Monday, May 25, 2015

Buddha's Birthday: Bathing the Buddha, Monks Dancing, Sutra Writing

Dharma Buddhists celebrate Buddha's birthday on the eighth day of the fourth month (lunar calendar), and only this day is Buddha ceremoniously bathed. Bathing the Buddha is a celebration of the birth of Prince Siddhartha (now known as Sakyamuni Buddha) as he is said to have been bathed by dragons at his birth. According to Chapter One of The Past and Present Causation Sutra, Queen Maya gave birth to her son under a sala tree while visiting Lumbini Park. Upon his birth two dragon kings, Nantuo and FuBouNanTuo, spurted streams of pure water to bathe the Prince's holy body, and for this reason, Buddhhist disciples continue to practice the bathing of an infant Prince Siddhartha statue.

Another version of birth legend is Queen Maya gave birth under an asoka tree, and after his birth, with one hand pointing to the heavens and the other to earth, the Prince proclaimed, "I am the supreme of all heaven and earth." Translated to mortal language, this means, "In all of the universe, only realizing our own Buddha nature is the most noble and supreme." After his proclamation, the Four Heavenly Kings and nine dragons rained down fragrant water to bathe the young prince.

So on this day the young Buddha, with one hand pointing heavenward and the other earthward, is bathed at Buddhist temples. Almost every temple has a young Buddha to be bathed, and while believers bathe the Buddha -- first head, then body, then feet -- they are to whole-heartedly pray and wish for Buddha's spiritual power of great compassion and perfect virtues to enable them to purify their own minds of greed, hatred and stupidly, as well as help them to attain perfect merit and virtues in moral precepts (samadhi) and wisdom.

The verses in the Merit of Bathing the Buddha Sutra describe the true meaning of bathing the Buddha:
I now bathe all of the thus-come-one,
Who are adorned with pure wisdom, and who have amassed merit and virtue.
May living beings of the five turbid realms be led from filth,
And expediently realize the pure dharma body of the thus-come-one.
May the fragrance from the realization of precepts, samadhi and wisdom constantly perfume every realm of the ten directions.
May this incense fragrance perform countless Budhha works of salvation.
May suffering in the three evil paths and the wheel of Samsara cease,
Completely extinguishing the fires and obtaining the coolness of relief.
So that all beings vow to attain the supreme Bodhi mind,
Perpetually escaping the river of desires and advancing to the other shore of Nirvana.
So a group of RAS members traveled around to 5 temples in Seoul to experience the uniqueness of Buddha's birthday. All of the temples we visited (Mitasa, Bomunsa, Gaeunsa, and Bongwonsa) had young Buddha's set up near the entrance for people to ceremoniously bathe and thus purge their own impure spirits. We also visited Botasa, opposite Gaeunsa and behind Korea University, but this was not really a temple but more of a hermitage. Therefore, no baby Buddha was available for bathing.

Mitasa Temple 
Mitasa Temple
Bomunsa Temple
Gaeunsa Temple
Bongwonsa Temple - a spiritual replica of the nine dragons said to bathe the baby Buddha at his birth.
The purpose for bathing the Buddha is to pray for a pure mind full of virtue and to be guided onto the bodhi path. The benefits of bathing the Buddha, as listed in a Buddha Bathing Sutra, are:
  • wealth and happiness, good health and longevity
  • all wishes fulfilled
  • peace and harmony for family, relatives and friends
  • never to face the Eight Obstacles of learning the Dharma, nor suffering
  • achieve quick enlightenment
The bathing the Buddha ceremony was explained to me as "While we bathe the Budda without, we are bathing our own Buddha within." This is the way to self-enlightenment.
http://www.avatamsakavihara.org/bathingBuddha.php http://dharma.fgs.org.tw/shrine/ibps-sweden/English/Buddhism1-3.htm

Each of the 5 temples we visited had some uniqueness that differentiated it from the other temples: maybe in celebration style, guest-welcoming ceremony, architecture, special event ...

