On December 4th we will set out to follow in the footsteps of Korea's most beloved monk: Wonhyo. Retracing the epic walk from historical home Gyeongju to his place of enlightenment near Incheon? A 500km pilgrimage across Korea to experience and share the wonders of Korean culture with the world. You are invited to join with us in the journey!
Project Goals - No one alive knows the exact route that Wonhyo took so we have designed a pilgrimage trail as closely associated to his journey as we can, via temples Wonhyo created across Korea. Our goal is to map a route which will offer Korean and foreign visitors an opportunity to become inspired by this journey and to discover the beauty of the Korean landscape for themselves while visiting Buddhist temples. To make this pilgrimage a reality we have focused on pilgrimage models that are already functioning successfully in other countries, such as Shikoku?s 88 Temple Pilgrimage in Japan, and The Camino de Santiago (?The Road to Santiago?) in Spain.
Over a hundred thousand people from all walks of life take these routes annually, making them a unique and popular tourist attraction. By creating this trail we will be Encouraging spiritual development and peace of mind for people who walk the trail, Creating a pilgrim?s guidebook for other?s to follow in the Footsteps of Wonhyo Spreading knowledge of Wonhyo?s teaching through mixed media Producing a modern version of Chaucer's The Canterbury Tales - A Collection of Short Stories Written by Pilgrims, Designing a methodology for a trail package as a flag tourism attraction in Korea, Enabling Korea to link with the worldwide network of pilgrimage trails! This December December 4th we begin our pilgrimage. and will be keeping you all up to date as we walk for three weeks via webcasts and blogs on our interactive website.
We need to generate funds to be able to produce a first edition guidebook which will include the carefully mapped route, photos and descriptions of the temples and terrain, spiritual inspiration and perspectives on the pilgrimage written by international authors. If you would like to walk with us, or are able to donate, we are offering a variety of rewards for your goodwill. You will find all the necessary information on our website. We will be very happy to discuss the project further with you, so you may be actively involved.
www.inthefootstepsofwonhyo.wordpress.com