Mu-Ryang-Sa Korean Buddhist Temple

Located on the idyllic island of Oahu, on the side of the Palolo Valley, Mu Ryang Sa stands as a pillar of the Korean Buddhist tradition. The name Mu Ryang Sa translates to “Broken Ridge Temple”. This refers to a broken ridge located at the temple. This was intentionally broken in order to bring the temple up to code during its construction in 1980. Rather than fix it, Mu Ryang Sa chose to use this as a Buddhist metaphor. They compare the ridge to the “house of illusion” broken by one’s wisdom. It is believed that by breaking the house of illusion, someone can “rise above the broken roof” to achieve inner liberation.

The grounds of Mu Ryang Sa have a plethora of Buddhist sculptures as well as Buddhist inspired architecture. Each piece shows or relates to Buddhist stories. 

The main entrance to the temple is guarded by statues of the Four Heavenly kings. They guard the north, south, east, and west and keep evil influences out of the temple. Under the feet of these statues, there are human representations of greed, lust, violence, and pride that the kings “destroy”. 

In the middle of the garden sits the world peace pagoda. The pagoda’s three levels represent “the world of form, the formless world, and that which is beyond”. Many say it also represents the three jewels of Buddhism, the Buddha, dharma, and sangha. An urn in the middle of the pagoda contains ground up remains of the Buddha. The temple claims these relics were given to them from a temple in Sri Lanka. Visitors are able to come to the temple in order to venerate these relics.

The temple has a bell tower that contains a variety of traditional Korean instruments and art. It features a prominent bell. The bell shows two pairs of angels. These angels are replicas of those on the Emille bell, the oldest Korean-style Buddhist bell in the world. The bell is used in a ritual where it is struck while practitioners chant around it. The chant along with the ringing of the bell is said to release the “suffering of those trapped by their own false image”. The bell tower also has a drum, hollow fish, and gong. It is said that the drum calls to animals, the fish to sea creatures, and the gong to creatures who live in the air. These calls are meant to call these creatures to enlightenment.

The temple contains a hall where practitioners can pray for their dead loved ones. The hall contains a statues of the Buddha Chajing-posal who lifts souls from the world of the dead to “Amitabul, the Buddha of infinite light”. Here relatives pray that their dead loved ones can escape the world of illusion and realize their Buddha nature in death. 

In The Great Hero Hall, a statue of the Buddha sits between statues of Ananda and Mahakasyapa. Ananda represents intellect while Mahakasyapa represents wisdom. These statues are meant to help remind practitioners of what they should aspire to be. It shows that they must master wisdom and intellect in order to break out of the world of illusions.

The temple houses a replica statue of Maitreya, the future Buddha. The original statue is located in the National Museum of Korea in Seoul and is made of bronze and covered in gold leaf. It is said that Maitreya will become a Buddha and, by spreading the religion, establish a perfect Buddhist world. His statue is surrounded by eight smaller figures. They represent the eight barbarian kings that converted to Buddhism through interactions on the Silk Road. These kings helped spread Buddhism in Asia and were seen as protectors of Buddhist laws. The statues represent the defense of Buddhism when Maitreya returns. The eight barbarian kings form the pedestal where Maitreya sits which shows that they “support” him. It also shows how the work of Buddhism must be completed by the community. The presence of the future Buddha is there to remind the community that a perfect world has not yet been achieved.

Mu Ryang Sa is headed by Abbott Do Hyun. He came to Hawaii in 1979 when construction was just beginning. After visiting the site of the future temple, he traveled to California to complete his undergraduate studies in Psychology, Chinese Literature, and Sanskrit. He then completed graduate studies at Beijing University. When he returned to Hawaii in 1996, he began leading the temple. He wants Mu Ryang Sa to be more than just a beautiful temple. He wants it to be a center of Buddhist and Korean culture in the United States.

Mu Ryang Sa focuses on Korean Buddhist traditions. As the largest Korean Buddhist temple located outside of Korea, Mu Ryang Sa aims to provide a varied spectrum of Korean practices. Many of these practices relate to Son Buddhism, the Korean version of Zen Buddhism. The temple hosts regularly scheduled meditations. The temple also hosts “Dharma talks” where attendants can ask questions and discuss a short reading on Buddhist writings. These Dharma talks began back in 2012 and have continued since. The talks are uploaded to the temple’s website and cover nearly all aspects of Buddhist teachings. Mu Ryang Sa recommends that those who are newer to Buddhism use these talks as a resource for learning some foundational beliefs. Mu Ryang Sa also hopes to create a four year college of Buddhist studies. The college will offer both classes about traditional Buddhism as well as classes on Korean culture, many of which the temple already hosts. 

The temple hosts monks that practice Son Buddhism. Son Buddhism is a form of Mahayana Buddhism practiced on the Korean Peninsula. It is based on Chinese Chan Buddhism and emphasizes insight meditation. After practicing insight meditation, one can realize the natural state of awakening. The monks live a simple life at the monastery and, like other monastic communities, rely on local communities to survive.

Despite being a Buddhist temple, a large aspect of Mu Ryang Sa’s purpose is to be a Korean cultural center for the local Korean community. The temple focuses on ensuring the survival of Korean culture in Hawaii. They host many different events as outreach to the local Korean community and as educational opportunities for non-Korean practitioners. The temple hosts regular Korean tea ceremonies as well as traditional Korean dance and drums performances. They also offer Korean writing and reading classes and calligraphy classes as Korean education to the local community. Mu Ryang Sa is also very affiliated with the Palolo Nursing Center. The temple is going to sponsor a Korean focused elderly care home. These organizations partner to provide care and a sense of home for elderly Koreans in Hawaii. It aims to integrate Korean traditional medicine, food, and customs into local elderly care. Throughout the coming years, Mu Ryang Sa hopes to grow as a temple and community center.

Mu Ryang Sa also offers retreats for nonresidents. They occur monthly and can last from half a day to five days. These retreats give nonresidents a glimpse into monastic life. These retreats also highlight the Korean lifestyle. Retreats include a Korean breakfast and follow other Korean traditions. It also serves as a way to make Buddhism accessible to the local community and other visitors. 

Mu Ryang Sa supports itself with donations. There are no set fees to participate in activities or events. Many donations come from the local community, however, a sizable portion of visitors also pay to visit the temple. Visitors can pay to wander the temple grounds and view the architecture. From time to time, the temple will hold fundraising events, usually to fund a specific initiative. Mu Ryang Sa, and its monastic community, rely on the generosity of others. Donations usually come from the local community on Oahu, or visitors from Korea. Finally, the retreats cost 40 dollars per day for visitors. This allows the temple to cover the costs of hosting multiple people at the temple.

The temple also uses volunteer help in order to complete small tasks around the temple, mainly cleaning. These volunteers are members of the public who feel a strong calling to support a monastic community. In Buddhist dharma, supporting a monastic community brings one of the highest forms of karma. 

Mu Ryang Sa is a traditional Korean Buddhist temple in Hawaii. It is a local center of Son Buddhism and hosts monks that practice insight meditation. However, it also acts as a Korean cultural center to the local community. It focuses on fostering Korean traditions as well as the language and script. It also acts as a Buddhist ambassador to the local community on Oahu. Residents are able to attend the temple for dharma talks and meditation sessions. Visitors who want a deeper understanding of the temple’s Buddhist practices can attend a retreat. Just as the temple supports the community, the local community supports the temple. The temple relies on donations and volunteers to keep it running. Mu Ryang Sa illustrates how this place of worship can act as important pillars of local communities. Its outward focus truly embodies the community aspect of Buddhism.

  • Kevin Kinsella

Sources: