Insadong and Chungdong Theater

Today after an enlightning seminar on the Korean War, the group toured Insandong, an area of Seoul that has retained an atmosphere of the past. These are narrow alleyways that are packed with art galleries, traditional tea shops and small restaurants. There are also many craft shops that sell fans, handmade paper boxes, masks, laquer ware, pottery and antiques. We had a wonderful lunch at Sanchon Restaurant, a unique Korean restaurant that specializes in temple food. We ate Korean style, which is on cushions on the floor with are shoes off. Afterwards, we had time to ourselves to journey around Insadong. I made my way to Jogysea, the largest Buddhist temple in Seoul and the headquarters of the Jogye sect of Buddhism. I took my shoes off and entered the temple to pray with the many people chanting along with the monk while facing three large golden Buddhas. I found a moment of peace amid the hustle and bustle of fast paced Seoul. Then it was off to Ohucheumn Restaurant, Korea's National Restaurant, for a delicious meal of dolsot bibimbap, which is bibimbop cooked and served in a pot on our table. We watched our waitress as she cut the meat in the bowl with scissors (not a knife). Next we were off to Chongdong Theater where the group experienced Korean drums and traditional Korean dress first hand and then we enjoyed a traditional Korean Art performance that featured traditional Korean drum dancing called samulnori, , traditional Korean music called guzak, featuring various stringed instruments, chimes, gongs, horms and flutes. Korean music is divided between the slow and sonorous court music (jeongak) of the aristocratic class and the fast and lively style of music and dance of the peasant farmer (salmunori) played by entertainers who went from village to village.

Today we headed off on our five day field trip across Korea to experience the Korean history and culture. After crossing the Han River, we arrived at Hwaseong Fortress in Suwon. Suwon is just south of Seoul and it was here in 1794 that the 22nd King of the Chosun Dynasty built a fortress as an act of filial devotion, to strengthen his power, eradicate party conflict, and fortify the southern area of the capital.
While exploring the fortress we all tried our hand at Korean archery. Archery has a long history in Korea. The first warriors on horseback brandishing bow and arrow were believed to be the Mongols. The Koreans, who are descendents of the Mongols, used the horse as a means of warfare during the Paekche Kingdom.








Next stop was the Gongju National Museum where we saw cultural treasures excavated from the tombs of Paechke Kings. King Muryeong’s (501-523) tomb artifacts are exhibited here along with the various other artifacts from the kingdom. I particularly enjoyed the golden necklace and earrings worn by King Muryeong’s Queen.

Off next to the Early Printing Museum in Cheongju. This was the most exciting part of the day for me. The history books need to be re-written for Korea was the first country to invent movable METAL type, printing the Jikji, a book on the sayings of Buddhist monks, 70 years BEFORE Gutenburg in Germany printed his Bible. I learned so much on the printing process and Korea's role in 3rd information age and it's leadership role as we enter the 4th Information age.

Topgok Valley/Hohoe Village

Today we headed into the Eastern Namsan mountains of Gyeongju for a memorable visit to see the Buddhist images at Topgok Valley. There we passed a small stream side hermitage and saw up ahead of us these enormous stone boulders that have these fantastic relief images, the greatest collection in Korea.

For lunch we ate jjimdak, a spicy mixture of chicken with transparent noodles, potatoes and other vegetables
Then it was onwards to Andong, Korea and a visit to the Booyongdae Cliff. After another strenuous but delightful climb up a steep mountain we saw the most beautiful view of the Andong Hahoe village. This traditional Korean village, called the "spinning river village" in Korea, is situated along a bend in the Nakdonggang river with mountains behind and cliffs across a soft sand plain. The houses are all built in the traditional style and the residents still live a traditional lifestyle aided by government support. We spent some time visiting this village and I participated with three other members of our group in a traditional Korean tea ceremony. I loved the bucolic beauty of the mud-wall huts nestled in shadow of the mountains. I wondered, as I walked along the river, how life must have been for the people of this village for some 600 years ago. I marveled at the beautiful field of lotus and spent some time looking upon their beauty.
We also enjoyed a Hahoe Mask Dance Drama, called Hahoe Pyolshin-gut T’al-Nori. This is Korea’s most traditional folk play. The drama contains both shaman rituals and popular entertainment and contains many allegorical characters each representing a different social class. The village ritual was intended to please the local gods and Conflicts among these classes were satirized and to relieve social tensions among the families in the village.

