Nestled in the busy city is the peaceful Jogyesa Buddhist Temple. The temple was still decorated with lanterns from Buddha's birthday.
From Visit Korea (link),
Jogyesa Temple is the center of Zen Buddhism in Korea, and is famous for being located in the city. The first thing you will notice at the temple are the lovely trees. These locust trees and baeksong trees in front of the Daeungjeon, the main temple building, are about 500 years old. The baeksong tree is designated as a Natural Monument.
The Daeungjeon building is a stately building built in 1938. The Dancheong is particularly beautiful with all the different colors painted on it, and inside the building is the statue of Seokgamoni. In front of the Daeungjeon building, you can also see a seven-storey stone pagoda containing Jinsinsari.
The temple is open to the public. It was just like a scene from EAT PRAY LOVE with Julia Roberts. The administrative offices are located across the street and offer "temple stay" for those who wanted to pray over series of days as depicted in the movie. It was an enlightening visit.
Mahalo,
Kim in Hawaii
