Bongeunsa Temple... The Return

Hello! Well, I went back to the Bongeunsa Temple and brought a full battery with me. It was great, again. I went by myself this time and I didn't get lost. Woop, Woop! I am starting to get the hang of the subway and finding my way around this HUGE city. I say this now, but I'm sure I will get lost tomorrow. :) Oh well!

My pictures turned out pretty well. You can see a little snow in the pictures from earlier that morning. Also, look for the picture of Buddha playing peek-a-boo. I thought it was pretty funny. The piles of rock were created in a form of worship and prayer - asking for good fortune. There were many different piles of all sizes. The miniature, creepy Gods were near the rock piles.

I thought it was really interesting to see the Swastika portrayed as something other than murder and hate. The Swastika has been around for over 3, 000 years, but many people do not know its origins. So, I will give you a brief lesson. Thank you internet and the ability to "copy and paste".

History on the Swastika (courtesy of http://history1900s.about.com/cs/swastika/a/swastikahistory.htm) :

"The word "swastika" comes from the Sanskrit svastika - "su" meaning "good," "asti" meaning "to be," and "ka" as a suffix.
Until the Nazis used this symbol, the swastika was used by many cultures throughout the past 3,000 years to represent life, sun, power, strength, and good luck. Even in the early twentieth century, the swastika was still a symbol with positive connotations. For instance, the swastika was a common decoration that often adorned cigarette cases, postcards, coins, and buildings. During World War I, the swastika could even be found on the shoulder patches of the American 45th Division and on the Finnish air force until after World War II."

"In 1920, Adolf Hitler decided that the Nazi Party needed its own insignia and flag. For Hitler, the new flag had to be "a symbol of our own struggle" as well as "highly effective as a poster." (Mein Kampf, pg. 495)
In Mein Kampf, Hitler described the Nazis' new flag: "In red we see the social idea of the movement, in white the nationalistic idea, in the swastika the mission of the struggle for the victory of the Aryan man, and, by the same token, the victory of the idea of creative work, which as such always has been and always will be anti-Semitic." (pg. 496-497)"

Yeah! I love learning.

ps. I am currently reading, "What is the What" By Dave Eggers. I highly recommend it! Check it out.