These are from my new favorite link about Korea, Skyscraper City
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One of the remarkable things about Korea is the degree of syncretism that takes place between religions. While there are several ‘universal truths’ to be found within the world’s belief systems it’s not often that they borrow from one another to the extant that they do here. Take, for example, the following sign that I encountered a couple of weeks ago:
I found this sign on the side of a Buddhist temple near the tomb of King Yeonsangun. One of the more prominent symbols on this sign is the swastika (卍), associated with the Buddhist principles of Dharma and harmony. The left-facing swastika is said to represent love and mercy while a right-facing swastika signifies strength and intelligence. Located within the swastika is a taeguk (太極) image, a reference to Daoism and, in particular, the notion of yin and yang. The first line of Korean – 태백산 산신령 – mentions Taebaek Mountain (太白山) and the mountain spirits (산신) that are an important part of Korean shamanism. The expression 산신령 adds the suffix ~령 (領) to imply possession of a dominion or territory.
The above is from another of my new favorite sites,
Hello Korea ! 