Category: Sunday Photo

One of the simple pleasures of visiting temples is admiring the latticework of the doors and windows.

I’m always in awe of the detail that goes into every inch of the halls and shrines, and especially in these skillful carvings

I’ll let this one speak for itself…

This year, the head temple of the Jogye Order, in Seoul, put three Christmas tree lanterns by the street in front of the main gate into the temple.

It’s a nice display of the friendship maintained between Jogye and the Catholic Church in Korea.

I must say, my father was always very generous with gifts at Christmas… He just didn’t have the best talent at picking out anything any of us liked! By the time my sisters and I were all out of elementary school, it was an established tradition for my dad to buy us the tackiest school clothes he could find with the understanding that we would exchange them on Boxing Day and buy something we really liked. He was particularly good at picking out particularly bad clothes for my mom! I haven’t been home for Christmas in six years, so I should ask my mom if the tradition is still alive and well.

I’m not sure if it’s a traditon that will be carried through the generations. We’ll wait and see when my daughter is older how impressed she is with the gifts I choose for her!

I’ve always really liked JiJang Bosal. His green hair, his staff, his Great Vow.

This is a beautiful bronze JiJang Bosal, outside of a small temple at the foot of Mudeungsan.

We had our first big snowfall of the year earlier this week.

The first snow of the year is always exciting. But somewhere between the first and the last, something always seems to change. Novelty becomes normal, then the normal becomes monotonous.

May we all keep a fresh mind this winter! (^_^)

There are few halls I’ve stepped into as impressive as this one, on the south coast of Jeju, Korea’s semi-tropical island. The hall itself is enormous, as are the Buddhas and the dragons that coil the beams supporting the massive roof.

The walls and ceilings of the three floors are covered in Zen paintings and as you circle the upper balconies, the dragons take turns eying you from different angles.

I’ve been to the island three times and have been sure to visit Yakcheonsa, the Medicine Stream Temple, each time. If you ever make down that way, you won’t be disappointed with a detour to the temple!

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.