Sunday, August 30, 2015

Hwaomsa Temple in Jiri Mountain

Hwaomsa Temple, literally meaning "The Flower Garland Temple" from the Avatamsaka Sutra, is the head temple for the Jogye Order. It is one of the 10 most most famous temples in South Korea, and is home to the largest number of national treasures (with the exception of Bulguksa); hence, with four national treasures, the entrance fee is W3,500 while that of Bulguksa is W4,000. By knowing the number of famous artifacts in a temple, one can know the relative cost of the entrance fee as the cost reflects the number of national treasures stored within.

The four National Treasures within Hwaomsa: 

  • Gakhwangjeon Hall - a two-storied wooden hall and one of the largest Buddhist halls in South Korea is a masterpiece of mid-Joseon Buddhist architecture, and one retaining its original dancheong (five colors, albeit faded of decorative paintwork).


  • An ancient stone lantern shaped like a lotus flower in full bloom is considered representative work of the Unified Silla period. Stone lanterns generally represent the light of Buddha and are therefore positioned in front of main prayer halls or pagodas. This stone lantern is the largest one in Korea at 6.4 meters high.
  • A three-storied stone pagoda supported by four stone lions was carved by Priest Yeon-gi to honor his mother. Of interest is the facial features of the four lions which display the four cardinal emotions of joy, anger, love and sorrow. The lions themselves are highly symbolic in Buddhism as the word is a common metaphor for the Buddha.

  • Lion Pagoda of Hwaeomsa in front of Wontongjeon Hall is thought to be 9th century. Each of the four lions perch on a lotus pedestal and have a lotus design on its head. Together they support a square stone of which the purpose is unknown, perhaps for preserving sarira or for holding memorial services.
Other national cultural heritages include:
  • hanging painting of Hwaeomsa Temple (The Vulture Peak Assembly) 
The painting is contained within the specially made box!
And that is seriously one very loooong box!
  • five-story stone pagoda in the east and west of Hwaeomsa Temple
  • Daeungjeon Hall of Hwaeomsa Temple
  • stone Avatamsaka sutra (the "Flower Garland" sutra) of Hwaeomsa Temple
  • higan cherry of Hwaeomsa Temple 
  • bojeru pavilion of Hwaeomsa Temple 
  • stone lantern at Gucheungam hermitage of Hwaeomsa Temple
On slopes above Guyre the temple is located a fifteen-minute taxi ride into the southwestern Jirisan National Park, and sits high in a boat-shaped valley which points towards rivers, indicating good pungsujiri (geomantic) values. Jirisan is one of five sacred mountains in Korea: Taebaeksan (N), Tohamsan (E), Jirisan (S), Gyeryeongsan (W), and Buaksan (center), so Jirisan's location is very propitious when you consider the valued pungujiri energy of the five directions embodied in these five mountain ranges. Originally devoted to shamanic worship, with the arrival of Buddhistic teachings and the spread of Buddhism throughout the country the mountains were converted into the homes of bodhisattvas.

The Four Gates of Hwaomsa


When entering a temple in Korea, the number of gates might vary a bit based on the size of land on which the temple was built. However, temples almost always have the first gate, symbolic of entering into the spiritual land of Buddha and meditation as well as entering onto the road to enlightenment. Sometimes the second gate, because of insufficient land space, is painted on the outside of the third gate, which is the gate of the four heavenly kings. Finally is the fourth gate, the gate of "no two" or the gate of duality. Hwaomsa is one of very few temples that encompasses all four gates; normally a temple has but three (I have heard of a temple with five), and to pass through the three is to enter the border between the land of Buddha and the secular world. Symbolically, one passes into the sphere of enlightenment.

1st gate - "Ilju-mun" or One Pillar Gate symbolizes having one mindedness. Two large wooden pillars support the tiled gated entrance, but even though two pillars are used, when looking at the side view of the gate, only a single pillar can be seen, hence, the name reflecting the viewpoint of Buddha Dharma, that is, having absolute and immutable truth as well as having the pure mind as the first step in reaching the land of Buddha.

2nd gate - "Geumkang-mun" or Diamond Gate, but it is sometimes called the Inwang-mun (Benevolent King Gate) or Haetal-mun (Liberation Gate). Geumgang references "diamond", the hardest possible earthly substance, and therefore cannot be harmed by other substances but it can cut and break those other materials. Therefore, it is a symbol of Buddha Dharma as the supreme truth or wisdom that can't be contradicted by other ideas with its superior strength to cut through delusions that cause suffering. (If it is called the Haetal-mun, then the name implies the passage from the human world to the Buddhist world, and in turn inspires an individual to seek liberation from worldly suffering.

