The bright lights of Bongeunsa temple outshine the bright lights of Gangnam.
Bongeunsa is a lovely Buddhist temple in Gangnam, the area of Seoul made famous by Psy - Korea's wunderkind. Like all other Buddhist temples we've visited in Korea, Bongeunsa is a peaceful, contemplative place where monks chant, people light incense and candles, and the devout pray quietly on floor mats. What is startling about Bongeunsa is the stark contrast between the busy streets of Gangnam and the peaceful hush of the temple. When you step off the metro in Gangnam you are immediately immersed in a frenetic, neon sea filled with over-caffinated, well-dressed young Koreans, but as soon as you enter the grounds of Bongeunsa, you find yourself transported back in time to an oasis of calm and serenity.
Bongeunsa is worthy of a visit at any time of the year, but as Buddha's birthday approaches it fills up with lanterns and becomes an over-the-top light show that would make Disney jealous. The May lantern festival has been celebrated in Korea for over 2000 years.
Bongeunsa is ready to party!
There must be tens of thousands of lanterns, here are just a few.
There are several different styles of lantern on display at the temple. The ones that hang overhead are mostly are brightly colored and spherical. But at this and other temples there are always a group of white lanterns. I'm not sure what the significance of this is, but it is certainly intentional.
They were still working on getting the white ones up. Notice how many have pieces of paper with prayers written on them. Followers purchase lanterns for the temple in order to garner good vibes from Buddha. Apparently this is a very lucrative holiday tradition for the temples. But before you let yourself become cynical, consider this: the Buddhist monasteries are the leading charity organizers in Korea, providing food, shelter, and language lessons to the masses. Last fall Jen went to the one near our house and helped make mountains of kimchi for the poor.
Color isn't everything.
When you look at the lanterns up close you see that there is usually a cute little baby Buddha on them. The lotus blossom is also an important icon. In fact, the festival that we'll be going to later tonight is called the Lotus Lantern festival. The lotus is considered to be emblematic of purity of mind, body, and spirit, while remaining rooted to the earth.
Cute, isn't he? I especially like the John Travolta dance move he's throwing.
Near the center of the Bongeunsa temple complex is a pavilion where they had set up an area where the faithful can make a donation and then give baby Buddha a bath. The purpose of this ritual is to wash away one's sins.
Baby Buddha is in the middle of the flower display. Also, check out the big granite pagoda behind him.
From the nearby sign we could see that it was past his bedtime (8 PM), so we couldn't bathe him.
Candles and incense are always burning when we visit temples. People light them, put their hands together, and pray silently. The candles are often sitting in pools of water. I wonder if that's because the temples are made of wood...
One of my favorite features of Buddhist temples are the large statues. The general sentiment seems to be "go big, or go home," so you often see enormous statues that are awe inspiring. Of all the statues in Korea we've seen so far, the one at Bongeunsa is my favorite. Although I don't know what's on his head.
I especially like the reflective granite area at the base. You often see this feature in front of the larger statues, where people take their shoes off and kneel in prayer.
Here's a Buddha's eye view of the Gangnam cityscape.
In addition to ordinary lanterns, there are many elaborate ones that are more reminiscent of parade floats. Some of these are clearly religiously themed, some are delicate works of art, and some are whimsical. I really enjoy the big lanterns, so I'll share a few of my favorites with you.
Here's one from the entrance. Note the angel wings.
Electric cat tail reeds. How cool is that?
You gotta love a panda.
This reminds me of a picture in my mother's house that showed an angel carrying a child up to heaven. I don't know if that's what's going on here, I can tell you this: the girl is wearing a traditional Hanbok dress (total Korean icon), the Peter Pan-like flying man is a monk (judging from the plain robes), and they are flying over a lotus blossom (major Buddhist icon).
Pure artistic expression.
I have no clue, but I love the way it lights up the bell pavilion behind it.
Yep, a tiger family having fun with mom.
Check out the teeth and claws on kitty. I really hope the children at the top are supposed to be toys...
Okay, so the horns worry me a bit.
This was my favorite. Some of the things you often see at Korean temples are depicted as lanterns: enormous bell (left), enormous drum (right), and dragon fish (don't know what the story is on these, but they are often found in temples). Here are some closeups so you can see the craftsmanship.
Dragon fish critter.
Big Korean temple bell.
Big drum with dragon on it.
So that's what the lantern festival looks like in Gangnam. If you are ever in the Seoul area, Bongeunsa is worth a visit - even if it isn't Buddha's birthday.
Annyeong!
(peace, informal goodbye)
