Gyeongju & The Temple Stay
Gyeongju - Koreas Kyoto
Pusan is a cute coastal town, but we only dedicated one day to it before setting off for Gyeongju, the ancient Shilla capital (a virtual 'museum without walls' - or 'Korea's Kyoto'). The bus ride only took 50 minutes, so we checked into the hostel (looked like an attic) and set off to rent bikes. Central Gyeongju is pretty compact, and most of the major sites are ruins of buildings (rather than actual buildings) or large burial mounds (look like big grassy hills), so it was not difficult to bike through a few parks in the afternoon. We met a group of teachers from Iraq who were studying the Korean education system (they approached us and were very nice), but I think I need to send a note to the LP editors and tell them to add a warning to future travelers about the hordes of school children running around (everyone saying hello, asking your name, and maybe asking you for an autograph). The weather was nice when we started, but after a few hours (of riding in the opposite direction of the rental shop), we hit a major downpour. As I mentioned, unlike Kyoto, most of the sights are just recontructions or pillar marks (serving as proof of once-grande structures), so we decided to speed past the last few places on the agenda and take refuge in the Gyeongju history museum. The beautiful, modern buildings house many of the archeological discoveries that were still intact and well-preserved, and was very impressive (the museum itself being the result of one of Korea's past dictators trying to ensure a legacy).
The museum closed at 5 and we had to get the bikes back, so we had another long ride through the rain (even though someone offered to give us a ride). By the time we made it back, we all agreed we had pretty much had enough of sightseeing and being outside (even my underwear was soaked through), so we went to see Spiderman 3 (with Korean text) that night.
The next morning (Wednesday), we locked up our bags at the train station and took a bus to Bolguksa Temple. With a pretty forest setting and a never-ending sea of school children, this Unesco World Heritage Site was impressive. I liked the small bridges leading up to to the temple, the bright colors (used to protect the wood), and lanterns hung from the many buildings. We were going to hike to the Seokguram Grotto afterwards (further up the mountain), but realized how far it was and nixed the plan due to time restrictions...after all, the next thing on the old itin. was the TEMPLE stay.
A Night at Golgulsa Temple
I thought I knew what to expect from our Korean temple stay after having experienced a night on Mt. Koya and visited another temple lodging in Pusan, but I was wrong. What I didn't realize, was that this stay - a "24 hour experience" - could have made Koya look like a hotel.... although they were both were AMAZING.
We took two buses to Golgulsa Temple, which we found nestled in the forests and mountains outside of town, and climbed the steep incline to the Temple Office (located halfway up to the rock carving of Buddha and cave temple). There were other visitors making lotus lanterns as we checked in and were given our temple clothes, which included bright orange smocks (prison style) and monk pants. The accomodation was more modern than I expected; a dorm of sorts where we shared a heated-floor room with the other overnighters (two other really nice women - one teaching in China, the other in Japan), had a bathroom with flush-toilet (1,080 bows for throwing toilet paper in it, though!) and ondol beds (thin mats resembling Japanese futon).
Our official schedule started with dinner at 5:30. The food was simple and traditional, but I liked the concept of having to finish everything on your plate, including the sauce, before you can leave (seriously - they came and got me to finish my mail after I left 15 kernals of rice and walked out!). The cool thing about the temple we chose to stay at is that is specializes in Sumudo Martial Arts. The monks of this Buddhist sect hid their craft for hundreds of years, fearing that their enemies would see it as a threat and harm them (or attack the religion), but they opened it up to "outsiders" in the 1970s and even offer courses. We actually had 2 martial arts classes during our stay, with two meditation lessons (one sitting zen and one walking zen - pretty much a mountain hike), and got up at 4am for morning chants (it's 3,000 bows if you miss that one!). There were two foreign zen masters (martial arts instructors) living at the temple, one from France and the other from Norway. Joe and I talked to the guy from Voss (Norway) for a while about his experiences. Day-to-day life at the temple is pretty much the same all-year-round, but the master told us they go to the bamboo forests to practice sometimes. The martial arts classes were probably my favorite part. I just loved getting to run and do jump kicks in the air, and I was happy to move around and get outside during the hike. It felt more like summer camp (with a very full, strict schedule) than a zen experience, but I would recommend going.
I think I want to do another stay at a different temple if I go back to Korea, and I am interested in looking into martial arts temples in Japan. I don't know that I would ever pursue earning a belt in the martial arts, but it was fun while it lasted.