The Geumgang-mun often, but not always, has various Buddhist-motif paintings adorning its gate. This gate has 2 bodhisattvas (Munsu-bosal and Bohyun-bosal ) sitting on a lion (haetae - the haetae seems to have originated from Buddha's lion) and an elephant. The influence of yin and yang is obvious in their clothing, the blue and red respectively. The bodhisattvas appear as boys as they symbolize innocent wisdom and eternal youth. Munsu-bosal rides a blue-dragon or haetae (mythical creature that controls and consumes fire) and he embodies the perfection of wisdom as well as inspiring Buddhists to become wiser through study and clear thinking. Bohyun-bosal, on the other hand, rides a six-tusked white elephant and is the bodhisattva of great vows, great conduct and benevolent actions; he is associated with the virtues of Buddhist practice and meditation. So together, these two represent the virtue of conduct while aiming to attain the perfection of wisdom.

Fierce-looking guardians are also often painted on the doors or on great effigies, one is called "Ha" because his mouth is opened and forming a "ha" sound, the cosmic syllable symbolizing the beginning. The other guardian is called "Heng", and his mouth is closed but his nostrils are flared as if making the "heng" sound, the cosmic syllable representing the end. So together, Heng and Ha form the "om" sound, which means the absolute.

3rd gate - "Sacheonwang-mun" or Four Heavenly King (or Guardian) Gate is where the four celestial guardians, two on each side, tower over the pilgrim. These spiritual guards are in charge of the four cardinal directions (north, south, east, west) and the four seasons. They also protect the temple and crush any demonic opponent underfoot. With ferocious expressions, people are made to bow before them and contemplate their minds to rid themselves of evil thoughts for if a mind is not pure enough to enter into the peaceful world of Buddha land, the Heavenly Kings will prevent that person from continuing beyond the second gate. According to ancient Buddhist cosmology from which they derive, the Heavenly Kings stand approximately 750 feet tall and live 9 million years; they are not earthly beings as depicted in the gate sculpture but are powerful and long-lived Devas. These protectors were present at the birth and other significant events in the life of Buddha. Vaisravana, the guardian of the North, is their captain and is recognized by the pagoda he holds in his hand. Virudhaka, defender of the south, holds a sword. Dhritarashtra, warden of the east, holds a stringed instrument. Virupaksha, keeper of the west, holds a serpent.

As a Korean-guide told me, these kinds of gates were built during the Imjin Wars and were to protect the followers from invasion.

east
green
wood
spring
south
red
fire
summer
west
white
metal
fall
north
black
water
winter




center
yellow
earth/soil


4th gate - "Buli-mun" or Gate of Non-duality is basically a derivative of Buddhist teaching that truth is nothing but to be one with all things, forming a unified whole. In other words, all the ostensive dualities such as birth and death, good and evil, love and hate are not two but only one. It is the intent of "Seon" practice to eliminate dualistic thinking -- that discriminatory tendency in which people parse self from the world. In short, there is no difference between life and death, good and evil; they are two things but not duals, just as people cannot judge because they see only the outside and not the whole. Therefore, enlightened people do not judge.

Just as the lotus flower is the symbolic flower of Buddhism, it contains both the flower and the seed, which represents the cause and effect, cause and result, etc. If a person goes to paradise, he/she will have passed through the four gates (from intent for purity to attainment of lacking judgment) and thus paradise is populated only by those born of the lotus flower and not of the woman's womb.

The Vimalakirti Sutra is a Buddhist sutra close to the heart of Seon monks. It is a narrative about a sage householder, living at the time of the Buddha, who bested the bodhisattvas on the path to Buddhahood with a witty repartee that comprises the text. In the chapter "The Dharma-door of Non-duality" the discussion was on the question of how a bodhisattva could enter the dharma-door of non-duality to attain Buddhahood. Many bodhisattvas expressed wise opinion but when Vimalakirti was asked, he remained silent, thus expressing in subtlest terms the profound silence of enlightenment. This is the very silence that is sought through the gate of non-duality and is the heart of the temple.

The gates (typically three) are called "Mountain Gates" and lead to the door of Nirvana after attaining the three cores: emptiness, formlessness and wishlessness.

Ringing the Dharma Bell


At sunset, the monks gather for a peaceful and hauntingly beautiful evening ceremony, accompanied by soft chanting and the beat of the drum in the courtyard. Buddhism is said to be reason and balance, and balancing masculine and feminine life forces is an important concept. Particularly the sound of the bell symbolizes the coming together of these two and is the sound for unifying harmony between these two aspects of life. The bell symbolizes Buddha's voice; it calls for the protection of heavenly deities. The sound of the bells equals the sound of the Dharma, or entity or law, which sustains the order of all things in the universe. The ringing of the bell is usually an invitation to unified meditation of all the earthly sentient beings. It is rung 28 times in the a.m. for all living beings in heaven and 33 in the p.m. for all living things in hell.


