Naksan Temple

Christian and I visited the Naksan Temple in the Gangwon Province on the east coast of Korea. The Temple was first built in 671, and has survived many forest fires and the Mongolian invasion in 1231. The legend goes that a great Buddhist monk was meditating in a cave by the ocean when Avalokitesvara appeared, and giving him beads made of crystal, told him to build a temple at this site. The entire temple site is quite large with paths winding around various buildings, but In the small temple which was built over the site of the cave, there is a hole in the wooden floor through which one can see the ocean below and hear the waves breaking against the stones. People at the temple say that the sound of the waves is itself a mantra that leads people to enlightenment.

It was a beautiful spring day. The plum blossoms were just blooming, signalling that more flowers were on their way. It was a perfect day to stroll slowly through the temple grounds.

We bought a roof tile, which will replace the old ones on the various buildings of the temple, and wrote down our wishes and blessings for all.