Hermitage

염불암, Yeombulam, a Buddhist hermitage located on the mid-slope of Mt. Palgong surrounding northern Daegu is one of the hermitages affiliated to Donghwasa temple. Yeombul means Buddhist prayer and Am Buddhist hermitage. This hermitage was set up during Shilla Kingdom(BC 57 ∼ AD 935).
On the way to the hermitage, visitors can see two stone pillars which some Chinese characters are carved in low relief. The characters "入此門內 (on the right pillar), 莫存知解" cited from the Buddhist scripture written in Chinese mean "If you want to pass through this gate (on the right), do not give rise to thinking." "O" is also carved at the beginning of the characters, which means emptiness(공, 空). These letters can be usually found at the gates of Buddhist temples in Korea. A large rock stands in the backyard and two Buddhist images are carved on the western and southern side.

land, sea & sky

병곡 Byeonggog on the eastern coast of the peninsula, a small harbor where very few fishing boats were anchored, used to be a simple village, but now it is known for its beach (8 km or 4.97 mile) and seashore among tourists during summer season. The above photo shows the area where the stream near Byeonggog enters the sea, and the other one the typical coastal village along the road.

mountains in the sky

지리산, Jirisan, Mt. Jiri, the biggest mountain range in South Korea and one of the favorite national parks among mountaineers is located in the mid-south region of the Korean peninsula. Many magnificent mountains, valleys and buddhist temples scatter across the park and have been historically, religiously and spiritually loved since ancient times.

On the way to 천왕봉 Cheonwang Bong, the highest peak of the mountain range, hikers can drop in 법계사 Beopgyesa, a buddhist temple which is located on the highest place in South Korea. Since the temple was first built in 544 during 신라 Silla Dynasty(BC 57∼AD 935), it had been burnt and destroyed three times by Japanese and once during the Korean war. So all of the temple and residence have been newly built except a small three story stupa, believed to be built during 고려 Goryo Dynasty (918∼1392), on the top of a rock overlooking the panoramic view of the mountain range with the temple area. The stupa has been revered by buddhists for a long time because relic of the Buddha is held in the stupa.

Lunch is offered free every saturday and sunday at the restaurant attached to the temple. 비빔밥, Bibimbab, mixed rice with vegetables as a fixed meal is served.