The 4 (sentient) Things (4 물건)


The name and musical concepts of samulnori is derived from the four Buddhist instruments used in Buddhist ceremonies.

salmunori - "salmul" means four objects + "nori" for play
bell
beings in the earth (underground)
fish
living things in the water
cloud
creatures in the air
drum
animals on the land

DRUM has two dragons ascending to heaven drawn on it to promulgate the teaching of Buddha. To hit the drum is to call/awaken the four-legged animals and in effect save them. The two-sided drum represents the yin (negative) and the yang (positive), which is a harmony and balance of sound.

FISH is to save all of the living creatures in the water. With fish-eyes that never close, neither does Buddha ever sleep. Dharma monks beat on the fish to keep them in a state of wakefulness. The round gourd-like "drum" is called a fish.

As the origin of the wooden fish story goes. a Chinese Buddhist went to India for scriptures but on the way had to cross a mighty river. Suddenly a fish approached to help him across. Halfway across the fish told the monk, "I have committed a crime and therefore have been sentences to live in this river for many years. You are in search of scriptures in India, so please help me atone for my misdeeds. If you meet Sakyamuni (founder of Buddhism), please ask him when I can become a bodhisattva." The monk agreed, crossed the river and continued on his way. 17 years later he was returning with scriptures in hand, but once again the river was raging. The same fish approached to help, and again halfway across the fish spoke, "Did you ask Sakyamuni when I could become a bodhisattva?" The monk could only reply, "I'm sorry. I forgot." The fish was angry and dumped the man and his treasured sutra into the river. The man of course lived but his sutra were spoiled. Angered, after the man returned home he made a statue of fish in wood and, recalling his misfortune, beat the wooden fish with a wooden hammer. To his surprise, each time he beat the fish, the fish opened its mouth and produced a Chinese character. The Buddhist became ecstatic and beat the wooden fish frequently until a few years had passed and he had acquired, character by character, all of the valuable sutra he had lost in the river.


CLOUD is a metal plate in the shape of a cloud and, when played with an iron or bronze cloud like drumstick, is a call to all of the living creatures of the air and for moving wandering souls to heaven.

BELL is the ultimate sound of Dharma and sustains all things in the universe.



References:
The Diamond Gate – Geumgang-mun (금강문)

Monday, August 24, 2015

1950 Rescue in the Korean War

Daseul, one of my students, interviewed an elderly man to get a story in order to write a five-paragraph essay. She got a very meaningful story and gave me permission to post it here. Thank you, Daseul, I appreciate the detail and your overall structure in writing a war story with momentum and flow!

A Miracle of December
I visited my grandparent’s house which is located in the rural area of the southern region on my last summer vacation. On the visit, I met an elderly man from North Korea, who is a neighbor of my grandparent. Because the elderly man is a close friend of my grandfather, fortunately I could have a dinner with him, and hear the stories about his life. The most memorable part was the story of how the elderly man came to South Korea. The story was as follows.
             He came to South Korea during the Korean War in December 1950. At that time, the war situation reversed in North Korea Army’s favor due to the intervention of the Chinese Army. Korea Army and the US Army were completely defeated in the battle of Chosin Reservoir, and barely managed to retreat to Heungnam. They decided to carry out Heungnam withdrawal action, and then 200 ships of the US Army reached Heungnam to support the action.
            Hearing the news that there were ships, the refugees started to flock into Heungnam to be rescued. The elderly man was also one of these refugees. He said that they had been trembling with the fear of being killed by the Chinese Army, and were so desperate to survive. The people continually gathered at Heungnam hoping to live, and at last, there were about 100,000 refugees there.
            The commanders of the US Army were embarrassed because the ships were for military use, not for the civilians, and there was a great deal of military equipment and soldiers to take aboard. Besides, there was also the danger of the invasion of a disguised spy. For that reason, the commanders of US Army disapproved of taking the refugees on at first. However, according to the earnest persuasion of the Korean commanders, they finally made a great decision of throwing up arms and carrying the refugees instead.
As a result, about 100,000 people boarded the ships and reached South Korea safely. The elderly man whom I met also got on the ship, and could survive. He said that it was a miracle that the ships with 10,000 people which had been supposed to carry 50 people accomplished the voyage in safety. He also said that the decision of the commanders was a magnificent one in that they gave up the weapons which were soldiers’ life to save the people, lives themselves. While listening to his story, I got goosebumps and admired greatly how this story could happen. Moreover, I felt great love for humanity, even in a scary time of war, in this story. Therefore, I titled this story “a miracle of December”.