Quote of the Day
"Sweet Balls?!" - Our new hobby is stopping at every street vendor we see to check for our favorite treat (small, sweet, ball-shaped treats, dipped in sugar). So far, no good:(
Pusan is a cute coastal town, but we only dedicated one day to it before setting off for Gyeongju, the ancient Shilla capital (a virtual 'museum without walls' - or 'Korea's Kyoto'). The bus ride only took 50 minutes, so we checked into the hostel (looked like an attic) and set off to rent bikes. Central Gyeongju is pretty compact, and most of the major sites are ruins of buildings (rather than actual buildings) or large burial mounds (look like big grassy hills), so it was not difficult to bike through a few parks in the afternoon. We met a group of teachers from Iraq who were studying the Korean education system (they approached us and were very nice), but I think I need to send a note to the LP editors and tell them to add a warning to future travelers about the hordes of school children running around (everyone saying hello, asking your name, and maybe asking you for an autograph). The weather was nice when we started, but after a few hours (of riding in the opposite direction of the rental shop), we hit a major downpour. As I mentioned, unlike Kyoto, most of the sights are just recontructions or pillar marks (serving as proof of once-grande structures), so we decided to speed past the last few places on the agenda and take refuge in the Gyeongju history museum. The beautiful, modern buildings house many of the archeological discoveries that were still intact and well-preserved, and was very impressive (the museum itself being the result of one of Korea's past dictators trying to ensure a legacy).
The museum closed at 5 and we had to get the bikes back, so we had another long ride through the rain (even though someone offered to give us a ride). By the time we made it back, we all agreed we had pretty much had enough of sightseeing and being outside (even my underwear was soaked through), so we went to see Spiderman 3 (with Korean text) that night.
The next morning (Wednesday), we locked up our bags at the train station and took a bus to Bolguksa Temple. With a pretty forest setting and a never-ending sea of school children, this Unesco World Heritage Site was impressive. I liked the small bridges leading up to to the temple, the bright colors (used to protect the wood), and lanterns hung from the many buildings. We were going to hike to the Seokguram Grotto afterwards (further up the mountain), but realized how far it was and nixed the plan due to time restrictions...after all, the next thing on the old itin. was the TEMPLE stay.
A Night at Golgulsa Temple
I thought I knew what to expect from our Korean temple stay after having experienced a night on Mt. Koya and visited another temple lodging in Pusan, but I was wrong. What I didn't realize, was that this stay - a "24 hour experience" - could have made Koya look like a hotel.... although they were both were AMAZING.
We took two buses to Golgulsa Temple, which we found nestled in the forests and mountains outside of town, and climbed the steep incline to the Temple Office (located halfway up to the rock carving of Buddha and cave temple). There were other visitors making lotus lanterns as we checked in and were given our temple clothes, which included bright orange smocks (prison style) and monk pants. The accomodation was more modern than I expected; a dorm of sorts where we shared a heated-floor room with the other overnighters (two other really nice women - one teaching in China, the other in Japan), had a bathroom with flush-toilet (1,080 bows for throwing toilet paper in it, though!) and ondol beds (thin mats resembling Japanese futon).
Our official schedule started with dinner at 5:30. The food was simple and traditional, but I liked the concept of having to finish everything on your plate, including the sauce, before you can leave (seriously - they came and got me to finish my mail after I left 15 kernals of rice and walked out!). The cool thing about the temple we chose to stay at is that is specializes in Sumudo Martial Arts. The monks of this Buddhist sect hid their craft for hundreds of years, fearing that their enemies would see it as a threat and harm them (or attack the religion), but they opened it up to "outsiders" in the 1970s and even offer courses. We actually had 2 martial arts classes during our stay, with two meditation lessons (one sitting zen and one walking zen - pretty much a mountain hike), and got up at 4am for morning chants (it's 3,000 bows if you miss that one!). There were two foreign zen masters (martial arts instructors) living at the temple, one from France and the other from Norway. Joe and I talked to the guy from Voss (Norway) for a while about his experiences. Day-to-day life at the temple is pretty much the same all-year-round, but the master told us they go to the bamboo forests to practice sometimes. The martial arts classes were probably my favorite part. I just loved getting to run and do jump kicks in the air, and I was happy to move around and get outside during the hike. It felt more like summer camp (with a very full, strict schedule) than a zen experience, but I would recommend going.
I think I want to do another stay at a different temple if I go back to Korea, and I am interested in looking into martial arts temples in Japan. I don't know that I would ever pursue earning a belt in the martial arts, but it was fun while it lasted.
Quote of the Day
"Sweet Balls?!" - Our new hobby is stopping at every street vendor we see to check for our favorite treat (small, sweet, ball-shaped treats, dipped in sugar). So far, no good:(
posted by Brenda Ann Elizabeth McKinney @ 6:32 AM
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