Ko Un

Passage to Buddha

A young boy mourns the death of his father, and begins a quest to find his mother. He encounters many people on the way who quote Buddhist precepts: an eccentric monk, a girl who grows up into a young woman, a prison inmate, a foul-mouthed doctor and the young son of a hard drinking astronomer. Each of them tell the boy to seek someone to help him find the truth and his mother.

Beyond the Mountain

In a quite mountain temple Chim-hae follows a path of asceticism under the instruction of the High Priest, Pop-yon. One day, the high priest sends him on an errand to another mountain temple known as Sowondang. Sowondang was widely renowned for the beautiful Buddhist nun, Myo-hon who lived there. On Chi,-hae's way back he spots the delightful Myo-hon in the distance. From that moment he realizes her existence is overpowering to his. Days later, his craving is fulfilled when he gets to meet her in their mist at Sowondang. They are immediately attracted to each other in this wonderful first rendezvous. However, they foresee a grim future lying ahead. While returning to his temple, Chim-hae gets lost in the mist causing great concern and confusion among the other followers. Three days later Chim-hae awakes to find himself at home in the temple after having been rescued by the monk. Known as Mubul who had found him in the mountains.

Transgression

Chim-Ae, an orphan, is saved by an old monk of Seo San Temple, Mu Bul Dang while he is wandering in war fires. Then he enters the priesthood and trains himself a mountaineering asceticism. When he becomes an eminent young priest, the last trial to receive the mantle of the preceding abbot applies on him. The old monk sends the fairest of the fair, Myo-Hyang of cottage Ni Am to Chim-Ae to form a connection with her. But Chim-Ae quickly removes his earthly desires towards woman and goes through this hardship by fasting meditation. However the old monk recognizes that love sprouted between two youngsters and shows Chim-Ae the face of transgression which he mentally violated without hesitation to make Chim-Ae and Myo-Hyang go back to mundane existence.