The Significance and purpose of Korean Burial mound

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Manwon
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The Significance and purpose of Korean Burial mound

Post by Manwon »

[Mod note to users: This thread is an exception to our necro rule. Please mind the date of posts that you are quoting and don't expect implicitly an answer.]



Hello Everyone, I have been living in Korea since 2014 and during the Holidays I have always been a participant in how my wife's family Honors their dead father. Well during this ceremony first you do a ceremony at home, the next morning you go to the grave site and do a completely different ceremony, and during these visits to the grave site I began to wonder what the design of Korean Buddhists graves meant. Korean Graves have a mound surrounded by a berm, now this berm doesnt completely in circle the mound in the front of the grave the berm extends past the mound by approximately 4 feet. The opening at the front of Korean Buddhist graves will face one of two directions, North or West, and this opening in the berm is what designates the direction the grave is facing.

Well I asked my relatives what the mound and the berm signified and they didn't know the answer. So the next time I went to our temple for some further education on the Dharma, I asked the Monk who has been teaching me. He told me there were two different explanations for the design of the Buddhist grave. First he explained that according to the teachings of the Buddhist Tradition that he was a member of that the Mound represented an egg and the berm represented the earth mothers womb. So when someone is buried they are returned to the earth in preparation for their future rebirth. The second explanation that originates from a different Buddhist Tradition suggests that the berm that surrounds the mound is the out stretched arms of Buddha and they are designed to welcome the dead into their next reality.

Only Buddhist graves are made this way in Korea, Christian graves in Korea are the same as Christian burials in the United States. The grave has no mound, or berm it is just flat like graves across the USA.

The information I have supplied above came from my teacher, I have had no luck finding this subject online so I do dont have any links or articles that support what I have posted. However, my teach is one of the most senior monks at the Temple my wife and I attend for contemplation and prayer, this gentleman is a little over 83 years old, and I have no reason to believe he would give me any information that wasn't completely accurate.

I hope this helpful to anyone like myself that may be curious, if so that would make me very happy knowing I could be helpful to someone. :anjali:
karmanyingpo
Posts: 459
Joined: Tue Dec 01, 2020 4:19 pm

Re: The Significance and purpose of Korean Burial mound

Post by karmanyingpo »

Manwon wrote: Mon Dec 07, 2020 9:08 am Hello Everyone, I have been living in Korea since 2014 and during the Holidays I have always been a participant in how my wife's family Honors their dead father. Well during this ceremony first you do a ceremony at home, the next morning you go to the grave site and do a completely different ceremony, and during these visits to the grave site I began to wonder what the design of Korean Buddhists graves meant. Korean Graves have a mound surrounded by a berm, now this berm doesnt completely in circle the mound in the front of the grave the berm extends past the mound by approximately 4 feet. The opening at the front of Korean Buddhist graves will face one of two directions, North or West, and this opening in the berm is what designates the direction the grave is facing.

Well I asked my relatives what the mound and the berm signified and they didn't know the answer. So the next time I went to our temple for some further education on the Dharma, I asked the Monk who has been teaching me. He told me there were two different explanations for the design of the Buddhist grave. First he explained that according to the teachings of the Buddhist Tradition that he was a member of that the Mound represented an egg and the berm represented the earth mothers womb. So when someone is buried they are returned to the earth in preparation for their future rebirth. The second explanation that originates from a different Buddhist Tradition suggests that the berm that surrounds the mound is the out stretched arms of Buddha and they are designed to welcome the dead into their next reality.

Only Buddhist graves are made this way in Korea, Christian graves in Korea are the same as Christian burials in the United States. The grave has no mound, or berm it is just flat like graves across the USA.

The information I have supplied above came from my teacher, I have had no luck finding this subject online so I do dont have any links or articles that support what I have posted. However, my teach is one of the most senior monks at the Temple my wife and I attend for contemplation and prayer, this gentleman is a little over 83 years old, and I have no reason to believe he would give me any information that wasn't completely accurate.

I hope this helpful to anyone like myself that may be curious, if so that would make me very happy knowing I could be helpful to someone. :anjali:
Thanks for sharing. I did not know this about Korean Buddhism. Hopefully you can continue educating me. I feel like many people in America focus more on Japanese Zen even though Korea has it's own Zen too (Seon).

