Daeseungsa | 대승사 | 大乘寺

There’s something interesting that occasionally happens where I’ll somehow hear about a temple and soon after happen to find my way there without really planning to. This was the case with Daeseungsa, a few weeks ago, as my friends are I were having a playful chat about best or strangest temple names. I mentioned the...

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...

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...

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...

The Smile of Baekje

Rock-carved Buddha Triad in Yonghyeon-ri서산 용현리 마애여래삼존상瑞山 龍賢里 磨崖如來三尊像National Treasure The fun thing about moving to Seosan was that it was one of the few areas in Korea that I hadn’t explored. I’d been to Boryeong, an hour to the south, Suwon, an hour to the north, and Daejeon, an hour to the east, so...

Itaewon Mosque

I would say that I avoid going to Itaewon, except I don't even have to. The nearest I ever come to it is on the expressway through Seoul that passes on the other side of the hill. Other than that, there's no part of my routine that brings me to Itaewon. When you cross the...

December in Suwon

It's much easier to see Suwon as "what is" now that I don't have my baby in it... ^_^ South Gate

one mind, many heads

Last night, we went to BongEunSa temple, then crossed the street to COEX mall for some food. Before leaving we made a stop at the washroom and as I waited outside the door for EunBong, watching all the people coming and going, I caught myself poking fun at them in my head... the portly men...

Spam

I've been told that the World Health Organization has recognized the Korean diet as being one of the healthiest in the world. I don't know how the report was worded, exactly, but I expect the word 'traditional' had to be in there somewhere, probably just before the words 'Korean diet'. If I wrote the report...

Imshil with the “Im-in-Laws”

      What would a family be without its share of issues? Definitely not my family, or most other's I know of. I had one friend who I was sure had a nearly perfect family, but her cousin's family made up the difference when between trips to the psychiatric unit, he decided to try to take a...

Common Sense and the 1000 Buddhas of Unju Temple

In university, I took an introductory philosophy class with Dr. Nick Webb. It was one of the few classes outside of my studio classes that I really enjoyed, and probably influenced my way of thinking better than any other class I'd taken. One class, he briefly brought up the topic of common sense and asked...