Stone Pile and Wishes of Common People

20170903

You can see very unique but not special structures in Korean mountain. These are piles of stones. Nobody knows from where these stone piles came and when these began. Only what I am remembering is my granma had put one stone on the pile of stones when she had visited the Buddhist Temple.

Time is changing. Religion in Korea was also changed a lot. Eventhough Korea was a Confucian country, Christianity have prevailed over korean society for 100 years since Door had been open to the religion from out side.

Some scholars had guessed that the purpose of the piling stones had defensive and security meaning.

In the past, I could had seen the piles of stones in the entrance of the village. I heard the reason why they had piled stones in the entrance of the village when I was a elementary school pupil. In peace time people had gathered the stone when they passed the entrance of the village. They said that piling stones were kind of combat readiness. When enemy invaded, people though the stones at the entrance.

This story reminded me of my childhood. There was a stone throwing combat periodically between villages. Boys took part in the stone combat. I remember adults didn't care about that fighting. The battle field and combat time was designated as custom. Boys put a metal pan or bawl on the head like a helmet. Accidents were happen from time to time. They bleeded and head was torn sometimes. May be that stone battle was a kind of combat training.

But the stone piling in the mountain is supposed to be quiet different from the combat readiness in the entrance of the village. The stone piling in the mountain seemed to express people's sincere hope and wish. There is religious meaning in stone piling.

Whenever I have visited the mountain, I find and l look around the stone piles with caution. There were so many stone piles in Gyeryong mountain than another mountain. The shapes were various than other mountain.

I guessed that there were much more wishes and hopes. Usually people put only one stone over the other stones.

You can estimate how many people have prayed for their wishes. People's wish is simple, healthy and kidd's success entering college. One thing we shouid remind is peoples's wishes are all connected.

As I wrote, people put stone on other stones what someone had already put on. It means that our wishes could be attained with relations of people. I heard so many times from my grandma that if you want to be treated well and receive fortune, you should do good things for others. When you did good behavior, then your children or grandchildren will receive the paybacks from the heaven. Strangely enough christianity and my granma's traditional religious teaching was all but similar.

Thank you for reading.