Mitasa offered lotus flower tea to guests.
Mitasa is a very old temple, founded during the Koryeo period and during the reign of King Kwangjong (4th Koryeo king). The reason this temple is a nunnery is in the 15th century Queen Song of the murdered Tanjong (6th king) fled here and became a nun. Since then, the temple has been a nunnery. Currently about 50 nuns are in residence.
Bomunsa encouraged guests to make lotus flowers, the spiritual flower of Buddhism, and to write sutras.
Bomunsa is prosperous, has extensive construction going on, and has the largest monk-nunnery in Seoul with about 130 nuns ranging in age from 4-84. Parents through fortune-tellers or for other reasons bring their daughters to the temples to be nuns. Only girls under 15 are accepted. This temple was founded in 1116 during the reign of King Yejong, 16th king of Koryeo.
So I gave Buddhist sutra writing a try. Wow. I liked the penmanship experience!
Entering Botasa but remembering to bow as one approaches the portal to the tiny temple grounds.
Botasa is a hermitage, secluded from mainstream traffic that has recently been built. This is a "convent" where about 40 nuns study Buddhism and social work. The hermitage is particularly famous for its approximately 1000-year-old White Buddha (actually a "Goddess of Mercy" referred to as ma-aebul) carved in granite behind the hermitage.
Interestingly, in 1895 this area was considered a possible tomb site for the murdered Queen Min but was rejected because of the presence of the stone buddha.
Botasa, a hermitage. As this is located behind Korea University among some thick trees and close to the collection of dorms, dorm-dwellers like myself can hear the rhythmical percussion on a hollow gourd which starts around 4 a.m. A rather peaceful way to wake up to the world.
One of the female monks who maintain Botasa.
Entering Gaeunsa, a temple next to Korea University and sees a lot of local resident activity.
This temple was founded in 1396 by Muhak daesa, the priest and personal friend of King Taejo (1st king of Joseon). It is also a teaching temple where 160 monks study.
Monks discussing at Gaeunsa.
Yongsanjae, a Taego Order ritual

The Yongsanjae ritual is a reenactment of Shakyamuni Buddha's teaching of the Lotus Sutra. The ritual is long and involves much chanting and dancing. Only the Taego Order has preserved this UNESCO intangible cultural asset.

Two temples that we visited hold monk dances on Buddha's birthday. Unfortunately, we arrived at Bomunsa (of the Bomun Order) shortly after the 11am ceremony was over. We did however arrive in time for the late afternoon dances at Bongwonsa (Taego Order), which is a very large temple compound, and which annually holds monk dances. We were able to see several dances, which are performed for praising Buddha. The dances were beautiful and extremely colorful but not quite synchronized, which added more to authenticity rather than artistic style. I was able to identify two of the dances: the Butterfly Dance and the Cymbal Dance. Baebo-chum (Dharma Dance) is another dance typically included in the Yongsanjae ritual, but I couldn't recognize it. These dances are typically performed in temple compounds rather than on stages due to their religious meanings. My Croatian anthropology friend did a good portion of her research at this temple back in the mid-1980s, and she said that during that time, this was about the only temple that had monk dances, and only a couple of monks performed. Since that time, monk dances have been learned and adopted into many other temples throughout South Korea.

The performance was opened to the public and lasted for about two hours. Monks chanting, gongs thrumming, drums beating. Other temple musicians played ancient-styled instruments.

Yellow is such an unusual color to be used in ceremonies ... I'll be able to understand this symbolism next year.
The performance ground made sacred by the presence of the on-looking Buddha.
The "stage" is set. Shoes are removed for dancing on holy spaces and in front of holy Buddha banner.

The vigor and rhythm of the Cymbals Dance!


The butterfly symbolically flies in this dance. I wonder the spiritual metaphor. 

Stylized drumming. The monk dances much more than he drums, and his drumming is limited to an occasional thrum between slow-motioned dance moves. He stylistically thrums upright and then twists to thrum upside-down ... 

