Being a vegetarian in Korea can be rough. I, myself, am an omnivore, but I’ve got enough vegetarian friends here that I can sympathize. There just aren’t a lot of vegetarian options in Korea. Like with a lot of countries who’ve recently come out of poverty, vegetarianism seems counter intuitive to most Koreans. Since you [...]
Browsing the archives for the Buddhism tag
10 Mar 10
6 Feb 10
I’ve been running this blog now for almost 3 months and it’s nearly criminal I’ve not said anything yet about Mt. Namsan (남산) as I think it’s one of the coolest things about Gyeongju. Mt. Namsan’s not nearly as tall as some of the mountains around here (just under 500 meters actually) but what makes [...]
26 Jan 10
Though it’s not quite Korea’s answer to the Shaolin Monastery of China, Golgulsa Temple (골굴사) is one of the more unique temples in the Gyeongju area and it’s pretty darn cool. If you’re on your way over to King Munmu’s tomb (문무대왕릉) on the East Coast, it’s well worth taking an hour or so to [...]
22 Dec 09
I heard some rather sad news when I got home today. It seems that Hyangiram (향일암), literally “Sunrise Hermitage”, in Yeosu burned down last night. I used to live in Gwangyang, near Yeosu and first visited Hyangiram back in ’02. I’ve been there twice since and I think it is (or sadly was) one of [...]
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Posted in Buddhist culture, News, Outside Gyeongju, Temples & shrines
Tagged architecture, Buddhism, fire, News, temples, Wonhyo
Tagged architecture, Buddhism, fire, News, temples, Wonhyo
19 Dec 09
If you look South-East from the ruins of Banwolseong fortress towards Mt. Namsan, you might see something a bit curious. Just across the Namcheon River in the little neighborhood of Gyo-dong is huge gold Buddha. It’s seated in the front courtyard of Nakch’eonwonsa (낙천원사), or literally “Optimistic Moon Temple.” It’s probably one of the newest [...]
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Posted in Buddhist culture, Gyo-dong, Restaurants, Temples & shrines, Tips for tourists
Tagged architecture, Buddhism, Gyodong, Korean food, Restaurants, sights to see, temples
Tagged architecture, Buddhism, Gyodong, Korean food, Restaurants, sights to see, temples
2 Dec 09
Being a new blog and all, I’ve been trying to flesh out the “Links” section of the site as it’s been looking a little sparse. Here’s a short run down of some of the recent websites I’ve post in my links.
My friend Paul at Dongguk Uni. has a pretty sweet photo blog called Adventure Dog [...]
27 Nov 09
Sure, in Gyeongju Mt. Namsan (남산) has the lion’s share of ancient Shilla (신라) statues and carvings, so it’s well worth taking the time to explore if you can. But the truth is, most of the surrounding mountains have atl east one ancient Buddha that’s pretty cool. Plus the other mountains aren’t crawling with hiking clubs [...]
14 Nov 09
Ok, so even though it’s over 6 months away, I’ve got to say something about my favorite Korean holiday: Buddha’s Birthday (Seoktanil). On the night of Buddha’s Birthday, most major temples hold a lantern parade. I’ve had the pleasure of catching it at several Buddhist temples over the years and I have to say it’s one of the coolest things I’ve experienced here in Korea.
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Posted in Buddhist culture, Bulguk-dong, Temples & shrines, Tips for tourists
Tagged Buddhism, Bulguksa, fesitvals, holidays, temples, video
Tagged Buddhism, Bulguksa, fesitvals, holidays, temples, video
