Entrance to the Bongensa temple, The Meaning of the Name.
The road to the entrance of Boneunsa was crowded because of the construction.
People went along a congested path. There was a big gate.
I saw a sign written Bongeunsa.
Perhaps it serves as the pillar gate, which represents the boundary between the mundane world and the temple.
As the role of the pillar gate, the sign separated the temple from the secular society.
Korean temples are similar to western monasteries in that they are mostly in the mountains.
Temples in the mountain allow the monks to escape from the hustle and bustle of the world and to focus on training.
Originally, Bongeunsa was built in the mountain, but as Seoul’s boundaries expanded, it is now placed in the center of the city.
The distinction between the secular world and the sacred temple has become ambiguous.
I saw 4 Heaven Kings as I entered the gate.
Unlike the vast scale of Bongeunsa, 4 Heaven Kings were small.
They were kept in a glass window to preserve because they were made a long time ago.
The gate was painted. The generals were depicted, so it seems to have the meaning of protecting the temple.
Because of the small size of 4 Heaven Kings, scary generals might have been painted to guard the temple perfectly.
I had never seen such kind of painting until then. There were six doors, each with six different pictures.
As soon as I passed the door, tombstones and monuments were laid long in a row.
They were for commemorating the enlightened monks.
Among them, I saw a statue. It was carved as if it were alive.
It was impressive to see a bottle of water in front of the statue.
Then I turned around and saw the gate which I passed through. Its name was Jinyeo.
Jinyeo means Buddha.
The sign on the front of the gate means the entrance to Bongeunsa, and the sign on the back of the gate means the name of the door.
Every Buddhist buildings and facility has its name. I’ve never seen a building without a name.
What does name mean in Buddhism?
@tipu curate
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Beautiful, thanks for represent
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Thank you :)
The carved statue looked so alive and beautiful, it's different from most carvings I've seen you uploaded, the bottled water in front of the carvings is still a surprise, do you think it's for the statue to drink?
It would be nice if a bottle of water were for the statue, but I guess some pedestrians just threw it away, haha.
Sehr schöne Bilder
Grüße aus dem Saarland
// 1,2,3, gute Laune //
Thanks!!! :)
How interesting to learn about the meaning of the kings and generals. The paintings are beautiful and appear to have done a good job protecting the temple.
Thank you! There are sculptures of generals and 4 Heaven Kings on the front of the most of Korean temple. The ancestors of Koreans thought that 4 Heaven Kings would protect the temple.
The statue was made with so much love as if it looks like alive. Really great artistic work done by the statue maker. The idea of putting two bottles of water in front of statue made it more trustable. However, nice photography like always.
Thank you always for reading my post!
perfect post, his best friend, may your best friend continue
I love your post so much because you present everything in your post with explanation...You are really great people.!
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Thank you. There are lots of things to improve in my post. I wish I could give a more detailed explanation in the future!
I did not know that Seoul was initially smaller place that is why seeing the temples in nowadays city I was wondering why they are build so close together. But now it is clear that it is due to growth of the city. When I think back about Monasteries in Europe they are also located on outskirts but many of them today also sharing a city with modern life. Especially we can see often nun riding bicycles that looks really unusual.
The paintings on wooden doors are very well preserved, I like the pigment of painting they are still very intense and the images so lively. The weather looks beautiful and sunny. Probably some children decided to share a drink with a monk :)
You're right! Seoul initially had been small, but the city expanded its boundaries as it developed. I've never known that Monasteries in Europe is also sharing a city. Monasteries and temples have more similarities than I noticed. It is good to know. Thank you!
You are welcome, I think next time I have to choose on of the monasteries in our hometown to paint :)
Yes, what's in a name, @slowwalker? In the west it seems people have forgotten the meaning of names preferring to call children something that sounds pleasant or unique or has a different spelling.
But what is the purpose of a name?
I believe a name conveys the true essence of a person or thing. For instance, in the Bible God at first had a name unknown to the Jewish people and consequently they didn't know him until Moses went up the holy mountain to meet him and God revealed his name - Yahweh - it meant I am who I am. Very significant.
Your Buddha is also remote - usually worshipped on a high mountain - his name seems to signify without attachment. Perhaps that's the boundary between the physical world and the spiritual realm.
Have a good day, my friend.
@johnjgeddes Long time no see! I'm always impressed by your insightful ideas! In Korean culture, name is significant because we believe that the meaning of name impacts the fate of the human being. Thank you for your comment! Have a nice day.
Thanks. @slowwalker. Yes, I need to spend more time on Steemit curating good posts like yours, my friend - I always get immersed in the writing life but I do appreciate your posts. You always take me places. I value that :)
You are very right. The monasteries in the west were built on the outskirts of the cities as well as in the east.
It is amazing how the expansion of the big cities has reached the temples.
With the passing of the centuries, the names of the temples were changing, adapting to the dominant political and religious currents.
I believe in a unique God without an image, whom man has never seen. I am not religious in the extended sense of the term, but there is no doubt that regardless of where we live, we all look for it, even atheists.
Thank you for your reports on temples. Great work!!
I will keep an eye on the next reports.
Thank you! I agree with you in that we all look for their own God. Even though I'm not religious, I love to explore Buddhist culture because of its aesthetical beauty and traditional value! Hope you would enjoy the next post!
Who put the bottle of water~?
It's a fun idea.
Perhaps, some visitors did. haha :)
Is good ^^
Thank you ^^
@slowwalker, yeah.. I think built up temple in Korea top of the mountain had big meaning. The monks could focus main purpose who stayed that Temple's without crowd.
Kept in glass windows those 4 heaven kings well decision for their protection. Yeah... After the comparing with other temples, Boneunsa had small 4 heaven kings. But their looks so proud. Definitely they protected temple as i believe. There were more valuable monuments. You've given well explanation with nice photo captures.
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Yeah! Though 4 heaven kings are small, they are made delicately! Hope they were preserved well!
I find it incredible that so much of the art remains intact, from countless centuries. Even more so that the once upon a hilltop Shrine is now in the heart of the city.
At one time, they offered up instruction (or classes) on Buddism, for people who wanted to have a better understanding of the temple. I am not sure if they still have them, but, that was a brilliant idea. So many westerners go there and haven't a clue of why things are done the way they were.
What is in a name. That is an interesting question that I will have to think about.
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Thank you :) I hope many foreigners could visit Bongeunsa because it is always enjoyable to know about other cultures! Have a beautiful day, too!
I think that is the reason that I love steemit. There are so many cultures here and I have learned tiny (seemingly meaningless) details about them. It makes them interesting to me. We are all so different, but very much alike in so many ways.
Thank you so much for your support.
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It's fun to study Buddhist culture with you, my friend @slowwalker! Eastern countries have always attracted me. This is so different from my Ukraine) You write very fascinating about details and characters. I wonder what the water bottle in front of the statue really means?
Thank you! I've never been to Ukraine before. I hope to learn about your culture, too! A water bottle means nothing particularly. Perhaps, someone left it for the statue :)
I am sure you will be interested to visit my Lviv. There are many traditions and cultures intertwined here. Polish, Austro Hungarian, Armenian, Jewish ...
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Resteem your posting sir
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Thank you so much!
No thanks sir I am very thankful for you you are great person
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Nice temple, I am being a fan of your photography.
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Thank you so much! I'll try to show better photos!!
Come to Bangladesh, you will see a lot of historical temple live from 100+ years. Though Bangladesh is a Muslim country. But, a lot of temple you can find.
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@slowwalker,
Honestly no idea what "Name" mean in Buddhism! But does that mean ourselves?
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