국행수륙재하던 날 북한산 진관사 진관사 계곡-구기동 나들이 / Hiking to Bukhansan: From Jingwansa Temple to Gugi-dong

오늘 나들이는 #은평한옥마을 곁 #국행수륙재가 진행되는 #진관사에서 시작하여 진관사 계곡을 따라 북한산 비봉능선을 넘어 구기동에서 마무리를 합니다

00:00 Intro
00:08 The Road to Jingwansa Temple
The road leading to Jingwansa Temple is named after Baek Cho-wol, a Buddhist monk known both for his role in the independence movement and for his work as an enlightenment lecturer.

During the Joseon Dynasty, this area had many royal graves and graves of high-ranking officials. In the past amid clusters of humble thatched cottages stood a few tile-roofed houses and villas belonging to local aristocrats and members of the royal family. The American missionary Horace Allen, on his way to Bukhansan, once wrote disdainfully about a “ignorant and arrogant local yangban” he encountered in this neighborhood.

Amid modern hanoks stands a tombstone that returned to Korea in 2001, more than 400 years after being taken to Japan. The tombstone, believed to have been looted during the Japanese invasions of 1592, had stood in a park in Tokyo before its return.

Next to a museum that exhibit artworks by three artists, what was once a museum dedicated to three figures, a poet, a monk, and a novelist known for their eccentric behavior in the 1970s and 1980s, has now become a center for experiencing traditional Korean culture.

The route up to Jingwanssa Temple was used by the North Korean commando unit sent in 1968 with a mission to assassinate President Park Chung-hee and “liberate” the South. They were startled to find Jingwansa Temple, which didn’t appear on their maps. The temple had been largely destroyed during the Korean War but later rebuilt.

Jingwansa itself was originally founded in 1011 by the 8th King of the Goryeo Dynasty, who built it in gratitude to Monk Jingwan, who had hidden him, amid political conspiration, from assassination in a small temple called Shinhyeolsa while he was an exiled crown prince. Once he ascended the throne, he ordered the construction of a grand temple to repay the monk’s kindness.

During the reign of Joseon’s King Sejong, the temple became a retreat where scholars, including those involved in creating Hangul, studied during their Joseon version of ‘sabbaticals.’

Since the 1960s, Jingwansa has functioned as a temple for Buddhist nuns.

03:38 National Suryukje (Buddhist Ritual of Water and Land)
After a 30-minute delay caused by a relays of meaningless speeches from dignitaries, the Suryukje ritual finally began at 11:30 a.m.. The ceremony opened with a procession, as monks carried palanquins to welcome the spirits of water and land at the main gate. These spirits were brought back to a ‘reception hall,’ where they were served tea and refreshments and purified through ritual bathing before meeting Buddha in the Dharma Hall where a large portrait of Buddha Is going to be hung.

While other temples also perform the Suryukje rituals, Jingwansa is unique for having been officially sponsored by the royal court, beginning with the first king of the Joseon Dynasty, who wished to comfort restless spirits after the foundation of Joseon Dynasty. Today, it is recognized as a National Intangible Cultural Heritage.

Archaeologists uncovered the remains of the original Suryuksa Ritual Hall 16 years ago behind the Dharma Hall. Among the finds were celadon and white porcelain fragments and remains of a ritual bathing site.

Today, monks wear straw or robe-colored hats, but in earlier times they donned cone-shaped mistletoe hats (Songnak) or wide-brimmed travel hats. The delicate butterfly-like hat mentioned in poet Cho Ji-hoon’s work was traditionally worn for dances and ceremonial performances.

During Japan’s occupation, Monk Baek Cho-wol hid a Korean flag (Taegeukgi) in Chilseongak. The flag was drawn over a Japanese flag, as displaying the Korean emblem was strictly prohibited under colonial rule.

09:47 Jingwansa Valley in Bukhansan
Foreign visitors in the late Joseon period noted that Buddhist nuns with their shaven heads lived according to the precepts just like monks, appeared more liberated than most Korean women of the time. One traveler described them, however, as frail and weathered, with skin like alligator leather.

13:19 The Way Down to Gugi-dong
The descent toward Gugi-dong over the ridge is a bit rugged but not dull. Along the path lies a site where some believe Hyangrimsa Temple was once located but others dispute this theory. The site features a waterway and three-tiered retaining walls signifying that something existed there before at certain point.

The film Biguni by Im Kwon-taek in which a famous actress shaved her head for the role, sparking nationwide criticism from monks and nuns, including those from Jingwansa, who accused the production of obscenity. Under mounting social and legal pressure, the film project was abandoned for over 33 years before finally being screened in its incomplete form at the Jeonju International Film Festival in 2017. The film sparked a debate as to the freedom of expression and its limits.