Jajang (590–658) was a monk born Kim Seonjong, into the royal Kim family, in the kingdom of

Silla Silla or Shilla (57 BCE – 935 CE) ( , Old Korean: Syera, Old Japanese: Siraki2) was a Korean kingdom located on the southern and central parts of the Korean Peninsula. Silla, along with Baekje and Goguryeo, formed the Three Kingdoms o ...

. He is credited with founding the temple of Tongdosa in 646 CE, near in what is now

Busan Busan (), officially known as is South Korea's most populous city after Seoul, with a population of over 3.4 million inhabitants. Formerly romanized as Pusan, it is the economic, cultural and educational center of southeastern South Korea ...

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 ...

, and played a significant role in the adoption of

Buddhism Buddhism ( , ), also known as Buddha Dharma and Dharmavinaya (), is an Indian religion or philosophical tradition based on teachings attributed to the Buddha. It originated in northern India as a -movement in the 5th century BCE, and ...

as the national religion of Silla. His biography is told in the anthology of Korean Buddhism: "Jogye Culture Web", Vol 10. Gyeyul ( and Yul jong 律宗, or Vinaya in Sanskrit) monastic order, founded by Gyeomik for the study and implementation of

śīla Buddhist ethics are traditionally based on what Buddhists view as the enlightened perspective of the Buddha. The term for ethics or morality used in Buddhism is ''Śīla'' or ''sīla'' (Pāli). ''Śīla'' in Buddhism is one of three sections of ...

(yuljang 律藏) the ''"moral discipline"'' or ''""Budhhist ethics"''), was lost after the decline of

Baekje Baekje or Paekche (, ) was a Korean kingdom located in southwestern Korea from 18 BC to 660 AD. It was one of the Three Kingdoms of Korea, together with Goguryeo and Silla. Baekje was founded by Onjo, the third son of Goguryeo's founder J ...

. After him, Jajang revived the Gyeyul order and built the Woljeongsa temple in 643 of Jogye Order of Korean Buddhism on the eastern slopes of

Odaesan Odaesan, also known as Mount Odae-san or Mount Odae (), is a major cluster of mountains and national park in eastern Gangwon Province, South Korea, standing at the junction of Gangneung City, Pyeongchang County and Hongcheon County. It stands a ...

in Pyeongchang County. Jajang was born in Silla as a true bone (jin'gol) aristocrat. In 641 CE, Jajang and his disciple Seungsil traveled to

Tang dynasty The Tang dynasty (, ; zh, t= ), or Tang Empire, was an Dynasties in Chinese history, imperial dynasty of China that ruled from 618 to 907 AD, with an Zhou dynasty (690–705), interregnum between 690 and 705. It was preceded by the Sui dyn ...

China where he received bone relic of Buddha's crown, Śarīra relics and an honorary robe. He also visited

Yunju Temple Yunju Temple () is a Buddhist temple located in Fangshan District, southwest of Beijing and contains the world's largest collection of stone Buddhist sutra steles in the world. Yunju Temple also contains one of only two extant woodblocks for t ...

where he stayed until his return to Silla in 643 CE.Gim Yeongsu, 2016
Sheaves of Korean Buddhist History: Joseon Bulgyosa
Korean Buddhism Library.

Training

In 636 Jajang traveled to China to study under the great Buddhist masters of the

Tang Dynasty The Tang dynasty (, ; zh, t= ), or Tang Empire, was an Dynasties in Chinese history, imperial dynasty of China that ruled from 618 to 907 AD, with an Zhou dynasty (690–705), interregnum between 690 and 705. It was preceded by the Sui dyn ...

China China, officially the People's Republic of China (PRC), is a country in East Asia. It is the world's List of countries and dependencies by population, most populous country, with a Population of China, population exceeding 1.4 billion, slig ...

, for seven years becoming a taeguksa (Great Noble Priest) upon returning, receiving the highest honors from Queen Seondeok.

Treasures

When Jajang returned from China he was given invaluable holy treasures: a fragment of the original Sakyamuni Buddha's skull, a wooden begging-bowl and monastic-robe of Buddha, and 100 of the Buddha's " sarira" (pearl or crystal-like bead-shaped objects that are purportedly found among the cremated ashes of Buddhist spiritual masters).

Reputation

Because of his sharp mind he was repeatedly requested by the King to take a position of responsibility at court. Jajang repeatedly refused these requests so finally the King issued an ultimatum: "If you do not accept this official position I offer, I will have your head severed for disobedience." Jajang replied "I would rather die keeping the commandments of Buddha for one day than live for a hundred years while breaking them." The King seeing the wisdom in Jajang's reply relented allowing Jajang to remain a monk.

Temples

Jajang established many temples but Tongdosa, one of the

Three Jewel Temples of Korea The Three Jewels Temples (삼보사찰, Sambosachal) are the three principal Buddhist temples in Korea, each representing one of the Three Jewels of Buddhism, and all located in South Korea. Tongdosa in South Gyeongsang Province represents the B ...

, is considered the most important. Temples of note: *

Magoksa Magoksa is a head temple of the Jogye Order of Korean Buddhism in Gongju, South Korea. It is located on the eastern slope of Taehwasan, on taegeuk-shaped bend in the Taegeukcheon Stream. History Magoksa Temple (Korean: 마곡사, Chinese: 麻� ...

in 640 or 642 *Bongjeongam (Phoenix Bower Hermitage) in 642 *

Sangwonsa Sangwonsa is a Buddhist temple located in Pyeongchang County, Gangwon-do, South Korea South Korea, officially the Republic of Korea (ROK), is a country in East Asia, constituting the southern part of the Korean Peninsula and sharing a l ...

in 643 * Oseam in 643 * Woljeongsa in 643 * Tongdosa in 646. * Sinheungsa in 652 * Manggyeongsa Temple in Taebaek on the

Taebaek Mountains The Taebaek Mountains are a mountain range that stretches across North Korea and South Korea. They form the main ridge of the Korean peninsula. Geography The Taebaek mountains are located along the eastern edge of the peninsula and run along ...

Cin Woo Le
"Simply stunning: 33 incredible Korean temples"
''CNN Go''. 10 February 2012. Retrieved 2012-04-12

References

590 births 658 deaths Silla Buddhist monks {{Korea-reli-bio-stub

Training

Treasures

Reputation

Temples

See also

References