1. Pine Breeze Trail of Magoksa Temple

[Man]
Magoksa Temple, located in Gongju of Chungcheongnam-do, has a trail called the Pine Breeze Trail of Magoksa Temple. Another name is the Baekbeom Meditation Trail.

[Woman]
Magoksa Temple has stood in Taehwasan Mountain for a thousand years. The shape of the water and mountains in the place where Magoksa Temple is located is of the Taegeuk type, and it is considered one of the ten scenic spots protected from the war in records such as the Ecological Guide to Korea and the Prophecies of Jeong. According to the certificate records of Magoksa Temple, it was founded by Jajang Yulsa, the ancient monk of the Silla Dynasty, and was repaired by Buddhist monk Bojo Guksa and reconstructed by Buddhist monk Meomil Daesa in 1172 during the reign of King Myeongjong of Goryeo.

[Man]
At the time of its foundation by Jajang Yulsa, the ancient monk of Silla, it was a large temple of over 30 sections, but the current Magoksa Temple houses a garden of the monastery with Daeungbojeon Hall, Daegwangbojeon Hall, Yeongsanjeon Hall, Sacheonwangmun Gate, and Haetalmun Gate.

[Woman]
Magoksa Temple is a temple closely related to Baekbeom Kim Gu. It was at this very temple that Baekbeom had his hair shaved to join the monastic order, and his precept name was Wonjong. In front of Daegwangmyeongjeon Hall, there is also a juniper tree planted by Baekbeom.

[Man]
Magoksa Temple was listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site in June of 2018 under the listing of a Korean mountain temple. Magoksa Temple is famous for its plum blossoms as well as its dense pine forest.

[Woman]
The Pine Breeze Trail of Magoksa Temple was opened as another tourist attraction and trekking course in addition to the temple. The stories of Taehwasan Mountain's dense pine forest and Baekbeom Kim Gu were combined to create the trail. The Pine Breeze Trail consists of 3 courses in total.

[Tourist]
“Wow, it feels great. Where are we now?”

[Guide]
"This is the Pine Breeze Trail of Magoksa Temple."

[Tourist]
“Pine Breeze Trail? Is that why there are so many pine trees here?”

[Guide]
“The Pine Breeze Trail consists of 3 different courses.”

[Tourist]
“That's a lot. Isn't a trail usually made up of just one course?"

[Guide]
That’s the unique feature of the Pine Breeze Trail.

[Tourist]
"How are they different exactly?"

[Guide]
"Well, course 1 is called the Baekbeom Meditation Trail. It is 3 kilometers long. The course starts from Magoksa Temple, passes through the tonsure site of Kim Gu and Gunwangdae, and leads back to Magoksa Temple."

[Tourist]
"What about course 2?"

[Guide]
"The second course is a 5-kilometer trekking course called Baekbeomgil Trail. The course starts from Magoksa Temple, passes through the natural pine forest, Eunjeogam Hermitage, Baekryeonam where Baekbeom lived, and goes around Hwalinbong Peak and Saenggol Village, then back to Magoksa Temple."

[Tourist]
"That course is longer than course 1. Then is course 3 longer than course 1 and 2?"

[Guide]
“Yes, it is. Course 3 is called the Pine Forest Trail. It lets visitors experience the full course of the Pine Breeze Trail. Its course resembles course 2 until Baekryeonam Hermitage, but after that, it passes through the Son Rock and Nabalbong Peak, the Korean Culture Training Institute, and the cremation site death experience center. It then passes through Gunwangdae before returning to Magoksa Temple, extended over a total of 11 kilometers.

[Tourist]
"Looks like I guessed right.” So, which course are we taking?”

[Guide]
"We're going to the Baekbeom Meditation Trail, the first course."

[Woman]
The Pine Breeze Trail of Magoksa Temple is a forest trail full of pine scents with stories to tell about Baekbeom.