at long last...

this weekend was another one for getting things done... things that i haven't done before. on saturday a bunch of us headed to Beomeo-sa (pr. bomo - sa is temple in korean). it is one of the largest buddhist temples in korea and i've been trying to get there since october. it was on my "to-do" list before leaving, and as with many things you always think there is so much time, but there really isn't - with only 6 weeks left til i'm home (and two of those in thailand) i'm really running low on that particular commodity.

so, we left the g-spot at around 11 am. we stopped for a korean lunch when we got into busan and then headed up the mountain. we could have taken a bus, but we all decided that we could make the 2.6 KM walk up... it wasn't too hard, some of us were huffing and puffing more than others, but we all made it up.

the weather was pretty crappy but it was my last chance (as well as d and a, who will be leaving (?) at the end of the week) to see it, so we went anyway. the clouds made the trip kind of nice actually because it wasn't too hot and they were really pretty once we were up the mountain.

the view before getting to the temple... we were in almost in the clouds.

Beomeo-sa was built in 678 AD by the Great Buddhist monk Eusang. it sits, along with 160 other temples and hermitages on the slopes of mount Geumjeong. the name translates to "Fish of the Buddhist Scripture Temple" - "beom" means the sky where a fish played and "eo" means fish. it is said that a golden-coloured fish descended, riding on a colorful cloud, from brahma-deva and played in a well on the mountain. the well never dries up and the water is the colour of gold, thus the name of the temple.

ancient 'graffiti'

on the walk up to the temple you have to pass by tombs and burial markers, as well as what is referred to (in my south korea guidebook) as ancient graffiti. names of visitors past who took the time to carve a little peice of themselves into the mountain. better than carving your name in a tree, i think.

waegooks at the "iljumun" - the first gate.
(L-R: Scott, Nate (in back), Kim, Abbey, Me - Dave is MIA and kelsey behind the lens)

the iljumun is the boundary between the mundane world and the sacred world, it is the first of three gates to enter beomeo-sa. this gate was built nearly a thousand years after the original temple sometime around 1614 AD. (most of the buildings and gates etc.. were re-built in the 17th and 18th centuries.)

one of the devas.

the second gate, or cheonwangmun, holds the four devas who stand guard. this one also had what someone called the "evil doers" though i'm not sure if that's what they are. i've never gotten a good shot of these before because they are often behind strips (or bars) of wood, so i was surprised at the clear shot i could get of these ones.

one of the "evil doers"

finally after passing through another gate, walking up some steps and around a building we were in the main temple area. this is where the 'three story pagoda' sits. it is typical of a Silla Dynasty pagoda and is believed to have been built in the 9th century.

three story pagoda

on the other side of the courtyard sits the stone lantern, which is though to have been part of the original temple built in 678.

the stone lantern

the Daewoongjeon

in the middle of the courtyard are the steps up to the main hall - or Daewoongjeon.

a monk performing a service - in the Gwaneumjeon

to the right of the main hall is another - the Gwaneumjeon - where the goddess of mercy is placed. there was a service going on while we were there, and the chanting was peaceful and sort of mesmerizing.

there are a ton of other halls at the temple, but those were the main ones that i took photos of. then we wandered around for a while, i took some 'artsy' sort of photos, so here are a couple.

nice wall...

the perfect roof shot.

"no in" - what a positive way of saying "keep out"

this is just a funny sign that we passed on our way out, i couldn't resist getting a shot. after the temple nate, kelsey, and scott decided to hike the three hours over the mountain and through the geumjeong fortress. i saw some photos and it would have been awesome to go, but i went with kim, abbey and dave to the hurshimchung spa.... more on that next time, this post is already long enough... but yes, i finally went to a bath house... stay tuned.