|
[
Society > Koreana ]
 emple History in Korea
From the time of its arrival in the Korean Peninsula 1,600 years ago, Buddhism has been a key influence in religion, culture and the arts. The first Buddhist temples to be built in Korea, according to historical records, were Songmun-sa (or Ch’omun-sa) and Ibulran-sa. King Sosurim of the Koguryo kingdom built them in 375 AD during the time of the “Three Kingdoms.” Koguryo King Kwang-gaet’o built nine temples in P’yongyang in 392 AD. Other Koguryo temples such as Kumgang-sa, Panyong-sa, Yongt’ap-sa, were also built very early on, according to records. Sadly, we know nothing about the form or style of these temples.
However, an ancient temple site, believed to be that of Kumgang-sa, was excavated at Ch’ong-am-ni, near P’yongyang (now North Korea) by the Daedong River in 1938. The arrangement of the temple compound seems to have been centered on an octagonal building. Traces of two other buildings are found to the east and west of the octagonal building. To the north, there are traces of a big building, and to the south a trace of a gate. Further north, there are traces of four more buildings, plus one quite separate from the rest.
A temple was built at Hansan (at the time, the capital of Baekje, a rival kingdom to Koguryo) as soon as Buddhism arrived in the kingdom. In later reigns, Kings Pop and Mu built Wanghung-sa and Miruk-sa temples respectively. In the records, names of other temples such as Yoak-sa, Oham-sa, Ch’onwangsa, Toyang-sa and Paeksok-sa were also mentioned. Some of these temples have been excavated but others remain to be excavated. According to contemporary descriptions, Wanghung-sa was a magnificent temple located in Puyo, during the time the city served as the capital of Baekje. The site of Miruk-sa, the oldest Buddhist temple of Baekje Kingdom is the largest of the Korean temple sites and demonstrates a unique arrangement of the three buildings. Hungnyun-sa, finished in 545 AD, the fifth year of the reign of King Chinhung, was probably the first and the largest Shilla temple. Yonghung-sa and Hwangnyong-sa were built at the same time, as were Chiwon-sa and Shilje-sa. All of these temples were large and magnificent; many more were to be built as the years went by.
Such great temples enormously influenced the architectural style and the building techniques used at that time, leading to extraordinary developments. Special roofs to cover the huge halls of the temples had to be created and the arrangement of beams to support the roofs required great engineering ability.
The great majority of temples are located in scenic mountains among giant trees and clean streams. Just walking up the approach to a temple can often serve as a refreshing experience to help purify both soul and the body.
Temple Features
Whatever the sect, Korean temples always have certain features in common. These features encourage the notion that all temples are the same but this is entirely false. Site, period and purpose all create great differences, as do the founding legends, which often pinpoint the orientation of a particular temple. By giving a title to each temple we have tried to highlight what is special about it. Here are just some of the features that temples have in common:
Temples are laid out according to the principles of geomancy and their arrangement represents the Buddhist concept of paradise. The approach to almost all temples takes the form of a winding path to the main compound that often takes the visitor over a bridge over a stream and then goes on to the One-Pillar Gate where the compound proper begins. In many temples this path will pass steles, huge blocks of polished stone on which is inscribed the history of the temple or, should the visitor pass giant stone turtles, the names of the donors in Chinese characters. There may also be pudo, large bulbous stones with or without “hats,” which house the remains of great monks.
Next comes the second gate or Four Guardians’ Gate, which in larger temples is a separate structure. If the temple you are visiting is small, then the two gate gods, to ward off evil, are painted on the main doors. They represent the power of wisdom over ignorance. Next comes the Gate of Non-Duality. Placed in a central position, slightly elevated and on the central axis of the compound is the Main Hall where ceremonies are held. In front of the main hall, depending on the period the temple was built in, there will be one or two pagodas and one or two stone lamps. Other pagodas will be located in different, not specific locations within the compound. Often there are other little shrines nearby dedicated to different Bodhisattvas or Buddhas.
