My Korea: A Stroll Through Mugaksa
Words and photo by Na Seungju
Have you ever felt tired of your routine life? Most of us are living in the city which is so crowded and noisy. To avoid stress from my routine life, I like going to a park and taking a walk. I live near the Sang-mu area. There are many cars and people in the area. However, there is a nice place to take a rest between Sang-mu and Ssang-chon. It is Mugaksa.
From the entrance of Mugaksa, after taking a few steps, you can see a temple placed within this urban center. This building is very nice. People who believe in Buddhism often come to this temple. There are two stone pagodas and a very big Buddhist temple bell. I like the tall trees between Mugaksa and the entrance. I feel these trees protecting the temple. Next to Mugaksa, you can take a walk through a wooded pathway. When you go through this secret path, there is a soft track that people walk or run on for their health. But I just walk, feeling the romantic weather.
If you go to the left side, you can visit the May18thPavilion. This pavilion is a viewing platform to see the whole Sang-mu area. The shape of it is round. Because of that, seeing various scenes is possible when walking around. When I went to this place, I still could see many red, yellow and orange maple trees.
After exercising slightly, I sometimes stop by the Mugaksa cafe to drink tea. The second floor of this building was a secondary exhibition space for the Gwangju Biennale. Some art works were displayed here. Once entering the cafe, I feel the warm and clean atmosphere. The are a variety of books: travel books, essays and books for people to understand Buddhism. I also like the music coming quietly. Some gifts are for sale, for example: dolls, key holders, hand-made bags and Buddhist prayer beads. Coming out of the cafe, there is another cafe across the courtyard, but it’s a traditional one. This one sells traditional Korean tea like medicinal tea and jujube tea at a good price.
Whenever I go to this place, I have different feelings according to the weather and people who go with me. When I go alone, I can be absorbed in meditation and feel the beautiful nature. Taking pictures of this place by myself makes it more meaningful to me.