Walking to work this morning I passed an elderly Catholic nun who I often see strolling along the street outside my home. Bracing against the cold and thinking about how hard it’s going to be to kick my coffee habit at the onset of winter my mind turned to the ubiquity of religion in South [...]
Filed under: Korean Society, buddhism, history, religion | Tagged: buddhism, history, Korea, religion, spirituality | Leave a Comment »
My office is about a 20 minute walk from where I live, with four different routes all of which take roughly the same amount of time. Depending on how spritely I feel — and how many cups of coffee I’ve had — I could either go uphill or down. The former winds through scenic alleways [...]
Filed under: Health, Korean Society, Seoul, food | Tagged: buddhism, coffee, food, Health, Seoul, tea | Leave a Comment »
The key is avoiding the traffic out of Seoul. Do that and its smooth sailing all the way to Busan, with a stop along the way to peer at the stars in Mt. Jiri National Park and a quick tour of Taejeon on the way home. About 10 kilometers past the town of Hwagae – [...]
Filed under: Korean Society, buddhism, hiking, history, religion | Tagged: buddhism, Korea, religion, spirituality, travel | Leave a Comment »
There’s a homeless guy I pass in the train station every night on my way home from work. He reeks, in a tattered winter coat and pants that end in shreds around his cracked black feet. He stands motionless, bedroll in hand, staring into space as throngs of well-dressed Seoulites hustle about giving him a [...]
Filed under: Asia, Daily life, Korean Society, Opinion, Seoul, buddhism, religion | Tagged: buddhism, confucianism, family, homelessness, Korea, religion, Seoul, soju, spirituality, travel | 1 Comment »
I assumed in coming to Korea that I would be automatically connected to the society around me, as if simply being here was enough to plug in and feel a part of my surroundings. Not so. I realize now that connecting is more than just being there. You have to actively engage in the people [...]
Filed under: Asia, Daily life, Headlines, Korean Society, Opinion, Seoul, buddhism | Tagged: beef, boxing, buddhism, Korea, Seoul, sports, travel | Leave a Comment »
Yesterday’s JoongAng Ilbo reported on a South Korean Buddhist monk who attempted to disembowl himself at Seoul’s Joggye Temple, during protests against President’s Lee Myung-bak’s discriminatory religious policies.
Filed under: Headlines, Korean Society, Politics, buddhism, history, religion | Tagged: buddhism, discrimination, Joggye, Korea, protest | 2 Comments »
As democrats cheer their candidate in Denver celebrating American democracy, another kind of democracy is taking shape in Korea, where masses have been turning out since the inauguration of the new government to check state authority. It is a movement whose solidarity finds its base in a communal “we,” as opposed to America’s “I,” and [...]
Filed under: Korean Society, Opinion, Politics, Seoul, buddhism, history, religion | Tagged: beef, Beijing, buddhism, China, democracy, Korea, olympics, protest | 2 Comments »
There’s so much frenetic energy here in Seoul, constant movement and tension as the country’s politics, religion and economy collide amidst a backdrop of smog, traffic and soju. It’s palpable on the street, as if charged by the humidity in the air. The standoff between the administration and Jogye Temple, headquarters of the country’s largest [...]
Filed under: Korean Society, Korean War, Opinion, Politics, Seoul, buddhism, media, religion | Tagged: buddhism, candle light protests, Korea, Seoul | 3 Comments »
This week we focus on Buddhism with a look into the life of Dong-gi Sunim, a nun who has spent nearly thirty years in the monastic community. Living in a lush valley tucked in between grape farms and rolling mountains, her temple, called Songlimsa (Pine Forest temple), is worlds away from Seoul. Here she discusses her [...]
Filed under: Daily life, Korean Society, Profiles, buddhism, history, religion | Tagged: buddhism, Gwangju, Haeinsa, Korea, profile, religion, shamanism, temples | 1 Comment »
A workshop is scheduled for July 19th and the 20th to address issues involving the growing number of interracial couples in Korea. There are reportedly over 100,000 mixed marriages in Korea, and the number is steadily rising, with reports of domestic violence and other related problems also on the rise. To address these and [...]
Filed under: Korean Society, buddhism, mixed marriage, religion | Tagged: buddhism, mixed marriage, religion | 1 Comment »
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