Korean Temple
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Korean Temple
Buddhist monks, those shaven-headed figures in gray robes, choose to leave this
earthly world (that is, mundane society) in favor of an ascetic existence based
on prayer and self-denial. But now their unworldly lifestyle is becoming a
tourist product... with the monastics' approval! Monastic life as a tourist
attraction? It's part of a global craze for monasticism. From the Himalayas to
the Hudson River, monks are in. Japanese salarymen are chucking their jobs and
fleeing to monasteries. In Taiwan last year, monasticism become big news.
Hundreds of families were shocked when their promising sons and daughters opted
for Buddhist monastic life instead of comfy careers in business. Meanwhile, in
the United States, at least one monastery finds it necessary to turn away
would-be novices. we are not soliciting vocations, the monastery says gently The
worldwide renewal of interest in monasticism has reached out to Korean Buddhists
too. People are interested in Buddhist monks and how they live. Many people,
whether seeking enlightenment or just fed up with the noise and glitz of
consumer society, would like to try the monastic way of living. So why not give
them a taste of it? That is precisely what monasteries in Korea are doing. They
offer tourists a brief but revealing look inside Buddhist Monasticism. Western
usually think of Buddhism as a religion of vegetarians who expect to be
reincarnated after leaving this world at death. Buddhists aim to correct this
oversimplified image. Buddhism has a long and complex history. It originated in
India some 2,600 years ago and was introduced to Korea in about the fourth
century A.D. Since then, Buddhism has exercised a tremendous influence on Korean
culture and produced many widely admired works of art. Pulguksa Temple are
Sokkuram Grotto, built in the eight century, are two of the most famous examples
of Buddhist art and architecture. Those two attractions, along with the
Tripitaka Koreana ( a collection of woodblock texts of Buddhist scripture, made
in the 13th century), were added to the UNESCO World Cultural Heritage list in
1995. Today Korean Buddhism involves more than 10,000 temples and 20,000 monks,
and is the belief system of 15 million Koreans (about one-third of the
population). More than 900 of those 10,000 temples are greater than 50 years
old. Buddhism accounts for more than 80 percent of Korean cultural resources
designated as national treasures. Now that foreign visitors are taking an
inter...
The complete article is about 2261 words and 9.04 pages long.
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