Tuesday, March 10, 2009

Temple Art One

In this place of quiet reflection that so few really ponder when a group of tourists roam through I decided to share some more images before I go on to the next thing. This temple area is really a village and to just show a few exteriors and tell you, "been there done that", I wanted to pause. So this posting and the next couple will show a little more. I promise I don't have all of the answers, but these images caught my eye. So take off your shoes (required) and take a stroll with me.

All of the art that is rendered has been done over the ages that relates to the life of Buddha and his followers. Buddhism is kind of a mystery to me because of how entrenched it is in various countries throughout the eastern hemisphere. In this modern age of a faithless world to the zealous extremes of killing in the name of a belief system...to the oppression of having any beliefs, I am like a child when it comes to looking at cultures that have such varied roots. They are often entangled, overlapping and still the earth seems to cling to the roots when you transplant it into another region.
I was going to only post one of these images and share something else, but this is a set married to each other. I believe it is one of the early stories of Buddha, when he was a child. It is said that his father concealed his aging because he did not want his son to fear death. Moreover, he shielded his son from seeing any human suffering because it was foretold that his son would either be a holy man or a great king. Since his father wanted him to become a king, he shielded him from all religious teachings and concealed his own aging from his son.
What is interesting about both of these images is that the painter chose not to capture a facial image. Rather you see only the back of the child, a partial view of a cow. It is like a journey of his discovery of the world around him, which doesn't seem to correlate with the age of Buddha's great escape at 29.
From the brightly painted Donghwasa...there is more to follow from the inside.

5 comments:

Anonymous said...

the art work is so delicate.

Barbara Ehrentreu said...

Beautiful art work. I liked the barefoot walk and felt like I was in the temple. Great post!!

Marilyn said...

Thanks Redraven and Barbara...live blogging this weekend...this is going to be a huge experiment at Club That in Daegu...more to follow....

Frankie Anon said...

Wonderful artwork and amusing, interesting commentary. I found your blog on the Women's Blogger Directory. I'm following too many to keep up with, but I'm definitely adding yours to the top of the list.

Marilyn said...

Thank you Frankie...I do love the community of WBN...a plethora of incredible women and talent and honored that you are following my blog. Enjoy!