| Above: the San-shin-gak of this small temple on NE Halla is a unique roofless cemented-stone walled-altar, with a crude & simple statue in a bright metal box. Below that are two crude stone pagodas, as gateposts to a small cave. I'm not sure if the cave (seen at right) was natural or a former mine. There are a few crude Buddha statues inside the shallow space, with a tiny prayer-area and an offering-altar (I could not get a good photo). This is opposite from the usual case of temples with caves -- usually the cave becomes the San-shin-gak (worshipping the mountain from within, as if in an earth-womb), while Buddhas are enshrined up on the ground and in fresh air, "in the world of men". |
