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“What I know of the divine science and Holy Scripture I learnt in woods and fields.”—St. Bernard, 12th century doctor of the church
Haeinsa (해인사, 海印寺: Temple of the Ocean Mudra) is a head temple of the Jogye Order (대한불교조계종, 大韓佛敎 曹溪宗) of Korean Buddhism in the Gaya Mountains (가야산, 伽倻山), South Gyeongsang Province South Korea. Haeinsa is most notable for being the home of the Tripitaka Koreana, the whole of the Buddhist Scriptures carved onto 81,350 wooden printing blocks, which it has housed since 1398.
Haeinsa is one of the Three Jewel Temples of Korea, and represents Dharma or the Buddha’s teachings. It is still an active Seon (선, 禪) practice center in modern times, and was the home temple of the influential Rev. Seongcheol (성철, 性徹), who died in 1993.
HISTORY
The temple was first built in 802. Legend says that two Korean monks returned from China, Suneung and Ijeong, and healed King Aejang's (애장왕, 哀莊王) wife of her illness. In gratitude of the Buddha's mercy, the king ordered the construction of the temple.[1] Another account, by Choe Chi-Won in 900 states that Suneung and his disciple Ijeong, gained the support of a queen dowager who converted to Buddhism and then helped to finance the construction of the temple.
The temple complex was renovated in the 10th century, 1488, 1622, and 1644. Huirang, the temple abbot enjoyed the patronage of Taejo of Goryeo during that king’s reign. Haeinsa was burned down in a fire in 1817 and was rebuilt in 1818. Another renovation in 1964 uncovered a royal robe of King Gwanghaegun, who was responsible for the 1622 renovation, and an inscription on a ridge beam.
The main hall, Daejeokkwangjeon (대적광전, 大寂光殿: Hall of Great Silence and Light), is unusual because it is dedicated to Vairocana where most other Korean temples house Shakyamuni (Kr. Seokgamoni) in their main halls.
The Temple of Haeinsa and the Depositories for the "Tripitaka Koreana" Woodblocks, were added to the UNESCO World Heritage List in 1995. The UNESCO committee noted that the buildings housing the Tripitaka Koreana are unique because no other historical structure was specifically dedicated to the preservation of artifacts and the techniques used were particularly ingenious.
The temple also holds several official treasures including a realistic wooden carving of a monk and interesting Buddhist paintings, stone pagodas, and lanterns.
CRISIS
After independence, when the Korean War broke out, Haeinsa encountered a crisis. In September 1951, after the Battle of Inchon, South Korea turned the war around but then North Korea did not retreat so the remnants of one thousand North Korean soldiers around Haeinsa enacted guerrilla war. UN forces were ordered to bomb Haeinsa with four bombers. However, at that time Kim Young Hwan, Leader of Air Force pilots worried about the loss of Haeinsa Tripitaka Koreana and did not obey the command. Due to his lack of action, Haeinsa weathered the crisis and did not experience the bombing. Haeinsa gongdeokbi honors him with the landscaped grounds of Haeinsa.
JANGGYEONG PANJEON
The storage halls known as the Janggyeong Panjeon complex are the depository for the Tripitaka Koreana woodblocks at Haeinsa and were also designated by the Korean government as a national treasure of Korea on December 20, 1962. They are some of the largest wooden storage facilities in the world. Remarkably, the halls were untouched during the Japanese invasion of Korea and were spared from the 1818 fire that burned most of the temple complex down. All told, the storage halls have survived seven serious fires and one near-bombing during the Korean War when a pilot disobeyed orders because he remembered that the temple held priceless treasures.
Janggyeong Panjeon complex is the oldest part of the temple and houses the 81,258 wooden printing blocks from the Tripitaka Koreana. Although the exact construction date of the hall that houses the Tripitaka Koreana is uncertain, it is believed that King Sejo expanded and renovated it in 1457. The complex is made up of four halls arranged in a rectangle and the style is very plain because of its use as a storage facility. The northern hall is called Beopbojeon (Hall of Dharma) and the southern hall is called Sudarajang (Hall of Sutras). These two main halls are 60.44 meters in length, 8.73 meters in width, and 7.8 meters in height. Both have fifteen rooms with two adjoining rooms. Additionally, there are two small halls on the east and west which house two small libraries.
