Browsing the archives for the Namsan tag
The other day I was rummaging around on Youtube for videos to fill out a playlist on Gyeongjublog’s fledgling Youtube Channel and I stumbled across some amazing videos on something called the Korean Heritage Channel. I know I use far too many superlatives on this blog already, but this channel features some of the [...]
To be honest the Korean urban lifestyle doesn’t really do much for me. Sure, I sometimes miss the art and culture, the night clubs and the convenience. But after living in London, Berlin and Barcelona, there’s really not anything new that I get out of big cities in Korea. All it takes is a walk [...]
It’s been a while since I’ve done any “Top 10″ and since I’ve been busy with final exams and grades, I don’t have any proper articles ready to go this week. Instead, I figured I’d post on the 10 best YouTube videos I could find about Gyeongju. Believe me, it was a lot harder than [...]
Hidden away above a small farming valley just south of Mt. Namsan, the Standing Buddha (마애불얍성) of Mt. Maseoksan (마석산) is the epitome of “off the beaten path.” In fact, for a long time the only reference to it I could find was a mark at the bottom of the regional map published by the [...]
There are many times in this country when I’ve wished I had a better grasp of the Korean language. Standing in Mr. Seo Seung-am’s workshop at the foot of Mt. Namsan (남산) was definitely one of those times. On display all over the shop are literally hundreds of hand-carved wooden penises. There are big ones, [...]
Continued from Part 1… Avalokitesvara: The Bodhisattva of Mercy One of the key differences that evolved between Mahayana (Northern School) and Theravada (Southern School) Buddhism is the former’s belief in Bodhisattvas, or “Bosal” (보살) in Korean. These are highly enlightened beings who have vowed to postpone their final enlightenment until all sentient beings on earth [...]
Looking at the history of Gyeongju, it’s hard to underestimate the importance of Buddhism to the ancient Shilla Dynasty. The acceptance of Buddhism by the Shilla in the 5th century C.E. brought an increased cultural exchange with China. This coincided with the military rise of the Shilla Empire which ushered in the “Golden Age” of [...]
Christmas time is just a few months away, which means (for a lot of folks in my country anyways) that it’s time to start shopping for presents. Korea offers some very unique and interesting gift options for folks back home and I’m not just talking about the kimchi chocolate or plastic fans that you can [...]
With our first blast of brisk weather and leaves starting to turn, fall is finally settling on Gyeongju. In about a week or so all the brilliant red, orange and gold autumn leaves will be at their peak, so I suggest getting out to enjoy their beauty before the dreariness of winter sets in. If [...]
I’ve been so busy with family visiting for the last few weeks (along with spending 4 days in the hospital over Chuseok) that I forgot to mention that some pretty exciting things were happening in the blog-o-sphere last month. It seems the Sam-shin deigned to smile upon Gyeongjublog and blessed it with a fair bit [...]
