 Hwaju Il Chun
There was once a certain monk belonging
to the Guan Um temple. He was one of the greatest
monks that ever lived. He told the local people
that he wanted to construct a new road around Guan
Um Byou Ru Cliff, so the people and horses could
pass. People made generous monetary donations to
him to help him in his task. The monk became greedy
and decided to keep the money for himself and live
as a rich man. He turned against his buddhist principles
and as a punishment was turned into a boa. The snake
lived between Guan Um temple and the town nearby,
so prevented people from going to the temple. The
snake also destroyed the temple.
Ten years later, on a fine spring day, 4 scholars
were going to Seoul for a state examination. They
stopped their journey to stay the night at a small
inn near the temple site. One of the scholars had
a really strange dream. He saw and old man wearing
108 beads bow down to him. The old man said "I
was once a monk. I committed a serious sin and became
a boa. |
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<Kwanum
sa ji >
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Now I need to find a noble man to help me. Please write
these four Chinese characters for me: Hwa Ju Il Chun.
Write them on a marker stone and place it on the street
where many people will pass by. If you do as I say, you
and your friends will pass your tests and I can wipe out
my sin."
The scholar related the story to his friends. They made
enquiries and discovered that the monk had actually existed.
The scholars did as the monk had asked in the dream. Each
scholar wrote one letter. They passed their tests and
the boa disappeared. |
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