Kyongju Part 2
August 21, 1999
This is the "Em-me-le" or "mommy" bell. Legend has it that the
first few castings failed...the bell would not ring.
The bell was melted down once again, only this time
a child
was then thrown into the pot, and the bell rang beautifully
That is the reason why this bell sounds like a child calling for its mother. Presently there is a crack in the bell so if you want to hear it, you have to buy a cassette of a recording of it.
An ancient Budda outside the National Museum.
If this were in a temple, I couldn't take a
photograph of it...
These are the 4 guardians that protect
Buddist Temples.. you may bring no evil
with you or watch out!
Pulguksa Temple. The temple
was sucessfull in prayeing to keep foreign threats away for
over a thousand years, untill the Japanese burnt
it to the grounf in the 16th century.
Tabotap Pagoda.
The lion protects this pagoda that is made of
stone, yet imitates the construnction
as if it were wood. There were many treasures
recovered from this pagoda.
Here is a colorful protective face
These spontanious pagodas are made in the shadow of
a shrine. The Idea is to make a wish and place
a stone on top of anonther
This custom seems very balanced to me...
Sokkulam Cave Temple was built about 734 CE.
This quintessential Shilla period Ponjonpul (Stone Budda)
is perfectly placed
to face the rising sun here at Sokkuram Grotto. It is in a cave
which faces east and is said to be made in perfect
conformity to the Buisddist ideal
This is the view. The Budda itself cannot be photographed
Posokjong Bower. The story goes that a glass of rice wine is poured and
placed in this fountain. You must make a peom by the
time it comes around, or else you must comsume
the wine at once
here i am thinking of a poem
Nearby is this tomb of the 5th Shilla King from the
year 121 CE. It was remarkable to think that the
tomb still looks like it would have 1,878 years ago. 
