B. Other Famous Temples

1. The Temple of Beautiful Gates: Pomo-sa

Pomo-sa stands on Kumjong-san, a mountain at the end of the T'aebaek Range which forms the backbone of the Korean peninsula. The mountain is carefully described in a Choson Dynasty geography book as having a huge rock at the summit on top of which there is a golden well which never, ever dries up.
Legend tells that the water of this well has very special magical properties. One day a golden fish came from heaven and has lived there ever since. Thus the name of the temple came to be "Heavenly Fish." Elsewhere it is said that the fish came from Nirvana, the Buddhist state of non-suffering. So the temples name became "Where fish from Nirvana Play."
It is recorded that Pomo-sa Temple was established by Master Uisang (625-702) in 678 during the reign of King Munmu (r. 661-681), one of the greatest Shilla kings, the first to unite the peninsula in 668. During one of the Japanese invasions of the peninsula, the king had a dream in which he was told to get Master Uisang to chant for seven days and then establish a temple on Kumjong-san Mountain. So the king organized the meeting and, at the end, the earth opened up and all the Buddhas and Bodhisattvas appeared and helped to drive away the Japanese.

Destroyed during the Hideyoshi Invasion, Pomo-sa Temple was reconstructed in 1602 and renovated in 1613. However, Shilla pagodas and lanterns still remain.

Pomo-sa is very famous for its gates. The temple is laid out in an unusual manner. The compound, composed of three levels, is clearly divided. The upper level is around the Main Hall. The second level is around the Poje-ru, the "Save all Beings" Hall and the lower part includes the three gates. The first gate is called the One-pillar Gate. It was built in 1614 and is Provincial Treasure No. 12. One reason for the strange name is that, when you look from one side, the two pillars appear as one! Another is that all who enter are urged to search for the truth of the oneness of mind. The second gate is the Four Guardians' Gate where the four awesome protectors of the temple greet you. The Four Guardians all bear a fierce countenance and trample the opponents of Buddhism under their feet. Of Hindu origin these protectors are said to have helped Siddhartha Gautama, the Buddha-to-be, to leave his father's house on the night of his renunciation by each taking hold of one hoof of Siddhartha's horse and lifting him over the palace walls.

The third gate, Gate of Non-duality represents the fact that, though the visitor is passing from the secular world into the spiritual world of the temple, these two worlds are not different from one another, they are not-two, non-dual.

The third level of the compound centers around the very beautiful Main Hall. It is Treasure No. 434 and was rebuilt by Master Myojun in 1614. The interior wooden carvings show a very refined level of Choson Dynasty craftsmanship. On the ceiling, there are many flowers which have been carved because of the legend that, whenever the Buddha teaches, flowers always fall from the heavens.

Pomo-sa has two main stupas. The three-storey stupa is from the Shilla Period about 830. It is four meters in height and is Treasure No. 250. The seven-storey stupa is new. Relics of the Buddha, brought to Korea by a Indian monk, have been enshrined within it. Just nearby there is the only stone lantern in Pomo-sa, Pusan Cultural Asset No. 16 which dates from the 9th century.

There is a famous painting of Vairocana in Pomo-sa. It used to hang behind the statue but now it is in a separate building. The harmony of colors gives the viewer a lovely feeling when looking at the painting.

In the mountains near Pomo-sa Temple, there are 11 different hermitages.
Each one is very individual and delightful to visit. Pomo-sa is a wonderful temple to go to because, as you climb up above sprawling Pusan, you can enjoy the famous forest of wisteria trees.