Bongeunsa Temple

My favorite part of the day was visiting The Bongeunsa Temple. It stands across from the Seoul Convention Center and is surrounded by high rise buildings, busy streets, and subway stations. It was strange to me that this peaceful, serene place of worship and prayer was right in the middle of a modern, busy metropolitan area. Once you entered the temple, however, you forgot you were in Seoul. Somehow, despite its location, it provides a quiet, zen-like atmosphere away from horn-blaring and neon lights.

Some background: The Bongeunsa Temple is a major center for the Seon (Zen) sect of Buddhism, which focuses on meditation. The temple was built in 794! It was rebuilt in 1498. I am not used to seeing things that are SO OLD! It has been rebuilt and restored many times over the centuries. During the Korean War, most of Bongeun-sa's buildings were badly damaged. Today, with its grand historical background and its unlikely location in urban Seoul, Bongeunsa is a holy place for worship and practice for about 200,000 lay Buddhists.

Here is a map of the entire temple (remember all of this is in the middle of the city!):

I know you cant read that but its in Korean anyway - it just gives you an idea of how many buildings there are. As I walked around snapping pictures like a good little American tourist, people of all ages and walks of life came to worship and pray. They lit candles, chanted along with the monk, meditated, and bowed to Buddha. The chanting of the monk was mesmerizing. You can hear it at the video I posted down below.

Enjoy....it is absolutely GORGEOUS:

People praying in one of the smaller temples

You can see someone bowing down in this small temple. There are candles, flowers, & incense.

Little Buddhas....they go on and on - and more candles, flowers, and incense

One of the only non-Buddhists at the temple. People stared at her because she stood out like a sore thumb

I liked how this picture shows the contrast between an ancient place of worship nestled in the middle of the ultra-modern city

Another temple!

Giant Buddha. Bongeunsa Temple is home to this 70 foot stone statue of Buddha - it is the largest statue of Buddha in Korea. It took 10 years to build! Its quite breathtaking. The brown stone slab behind me is where people come to kneel before it.

Enjoy this short video clip - sorry I'm not too great with the camera (there is sound):