I had the rare opportunity to experience Buddha’s 2,555th birthday in a predominantly Buddhist country. While many foreigners in Korea saw it as a day off I saw it as a great chance to really immerse myself into Buddhist culture. It was especially rewarding being that it was Buddha’s birthday. What better way to spend the day then to observe a Buddhist ceremony and go to one of the most famous Buddhist temples in all of South Korea. It is things like this that leave lasting memories and impressions, to go out and dive into the heart of the culture.
May 10th probably went by like any other day in America. But in Korea and other Oriental cultures the day is heavily celebrated. I could see the preparation for the day weeks ahead. Colored paper lanterns flanked the streets in several cities I visited beforehand. 석가탄신일 (Seokga Tansinil) or “Buddha’s Birthday” is heralded by a month of these lanterns as I would find out. Temples in and out of cities handed out flyers and banners were hung on their walls before the big day. Siddharta Gautama (The Buddha) is certainly a much-celebrated figure in this part of the world. Many of the Korean traditions I had only read about would unfold before my eyes.
The misty morning started like any other morning. This day was especially perfect, the heavy humidity contributed an “other-worldly” mist that hung around for the entire day. I was able to go to a small Buddhist temple in Mokpo with a friend of mine. The small temple clings to the side of one of Mokpo’s dominant geological features, Mt. Yibimsan. Approaching the small temple on the hillside one could hear the chants from the female Buddhist monks and the predominantly female group attending the service. I could only assume that this was a service special for women. Like most temples I have seen, big or small, it was immaculately decorated on the inside with beautiful lanterns and woodcarvings. The smell of incense lingered ever so slightly on the outside. For about thirty minutes we just watched and listened to the service’s chanting and chimes. This was my first experience at a Buddhist service. Each person in attendance had little booklets for the chants so they could join in. Every once and a while the group would bow down in unison to the Buddha. After this we went down to receive the traditional complimentary meal of sonchae bibimbap, a special vegetarian version of bibimbap.
The main event for the day was still ahead. Daeheungsa (aka Daedunsa) is one of Korea’s most famous temples. It is indeed one of the most beautiful sites I have seen. It is a little over an hour east by car outside the city of Haenam. Its age is not confirmed, but it is believed to date back to the Three Kingdoms Period. This is a broad time frame considering it the Period extends from the 1st Century BC to the 7th Century AD. The temple itself is nestled into the side of Mt. Duryunsan. Like many structures of its kind, it blends perfectly into the mountainside in a serene and natural way. That same mist that was clinging to the sides of Yibimsan in Mokpo was clinging to Duryunsan, except at this point it was raining. The ambiance that this atmosphere created can hardly be described, much less shown since I forgot my camera that day.
The whole complex is about a 15-minute walk from the parking lots. Along the way the road is flanked by beautiful trees and the walk takes you over several ancient stone bridges spanning tranquil streams. Inside the gates was a beauty that can’t be compared or easily paralleled to things I had seen elsewhere in the world. The temple complex was quite massive with dozens of outbuildings. It took about an hour to soak it all in. Luckily by this time of the day the crowds had gone and we were able to walk around freely and unhindered by throngs of people. Words can’t really describe each building I saw or the experience as a whole. I would like to reiterate that forgot my camera! The history of the place was almost suffocating to the history buff inside of me. A great experience and a great day were added to my list of growing adventures in Korea. I would recommend it to any travelers in the area.
Links: http://eng.koreatemple.net/travel/view_temple.asp?temple_id=21&code=A013021
http://www.visitkorea.or.kr/enu/SI/SI_EN_3_1_1_1.jsp?cid=264584
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