It´s another another rainy day in Seoul, everyone´s carrying an umbrella. So after having some warm tea in one of the traditional Hanok house in In-sadong, we walked a little bit and saw a sign leading to Jogyesa Temple.My child is cranky and don´t want to walk further more, so we decided to took our time going there.The thing with traveling with a kid, your plans should be flexible and it´s always practical to have more breaks.

Anyway, this post is all about our temple-hopping experience in Seoul.I respect all kinds of religions and I don´t have any inhibitions of visiting Mosques, Masjids, Temples and churches as long as it is allowed or open for public. If you are following my Blog, you would know that I love arts and architecture so even oriental Buddhist temples are super fascinating to me.The whole atmosphere itself of being here is so nice and unforgettable.

The first thing that greets us when we arrive, aside from the rain, lots of lotus plants in pots and lanterns is the One Pillar Gate with four heavenly guardians of Buddhism.The happy Buddha is loved by my kid so it gave us a happy vibe the moment we enter the temple. I´ve read that they protect 4 points of the directions-(the east, west, north, and south) and also Buddhists. Unlikely ordinary temples are wooden ones, in here in Jogyesa you’ll see iron ones, which is very unique.Because it´s raining hard, most of my photos are taken using only my iPhone.Too bad…

Taking photos inside the prayer hall is not allowed so I went down to the ground, exploring the place. From below, I can had a view of what´s inside and saw the 3 giant Buddhas.This is far I´ve went to see it since the hall was full of people praying. The name of the main hall of the temple is Daeungjeon, inside which there are three golden statues of Buddha, which repeat its main stages of life. On the left sits Amitabha Buddha, at the center Shakyamuni Buddha, and on the right Bhaisaya Buddha. Inside the temple is covered in beautiful lanterns which symbolize wisdom because they bring light into this world.It looked amazing in its golden color.

Outside,while facing on the left side, I noticed some ladies burning papers, probably they are prayers,or offerings, well I don´t know really.There is a ten- story Buddha relic stupa on the grounds which was brought here by a monk after it was given to him in the royal court of Thailand by the King of Thailand. The monk, named Anagarika Dharmapala, brought it to Jogyesa where it was first housed in the dharma hall before moving it to the courtyard.Again, it is surrounded with Lotus plants in pots!

At home I have some decorative little Buddha statues. I loved them, I find them aesthetic and totally peaceful.Korea is one of the top economies in the world and Seoul is actually a very modern and promising city. It is a city with combination of modernity with rich cultural heritage.Walking through the streets of Seoul and seeing the modern lifestyle of Korean people made me realize how fascinating this country is. Temples and building coexists in life and Buddhism is an intergral part of it´s culture .

This is my personal travel blog diaries so I can only share about what I have seen as a visitor. The whole new culture experience is new to me and we were all curious about Buddhism and traditional culture of Korea. As usual, the most common attributes that I´ve seen in these temples are – the Statues of the sacred Buddha, their prayer halls, the lanterns and abundance of lotus flowers. I see them quite so often in Seoul!The evident “Bali bali culture” of Koreans- which means always in a hurry is seen everywhere.But then amidst of a busy day, people stop by to have a moment of refuge in this temple.

In Seoul, we stumbled upon many temples and Jogyesa is like a hidden gem to us.I wasn´t able to explore all of it as planned.It is big and so many fascinating nooks and pavillions. It was raining and there are many people doing worship and praying so it is a bit chaotic for me. We find our spot near the white lanterns and just observe the crowd. While admiring the beautiful temple, i ´ve got busy taking note of the inscriptions in the wall. So full of decorative drawings! I have learned that Jogyesa is also one of the Buddhist temples that participates in Templestay.I find it super interesting and would love to do it myself once I have the chance to see Seoul again!In Templestay, anyone who is interested in Buddhism and traditional culture are welcome to stay for 2 days & 1 night with basic programs like Temple tour, tea ceremony, copying sutra in golden ink, conversation with a monk and so on.

Jogyesa temple leads to the Zen Buddhism in Korea. The Jogyesa Temple used to be known as Gakhwangsa Temple which was founded in 1395 and this temple does not give off the solemn and traditional of the other temples located or hidden in the forests.I even met a monk who walk like he´s running an errand! It is also within the city´s proximity so I find it really convenient.One of its advantage is that it is easily accessible .

I guess the Buddhists who frequents this temple are masters of meditation.As you can see it´s situated in the middle of the busy streets but you can still have the meditational atmosphere of a secluded temple.Behind it are buildings, high rise apartments, shops and major traffic flows in front of the temple.What makes this temple special is that it is the ending site for the annual Lotus lantern Parade or Buddha´s birthday. Would be nice to see it in colors in Spring!

Also in this place, I saw a one of a kind white-barked pine tree,also known as Pinus bungeana which is believed to be ancient. In the main temple courtyard there are two trees which are 500 years old, a White Pine and a Chinese Scholar tree.I find it really amazing that there are so many old trees in Seoul.They are really preserving not only their cultural heritage but also their nature.It is part of who they are and written in history.I noticed it as well while touring the Changdeokgung Palace and the Secret garden.

A sign near the shoes stand near the prayer hall made me laugh—“Beware of the Shoes Thief!”

Who would ever steal a shoe?! Outside the hall, people are always texting, chatting and mingling.At least it shows that life is real in Korea!

Have you ever been to Seoul and visited a temple? How was your experience? If you enjoy this post,let me know in the comments section.

Until then, Servus und Tschüss!