“There is a story at every stop along the way.”

"The Places of My Life," a journey I took from my desk to the rest of the country, encountering them head-on.
"Scenic Sites You Must See Before You Die," Chosen by Korea's Top Traveler

A new book by Noh Seung-dae, known as "Korea's greatest traveler," has been published, introducing the mysterious beings that have existed in our temples as paintings and sculptures, as well as the cultural heritage of temples whose uses and meanings were unknown, and has been loved by many readers.
This book is a humanities travel essay about the "places of my life" selected by the author while looking back on the past 42 years of traveling all over the country, and it contains the history of famous places, historic sites, and cultural heritages in 16 regions including Samcheok, Andong, and Namwon, as well as the time, memories, and emotions they hold.

The author organized this book around the special stories of each space, rather than the fame of the place.
In particular, I wanted to talk about the 'living history' that is not well known beyond the schematic information such as internet searches and cultural heritage guides.
Furthermore, it becomes even warmer and more exciting as you encounter old memories with the robbers you encounter at the field trip site, reminisce about the lost forest path, and reminisce about the mountaineers you meet at the mountain lodge.
A record of the place where your feet stayed the longest while walking and walking as guided by the reverse horse.
This book encourages a slow journey, listening to the memories of a stone statue located in a corner of a small village, rather than the noise of the city, and exploring the hidden stories of a temple site overgrown with grass, unvisited by people.
Through this book, readers will rediscover the charm of in-depth cultural travel, rather than superficial tourism.

Our ancestors believed that the earth was alive, just as all living things were alive.
Just as the body has blood vessels that maintain life and health, the earth also has veins and energy that flow through it.
Therefore, the entire Korean Peninsula was viewed as a living organism, and the bloodline of Mt. Baekdu, the ancestor of all mountains, was seen to spread like a spider web throughout the mountains and fields of the country.

--- p.15

He was looking for a good place to sleep when he fell asleep for a moment while resting.
In a dream, a monk passing by with a Taoist monk muttered, "If I build a tomb here, a king will be born in five generations."
The monk who was walking ahead immediately scolded him.
“You rascal! They say that birds hear what is said during the day, and rats hear what is said at night. How dare you divulge the secrets of heaven so carelessly!”
--- p.20

As we approached the Shindan of Mt. Sinum, the scenery changed completely.
To the left was a dense pine forest, to the right was a high rock wall, and the small path between them seemed to herald the coming of a sanctuary.
As we leave this place, we see a row of stone towers that someone has piled up on both sides of the road.
How many people must have climbed the mountain and poured so much time and effort into building these sacred towers? The fervor of prayer permeates these countless sacred towers, so how could they not be sacred?

--- p.24

The narrow forest path leading to the eastern forest was deserted, with only the chirping of birds breaking the silence.
A breeze occasionally passes by, shaking the branches and sending birds chirping.
The valley is getting deeper and deeper, but the temple is not casting a shadow.
'Am I really on the right path to the temple?'
--- p.50

During the Joseon Dynasty, scholars going up to Hanyang to take the civil service examination did not pass through Chupungnyeong Pass.
This is because there was a popular belief that if you pass Chupungnyeong Pass, you will fall like autumn leaves during the civil service examination.
In the same context, Jukryeong Pass was not even passed.
It is because of the superstition that 'it is slippery and slippery'.

--- p.85

If you look closely at the main hall, which sits elegantly against the backdrop of a forest, you can see a row of white porcelain tiles in the shape of lotus buds on the eaves and the top.
In temple buildings, when it rains heavily or snows pile up, the roof tiles may fall off.
To prevent this, long nails are driven in to secure it, to prevent damage to the roof and any accidents that may occur.
However, to prevent the iron nails from being exposed and to adorn the temple, white porcelain lotus buds are inserted into the iron nails.
That much care was put into decorating the temple.

--- p.95

After Queen Inhyeon was restored to her throne and returned to the palace, she sent a letter of thanks in Chinese characters to Cheongamsa Temple.
The letter is now in the Seongbo Museum in Jikjisa Temple.
Queen Inhyeon wrote in a letter, "I have just heard that Monks Un and Jeok have built a new pavilion where they earnestly pray and bless me day and night," expressing her deep affection and sending a hairpin, a cup, and shoes as gifts.
Queen Inhyeon also designated the forests around Cheongamsa Temple as a nationally protected forest and granted them rice fields.

--- p.107

In 1582 (the 15th year of King Seonjo's reign), Jeong Cheol, who was appointed as the governor of Jeolla Province, created three islands symbolizing Samsinsan (Three Sacred Mountains) in the pond.
The three sacred mountains are Yeongjusan, Bangjangsan, and Bongraesan, which are legendary mountains where the immortals of the eastern sea live.
On each island, a pavilion was built and banyan trees were planted.
Jeong Cheol, a famous writer who wrote “Gwandongbyeolgok” and “Samiingok,” was a man of taste and style, so he must have come up with this idea.

--- p.127

It is said that after Jeong Cheol built an island modeled after Samsinsan Mountain in Gwanghalluwon, natural disasters continued to occur in Namwon.
Originally, it was said that the East Sea's Samshin Mountain was carried on its back by a giant sea turtle, and that because there was only Samshin Mountain, disasters kept occurring.
It is said that this stone was made and placed on the water's edge, and the disaster disappeared. The local description also called it 'Oseok (鼇石, 鼇石, 鼇石)'.

--- p.131

The people of that time considered this epidemic to be a trick of a female ghost.
It was believed that the souls of those who died violently in disasters such as war, punishment, floods, and epidemics, had no descendants to perform ancestral rites for, and thus became female ghosts. These ghosts roamed the earth, spreading disasters and epidemics.
To ward off this evil spirit, people began to erect fierce-looking jangseung statues at village entrances and mountain peaks, and this became a nationwide trend.
As jangseung were erected using stones or wood, the wooden jangseung could not survive the passage of time and all disappeared, leaving only the stone jangseung concentrated in the Jeolla-do region.

--- p.144

If you are going to Silsangsa Temple anyway, it would be a good idea to consider making a pilgrimage to the seven hermitages of Silsangsa Temple, even if it means extending your stay by one day.
I also walked this path, which has a special name called the '7 Hermitage Pilgrimage Route', in 2021, and the aftertaste still lingers deep in my heart.
The 7 Hermitage Pilgrimage Route is a pilgrimage route that visits three temples (Yeongwonsa, Sambulsa, and Silsangsa) and four hermitages (Dosolam, Sangmujuam, Munsooam, and Yaksuam) around Samjeongsan (1,225m), a foothill of Jirisan. Silsangsa and Yaksuam are also included in this pilgrimage route.
--- p.154

The first time I visited Jijoam Chilseongjeon was in the fall of 1985.
I stopped by Bongjeongsa Temple and Yeongsanam Temple and heard about Jijoam Temple, so I went up to see it. It was my first time seeing a temple called Chilseongjeon Temple instead of Chilseonggak Temple, and I was surprised to see the gorgeous constellation murals inside.
This is because the inside walls were filled with constellations in the shape of Taoist figures that I had never seen before.
It was also unusual that the names of the people corresponding to the constellations were written in red letters.

--- p.195~197