Buddhist temples are an important part of the Korean landscape. This article gives a brief overview of
Korean Buddhism
Korean Buddhism is distinguished from other forms of Buddhism by its attempt to resolve what its early practitioners saw as inconsistencies within the Mahayana Buddhist traditions that they received from foreign countries. To address this, the ...
, then describes some of the more important temples in Korea. Most Korean temples have names ending in ''-sa'' (사, 寺), which means "temple" in
Sino-Korean.
Many temples, like
Sudeoksa
Sudeoksa is a head temple of the Jogye Order of Korean Buddhism. It is located on the southern slopes of Deoksungsan in Deoksan-myeon, Yesan County, South Chungcheong Province, South Korea.
Sudeoksa was one of very few temples not destroyed durin ...
, offer visitors a
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 ...
program.
Background
A distinctive form of Buddhism evolved in Korea. This was facilitated by the geographical location and cultural conditions. Buddhism first arrived in Korea in 372 in
Goguryeo
Goguryeo (37 BC–668 AD) ( ) also called Goryeo (), was a Korean kingdom located in the northern and central parts of the Korean Peninsula and the southern and central parts of Northeast China. At its peak of power, Goguryeo controlled most ...
. In 374 the influential
Han Chinese
The Han Chinese () or Han people (), are an East Asian ethnic group native to China. They constitute the world's largest ethnic group, making up about 18% of the global population and consisting of various subgroups speaking distinctive va ...
monk
A monk (, from el, μοναχός, ''monachos'', "single, solitary" via Latin ) is a person who practices religious asceticism by monastic living, either alone or with any number of other monks. A monk may be a person who decides to dedica ...
Ado arrived in the kingdom and inspired King
Sosurim of Goguryeo
King Sosurim of Goguryeo (died 384) (r. 371–384) was the 17th ruler of Goguryeo, the northernmost of the Three Kingdoms of Korea. He was the son of King Gogugwon.
Family
*Father: King Gogukwon (고국원왕, 故國原王)
**Grandfather: Ki ...
the following year. The first two temples Seongmunsa and Ilbullansa were built in 375 on the order of the king. Buddhism soon became the national religion of Goguryeo.
With the advent of Taoism in 624 the rulers began to suppress
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 gra ...
and its importance quickly declined. The Baekje Kingdom, on the other hand, flourished under the influence of Buddhism. In 552 Buddhist scriptures were sent to
Japan
Japan ( ja, 日本, or , and formally , ''Nihonkoku'') is an island country in East Asia. It is situated in the northwest Pacific Ocean, and is bordered on the west by the Sea of Japan, while extending from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north ...
. This eventually led to the establishment of Buddhism in Japan.
In
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 of K ...
, Buddhism was important, too. It flourished during the reign of
Jinheung of Silla
Kim Sammaekjong (526–576; reign 540–576) was the 24th monarch of Silla, one of the Three Kingdoms of Korea.
He followed King Beopheung (r. 514–540) and was followed by King Jinji (r. 576–579). Jinheung was the nephew / grandson of K ...
(540 to 576). Heungnyunsa was built, where any commoner could become a monk. The study of scriptures was greatly highlighted. For about 250 years Buddhism thrived in
Later 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 ...
.
Buddhism was admired by Wang Geon, who was enthroned as
Taejo of Goryeo
Taejo of Goryeo (31 January 877 – 4 July 943), also known as Taejo Wang Geon (; ), was the founder of the Goryeo dynasty, which ruled Korea from the 10th to the 14th century. Taejo ruled from 918 to 943, achieving unification of the Later Three ...
. Throughout the country pagodas and other Buddhist structures were built.
In late Goryeo, Buddhism became linked with corruption of the regime. A great number of monks were involved in politics. Bit by bit anti-Buddhist sentiments grew, leading to chaos which was ended by the establishment of
Joseon
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 ...
.
Taejo of Joseon
Taejo of Joseon (4 November 1335 – 27 June 1408), born Yi Seong-gye (), was the founder and first ruler of the Joseon dynasty of Korea. After ascending to the throne, he changed his name to Yi Dan (), and reigned from 1392 to 1398. He was ...
himself was a devout Buddhist, but the influence of monks was reduced. At times monks were treated as outcasts, but generally there was no hindrance to their practising. Buddhist heritage can be found all over the country in the form of temples, pagodas, sculptures, paintings, handicrafts and buildings.
Typical Layout
A typical Korean temple consists of the following elements:
#''
Iljumun
Iljumun is the first gate at the entrance to many Korean Buddhist temples. Called the "One-Pillar Gate", because when viewed from the side the gate appears to be supported by a single pillar.
Description
The Iljumun is one of the three major ty ...
'' (일주문, 一柱門) - One pillar gate found at the entrance to temple grounds
#''Sacheonwangmun'' (사천왕문, 四天王門), also ''Cheonwangmun'' - Gate of the
Four Heavenly Kings
The Four Heavenly Kings are four Buddhist gods, each of whom is believed to watch over one cardinal direction of the world. In Chinese mythology, they are known collectively as the "Fēng Tiáo Yǔ Shùn" () or "Sìdà Tiānwáng" (). In the a ...