Meditating while performing the Cymbals Dance.
Bongwonsa was founded in 889, and in 1970 it became the headquarters of the Taego sect of Korean Buddhism, the second largest in Korea. This sect allows priests to marry, which only the Taego sect in Korea can do, a kickback from the Japanese style of Buddhism.

The temple houses 3000 unpainted Buddhas in Buddha Hall, one of the largest in the country. This large building has an ornate altar canopy, carved panels around its doors, and the main hall has very fine murals inside and wall murals on the exterior. 

Bongwonsa is known as the home of two designated Human Cultural Assets (#48 and #50): the head abbot is a master of dancheong painting, an art creating Buddhist murals and geometric and floral designs in bold natural tints, a type of decoration most often seen on wood surfaces in the upper reaches of temple buildings. The second priest's speciality is Buddhist ritual and chants. On Buddha's birthday, a huge mural is hung outside at this temple (pictured above), special services given, and ceremonial music and dance performed.

Ritual Buddhist music and dance performances (yeongsan-jae) are held here yearly on Korean Memorial Day and on Buddha's Birthday. The participants in the ritual pray for good fortune, happiness, and health. They also pray for the dead in the Korean War and victims of other nation-affecting disasters, like the Sewol. The ceremony awakens the true dharma of Buddhism, which frees participants of earthly suffering and delusion.


Sunday, May 24, 2015

Women Activists Cross the DMZ

In a peaceful protest for peace and reunification between North and South Korea, 32 women activists (including two Nobel Peace Laureates - Mairead Maguire and Leymah Gbowee) from various countries marched from North Korea to South Korea across the DMZ (Demilitarized Zone). The Korean War (1950-1953) was a time when father fought against son, brother against brother, and friend against friend. The war ended, not with peace or a resolution to the ideological conflict, but merely as a cease fire, which means that the two countries are still in a state of war. Over the past 62 years, peace negotiations have failed, cooperation between the two countries has been minimal and very shaky when there was "cooperation", and so women for peace in various countries conceived a march for peace entailing a walk across the icon of separation, the DMZ.

Their initial intent was to walk across the DMZ at Panmunjom, the precise icon flashed in the news with North and South soldiers positioned in a battle-ready stand-off around the clock. North Korea agreed with this; however, South Korea clearly balked with this location for a crossing. They cited the inability to ensure security and strongly suggested the crossing at the Gaesong Industrial Complex where South Korea has factories just over the border in North Korea and a train delivering materials and returning with finished products operates daily. If the women insisted on crossing at Panmunjom, no media would be allowed in the area, and thus there would be no authenticity or documentation of the event. At the last minute, the women marched toward the Gaesong crossing. Security buses also operate between Gaesong and South Korea. The women were allowed in North Korea to start the peace march, but once they reached Gaesong, South Korean security insisted that they cross the DMZ on the security buses. In spite of the lack of feeling the soil in the initial moments of crossing, the women did make the historical border crossing, and according to my photographer friend who was able to obtain a press pass, he and 500 or so other reporters and photographers met the women on the southern side to document this historical moment!

As I was unable to secure the much coveted press pass, I was only allowed as far as the south side of Tongil Bridge, just south of the DMZ. The women were originally to cross on the bridge and I, along with many others, waited hours in the burning sun to document the moment. However, South Korean security again stepped in and rerouted the women to take an alternative road to the open-air stadium at Imjingak where there were gathered a few hundred South Koreans who celebrated the crossing.

Many, many other people would gladly have joined in the crossing celebrations, but South Korean security forbade any media broadcasts of the event and only those well-connected or like me with friends in the press heard about the historical event. I, like others, quickly cancelled plans for the day and came to witness this historical mile marker in the eventual reunification of the separated nations.