Several ingenious preservation techniques are utilized to preserve the wooden printing blocks. The architects also utilized nature to help preserve the Tripitaka. The storage complex was built at the highest point of the temple and is 655 meters above sea level. Janggyeong Panjeon faces southwest to avoid damp southeasterly winds from the valley below and is blocked from the cold north wind by mountain peaks. Different sized windows on the north and south sides of both main halls are used for ventilation, utilizing principles of hydrodynamics. The windows were installed in every hall to maximize ventilation and regulate temperature. The clay floors were filled with charcoal, calcium oxide, salt, lime, and sand, which reduce humidity when it rains by absorbing excess moisture which is then retained during the dry winter months. The roof is also made with clay and the bracketing and wood rafters prevent sudden changes in temperature. Additionally, no part of the complex is exposed to sun. Apparently, animals, insects, and birds avoid the complex but the reason for this is unknown. These sophisticated preservation measures are widely credited as the reason the woodblocks have survived in such fantastic condition to this day.
In 1970, a modern storage complex was built utilizing modern preservation techniques but when test woodblocks were found to have mildewed, the intended move was canceled and the woodblocks remained at Haeinsa.
I just joined the class. I love the encouragement to be still. I needed to hear that. Working on memorizing scripture, just took a quick, simple photo after some deep breaths. First post here. Thank you!
"Now that is what I call a Re-enactment!
Bartimaeus the blind beggar
May the Peace of the Risen Christ be with you! Easter is here.
We had a most successful Re-enactment of Our Lord's Passion. After so many months of preparation, sewing machines running hot updating costumes, actors learning lines, sound systems being upgraded and more, there we stood at 11am on Good Friday with microphone in hand: "Welcome to the 2018 Re-enactment of Our Lord's Passion!" And so it began.
How do we measure "success" in regards to our re-enactment?
On one measure you can use crowd numbers, donations, "Likes" and Shares and that would be appropriate if this was just a normal play. Even on that basis our event would certainly be considered a success with somewhere around 5,000 people participating and lots of great feedback and support.
But how do you measure success for a play that tries to be an authentic re-enactment of the Passion of Jesus Christ based on scripture and tradition of the Church? In this case we were told by the Pauline Fathers that many people came back and they were hearing confessions the whole day.
We saw many people following the play and praying along with us.
Crowning with Thorns
Many came up to us after the play thanking us for such an invigorating presentation of our Lord's Passion. Here are some of the early tales we have been told of the day.
One of the biggest challenges with a moving play is the safety of actors, crew and pilgrims as the play moves from scene to scene. We try many methods such as fixed tape and ropes as well as rope held by our marshalls. Enforcement for keeping the crowd back tends to fall towards the soldiers who, like in a theatre restaurant, instruct the crowd to move back for their own safety. Our photographer, eager to get "the photo", allowed a little old lady to sneak past the barriers so she could touch the cloak of Jesus. As the Centurion swung his arm giving orders to his soldiers, this lady who stood upright under his swing moved forward. "What the?" cried the Centurion and firmly moved her back with instructions. I thought she would be concerned at the firm treatment but she was grinning ear to ear and holding her bag telling her family, "I touched his cloak!"
I touched Jesus' Robes!
Some of our Marshalls volunteered to help on the day. Often these had not experienced the fluid intensity of a moving play like this and even though they were holding on to the rope barrier, found themselves sucked into the crowd. When the Centurion or one of the soldiers noticed their lost marshall and we heard the cry, "Get him out of there!" as they reached in and brought him back into line.
Our marshalls and soldiers request people to stay back for their own safety. When the Roman soldiers and Jewish guards broke out into another scuffle we heard the cry, "They're fighting again!" and the crowd suddenly made space. "Please stand back for your own safety," we once more cried as the procession moved on.