, to mark the entrance of the temple's boundaries
#''Beopdang'' (법당, 法堂) -
Dharma
Dharma (; sa, धर्म, dharma, ; pi, dhamma, italic=yes) is a key concept with multiple meanings in Indian religions, such as Hinduism, Buddhism, Jainism, Sikhism and others. Although there is no direct single-word translation for '' ...
hall, used for lectures and sermons
#Monastic quarters
#''Jonggo'' (종고, 鐘鼓) - bell tower
#''
Daeungjeon
A Mahavira Hall, usually simply known as a Main Hall, is the main hall or building in a traditional Chinese Buddhist temple, enshrining representations of Gautama Buddha and various other buddhas and bodhisattvas. It is encountered throughout ...
'' (대웅전, 大雄殿) - main shrine hall housing the temple's main
Buddha images
#
Pagoda
A pagoda is an Asian tiered tower with multiple eaves common to Nepal, India, China, Japan, Korea, Myanmar, Vietnam, and other parts of Asia. Most pagodas were built to have a religious function, most often Buddhist but sometimes Taoist, ...
#''Myeongbujeon'' (명부전, 冥府殿) - judgment hall, housing an image of the
bodhisattva
In Buddhism, a bodhisattva ( ; sa, 𑀩𑁄𑀥𑀺𑀲𑀢𑁆𑀢𑁆𑀯 (Brahmī), translit=bodhisattva, label=Sanskrit) or bodhisatva is a person who is on the path towards bodhi ('awakening') or Buddhahood.
In the Early Buddhist schools ...
Kshitigarbha (지장, 地藏) and depictions of the
Buddhist hell
Naraka ( sa, नरक; pi, 𑀦𑀺𑀭𑀬 Niraya) is a term in Buddhist cosmology usually referred to in English as "hell" (or "hell realm") or "purgatory". The Narakas of Buddhism are closely related to ''Diyu'', the hell in Chinese myth ...
#''Nahanjeon'' (나한전, 羅漢殿) - Hall of the
Arhat
In Buddhism, an ''arhat'' (Sanskrit: अर्हत्) or ''arahant'' (Pali: अरहन्त्, 𑀅𑀭𑀳𑀦𑁆𑀢𑁆) is one who has gained insight into the true nature of existence and has achieved ''Nirvana'' and liberated ...
s
#''Sansingak'' (산신각, 山神閣) - a
shamanic shrine dedicated to the mountain god
Sansin
''Sanshin'' or ''Sansin'' () are local mountain-spirits in Korean Shamanism and folk-beliefs. In South Korea, most Buddhist temples and major Shamanic-shrines, and some traditionalist villages have a dedicated shrine called a ''sanshin-gak'' ( ...
(산신, 山神), who can be depicted as both a male or a female. Sometimes called ''chilseong-gak'' (칠성각, 七星閣) or ''samseong-gak'' (삼성각, 三星閣), this shrine is usually found behind the main shrine hall.
#Hermitage
North Korea
It is reported that many temples have been taken over by the state. Once the government controls these buildings, they are used mainly as museums of ancient Korean traditions. A few temples are still in use and they are considered
National Treasures. Though few temples in large cities survived the US carpet bombings of 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 ...
, many still survive in rural areas, and some of the more famous, large temples destroyed have since been rebuilt (such as the
Ryongtongsa
Ryeongtongsa is a Korean Buddhist temple located on Ogwansan in Kaesong, North Korea.
History
Founded by the Cheontae sect of Buddhism in 1027, the temple is believed to be one of the first of the sect's temples in Korea. Destroyed by a fire in ...
and
Singyesa). All in all, there are 300 temples, but only in a few are religious services permitted. In the lis
that follows, temples marked with a "×" were destroyed during the Korean War or no longer exist for other reasons; temples marked with an "*" have been rebuilt.
South Korea
There are about 900 traditional Buddhist temples in South Korea, out of about 20,000 Buddhist temples in total.
Notable temples in both Koreas
The following list is sorted by Romanized names, but it also can be sorted by Korean names, by provinces (SK=South Korea, NK=North Korea), or by counties (i.e. ''gun'' or ''si'').
Some Korean names, and founding dates are to be completed (the founding date applies to the location, even if none of the original structures survive).
A star in the first column denotes the 31 head temples designated during the Japanese colonial period. Recommended policy: no new entries, except from temples having their own English page in Wikipedia.
See also
*
List of Buddhist temples
This is a list of Buddhist temples, monasteries, stupas, and pagodas for which there are Wikipedia articles, sorted by location.
Australia
Bangladesh
Bhutan
Brazil
* Khadro Ling Buddhist Temple, Três Coroas, Rio Grande do Sul ...
(worldwide)
*
List of Buddhist temples in Seoul
See also
*Korean Buddhist temples
*Korean Buddhism
References
*Jogye Order Official site* http://koreatemple.net/
* http://www.amita.net/webdir/main.php
*Jogye Order of Korean Buddhism* http://eng.templestay.com/
{{DEFAULTSORT:Buddhist ...
provides a list of 55 temples.
*
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 ...
*
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 ...
*''
Tripiṭaka Koreana''
*
Korean temple cuisine
Korean temple cuisine refers to a type of cuisine that originated in Buddhist temples of Korea. Since Buddhism was introduced into Korea, Buddhist traditions have strongly influenced Korean cuisine as well. During the Silla period (57 BC – 935 AD ...
References
{{Buddhism topics
National Treasures of North Korea
National Treasures of South Korea
Korean culture
Lists of Buddhist buildings and structures