Pagodas and Tea - part 3 of 4

A while ago I did a post on Korean grave mounds.  Bodies are buried under a circular mound of dirt.  A single grave here, a group of graves there, but no official cemeteries.  At this temple there was an actual cemetery, at least in the sense that there was row upon row of stone monuments.  People who worshiped at this temple and died could have a monument erected in their memory.  The monuments are over five feet tall and very expensive so they are not affordable to many people.  The monument is more of a memorial than an actual final resting place for the body.  Bodies are cremated and some of the ashes are placed at the monument while the rest of the ashes are spread around elsewhere.  I was told that some of these monuments don't even contain ashes, but only the soul or spirit of the person.

There was a funeral in progress during our visit.

We stepped in, did some bows of reverence, and then quietly left.

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"Even death is not to be feared by one who has lived wisely."

~Buddha