The Adventures of Cassie Jean: Naksan Temple

"The greatest action is not conforming with the worlds ways. "

"What we think, we become. "

-the ways of Buddha

Since I first arrived in Korea 3 months ago, I've been wanting to go check out the temples. I heard they were some of the most beautiful in the world. I myself am not a Buddhist, however I admire their ways and the history. While on our trip to Naksan Beach, our local friend Lee told us of a temple just a short distance from our hotel. So, the last morning of our trip, a couple of us decided to make the hike up to the temple and check it out.

There were a lot of people there, being a Sunday and all. The temple is split up into various houses. Some are for historic value, others for praying, and of course, a monk's gotta sleep(barely), so their housing is on temple grounds.

The monks were really cool, even though I only saw them praying. I was trying to call these two kittens to come over to me, but I forgot these cats don't know the word "kitty" in English. A monk came out and said something I didn't understand and the cats came running to him. He had the magic touch I guess.

The temple is for the most part, self sufficient. They have a hand made irrigation system and grow crops on site. We saw a big line coming out of one of the houses and found out the monks offer free noodles. We stood in line and were served our bowl. I'm not sure if it was the monks, the free-nes of them, or what, but those noodles were life changing. So good. There was also fresh kimchi in the noodles, which is a nice surprise. For all the newbies to Korean cuisine, kimchi is formented cabbage with spicy sauce. It's the staple of the country. We sat at communal tables, enjoyed the food, then stood in line to wash our dishes with the rest of the people.

My favorite part of seeing this temple, was watching the monks chant, solemnly and continuously, as a steady flow of people went to pray. The temple itself was breath taking. The shrines, the lanterns, the size of it all was enough for me to tell myself not to do something stupid...like knock something over. Praying involves a lot of bowing, kneeling, and is very specific. I would have loved to had a video to show on here, but taping someone praying...just seemed too Western.

At the very top of this small mountain that the temple is on, there is a huge dedication to Buddha. It can be seen from most of the beach. There are beautiful flowers growing wild, that I'd never seen before, and the air is just saturated with the smell. Not to mention, the view was spectacular. Taking it all in really made me glad about my decision to come here. I do believe there is no place like home, but I also believe you have to travel to the ends of the Earth to truly appreciate what "home" means.