wooden duck

Around the year 676, it is said that a Buddhist monk threw a wooden duck from the top of a mountain to determine the site for a new temple. According to the story, the wooden duck flew down the valley and landed at a specific spot, where a temple was subsequently built. This place came to be known as Apgoksa 압곡사 鴨谷寺. Apgok 鴨谷 means “the valley where the duck sat.”

Someone described Apgoksa as a tranquil sanctuary embraced by the mountains, where it feels as though all the worries of the world simply fade away. padyatri had wanted to visit this place for a long time, and since he happened to have something to do in Gaeum 가음, Gunwi 군위, he stopped by on the way back. As you leave the main road and walk 1.4 kilometers along a cement-paved mountain path, a temple nestled deep in the valley comes into view. Although it is possible to drive up, he parked in the open area near the entrance and walked from there. 

Apgoksa was built by making the most of the narrow land on the mountain slope. Its simple and unadorned beauty, with restrained decoration, combines with the aged and weathered wooden buildings to put visitors at ease. Traditional Korean earthenware jars in the courtyard contain various fermented pastes and sauces consumed by monks and devotees. A large white dog greets visitors in a leisurely manner. 

It happened that a Dharma gathering was being held on the day padyatri visited. You can see the shoes of the abbot and the devotees placed on the wooden step stool. Although it is located close to the mountain summit, clear water always flows from the stone water basin beneath the wooden duck, accompanied by the sound of water, creating a cozy and tranquil atmosphere. 

On the left side of the L-shaped building is the kitchen, the central part is the Inbeopdang 인법당 人法堂(monk's residence and dharma hall) called Apgung- bogung 압곡보궁 鴨谷寶宮, and the protruding hall on the right is the Josajeon 조사전 祖師殿(Patriarchs’ hall). Except for the kitchen, a wooden step veranda(툇마루, toeutmaru) runs along the front of the building.

On both sides of the calligraphy signboard of Apgungbogung, two additional ones read Sayusu 사유수 思惟修(dhyāna, 禪, Seon) and Apgukam 압궁암 鴨宮庵. Beneath the signboards, there are four pillar couplets of calligraphic inscriptions. They are written in classical Chinese, and roughly translated, they imply the following.

  

Sitting silently through the quiet night in the mountain hall,

Many thoughts arise, yet none are worth clinging to.

Do not hold on to even the slightest attachment in the mind,

For the sensory objects and their consciousness are originally empty.

If you walk up the uphill path on the right of the temple for a short distance, you will be greeted by a scenic view along with two stupas and a pavilion. Next to the pavilion stands a stupa tomb called a Budo 부도, which enshrines the relics or remains of a revered monk. 

apple orchard village

On his way back from Hwanseongsa 환성사, instead of returning through Hayang, padyatri took a route heading east, crossing two mountain passes to get back to Daegu. It was a mountain path he had never taken before. After descending from the second pass and entering a village, he was surprised to see that the entire area around him was filled with apple orchards. He hadn’t known that there was a place like this in Daegu. 

Later, he learned that it was Pyeonggwang-dong 평광동, which is famous for apples. It is said that during the Japanese invasions of Korea in the late 16th century, a refugee surnamed Woo 우 who had fled from the north first settled here. Today, most of the villagers are his descendants.

Dr. Woodbridge O. Johnson(1869–1951) was an American missionary who, when he opened a hospital in Daegu in 1899, introduced and planted Korea’s first western apple trees. This marked the beginning of Daegu’s apple history, and the trees he planted became the origin of apple cultivation in the region. 

Pyeonggwang-dong, a village nestled deep in a valley on the eastern side of the Daegu Basin is a place that has been growing apples for over a hundred years. The access road into the village follows a narrow valley, and once you pass through it, a fairly wide basin village unfolds.

