Elder Jeffrey R. Holland came to Korea this week! Everyone was excited, especially all the members in Seoul who got to attend his meetings in person and possibly shake his hand. The rest of us in the South of South Korea got to watch a live broadcast which was tailor-made for all Koreans on Friday, and especially for young single adults on Saturday night.
Elder Holland is always a captivating speaker, and encouraged us all to be disciples of Christ, by showing love for other people. His message was optimistic and bright. Speaking to the Young Single Adults, he called them "Future Leaders of the Church", and encouraged them to get married, and not miss the opportunity to have a spouse and a family. When he and his wife got married, they had $300.00 between them. They still had schooling, finding an appropriate career, graduate school, raising children...They were always thankful that they got married at that time, and did not miss out on all the blessings they have enjoyed. He left us feeling renewed and uplifted.
This movie theater is showing "The Lego Batman Movie", and the characters hanging down from a string on the ceiling are advertising the movie. What are you supposed to do while you wait for the movie to start? Play with the Claw Machines, of course! I'm pretty sure they are a sort of gambling - the claw is meant to suddenly let go of the "prize" just when the person playing thinks they have it for sure! What a disappointment. Each play is l,000 won or $1.00. How much are you willing to pay for a stuffed Pokemon?
UPDATE on last month's Claw Machine Report
MEGA ADVERTISING
Wherever you live - there is omnipresent advertising: newspapers, magazines, television, radio, billboards, and every other possible way to market a product right before your eyes as you drive down the street or check out at the grocery store. Buy this product!! The advertising screams at you.
However, if you haven't been to Korea, you "ain't seen nuthin' yet"!
First of all, the inside of all stores and businesses is dark. Why? Because every window and every door is covered in advertising. Banners are stuck to the outside of windows. The doors are plastered with more paper. If that's not enough, there is a bulletin board of sorts in front of the building with more advertising on it.
How many times does it say 50% off SALE? Blinds, awnings, umbrellas, boxes, 3D signs, banners on top of the windows, et al...
There is always an enticing vertical banner in the middle of the sidewalk, and often an employee standing out on the sidewalk sometimes with a microphone shouting details of the sale. Elder Fox and Elder Lee have a conversation in the rain.
Add neon lights and the arrow banners pointing to the main banner on the entrance door.
On this four story building, every single window is covered with a sign.
Notice the inflatable advertisement to the left of the missionaries and their umbrellas.
At night the inflatables are combined with lighting. Sometimes the lighting is combined with music. Sometimes there is a beautiful girl out in front with a microphone enticing customers to come in to buy make up, go to the restaurant, or take advantage of a great sale. Sometimes there are multiple women in costumes, dancing, and singing! The possibilities are endless.
This photo was taken in Seoul...but you get the idea.
This store is not really over-advertising, but I wondered what kind of store it was. Maybe they are selling pots for plants...or??
OLD HOUSES -
Yesterday we went on an outing to a new part of Korea (for us) to see some traditional old houses. There aren't many buildings existing that were here before 1900. Anything that remained pretty much got demolished during the Korean War. Exceptions are the old Buddhist Temples in the Southern part of the peninsula where North Koreans did not burn every single thing...and some old houses.
Park Hadan (1479 - 1560) built a home here and lived as a hermit. Later, Park Jeong-Ju (6th generation ancestor of present owner of the home) built and expanded the home in 1824.
The roof line is not very straight, but it has stood the test of time!
Interesting pattern...or no pattern?
The building technique of the roof is revealed: logs, small sticks across, plaster (mud) beneath the sticks, heavier wood on top, then ceramic tile and mortar. Some parts of the roof had one or two layers of tile. Some parts had up to eight layers of tile!
Main entrance to courtyard with Chinese letters over the door. The "house" is actually many buildings, arranged in a rectangular shape with space in the middle. The men (father and brothers) lived in a separate building called a sarangchae and the women lived in a separate building called the anchae. There were separate little houses for the servants, and an outhouse outside for everyone to use.
I love the cantilever of the roof! I don't know the purpose - maybe to keep the rain coming off the house as far away as possible?
The outhouse is built adjacent to the rest of the house, but separate.
This photo shows the layout of some of the buildings with the courtyard in the middle.
Clay jars full of kimchi, soybean paste, red chili paste, and other food items that would not spoil were kept outside all year. The kimchi and other foods fermented, adding to the flavor.
It was cold but still fun!
Old wall with overgrown vines and plants twisting through the roof tiles
Even in winter, it was beautiful!
Showing more detail of roof - this room has ropes made of rice stalks, braided and knotted in between the logs to give the roof more strength.
Storage room (above) and wall (below) showing bamboo strips placed horizontally with mud caked over the top of the bamboo
In spring and summer, this is a garden!
Old tiles were used to patch up the wall.
What a fantastic adventure!
I LOVED this cute lady! Usually the "older" ladies won't let you take their picture and sometimes get mad, but she was agreeable. Keep in mind that I am 5'3".
NEXT STOP UNMUNSA TEMPLE
This temple was built in 560, during the Silla Dynasty. It is the largest in Korea with female monks, ("nuns"). There are 260 here, and no male monks. The women do everything, including gardening for the food, running all the religious ceremonies and programs, and administering all the other necessities of the temple.
