• Chungcheongbuk-do

    Sujeongam Hermitage – 수정암 (Boeun-Gun, Chungcheongbuk-do)

    Hermitage History Just south-west of the famous Beopjusa Temple in Boeun-gun, Chungcheongbuk-do is Sujeongam Hermitage. And like Beopjusa Temple, it’s beautifully situated in Songnisan National Park. Sujeongam Hermitage is one of twelve hermitages that’s located on the Beopjusa Temple grounds. Sujeongam Hermitage is believed to have been built around the same time as Beopjusa Temple in 553 A.D. by the same monk, Uisin. Unfortunately, very few records remain to tell about the hermitage’s history. However, records do exist stating that the hermitage had shaman shrine halls like the Sanshin-gak (Mountain Spirit Hall), Chilseong-gak (Seven Stars Hall), and Dokseong-gak (Lonely Saint Hall), as well as a Daeseon-bang (Great Meditation Hall) in…

  • Chungcheongbuk-do

    Beopjusa Temple – 법주사 (Boeun, Chungcheongbuk-do)

    Temple History Beopjusa Temple is located in northeastern Boeun, Chungcheongbuk-do in Songnisan National Park. Beopjusa Temple means “Dharma Residence Temple” in English. The name of the temple relates to its founding. According to the “Dongguk-yeoji-seungnam”, or “The Survey of the Geography of Korea” in English, Beopjusa Temple was first founded in 553 A.D. by the monk Uisin. After travelling to India, where he learned more about Buddhism, Uisin returned to the Korean Peninsula with Indian Buddhist texts. Carrying these religious texts on a white donkey, he housed these texts at the site of the future Beopjusa Temple. The temple was later reconstructed in 720 A.D. Even later, and according to…