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Seokguram: Koreas Supreme Grotto

>By David Mason Contributing Writer I first became enraptured by the serene yet vibrant spiritual energy of Seokguram in 1982. Over the nearly four decades since then, my fascination with Korea’s supreme grotto-temple has only intensified as I wonder why it hasn’t become one of the most famous Buddhist heritages in the world. Seokguram Grotto is listed as the 24th National Treasure of the Republic of Korea, but many scholars and travelers such as myself consider this elegant monument near Bulguk Temple in North Gyeongsang Province to be the single most precious tangible cultural legacy of this country, and its best artistically. This relatively small grotto-temple is regrettably less known than some of the world's other great ancient holy sites, but many of those who study and experience it declare that it is one of the best-made and most-profound remaining Buddhist artworks on earth. The practice of carving the images of Buddhas, Bodhisattvas and other deities into the stone walls of natural caves and dug-out grottos to actualize grand icon-sanctuaries started in In

Feb 25, 2010

(78) Seoul and Sejong City as Seen by Feng Shui and Korean History

By Janet Shin The issue of Sejong City has sparked controversy in Korean politics. The Lee government officially scrapped former President Roh Moo-hyun's plan to move nine government ministries and four agencies out of Seoul. During the last election, Lee had pledged to follow through with Roh's plan, but he changed his position, viewing the plan as an impediment to efficiency. Instead, he proposed to turn it into a science and educational city and offered incentives for local and foreign firms to relocate there. Four major Korean companies have agreed to relocate or build new branches or research and development facilities at Sejong City. Sejong is ideally situated in the central part of Korea and is close to Daedeok, already home to Korea's laboratories and universities. Such conditions would make it easier to attract talented scientists, universities and laboratories in the future. So the science-business belt could create new growth opportunities and allow the new city to operate self-sufficiently. Now, let's see this issue in the viewpoints of feng shui and the c

Feb 18, 2010

Memorial Mass Held to Mark Late Cardinal Kims Death

By Han Sang-hee Staff Reporter Both Catholics and non-Catholics flocked to Myeongdong Catholic Cathedral Tuesday night to attend a memorial mass for the late Cardinal Stephen Kim Sou-hwan. The mass was led by Cardinal Nicholas Chung Jin-suk. ``It's already been a year since our beloved Cardinal Kim passed away. I still remember his angelic smile. People still talk about his modest and kind personality,'' Cardinal Chung said. Cardinal Chung mentioned that the late Kim was a son himself, who missed his mother dearly and always wished her the best in heaven. ``In the book `The Tale of Cardinal Kim Sou-hwan,' there is a short story. The late Cardinal wrote `I feel comfort when I watch the bright red sunset. I can feel my hometown and the warmth of my mother. I'm getting older year after year, getting closer to God. I have hope that I will meet my mother when I reach heavens.' Cardinal Kim may have been in the forefront in protecting and working for the needy, but he always had the heart of a young boy,'' Chung said. The Cardinal stressed the need to follow Kim's foots

Feb 16, 2010

Late Cardinal’s Message Still Alive

By Han Sang-hee Staff Reporter Cardinal Stephen Kim Sou-hwan passed away a year ago on Feb. 16 and special performances and exhibitions to commemorate the late leader are being prepared by both Christians and artists. The most popular, and perhaps the most emotional, event is the photo exhibition run by Pyunghwa Gallery near Myeongdong Catholic Cathedral. ``The Cardinal followed his oath of living for others, and that was what I felt as we prepared this exhibition,'' Kim Won-chol, who is in charge of the exhibition, told The Korea Times. The exhibition is divided into five sections: ``The Dream and the Calling,'' ``The Church Within the World,'' ``I Wanted to Live with the Poor,'' ``Peace on Earth'' and ``Forever With You.'' ``My favorite was the photo he took with his mother when he was a young boy," an elderly woman said as she walked out of the gallery in tears. "It hit me that he was another mother's proud son.'' ``The Dream and the Calling'' centers on the Cardinal's younger years, while ``The Church Within the World'' displays photos of him as the head

Feb 15, 2010

(77) Fortune for 2010: Gyeong-in (Tiger)

By Janet Shin ``Gyeong-in'' represents the year 2010. ``Gyeong'' is metal and white in terms of the color of the five elements. ``In'' is wood and green when it is explained in terms of the five elements. But it is more widely known by the zodiac sign ``tiger.'' So people usually call a year of Gyeong-in a year of the ``white tiger.'' Its properties also suggest growth and expansion so it usually reflects desire for success and competitiveness in leadership. According to saju theory, ``in'' is the third terrestrial branch among the 12, but it denotes starting a new year and a new season. A year starts from the ``in'' month in the lunar calendar and it is also the beginning of the spring season and the beginning of a day. Let's look again at what we learned about the 12 terrestrial branches. We classified branches into three groups: The first group is the living place - in, sin, sa, hae, The second group is the flourishing place - ja, o, myo, yu, The third group is the repository the place - jin, sul, chuk, mi. The letters from the living

Feb 11, 2010

Does Beauty Beat Beast for Marriage?

