Banyawol station

Japanese colonialists ruling Korea started construction of the railway linking 대구 Daegu and 영천Yeongchun in February 1916 and opened a station along the railway around 반야월 Banyawol to the east of Daegu in December 1917, which is the second stop from Daegu station. Dongchon station that was also opened in 1917 is located between Daegu and Banyawol station.

Banyawol means half moon, which was derived from the historical event that took place around Banyawol in 927. At that time, Korean peninsular was in social and political upheaval and got involved in the war, and Mt. Palgong and its vicinity became one of the major battlefields. A general called 왕건 Wanggeon had a narrow escape from death after being decisively defeated in the battle near 팔공산 Mt. Palgong and went past this area at dawn while he ran away. Then, half moon in the sky helped him find the way to escape, and he fled to Mt. Ap, Apsan in southern Daegu and found a place to hide. Later he succeeded in rising again and finally unified the peninsula. And he named this area Banyawol which had helped him run away in the moonlight.

When Banyawol and Dongchon station were closed in December 2005, it has been 92 years since the opening in 1917. The railway line along Banyawol and Dongchon was moved to the southern area due to the urban development project. But the two stations were designated as culture properties to be conserved well by concerned government authority.

two puppies

When I passed by a cottage on the mountain last sunday and found two dogs, one of them was rushing toward me with wagging his tail and the other one barking at me. The white one was very friendly with people and jumped on me with muddy paws. But the other one looked scared and was still barking.

Then, their owner came out and saw the scene, and we exchanged greetings. He worked nearby and smiled, told me the white dog is friendly to people, even strangers. The dog looked less than one year old.

Seon Master

Songchol Sunim 성철스님(1912-1993)  is one of great Seon Masters of the 20th century in Korea. It was well known in Korea that he had been a living Buddha because he had lived an extremely ascetic lifestyle and practiced meditation very strictly. He has been estimated to show the true character of the spiritual seeker as a Buddhist monk.

The above photo shows a small temple attached to 파계사 Pagyesa temple on the foot of Mt. Palgong outside of northern Daegu, in which he had stayed from 1956 to 1963 for practicing meditation without leaving there. Gomusin( rubber shoes) is one of his only mementos including socks, wood staff, rugged clothes which he had worn for 40 years and glasses. All these photos were taken outside of the temple or in the legacy pavilion built near his birthplace in Sancheong-gun(county) in Gyeongsangnam-do(province).