Police came out in force on the south side of Tongil Bridge to contain the protesters. Supposedly about 700 protesters gathered to object about the women crossing the DMZ. Fortunately for the police and unfortunately for the protesters, many of the hot and hungry protesters moved off the bridge for a collective lunch but when they tried to return, the police blocked them. In result, only a handful of protesters were actually on the bridge, along with myself who stayed aloof, so not many people (only 15-20) were there to make a show of resistance.



Protesters carried signs, but because their number was so small and the temperature was so high and we waited for hours, there wasn't a very lively protest going on.

I was able to interview various protesting parties. Some of the protesters gathered because when the 32 women were in North Korea, they visited the grave of "Dear Leader" Kim Il Sung and laid flowers at his grave. NK broadcasted that they honored and bowed to him, very controversial but this broadcast did stir up trouble. The protesters were vehement about the 32 women showing any honor or respect to someone who did human experimentations. Others protested the human trafficking and crimes against women, especially of women at the borders. Almost all cited that the women should address the issue of crimes against women and the gulags and imprisonment without transparency before having a peaceful walk. Hmm, from what I read on the women's website (www.womencrossdmz.com) they said that when a young lady goes out on a first date she doesn't talk about previous dates the guy had but tries to find something in common. I tend to agree with this logic. The protestors' biggest argument was that the women never talked about the crimes of the North Korean nation but only talked about peace. Hmm, we're looking at a forever standoff if people only want to point the finger but never look for mutual ground. Most were there to protest the weapons of mass destruction and North Korea's bullheaded resistance to slow in the development of yet more.

The older generation on the bridge protesting were quite aggressive and at one time about a dozen of them were pushing the police and trying to ram through the police lines to possibly attack or show strong aggression to the peaceful reunification marchers. One young man amongst the protesters was clearly embarrassed, and told me that there was an unmistakable difference in protesting style; the young generation are for logic and expression, the older generation go about it wrong by using force and scare tactics. He told me also there were a number of North Korean refugees who were protesting the march but they had been blocked by the police from getting on Tongil Bridge; evidently they arrived too late and the security was sharp about containing protesters that could get out of control.  My friend later told me 5-6 North Korean refugees actually were able to get to the press pass zone with the intent of disturbing the peace march by throwing eggs or tomatoes; they were found out and escorted away from the peace march area. The peace march, because of very tight security, was just that, peaceful.

Notice the protestors mostly wearing black.
One of the amazing protesters was an 89-year-old Korean War veteran, Lee Kang-sung. I was able to talk with him through a translator and asked why he came out and if he came with anyone. No, he came alone because at least one person has to represent his generation. He came because he strongly wanted to protest all war, and all points of communism. His greatest assertion was, "If I don't protest (the ideology of the North), then the next generation will be under communism." 


As the hour for the women to cross the DMZ approached, the lines of the police were continually redrawn. The people protesting the crossing would be separated from the people supporting the 32 women and reunification. The protesters would stay in front of the police, and the police joined hands to give them strength in holding the protesters away from the reunification marchers, who would pass behind the police.

Evidently what we learned in kindergarten - hold hands and stick together -
also applies for the demonstration police

The marchers for reunification probably numbered close to 600-700. Many carried signs, all wore a number as they had to pre-register in order to participate in this march (otherwise they were forbidden access to the bridge - I was lucky as I came early before the bridge was sealed off from foot traffic). To signify unity beyond just wearing white, many also wore 색동 ( literally 'color stripes') scarves or clothes. This color-pattern is comprised of 5 colors -- white (west), black (north), red (east), blue (south) and yellow (center) -- and the colors together have long tradition in warding off evil spirits. This pattern with its long history is shared by both North and South Korea and so this motif of shared color was the symbol the pro-reunification markers proudly wore. The pro-reunification marchers also tended to wear white, while those protesting organized themselves mostly under the color of black.



