Tongdo-sa Temple Makes Great Asian GAmes Side Trip.

(From Korea Times)

As attention to Buddhism from people around the world is increasing, the head of Tongdo-sa Temple, Monk Hyunmun, in an interview with The Korea Times said: ``It is good that many foreigners who live in a materialistic society have begun to search for a spiritual world through the teachings of Buddha.'' He added, ``But some foreigners only visit famous temples, where many of them tramp daily through the courtyards with cameras clicking in a superficial manner over the relics and architecture that are seldom understood. With that in mind, we have sent young missionary monks to countries such as Brazil, Canada and the U.S. I hope more foreigners will know and understand Korean Buddhism.'' It has been a year since Monk Hyonmun became the head of Tongdo Temple, and he has focused on making it the best temple in the nation to cultivate and improve oneself and learn deeply about Buddhism. Fortunately, the temple is in a good location. Without much effort, the temple itself, one of the biggest temples in the nation, has already become widely known. During the World Cup in June, Hyonmun worked hard to let people know about the temple. For the Asian Games period from Sept. 29 through Oct. 14, this is continuing through such projects as the Temple Stay program. ``Tongdo-sa Temple is not our temple, but a global one now,'' Hyonmun said. Monk Hyonmun related an episode that happened when Catholic Stephen Cardinal Kim Su-hwan visited the Chogye-sa Temple in downtown Seoul. ``Normally, priests from other religions do not bow in the temple, but Stephen Cardinal Kim bowed politely to the Buddha statue. It was quite sensational to the monks at the time. ``I asked him why he did this. His ...