July 18, 2009 - Gyeongju, South Korea
“To keep the body in good health is a duty, for otherwise we shall not be able to trim the lamp of wisdom, and keep our mind strong and clear. Water surrounds the lotus flower, but does not wet its petals.”
~Buddha
Waking to Muju's cool mountain breeze, we were aware that our trip to lower elevations would bring heat and humidity. Although the South Korean summer is warm, we haven't seen the sun since arriving ten days ago.
The morning was focused on Korean Buddhism at the Haeinsa Temple in the Gayasan National Park. Located near the top of Gaya Mountain, the temple serves as a place of worship, along with a monk training center, and the largest collection of wooden Buddhist scripture print blocks in the world. It's important to emphasize Korean Buddhism is very different than other Buddhist traditions in Asia. Some of the most tangible unique practices include:
1. Walking over a bridge before entering a temple, where the water underfoot cleanses one's soul of sins
2. Before reaching any Buddha/Bodhisattva shrine, three wooden gates must be passed through, displaying Chinese prayer characters
3. The 2nd gate houses warriors who originally defended Hinduism, but then converted to defend Buddhism
In Christianity there are 7 Deadly Sins, including: pride, greed, envy, wrath, lust, gluttony, and sloth. In Buddhism, there are 108 Defilement's, which one cannot hold in order to reach enlightenment. In Korean Buddhism, one of these defilement's is love, because it creates "attachment". Although I greatly respect and often practice a Buddhist tradition (yoga), the philosophy - like most religions/philosophies, is imperfect.
A Buddhist Story:
A man discovers his deceased mother is in hell. He goes to a monk to state how wonderful his mother was, how she lived everyday for him and was all-giving. The monk points out that this is why she's in hell, because of her attachment to him. Another virtue enlightened Buddhists must attain is detachment from everything earthly.
In the afternoon we partnered up to hand-throw a mixture of barley water and ground rice to make sweet taffy. With no sugar added and a natural chemical reaction, the result is a molasses flavored morsel. Finally arriving in Gyeongju National Park, we quickly visited the Cheomseongd Observatory and the Anapji Palace site, while strolling on wooden walkways through lush lotus bogs.
Dwi Pada Koundinyasana
Straight-Legs-Side-Crow at Haeinsa, the Temple of a Vast Sea of Meditation
