The Ultimate Compassionate Lady, Naksan-sa Part 2

Let’s start with the vital statistics. He/ She is an immortal but this particular version is 33 years old this year. Weighing 700 tons, he/ she stands 15 meters (49 feet) tall on top of a 2.8- meter ( 9 –foot) pedestal on the grounds of Naksan-sa, facing the East Sea. He / She is made of white granite. His/ Her eyes and mouth are closed in an expression of perfect serenity.

She has many names: Avalokitesvara Bodhisattva (Gwaneumbosal),

Haesugwaneumsang (Bodhisattva of Mercy); she's a central figure in Mahayana Buddhism

Others elsewhere like him/her are shown with four, six or even a thousand hands with eyes in the palms to represent the all-seeing and compassionate nature. Here, though, the left hand bears a vessel with holy water while the right hand is shaped in a meditative mudra. Neither male nor female, Gwaneum-Bosal is, nevertheless, known as the Goddess of Mercy, a.k.a. Haesugwaneumsang ( 해수관음입상, Bodhisattva of Mercy).

Busan sculptor Gwon Jeong-hwan (권정환) takes the credit for this impressive sculpture.

The inspiration to build a temple at Naksan came at a difficult time in Korean history. The Shilla kings were desperately trying to ward off attacks by the Tang Dynasty emperors of China. Grand Master, Uisang Daesa, an emissary of the 30th king of the Shilla Period, had just completed his Buddhist studies in China and was meditating near a cave reputed to be the abode of Gwaneum-bosal. Legend has it that the Bodhisattva instructed him to erect a temple at the same spot. Since then, generations of devotees have been making their way to this temple dedicated to Gwaneum-Bosal to make their pleas for divine assistance known.

Gwanum-bosal can be found on a hillock in the background of this pic.

There are only two other places in Korea where one can pray to Gwanum-bosal: Bori-am in Namhae and Bomun-sa in Ganghwa-do. Busloads of pious ajummas in particular can be seen praying at these temples while Naksan-sa is also a popular spot to welcome the first sunrise of the New Year, whether one follows the Gregorian or Chinese lunar calendar.

The Goddess of Mercy in Bori-am, Namhae

Sourceshttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Naksansa#2005_fire_and_reconstruction
http://www.buddhapia.com/buddhapi/eng/temple/korexp/html/bu11.html
http://asiaenglish.visitkorea.or.kr/ena/SI/SI_EN_3_1_1_1.jsp?cid=312871
http://asiaenglish.visitkorea.or.kr/ena/SI/SI_EN_3_6.jsp?cid=309343
http://english.triptokorea.com/english/viewtopic.php?t=5925
http://eng.koreatemple.net/travel/view_temple.asp?temple_id=32
http://www.koreanbuddhism.net/jokb/press/view.asp?article_seq=5865&page=1&search_key=&search_value=http://www.knto.or.kr/enu/SI/SI_EN_3_1_1_1.jsp?cid=264186&nearBy=site&http://www.kimsch.net/flash/dream-en.swf
http://www.land.go.kr/gTra.do?tra=enudestination&cid=3204
http://german.visitkorea.or.kr/ger/SI/SI_GE_3_1_1_2.jsp?cid=335521

Letter for some Jinju ajummas

To the ajummas of Jinju that I met,

This is a long overdue letter to thank you for your warm and spontaneous hospitality. I had arrived at the bus terminal from Daejeon by mid-day in the spring of 2007. The walk to find a yeogwan was some distance away but thankfully, after settling in, it was a short stroll to the fortress. I then spent a good part of the afternoon walking my feet off on the grounds and was getting a little tired when I came across a group of you ladies at a small temple, Hoguksa, near the western end of the fortress.


You were all seated cross-legged on the floor of an annexe surrounded by paper lotus lanterns in various stages of completion. It was apparent that you were volunteers helping to prepare the decorations for the upcoming celebrations for Buddha’s birthday. I remember struggling to find the words to ask if I could join you and pitch in to help a while. Your openness and friendliness made me feel so at ease that I was soon settling down to apply starch to the paper petals and leaves for you to assemble on the wire frames.
Source of pic: http://elizabethbriel.blogspot.com/2004_05_01_archive.html

The seonim ( monk) who brought in more boxes of paper lotus petals must have been surprised to see me there - a tourist with a backpack and baseball cap. But you rattled off something to him and it continued to seem like the most natural thing to accept a stranger from another country who couldn’t understand any part of the gossip and chatter going on around her. I wanted to take a photo of us together but I ran out of film and for the umpteenth time wished I had a digital camera.

