happy birthday buddha

Last Monday was Buddha's birthday which not only gave us a day off of work but also the perfect reason to visit the Bong-eunsa Temple in downtown Seoul.

I may have already mentioned that this city's juxtapositions are infinite and spectacular. Seoul is a throbbing web of ancient culture and impulse-buys, jagged alleys and sparkling skyscrapers... And it's best appreciated by whirling yourself into the superficial and then escaping to the spiritual; dropping waist-deep into the low and then hurling yourself at the high. Get out there and don't stop until you see something you've never seen before.



We'd never been to a Buddha's birthday celebration so that fit the bill. To get to the temple we rode the subway to one of Seoul's largest shopping centers and walked through its powerhouse of shopping and consumerism. We walked out the front doors and crossed the street - and there was the Temple. As simple as that. One side of the street has all of your earthly needs while the other covers the spiritual.

The temple grounds - decorated with thousands of colorful lanterns - were packed solid with happy visitors who were all celebrating in their own way. Families were spread out on grassy patches to picnic and relax. The devout stood before a towering Buddha to bow and pray. Others stood in line to visit smaller golden buddhas in shady temples. And we stood back and watched it all.



The largest Buddha on the Bong-eunsa grounds stands several stories high and when you climb the hill behind him to get a better perspective you find that he drops perfectly into Seoul's skyline. Worshipers are scattered on the ground before him but he stands tall and unmoving as high-rises glint in the sun. Seoul's combination of spirit and cement has never been more obvious.

We ate lunch on the grounds after wandering through a packed marketplace of vendors selling all manner of delicious korean foods. We chose a green onion pancake which was fried in more oil than an elephant ear, and a spicy rice noodle dish which resembled giant worms more than anything else. As expected the food was incredible. Even better, it was easy to order since it was being made right in front of you and you could point at whatever looked good. (And it all looked good!)



Leaving the temple grounds we ran into several groups of schoolgirls giving out free hugs. While we appreciated their signs (in English, yay!) we didn't take them up on their offer, fearing some sort of international incident in the making. We couldn't understand all of the words in their "come and get a free hug" song - which, unlike their signs, was not in English - but they liked that we took photos anyway.



(Korea, by the way, is a great country in which to be a photographer. You're never the only one with a camera, and there's always someone whose camera is bigger than yours. The steal-my-camera target rarely rests on your shoulders alone.)

Despite skipping the free hugs we had a great time at Buddha's birthday. After celebrating, eating, and wandering through the crowds on the temple grounds there was only one thing left to do: we crossed the street and went shopping. Because, my friends, that is what you do in Seoul.