The Temple Experience

Exquisite Architecture

Walking onto the grounds of an ancient temple is an experience like none other. Immediately you are transported to a different world, one where quality and craftsmanship are still well known practices and time itself seems to stand still. No matter what kind of day I am having I can grab my camera, head to a temple and get lost for hours. Exploring the different stone and sand walkways, peaking inside candle lit shrines or watching monks go about their day while I look through my lens and briefly become a part of something bigger.

It gives me goose bumps just thinking about it. I can honestly say I actually longed for some of the temples in Busan during my 4 years back at home! They just have this healing quality to them, a serenity and calm that can make you stop in your tracks and take a slow deep breath. In today’s fast paced world it’s nice to be able to stand still for a while and take the time to listen to the leaves rustling in the wind or the quiet hum of the chanting monks.

I know it may sound a bit cheesy, but it’s the truth. There is something special about the grounds, as soon as I step through one of the grand gates the hairs on my arm stand up and a tranquil sensation takes over. The peaceful surroundings and the sheer quiet that flows through the air always give me this undeniable feeling that I am safe and not alone. The air is different there and as I breathe it in this feeling of warmth and comfort always washes over me. I’m not a very religious or spiritual person, but I definitely feel like something else is out there while walking through a temple!

The first temple I ever visited in Korea was Beomeosa, which I incorrectly called B-ee-oh-me-oh-sa and consequently had to repeat myself to the cab driver for a good five minutes or so before he pieced together where I was asking to go. I can still close my eyes and picture the ride up into the mountains with my iPod on listening to my anthem and staring out the window awe struck. Every detail was taken care of and made temple-like right down to the street lights lining the narrow winding road. As the car drove closer to the entrance I could see rocks and waterfalls and a stream running down from the top of the mountain. The cabbie dropped me off at the entrance and I of course tripped on the cobblestone road heading to the main part of the temple. Thankfully I didn’t fully fall, but all eyes were on me anyway! I didn’t care though, I had arrived and I had never seen anything like it.

The history alone amazes me and the sheer fact that you can sit on a stone step that was placed delicately and with purpose by someone thousands of years before always boggles my mind. It is older than my own country and is rich with history and tradition since 678. It was built before the thousands even started which just seems insane to me! The fact that some of the buildings have withstood war, drought, typhoons, and whatever else the world has thrown at them amazes me each time I visit. New buildings have been created, but the exquisitely intricate architecture reigns over the site and it is sometimes hard to decipher which buildings are not ancient.

I could not wait to bring Graham to this place and share with him one of my favourite parts of Korea. I wanted him to have the same experience and I knew he would appreciate the subtle and simple beauty of the temple. We were lucky that day because it was not overrun with tourists and there were many monks roaming the grounds. Not only do they make for interesting photo opportunities (you are never supposed to shoot them face-on, unless you ask first), but they also give off this free-spirited intoxicating aura that I just can’t get enough of! They are some of the coolest, laid back people I have ever met and I find their way of life extremely interesting.

I was lucky enough to do a temple stay at Beomeosa last time around and had one of the most enlightening and interesting conversations of my life with a monk from Seoul. He was a high-powered business man who ran a company, drove an expensive car and was able to have anything his heart desired which is a dream of many people nowadays, but he was not happy with his life. He ended up doing a retreat at Beomeosa and it changed him. He gave up all the material things today’s world has to offer and studied the life of a monk. I couldn’t believe it! It was amazing and insane to me all at the same time, but I have never forgotten his story and how sublimely peaceful he seemed to be. I don’t know if I could completely follow in his footsteps, but definitely food for thought!

We are hoping to do a temple stay together in the spring, but for now I am happy roaming through the temple grounds and capturing the beauty that is Beomeosa. If you go, take my advice… stop for a minute or two and just breathe.