Haedong Yonggunsa Temple

Last weekend, we went to an orientation to Busan that an international cooperation organization put on for foreign teachers and new comers to Busan.

First there was a presentation about tons of different things to do, see, and eat in and around Busan.

After learning some interesting history about the city's development since the Korean war, some awesome food ideas, and the many amazing firework and lantern festivals in the area, we loaded on up on a bus and headed for Haedong Younggunsa Temple.

I had never been to a Buddhist Temple before and didn't really know what to expect.

I was a little turned off by the touristy aspect of this experience and got a moody on the bus ride.

I will be much more excited the next time we go to a temple. Wow.

It was absolutely majestic.

Different than most temples, which are located in the rural mountains, it is placed in a perfectly serene area on a cliff by the sea. It's just a few kilometers from our favorite beach, Songjeong.

Twelve statues that signify the twelve cycles of the lunar calendar greet you on the path down to the entrance.

It is custom to pay respect to yours by making a wish and placing a coin on the statue as a donation to the temple. I feel pretty good about mine, but I can't tell you what it is :)

A few different monuments and gates line the entrance down the many, many steps.

Down the steps, there is a viewing area that juts out over the ocean. Then you walk across a small bridge over a small cove of small rocks. I think it might be used for people who visit the temple with small boats or kayaks.

The actual temple was spread out into a few different buildings. There were some large golden statues of pigs and one of Buddha that was about 15ft. high. I'm not very familiar with how Buddhism is practiced, but each of the buildings and statues seemed to be for different aspects of meditation.

Once again, I'm not sure what it was for, but in the middle of the temple complex there was a room underground where people would scoop up water from underground in ladles, walk up top and pour it into a large basin. This was definitely one of the instances where I wished I could talk to the people around me more. Everything was familiar enough in its spititually representative qualities to insight a great deal of curiosity; but the language barrier left me with little explanation.

I'll let the pictures speak for the rest of this experience.

We can't wait to get to the mountains and see more of these inspiring places.