This morning was an interesting one because the first thing I hear when I wake up is that activities for the day started 2 hours ago. I get up and cross the room to check the time and sure enough, it’s 7:00 am and we were supposed to be up and with the group for morning meditation 5:00. Me and the other 3 guys in my room scrambled to get down to the others as soon as we could, and we met up with them on the hike to see the massive stone Buddha carved into the side of the mountain. It was an astounding sight, and the detail that the sculptors manages to carve into it was mind blowing. This was the highlight of the temple stay for me not only because of how ancient the carving itself is, but because of how gorgeous the view was at the top of the mountain where it was located.
After we got our fill of incredible sights and photos at the top of the mountain, we headed back to the temple for our final Sunmudo lesson. This was mostly yoga with the intent of ensuring that we were relaxed and centered while we practiced, but it had purely the opposite effect on me. I was trying with so much strain and difficulty to fold myself in ways I was not supposed to that all of the relaxation was lost upon me immediately. Regardless of this, the meditation practices we were taught did not actually hurt and were instead quite fun.
After our final Sunmudo lesson, we all gathered in the floor immediately above the studio for tea with the abbot of the temple to learn more about its history. I loved hearing about the origins of Sunmudo and how the monks there began doing what they do now. It felt like a direct and grounding way to learn more about how their way of life is perpetuated, and hearing everything directly from a grandmaster in both Sunmudo and Taekwondo was very humbling. Everyone there clearly treated him with the utmost respect, and it felt great to hear the history directly from him because we could hear his passion for what he does clearly.
Departing from our wonderful wrap up to the temple stay was simple and quick, as we had little time to unpack our belongings anyway so there was less to do than before. We just loaded onto the bus and said our farewells to the scenic temple grounds and greetings to the next stops along the way! We first got ourselves a proper delicious lunch with heaps of meat to fill us up before heading out to a collection of tombs; large raised hills to protect the belongings of the dead conveniently next to a sprawling market for souvenirs! This was a little strange for me, but irrelevant in the face of interesting history and rampant consumerism distracting me at the same time.
A short bus ride later, and now we’re at the hotel! I’ll update you on our day tomorrow; we tour Postech and I am so excited!