Korea’s “Top Seven” Temples

I’ve “borrowed” this list directly from Professor David A Mason, but it’s one that we’ve discussed and debated several times. Opinions begin to vary and become subjective once you extend the list, as there are dozens of temple that are equally deserving of even a few more spots on the list. These seven are definitively...

“Leave it as is.” The Maitreya Buddha of Duusa

As with many ancient sites around the Seosan area, not much is really known about this Mireukbul/Maitreya Buddha. Judging from the rather abstract features of its face, it’s assumed to be very old. Other than that, the only hint of its origin is a fun little legend. In 1760, Mr Kim was foraging the slopes...

How to have an intimate visit at Korea’s biggest tourist temples

There are over twenty-thousand temples in Korea. About nine hundred to eleven hundred of those are considered traditional temples, meaning they were established prior to the Twentieth Century. Then, there is a list of 108 important Buddhist monasteries compiled by Master Seonmok Hyeja Seunim. Not all of them are well known, but if you’re planning...

The Killer Buddha of Ggachijeol | 까치절

Munyang-ri Ggachijeol (Magpie Temple) Stone Buddha At the end of a narrow, winding road in Munyang-ri, Seosan, sits a shaman’s hovel beside a small Dharma hall, with a sparse Mountain Spirit shrine behind it. But, unless you’re looking to have your fortune read or need a ritual performed, the attraction here is the standing stone...

Myori Beophui, breaking the patriarchy

Front side of Jeonghaesa, above Sudeoksa in Deoksungsan. Seon Master Myori Beophui Going further down the rabbit hole of Gyeongheo and his disciples brought me to the fascinating story of Beophui. Continuing with the theme of the Great Rival of Korean Buddhism, she is affectionately remembered as the grandmother of Korea’s modern nun’s Sangha. The...

Suwol’s Enlightenment

Suwol was Gyeongheo's eldest decipel and, according to temple records, “looked more like a cripple than a monk when he was at Cheonjangam.” It was Suwol’s daily routine to gather firewood during the day and make straw shoes at night. While plowing the field, grinding the harvested grains, or weaving straw shoes late at night,...

Hyewol’s Enlightenment

Hyewol (慧月/Wise Moon) was born in nearby Sinpyeongri, just a few kilometres from Sudeoksa, in 1861. At age 11, he became a monk at Jeonghyesa, on the slope above Sudeoksa, and received the Dharma name, Hyemyeong. When his teacher retired, in 1884, Hyewol joined Gyeongheo at Cheonjangam. With his new master, Hyewol declared, “I also...

Mangong’s Enlightenment

Mangong, also referred to by his initial Dharma name, Wolmyeon, is perhaps Gyeongheo’s most revered disciple. Yet, of Gyeongheo’s three famous students, referred to as the Three Moons, Mangong’s enlightenment story is perhaps the most humbling. He was also the only one who didn’t have his enlightenment experience at Cheonjangam. The impressive Mireuk Buddha at...

The Ox With No Nostrils

A traditional bull ring, hanging in the kitchen at Cheonjangsa Gyeongheo, born Song Dong-uk (1846), became a monk at a very early age after his father died and his mother moved them to Cheonggyesa, just outside of Anyang. At age fourteen, Gyeongheo’s teacher, Gyeheo, disrobed and sent Gyeongheo to Donghaksa, in Gyeryongsan, the Dragon Rooster...

Cheonjangsa | 천장사 | 天藏寺

Cheonjangsa, Temple Hidden in Heaven Once I got through my list of popular temples to visit in Seosan, I started searching Naver Maps for “temple” and realized there were dozens of temples in and around Seosan that lacked any promotion. The convenience of using Naver is that you can quickly search through satellite imagery, photos,...

Buyongam | 부용암 | 芙蓉庵

A few years ago, a friend posted a photo of a small hermitage, explaining that it was were Seung Sahn Daesa was staying when he had his enlightenment experience. I was in Canada when the post was made but knew if I returned to Korea that I’d like to search it out. Once I got...

Ganwolam | 간월암 | 看月庵

Around the South and West coasts of Korea, there are a few islands that are famous for becoming accessible at low tide, as land bridges form when the tide recedes. Ganwoldo, Seosan’s contribution to these phenomena, may be less dramatic than others that I’ve visited but is special for the hermitage, Ganwolam, that takes up...