Monday, August 17, 2015

Power of the People (1979)

This story which was told me by my father was about power of people before I was born. The story was about the June Democratic Uprising in 1987. At that time, my father was a salary person for a company in Jongno so he was able to directly see the process of the June Democratic Uprising and participate in a protest. He told me his story in a quiet tone.

In 1979, a military regime staged a coup d'état on December Twelfth after President Park Junghee was dead and by indirect election Jeon Doohan had been elected president of the Korean Republic. Emphatically, so many people wanted the retirement of Jeon Doohan and the withdrawal of the military regime but their demands were not accepted. Since the people’s demands were not listened to, there started so many pro-democracy demonstration parade which consisted of university students. The year of 1987 was the last year of the military regime, but this was an unknown fact at the time. In 1987, many people insisted on the revision of the constitution which meant to change for direct election and the withdrawal of the military regime. The government disagreed with their assertions and declared protection of the constitution.

In June 1987, many people were disappointed at and angry with the declaration of the government. In addition, the torture and death of Park Jongchul who had participated in the demonstration parade became known to the public. At first, government authorities announced that he had died from fright when investigator noisily hit a desk. No one believed in their announcement which made people angry and incited them to take part in demonstration parade insisting on the revision of the constitution and requiring the truth of Park's death.

Hundreds of students stage a demonstration after a ceremony to pay tribute to the late activist Park Jong-chul
(top-right photo) at Korea University in Seoul in January 1987 / Korea Times file - source and article
On June 10, people gathered in front of city hall and started the demonstration parade crying out their demands. Combat police, known as baekgoldan because of wearing white helmets and repressing demonstration parades cruelly, also gathered opposite the parade. Also the subway did not stop at the city hall station but passed by because the government was afraid of people’s power and more people congregating in order to protest and resist the decision of the government. In spite of unfair dealings to prevent the demonstration, people were gathering more and more. At six o’clock, all drivers on the road sounded the klaxon in each car, women shook their scarves and salary persons within buildings flew paper airplanes to support the demonstration parade and protest the protection of the constitution. Because of the huge number of gathered people and supporters, the police could not try to check the demonstration parade and could only watch the demonstrators. People put flowers into the gun-points of police and sang together while putting their arms around each other’s shoulders. My father was impressed by the sight, the people singing, the flying paper airplanes, and he joined the parade. The turnout was overwhelming and as a result, the government could not help but give up the protection of the constitution and made promises to revise the constitution for direct election.

After I heard that story about June Democratic Uprising, I was so moved and felt grateful to the senior generation fighting against the government for democratization of Korea. I am well aware of how we get the right for vote and political freedom, but to hear an account firsthand was to make me feel my privilege as a free voting citizen now. If a dictatorial government appears again and threatens our freedom and our rights, I will fight against it like my father and the senior generation. Now I know that what is right cannot exist for free.
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This essay written by my student Choi Jun-hwan is a cultural story that gave interesting detail to social behavior during the June Democratic Uprising of 1979. Sincere thanks to Choi Jun-hwan for his permission to print it here! My student also recommended the link on how the June Democratic Uprising started. The comic strip was drawn by Choi Kyuseok and uploaded on the Internet for free. It's filled with dialect and slang but presents a coherent overview of what led to the momentous uprising.

Tuesday, August 4, 2015

Changing of the Guards: Kyoungbok-gung

The "changing of the guards" reenactment is based on the royal guards of the Joseon Dynasty being posted at Gwanghwamun Gate, which is the entrance to Gyoungbok-gung Palace, the palace from which the king ruled the country. The "changing of the guards" ceremony has been recorded as early as 1469, and the present ceremony is supposed to be based on careful consultation of historical texts.






The reenactment of the historical ceremony was reintroduced in 1996, and the duties of the guards extend beyond changing of the guard ceremonies (three times a day). The guards also reenact sentinel positions as guards to the mighty gate and as visual icons of security to palace life. In full regalia (weapons, colorful uniforms signifying various positions, and other accessories) they even occasionally break up the monotony by holding parades, which I can imagine is a huge relief from standing upright for hours on end and posing with fixed attention while uncountable locals and tourists makes queues to get 'that clever colorful shot'.


Some of the reenactment programs are:
Sumunjang (Royal Guard) Changing Ceremony 10:00, 13:00, 15:00 / three times a day / 20 minutes per ceremony Gwanghwamun Gate Guard-on-Duty Performance 11:00, 14:00, 16:00 / three times a day / 10 minutes per ceremony Sumungun(Gatekeeper) Military Training (outside Hyeopsaengmun Gate)9:35, 12:35 / 15 minutes per ceremony / before and after the guard changing ceremony and the guard-on-duty performance
The performances are held January 1 through December 31, except for Tuesdays. Since these guys are tourist-attracting actors, those wet rainy days when tourists aren't so out and about also result in cancellations.