Bong Guk Sa • 봉국사

Though habit tends to bring us back to familiar places on most weekends, we also make an effort to see something new sometimes, too.

On Sunday, we found a small temple just outside of Seoul, only a few subway stops away, that had a lovely atmosphere. It seemed as though when it was built during the 1600's it would have been somewhat reclusive but the city slowly crept up to its front gate over the centuries.

The complex was humble and worn, and the Buddha statues in main hall were unique, with an awkward grace, and another Guanseum Bosal in the side hall was strikingly realistic, with a knowing smile and a stare that seemed to look into you.

I'm always pleased to find another collection of ox paintings, too, and these, though blemished, were painted skillfully. I was struck by the third image, "Perceiving the Ox", since there was a large machine blocking the painting where you would expect to see the ox's rear.  It was sort of a metaphor for the contempoary search for the ox. Suffering isn't any different now then at any other time but perhaps things are just a little more complicated now, with more distractions in our way to keep the ox hidden. I may be wrong about this, but some may also agree...