When Jesus was being scourged, the process started with one Roman making a few lashes. Then he gets moved back with the cry, "Let someone do it properly!" The primary flogging Roman soldier let fly with the whip dipped in the fake blood. Drops of blood flew in an arc and the soft straps struck Jesus with a satisfying slap and Jesus cried out. The crowd stopped chattering with an audible gasp.
One of our new actors had not actually attended the play in past years so this was all an amazing experience. When Jesus was being scourged and mocked, tears came to her eyes, but the Woman of Jerusalem in charge held her and said, "Don't cry yet. We have to call for his crucifixion in the next scene." So she held back her tears and like a trooper joined the crowd calling for Jesus' crucifixion. As she said afterwards, it won't be the same contemplating the story of Jesus' Passion in future.
At the start of the play we made sure the actors and crew knew that this was a "Live" play. That meant no retakes, no pause to re-do the scene, no stepping in to try again. "The play must go on!" we instructed. "After all, the pilgrims haven't read the script and the story won't be affected if your lines are not exact. So long as we get the important bits in the right order, no-one will know." That was good advice.
When Pontius Pilate was standing majestically on the balcony addressing the crowd, the sign of Roman Superiority detached from the balcony railing and fell to the ground with a crash. Pontius Pliate's eyes opened wide for a brief moment and then he turned his gaze back to the Crowd and Caiaphas and the Jews and continued as if nothing was wrong. The crew quickly removed the sign and all moved on as if this was part of play. We were told afterwards how clever this was, the falling of the sign representing the fall of Roman Justice. The play must go on.
Although we have a script which covers all the main dialogue and actions, the flavour comes from the interactions and improvised dialogue of the actors. Insults between the Jews and Romans provided occasional humour too. At the crucifixion, one of the Jewish Chief Priests called out "How many Romans does it take to Crucify someone?" Being sick of their taunts a Roman Guard approached them and said, "I have room for one more. Are you ready?" The Chief Priest stepped back behind the Jewish Guards and replied, "I have an appointment tomorrow and can't today."
We will report further tales as they come to light, but I want to end this post-play post with some heartfelt thanks. When organising an event like this where there are months of preparation involving over 100 cast, crew and support organisations, the whole thing only works when people do their part. This year worked so well because everyone did their part, no matter how small that part may have appeared. The actors didn't just remember their lines, but they also worked with their fellow actors and added their own ideas for their character. For example, the actor playing the blind beggar Bartimeus had the idea of having a blindfold and sat in his spot near the start of the play, begging for alms for about 20 minutes before the play reached him. Then he improvised with many calls for alms and requests about what the commotion was. It was a great job which really brought out the character of the blind beggar. It may have only been a bit part, but it formed part of the greater whole.
The same applied for each of the roles, from the primary speaking parts through to the behind the scenes actors of the Women of Jerusalem and Apostles before and after the abandonment of Jesus.
So many people have done their parts and done them well I am very proud to have been able to assist in co-ordinating and directing the play. An event like this generates a great camaraderie and fellowship and fosters a deeper understanding of not just this critical point in salvation history, but also the very human element that is the point of the whole Passion. Every actor and member of the crew and supporters must know that all the work and effort has been worthwhile to so many people.
Thank you.
~David Bruggeman"
Copied from goodfridaypassionplay.blogspot.com.au/
For more information please visit www.paulinefathers.org.au
No need to meditate or imagine, this event will take you to Calvary!
Images by Giovanni Portelli Photography © 2018.
Meg Atkinson, our amazing Soldiers' & Airmens' Scripture Reader, has completed the world famous Nijmegen Four Day Marches for the 35th time, while marching into the hearts and minds of many who she met along the way!
With her cheery disposition, boundless enthusiasm, not to mention grit and sheer determination, Meg is always full of encouragement for those she meets along the way, and a great boost to morale.
Well done Meg, you are an inspiration!
A small selection of photos are available on our Flickr site here:
www.flickr.com/photos/rafbrizenorton/sets/72157645750696627/
If you would like more information about The Soldiers' & Airmens' Scripture Readers', their website can be viewed via the following link:
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© Meg Atkinson 2014
Photographer: Various - Meg's Camera
Image: DSC00791.jpg
From: www.raf.mod.uk/rafbrizenorton/
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