Bongeunsa (Saturday)

Towards the end of the very exhausting Saturday, we took a taxi to the last educational destination of the day. Our taxi ride was not the best. We filled up the back seat and the taxi driver put a child lock on our windows so we couldn't roll them down. He barely had the had the air on... Miserable. Especially when your one of few breaks during the day is the taxi ride!

Anyways, Bongeunsa is a 1,200 year old temple. Today, it is a center for Buddhist practice. It was neat to see people meditating and actually using the spaces that we were observing. The architecture was beautiful. In one of the pictures that I have uploaded, there are hundreds of lanterns hanging from the ceiling. People donate money to sponsor a lantern in order to bring good fortune to their family through prayers and wishes. It was an astounding site to see.

Another picture from below is a stack of rocks. You are to find a smaller size stone on the ground and stack it with the others and make a wish:) One aspect of Bongeunsa that I found to be depressing was that in the background of the beautiful temple and statues, was the intrusion of today's skyscrapers and corporate world. I would have loved to see nothing but the lush trees and the clear blue sky.