Author: Ox Herder

As you can imagine, it’s been a bit of a strange week here in Korea, but one that reminds me why it’s good to practice.

This Buddha sits just past the entrance into Seoraksan National Park, on the grounds of Sinheung temple, and is one of three Great Unification Buddhas in Korea that I am aware of, there may be others.

Seoraksan, known as the most beautiful mountain in South Korea, was originally a part of the North when the line separating the two was first drawn along the 38th parallel. When fighting ended in stalemate in 1953, the new line, now the DMZ, dissected the old one, with South Korea gaining this area in the east.

Less than 50km from the DMZ, it’s as good a place as any to pray for reunification of the peninsula. Those who have not seen their brothers and sisters in 60 years have concerns that once they are gone there will be less initiative for the two side to work things out, and lets hope that possibility isn’t as far off as it seems now.

I first learned this character from looking at the packaging on instant noodles and potato chips: 無MSG

Little did I know that it was also a familiar character in many Zen texts and anecdotes.

I first saw this head in a book that features dishes from different temples across the country accompanied by a photograph taken at each temple. I wrote down the name of the temple with the gigantic head and looked it up online when i got home. It turns out it wasn’t very far from my home, so I soon my a trip with my friends to visit.

When we got there, things had obviously changed. In the photo, the head sat humbly on the ground, the natural, raw material remained. As we stepped off the bus, we could see the head shinning in the noon light all the way from the road, painted gold, propped up on huge shoulders of piled stone. First impressions were a cross between impressive and ridiculous, and we all let out a good laugh at the sight of it.

I don’t know the dimensions, but the temple claims that it’s the biggest Buddha head (without a body) in the world. (If you’ve followed the Sunday Photos for a while now, you’ve probably caught on that this “biggest in the world” claim is a recurring theme in Korean temples.) All I know is, it sure is the biggest head I’ve come across in my travels!

I took this picture during my last visit, in the summer. I liked this angle because it reminds me a little of the first photo I saw of it, sitting humbly among the pines.

For a while, I’ve been challenging myself to find a nice photo that suited either the weather or the season, if not both. This usually involved digging deep into the archives of my photosite (or my memory) to find just the right image. this week, I thought I’d save the hassle and post one hot off the press!

This is a shot from a hike I took with my family this afternoon to Yeon Ju Dae, a little shrine set right on the edge of Gwanaksan’s peak, looking over the South-Western corner of Seoul. I heard more than a few comments about the crazy foreigner carry a baby up the mountain, but when we came across another Korean family doing the same, resistance from my wife diminished considerably- ^_^

The great part about the hike is, just before you reach the peak, there is a large hermitage, Yeon Ju Am, buzzing with hiking-practitioners. If you make it between 6-9am or 12-2pm you’re welcome to join the crowd for a free meal. We got there at 2:10, but an enthusiastic Ajumma shouted into the kitchen that a foreigner was there so please make two more dishes! My wife is Korean, but I’m sure she enjoyed the special treatment, anyway… The food is simple, spicy, and salty, but after a hike up the mountain, it’s just as good as fine-dining!

Though the grounds of the Gold Mountain Temple are scattered with National Treasures, the most striking of them all is the three storied Maitreya Hall, the only one of its kind remaining in Korea.

Originally built in 599, the current buildings have been standing since 1635, after the entire complex was burned to the ground due to the discovery of a small army of monks who had gathered to train here in hopes to fight off the Japanese invaders.

There must have been intense debates among the temples at the time about whether or not to fight the Japanese. In the end the reasoning was that, ultimately, to fight them off would be less harmful. I believe the analogy was, if you see a rabid dog charging a group of children, it’s better the kill the dog than to allow it to attack the children. To borrow the conclusion of another anecdote, perhaps they struck down their opponents with all the compassion they could muster.

Well, finally a Buddha that isn’t a Mireuk Buddha!

This is none other than the Great Unification Medicine Buddha of Donghwa Temple, in Daegu.

Standing at 33m (108 feet, by chance…), locals claim that it is the largest in the world. Though, I’m not sure how many other “Great Unification Medicine Buddhas” there are to compete with, I think they refer to other free-standing statues. I could imagine that it is the largest Medicine Buddha anywhere.

Gazing up from beneath, the physical aspect of its greatness is obvious, but there is also another reason for this title. As you may have surmized from its name, prayers are offered here for the reunification of the Korean peninsula. Inside the body of the Great Buddha are two bone shards of Shakyamuni’s, presented as gifts from the government of Myanmar.