Most of the villagers are engaged in apple farming. In this valley, there were once enough residents to have an elementary school, but like many other rural schools, it was closed due to population decline. Now, about 190 households remain. The apples grown here are excellent in sugar content and firm texture, thanks to the deep, well-drained sandy loam soil, the large temperature variations in its climate, and the clean water flowing from nearby valleys.

back there again

Hayang 하양 is a town located on the eastern outskirts of Daegu, and when you take the newly opened subway east, you will arrive at its terminal station, Hayang Station 하양역. A Buddhist temple named Hwanseongsa 환성사 環城寺 is located about an hour’s walk from Hayang Station. After getting off at the station, you keep walking westward, leave the town, cross a mountain pass along a paved mountain road, and continue on for a while until you reach the temple situated on the mountainside deep inside a valley. Padyatri visited again after a long time.

It is said that the temple was named Hwanseongsa because the surrounding mountains encircled it like a fortress. It was first established in 835 and later burned down during the Goryeo period. After being rebuilt in 1635, it underwent multiple restorations up to the present due to the nature of its wooden structure. This temple is located not on the usual flat land or narrow mountain slope where ancient Korean temples were typically established, but on a wide open mountainside with a gentle incline. This little-known temple is one of the most peaceful and cozy places padyatri has ever visited.

When you arrive at the entrance of Hwanseongsa, Iljumun 일주문 一柱門 stands at the front. Iljumun is a gate that marks the outermost boundary of a temple. It is named for its distinctive structure, in which two or four pillars are set up in a single row rather than in a square, with a roof placed on top. The original gate had been burned down, leaving only four stone pillars, but it was restored in 2005. The left side shows the photo before restoration. Of the four stone pillars, the leftmost and rightmost are square, while the two in the middle are octagonal. Some say this represents the Buddha’s teachings: the Four Noble Truths 사성제 四聖諦 and the Eightfold Path 팔정도 八正道.

If you go up past the gate, you can look up and see Suwolgwan 수월관 水月觀, the pavilion, which was built in the 17th century. It means the moon reflected on the water, which symbolizes an illusion that disappears without having any real substance. Through this, a seeker learns the teaching that all phenomena in the world lack inherent existence, and that one must abandon attachment. As another story passed down in the temple's legend, when Suwolhwan was built, a large pond was present. The moon reflected in this pond was so beautiful that the pavilion was named Suwolhwan. The large pond that existed at that time has since disappeared. Instead, a small pond has been newly created on the right side of the path leading up to Suwolhwan.

Visitors proceed under Suwolgwan and climb the stone stairs directly ahead, reaching the courtyard in front of the Daeungjeon 대웅전 大雄殿, the main building of the temple, which features a Buddha statue in the center and bodhisattva statues seated on either side. The front courtyard is centered around a three-story stone pagoda, with the Daeungjeon standing at the highest point directly ahead, and the other temple buildings arranged in a quadrangular layout below it.

The view looking down from Suwolhwan toward the entrance, and the scene below it. Each of the foundation stones has a different shape. 

Perhaps because it was a weekday, it was even quieter, and only one or two visitors appeared from time to time. A monk was leisurely sweeping the fallen leaves in the courtyard.

more fulfilling

It has been one year since the onset of acute prostatitis. After taking tamsulosin, finasteride, and fluoroquinolones for several months, the symptoms improved significantly. Urination frequency has returned to normal, and padyatri no longer feels any discomfort in daily life.

However, about six months after taking the medication, the frequency of urination gradually began to increase, and he also started waking up more often at night to go to the bathroom. Around that time, he thought carefully about whether he should keep taking the medication, and he learned that tomatoes are good for the prostate. He also looked up foods that can be harmful to the prostate. 

After taking a health supplement containing lycopene, an antioxidant in tomatoes that benefits the prostate, together with prescription medication for a week, he noticed a difference in efficacy before and after, and decided to stop the prescription medication. 

He also stopped consuming dairy products, which may be harmful to the prostate, and replaced them with black soybean milk, and ate a lot of cabbage salad, generously topped with tomato ketchup. Although it was a bit disappointing to give up dairy products he had eaten all his life, especially his favorite fermented cheeses like Emmental, it wasn’t tough. He originally didn’t drink alcohol or coffee, didn’t smoke, and didn’t eat meat except for fish, which has likely helped maintain his prostate health. He also reduced his cycling time by a third. 

As a result, he has been able to maintain prostate health for five months without medication.

