Beomeosa (범어사)

We were in Busan, Korea, heading to the ancient city of Gyeongju. The buses leave every 30 minutes, so there is time. The weather was cold, but we were properly dressed. We put our luggage into a locker. The bus to the temple was winding up through the mountains, passing smaller towns and villages. It was great to get out of the city and be surrounded by nature. It was mostly browns since it was winter. It was wonderful to get away from people. We got off the bus and started walking up to the temple.

I vaguely remember the last time I was at Beomeosa (범어사). It was mostly a blur. The temple was founded by the monk Uisang in 678 AD during the Silla Dynasty. It is one of the three crown jewel temples. Most of the temple was restored in 1613. It is one of the few temples which were not destroyed during either the Japanese occupation or the Korean War. It is one of the oldest intact temples in Korea. The temple is on Geumjeongsan Mountain in the northern part of Busan.

There was still a steepish hike up to the first gate and to the temple itself. It is the setting, not the temple, that makes it special. It is in the middle of the forest surrounded by nature. It would have been better to be in warmer weather, but it was still calming and wonderful. There weren’t a lot of tourists. The lanterns were still being hung up through the first two gates into the main temple area. The area is quiet and reflective. I love temples. There is a sense of history and a feeling of calm when walking around their grounds. There are a lot of gates, each beautifully painted with the traditional colours. On the main grounds, there are several buildings, including the main hall. We walked from one end of the compound to the next. There are rituals of cleaning and cleansing. I did them; my friend did not.

There was an entrance for the private living quarters or for the temple stay. It was a collection of buildings leading down the mountain in a repetitive style. There were also the walls, made of tiles, yellow dirt and bricks. There were the lanterns hung, and finally, the light coming in was perfect.

We spent a few hours there before walking back to the bus to get to the bus after waiting for a while. Back at the bus station, we hopped on the next one and were on our way. There were only 6 people on the bus, and it felt like a taxi. The ride was quick, and we were in Gyeongju in 15 to 30 minutes of actual driving time. The reward was looking out at the window and seeing the countryside go by. It is good to be in rural Korea.