Two kilometers before the entrance to Popchusa Temple is a 600-year-old
pine tree near the road. Legend tells that it bowed its branches in front
of King Sejo. King Sejo was the second son of King Sejong; he succeeded
to the throne by murdering his nephew. In old age, he suffered from a severe
skin ailment and tried to find solace in the forests of Songnisan Mountain
from his ailment as well as his impoverished mind.
One day he met a young woman whose two boys called him grandfather.
The woman was Princess Uisuk, Sejo's daughter, who had to flee from her
father because she had pleaded for the life of the murdered nephew. At
this meeting, the king begged for forgiveness and invited his family back
to the palace. The princess refused, saying that she preferred her simple
life, and she later fled further south.
Located on Songnisan Mountain,
Popchusa, ¡°The Dharma Staying¡±
Temple, is believed to have been founded in 553 CE, during the reign
of King Chinhung. There is a record which states that, at times, 3,000
monks lived here.
In a pavilion on the right side is a 2.7-meter-diameter iron pot dating
from the Koryo Dynasty. There is a record which states that the pot was
used in the 12th century to serve monks and pilgrims.
The Main Hall or Hall of Great Light is a shrine to Vairocana, Sakyamuni
and Rochana. Behind these three images there are three paintings of the
Buddha accompanied by enlightened disciples.
The five-story pagoda, the oldest wooden pagoda in Korea, was originally
built in 553. A copy of this pagoda was made in Nara 50 years later at
Horiuji. In Japan, the original wooden pagodas are still standing but in
Korea they've all been destroyed by numerous invasions. This one was constructed
in 1624 and it has been carefully preserved since then. It is a Life of
the Buddha¡±or Eight Paintings¡±
Hall, with large murals telling the story of the life of Sakyamuni Buddha;
the paintings are not in chronological order. Around the central pillar,
Buddhists circumambulate as a practice of remembering the Buddha and the
task before them. There are four statues of Sakyamuni, each one facing
one of the four cardinal directions, each one showing a different mudra
or hand position. The Buddha facing east has the pose of fearlessness,
the one facing west is in the pose of Turning the Wheel of the Dharma (teaching),
the one facing south shows the earth -touching pose and the Buddha facing
the north is lying down, Buddha in the dying pose- very rare in Korea.
In front of the paintings, there are 500 little white Buddhas representing
the innumerable beings in all places in all world systems. These images
are often called disciples even though they actually have the 32 aspects
and 80 features of the Buddha, including the long ears, the curled hair
and the bump on the head.
Gazing down at the pagoda is a 33-meter-high, 160 ton copper Maitreya
Buddha. In 1872, King Kojong's father took the Buddha statue made by Chinp'yo.
In 1939, a new statue was started but couldn't be completed. In 1964, the
then- President Park made a donation towards a new statue and this allowed
the temple to finish the statue with cement. In 1990, the statue was replaced
with the current bronze one.
Popchusa Temple TEL : (0433)43-3615
| Mode | Departure |
Arrival | Duration |
|---|
| Express Bus | Seoul Terminal |
Poun | 2:30 |
|---|
| intercity Bus | Tong-Seoul Terminal |
Songnisan | 2:50 |
|---|
| intercity Bus | Nambu Terminal Seoul |
Songnisan | 3:40 |
|---|
| Home | Korean Buddhism | next |
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