I also want to thank specially one ajumma who was working as a volunteer in the Jinju National Museum. I learnt that you had also been a tourist in my own country and had even climbed its highest mountain. I was impressed by that but even more touched when you invited me for a meal after I had completed my tour of the museum. Kamsa-ham-nida for introducing me to the delicious Jinju bibimbap in the heart of the marketplace –in a cosy sikdang clearly popular with the locals.

Source of pic: http://blogs.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=blog.view&friendId=404018506&blogId=491528312

Last but not least, go-map-seum-nida as well to another ajumma that I met later on at Boriam, Namhae. You had actually travelled from Jinju to this temple for some special prayers but you also took time to show me the way to Ssanghongmun ( the twin caves). Moreover, without your support and example, I wouldn’t have been able to complete the 108 prostrations – something I once thought was a feat for only the tough and truly devout.

Your city claims to be the most beautiful city in the country. I don’t know how true that is but I can definitely agree that it has some of the most beautiful and gracious ladies in the country! Once again, ajummas of Jinju, thank you so much for making my visit to Korea so memorable and heart-warming.

Sincerely,
An ajumma who visited Korea

What do you want to be in the next life?

Here's a provocative poem by one of Korea's leading poets of the 20th century. Do you like it? What do you want to be in the next life? Fancy being a rock?

ROCK by Chi-Hwan Yu

When I die,
I will become a rock,

never touched

by compassion, joy or anger.

While being torn down by wind and rain,

It will only whip itself inwards

in eternal, impersonal silence,

and at last forget its own existence;

Floating clouds, distant thunder!

Though it may dream,
it will never sing.

Though broken in pieces,

it will never utter a word.

I will become such a rock.

from http://www.geocities.com/lesliebarclay/KoreanPoems.html

Right: Taken at Boriam, Namhae

Namhae - Part 6 What to Do at Boriam

Above: Rocks around Boriam have a mythical, mystical air

There were surprisingly many visitors at Boriam in Namhae Island.  Half of them were day tourists and hikers who had trekked up Geumsan. Half were devotees, mostly ajummas who were planning overnight stays as they had various rounds of prayers to make. I was wondering where the dorms were until I saw the communal dining room doubled up as temporary sleeping quarters for visitors. People congregated here for vegetarian meals prepared by a harried-looking team of volunteers and it was cleared after dinner and thin mattresses were spread on the floors for ajumma to catch forty winks before waking up for the pre-dawn prayer session.

In between the prayer sessions, one  kind –hearted and patient ajumma, who made regular trips from Jinju just to worship at Boriam, took me under her wing and showed me the way to Ssanghong mun ( Double Red Gates) – at first it seemed like a small cave with twin openings.

Actually it comprised 2 tunnels through a massive rock on the cliff face. Once again I cursed mildly the dull and damp weather that didn’t encourage any good snapshots.

But I was once again floored by the simple spontaneous act of generosity of the Koreans as my self-appointed guide who was quite a few years my senior lent me her gloves. She had seen how clumsy and unsteady I was, making my way slowly over the rocky path and almost crawling to lower my centre of gravity. I never fail to marvel and envy the Koreans for their sure-footedness and good balance. It seems everyone from the grandparents down to the infants are very fit and good walkers.

And there is a lot to see if you are a good walker. Mount Geumsan where Boriam commands fine views of the Hallyeo National Maritime Park, boasts 38 scenic views which include Mang-dae, an old watchtower and beacon built during the Goryeo dynasty. I managed to find my way to the old beacon but to my surprise, a group of Christians were already occupying the round structure in some outdoor service.

Above: Didn't dare intrude on open-air service on signal beacon so snapped board instead.

Towards evening, the mists cleared as if Nature was granting me somewhat grudgingly a chance to have a better look at the scenic wonders of this place. In a way, the mists added to the mystery of the place and to be rewarded for one’s patience by panoramic vistas of Namhae towards the end of the day made the visit all the more memorable.