Brenda, Connor and his wife in front of the "weeping pine tree". The pine needles are normal, but the branches droop down to the ground. Legend is that a monk put rice wine in the soil. Connor (not his real name) and his wife take us all these cool places and we still don't know her name! His real name is Mr. Bae (we don't know first names) but we don't know any of her names. They don't know ours either - just Elder and Sister Georgie!
Rock wall with herringbone pattern
The intricate paint detail is dazzling! There are artists specifically trained to do this type of painting on temples. They get up on ladders and work on one very small area at a time.
The bridge leads to a path where the monks can walk up to a "resting place".
This female monk was singing and chanting the whole time we were in this building. All of the monks have heads shaven. Their clothes are very baggy, so it's hard to tell that they are women...but they ARE ALL women.
Another view of the weeping pine tree
Paintings on the sides of the buildings tell stories of the Buddha.
There is a program called "Templestay" at most of the larger Buddhist temples. You can stay for two days and one night and have an authentic temple experience.
I recommend you read the schedule before you sign up:
4:00 am - Dawn Buddhist Service - consisting of prostrations (kneeling prayers to the Buddha), bell ringing, and more prayers.
5:00 am - Buddhist Practice (Seon Practice or Meditation) - Optimal condition for meditation practice - the forest and clean air - you "enter concentration" and meet with your "whole self".
6:00 am - Breakfast
This is the prayer on the food:
"Where does this food come from? I'm not worthy to receive it based on my own virtue and practice. Abandoning all forms of greed, I accept this food to sustain my body for practice and to attain enlightenment. "
You think about the process of how every single grain of rice comes to you, be grateful for it and eat every bite, leaving nothing in your bowl. (Incidentally, all food at Buddhist temples is completely vegetarian. No animal products of any kind.)
7:00 am - Communal Work - Templestay participants usually wash the bowls from the meal, sweep the grounds, or weed the garden
9:00 am - Buddhist Practice - Walk slowly while practicing Seon meditation
11:00 am - Conversation over tea with a nun who lives a monastic life.
12 noon - Lunch
Lunch to 4:00 pm - Rest or visit a hermitage
5:00 pm - Dinner - You eat in a wooden bowl (baru Gongyang) , you don't waste even a speck of food, and you eat in silence to experience tranquility of mind.
6:00 pm - The four Buddhist instruments are sounded before the evening service. The Dharma drum, temple bell, wooden fish, and cloud shaped gong are sounded at evening time.
7:00 pm - You make 108 prostrations (kneeling prayers), and then make prayer beads or lotus lanterns. The 108 prostrations are to repent and wash away the 108 kinds of afflictions (past foolishness). After you make the lantern, you walk around a pagoda holding the lantern.
9:00 pm - Wash up and go to bed.
SHAMANISM
We often walk by this weird, dilapidated house on our way to various things... The house has an entrance with a flagpole. On top is a backwards red swastika, sign of a Buddhist temple. Underneath the flags, there are some artificial green tree branches, and a green ball and a soccer ball.
The house has a mold problem, is pretty much falling apart and should probably be condemned, but I wondered if the balls meant it was someone's birthday. The balls stayed up for over a year, at which time I found out that if a doorway has balls hanging from it, it means that a Shaman lives there. The red swastika is another hint. Someone taught us that the red swastika is the sign of a Shaman, but we see them at every single Buddhist Temple.
Zoomed in on the balls, the bamboo flagpole, and the flags - the green branches are artificial and stay up year round.
Glancing down an alleyway on our way to work, we noticed a shaman was living in the yellow house with the green branches and balls.
What is a Shaman? Shamanism is a folk religion, and Shamans can be male or female - persons who are the mediator between a human being and "Spirits". The Shaman can inherit the calling of Shaman from a parent, or can be "called" to the position by the Spirits. The Shaman can get rid of evil spirits around you, and can pray for good spirits to come. The Shaman usually wears an elaborate costume, sings, chants, plays drums or other musical instruments, and often dances until the frenzy of all the music, dance, and the emotion puts her/him into a trance. During the trance- like state the Shaman has hallucinations. Sometimes a Shaman can heal people - physically, mentally, or ??? They perform rites, or ceremonies, called "gut". (pronounced goot) where they get rid of evil spirits, dance, sing, go crazy, and maybe heal someone. There are 50,000 registered (and more not registered) Shamans in Korea. Below: picture of a Shaman at a "gut".
JUST WONDERING...
It rains a lot in South Korea. I always thought that the rain was a positive to clear the air, so that after the rain, it's clean and beautiful outside! The belief here is that rain is "poison". Each drop is full of chemicals, pollutants, dust from China, and toxic materials floating around in the atmosphere. ALWAYS carry an umbrella, because rain is really dangerous. In fact, if you forget your umbrella and you are walking around letting your hair get wet, you will probably go bald.
If you see a man or a woman who is balding, go out and buy them an umbrella!
BACK AT THE OFFICE:
Do you see someone that "doesn't belong"?
NEXT WEEK = MARCH 2017!
