Borimsa Temple ( ko, 보림사 or ) is one of the oldest Korean temples on Gaji mountain in Jangheung County, South Jeolla,

South Korea South Korea, officially the Republic of Korea (ROK), is a country in East Asia, constituting the southern part of the Korea, Korean Peninsula and sharing a Korean Demilitarized Zone, land border with North Korea. Its western border is formed ...

. The temple holds great significance as the first

Zen Buddhist Zen ( zh, t=禪, p=Chán; ja, text= 禅, translit=zen; ko, text=선, translit=Seon; vi, text=Thiền) is a school of Mahayana Buddhism that originated in China during the Tang dynasty, known as the Chan School (''Chánzong'' 禪宗), and ...

temple during

Unified Silla Unified Silla, or Late Silla (, ), is the name often applied to the Korean kingdom of Silla, one of the Three Kingdoms of Korea, after 668 CE. In the 7th century, a Silla–Tang alliance conquered Baekje and the southern part of Goguryeo in the ...

Myth

The great monk Wonpyo, while studying in Borim temple in India and China, missed the good climate of the Korean peninsula, and returned to Silla, looking for a place to construct a temple. One day he paid a visit to Gaji Mountain in present Jangheung. All of sudden, a fairy appeared, telling him that 9 dragons were wreaking havoc around the pond where she had been living. The monk threw a charm into the pool, expelling all the dragons except for a white dragon. Eventually, the white one also left but lost his tail in the nearby forest. That place became Yongmunso (용문소), meaning the pond was dug by the dragon's tail; the great monk claimed this place for founding his temple. Following this legend, local names include many elements related to Yong (용, "dragon").

History

During Unified Silla, nine temples in mountains of this area were considered significant Buddhist temples. Ilyeon, the author of

Samgukyusa ''Samguk yusa'' () or ''Memorabilia of the Three Kingdoms'' is a collection of legends, folktales and historical accounts relating to the Three Kingdoms of Korea (Goguryeo, Baekje, and Silla), as well as to other periods and states before, duri ...

, one of the most prominent historic books about Korean history, also belonged to Borim Temple. In 860, King

Heonan of Silla Heonan of Silla (died 861) (r. 857–861) was the 47th king of the Silla kingdom of Korea. He was the younger half-brother of King Sinmu. What little we know of his reign comes from the ''Samguk Sagi''. Following a famine in the year 859, he ...

encouraged the great monk Chejing (체징) to build this temple, which later was named after temples of the same name in India and China. In the 14th century, under the reign of

Gongmin of Goryeo Gongmin of Goryeo (23 May 1330 – 27 October 1374), also known by his Mongolian language, Mongolian name, Bayan Temür., was 31st ruler of Goryeo from 1351 to 1374. He was the second son of Chungsuk of Goryeo, King Chungsuk. Biography Early ...

, the great monk Bowoo worked to harmonize different denominations in order to restrengthen Zen Buddhism in Korea. From the foundation of

Joseon Dynasty Joseon (; ; Middle Korean: 됴ᇢ〯션〮 Dyǒw syéon or 됴ᇢ〯션〯 Dyǒw syěon), officially the Great Joseon (; ), was the last dynastic kingdom of Korea, lasting just over 500 years. It was founded by Yi Seong-gye in July 1392 and re ...

in 1392, several annexes of the temple were rebuilt and much enlarged. This was a difficult period, however, owing to Joeseon suppression of Buddhism.Jangheung county - village web site
/ref> During the

Korean war , date = {{Ubl, 25 June 1950 – 27 July 1953 (''de facto'')({{Age in years, months, weeks and days, month1=6, day1=25, year1=1950, month2=7, day2=27, year2=1953), 25 June 1950 – present (''de jure'')({{Age in years, months, weeks a ...

, 20 annexes except for two gates were burned down in a punitive expedition sent by commanders who suspected the temple of housing partisan rebels. After the war, the temple underwent several restorations and now holds several national treasures.

References

Religious organizations established in the 9th century Silla Jangheung County Tourist attractions in South Jeolla Province Buddhist temples in South Korea