'The Way to Temple Naksan' Part 3

When autumn comes, the sky feels higher and the field wider. It may be an illusion, but it still is enjoyable. With a physically broadening view, our thoughts may want to broaden, too. The autumn, as always, provokes us to become reflective. It encourages us to meditate deeply alone without anyone knowing, and to focus only on ourselves without being distracted by anyone. It would be nice to sit still for just five minutes and look into our inner selves. Where am I now and to where am I heading? It feels like contemplating such questions may calm my disturbed mind. And my mind would become clearer and loftier just like the autumn sky.

Today, I would like to introduce our readers to a poem that may help you get that autumn contemplating. Korean poet Yoo Kyung-hwan wrote several poems titled "The Way to Temple Naksan." He even compiled the poems into a book under the same title because they are thematically connected series. Among the series, his third poem, "The Way to Temple Naksan," gained the most popularity and won the Jeong Ji-yong Literature Prize. Yoo debuted by the recommendation of another Korean poet Park Du-jin who Poet Jeong Ji-yong taught. So, you could say that Yoo's poem assembled the poet himself, his teacher, and his teacher's teacher in one place when awarded the prize.

The poem is relatively short, but every word is ideally in the place where it should be. Each word is carefully chosen and put, such as "the calm drowned in the pond, the mountainous weight." Such neat and concise poems lead you to more profound meditation. Yoo's poems on Temple Naksan say the invisible mind matters. Will I be able to grow and become mature by fully digesting the poet's message? I wish my autumn this time would be all the more fruitful with his poems.