Buddhist Temple in Kyong-Ju

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Trip Start Oct 05, 2006 Previous
Entry Trip End Feb 29, 2008

  Ulsan, Korea Rep.
Thursday, November 9, 2006

Roughly the second weekend after I arrived in Ulsan, South Korea this past October, two of the Korean teachers I work with offered to take me to a place called Kyong-Ju, nestled in the green mountains outside of the city. I was amazed at their generosity and obviously agreed to go with them. The place we went introduced me to my first Buddhist temple, and all the history and culture that goes with it. The temple was supposedly first built in 781 AD--- imagine that!!!

I also got lucky with the timing of our visit, as there was a Buddhist service in motion when we arrived, and all the fanfare that accompanies it. I saw the Buddhist monks, sparsely dressed yet so noble in stature, standing as strong and flexible as the bamboo around them. I heard the drums and voices of traditional Korean music weave themselves into the brightly colored threads of the gigantic tapestry of Buddha hung on the stone walls of the temple for the occasion. The power of the monks and the singers making such spiritual intonements to the heavy beat of drums was enough to move my very soul to stillness, pondering the mysteries of the unknown as so many before me must have in that historical place.

I even got to see the most shining example in Asia of Buddhist sculpture, a twenty foot stone Buddha hidden in a hill connected to a temple high in the mountains. Unfortunately, I couldn't take a photo because it's considered so sacred, but that grandiose Buddha sits in my mind to this very day. I couldn't imagine a better introduction to this country that I've chosen as my home for a year.

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01 Leaving Ulsan for Kyong-Ju	02 Jeeves Played by Hailey	03 And Anne!	04 Entrance to the Temple Grounds
05 Temple Landscape	06 KOI	07 Aren't They Cute	08 No, Nazis Haven't Been Here
09 Tangerine Dream	10 Guardians of the Temple	11 Entrance to Temple Area	12 Buddhist Celebration
13 The Celebratory Crowd	14 A Monk Provides Counsel	15 In Good Company	16 The Time's Square of Korea
17 Bell Closeup	18 Fresh Mountain Spring Water	19 Peace in Nature	20 Solitude
21 Me and The Old Staircase	22 The Outer Wall	23 Step into the Temple Courtyard	24 The Main Temple
25 Main Temple Different View	26 More Guardians	27 A Lion Makes A Great Guardian	28 The Pagoda and the Lion
29 The Main Temple and The Group	30 Temple Sign	31 I Pray to Buddha	32 So Many Wishes
33 I Decide To Try It Too	34 Turtle Drum	35 Turtle Drum Closeup	36 This is my good side
37 What A Cute Little Boy	38 Cutie is Carried	39 Bird's Eye View	40 To Bul-Geok-Sa
41 Entrance to Bul-Geok-Sa	42 Praying to Buddha	43 Also Outside the Temple	44 View Looking from the Front of the Temple
45 Group Photo from the Mountaintop	46 The Required Peace Pose	47 Room with a View	48 Time to Watch the Sun Set
49 Time to Go

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