DAEGU GARRISON--For members of the USAG Daegu and Area IV community taking part in a recent tour of Yangsan Tongdo Temple, the bright blue skies and the scenic route along the way, was just enough to pump up the spirits of those who have for months, found themselves gripped by winter's claws.
Hosted by the Camp Carroll Community Activity Center (CAC), the day-long outing to Tongdo Temple gave Area IV Soldiers, family members, DoD Civilians, and retirees, an opportunity to get away from the gray walls of the installation, and venture out into the South Korea countryside. Approximately two hour southeast of Daegu, the cultural excursion was by many accounts, well worth the drive.
Located in the southern part of Mt. Chiseo near Yangsan city, Gyeongsangnam-do, Tongdo Temple is a head temple of the Jogye Order of Korean Buddhism. It is considered one of the three "Jewel Temples" of Korea, along with Haein Temple representing the Dharma or Buddhist teachings, and Songgwang Temple symbolizes the Sangha or Buddhist community. Moreover, it is also known as a Boolbo Temple because Buddha's jinsinsari, which is a part of Buddha's body, is kept there. Additionally, it is famous for not having any Buddhist statues in the temple-- because the real shrines of the Buddha are preserved behind the Geumgang Stairs at Tongdo Temple.
The temple's history can be traced to the year 646 during Queen Sun-Deok's reign in Silla Dynasty, after Monk Jajang brought the remains of Buddha from Dang China and enshrined them. The name of Tongdo temple has three different meanings. First, the shape of the mountain corresponds with "tong" to that of the sacred mountain in India ("InDo") which brought about the temple's name. Another meaning suggests the founder's philosophy. According to him, passing through "Tong" this method "do" is the first step to becoming a practitioner. The other meaning of Tongdo stemmed from the belief that suffering people can be saved throughout Truth.
Tongdo Temple is said to have survived numerous wars and invasions. Its Beopdeung (temple candle) verifies a living history by showing that it has never gone out for 1,300 years. Besides the main building of the temple, which is the biggest heritage and in itself an official national treasure No.290, there are 19 local treasures and 794 local cultural properties inside the temple.
Passing through the entrance on the way to Tongdo Temple, the lines of multicolored lanterns were unfolded in the sky like a rainbow. Moving more deeply into the temple heritage, a red colored plum blossom tree caught the eyes of USAG Daegu community members participating in the tour. The tree is called "Jajang Mae"; "Jajang" is derived from a Buddhist name of the temple's founder, and "Mae" means a kind of plum blossom tree. Even when just approaching the beautiful tree, one can immediately sense and capture the scent of the flowers carried along by the breeze.
It costs just a tiny fee to enter the temple grounds. Once inside, there is about a one-mile walk along a tranquil path next to a small river that leads to the temple. Tongdo Temple has a lot of small buildings, hermitages, and surroundings to explore. For example-- beautiful bridges, mountains, walking paths, and hiking trails are among them. There are several hundred year-old pine trees lined up from the entrance to Ilju Gate -- the small drum (used when praying in front of a Buddha figure) and bell, the sunset, the pond and the rocks and waterfalls behind the temple are grouped and called the 'Eight Famous Sceneries of Tongdo Temple.'
Above all, with regards to Buddhist cultural assets, Tongdosa Museum is the only one in Korea dedicated to preservation of Buddhist temple artifacts. The museum houses the world's largest and finest collection, with genres ranging from line drawings to a Tankga painting in the main lobby, which stands more than 15 meters high. On this particular day of the Camp Carroll tour, it was a good chance for Area IV participants to see the Tankga paintings which were used for a special outdoor ceremony...mainly because the art is exhibited only twice a year.
Ask almost any member of the USAG Daegu community who took part in the tour, and the response to how interesting it was, will be that of a collective thumbs up. There is one thing for certain, a tour to Yangsan Tongdo Temple allows newcomers to Area IV, and old-timers alike, a chance to get out and see more of the Land of the Morning Calm in a way that makes even the brisk winds of winter, feel almost like spring.
Social Sharing