Mt. Nangsan, Gyeongju
If you’re visiting the Gyeongju National Museum and happen to look east over the highway you might notice the outline of a hill on the far side of the train tracks. From the looks of it you wouldn’t guess this low ridge (often describe as looking like a silkworm) was in fact considered one of the most sacred mountains of the Shilla Dynasty. As such, it’s home to numerous ancient relics and features in a number of stories and legends from the Shilla Era. read more
Seonmudo Demo, Golgulsa Temple (photo by Andrew Peet)
If you’ve not seen the signs around town recently, Golgulsa Temple (골굴사) has started hosting daily demonstrations of Seonmudo (선무도), or “Zen Martial Arts.” Golgulsa has been the center of a Seonmudo revival over the last few decades, so the demos are free and are scheduled for both 11 am and 3 pm every day except Monday. I’ve visited Golgulsa many times over the years and have had the pleasure of seeing a few demos before (in fact I posted a video of one back in August). But my brother-in-law was visiting last week, so we stopped by to check it out on our way back from King Munmu’s tomb at the coast. read more
G20 Comes to Bomun Resort (image from english.yonhapnews.co.kr/)
Bomun Resort G20 Summit
This weekend is going to be a bit crazy around Gyeongju. There’s a lot of stuff going on, and some of it sounds pretty cool (and some of it not really). For starters, we’ve all heard about the G20 kicking off in Seoul, but you might not know that there’s a separate G20 summit going down this weekend at Gyeongju’s own Bomun Lake Resort. This summit is reserved solely for the C.F.O.s of the member countries and will focus primarily on tweaking the nuts and bolts of the global economy. read more
20 ft. Maitreya Buddha, Mt. Namsan, Gyeongju
Gyeongju’s Mt. Namsan (남산), or literally “South Mountain”, may not be among the tallest or most beautiful mountains in Korea, but to me it’s one of the most magical. It might look gentle from the side, but up close Namsan’s got enough steep valleys, twisting peaks and craggy boulders to give any hiker a run for their money. Not to mention, it’s a treasure trove of ancient Shilla (신라) Dynasty ruins and carvings. Its peaks and valleys are scattered with over a hundred pagodas, hermitages, and stone Buddhas dating back 1,300 years. read more
San-shin Painting, Sambulam Hermitage, Gyeongju
If you’ve been to a Buddhist temple in Korea before, you might‘ve noticed a little shrine to the back of the temple that’s home to the image of a bearded old man with an odd-looking tiger laying at his feet. This wise and aged being is not some kind of Buddha or Bodhisattva, but rather the San-shin (산신), or Korean Mountain Spirit. He is a key deity in indigenous Korean Shamanism (무교) and he happens to be one of my favorite figures in Korean mythology. read more
Buddha Labyrinth, Manbulsa Temple, Yeongcheon
If you’ve ever taken the bus from Gyeongju to Daegu, you might’ve caught a fleeting glimpse of a giant golden Buddha off in the mountains to the north. No, this isn’t some apparition induced by sleep deprivation or soju poisoning. This huge Buddha actually overlooks Manbulsa (만불사), or literally “Temple of Ten-thousand Buddhas,” nestled at the foot of Mt. Gwansan (관산) on the way to Yeongcheon (영쳔). read more
Last month my University asked me to help guide a tour of Korean-American students around Gyeongju for a day. That afternoon we stopped by Golgulsa (골굴사) Temple for a short lesson in Seonmudo (선무도), or Korean Zen martial arts. In all the times I’d been to Golgulsa, I’d never actually seen what Seonmudo actually is. Luckily for us the monks gave a demonstration after the lesson and got to show off some of their top moves. I had my handycam with me, so here’s a short 3 minute video of some of the highlights I’ve edited together. read more
Tongdosa Temple, South of Gyeongju
Not to become a broken record or anything, but most tourists just bounce down to Gyeongju for a long weekend, hit up the big tourist sites, and head home Sunday night. It’s a shame really. You can barely even scratch the surface of what Gyeonju has to offer in 2 days. To finally prove what I’ve been harping on so long, I’ve cooked up a 10 day itinerary for visitors to Gyeongju. That’s right: over a week and a half of things to see and do in the area. If you don’t have 10 days, feel free to pick and choose what suites your liking. But here are some ideas for exploring a deeper side of Gyeongju and Korea as a whole. read more
Dang Namu of Sanggu-ri, Gyeongju
If you’ve spent any time touring the Korean countryside, you might have noticed a single gnarly old tree standing nearby a farm village here or there. These trees are actually called Dang-namu (당나무) and according to Korean folk religion (a form of Korean Shamanism) they are actually one of the village’s Dong-shin (동신), or guardian spirits. Often these ancient trees have stone alters at their base or a plaque, and occasionally you’ll see them in pairs, representing male and female deities. read more
Pear Flowers of Nae Tae Village, Gyeongju
The other Sunday the sun was finally shining after a solid week of rain. My wife and I hopped in the car and took off to explore the countryside determined to enjoy some of the hard-earned Spring weather. As luck would have it, we drifted back some country roads going west out of town, and found ourselves in a remote farming valley in the shadow of Mt. Eorimsan (어림산). read more
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