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

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

Namhae - Part 4 Rocks with Gender in Daraengi

The village of Daraengi itself can easily be explored in an hour or less, depending on your preferences. Of course, one could dawdle with a camera to take shots from different angles its most notable attraction – Amsubawi, the Male and Female Rocks which, according to legend, kept the nets heavy with fish and harvests bountiful as long as annual rites were observed.

Here's an extract from the KBS World Radio website  which details the local legend:

'Amsubawi (Jaungam: female and male rocks) is said to attract many women, who come to these rocks secretly at night to pray for fertility, spawning the following legend:
An old man appeared in a dream to the sheriff of this district in 1751 (27th year of the reign of King Yeongjo during the Joseon Kingdom) and said, “I have been buried at Gacheon Village and I am very much troubled by the frequent passage of cows and horses. If you erect my body, you will surely have fortunate affairs,” and disappeared. The next day the sheriff went with his staff to the place he saw in his dream, dug up the ground and found the Amsubawi. He left the Ambawi lying upon the ground and erected the Subawi, just as they are today.'

Below: The Female Rock - Does she look like she's in heavy labour?

Above: You need good shoes and strong legs to get around Daraengi!

The 5.8 meter high Subawi  (phallic-like rock)  was obvious enough but one needed a little bit more imagination to see the outlines of the 3.9 meter high Ambawi ( female rock)  as a woman in labour. I was more inclined to make my way past the terraced rice fields to get as close as I dared to the waves crashing on the dark rocks and stare at the mesmerizing swirling waters.

Eun-hee’s mom, the ajumma who runs the minbak I opted for, had suggested that I walk up to Mt. Seolheulsan ( 481 m ) but I had no clue as to how difficult the course would be and so I chickened out. Much to my regret as later when I looked more closely at the map in the local tourist brochure, it didn’t seem too heavy-going a course ( about 20 minutes to reach the summit). Missed out also on the chance to spot the freshwater crab "Chamgye" ( Eriocheir sinensis) which lives in the unpolluted valley streams of Seolheulsan.

Here's an interesting snippet from the Global Invasive Species Database:

Eriocheir sinensis (the Chinese mitten crab) is a migrating crab which has invaded Europe and North America from its native region of Asia. During its mass migrations it contributes to the temporary local extinction of native invertebrates. It modifies habitats by causing erosion due to its intensive burrowing activity and costs fisheries and aquaculture several hundreds of thousands of dollars per year by consuming bait and trapped fish as well as by damaging gear.

Eriocheir sinensis a.k.a. Chinese freshwater edible crab, Chinese mitten crab, Chinese river crab

sources:

http://asiaenglish.visitkorea.or.kr/myeyes.kto?cmd=view&md=ena&lang_se=ENG&bbs_sn=930001

http://world.kbs.co.kr/english/culturenlife/culturenlife_tour_detail.htm?No=1300

http://www.issg.org/database/species/ecology.asp?si=38

Namhae - Part 3 Where to stay in Daraengi

My main destination in Namhae was Gacheon-ri or Daraengi village tucked away in one corner of the southern coastline of Namhae Island. The houses here hug the steep coastline and surprisingly for a village by the sea, there are no fishing boats to behold - only paddy and garlic fields carved into the sides of the foothills.

The paddy terraces of Daraengi recall Balinese landscapes

It was a little after noon when the local bus from the Namhae Bus Terminal pulled over at its last stop of its picturesque journey. There was no reply at the minbak nearest to the bus stop; presumably the ajumma was out tending crops.

It's a steep climb to your neighbour's home in Daraengi

There is a large signboard by the main road which highlights the different minbaks with contact numbers available but I found on my own the ideal place run by a very friendly ajumma who preferred to be known as Eun-hee’s mother.

Just a tiny village by the sea but what a pretty location!

By ideal, I mean not too far from the bus stop as it was quite a breathless task lugging a heavy backpack up and down the uneven and very steep lanes. For 20,000 won, I had my own ondol room and Eun-hee’s mom was prepared to serve up dinner also for another 5000 won. ( 2007 prices)

Small wonder the people here are so fit - their daily workout from house to field

That night, I was delighted to have a low table laden with rice, fried fish and different side dishes brought to my room so that I could feast in traditional Korean fashion, cross-legged on the delicious warmth of the heated floor. It may have been the fresh air of the island, or the especially tasty fresh fish caught somewhere in the surrounding waters but that night, I did something I don't usually do: I ate that fish clean to the bone.

 Eun Hee's mom serves a very satisfying dinner!

