Beopjusa temple was founded in the year 553, making it one of Korea’s most historically rich Buddhist temples. Its name means “a place where the Dharma resides,” and there is a sense, even for non-Buddhists, that this is somewhere shaped by intention. Over its long life, the temple flourished, was destroyed, and rebuilt, most notably after the Japanese invasions of the late 16th century. What exists today is not simply old; it is resilient.

I could not believe my eyes the beauty of the temple itself, its uncanny conical stone pagodas, the rock wall-like mountain on the left, the colored lanterns and lack of people, the entire scenery resembling a sci-fi movie happening on another planet. With hardly another soul around, the experience was utterly transcendent.