Haeinsa Temple

Two days before Christmas, I had the privilege of visiting one of South Korea's three Jewel Temples. Each of the three temples represent one of the three Jewels of Buddhism: the Buddha, Buddhist teachings, the Buddhist community. 

Haeinsa Temple is the one that represents the Buddhist teachings. Housed at the temple is the sacred Tripitaka Koreana, one of Korea's national treasures, a set of approximately 80,000 wooden blocks carved with Buddhist scriptures and framed in metal. The scriptures were carved into the wood - which underwent several years of preparation - during the sixteen years between 1236 and 1251 in an attempt to gain divine assistance for Korea against the invading Mongols. The Tripitaka Koreana has been preserved on the mountain for over 600 years. Photography of the relics was prohibited, but I purchased a print made from a replica of one of the blocks.

Here's a close-up. There's a hair stuck in it.

That morning, we arrived in the parking lot below the path to the temple shortly after 9:00 AM. We got there early so we'd be in time to attend the morning prayer at 10:00. The temperature was only 18 degrees Fahrenheit. I was wearing two long-sleeved shirts and hadn't brought gloves or a scarf or even a coat. (I hadn't even planned to wear the second shirt; that was Joe's idea.) I don't really know what I was thinking when I got dressed that morning, but it was probably that I didn't want to get too hot on the hike or have to carry too much stuff. As we walked up the path, my teeth were chattering. My friend was smart enough to have worn multiple layers and kind enough to give me her coat.

One of the most amazing things about this trip was that, when we arrived, we were the only people there. Usually, places like this are crowded with visitors. But it was cold, and early, and a weekday, so I was able to get unique pictures of the place without random strangers interfering.

There's ice in this stream

My lovely traveling companions, and a building located before the path to the temple

Me standing next to the remains of a tree that was 1200 years old when it died

My most touristey picture yet

Vending machines and ancient buildings

Removing our shoes before going into the temple

And here's a video I wasn't supposed to be taking. (My camera's on the floor, pointed towards a wall.) This was during the morning prayer. We sat through maybe twenty minutes of it.

Monks talking

Earlier in the year, we'd visited Gatbawi on Mt. Palgong. There we saw a stone water fountain, with brightly-colored ladles nearby to be used by everyone as cups. Haeinsa Temple had a much grander fountain.

A monk (who was talking to himself)

A pile of wish-rocks placed by other visitors

Some mountains we saw on the way home

This trip was such a unique opportunity to get good pictures of a fascinating part of Korea. Actually, I slowed us down quite a bit, as I had to take a few pictures every ten feet or so. Everything - the temple, the sunlight, Nature around us - had me thrilled to be there. Then it was amazing to get back in the car with the heat. And it was even more amazing to be able to feel my fingers again. The end.