Brace for a Surprise Matchmakers are commonly asked, "What does he do?" and "What does she look like?" In short, females have tendency to focus on a male's occupation, and males are generally more concerned with a woman's appearance. By James Lee The natural assumption that can be drawn from this is that physically attractive women have a better chance of getting married. But does that mean ``physically unattractive'' women have more difficulty getting married? Does physical appearance really play a key role in a woman's ability to wed? To determine the correlation, if there is any, between a woman's level of physical attractiveness and the chances of her getting married, we conducted a research survey on 1,340 women who have married within the past ten years. The subjects were categorized into four groups: very attractive, attractive, normal/average, and not attractive. Then the women were asked how many blind dates they had gone on before marrying their husbands. If the assumption that attractive women have it "easier" than less attractive women were true

Feb 11, 2010

Rheumatoid Arthritis Needs Timely Treatment

By Bae Ji-sook Staff Reporter Rheumatoid arthritis is one of the most commonly detected disorders among aging women. It starts with the stiffening of the fingers and develops into difficulties in moving in general because the knees and other jointed body parts become stiff. The Korean Rheumatism Association believes more than 500,000 people suffer from the disease and there are more with the potential to develop it. Rheumatoid arthritis is a systemic inflammation disorder, where the human body mistakenly takes its own cells as foreign bodies and attacks them. This disregulation breaks down the immune system and causes inflammation mainly in the joints and bones. Unlike degenerative joint diseases common in aging that leads to the wear and tear of the joints, rheumatoid arthritis prevails among younger generations too. Professor Bae Sang-cheol of Hanyang University Medical Center said he has seen five and six year-olds diagnosed with the disease. "The genetic factor is by far the most convincing reason for its prevalence. Smoking and pollution are also suggested a

Feb 7, 2010

Seoul Archdiocese to Hold Memorial for Late Cardinal

By Han Sang-hee Staff Reporter The Archdiocese of Seoul has designated Feb. 16 to March 28 as the official memorial period to mark the first anniversary of the death of Cardinal Stephen Kim Sou-hwan. Father Ahn Byeong-cheol of the Archdiocese of Seoul announced plans for the period during a press conference at Myeongdong Cathedral, Friday. ``I hope this will enable people to remember the love the late cardinal offered to us, and also his life where he loved the people and carried out sharing until his last breath,'' Ahn said. Mentioning his experience of meeting Kim, Ahn added that the late cardinal was a caring person, sending post cards and letters to all of the priests in the Archdiocese of Seoul and helping out through personal deeds as well. A memorial mass will be held in Myeongdong Cathedral at 7 p.m. on Feb. 16 celebrated by Cardinal Nicholas Chung Jin-suk. The cardinal will give a sermon, while the church will also present a video showing the late cardinal when he was alive. All of the churches in the Archdiocese of Seoul will dedicate a memorial mass on

Feb 5, 2010

4,000 Buddhists to Visit NK in March

By Lee Hyo-won Staff Reporter Amid discussions over the possible resumption of cross-border trips to North Korea's Mt. Geumgang, thousands of South Korean Buddhists are expected to visit a temple located in the scenic park next month, an organizer of the planned trip said. Some 4,000 adherents of the Jogye Order, the largest Buddhist sect in South Korea, will visit Singye Temple as part of a pilgrimage, Ven. Ja Seung, head of the order, said in a press meeting Wednesday after returning from Pyongyang. During the four-day trip to the Stalinist state he met with his monastic counterparts to finalize plans for the trip. The announcement came as the two Koreas are engaged in discussions to arrange a meeting to discuss resuming the tour project. "The upcoming visit, however, is part of a religious pilgrimage and should not be interpreted as a sign of the resumption of the regular Mt. Geumgang tours," said Ven. Hyegyeong, chief of the Jogye Order's social affairs office. The visit, to be carried out over three one-day trips in March, will mark the largest dispatch of South

Feb 4, 2010

(76) Fortune, Saju — Four Pillars of Destiny

The Pursuit of Happiness By Janet Shin Do you believe there are people out there who are satisfied with all aspects of their lives? If someone you consider to be very successful turns out to be unhappy, what do you think? We've all heard stories of people who achieve their life goals after undergoing a lot of hardship. We also hear stories about people who are seemingly very successful ― for example, a CEO of a world class company or a famous celebrity ― and then they suddenly commit suicide due to unrevealed personal problems. Recently we've seen articles about people who earned annual salaries topping one billion won, or almost $1 million, last year, but their personal stories are not reported. Recently, we also saw on the news that a vice president of one of Korea's biggest companies was found dead in front of his apartment building. According to the police, the cause of death was suicide. The victim left a note saying that he was under high stress at work, especially with the impending announcement of the company's earnings report. What can be gleaned from these

Feb 4, 2010
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