Sometimes you will find two stone posts. These are supports for giant paintings, which are displayed for special events to make a huge outdoor shrine. Off in one corner there will be the shrine to the indigenous gods of the area.
Near the main hall the Bhikkus’/Bhikkunis’ (monks’/nuns’) college and library are often found. Living quarters for the residents are also nearby. Off to one side will be the large kitchen and eating hall where the members of the community, as well as visitors eat. The meditation center is usually placed quite far from the main living areas. It can vary in size from a building that can accommodate ten meditators to one where 50 can comfortably gather at any one time. Many larger temples have smaller temples or hermitages in the surrounding hills.
These are sometimes large, accommodating up to 50 residents, or very small, suitable for only a single person. On the eighth day of the fourth lunar month (usually in May), Buddhists stage their most important celebration of the year, Buddha’s birthday. All the temples are colorfully decorated with hundreds of lotus lanterns.
Top Temples to Visit
Below are presented three temples well worth visiting and which hold the most splendid Buddhist ceremonies..
Tongdosa Temple
Tongdosa Temple is the first of the Three Jewel Temples of Korea. (Tongdosa means, “Pass into Enlightenment”). With 65 buildings, it is the largest temple in Korea. Once a center of Korean Buddhism, it was built in 646 AD, in the reign of Queen Sondok by Master Chajang on his return from China where he had journeyed to bring back relics of the Buddha.
Before entering the temple compound, the visitor must pass over the bridge that leads into a windless pine forest. Most temples have a bridge - often over a rushing torrent - before the gates to the compound. This is a symbolic purification of the individual as he or she passes from the secular into the spiritual world.
 The main hall at Tongdosa Temple was reconstructed in 1601 in the reign of King Sonjo. It is unique in that it has no statue, only a window looking out onto a stupa, a domeshaped Buddhist shrine. The ceiling of the hall is especially attractive as it is covered with an exquisitely executed pattern of chrysanthemums.
Behind the main hall are the Diamond Stairs that lead up to a platform containing the bell-shaped stupa believed to enshrine the relics of the Buddha that Master Chajang brought from China. As such, it is the focal point of the temple and since it contains relics of the Buddha, it serves as a representation of him. Thus there is no need for a statue in the main hall as well.
Of special interest are the museums containing many precious ancient objects; the memorial shrine to Chajang built in 1727; and the Great Hall of Light. This last is a hall dedicated to Vairocana Buddha and was constructed 600 years ago; it is reputed to be the oldest in Korea.
Transportation Take a Busan-bound bus from Seoul Express Bus Terminal (takes 5 hrs 20 min). At Busan Express Bus Terminal, take a Tongdosa-bound bus (40 min).
Haeinsa Temple
Haeinsa Temple is the second of the “Three Jewels” temples of Korea and is intended to represent the teaching of Buddha. Haein means “reflection on a smooth sea.” Haein Samadhi is a state of meditation in which an enlightened person sees everything as it is; a world in which all dualities cease. Such a world has a surface like that of a calm sea. When the queen of King Aejang (r. 800-809 AD) became ill with a tumor, the king asked Master Sunung and Master Ichong to help her. They tied one end of a string to the tumor, the other to a tree and chanted special verses. Miraculously, as the tumor withered, the tree died. Out of gratitude for the monks’ services, the king built Haeinsa Temple.
 After passing through the three gates, there is a large courtyard. Continuing up the next flight of stairs, you arrive at the Main Hall, constructed in 1818 on the foundations of the one built by Master Sunung and Master Ichong. Inside, there are seven statues. The wooden Vairocana, the Manjusri and the Samantabhadra statues were all carved from a large ginkgo tree during the Chosun Dynasty (1392-1910). There are many paintings in the hall, including ones of Ich’adon (with milk spurting from his neck), Wonhyo and Uisang. The paintings of the Buddha’s life, found behind the main statues, are highly detailed and rather unusual.
