Haeinsa Temple

After a long and tiring two weeks of orientation training, the Fulbright Office in Seoul decided to take us on an all expense paid weekend long field trip to the Buddhist Temple of Haeinsa. We stayed in a hotel, ate fantastic food, and toured a UNESCO world heritage site. Although the bus ride was long and curvy, and the weather was less than favorable, we were immediately treated to a feast upon arriving to our hotel.

Tired from the busride, I decided to nap with my friend David.

Lunch!

After lunch, we went to visit the Haeinsa Temple. Although the day was a little rainy, it was still really fun.

My friend John and I soaking wet after exploring the temple in the pouring rain

As a UNESCO World Heritage site, the temple features both cultural and historical artifacts. It is also home to Janggyeong Panjeon, a series of 81,258 wooden printing blocks that are over 1,000 years old. When the blocks were inscribed, the scribe had to take three insas, or bows, for every letter that was written. To preserve the wooden printing blocks, several ingenious preservation techniques are utilized. The foundation is composed of a unique blend of clay and grass that repels insects and bugs. Hydrodynamics are also employed through the placement of windows to repel moisture. Sadly, photography is prohibited within the building so I didn't have a chance to capture any pictures.Yet the temple and the woodblocks have survived seven fires, two foreign invasions, and the threats of time and erosion. Not surprisingly, the temple has been renovated over six times since its construction in 802AD.

Outside of the Janggyeong Panjeon, the site features residences for the monks, numerous temples, and stunning grounds:

The temple is so high in the mountains the clouds roll over the grounds

The river that runs through the temple complex

The view of the main temple

Outside the main temple

The grounds in front of the main temple

The temple grounds from another angle

Legend says that during the Korean War, an American bomber pilot was ordered to bomb the Haeinsa temple because intelligence units claimed that North Korean spies were hiding in the local mountains. Yet upon first glance of Haeinsa from the air, the pilot conscientiously disobeyed orders because he could not bring himself to destroy a place of such beauty.

We also received a tour from one of the monks, whose name I missed. Interestingly, he attended college in the United States, and dropped out to join the monastery. He explained how "he had it all: a beautiful girlfriend, a new sports car, and his own apartment." But after a car crash brought him within seconds and inches of his life, he had a religious experience that drew him to the monastery. He says he hasn't looked back since.

Our monk guide giving us a tour

Our guide explained how there are freshman, sophomore, junior and senior monks. Like any organization, a hierarchy of hazing exists. Apparently, some monks are assigned to a year of silence, or prohibited to look at the sky. These harsh hazings are designed to help the monks appreciate the simple things in life. Violations of these rules result in a punishment of 500 insas, or bows in the temple. Further violations result in expulsion. Not surprisingly, more than half of all first year monks drop out, and a quarter of those leave within the first two weeks.

He described a typical day as follows: Wake up at 3:30am to bang the ceremonial drum (see further down for more details), prepare breakfast, and then pray for the sun to rise. After working on maintaining the grounds for the day, the monks turn in around sun down to rise and do it again.

The next morning, we had the opportunity to view a traditional drumming ceremony. Each drum is designed to awaken certain creatures that dwell in the four realms of earth, hell, water and heaven.

Video of the drumming ceremony

During the drumming, many people would walk through this maze as part of the religious ceremony

Even monks use digital clocks!

The brightly colored objects are actually paper flowers

Overall, the weekend trip to Haeinsa provided for a great opportunity of rest and bonding among the fellow ETAs. Once we returned, it was back to the grind: Korean classes and more seminars. But orientation will soon take on a different flavor. This week, hundreds of Korean elementary, middle and high school students will ascend on our university for two weeks of English camp. We will be guest teaching periodically and leading other activities. Stay on the lookout for the next post as Camp Fulbright begins!