National Buddhist Temple

I visited the national Buddhist temple last week, which is in the heart of Seoul.

The building itself isn't very big, and it seemed recently built. My homestay brother explained that all of the older temples in Seoul were destroyed during the Japanese occupation, so now the only place where you can find the ancient structures and granite Buddhas is way out in the countryside.

In the courtyard in front of the temple was a display of paper lanterns, which at first seemed like nothing more than a way to brighten up the area.

But if you look closer from underneath them, you can read the word "OUT." "OUT" being part of the most popular political chant now in Korea, "Lee Myung Bak Out," (Lee Myung Bak is the current unpopular president).

I have even seen the chant shortened to 2MBOUT when it is spraypainted on buildings, (the word Lee also means two in Korean).

Buddhists know how to protest

(this is a post that I actually put together a week ago, showing just how late I have been).

I'm back in Seoul, just arrived three days ago. For now I am staying with a friend in Mok-Deung, which is about twenty minutes from the center of Seoul. I've spent my time here so far settling in at my university and looking for a homestay, preparing for a year in a foreign country takes a lot more paperwork than you might think.

I managed to attend a big protest at the Seoul City Hall Plaza yesterday, having missed out on the American beef protests I felt like I owed it to myself to see some kind of demonstration. Korean Buddhists are upset after a number of incidents involving the current administration that indicate a bias against their religion. I've read about the perceived bias and I think it sounds pretty concocted, but it made for a bang-up protest.

I emerged from the subway entrance by the protest and was suddenly in a sea of monks and elderly Koreans.

The New York Times also covered the protest, they have a great picture of the actual monks who were praying at the center of the crowd. here