Donghwasa, also Donghwa Temple, is a

Buddhist temple A Buddhist temple or Buddhist monastery is the place of worship for Buddhists, the followers of Buddhism. They include the structures called vihara, chaitya, stupa, wat and pagoda in different regions and languages. Temples in Buddhism represen ...

of the

Jogye Order The Jogye Order, officially the Jogye Order of Korean Buddhism (대한불교조계종, 大韓佛敎曹溪宗), is the representative order of traditional Korean Buddhism with roots that date back 1200 years to the Later Silla National Master D ...

in northern

Daegu Daegu (, , literally 'large hill', 대구광역시), formerly spelled Taegu and officially known as the Daegu Metropolitan City, is a city in South Korea. It is the third-largest urban agglomeration in South Korea after Seoul and Busan; it is ...

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 is located on the south side of Mt.

Palgongsan Palgongsan, also Palgong Mountain, and previously called Gongsan during the Goryeo dynasty, is a mountain in southeastern South Korea, lying on an outlier of the Taebaek range. It stands on the northeastern border between Daegu metropolitan ...

, within the boundaries of

Dohak-dong Gongsan-dong is an administrative ''dong'' in Dong-gu, in northeastern Daegu, South Korea. It has an area of 83.78 km², most of which is vacant; its population is only 18,177. Slightly more than half of the people live in the dong's 38 apartme ...

, Dong-gu, near Daegu's northern border. The name means "Temple of

Paulownia ''Paulownia'' ( ) is a genus of seven to 17 species of hardwood tree (depending on taxonomic authority) in the family Paulowniaceae, the order Lamiales. They are present in much of China, south to northern Laos and Vietnam and are long cultivat ...

Blossoms."

History

Donghwasa Temple (Korean: 桐華寺; 동화사) was originally established as Yugasa Temple in 493 by Ven. Geukdal. According to the Donghwasa Temple Record Monument, erected in 1931, it was renamed by Patriarch Ven. Simji in 832. The name “Donghwa (桐華; literally ‘Korean paulownia flower’)” came from a legend that the Korean paulownia bloomed even in winter at that time so people regarded it as an auspicious sign. According to the Samgungnyusa, Vinaya Master Jinpyo gave some bones with sutras engraved on them to Ven. Yeongsim, who later gave them to Patriarch Simji. In trying to decide where to enshrine these bones, Patriarch Ven. Simji climbed a mountaintop, along with the two gods of Mt. Jungak, one of Silla's five sacred mountains, and threw them toward the west. The bones blew away in the wind and landed in a small well north of what is now Donghwasa Temple's Chamdang Hall. He constructed a lecture hall there and enshrined the bones within it, thereby establishing Donghwasa Temple. In 863, the three-story stone pagoda at Biroam Hermitage of Donghwasa Temple and the stone Vairocana Buddha were built by a decree of King Gyeongmun. Thus we know that the temple was already established there by the late 9th century. When Later Baekje attacked Silla, the 10,000 Goryeo soldiers, led by Wang Geon who responded to Silla's call for help, stayed at Donghwasa Temple and fought Later Baekje troops. However, Goryeo suffered a crushing defeat. In 1036, by royal decree of Goryeo's King Jeongjong, the temple was chosen for testing monks on sutras and Vinaya, along with Yeongtongsa Temple and Sungbeopsa Temple in Gaegyeong and Bu-insa Temple in Daegu. In 1190, National Preceptor Ven. Bojo stayed at Donghwasa Temple and oversaw a massive reconstruction. In 1298, in honor of the dying wish of National Preceptor Ven. Hongjin, the temple was reconstructed again. The temple was also reconstructed several times during the Joseon era; in 1606 Great Master Samyeong repaired the damage inflicted during the Japanese invasion, and again in 1677 and 1732 by monks like Sangsung, Gwanheo and Nakbin. Many of Donghwasa Temple's major Dharma halls, including the Main Buddha Hall, were constructed at these times. During the Japanese invasion (1592-1597), Great Master Samyeong resided at the temple and commanded a monk militia. The region on Mt. Palgongsan where Donghwasa Temple is located was previously the site of Seungsi (a traditional monastic market), at which temples on nearby mountains bartered daily necessities. This traditional market was held from the Goryeo to the early Joseon era. The temple recently revived this tradition, and every October holds a “Seungsi Festival” which lasts one week.

Christian fundamentalist desecration

In 1998, a Christian destroyed about seven-hundred and fifty Buddhist statues to change the Buddhist temple into a Christian church.

Cultural properties

Donghwasa Temple owns 14 items of state-designated cultural objects, 11 items of tangible cultural heritage designated by Daegu City, and 8 items of cultural heritage materials.

Tourism

It also offers

temple stay Temple Stay is cultural program in several South Korean Buddhist temples. Temple Stay allows participants to experience the life of Buddhist practitioners and learn the various aspects of Korean Buddhist culture and history through stories told by ...

programs where visitors can experience Buddhist culture.

References

External links