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Have you visited a Korean temple? You needn't practice Buddhism or any other faith. Do so for an unforgettable experience! These places of religion, culture, nature and spirit embody the Korea of yesterday, today and tomorrow. Temples in Korea form a permanent memory for many people, including me.
Many signs and symbols of Buddhism exist in Korea. More than 900 temples dot urban and rural landscapes. There are countless other grottoes and mountain carvings that represent touchstones for enlightenment and cultivation of Buddhist mind. In times of political upheaval, Koreans would flee to the provinces to remote and mountainous areas. In these places, Buddhist learning and living thrived.
Hundreds of the temples they created remain a symbol, not of the hermit kingdom but of Korea's ability to bend with the ebb and flow of political conflicts and survive. Today, Koreans and foreigners visit temples daily, continuing Buddhist practice and inspiring others.
Korean Buddhist temples are places of color, of music, of altars that provide worship spaces, as well as living quarters for tens of thousands of monks. I'm not Buddhist, but I like visiting temples. I haven't shared in a temple stay, but everyone I know who has done so thoroughly enjoys the experience. They contrast with most Korean Protestant and Catholic places of worship. The latter take on a strict and stolid architectural appearance and style. The New World Encyclopedia online (www.newworldencyclopedia.org) has a wonderful introduction to Korean Buddhist temples.
I remember going to the Yongmun temple temple with my Korean senior and enjoying the chance to see the oldest tree in Korea. On another occasion, I visited Daewon Temple near Boseong in South Jeolla Province. My friend's family had the status of temple patrons, and I enjoyed the chance to take tea with a principal monk. I learned about the meaning of stacking small stones on top of one another. I've also visited Bulguk Temple in North Gyeongsang Province and Jogye Temple in Seoul.
Find a Korean temple in the provincial mountains. There you can enjoy hiking and mountain-climbing when traveling and seeing the temple. It's best not to see Korean temples "on the fly," as it's neither the point nor likely to make the experience enjoyable. On leaving a temple shortly after arriving, a Korean monk once asked me "Where are you going?" That question meant a lot to me and still does today.
The history of Buddhism in Korea forms part of the history of Buddhist civilization, a world culture. This includes what Wikipedia refers to as The Three Jewel Temples of Korea: Tongdo Temple, Songgwang Temple and Haein Temple. I've yet to visit these special places; I'm glad there's more for me to learn. I know that Haein Temple houses the Koreana Tripitaka, which is perhaps one of the world's largest collections of Buddhist writings, carved on woodblocks. Tongdo Temple is the main temple of the chief Buddhist order in Korea, the Jogye. The monk Jinul started Songgwang Temple in the 12th century. Many consider Jinul the father of Korean Zen Buddhism.
In several of my columns, I discuss how Confucianism has played a key role in Korea's development and currently. Buddhism did too. Korea also is a Buddhist society, with nearly one in four practicing this religion, making it Korea's single largest faith. Korean development also depended on Buddhism. Korea's major Buddhist orders are large landowners, economic engines, and occasionally, field candidates for president. For many years, Buddhism was the dominant state religion and political ideology. Buddhism remains a dominant faith in Korea.
When I have visited these temples, I like to steal some time from my friends or the tour group and remain alone in one of the temple buildings for awhile. There I don't try to be Buddhist, but I do try to become still and think about something of concern. I'm respecting the temple and sharing in its life. When leaving, I've often emerged to some of Korea's most beautiful sights.
A few points to note: Korean temples may feature swastikas, but they have nothing to do with Nazism. Turtles became my favorite symbol of Korean Buddhism, besides the images of Buddha like Seokguram. They stand for the way Buddha and Buddhists uphold the world through their enlightenment and transcendence of contradictions in life.
I think that's of universal value. Buddhists often wear beads on their wrists that remind me of rosary beads. They aid memory, meditation and song. Many Westerners recoil at Buddhism. That's so shortsighted.
Whatever our faith, or if we lack religious faith, we can learn a great deal by experiencing the temples of Korea. Give them some of your time and spirit!
Bernard Rowan is assistant provost for curriculum and assessment, professor of political science and faculty athletics representative at Chicago State University, where he has served for 21 years. Write him at browan10@yahoo.com.
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