Namhae which has been dubbed Treasure Island may not reveal all its secret treasures so easily, but if you are fortunate, the process of discovering them with the help of the friendly local inhabitants will be reward in itself.

For more information about the list of sights, log into the Namhae website ( http://english.namhae.go.kr/)

sources:
http://rki.kbs.co.kr/english/culturenlife/culturenlife_tour_detail.htm?No=1336
http://www.san.go.kr/english/info/gyeongsang_geumsan.jsp
http://www.tour.go.kr/resource/re_reso_viw.asp?hidCtgry_cd=A&hiddenRes_cd=4884-A-13418

Namhae - Part 5 Boriam - Hermitage with a view

Boriam Temple - Namhae-do ; Thanks to ali on Vimeo.

Unfortunately, Daraengi in Namhae doesn’t get good views of either sunrise or sunset. For that, one would have to take the bus to Boriam, a tiny hermitage situated right at the top of Geumsan.

Below: Boriam's perch on Geumsan seems precarious

Above: The Goddess of Mercy has a great view of the southern sea

Compared to other mountains in Korea, it’s not high ( 681 metres above sea level) but it promises spectacular views of surrounding fantastically shaped rocks that would give your imagination a good workout. Or if they don't catch your fancy, you can enjoy panaoramic views of the Hallyeo Haesang National Park and look down on Sangju beach as well as a fair part of the Namhae coastline. Provided, of course, you are fortunate enough to get good weather. Which I wasn’t.

Sangju beach

Perhaps I should have made a special prayer in this place of worship dedicated to the Gwanseeumbosal or the Goddess of Mercy ( Kuan Yin as she is known to the Chinese). I should have asked her selfishly for good weather because for most of the time that I was up there, it was wet, misty, moisty and I could hardly see a thing and even had to inch my way carefully on the slippery stone steps.

But really, I shouldn’t be complaining. I was lucky enough to catch the free shuttle bus headed for the hermitage on its way back from the daily marketing errands. Along the way, it stopped by Bokgog reservoir as well to pick up more passengers. I was also grateful to the temple administration for allowing to stay there overnight, provided of course, that I followed the temple routines and paid 10,000 won ( in 2007 ) for meals and a place to sleep ( the dining quarters were converted easily into one big common space for mattresses.)

After spending a full day and night, it seemed as if I had made my way unwittingly to one of the most important hermitages in Korea, judging from the steady stream of visitors who would pay their respects to the female deity. The chanting and prayer sessions were always crowded affairs; for such a small temple, it seemed to have a fair number of monks and devotees who came specially to pray in this hermitage which was established by the famous Buddhist monk, Won-hyo in 683 A.D.

An extract from a KBS World Radio webpage explains the significance of this small temple:

Boriam Temple near the summit of Geumsan Mountain is one of the three most famous temples for prayer, the others of which are Hongryeonam Temple at Naksansa Temple in Yangyang and Bomunsa Temple in Ganhwado Island. These three temples are the three holy places for Gwanseeumbosal in Korea. In 683 (the 3rd year of the reign of King Sinmun of the Silla Dynasty), the great monk Wonhyodaesa built a temple here and met Gwanseeumbosal while he was praying. He named the mountain "Bogwangsan" and the temple "Bogwangsa." During the Yi Dynasty the imperial family made this temple the royal temple and changed the name of the mountain to Geumsan (silk mountain), and the name of the temple was changed to Boriam.


A poem " Namhae Mount Geum" by Lee Seong-bok is inscribed on a post just as you enter the temple:

A woman is buried in rocks ...
And I’m standing alone on Mount Geum  in Namhae under the blue sky.
I sink alone into the blue sea of Mount Geum in Namhae.

Boriam seems to be the ideal place to pray for miracles or to bury one's griefs.

sources:
http://vimeo.com/745647
http://english.visitkorea.or.kr/enu/SI/SI_EN_3_6.jsp?cid=262191
http://joongangdaily.joins.com/article/view.asp?aid=2898478
http://rki.kbs.co.kr/english/culturenlife/culturenlife_tour_detail.htm?No=1336