Chogye-sa Temple is the only major temple within the old city walls of Seoul. Built in 1910, the temple was first called Kakwang-sa. The name was changed to T'aego-sa during the time of the Japanese Occupation and in 1936, the temple became the headquarters of Korean Buddhism's Chogye Order. It is extremely important to all Korean Buddhists.

In 1954, after the great clean-up movement to rid the coun-try of any vestiges of the Japanese occupation, the temple came to be called Chogye-sa. This is the name of the mountain on which the Sixth Patriarch of Chinese Chan Buddhism, Huineng (638-713), lived. He is highly revered by Korean Buddhists and his life and teachings are constantly studied and remem-bered.

Born poor and illiterate, Master Huineng attained enlightenment on hearing the Diamond Sutra being chanted while he was selling wood. Eventually he was recognized by the Fifth Patriarch and became his successor. His teachings are simple. One of the most beautiful sayings ascribed to him is a true example of Buddhism. "In all conditions we should be humble and polite." Today, Chogye-sa is the main temple of Korean Buddhism and its major sect, Chogye, which is a Zen sect.

The Main Hall was built in 1 year and 7 months, from March 1937 until October 1938. It is an impressive, wooden structure which is decorated on the outside with paintings of the Buddha's life and teachings, and huge, wooden latticework doors -- well worth taking a careful look at. Inside, the comparatively small Buddha statue is of unknown origin. There is a story told, however, that it came from Tokab-sa in Cholla Province. Behind the statue is a traditional painting. The central figure is Sakyamuni, the Historical Buddha, and on either side of him, from the bottom up, are guardians, Bodhisattvas, and, at the top, there are some of the Buddha's disciples. On either side of the glass case containing the Buddha, on the inside, there are cases containing sutras carved on wooden blocks. The central shrine is flanked by paint-ings of hundreds of Buddhas. They are symbolic of the many Buddhas in the universe and the fact that we are all Buddhas without knowing it!

This temple hall is a major center of Buddhist events. Nearly every night of the year there is some kind of religious activity going on: a lecture, chanting and bowing classes, spe-cial ceremonies and celebrations. Behind the Main Hall of Chogye-sa, is the headquarters of the Chogye Order. All kinds of activities also take place there: visiting monks and dignitaries host meetings; there are exhibi-tions; and a weekly newspaper is printed.

In front of the Main Hall is a seven-storey pagoda containing a relic of the Buddha which was brought to Korea by a Sri Lankan monk in 1914. People bow as they pass and make offerings of candles and incense in memory of the Buddha. There are traditional stone lanterns on either side of the pagoda. In front of the Main Hall to the left, there is Bell Pavilion. There hang the drum, the bell, the gong and the fish, instruments used to regulate temple life and call all willing sentient beings to listen to the liberating words of the Buddha which are chanted at every ceremony. First the drum is rhythmi-cally beaten calling the animals. Then the large bell calls those who suffer and live in the realms of torment -- in the morning it is struck 33 times for the different heavenly states and 28 times in the morning. And then the cloud-shaped gong calls the beings of the air. The log carved into the shape of a fish calls all that live in the water. At 4 a.m. and at 6 p.m. in winter and 7 p.m. in summer, every day of every year a monk is in charge of sounding these instruments at Chogye-sa -- it is a wonderful sight to see.

Beside the Bell Pavilion, there is a newly constructed traditional building. It houses the offices of the temple in the basement, a meeting hall on the ground floor and the offices of training monks and teaching Buddhism on the floor above.

Behind the Main Hall there is a newly constructed hall, called the "Hall of the Virtuous Kings" and it is dedicated to Ami-tabha, the Buddha of Universal Light. Beside the principle Buddha, there are Ksitigarbha, the helper of those in trouble and Avalokitesvara, the Bodhisattva of Compassion.

In the Chogye-sa compound, there is also a 500-year-old white pine tree supposed to have been brought from China; it is Natural Monument No. 7. The tall, zelkova tree beside the pagoda is draped with lanterns on the Buddha's Birthday in May of every year. At that time the entire courtyard is filled with lanterns and, standing on the platform of the Main Hall, you can gaze down on the sea of shimmering lotuses.

There are many Buddhist shops just outside Chogye-sa where you can buy books, bells, mokt'aks, statues, and other souvenirs and mementoes.