KN
ma lu dzok pe san gye thop par shok!
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Manwon
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Re: The Significance and purpose of Korean Burial mound

Post by Manwon »

What is also little know is Buddhism was actually spread to Japan by Koreans, here is a quote from the link
I have listed below. " Traveling along this route, Mahayana Buddhism was introduced to Japan from Korea in the sixth century (traditionally, in either 538 or 552, as part of a diplomatic mission that included gifts such as an image of Shakyamuni Buddha and several volumes of Buddhist text). As in Korea, the religion had a lasting effect on the native culture. By the seventh century, when the religion was firmly established, Japan had dozens of temple complexes, various orders of priests, and a body of skilled artisans to craft the icons and other accoutrements that the practice of the faith required. "

https://asiasociety.org/education/buddhism-japan

I would also like to continue our chats, I suspect there is much knowledge I can learn from you my brother. :yinyang: :anjali:
Last edited by Manwon on Wed Dec 09, 2020 8:40 am, edited 1 time in total.
karmanyingpo
Posts: 459
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Re: The Significance and purpose of Korean Burial mound

Post by karmanyingpo »

Manwon wrote: Wed Dec 09, 2020 8:35 am What is also little know is Buddhism was actually spread to Japan by Koreans, here is a quote from the link
I have listed below. " Traveling along this route, Mahayana Buddhism was introduced to Japan from Korea in the sixth century (traditionally, in either 538 or 552, as part of a diplomatic mission that included gifts such as an image of Shakyamuni Buddha and several volumes of Buddhist text). As in Korea, the religion had a lasting effect on the native culture. By the seventh century, when the religion was firmly established, Japan had dozens of temple complexes, various orders of priests, and a body of skilled artisans to craft the icons and other accoutrements that the practice of the faith required. "

https://asiasociety.org/education/buddhism-japan

I would also like to continue our chats, I suspect there is much knowledge I can learn from you my brother. :yinyang: :anjali:
Wow! Now that's something a lot of people probably don't know. Thanks. Yes, I would be happy to continue chatting with you :cheers: I am ignorant in general but know more about Tibetan Buddhism than Korean. But even there I have huge gaps in what I know. I will try sending you a pm.

KN
ma lu dzok pe san gye thop par shok!
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Manwon
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Re: The Significance and purpose of Korean Burial mound

Post by Manwon »

Thanks for your kind words, but like I said I am at the beginning of my journey so I am certain you are much more knowledgeable than I am. Most of my knowledge is based upon embracing my wife's culture, over the last 34 years. Until just a few years ago due to my work, I was unable to learn the finer points of Buddhas teachings. However, like I said I have participated as much as I possible could in Korean Buddhist practices and traditions. The information I am sharing now is all from actually participation in these special Buddhist traditions. Before we moved to South Korea, we lived in Tacoma Washington and in the Middle of the City of Tacoma there is a Buddhist Temple that was brought from Korea and rebuilt at its present location. This is the temple where worshipped while living in Washington state and Tacoma has a very large Korean population so the events that were celebrated here were very large. We still own a home in Tacoma, and my wife and I lived in Tacoma, Washington from 1989 until 2014 when we moved to Korea, at that time I was stationed at FT. Lewis, Washington. From 1989 -- 2003 Ft. So this is where I lived when I wasn't deployed and it is where I retired from the Army in 2003.

The photo's below are from the Seu Mi Sa Korean Buddhist Temple Tacoma Washington State USA where we worshipped.

http://www.vanninh.com/chuadaihantacoma ... oma001.JPG




https://www.bing.com/images/search?view ... ORM=IRPRST

Other Buddhist Temples and Organization In Western Washington State

https://www.pszc.org/

https://buddhangkura.org/

https://buddhangkura.org/gallery/

http://www.discovernikkei.org/en/journa ... ist-temple

Take care my Brother and enjoy!! :anjali:
tingdzin
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Joined: Fri Feb 15, 2013 7:19 am

Re: The Significance and purpose of Korean Burial mound

Post by tingdzin »

May I ask, is the head or the feet of the body towards the opening in the berm? Interesting stuff.

Yes, the contribution of Koreans to East Asian (and even Tibetan) Buddhism is too seldom noticed, most likely because they worked in the Chinese language and are usually taken to be Chinese except by specialists.

Lovely temple, by the way.
Hypoxic
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Joined: Sat Feb 24, 2024 1:55 am

Re: The Significance and purpose of Korean Burial mound

Post by Hypoxic »

Interesting lore! It is worth noting, however, that Christian graves in Korea do have mounds. It is still the most common method of burial, even for Christians. Some Christian graves in Korea will also have traditional motifs, such as altars (honyu-seok), posts (jangmyeong-deung), and lanterns (mangju-seok). The differences usually are the gravestones will have the Christian cross inscribed on them, as well as Bible verses (Psalms is quite common). Adding these traditional motifs to Christian graves is simply a nod to tradition as they're not used or viewed in the customary ways.


[Mod note: This is a necro post, but I allow it, because some threads in this subforum are less current discussions but collections in one topic.]
Last edited by Ayu on Sat Feb 24, 2024 7:33 am, edited 3 times in total.
Reason: Added mod note.
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