After checking into our hotel in Danyang we enjoyed a meal of pork with lots of lovely panchan, including of course kimchi, pickeld or fermented vegetables. We finished our meal this time with a bowl rice with mixed vegetables. Koreans use metal chopsticks, spoons and bowls when they eat. This tradition goes back hundreds of years, during the Chosum dynasty, when bronze chopsticks became associated with richness. Today Koreans use stainless steal instead of bronze. Only in the Buddhist monasteries due they still use wooden chopsticks.

Tumuli Park, Gyeongju, Korea

We’re staying in Gyeongju for two nights. This city with a population of nearly 300, 00 is one of Korea’s most popular tourist destinations. It’s history goes back to 57 BCE when it became the capital of the Silla Kingdom and it remained the capital for nearly 1000 years In the 7th century under King Munmu, the Silla kingdom was successful in conquering the neighboring Baekje and Goguryeo Kingdoms unified the whole peninsula.
We started today’s adventures with a journey to central Gyeongju and Tumuli Park. Tumuli means earth mounds and it is here that 23 tombs of Silla monarchs and family members Like yesterday’s visit to Kaya mound tombs, Silla tombs are very much the same, suggesting that Silla incorporated this method of burial from the Kaya region they conquered.
What captured my attention fairly quickly was how centralized these tombs were to the center of the city. Unlike other cultures that bury their dead some distance away from the ‘land of living,” this is certainly not the case with Silla tombs. Today it makes for a surreal landscape of hilly knowls and city streets, shops and pedestrian walkways. One of the tombs we were able to visit in Tumuli Park is called Cheonmachong, or Heavenly Horse Tomb which was built around 5th c. C.E. We were able to get a close-up look into how these tombs were built and appreciate the durability of these structures to prevent tomb robbers from plundering the remains and artifacts.
Nearby is the park’s most distinctive and largest two-part tumulus called, Hwangnamdaechong. Previous excavations discovered that this tomb was built for a king and queen and contained, among other treasures artifacts from Rome, showing that the Silk Road did not end in Xian, China as many people believe but continued on into Korea and eventually into Japan.
Next it was off to Gyeongju National Museum. Here we were led by Ms. Kukhee Hwang in a personal tour through the large collection of historical artifacts of the Silla Kingdom. Here we were shown various objects removed from Silla tombs and nearby Anapji Pond which reveal much about the people and way of life of this time period in Korea, including the exquisite gold crown found in the Heavenly Horse tomb. Ms. Hwang along with our Korea Society leader, Ms. Yong Jin Choi pointed a number of artifacts that reveal the impact other Silk Road cultures have had on Korean culture and how this cultural trade and transmission extended to Japan as well through Korea.
After lunch we hiked up Tohamsan Mountain to see the Bulguks-sa Temple. Originally built in AD 528, Bulguk-sa Temple provides and excellent example of arcitecture from the Silla Kingdom, one of the three Kingdoms in ancient Korea. Litterally meaning "Buddha Land, " It emained in tact for more than 1,000 years until the Japanese destroyed it in 1593. It was reconstructed in the 1970's and now is designated as Historic and Scenic Place No. 1. We entered passing through the gate and by the four guardians of the temple. They are there to keep all evil spirits away. Then we saw the temple the main stairway made up of 33 steps, each one representing a step toward enlightenment. (This stairway is one of Korea's National Treasures. ) We then climbed up to the courtyard. Here we saw two national treasures, two stone pagodas that stand in the courtyard. These pagodas managed to survice the Japanese invasion. The top level is the "Land of The Buddha" and up here I was able to wonder around several temples and meditate in peaceful solitude, placing a stone on top other stones in a garden of "wishing stones."

In the mountains above Bulgiska Temple is Seokguram Grotto. In a rotunda inside the grotto sits an image of Sakyamuni Buddha surrounded by three dozen guardians and lesser dieties. Buddha is looking towards the East Sea (Sea of Japan) and is therefore considered to be the protector of his country. I couldn't help but imagine how those huge blocks of granite quarried far to the North were brought up to this point. Surely, many common Koreans labored intensely to create their protector Buddha.

Later that evening, we had a lovely Korean barbecue dinner where we cooked our own beef ribs, galbi, on an outdoor picnic table with a grill in the middle of the table along with an assortment of plates called banchon. I’ve learned while in Korea that many Korean dishes such as the galbi are placed on a sesame leaf along with some kind of root vegetables or other dressings are placed on top. Delicious!

