Tag: busan

Temple Art

Is it a lion or a dragon? I think it may be a dragon. I looked online and could not find a similar image.

I took this image several years ago when in the Pusan/Busan area of South Korea at one of its lovely Buddhist temples. It was taken on an old Pentax K-1000 as slide film. I recently scanned this image.

Buddhist temples are known for their artwork. Besides statues of Buddha, the temples are like an art museum on the inside and outside. If in Korea or another Asian country, be sure to stop by one. You won’t regret it.

Traditional vs. New

Many cultures have traditional clothing or dress. People may wear it during a cultural event, holiday or other special occasion, or during a dance.

Traditional clothing in Korea is called hanbok. For men it is the top and pants you see this man wearing. It can be a dress for women. Many times special shoes are worn with a hanbok like the man above is wearing.

The above picture was taken several years ago in the Pusan/Busan area outside a McDonalds. I took it with an old Pentax K-1000 as slide film. I recently scanned the slide.

I was standing outside McDonalds when this gentleman came walking up carrying a piece of cardboard. I wasn’t sure why he was carrying the cardboard, but soon found out the purpose. He used it to sit on. He looked tired. I am not sure how far away he hiked from. The man decided to sit next to Ronald McDonald. I thought it was a nice contrast. Someone in traditional clothes next to a comical figure. Serious vs. not so serious. I imagined this man’s wife told him before he left home not to get his nice hanbok dirty, so he took the cardboard with him to sit on. I would have to say this was one of my favorite images that I took in Korea.

I love seeing different traditional dress. Does your culture have traditional clothes you wear for special occasions?

Fishermen’s Buddha

In the Catholic tradition there are saints for different causes. St. Erasmus or St. Elmo is the patron saint of Sailors. St. Francis of Assisi is the patron saint of Animals. What do they have in Buddhism?

In Buddhism it appears they have different Buddhist shrines focusing on different causes. This was taken a while ago when I worked in Asia. This was a Buddhist Temple in the Pusan/Busan area. I was told by a Korean who went with us that the photo below was the Fishermen’s Buddha and that the women there were praying for the safe return of their husbands and a good catch. The top photo may be from the same temple or from another Buddhist temple focusing on fertility in the same area.

The two images I used on this post were taken several years ago on an old Pentax K-1000 as slide film. I tried to scan them recently.

I find it interesting to see the traditions in other cultures and religions. Sometimes we have some similarities and sometimes there are differences. It makes visiting a new place even more interesting. What are your traditions?

%d bloggers like this: