Confucius Say...

Today we enjoyed a time filled with events relating to the impact of Confucian philosophy.  Professor Peterson led a lecture/discussion on the bus about some basics of Confucianism.  Confucian philosophy focused on making sure there was a moral rightness in five different relationships: king to subjects, parents to child(ren), husband to wife, elders to youngers, and friend to friend.  If these relationships are perfected then harmony can exist within this life.

Our first stop was to Ok San Seo Won, a regional school for learning about the philosophies of Confucius.  After touring the grounds, we all sat inside the learning center of the school for continued discussion on Confucian ideology and education as well as Korean literature styles.  It was noted that the primary career of choice was to be a public official or government bureaucrat/adviser.  Because Korean leaders of the Josen period had so heavily embraced Confucian ideology, having a firm grounding in the teachings of the great philosopher was imperative prior to obtaining such a government related job.  In order to show your worthiness you had to pass a serious of tests.  There were three levels of potential service and each level had three distinct tests which must be passed.  Professor Peterson mentioned that this could be a significant reason for why there is such a strong focus on education and test scores to this day in Korea.

We then ventured to Yangdong Village, a traditional 15th-16th century community.  This village is of the style built and used during the primary era of Confucian political importance.  Following a traditional lunch, served on tables at which you must sit on the floor, we met with the spiritual leader of this community.  The leader's title is Jongson and the current leader is the 17th generation of his family serving in this position....it is passed to the first born son of each successive generation.  The Jongson is responsible for leading his community in the various religious ceremonies related to the traditional practices of Confucianism in this part of Korea.  We sat down in the ceremonial room adjacent to his house for a question and answer period.

17th generation Jongson with his 2nd eldest son

Following our visit with the Jongson we then walked around and visited many places within the village.  Yangdong has been declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site and thus all buildings, including new construction, must be accomplished in the traditional manner.  This was one of those days in which the full sun, strong humidity, and overall heat combined for a day that made many of us so miserable that we probably did not appreciate the visit and experiences and much as we otherwise would have done.

It was a great day learning more about Confucian philosophies and visiting sits associated with such.  Even with the weather, it was still enjoyable to roam the roads of lands remote.

Make NEW friends, but keep the OLD

Following a wonderful breakfast at the hotel, we set out for a 50 minute drive to the POSCO steel factory/mill and headquarters in Pohang, South Korea on the coast of the East Sea (aka Sea of Japan).  POSCO began in 1968 and today is the third leading producer of steel in the world; many consider Pohang to be the jewel of Korea's industrial crown.  We were able to walk through a company curated museum so as to gain a historical understanding of the company's history and then we went on a tour/bus drive through the primary production compound.  Due to fears of corporate espionage, we were not allowed to take photographs during the tour; in fact special bags were given to us for us to place our camera phones inside of so that we were not tempted to use them for photographing.  One point along the bus ride we did stop and walked inside one of the buildings.  In this phase the machines were cooling down long (100+ feet) sheets of steel.  As the steel moved along the conveyor belts we could feel the massive heat coming off of the sheets.  I had a moment of remembrance of my maternal grandfather who worked in a (much smaller scale) steel factory in Oklahoma City many years ago.

Following lunch in Pohang, we journeyed back to Geongju for a visit to the Geongju National Museum.  Most of the items in the collection are from the Silla era of the Three Kingdoms, the era of growth and flourishing of Buddhism in Korea prior to the era of the introduction of Confucianism.  One of buildings on the compound dealt with the architectural details of Buddhist temples.  Another building focused on various statues, large and small, of the Buddha which were unearthed during excavations of destroyed/eroded temples.

Our next stop was to the UNESCO World Heritage Site of Cheonmachong (aka the Flying Horse Tomb).  This tomb mound is in an area of Geongju in which many burial mounds were close together.  Typical Korean practice is to only excavate tombs if there is no knowledge of who is buried there.  There was no general agreement on who might be buried in this tomb so it was excited and one of the items found inside was a a saddle flap on which a flying horse had been painted.  This finding helps to give testimony that horses were significant to early Sills culture.  Of the various tomb mounds we've visited, this was the only one in which would could go inside.

Our final stop before dinner was to a site of two Buddhist temples.  Bunhwangsa is a small temple with an important pagoda in the history of Korean Buddhism.  Most of the more "recent" temple pagodas in Korea are made of stone.  This particular pagoda was envisioned by someone who had made an expedition to China and saw many pagodas made of brick.  Rather than actually making Bunhwangsa's pagoda out of brick, stones were cut to resemble brick.  This temple is immediately adjacent to the ruins of another temple: Hwangnyongsa.  The temple and pagoda previously standing on this site burned in 1238 (originally built in 600s).  This temple and pagoda were made primarily of wood, but the stone braces on which the structures rested as well as the stone reinforcements placed under the portion of the temple which held the heavy stone Buddha statue are still visible today after having been unearthed several decades ago.

It was a great day of remote road roaming that helped me to interact with POSCO, one of Korea's newer friends (historically speaking), and these special historic sites.

Tombs & Temples & Too Much MSG...Oh My

This morning we left Cheongju to head out for a longer drive that would take us to Kyungju where will be tonight and tomorrow night.  Our first, and a very brief stop, was to Najung.  Near a well on this site Korean folk lore, similar to the legends of King Arthur and the Sword in the Stone, contends that a beautiful horse laid a magnificent egg and from this egg hatched a boy.  When this boy turned 13 local chieftains declared him to be the first king of Silla (an early Korean empire).

We then drove a few minutes away to the Oreung Tombs, which are believed to house the remains of the first king of Silla, his queen (also born from an egg near these burial grounds), as well as the second, third, and fifth kings of Silla.  Again, these mounds are similar to those of the North American mound builders.  Also, around the grounds there are Confucian style structures for ancestor remembrance ceremonies; this is important in that Confucian philosophies were not a part of Korean religious life during the era of these kings and were added later in time.

Following a stop for lunch, and seeing MANY more burial mounds throughout the country-side from the windows on the bus, we went to Seokguram Grotto and its accompanying  Bulguk-sa Temple.  Seokguram features a large white granite statue of the Buddha.  Rather than being placed inside of a preexisting cave, the creators of this Buddha built a chapel cave to surround the statue.  Mark Peterson, the professor I previously mentioned in "Icons of Korean Language", noted that Buddhas within a cave were a symbol of safety along the silk road from western Asia (Middle East) all the way to East Asia.  The Seokguram Grotto Buddha is the eastern most Buddha within a cave and, thus, a marker for the eastern most extent of the silk road.  A small temple outside of this grotto displays thousands of colorful lanterns on which written prayers are placed.

About 3 km away from the grotto is the primary temple which would oversee the care of the Seokguram Buddha.  Bulguk-sa Temple was built during the reign of Silla King Beopheung who reigned from 514-540.  The temple, as well as the Buddha in the grotto, have been listed as UNESCO World Heritage Sites.

We have now settled in for our first of two nights within the Gyeongju area.