A collection of traditional-looking buildings, flowers and trees lay right below our hotel window in Seoul. The open space and the distinctive roofs stood out amid the hyper-modernity of the surrounding city.
We first stopped by just because it was close and looked attractive. Little did we realize how beautiful the experience would be. And that this is an important Korean Buddhist temple complex.
Because there are so many lovely images here, we will focus on the scenery, with a bit of history thrown in. We are far from expert in Korean Buddhism, so please feel free to send us corrections and elaborations!
We happened to be visiting during the month-long fall Chrysanthemum Festival. Potted chrysanthemum plants were everywhere, turned into sculptures, cartoon trees, elephants and green walls.
Most of the flowers were yellow. We learned that chrysanthemums are native to this part of the world. They carry loads of significance. For example, yellow chrysanthemums can represent happiness, joy and optimism.
The Chrysanthemum Festival began as a regional gathering and commemorative Buddhist service but has grown into a festival with many different events. The Jongno-gu Job Fair, music performances, a bazaar, and a children’s art contest are just some of the events that take place during the festival.※
(For us this is refreshing. In France, chrysanthemums are reserved for Toussaint, or All Saints Day, the first of November. People place flowering chrysanthemum plants on the graves of their relatives. So, bringing a chrysanthemum plant to a dinner party as a gift is not a good idea. This association means you can’t find gardens full of colorful chrysanthemums in our neighborhood – despite the need for one last pop of color before drab winter sets in.)
This temple complex is the head temple of the Jogye Order of Korean Buddhism. The Jogye Order is the largest sect in Korea; about 90 percent of Korean Buddhists belong to this sect.
Founded in 1395, the temple was initially named the Gakhwangsa Temple. During the Japanese invasion, the temple became one of the strongest fortresses of Korean Buddhism in the 1910-1945 period. Gakhawangsa Temple later emerged as the temple of the resistance to Japanese efforts to suppress Korean Buddhism. In 1937, a movement for the establishment of a Central Headquarters began which was successful with the building of the Main Buddha Hall of Jogyesa Temple in Seoul in 1938.In 1938, people knew the temple under the name Taegosa Temple. Later, in 1954, people began to call it its current name, the Jogyesa temple. They chose this name to highlight the structure’s status as the main temple of the Jogye Order of Korean Buddhism.Jogyesa Temple plays an important role in Korean Buddhism as the head temple of the Jogye order. Jogyesa Temple’s Dharma Hall serves as the main venue for several Buddhist events, rituals, lectures, ceremonies, and other events all year long. The annual lantern festival in celebration of Buddha’s birthday also takes place at this temple. (source)
At the gate to the temple complex, four fearsome stainless-steel fabulous figures either greet you or try to scare you. These are the Four Heavenly Kings. These kings are Buddhist gods who watch over the four cardinal directions of the world. More commonly, you’d find them sculpted in wood. But here are Jogyesa, Korean artist Lee Geum-se created these rich versions in steel.※
When you walk around the plazas and gardens, you are never alone. We don’t just mean fellow visitors. There are sculpted figures everywhere. Some are obvious and serious: a happy baby Buddha, a protective lion.
Some mossy characters may be embodiments of the twelve signs of the Chinese zodiac.
And some characters just seem fun, part of the festive and welcoming atmosphere.
The Daeungjeon is the main Buddha hall. It was built less than 100 years ago, in 1938. It is home to three immense golden Buddhas. The middle door is reserved for the monks; visitors use the side doors.
The grand canopy tree in front of the Daeungjeon captivated us. We loved the sprinkling of lanterns amid the branches. This is the Chinese Scholar tree. It’s purportedly over 450 years old. People often plant this type of tree near Buddhist temples and palaces. They believe the tree can convert negative energy into positive energy and happiness. That’s the reason why it’s also planted near the Daeungjeon.※
Every time we visited the Jogyesa (we stopped by multiple times to and from the hotel), we remarked on the folks who were casually sitting around under the Chinese Scholar tree in front of the Daeungjeon main hall. Some seemed devotional, some seemed to be resting, some checking their text messages. Very relaxed and open place.
Another striking temple building is the Geuknakjeon, or Paradise Hall. This is the newest building in the complex. It honors Amitabha, a celestial Buddha.
Amitabha Buddha is the principal Buddha in a type of Buddhism practiced in East Asia known as Pure Land Buddhism. Amitabha means “Infinite Light.” Therefore, other names for this building include Hall of Infinite Life and Hall of Light and Life.Inside Geuknakjeon, you can find ten statues. These statues are the judges that decide 49 days after death who goes to heaven and who goes to hell. Today, people mainly use this hall to host ceremonies, prayer services, funerals, and dharma talks. (source)
While these temple buildings are relatively modern, their architectural style and decoration are very consistent with what we saw in the major palace complexes of Gyeongbokgung and Changgyeonggung. These are all monuments tied to the very important Joseon Dynasty, which ruled Korea from 1392 to 1897. We’ll get into that history a bit more in the post about the palaces. But we find it fascinating that all these “historical” buildings look very much the same, despite coming from over 500 years of dynastic history. Like an emblematic moment frozen in time.
One afternoon, we found a ceremony in progress beneath the entry gate. Alas, we don’t know what it was about. Perhaps part of a funeral, but we can’t confirm.
After about 20 minutes of ritual movements and drumming, many of the participants formed a processional across the temple compound and into the Geuknakjeon Paradise Hall. We could hear further drumming and voices, which continued beyond when we continued on our route beyond the temple complex.