After dinner we walked around Anapji Pond. This area. constructed by King Munmu in 674, was once a pleasure garden to commemorate the unification of the Korean peninsula under Silla. The buildings were burned in 935, and many relics ended up in the pond itself, to be rediscovered only when it was drained in 1975. Thousands of well-preserved objects were found that shed light on the Unified Shilla kingdom and its transmissions and trade with Japan. The sun was down when we arrived but the walk around the pond was enhanced by the well lit buildings that lined the lake and cast their images upon the still dark waters. It truely was a lovely ending to a memorable day!

Heinsa-The Temple of Dharma

Today we were off to the beautiful Haeinsa Temple. It’s a Unesco World Heritage site located in Gayasan National Park. Haeinsa is one of the top 10 great temples of the Avatamsaka sect of Buddhism and Korea’s most significant temple. The temple is located high atop Gaya mountain and as you make you way up, you wander through forests, and gently flowing streams. It is a truly peaceful experience. Once there, we walked up stone steps and entered through the south gate, passed the four guardians of the temple to the main hall. Here contained the bell house for the call to prayer instruments as well as a multi-layered stone pagoda and lantern of the Wondangam Hermitage. Then it was up some stone steps to four enormous storage halls that function as the repository for the Tripitaka Koreana-81, 340 woodblock prints, on which are contained the complete Buddhist scriptures as well as illustrations. These buildings have simple but effective ventilation systems that prevent deterioration. The slatted windows allowed me to take a peek inside to see the National Treasures. Back down in the main hall, I walked the way of the Dharma as I meditated on the meaning of life and the I regrettably left behind this beautiful monastery. Upon my return to Korea, I’d love to return here and spend some days in reclusion along with other pilgrims. Here through a “temple stay” I can learn Buddhist disciplines such as meditation that will allow me to rekindle my own identity within my soul and allow my mind to find rest, which is the core value of all Buddhist practices.

After lunch it was off to the Jisandong ancient tombs in Jisan-ri, Korea to explore the tumuli, or earth mound tombs of the Kaya Kingdom. The Kaya Federation was a loose federation of tiny states based in the lower reaches of the Naktong River of the Youngnam Province. This federation of small inter-dependent states was annexed to Shilla in 562A.D. The tombs of the Kaya are located on mountain ridges or hills.

We bagan the afternoon with a visit to the Wangreung Exhibit were we saw the archeological work done on these tombs that bring to light the peoples of 5th century Kaya Federation Korea through their practices, and the artifacts found in these tombs. Then it was an amazing 1.5 km hike up to the top of the mountain to see the Tomb of Jisandong as well as other mound tombs. As I was making my slow and strenuous trip to the top, I couldn’t help to contemplate on how difficult and back breaking it must have been for the ancient Koreans as they brought up the stones all this distance to make these wonders. I was also imagining the funeral procession of the King on the way up to the tomb. It was not uncommon for the King to buried with his servants and perhaps other family members. These people were buried alive along with their master. Archeologist know this from the wounds found on the bones of the remains that these were “live burials.” Did the sacrificial victims take their last exhausting breaths on these very same slopes? What were they thinking as they were preparing to follow their master into the afterlife? Finally we made it to the top and we all took a photo with the earth mounds behind us. What an incredible journey and what a breathtaking view it allowed us to have.

We ended this incredible day with a visit to the Gaesil Village, which is the traditional head house of the Jeompiljae clan in Hapka-ri. There we tried our hand at making a traditional Korean glutinous rice jelly treat. Barley and rice is boiled for three days and then allowed to cool. When we arrived our mixture, which was cooled and hard to the touch, was ready for our part in the preparing process. Working in groups of two we stretched and twisted and kneaded the concoction into a hard, white glutinous cord which we allowed to harden for a further five minutes. Then we took a wooden stick and twisted a bit of the cord and whacked it with the stick and WALA off snaps a piece of our rice jelly treat. The taste was subtley sweet and chewy to the bite, life taffy. Fun!! Then we toured the house, which is still lived in by descendants of the Gim-jong-jik, a 15th century Neo-Confucian aristocrat.

For dinner we at dolsot bibimbap, which is bibimbap made in a hot stone pot. It was spicy and delicious.