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...

Ox Herding

      When I lived in Daegu, I would usually head to Palgong Mountain if I was in the city for the weekend. The eastern tip of the small range has a nice, hour long hike up to Gatbawi, a stone carving of Maitreya, the future Buddha, Mireuk in Korean. The trail passes a couple temples...

Inwangsan

The northern edge of Old Seoul is watched over by BukHanSan; the North Korea Mountains. Seoul is only 55km from North Korea, so I presumed the name referred to the North, but its actual significance is that the mountains dwell north of the Han River, the largest river in Korea. This river also cuts through Seoul, dividing Old Seoul from its recent developments. I’ve yet to...