The healthiest state is when you don’t even notice your body. If you free yourself from greed and attachment and live without suffering, what could be more fulfilling than that?

deep within the valley

At the tail end of autumn, for the first time in almost two years, padyatri made a loop around a remote area on the eastern outskirts of Gayasan National Park 가야산 국립공원. It was a bit chilly, but the pleasantly cool autumn weather made it a great day for cycling. Because this area is rural and the harvest season was almost over, mud spilled by passing farm machinery had dried and stuck to various parts of the paved road. Every time a car passed, it kicked up a cloud of dust. At this time of year, the hard part of cycling on country roads is breathing in dust whenever a car passes.

Starting from the Unsu-myeon 운수면 township office parking lot, heading north, you’ll soon reach a stream you have to cross, and in the distance, Mt. Gayasan comes into view. A three-story stone stupa is located on the road leading to Jageun-ri 작은리 鵲隱里, standing on the site of a former Silla-period temple.

Jageun-ri, a small village nestled deep in the mountains, is made up of several small hamlets. Jageun 작은 means 'small' in Korean, but here it means a place where magpies hide—that is, Magpie Hidden Village. The apple orchards around the village sit just below the mountain summit at the very end of the valley. Whenever padyatri came to a remote area like this, he always wondered how the people living in such mountain villages made their living, because there was hardly any land suitable for farming. But that curiosity was resolved when he saw the apple orchards scattered around. He realized that apples are the specialty product of Jageun-ri.

A Catholic chapel(mission station, 공소) is located next to an elementary school in Suryun 수륜. After passing Suryun and riding along the road toward Goryeong 고령, he turned right and went through a village. After a while, he climbed a short but fairly steep hill and then rode down the slope heading toward Baekri 백리, a secluded mountain basin village that he passed through while going from Suryun to Deokgok 덕곡. Since the route from Deokgok to the starting point in Unsu was flat, he pedaled comfortably.

the deepening autumn

As November arrives, the temperature drops sharply, and people’s clothing gets thicker. It’s a bit chilly, but it’s the perfect season to ride a bicycle comfortably without breaking a sweat. The crisp air feels refreshing, and the cool breeze makes pedaling pleasant rather than tiring. 

Last Sunday, padyatri rode his bicycle along the streams and riverside paths in the northern area of Daegu 대구, making a full round trip. On the way, he passed through a rural village where the villagers were finishing up the harvest. Continuing on, leaving the countryside behind, he entered the city. To shorten the return time, he entered the bike path along the stream running through central Taejeon-dong 태전동 area. A new bike path had been built along the stream, with a monorail running above it. 

the Buddha's path

A very significant insight that Padyatri recently gained about Buddhism is the legendary anecdote in which the Buddha transmitted his enlightenment to Mahākāśyapa 마하가섭 by holding up a flower, and Mahākāśyapa smiled—a story that was actually a later invention in China. Furthermore, realizing that the Buddha’s original teachings and Chinese Buddhism, namely Seon (Zen) Buddhism 선불교 are not the same, Padyatri had to reconsider Buddhism from a new perspective and in a new way.

견성성불 見性成佛 expresses the core idea of Seon Buddhism: enlightenment is attained by seeing one’s own true nature and becoming a Buddha. However, it is also a statement that significantly distorts the original teachings of the Buddha. In fact, the Buddha realized anatta(non-self) and did not recognize any kind of inherent substance or existence.

As Buddhism was transmitted to China and became indigenized, it absorbed Daoist and Laozi thought, giving rise to Seon Buddhism. It was a process in which the logical and analytical Buddhism transformed into the intuitive and non-logical Seon Buddhism. 

On the surface, it has been almost impossible to attain enlightenment through Seon Buddhism. This is proven by the fact that since Seon Buddhism was introduced to the Korean Peninsula around the 4th century, very few have truly attained enlightenment. Therefore, in modern times, since Korean monks cannot find answers within Seon Buddhism, they often travel to Theravada Buddhist countries such as Myanmar, Thailand, and Sri Lanka to seek the path.

A well-known Seon dialogue can be cited as an example of the limitations and problems of Seon Buddhism. Such lofty, abstract stories, heavily colored by Chinese Buddhist influence, are not the way the Buddha kindly taught the truth to his disciples.

