It’s been a couple days, Friday was a “free day,” which we
spent at the Greenplugged music festival. It featured a variety of indie bands
and stages, with picnicking and food in between. We ended the evening at the
Jogyesa monestary in Insadong, where the lantern festival was occurring, in
honor of the Buddha’s birthday.
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| no idea who was performing |
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| lanterns in the daytime |
On Saturday, we actually ended up moving to the temple for the rest of the trip. We
said our goodbyes to Sinchon and the hostel and shuttled our bags and our
selves over to the monastery, where they have a temple stay program. The rooms
are actually similar to those of the hostel, with the exception of beds, which
are nonexistent. We’re sleeping on cushions on the floor and you can hear the
sounds of the temple from the rooms.
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| our room |
After we arrived and got our rooms, a happy Korean woman
gave us a tour of the temple. The lanterns looked even nicer in the sunlight,
and seemed even more numerous. She explained things about the different objects around the temple, like the bells, temples, and instruments. The different types of lanterns represent
different things. The white lights represent people who have passed, and the
colorful lights represent the living.
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| lanterns at nighttime |
The Main Dharma Hall of the temple, Daewungjeon, houses the
Buddha Triad. The Buddhas are definitely popular for pictures with tourists, which are numerous at this temple. The three very large, golden, Buddha statues each represent
different qualities. The Bhaisaiya Buddha on the right represents medicine and
helps those who suffer from physical and emotional disease. The middle Buddha,
Shakyamuni, touches his hand to the earth, which the Buddha did after his
enlightenment. Amitabha Buddha is the pureland Buddha.
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| buddha trio |
Today was on the shorter side, and we were able to get a lot
of rest. That was much-appreciated.
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