Wonhyo Temple元曉寺

Wonhyosa Temple, located on the Hoeryong Ridge between Dobongsan Mountain and Sapaesan Mountain, is where the great monk Wonhyo (617-686) practiced asceticism during the reign of Queen Seondeok of Silla, and it is part of Bukhansan National Park. It can be reached by following a hiking trail for about 50 minutes from Mangwolsa Station on Subway Line 1. True to its nature as the training ground of Great Master Wonhyo, who loved rock caves, it is situated in a place surrounded by rock cliffs. It is a branch temple of Bongseonsa, the head temple of the 25th district of the Jogye Order of Korean Buddhism, and a traditional temple of Gyeonggi-do Province. Wonhyosa Temple has no remaining historical records, so its exact founding date and the reason for its destruction are unknown. However, it is said that Great Master Wonhyo practiced asceticism in this rock cave (now the Nahanjeon Hall), and it seems that many Zen masters subsequently strove for enlightenment here. This is because when it was re-established in 1954, many Goryeo and Joseon Dynasty artifacts were unearthed, including Buddhist ritual objects, broken dishes, spoons, and roof tiles, confirming its historical significance. In particular, a coin inscribed with "Sungnyeongbojung" (崇寧寶重), which accurately indicates the currency's age, was also discovered. (Sungnyeong was an era name used for five years between 1102 and 1106 during the reign of Emperor Huizong of Song China.) In 1956, the Buddhist nun Uil discovered the rock cave here and began practicing asceticism, initiating restoration efforts. Naming the temple Wonhyosa, after the place where Great Master Wonhyo resided during his meditation retreat and prayed, a statue of Great Master Wonhyo was erected. Alongside it, a statue of Great Zen Master Songdam Jeong-eun (1927-) was also erected. (Songdam Jeong-eun lived his life as a reclusive ascetic, achieving enlightenment through 10 years of silent meditation, earning him the moniker "Mukeon Seonsa," or the Silent Zen Master.) Next to it is a seven-story stone pagoda, which the Sō Yoshitoshi (1558-1615) family, the feudal lord of Tsushima during the Japanese colonial period, had moved from the southwestern region of Jeollabuk-do Province to Tsushima in the 1910s. Subsequently, it stood in the residence of a man named Miki Kojin in Nagasaki until 2007. Professor Hong Jong-pil, a researcher of Joseon Tongsinsa (Korean envoys to Japan) who was working as a professor at a Japanese university, became aware of it and, after campaigning for its repatriation, it was relocated to Wonhyosa Temple. Additionally, the temple possesses a Hangeul transcribed sutra titled "Uijeongbu Wonhyosa Myobeopyeonhwagyeong" (議政府元曉寺妙法蓮華經), completed in March 1626 (the 4th year of King Injo's reign) at the wish of Court Lady Choi, but it is not open to the public. This sutra is considered important material for the study of Hangeul phonology.