Here the pro-reunification marchers are marching in the outside perimeter of the lined-up policemen. The most ardent and active of the protesters was a spry elderly woman of around 65-70 years. She easily jumped up on the guard rail with one of her own signs of protest and waved it while shouting to the reunification marchers. The nearby policemen at first said repeatedly to her, "Grandmother, please get down." "Grandmother, be careful. You will get hurt. " They didn't touch her or disturb her as she didn't cross the line, but at first they clearly worried about her well-being. She ... just ... didn't ... care. She, in her black clothing symbolizing reunification protest, ardently yelled at the opposing side. She even came up to me several times and asked me to speak out ... haha, I don't think she would have liked my position if I would have expressed it. I refused and told her I was just an anthropologist and came only to document.


With permission by the police, I was able to slip from the protester's side to the reunification marchers side and then found myself walking behind a woman wearing a 색동 scarf. I was able to talk for quite a while with her on her and her group's stance for reunification. When I first asked, "Why do you want to reunify?" she was shocked and quickly answered, "Why wouldn't we want to reunify?! We are one people, have the same ancestors, but we were divided against our will by other governments. Of course we want to reunify!" And together we walked off Tongil Bridge to the celebration and speech-making for reunification at Imjingak.




Wednesday, May 20, 2015

Jongmyo Shrine Court Music

Jongmyo Shrine is the supreme shrine of the state where the tablets of royal ancestors are enshrined and memorial services are performed for deceased kings and queens. King Taejo, founder of the Joseon Dynasty, started construction of Jongmyo Shrine as soon as he designated Hanyang (Seoul today) as capital of the newly founded dynasty. The construction of Jongmyo was completed in 1395, before that of Gyeongbokgung, the main palace. 

According to Confucian philosophy and the concepts of geomancy, Jongmyo the national shrine, was built on the east side of the royal palace, to its left, and Sajik Shrine, where ritual services for the gods of earth and crops were performed, was built on the west side of the royal palace, to its right. As more and more kings and queens were enshrined with the passage of time, the facilities were necessarily expanded to what we see today. When a king or queen died, mourning at the palace would continue for three years after the death. After the three-year mourning period was over, memorial tablets of the deceased were moved to Jongmyo and enshrined. Kings credited with outstanding, virtuous deeds are enshrined in Jeongjeon, the main hall. In Yeongnyeongjeon are the tablets of King Taejo's ancestors of the preceding four generations and those who were posthumously crowned as king. There are also tablets that were moved from Jeongjeon. At present, Jeongjeon has 19 spirit chambers and houses a total of 49 tablets. At Yeongnyuongjeon, there are 16 spirit chambers and 34 tablets. The tablets of two kings, Yeonsangun and Gwanghaegun, who were deposed from the throne, are not kept in Jongmyo. 

Jongmyo Jerye, the Royal Ancestor Rite, was the most important state ritual. It was conducted five times annually at Jeongjeon and twice annually at Yeongnyeongjeon. The king performed the ritual himself. The crown prince and all high-ranking civilian and military government officials attended Jongmyo Jerye. Royal ancestral ritual music involved instrumental music, singing, and dancing. At present, Jongmyo Jerye is performed once a year, on the first Sunday of May. Other ceremonies to report important state affairs or to pray for the state are also performed at Jongmyo. None of Jongmyo's facilities are lavishly adorned; they emphasize only solemnity, piety, and sublimity. In its extreme simplicity, we can feel the deep meaning of life and earth, and in its stately serenity, we feel the sacred authority of the Joseon Dynasty. Of all Confucian states in Asia where counterparts of Jongmyo Shrine were established, Korea is the only one that has preserved its royal shrine and continues to conduct royal ancestral rites, known in Korea as Jongmyo Jerye and Jongmyo Jeryeak. This is the main reason that Jongmyo Shrine was inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage List in 1995 and Jongmyo Jerye and Jeongmyo Jeryeak were inscribed on the Masterpieces of the Oral and Intangible Heritage of Humanity in 2001.

