Trip to Naksansa.
At the top of Naksan
Annie and Howard discuss King Sejong
Weathered temple door
Temple building with flowers
The Avalokitesvara Bodhisattva atop NaksanAfter days of continuous rain (hence the "monsoon season") in Sokcho, we finally had a dry (though still overcast) day yesterday (which worked to our advantage, because it was a national holiday--no work!--and it was Howie and MB's last day in Korea). So, we decided to head to Naksansa (Naksan Temple) with Jenny and Annie (two Korean teachers from AP), which is just south of Sokcho in Yangyang.
In 2005 there was a great fire in Naksan, and many of the temple buildings burned down. The last time we were there, in April, they hadn't gotten very far with the restoration process. Scarcely 3 months later, there were several nearly finished temple buildings and a lot of new landscaping.
We took Howard and MB to see the Avalokitesvara Bodhisattva, the only female Bodhisattva in Buddhism. She overlooks the East Sea. She is Gwaneum, the goddess of mercy. She stands in the middle of a clearing at the top of the hill, eyes and fingers closed in peaceful meditation. They were quite impressed with the panoramic view of Naksan Beach, the southern coast of Sokcho, and the mountains to the west (which were wreathed in mist).
We showed them the main temple, which is quite impressive inside. A second path turns left from the souvenir shops, leading the short distance to the main temple. An elevated pavilion guards the entrance; the main hall, Botajeon, stands at the top of a flight of steps, its interior covered with thousands of small sculptures carved out of red pine from the sacred Baekdu mountain. Seven large statues dominate the centre of the hall, the largest rising to a full five-meter.
We also walked to the hexagonal Uisangdae Pavilion, which sits atop a cliff and has a terrific view of the weathered rocks and blue sea below. Ui-Sang, ambassador of the 30th king of the Shilla period (57 BC - 935 AD), was said to sit and meditate here. Up the hill and also built on a cliff is Hongryeonam, a tiny temple above a stone cave. Under the sanctuary floor there is a 10cm hole, through which you can peep through to view the sea.
In 2005 there was a great fire in Naksan, and many of the temple buildings burned down. The last time we were there, in April, they hadn't gotten very far with the restoration process. Scarcely 3 months later, there were several nearly finished temple buildings and a lot of new landscaping.
We took Howard and MB to see the Avalokitesvara Bodhisattva, the only female Bodhisattva in Buddhism. She overlooks the East Sea. She is Gwaneum, the goddess of mercy. She stands in the middle of a clearing at the top of the hill, eyes and fingers closed in peaceful meditation. They were quite impressed with the panoramic view of Naksan Beach, the southern coast of Sokcho, and the mountains to the west (which were wreathed in mist).
We showed them the main temple, which is quite impressive inside. A second path turns left from the souvenir shops, leading the short distance to the main temple. An elevated pavilion guards the entrance; the main hall, Botajeon, stands at the top of a flight of steps, its interior covered with thousands of small sculptures carved out of red pine from the sacred Baekdu mountain. Seven large statues dominate the centre of the hall, the largest rising to a full five-meter.
We also walked to the hexagonal Uisangdae Pavilion, which sits atop a cliff and has a terrific view of the weathered rocks and blue sea below. Ui-Sang, ambassador of the 30th king of the Shilla period (57 BC - 935 AD), was said to sit and meditate here. Up the hill and also built on a cliff is Hongryeonam, a tiny temple above a stone cave. Under the sanctuary floor there is a 10cm hole, through which you can peep through to view the sea.
After a free coffee and a stop at the souvenir shop (Howie and MB picked up a temple windchime to ward off the evil spirits!--Paul, Annie, Jenny, and I purchased dried bamboo sticks (which the monks used to wake up the novices!) to use on our unruly students) we walked down the hill and back to the bus stop, to head back to Expo Park for a buffet lunch and mini-bikes :)
posted by streetwise at 6:09 AM
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