Behind the main shrine, up a steep flight of granite stairs are two long buildings that house the wooden blocks of the Tripitaka Koreana, on which are inscribed the Buddhist canon. Constructed in 1488, the buildings escaped the fires that burnt down the rest of the temple in 1817.
The Tripitaka Koreana was carved in the 13th century in a temple on Ganghwa Island. It was believed that the possession of these wood blocks would protect the country against invasion. The original set of printing blocks, carved in the 11th century, were burnt by the Mongols and, in the 13th century, a new set was undertaken at the orders of King Kojong. These were transported from Ganghwa Island on the heads of nuns to Haeinsa for safekeeping.
 To prepare the white birch woodblocks, they were submerged in seawater for three years, boiled in seawater for three years and then dried in the shade for three years. It took about 16 years to carve the 81,258 blocks. The style and uniformity of the carvings makes them appear as if a single person carved them, although it was the work of many. A total of 6,791 volumes may be printed from the blocks. In 1995, UNESCO designated the Haeinsa Temple Changgyong P’ango, the Depositories for the Tripitaka Koreana Wood Blocks as a World Heritage site.
Transportation Take a Hapcheon-bound bus from Nambu Bus Terminal (takes 4 hrs and 20 min). At Hapcheon, take a Haeinsa-bound bus (a one-hour ride).
Songgwangsa Temple
 Songgwangsa, (Spreading Pine Temple) on Mount Chogye, is the third of the Three Jewels temples. Therefore, it has a formidable collection of steles and pagodas containing the ashes of some of the many masters who have lived here. The most famous monk who lived here was Master Chinul (1158-1210 AD). In 1190, Master Chinul realized his life-long wish to create a community where like-minded people could live and practice Buddhism together. For seven years they lived in a small temple but, as the community grew, Master Chinul looked for an ideal place to move to. According to legend, in his quest to find such a place he carved a crane out of wood; it flew away and finally landed on the spot where Songgwangsa is today. There he built a small hermitage on Mt. Chogyesan he later expanded to accommodate his growing community, which eventually became Songgwangsa. The Masters’ Portrait Hall was built where the bird actually landed and the temple came to represent the followers of the Buddha.
Initially, Songgwangsa grew very large, but it was destroyed many times between the 16th century and the Korean War. The temple was always repaired and rebuilt many times but it never returned to its former glory. In 1988, however, the monk-in-charge worked hard to reestablish the former greatness of the temple by restoring it according to the original foundations. Fourteen buildings were reconstructed including the magnificent main hall.
Usually the main hall is the highest building in a temple complex, but in Songgwangsa this not the case. The teaching hall, the Masters’ Portrait Hall and the residence of the spiritual leader are in the highest positions in Songgwangsa because this is one of the Three Jewels Temples, and so different from other temples.
 In the main hall, the three main statues are the past Buddha, Dipankara, the present-day Buddha, Sakyamuni, and the future Buddha, Maitreya. Just near the residence of the spiritual leader of Songgwangsa is his assistant’s house. This little house dates from the 15th century and has a traditional chimney emerging from the roof. It is one of the oldest living quarters in Korea still standing.
Two bridges span a picturesque stream that flows in front of the temple entrance; the one covered by an arch is considered architecturally unusual. In front of the main bridge-entrance into the temple, there are two small houses completely separate from the rest of the temple. Opinions vary as to their original purpose. Some say they were for keeping the remains of the dead who had specially asked to be kept near the temple for a period of mourning after their death. Others say they were the places where, after a ceremonial bath, members of the royal family donned their wedding clothes just before a wedding. These houses are unique to Songgwangsa .
Transportation Take a Suncheon-bound bus at Seoul Express Bus Terminal (takes 5 hrs and 20 min). At Suncheon Intercity Bus Terminal, take a Songgwangsabound bus (takes 1 hr and 20 min).
By Jung Yoon-Suh
(jys0916@kotra.or.kr)
|
