Seoul, South Korea: Bongeunsa Temple

I almost ran out of places to visit in Seoul, Korea. Remember it's my second time here. Then I found Bongeunsa Temple, right smack in Gangnam (the Gangnam in Psy's Gangnam Style). Interestingly, it wasn't that easy to keep the temple in its current location, but I'm so glad they did (read on to find out what they did)!

Coex from across the street

Bongeunsa, the practicing temple for the revival of Korean Buddhism

Bongeunsa is a millennium temple with longer history than 1200 years which is located at Saseong-dong. Gangnam-gu, center of down town Seoul, Korea.

Founded in 784, during the King Wonseong period of Silla Kingdom by Venerable Yeonhoei, National Master Patriarch, Bongeunsa, the head temple of Seon (Zen) lineage, later became a foundation stone of revival of Korean Buddhism owing greatly to the aspirations of Venerable Bou, who exerted himself with his utmost efforts to keep Buddhism alive during Joseon Dynasty when Buddhism was under extreme oppression by the government per its policy of so called “Confucianism Reverence, Buddhism Expulsion”. In addition, Buddhist monk qualification examinations took place here at a location called ‘Seunggwapyeong’, now Coex is built, where distinguished masters including Venerable Seosan and Venerable Samyeong were produced who carried on Seon (Zen) legacy of Korean Buddhism.

In the latter part of Joseon Dynasty, Venerable Yeonggi built Panjeon (Tripitaka Hall) and enshrined 81 volumes of woodblock Flower Garland Scripture (Avatamsaka Sutra) commentary in the building. Also, Jeonghi Gim, one of the greatest scholars and calligraphers of the time, stayed in Bongeunsa temple in his latter years and had completed his own calligraphy style called ‘Chusache’ named after his pen name.

In modern times, at the crisis of temple land loss, Venerable Yeongam drove a land purchasing campaign across the temple, successfully secured a lot of 36 square feet wide lost land pieces back one by one, and finally made it happen for Bongeunsa to stay at its existing location as a great temple withland nearly 17 acres here at Gangnam down town. Bongeunsa is also a significantly historic place where The Institute of Tripitaka Koreana was established which was in charge of the translation of Buddhism Scriptures into Korean in 1960 by Jogye Order of Korean Buddhism and where the first Dharma Assembly for Truth Seeking by undergraduate students was constituted which became the matrix of Korean Buddhist of University Federation later.

Nowadays, Bongeunsa is creating a new history of Korean Buddhism through its practice-centred temple management system. Monks participating in the early morning ceremony, Baru offering (monastery formal meal), group work and continuing efforts of practicing in order to build practicing spirit right, temple finance being opened for public, lay people taking part in the temple operations positively as a member of the key management team. Buddhists are developing their religious and volunteer activities all together more actively than ever before. Then, these result in the practicing fever such as Seon (Zen) meditation, praying, dharma assembly or education among the lay people and the education site is also filled with fever of Buddhists learning Buddha’s Teachings.

Bongeunsa, while taking the flow of this kind movement as a driving force to place its position to be a central temple of Korean Buddhism and also a revival temple of Korean Buddhism and by exercising the real practicing and the activities of happiness sharing for our neighbours, will do its best efforts so that Buddhism may flourish on this country more resplendently in its full blossom.

A sanctuary surrounded by skyscrapers (this is a photo of a photo)

There is a wish-making station in front of the temple at the time.

After visiting the temple, I headed to COEX Mall... to watch the Hunger Games! Something I wouldn't do back home, but it's interesting to enjoy the plush seats and... thankfully they didn't dub over the original.