July 8, Haeinsa

Hae in-sa is a 1200 year old Buddhist temple and monastery located inside Gayasan National Park . It has three gates that symbolize moving from the less sacred to the more sacred. If Buddhism could be defined by one word it would be "mercy". There are over 80,000 Buddhists texts stored here, collected from throughout the world. The books in the temple library are only about three subjects: the life of the Buddha, the teachings of the Buddha, and how to live in a monastery. A series of steep steps lead to the temple reminding you to take your steps carefully in life. On a pavilion are a bell, fish, drum, and gong. These are used to call all the creatures of the earth, air, and water to worship. The sound of the bell is also said to soothe the souls suffering in hell. We get to see the mid- morning ritual with the drum and bell. This is an active temple. Many people come to pray while we are there. Some of us- myself included- walk the meditation maze. I also drank water from their spring. It's really good. For lunch we ate in the monastery cafeteria. You may leave your shoes on but you are not allowed to talk or wear hats, and you are not supposed to leave even a grain of rice on your plate. I'll admit I left three grains of rice and a couple of tiny pieces of seaweed that I couldn't pick up, but I did pick up and eat the bean sprout I dropped on the table, so I think I did okay.