Bomunsa Temple recorded 863 applications for 100-day prayers for this year’s college entrance exam.
The 2025 CSAT will be held on the 14th of this month at a total of 1,282 test centers nationwide.
(Incheon = Newsis) Reporter Kim Dong-young = Buddhists are praying in front of the rock-carved Avalokitesvara Bodhisattva statue at Bomunsa Temple in Ganghwa-gun, Incheon, on the morning of the 10th, the last Sunday before the 2025 College Scholastic Ability Test. 2024.11.10. (email protected)
(Incheon = Newsis) Reporter Kim Dong-young = “There is not much I can do for my child. I have to at least pray with hope to feel at ease.”
Bomunsa Temple located on Nakgasan Mountain in Samsan-myeon, Ganghwa-gun, Incheon, around 9 a.m. on the 10th, the last weekend before the 2025 College Scholastic Ability Test.
On this day, Bomunsa Temple was crowded with parents wishing for the success of test takers.
Bomunsa Temple, along with Naksansa Temple in Yangyang and Boriam Temple in Namhae, is one of the three major seawater Avalokitesvara shrines in Korea and is known as a sacred place where Avalokitesvara Bodhisattva resides.
Since then, it has been said that if you pray with sincerity, there is no wish that will not come true, and believers still visit this place.
For this reason, every year, as the college entrance exam date approaches, parents of high school seniors from all over the country visit Bomunsa Temple to offer prayers.
According to the Bomun Temple religious office on the 11th, the number of applications for 100-day prayers for the CSAT this year was 863. Previously, the number of applications was 737 in 2022 and 666 in 2023.
Kim Su-jin (pseudonym, 50s), a high school senior, visited Bomunsa Temple early in the morning. Mr. Kim’s expression seemed a bit tense as he took calm steps, but soon his earnest desire for the future of his child was revealed.
He said, “There’s not much you can do for your child. You have to pray hard to feel at ease.”
(Incheon = Newsis) Reporter Kim Dong-young = Buddhists are praying in front of the rock-carved Avalokitesvara Bodhisattva statue at Bomunsa Temple in Ganghwa-gun, Incheon, on the morning of the 10th, the last Sunday before the 2025 College Scholastic Ability Test. 2024.11.10. (email protected)
Throughout the grounds of Bomunsa Temple, there were parents like Mr. Kim praying with earnest hearts.
In particular, the area in front of the rock-carved Avalokitesvara Seated Statue carved under the eyebrow rock on the side of Nakgasan Mountain was full of believers offering Buddhist prayers.
The rock-carved seated Avalokiteshvara was engraved here in 1928 by abbot Bae Seon-ju along with abbot Lee Hwa-eung of Pyohunsa Temple on Mt. Geumgang.
Although it is not an old work, it has deep symbolism indicating that it is both a sacred place for Avalokitesvara and a sacred place for prayer. It is said that if you pray here with sincerity, there will be no wish that will not come true, so believers keep coming here.
One parent said, “I just hope that my child gets good results for all the hard work he has put in,” and added, “I came here because I thought it would be helpful if I offered a prayer.”
A father who was lighting a candle opened his mouth quietly. “I came here hoping that my children would find their own way,” he said. “No matter what the outcome, it is my parents’ wish that my children would be happy.”
Meanwhile, the 2025 CSAT will be held at a total of 1,282 test centers in 85 test districts nationwide starting at 8:40 a.m. on the 14th of this month.
The number of applicants was 522,670, an increase of 18,082 (3.6%) from last year despite the continued decrease in the number of students. There are 340,777 (65.2%) high school seniors, and 181,893 (34.8%) test takers, including graduates known as ‘N test takers’ and those who passed the qualification exam.
CSAT scores are the main evaluation indicator for the regular college admissions process, which accepts applications starting December 31. Of course, even in the rolling admissions that accepted applications last September, some of the grades are used as ‘minimum academic background’, etc.
This year, as the number of regular medical school recruits increased by about 1,500, the decline in passing scores seems to have become a foregone conclusion. Expectations for acceptance are also higher than ever, which also has an impact on the number of applicants.
(Incheon = Newsis) Reporter Kim Dong-young = On the morning of the 10th, the last Sunday before the 2025 College Scholastic Ability Test, a wish was placed on the lotus lantern at Bomunsa Temple in Ganghwa-gun, Incheon. 2024.11.10. (email protected)
◎ Sympathetic media Newsis (email protected)
Source: www.newsis.com
