Beopjusa Temple法住寺

Beopjusa Temple, meaning "a temple where the Dharma of the Buddha resides," is located at the foot of Songnisan Mountain. It was founded by Uisinjo in the 14th year of King Jinheung of Silla (553 AD) and later rebuilt by King Seongdeok and King Hyegong, at which point it began to take on the scale of a grand temple. During the Goryeo Dynasty, King Gongmin stopped by on his way back to the palace after fleeing to Andong during the Red Turban Invasion. King Taejo of Joseon is said to have offered a hundred-day prayer before his enthronement, and King Sejo, afflicted with illness, offered a three-day prayer at Bokcheonam Hermitage. By the mid-Joseon Dynasty, it had become a magnificent temple with over 60 buildings and 70 hermitages, but nearly all its buildings were burned down during the Japanese invasions of Korea (Imjin War). It was rebuilt in 1624, the second year of King Injo, by the monk Byeogam, and has undergone several subsequent repairs to reach its present state. The former layout of Beopjusa Temple featured a Hwaeom (Flower Garland) Buddhist axis centered on Daeungbojeon Hall and a Maitreya Buddhist axis centered on Yonghwabojeon Hall, intersecting at right angles with Palsangjeon Hall. However, this layout was disrupted when a 33-meter-tall bronze Maitreya Buddha statue was erected in 1990. Within the temple grounds, centered around Daeungbojeon Hall, remain buildings such as Yonghwajeon Hall, Wonjongbojeon Hall, Myeongbujeon Hall, Neunginjeon Hall, Josagak, Jinyeonggak, and Samseonggak, along with about 10 monks' quarters including the temple office. Over half of Boeun's designated cultural heritage sites are concentrated in the Songnisan area, including Beopjusa Temple, which alone possesses three National Treasures. Other notable features include Cheonwangmun Gate, Seonhuigung Wongwan (which enshrined the ancestral tablet of Royal Noble Consort Yeongbin Yi, mother of Crown Prince Sado), Neunginjeon Hall (which enshrines 16 arhats), the Heegyeon Bodhisattva statue (who offered his own body to the Buddha), and a stone basin and iron cauldron large enough to hold 80 sacks of rice. Beopjusa, a place where Maitreya Buddhism has been passed down through over a thousand years of history, offers temple stays for basic Buddhist cultural experiences such as prayer and ritual practice. Palsangjeon Hall, a five-story wooden pagoda, is an important resource for the study of wooden pagodas in Korea. It was built by Uisin during the Silla Dynasty under King Jinheung, rebuilt by Byeongjin in 776, lost during the Jeongyujaeran (second Japanese invasion) in 1597, and reconstructed in 1605, remaining to this day. It is named Palsangjeon because the eight-scene pictorial representation of the Buddha's life (Palsangdo) is painted on its walls. With the loss of the three-story wooden pagoda that served as the main hall of Ssangsamsa Temple in 1984, Palsangjeon became the sole surviving example of a Korean wooden pagoda, making it an important architectural structure. Its total height, including the finial, is 22.7 meters, making it the tallest existing pagoda in Korea. Furthermore, the Seokyeonji (stone lotus pond) is a masterpiece sculpted around the 8th century during the Unified Silla period. It features an octagonal base, three tiers of supports, and a layer of inverted lotus petals, topped by cloud-patterned decorative stones that support the massive stone lotus pond, giving the appearance of a lotus floating on clouds. The Twin Lion Stone Lantern is considered one of the finest Silla stone lanterns, with its construction date estimated to be 720 AD, the 19th year of King Seongdeok. This lantern deviates from the typical style by replacing the central column with two stone lions. Its octagonal base, lower lotus pedestal, and twin lion lotus cushion are all carved from a single stone. It is also characterized by a larger main body (hwasaseok) and roof stone (okkaeseok) compared to other stone lanterns.