Most of the houses here face the sea so brace yourself for some strong sea breezes. These proved to be handy as I had a fair bit of laundry to dry. Eun-hee's mom observed my struggles and very expertly helped me hang my wet clothes on the lines just outside my room. They blocked the great views of the sea for a while but it was fun to sit on the verandah and "chat" in my limited Korean with the ajumma who ran the minbak.

                                      Watch your step - sometimes getting close to Nature can be perilous!

sources:

http://www.visitkorea.or.kr/enu/SI/SI_EN_3_1_1_1.jsp?cid=1051940
http://english.visitkorea.or.kr/enu/SI/SI_EN_3_6.jsp?cid=262191
http://joongangdaily.joins.com/article/view.asp?aid=2874408

Namhae - Part 2 Getting There and Getting Around

Photo above was taken from moving bus; on Namhae en route to Daraengi

Getting to Namhae

In my  2007 Spring tour of Korea, I took an express bus from Jinhae to Namhae. Those in the capital can board the bus from the Southern bus terminal in Seoul  OR If you are in Busan, board the bus at Sasang Bus Terminal for a 2-hour ride.


Details as follows:
Seoul  - Namhae 
Departure Times from Seoul - 08:30, 09:50, 11:30, 13:30, 15:10, 16:40, 18:00, 19:00
The bus ride takes 4.5 hours  and costs 22,200 won ( fares may need to be updated!)
Seoul Nambu Bus Terminal: Subway Line 3, Nambus Bus Terminal, Exit 5 / +82-2-521-8550 (Korean)
Namhae Bus Terminal: +82-055-864-7101 (Korean)

Crossing the 660 metre- Namhae Daegyo (bridge) by bus may be the more sensible and quick way to get from the mainland to the island but if I were to retrace my journey again, I would prefer to go across on foot to savour the sights from Asia’s first suspension bridge ( completed in 1973) at a more civilized pace.

One could also then have time to pay respects at the nearby shrine dedicated to the famed Admiral Yi Sun sik whose leadership helped to repel the Japanese navy at the end of the 16th century. Walking into Namhae from the mainland would enable visitors to enjoy the beauty of the cherry blossoms that flank the winding road from Namhae Bridge to the town centre in springtime.

After changing to a local bus at the bus terminal, I could sit back and enjoy the scenery as the bus driver negotiated the bends and turns of the local roads in a sedate fashion. There were panoramic vistas to enjoy and I wanted to ask him to stop at various points that were simply begging to be captured on film.

If you don’t have a car or bike, the local bus is probably the best way to explore the island. To get hold of bus schedules, just ask the staff at the main bus terminal in Namhae town. Along the route, you may decide on the spur of the moment to get off the bus to explore such villages as Pyeongsan, Sachon and Seongi.

sources:
http://english.visitkorea.or.kr/enu/SI/SI_EN_3_6.jsp?cid=262191
http://eng.namhae.go.kr/main/
http://eng.me.go.kr/content.do?method=moveContent&menuCode=res_tou_eco_namhae
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Namhae

Namhae - Part 1 Why Visit Namhae?

My visit to Namhae in spring of 2007 all started with the movie “Barefoot Ki-bong”. The beauty of Daraengi village shown in the film was as charming as the true story of the simple-minded but big-hearted hero’s determination to complete a marathon. I had the urge to see for myself this village perched on the steep Namhae coastline which formed the dramatic backdrop to Ki-bong’s daily runs.

Many tourists are already familiar with Jeju but Namhae has enough charms of its own to give Jeju a run for its money. Namhae has almost everything that lovers of landscape could wish for – rugged coastlines, dramatic mountains, narrow valleys opening up to colourful plains and quaint villages that either hug the rocky shorelines or the foothills.

It is no wonder that this island has become the site for the American and German Villages for Koreans who have lived abroad for years. It seems the ideal place to retire with its clean air, relaxed pace of life and open spaces.
Namhae is  beginning to prove a strong rival to Jeju in terms of shooting locations for TV dramas. More recently,  the village of Daraengi was featured in the opening episode for "Cinderella's Step-sister" with Moon Geun-yong in the lead role. Those familiar with the K drama, Couple Or Trouble, starring Oh Ji-ho and Han Ye-seul, may also want to check out some of the places on the island that provided scenic backdrops to the story.

Even if you've never seen the movie or the drama series, Namhae is worth the time and effort. Don't be surprised to find yourself extending your stay.

sources:
http://english.visitkorea.or.kr/enu/SI/SI_EN_3_6.jsp?cid=262191
http://english.visitkorea.or.kr/enu/SI/SI_EN_3_1_1_1.jsp?cid=1051940
http://www.visitkorea.or.kr/enu/CU/CU_EN_8_5_1_22.jsp
http://www.visitkorea.or.kr/enu/CU/CU_EN_8_5_1_66.jsp