How Do You Get Used To This??

What does the image you see adorning this temple conjure in your mind? Exactly. You can imagine our surprise when it started popping up everywhere. It has been carved in doors, etched on windows, hung on key rings, you can even get a complete set of jewelry - earings, necklace, bracelet, and ring (in case you were afraid of being subtle). It took awhile to figure out just what this symbol means to Koreans. After a bit of researching (as I was somewhat troubled to see this everywhere in the country I now call home) I learned that at least 25% of the population in Korea is Buddhist. To the ancient culture this symbol is not representing hate and prejudice but love and good fortune. It is the symbol of the Buddha's heart and mind and is quite often found carved on Budda's chest in sculptures, and therefore (to them) very religious and peaceful. We have also seen the symbol on subway and city maps indicating the location of a temple and also on food packaging to signify the product is vegetarian and can be consumed by strict Buddhists. Darin put it best when I was wondering aloud if they knew what it meant to the rest of the world. "It was theirs first and they are just gonna keep on using it!"