Shrine Music

There are two kinds of shrine music -- Deunngga and Heungga, both unusual, ethereal, and lilting with drumbeat and winds. This music, accepted as a UNESCO World Heritage was the first of, at present, 13 World Heritage treasures in South Korea. The music is rather indescribable so here are some clips of both types of shrine music. In a large pavilion a large group of us gathered around to hear a small 5-person performance of some the lyrical court music. A five-member group member played a janggu (drum), a gayageum and a haegeum, as well as two different kinds of flutes. Very relaxing to listen to on a warm spring day.


the two-string haegeum and a large flute
the six-stringed gayageum

Saturday, May 16, 2015

Buddha's Birthday Lantern Parade 2015

Buddha's Birthday is based on the lunar calendar and, unlike last year when it fell earlier was on the solar calendar (April 27), this year the lantern parade is later in the season, which means that there are more hours of daylight so the daylight out-illumines the glow of the lantern bulbs. My photography skills are rather limited to point and shoot, most preferably in natural lighting, so taking "good" night shots would have been challenging. Thank goodness for daylight ... my shots turned out vivid enough.

There are many event that lead up to the lantern festival parade down Jongno street, like making lanterns at various temples. The day of the parade and the following day are filled with a series of on-going events:

SATURDAY:

Exhibition of Traditional Lanterns (Jogyesa temple) - browse through traditional hanji lanterns of various sizes, colors and shapes
Eoullim Madang (Donggak University Stadium) - prior to marching in the parade, participants watch dance movements and listen to beat-pronounced songs performed by various artists on a stage, followed by the ceremony of bathing the baby Buddha and a Dharma service
Lantern Parade (along Jongno street from Dongdaemun Gate to Gwanghwamun Plaza)
Hoehyang Hanmadang (post-parade celebration) - watch cultural performances under a rain of flowers and "see the lively group dance of Ganggang Sullae, a celebration of unity for transcending nationality, gender, ethnicity and religion", or so the brochure reads

SUNDAY:

Traditional cultural events (Jogyesa temple) - a street festival that includes the making of paper lanterns and sampling cultural foods, buying souvenirs and trying on traditional clothing
Cultural performances (Jogyesa temple) - see traditional folk performances including songs, dances and rope walking, along with Buddhist performances and various traditional performances from other Asian countries
Yeondeung nori (final celebration - Jogyesa temple) - another lantern parade held to "express the aspiration for peace and happiness all over the world"

Pictures from the Lantern Parade 2015 in downtown Seoul











One of my friends knowledgeable in Buddhism pointed out that last year's parade and this year again had a large section of the parade simply for carrying a single Korean syllable in lantern format. When put all together, the syllables became words and the words transformed into the Heart Sutra, which, though it is the shortest sutra, it still took up a whole lot of lanterns and people carrying them to relay the whole sutra. Here is a part of the sutra. Close-ups of last year's Heart Sutra in lanterns can be seen in the 2014 Seoul Lantern Parade.
Buddha's birthday is the 8th day of the 4th lunar month. Temples nationwide light lanterns to symbolically transmit the wisdom and compassion of Buddha. Buddhists also perform ceremonies in celebration of Buddha's birth.

Yeon Deung Hoe (Lighting Lantern Festival, Lotus Lantern Festival)

The Yeon Deung Hoe Festival originated in the Silla era more than 1,300 years ago. It has since been passed down through the Goryeo era, Gwandeungnori of the Joseon era, and it is still an annual tradition today. By lighting lanterns at Yeon Deung Hoe Festival, participants "brighten their own hearts as well as the world". This traditional festival is designated Korea's Important Intangible Cultural Heritage No. 122.

People congregate for hours along Jongno street to get good vantage points for seeing and taking pictures of the passing parade. Of interesting note this year, the huge air-conditioning vents that are slightly raised positioned beside downtown sidewalks had taped X's over them and usually two policemen patrolling on either side of each large vent was to keep people from not standing or walking on them. This is due to a vent collapsing just a month of so ago and killing 16 people and seriously injuring others at a music concert in Seongnam.