Over our relatively short time here in the Far East, Katherine and I have become quite enamored with the Buddhist aspect of Korean culture. As we often yearn for an escape from the blur of metropolitan life, we usually find ourselves hiking in the surrounding mountains, and inadvertently visiting the many temples that are found therein.
Fittingly, our past break (for the Lunar New Year celebration) unintentionally took on a traditional Korean/Buddhist vibe. The biggest event of the break was visiting the capital city of the ancient Korean kingdom with our good friend Jason Bongiovanni. We were fortunate enough to find a cheaply priced room at Gyeongju’s unfortunately named “Kolon Hotel.” When we weren’t cracking jokes about our hotel providing complimentary colonoscopies, we were viewing the many ancient cultural sites that Gyeongju has to offer. Hands down, our favorite site was Bulguksa temple, located just a ten minute hike from our hotel. Bulguksa surpassed Beomeosa at the top of our favorite Korean temples list. Perhaps it was the lack of obnoxious tourist groups, or the way the sinking orange sun’s light complimented the mustard yellow paint on the buildings, or maybe it was the weather’s signaling of the approaching spring- whatever it was, this temple rose beyond the others we had visited. If there ever were a more stark juxtaposition, we left the beautiful, majestic space and returned to the “Kolon” hotel to spend the night eating junk food and watching Rob Schneider movies on Korean television. At the very least, Jason and I soaked in the soothing waters of our hotel’s sauna room before calling it a night.
The next day we jumped on a bus that snaked its way up the mountain’s steep edge to the very top. Hidden in a forest on top of the mountain is Seokguram Grotto, a hermitage which is a part of Bulguksa temple. The hermitage houses a massive granite Buddha. The structure was impressive, and so was the view from its mountainous position. Before heading back down to the village we couldn’t avoid paying 1,000 won to ring a massive, ornate, metal bell with a swinging log. We finished our Gyeongju trip with a quick walk around the many burial mounds which dot the town’s landscape. The mounds, much like the effigy mounds built by Native Americans, were impressive in stature, but once you’ve seen one mound of earth and grass, you’ve really seen them all.
The other traditional Korean/Buddhist themed occurrence over break happened on Sunday, when Jason and I laced up hiking boots and tackled a nearby mountain trail. After visiting a temple that overlooks our neighborhood, we slowly made our way down the mountainside. While walking through a bamboo forest we stumbled upon what seemed to be a temple. At first we didn’t know whether we were trespassing in someone’s backyard, so we were a bit taken aback when a man approached us and started talking in Korean. He quickly realized our low competency in Korean and called over an English speaking friend. The English speaking man introduced himself as Mr. Park. He told us how he volunteers his time assisting with the site’s maintenance on the weekend. During the week he serves as a “researcher.” When I asked what type of research he was involved in, he shortly replied, “The military.” Being the curious foreigner that I am, I pried a little further, “What type of research for the military?” He answered, “New submarines and things like that.” “Oh, so top secret things?” I laughed. “Yes,” he said, with no emotion. Following our slightly awkward introductions, Mr. Park was nice enough to guide us around the temple grounds and answer some of our questions concerning Buddhist symbolism and architecture. Much to our delight, we were even welcomed into the temple itself and explained the meaning of the murals covering the inner walls. For whatever reason, our personal faith was brought up in the conversation, which subsequently led to Mr. Park explaining one Buddhist theory positing that Jesus spent his adolescent years as a Budhhist monk in India, before returning to Israel to be crucified. He also mentioned that one of the Buddhist sacred texts shares many thematic ideas with the Old Testament.
On our way out of the temple’s garden, I noticed a large metal bell hanging beneath a pavilion. I haphazardly told Mr. Park of our recent Gyeongju excursion, and how we had paid 1,000 won to ring a bell that resembled the one in front of us. Mr. Park’s expression changed from one of interest to disbelief. “You rang the bell?!” he exclaimed. I made sure to explain that we hadn’t rung the bell without permission. He was still shocked, and somewhat appalled. Sensing our confusion, he proceeded to explain how traditionally, only monks were allowed to ring such bells. Moreover, the bell’s ring is believed to possess great power. On the thirty-third ring of the bell, the heavens are said to open up, momentarily dissolving the physical barrier that exists between the two realms. Hearing this for the first time, Jason and I instantly were filled with a sense of guilt. We had participated in a cheap act of cultural and religious desecration. We apologized, but Mr. Park was more saddened by his countrymen’s actions than ours.
On our walk back home, Jason and I discussed the bell incident. Having both spent many hours in intercultural studies classes, we reminisced about certain courses which focused on the very issue that we had unconsciously been a part of. It’s a dilemma which each culture faces- the one of change. It’s a tightrope act of balance between development, exposure, and maintaining a reverence for cultural heritage and belief. Seeing the disheartened look on Mr. Park’s face was a poignant reminder of how this balance is much more susceptible to ending in failure, rather than harmony.
Coming to a blog post near you: The Korean Sauna- Leaving the Clothes at the Door.
