbled upon, and when he saw me he invited me in to sit with him. He taught me about energy and prayer in Buddhism... it was really incredible... he also gave me his card and asked me to come back and talk with him again soon :)
Looking out over the temple grounds from the hilltop temple hall... Magoksa is nestled in among the TaeHwa Mountains... it was so beautiful there
Monks with cards!! I love it!
ReplyDeletei'd love to do something like that - where did you hear about it/ how did you organise it
ReplyDeleteHi Sadie! I know hey, lol, I couldn't believe it when he pulled it out from the many folds of his robes, lol... right after he checked the time on his cell phone :)
ReplyDeleteDaffa, 4 Temples do single-bookings, and a bunch more do groups of 15 or more (check here http://asiaenglish.visitkorea.or.kr/ena/SI/SI_EN_3_4_5.jsp). I'm going to go out to GolGukSa back in GyeongJu the first weekend in May, they do individual bookings (the 'group' was *r*e*a*l*l*y* loud through most of the stay).
Speaking of the group, I went with a group from Meetup.com called the "Travel and Culture Group" (http://travel.meetup.com/715/), so all I had to do was show up for the bus at Gyo-Dae station. We went to the temple and the Hall of Korean Independence on the way back to Seoul, it's a great way to meet a bunch of new people, I'm loving it!
sounds fantastic. will definately look into it when i come back in june!
ReplyDeleteDaffa, I'll keep you posted on the 2nd temple stay once I've been... I'm looking forward to seeing/doing the martial art!!
ReplyDelete