Monday May 4, 2009
Temple of Dharma
Haeinsa Gaya Mountain
Sunny and Glorious
I woke up at 5am so that I could pack, check out and make it to my 7am train to Daegu. I wanted to be at the train station early as I was not sure if there were any signs in English. My fears were unwarranted as all the signs were in English in addition to Korean so I had no problems finding the track, car number and seat number. I had a first class ticket as the price difference was about 10 USD from economy. The train arrived on time, was clean and very comfortable. The 2 hour train ride to Daegu was uneventful. I was able to quickly get a taxi at Daegu train station which took me to the Grand Hotel in Daegu with no problems.
The Grand Hotel in Daegu is “grand” and the service was great. Since I got there early I could not check in so left my bags and asked for directions to Haeinsa . Visiting Haeinsa was on top of my list of things to do in Korea. It turns out to be very easy to get to from Daegu but one has to have a sense of adventure as I had to go to the local bus station, by a ticket and find the bus to Haeinsa… with no English in sight. It was not too bad though. I really wanted to do a temple stay at Haeinsa but got rejected. I then requested for an English speaking tour guide where I was willing to pay top dollars and got rejected again. I was a bit perturbed by the brusque response but found out later the reason – they were very busy with Buddha's Birthday celebrations.
The Seobu bus terminal in Daegu. The bus to Heinsa runs every 30 minutes or so and is about a 90 minute bus ride through the mountains. The bus ticket only costs about 5 USD.
Haeinsa is one of the world's best known Buddhist monasteries. It is the home of Tripitaka Koreana, a complete compositon of Buddhist scriptures carved into 81,258 wooden printing blocks. It is one of the world's most significant Buddhist texts. Tripitaka means "3 baskets" which represent the 3 divisions of Buddhism: The Sutra (scriptures), Vinaya (laws) and the Abhidharma(treatises).
Haeinsa has been an active and important center for practicing the Buddhist way of life for more than 1200 years. Its also one of the most beautiful as it lies in the mountain surrounded by a natural setting of mixed deciduous and coniferous forest. The main hall was burnt done during the Japanese invasion of 1592 and accidentally again in 1817 though both times the Tripitaka miraculously escaped destruction. It escaped destruction a third time when an South Korean pilot working for the Allied Forces refused to allow them to bomb it.
The compound can be reached via a 30 minute uphill walk from the bus station. It was a hot day and I took the walk slowly as the surrounding were gorgeous. The mountains were untouched, lush and dotted with beautiful and very clean streams. I was lost in my own thoughts when suddenly I heard a burst of laughter and realized, I'm being passed by 100s of Korean elder ladies making the trek to the temple. I was amazed how strong and jovial they were. I reckon they were all over 60, some looked like they were in their 90s but all were tiny, wore colorful hats and very strong. I've heard the following comment so many times thru my travels within Korea – Korea's backbone and strength are the mothers and grandmothers – and have to agree wholeheartedly after seeing them at the Haeinsa temple.
Although it was a hot day the trees provided adequate shade. The scenery was beautiful because the mountain has been untouched.
Once you walk through the path that takes you into the mountains, it widens and there are many vendors selling mountain vegetables and teas.
Once I go to the entrance, I started hearing a faint chant. The gate to the entrance is the Iljumun Gate which means "single pillar gate". It is the first gate to the Buddha's world temple. The gate symbolizes a true path of enlightenment which leads to the world of Buddha. One has to climb 108 stair to the last building in the compound from the Iljumun gate. On each step one can renounce each of 108 worldly desires of the mind.
The Iljumun Gate
This tree "zelkova" was planted over 1000 years ago when Haeinsa was being established. It died in 1945 and today only the tree trunk is left.
As I got to the main compound the chants were louder. Special ceremonies were taking place to celebrate Buddha's birthday. But before going to the main temple, I noticed there was a Mandala which is called Haeindo in Korean. It is a square shaped stone design Mandala. Buddhists believe that if they circle around the stone design while praying, their desires/wishes will be granted.
The Haeindo – Mandala
Because of Buddha's birthday, there were paper lanterns everywhere! I also found the monks busy organizing tiles for donations
Because, there was a special ceremony for Buddha's birthday, the photo police was out, and I was not able to take a lot of photos inside the different buildings. What was interesting about the ceremony was that most of the participants were the elder ladies. The ceremonies included saying prayers which required sitting with one's legs folded in Zen s
tyle for hours and the ladies were doing it! I would not last 10 minutes. Its unfortunate I could not take photos of Love's Statue of Birojana Buddha. This is Korea's earliest wooden twin Buddha statue build during the Silla period, representing a sincere desire to mutually endless love been the Queen and King. Both Buddha's have the left index finger covered with his/her right hand. If you pray sincerely, the statues will help you make love!
View of the courtyard including the mandala from the main building
The ladies praying in the main building
The special ceremony for Buddha's birthday
View of Haeinsa with the mountains as a background
Detail of the wall surrounding the Haeinsa
The Tripitaka Koreana took about 16 years to complete. From carefully selecting the appropriate birch wood, then soaking it in brine and boiling it in salt before drying it, to locating and constructing a sophisticated repository, the techniques involved were so complex and the artwork so intricate that they remain an inspiration today. The woodblocks are housed and preserved in the 15th century hall, Janggyong Pango, a masterpiece of ingenuity in its own right; its techniques include charcoal beneath the clay floor and different sized windows to minimize variations in humidity. Despite the ravages of the Japanese invasion and fires that destroyed the rest of the temple complex, the repository survived and still stands today.
During the 1970s the dictator President Pak ordered construction of a modern storage facility for the woodblocks. However, after testing some test woodblocks, mold began to appear so the plan was scrapped and the woodblocks are still housed in the original building.
The entrance to the building housing the Tripitaka Koreana
Photos inside the repository were not permitted. Here's a photo of the repository. It is very cool inside the repository with a gentle breeze. Once can see the Tripitaka through the slatted windows.
Outside the compound is the Haeinsa Bilim. It is a place of monuments and pagodas constructed to commemorate the deceased great Buddhist priests who resided in Haeinsa temple.
The Haeinsa Bilim
The Haeinsa Bus Stop: Many of the ladies and nuns waited for the bus with me.
Once I arrived back in Daegu I noticed a market outside the bus stop. It was pretty big and I found out its the town's everyday market. It was fun to walk through. Saw some yummy food and some… not sure.
The kimchi stand looked great! Kimchi is not only spicy pickled cabbage but any vegetable pickled Korean style.
The Garlic stand. Garlic is a main staple in Korean cooking.
The pork stand. Another reason why I won't eat pork.
The fish stand which also had live turtles!