On Sunday, I went to downtown Seoul to see the annual lotus lantern parade, and to enjoy Buddhas birthday festivities. Me and a friend visited Jogyeso temple in Jongno area. Wow!! Lanterns hung in row upon row on the ceiling. Every imaginable colour made it hard to see the blue sky. What a sight!
Jogyesa temple is home to 8000 monks, and 5000 nuns. It follows Zen (Japanese name)and Gyo Buddhism, which focuses on scriptural study.
Here is more information on Buddhism in Korea, and the lantern festival.
http://www.koreanbuddhism.net/jokb/content_view.asp?cat_seq=73&content_seq=207&page=1
During the day, they had a street festival with tables of every imaginable thing related to Buddhism. We made lotus flowers, and put our handprints onto clay. We also saw Indian yoga, and met Buddhists and monks from around Asia, including Thailand, Nepal, and India.
The parade started at 7pm, and they weren't kidding when I read that the parade is 2 hours long. The parade was unlike anything I've ever seen, and I've seen lots of parades. They had many Buddhists from all over Asia, walking in groups holding different syles of lanterns all lit up. I saw different floats and groups from Myanamar, Thailand, Sri Lanka, India, and Korea. I'm sure there were others as well.
Some of the floats were really extravagant. There were dragons, elephants, and buddhas to name just a few. I took many photos, and videos of the whole affair. I'll post some pictures and videos very soon.
Website about the lotus lantern festival:
http://www.llf.or.kr/eng/main.asp
I found this interesting tidbit of information about the lotus flower and what it represents from this website:
http://english.tour2korea.com/03Sightseeing/TravelSpot/travelspot_read.asp?oid=2926&kosm=m3_8.
"The Lotus Flower is a well known symbol of Buddhism. This flower has two meanings. First, the lotus flower blossoms in mud ponds, but it is not tainted and keeps its purity always. It is like Buddha and Bodhisattvas, who lived in the world but remained pure. Second, it bears a flower and fruit at the same time. It reflects the law of cause and effect. Therefore, when Buddhists act in everyday life, they keep in mind that their actions are followed by results."
