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Nammireuksa Temple: The Largest Seated Buddha In Asia Is In Jeollanam-do, Korea
I have definitely visited my fair share of Buddhist temples in Korea. I love visiting the temples honestly. They are calming, always quiet, and while many people see a few and think they’ve seen them all, I never think that and have definitely been able to find unique aspects of every one I’ve visited. One such trip to Jeollanam-do had us passing by Nammireuksa Temple (남미륵사) and while there really was nothing else in the area to see, I couldn’t resist a stop. This temple in Korea really does stand out from the rest in a few ways for me so I wanted to do a whole post so more…
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Suguksa Temple: Seoul’s Only Golden Temple in Eunpyeong
I have lived in Seoul, Korea for quite awhile and I have seen a lot of Buddhist temples here. I love a visit to a temples in South Korea. They are peaceful and calming and beautiful. Often set up on the mountain or in forests, the views are good and the ambiance lovely. Most temples in Korea are painted reds and greens and maybe there’s a bit of yellow and white in the artwork. That’s pretty standard so when I saw a glimmer of gold as I drove down the street near my house and saw a sign for a temple, I was intrigued. After visiting Suguksa Temple (수국사), I…
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24 Buddhist Temples in Korea: From Seoul to Busan and Beyond
There are around 900 traditional Buddhist temples in South Korea, welcoming visitors for quiet meditation and extraordinary architecture. They range from a few modest buildings to complexes spanning dozens of structures across mountainsides. What they share is an almost universal commitment to beauty, intricately painted facades, religious relics housed in lacquered halls, and grounds that feel genuinely set apart from wherever you’ve just come from. Some sit in the middle of cities. Some require a two-hour hike into the mountains. Some look out at the ocean. Some are built into cliff faces or carved into caves. One is gold. One is built inside a dragon. One houses the most complete…
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Guinsa Temple: The Towering Buddhist Headquarters in Danyang
There are Buddhist temples across Korea, on mountainsides, in city centers, beside the sea, and Guinsa Temple (구인사) in Danyang is unlike any of them. The name means “Temple of Salvation and Kindness,” and the temple lives up to it: this is the headquarters of the Cheontae school of Korean Buddhism, with over 50 buildings rising multiple stories through a narrow mountain valley, capacity for up to 10,000 monks, and three free vegetarian meals every day for anyone who visits, regardless of religion. If you’re someone who thinks that once you’ve seen one Korean Buddhist temple you’ve seen them all, Guinsa is specifically the temple that disproves that. Want some…
