A mystical treasure of Korea – Mount Inwangsan

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After a hard day at work it is time to spend the next couple of hours learning about Mount Inwangsan the amazing hill/mountain that I climbed on Saturday.

Climbing to the top of this mountain was an experience I will never forget. At the bottom are a number of amazing Buddhist and Shamanist temples and when we reached the top there was something strangely peaceful and serene about it. It made you just want to sit and meditate (if I knew how to). It is definitely somewhere I will go back and visit again, probably to sit at the top with a book and learn more about Buddhism and Shamanism.

During the Joseon period Inwangsan was known as ‘white tiger mountain’ because of the number of tigers that inhabited the area. Walking around it was clear to see that a tiger could be quite at home there.

I went with Emily, Daniel and his girlfriend Lim. Luckily Lim is Korean because as we approached the mountain we came across the wall of a construction site. Lim was able to ask for directions and we navigated our way around the wall, but in true Korean style were soon directed up a road that ran directly through the middle of an at work construction area!!

Mount Inwangsan only stands at 338 meters high and so is more of a hill, but the steep incline at the bottom soon had us all puffing and gasping for water. As we entered the bottom of Inwangsan we passed through an elaborately decorated gate. The picture below was taken on the way back down.

Once the steep hill subsided most of the rest of the way was steps. The steps lead you to this bell (picture below) which marks the entrance to a Buddhist temple called Bongwonsa. The Bongwon Temple is the head temple of the Tageo Order of  Korean Buddhism and was originally founded in AD889.

In Korea Buddhism probably has the largest following of any organised religion. It was introduced to Korea from China in AD372.

I found this information about Korean Buddhism on Wikipedia:

Korean Buddhism is distinguished from other forms of Buddhism by its attempt to resolve what it sees as inconsistencies in Chinese Mahayana Buddhism. Early Korean monks believed that the traditions they received from China were internally inconsistent. To address this, they developed a new holistic approach to Buddhism. This approach is characteristic of virtually all major Korean thinkers, and has resulted in a distinct variation of Buddhism. Korean Buddhist thinkers refined their Chinese predecessors’ ideas into a distinct form. Korean Buddhism then went on to have strong effects on Buddhism in the West.

Near the bottom of the mountain was a Shamanist shrine (picture below). The shrine called Guksadang houses the spirits of Joseon Dynasty’s (1392 – 1910) founder King Taejo and various generals. It was probably the most simple of all the temples we saw. If you look to the far left of the picture there is tree just on the edge. This must have been significant because shortly after I took the picture a couple of Koreans walked past, stopped and bowed at this point as if paying respects.

The inscription on the plaque near the shrine read:

Designation: Folklore Material No. 28
Period: 1925
Location: San 2-12, Muak-dong, Jongno-gu, Seoul

This building is a shamanic shrine that houses the spirits of Joseon founder Yi Seonggye (King Taejo) and various guardian generals. It was built in 1395 on Namsan and was called Mongmyeoksinsa, because Namsan had been given the title of  Great King Mongmyeok.

Guksadang was located on the site of the Namsan octagonal pavilion up until 1925, when the Japanese built the shrine Joseonsingung on the site. The shrine was moved halfway up Inwangsan in July of that year.

Even today shamans perform rituals for invoking spirits, for healing, for good fortune, and for praying for the spirits of the dead.

Nearby Guksadang is the Seonbawi, called Gijaam, and several small temples, which are helpful in the study of shamanistic beliefs in Seoul. Within Guksadang are various paintings of shamanic gods, which are collectively designated Important Folklore Material No. 17.

Some more information on Guksadand can be found here.Shamanism is an ancient religion and has existed in Korea for centuries. It has been argued that Shaminism represents the original human religion and archeologists have inferred evidence of Shaminism among homo sapiens.According to Shamanism spirits exist in every part of nature. Every river, mountain, animal and home has one and everyone who dies has one that may or may not move on to another world. Doors singer Jim Morrison claimed to be traumatised when the spirit of an Indian Shaman entered his sole! The spirits are not inherently good or bad but if treated badly they bring about misfortune including sickness, natural disaster and family problems. When worshiped or summoned they help prevent problems and ensure good luck.

Shaminism consists of magical and ritual practices during which the Shaman performs a ceremony to invokes spirits to cure diseases, attract good fortune, foretell the future or pray to the spirits of the deceased. Korean Shamanism, introduced from Siberia, is unique in that ceremonies are mainly carried out by female Shamans called mudangs. Mudangs act as intermediaries between the human and spirit worlds.

Whilst on the mountain we also visited these rocks (picture below) called Seonbawi rock meaning Zen Rock, it is said to represent a robed Buddhist monk.

The inscription on the plaque outside beside the rock read:

This rock is called Seonbawi (zen rock) because it looks like a robed Buddhist monk. It is also called the “Rock of Preying for a Son” as many women who wanted to bear sons came here to prey. This rock is said by some to resemble the likeness of King Taejo, Joseon’s founder and first King and the Great Monk Muhak daesa and by other the likenss of King Taejo and his wife.

Beliefs concerning Seonbawi became more closley linked to folk beliefs after the Japanese Empire moved Guksadang , which had been at Namsan next to Seonbawi. Guksandang was a srine to a Shamanic god and the place where shamanic rites were held. As a result Seonbawi became connected with these shamanic beliefs.

These is an interesting story about the time when the city wall of Hanyang (Seoul) was being built. It is said that Muhak daesa wanted Seonbawi to be within the city walls , but Jeong Dojeon wanted the rock located outside the walls. Jeong Dojeon said: “If Seonbawi is within the wall Buddhism will flourish; if it is without Confucianism will flourish.” Taejo followed Jeong Dejon’s advice , an Muhak daesa sighed: “From now on the monks will be following the Confucian scholars around carrying their packages of book for them.” The story tells us that Seonbawi attracted attention from the early Joseon era as a striking feature of Inwangsan.

Finally we climbed to the top of the mountain where everything seemed amazingly peaceful. It was a feeling that is very difficult to describe. I kind of felt at peace with myself, just relaxed and chilled out. Maybe it was being away from the busyness and congestion of Seoul below. Maybe it was looking around at the beautiful views. Maybe it was hearing the Buddhist monks worshiping in the distance. Maybe it was a combination of them all. Or maybe this mountain does just have something extra special about it. I know one thing for sure; I will definitely be going back.

j150vsc – Tue, 2006 – 09 – 19 13:15

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