Thursday, May 31, 2012

선암사에 부처님 오신날 봉축 대법회

In addition to going to 삼광사 on Buddha's birthday, I also went to see the celebration at SeonAm temple (선암사), a smaller temple located not far from my home.

There too, the temple yard was decorated with prayer lanterns.  People came to the temple to pray, and to cheerfully wish each other well on the occasion of this important religious day.  Many wished me a good day, sometimes in Korean, sometimes in English.
Lanterns in the temple yard, at 선암사.
People greeting each other under the prayer lanterns, at 선암사.
Going to pray, on Buddha's birthday.

At 선암사, the celebration was hosted by ladies dressed in similar traditional Korean dresses of purple colour.
Hostesses wearing purple coloured traditional Korean dresses.

Some of the visitors at the temple constructed little mounds with small stones, placing them at various locations on the temple grounds.  I don't understand the significance of these piles of stone, but I think they are interesting...
A pile of stones, constructed by a visitor to 선암사.
Another pile of stones, with prayer lanterns in the background.

Last year, I had come to 선암사 at night on Buddha's birthday.  At that time, the prayer lanterns were all lit, and they shone beautifully under the night sky.
Illuminated prayer lanterns in the light of the setting sun, at 선암사.
The open gate of 선암사, last year, on the night of Buddha's birthday.

This year, I tried to visit 선암사 in the evening, on the day after Buddha's birthday, hoping to see the illuminated prayer lanterns on that day.  But when I got to 선암사, the temple gate was closed and the lanterns did not appear to be illuminated...
The closed gate at 선암사, on the night after Buddha's birthday.

In my opinion, the celebration of Buddha's birthday at 선암사 seemed subdued this year, in comparison to last year.  Last year, there was heavy traffic on the road to the temple during the entire day.  This year there seemed to be far fewer people visiting the temple...

Because it is a temple of the Jogye order of Buddhism, I wondered if the attendance of the celebration of Buddha's birthday at 선암사 was reduced as a result of the scandal that emerged, concerning the Jogye order, a few weeks ago.  On May 10, 2012, it was reported in the news that monks of the Jogye order were caught on film allegedly smoking, drinking, and gambling.  Drinking, smoking and gambling is prohibited by the code of conduct of Buddhist monks, and therefore this news was quite scandalous.  But most serious was the amount of money that the monks allegedly gambled.  One article reported that the amounts gambled were in the tens of millions of won, which corresponds to tens of thousands of dollars.  It was soon after reported that a power struggle is currently taking place within the Jogye order, with different monks vying for control of the organization.  The Jogye order is the largest order of Buddhist monks in Korea, and is therefore quite influential.  As a result, the leadership of the order is powerful, and has access to substantial financial and political resources.  This tale of religious and political intrigue, reminiscent of those that sometimes grip the Vatican, even made the news in Québec on Buddha's birthday...

Tuesday, May 29, 2012

부처님의 오신날 왈때 봄이 있어요

Another sign of spring in Busan is the celebration of Buddha's birthday.

Buddha's birthday is for Buddhists what Christmas is for Christians.  It's an important religious day, and in Korea, it's a national holiday.

This year is Buddha's 2556th anniversary.

To mark the occasion, I visited SamGwang temple (삼광사).  The name of this temple translates to "temple of the three lights".  It is located in the ChoEup district (초읍동), one of Busan's oldest neighbourhoods.  And it is unique because it's run by one of Korea's smaller Buddhist orders, called the CheonTae order (천태종).

In the day time, 삼광사 looks like this:
Homes in 초읍동, near 삼광사.
One of the main buildings of 삼광사.
A unique building, at 삼광사.
Building roofs, at 삼광사.
Wall paintings, at 삼광사.
A pagoda, 삼광사.

To mark Buddha's birthday, it is tradition to decorate the temple grounds with lanterns, and to hang ribbons of paper bearing prayers from them.  On the night of Buddha's birthday, these lanterns are illuminated.  As a result, the temple grounds are totally transformed...
Arriving at 삼광사 at dusk, on Buddha's birthday.
Prayer lanterns, on the way up the stairs to 삼광사.
A view of 초읍동, through the lanterns on the stairway to 삼광사.
Riding a dragon, over a sea of illuminated prayer lanterns.
More prayer lanterns, at 삼광사.
The pagoda, with lotus shaped lanterns.
Lotus shaped lanterns.
Yup, it's Buddha's birthday!
A view of the temple yard, towards the main temple building.
More prayer lanterns.
Still more lanterns.
White lanterns.
Pink and green lanterns.
Bigger lanterns.
Lanterns suspended overhead...
... contrasting beautifully against the night sky.
A view of 초읍동, from 삼광사.

As I left the temple, there was a lot of traffic on the road below it.
Traffic on the road below 삼광사.

Just before I caught my bus home, I turned and caught one last glimpse of the temple between some apartment buildings.
삼광사, as seen between apartment buildings in 초읍동.

Monday, May 28, 2012

Et le printemps se transforma en été

Puisqu'il neige très peu ici, le printemps à Busan se démarque de l'hiver non pas par la disparition de la neige.  Ce qui se remarque au début du printemps, c'est l'allongement des journées et l'accroissement de la chaleur reçue du soleil.

La ville de Busan, tôt au printemps.
Encore Busan, au début du printemps.
L'embouchure de la rivière Nakdong, par une journée printannière ensoleillée.

Dans les bois, sur le mont Baekyang, la plus intense lumière solaire fait ressortir le vert des conifères et des quelques arbres feuillus qui réussissent à garder leurs feuilles à travers tout l'hiver.
La verdure hivernale du mont Baekyang, illuminée par le soleil du printemps.
Des arbres aux feuilles robustes, qui conservent leurs feuilles durant tout l'hiver.
Un conifère sur la crète du mont Baekyang.
Vue de la vallée de la rivière Nakdong, à partir de la crète du mont Baekyang.

Et voilà qu'arrive la pluie et l'humidité...
Le mont Baekyang, par une journée printannière pluvieuse.
Busan, par une journée humide et ennuagée.
De bas nuages au-dessus de Busan.

...  et la verdure de l'été réapparait...
La ville de Busan, à la mi-mai.
Le sommet du mont Baekyang, et l'embouchure de la rivière Nakdong, en mai.
La verdure estivale du mont Baekyang.
Un ver, suspendu par une ficelle, oscillant dans le vent.
Près de la crète du mont Baekyang.
La vallée de la rivière Nakdong, à la mi-mai.  On y voit les champs de riz inondés.

Le mois de mai, en Corée, c'est la saison de la semence du riz.  Cette denrée de l'alimentation coréenne nécessite beaucoup d'eau pour croitre.  Il est donc nécessaire d'inonder les champs où elle est cultivée.  Il en résulte une transformation dramatique du paysage.

Le printemps en Corée, c'est aussi la saison des tempêtes de sable, quoi qu'il n'y aie pas eu de grandes tempêtes de sable en Corée cette année.  À partir des régions désertiques de la Chine et de la Mongolie, les vent printanniers transportent d'énormes quantités de sable vers l'est.  Ce sable, il rejoint souvent la Corée, et même le Japon.  Le gouvernement coréen investit des sommes considérables afin de financer des efforts de reboisement dans les régions désertiques de la Mongolie et de la Chine, en espérant réduire l'intensité de ces tempêtes.