A monk asked Zhaozhou 조주,                                                                           “What is the meaning of the Patriarch’s coming from the West?”

Zhaozhou 조주 replied,                                                                           
“The cypress tree in the front yard.”

The Buddha's enlightenment is based on the doctrine of dependent origination 연기법(pratītyasamutpāda), which is expressed through the Four Noble Truths 사성제, and the Noble Eightfold Path 팔정도. The precise map leading to that path is also Dependent Origination, the Four Noble Truths, and the Noble Eightfold Path.

Even if one has not yet attained enlightenment, the very fact that enlightenment exists and that the Buddha presented the path to it with utmost clarity shows that it is neither unrealistic nor fanciful. Therefore, by following that path, we can have confidence and hope that we will eventually attain enlightenment.

Even if we take the most positive view that the enlightenment of the Buddha and that of the Chinese patriarchs are identical, there remains an essential issue that must be resolved.

When classical Chinese texts written approximately 1,500 years ago were translated into other languages, translation errors could have occurred, and examples of this can be found in Korean translations. One reason is that Chinese characters, which originated as pictographs, have undergone semantic changes over time. Therefore, in translation, one must restore the original meaning; if one translates according to the later, modern meaning, the original intent can easily be distorted.

One of the translation errors found in Mahāyāna scriptures is 견성성불 見性成佛. Among these words, 견성 見性 is often rendered as “seeing one’s true nature,” but this implies a self that does the seeing. Yet the Buddha taught non-self(anattā) and never spoke of an inherent “nature.” Moreover, 견 見 means “to be seen,” a passive sense; the verb for actively seeing is 시 視. Thus, the phrase 견성성불 implies that realizing the absence of any fixed nature is what allows one to become a Buddha.

Accurately identifying the ancient meanings of Chinese characters and correctly interpreting the writings of the Seon masters is a tough task; however, it is a challenge and responsibility entrusted to people of the present day.

20 years later

As autumn arrived, a padyatri visited Jeokcheonsa 적천사, an ancient Buddhist temple located 4 kilometers south of Cheongdo 청도, for the first time in 20 years. It is said that this temple was founded around 1,600 years ago during the Silla period by a Buddhist layman 거사, and over time, it grew in scale. Around the year 1100, during the Goryeo 고려 dynasty, approximately 500 monks practiced here, and many renowned Zen masters emerged from this place.

At the entrance of the temple stand two famous ginkgo trees that greet visitors. They are estimated to be around 800 years old, and in late autumn, they turn a brilliant yellow, transforming into a spectacular sight. These trees have been designated and preserved as national monuments. According to legend, they grew from the staff that a monk named Jinul 지눌 planted while rebuilding and repairing the old structures of Jeokcheonsa in 1175 during the Goryeo dynasty. He was a venerable monk of the Goryeo period who played a decisive role in establishing Korean Seon Buddhism. It was the end of October, but autumn had come late to this mountain. On the day a padyatri went, the ginkgo leaves still had a greenish hue rather than the typical golden yellow of autumn.       

  

Jeokcheonsa is located halfway up the mountain, so you can either drive there or park in the village at the foot of the mountain and walk up. A padyatri walked up, and it seemed that many more houses had been built throughout the valley compared to the past.

as autumn returns once more

Drove to Daehap 대합 township, a typical country village in Gyeongnam 경남 province and started from the township office. Each day of October’s autumn feels more and more precious. The mountain pass between Daehap and Goam 고암 had a steep uphill section, which was a bit tough, but it was an enjoyable day during the Chuseok 추석 holiday.

Took a short break at the top of the mountain pass between Daehap and Goam areas. The long downhill beyond the hill was enough to cool off a cyclist's  sweat. The photo on the right shows the downhill road leading to Goam after crossing the mountain pass and the rural scenery.

Rode over once again the long mountain pass from Goam to the Seongsan 성산 area and headed east toward the Dalchang 달창 Reservoir. The road runs right next to the reservoir, allowing you to enjoy the scenery. You can keep going straight along the road, then descend the downhill near the reservoir embankment and turn left, which will take you onto a path that runs just below the embankment. You can also see the Dalchang reservoir embankment in the distance.