-
Naewonsa Temple – 내원사 (Yangsan, Gyeongsangnam-do)
Temple History Naewonsa Temple is located up the beautiful Naewonsa Valley beneath the peaks of Mt. Cheonseongsan (920.1 m) in Yangsan, Gyeongsangnam-do. The temple was first founded by Wonhyo-daesa (617-686 A.D.) during the reign of King Munmu of Silla (r. 661-681 A.D.). According to a legend written in the “Songgoseungjeon” (僧傳 宋), there were 1,000 Chinese monks worshiping at Taehwasa Temple in Tang China (618–690, 705–907 A.D.). They were in danger of being buried at the temple because of torrential rain and the potential for a landslide. Upon realizing this, Wonhyo-daesa threw a wooden board up into the air. The monks saw this strange board in midair and thought that…
-
Yaksuam Hermitage – 약수암 (Hapcheon, Gyeongsangnam-do)
Hermitage History Yaksuam Hermitage is located on the Haeinsa Temple grounds in the foothills of Mt. Gayasan (1,433 m) in Hapcheon, Gyeongsangnam-do. Yaksuam Hermitage was first founded in 1904 by the monk Seongju. Yaksuam Hermitage was later rebuilt in 1927. Currently, the hermitage is a home to nuns (비구니). Hermitage Layout You’ll make your way past large, mature trees, a high stone wall, and an auxiliary building, before coming to the entry gate at Yaksuam Hermitage. Stepping inside the main hermitage courtyard, you’ll find what almost looks to be the nuns’ dorms straight ahead of you; but instead, this is the Daeung-jeon Hall at Yaksuam Hermitage. There are other entrances…
-
Wondangam Hermitage – 원당암 (Hapcheon, Gyeongsangnam-do)
Hermitage History Wondangam Hermitage is located on the Haeinsa Temple grounds in Hapcheon, Gyeongsangnam-do across the bridge from Hongjeam Hermitage. The hermitage was first built as a staging site to build neighbouring Haeinsa Temple in 802 A.D. Additionally, the hermitage has a royal connection. According to one legend, the two founding monks of Haeinsa Temple, Suneung and Ijeong, who were disciples of Uisang-daesa (625-702 A.D.), helped heal the wife of King Aejang of Silla (r. 800 – 809 A.D.). Additionally, it’s believed that these two monks were royal descendants of Daegaya. Suneung and Ijeong studied Esoteric Buddhism, or Chongji-jong in Korean, while in Tang China (618–690, 705–907 A.D.). Purportedly, the wife of King Aejang…
-
Nojeonam Hermitage – 노전암 (Yangsan, Gyeongsangnam-do)
Hermitage History Nojeonam Hermitage is located in a beautiful valley on the northwestern side of Mt. Cheonseongsan (920.1 m) in Yangsan, Gyeongsangnam-do. Nojeonam Hermitage is a hermitage for nuns. According to legend, Wonhyo-daesa (617-686 A.D.) travelled with his 1,000 disciples to this part of Korea. In total, it’s said that Wonhyo-daesa built some 89 hermitages in and around Mt. Cheonseongsan during the Silla Dynasty (57 B.C. – 935 A.D.). However, the exact date of the hermitage’s founding is unknown. Nojeonam Hermitage was later restored during the Joseon Dynasty (1392-1910) during the reign of King Sunjo of Joseon (r. 1800-1834). It was rebuilt at this time by the monk Taehui. Originally,…
-
Living History – David A. Mason (Professor – 1982)
One of the great things about running a website about Korean Buddhist temples is that you get to meet a lot of amazing people. And a lot of these amazing people have varying backgrounds, interests, and insights. Rather amazingly, some of these people first visited Korea in the 1960s, 1970s, and 1980s. Here are their stories! *Editor’s Note: You can take a tour with David A. Mason to any temple in Korea. He is a wonderful tour guide. He has been doing it for decades, and it shows in both his professionalism and insights. To contact Prof. Mason for any of his tours, you can either contact him through Facebook or through…
-
Cheongnyangsa Temple – 청량사 (Hapcheon, Gyeongsangnam-do)
Temple History Cheongnyangsa Temple is located at the entrance of Gaysasan National Park below Namsan Jeilbong Peak (1,054.3 m) in Hapcheon, Gyeongsangnam-do. The exact date of the temple’s foundation is unknown. However, there is a record about the temple from the “Samguk Sagi,” or the “History of the Three Kingdoms” in English. According to the “Samguk Sagi,” Choi Chiwon (857 A.D. – 10th century), the philosopher, poet and calligrapher stayed at Cheongnyangsa Temple. As a result, it can be surmised that the temple was built before Choi Chiwon’s visit sometime during the Silla Dynasty (57 B.C. – 935 A.D.). According to an oral tradition, the temple was built before Haeinsa…
-
Living History – Marcy Folta (High School Student – 1972)
One of the great things about running a website about Korean Buddhist temples is that you get to meet a lot of amazing people. And a lot of these amazing people have varying backgrounds, interests, and insights. Rather amazingly, some of these people first visited Korea in the 1960s, 1970s, and 1980s. Here are their stories! Q1: Where are you originally from? Introduce yourself a little. A: I was born in Chicago in 1958 and grew up primarily in the Washington D.C. area. My father worked in Langley, Virginia at the CIA. My family moved to Okinawa, Japan in 1971, when I was 12. We lived on a small American…
-
Baengryeonam Hermitage – 백련암 (Hapcheon, Gyeongsangnam-do)
Hermitage History Baengryeonam Hermitage is located on the Haeinsa Temple grounds in Hapcheon, Gyeongsangnam-do. Additionally, it’s situated the furthest east of all the hermitages on the Haeinsa Temple grounds. Also, Baengryeonam Hermitage is the highest in elevation on Mt. Gayasan of the Haeinsa Temple hermitages, as well. It’s unknown as to when the hermitage was first built, and it’s also unknown who first built Baengryeonam Hermitage. We do know, however, that the hermitage was reconstructed in 1605 by the monk Soam, who was a disciple of Seosan-daesa (1520-1604). Legend has it that during the Imjin War (1592-98), when the Japanese were invading the Korean Peninsula in 1592, that Soam protected…
-
Living History – Larry “Hyunsung” Martin (Buddhist Monk – 1975)
One of the great things about running a website about Korean Buddhist temples is that you get to meet a lot of amazing people. And a lot of these amazing people have varying backgrounds, interests, and insights. Rather amazingly, some of these people first visited Korea in the 1960s, 1970s, and 1980s. Here are their stories! Q1: Where are you originally from? Introduce yourself a little. A: I consider myself a native Californian, although I was born in Germany, while my father was a teacher on a U.S. Army base there. Q2: When and why did you first come to Korea? A: I developed an interest in Seon Buddhism starting…
-
Geumgoksa Temple – 금곡사 (Gangjin, Jeollanam-do)
Temple History Geumgoksa Temple is located in northern Gangjin, Jeollanam-do in the foothills of Mt. Ilbongsan (411.8 m). According to some, Geumgoksa Temple was first founded during the reign of Queen Seondeok of Silla (r. 632 – 647 A.D.) by a Silla monk named Milbon. At this time, it’s believed that the temple was called Seongmunsa Temple. However, this story seems unlikely, as the land that Geumgoksa Temple is situated upon belonged to the Baekje Kingdom (18 B.C. – 660 A.D.). So it doesn’t make a ton of sense that a Silla monk would travel to Baekje Kingdom land to found a Buddhist temple. Much later, and according to the…