The author, Noh Seungdae, was born in Yangju, Gyeonggi Province, ordained as a Buddhist monk in 1975, and studied under the Venerable Monk Gwangdeok for ten years until he left the monkhood. Although he had departed from the seeker’s path, he did not give up on his passion for the Korean cultural heritage that he discovered during his time as a monk. He studied under Jo Ja-yong, the director of Emile Museum, and worked for him for eighteen years until the director passed away. In 1993, he established a “Paramita Cultural Trek” which is still active to this day. From 2000 to 2007, he served as the principal of Insadong Culture School. With the graduates of the aforementioned school, who are now the members of “A Group That loves Insadong,” he leads cultural group tours throughout South Korea. He views this activity as his mission in life and is frequently on the road. He also contributes articles to magazines like People and Mountain, Monthly Buddhism, and Temple Stay, which have to do with Korean culture. He is the author of Learning about Korean Culture Through Rocks, by Muhan Publishing in 1999.