Ryongtongsa
Encyclopedia
Ryŏngt'ong-sa is a Korean Buddhist temple located on Mt. Ogwan in Kaesŏng
, North Korea
.
Buddhist sect in 1027, the temple is believed to be one of the first of the sect's temples in Korea. Destroyed by a fire in the 16th century, and further damaged by American bombing during the Korean War, little remained of the original temple when reconstruction began in 2000 as a joint Korean cultural project. After five years of work, the restoration was completed on 31 October 2005. The temple contains the ashes of Taegak Guksa, the sect's founder. A son of Emperor Munjong of Koryo, he spent most of his life in Kaesŏng before retiring to the temple as an ascetic, where he lived until his death. The temple was thus closely connected with the royal family of Koryo
, and was where they would attend services.
s.
In front of Pogwang Hall there are three pagodas, two three-storied, and one five-storied. The smaller three-storied pagoda measures 4.1 meters, while the larger measures 4.4. The five storied pagoda is 5.5 meters. The pagodas are plainly carved in sandstone, with upturned eaves surmounting square segments decorated only with raised vertical lines on the corners. All three date to the Koryo
dynasty. The pagodas are registered as National Treasure #133.
Directly behind Pogwang Hall is Chunggak Hall , a meditation room and lecture hall decorated with paintings of important Buddhist monks. Behind this there are two gates to the back courtyard of the temple, where Sungbok Hall is located. This building once held the living quarters for the temple's monks.
Behind the main temple and up the mountain is Kyŏngsŏn Hall , containing a shrine to Taegak Guksa; The stone stupa
in front of the hall contains his ashes.
The roofs of the main buildings are decorated with ceramic ornaments in the shapes of fish (known as Wenshou
in Chinese). These are believed to keep the buildings safe from evil and fire.
Altogether, the reconstructed temple consists of over 26 buildings in an area of over 4,000 square meters.
Kaesong
Kaesŏng is a city in North Hwanghae Province, southern North Korea , a former Directly Governed City, and the capital of Korea during the Koryo Dynasty. The city is near Kaesŏng Industrial Region and it contains the remains of the Manwoldae palace. It was formally named Songdo while it was the...
, North Korea
North Korea
The Democratic People’s Republic of Korea , , is a country in East Asia, occupying the northern half of the Korean Peninsula. Its capital and largest city is Pyongyang. The Korean Demilitarized Zone serves as the buffer zone between North Korea and South Korea...
.
History
Founded by the ChontaeCheontae
Cheontae is the Korean descendant of the Chinese Buddhist school Tiantai. Tiantai was introduced to Korea a couple of times during earlier periods, but was not firmly established until the time of Uicheon who established Cheontae in Goryeo as an independent school.Due to Uicheon's influence, it...
Buddhist sect in 1027, the temple is believed to be one of the first of the sect's temples in Korea. Destroyed by a fire in the 16th century, and further damaged by American bombing during the Korean War, little remained of the original temple when reconstruction began in 2000 as a joint Korean cultural project. After five years of work, the restoration was completed on 31 October 2005. The temple contains the ashes of Taegak Guksa, the sect's founder. A son of Emperor Munjong of Koryo, he spent most of his life in Kaesŏng before retiring to the temple as an ascetic, where he lived until his death. The temple was thus closely connected with the royal family of Koryo
Koryo
Koryo may refer to:*The Goryeo Dynasty of Korea. It is spelt Koryŏ in McCune-Reischauer Romanization.*Koryo, a pumsae in Taekwondo.*Kōryō, Nara, a town in Japan.*Air Koryo, a North Korean airline company....
, and was where they would attend services.
Architecture
The main temple is divided into two sections: a west court and an east court. The main entrance to the temple is through the South Gate, in front of which are located the temple's original stone banner pillars. Through the gate is an unwalled plaza containing a monument to Taegak Guksa, founder of the Chontae sect. Erected in 1125, the much-worn stele rests on the back of a lion-turtle, and commemorates episodes from the life of the great monk. It is listed as National Treasure #155. From here, both the Middle and East Gates are accessible. The Middle Gate, directly across from the South Gate, leads to the temple's large West Court, which is dominated by Pogwang Hall , the temple's main shrine. To the right, the East Gate leads to the smaller courtyard fronting Pojo Hall , devoted to veneration of the BodhisattvaBodhisattva
In Buddhism, a bodhisattva is either an enlightened existence or an enlightenment-being or, given the variant Sanskrit spelling satva rather than sattva, "heroic-minded one for enlightenment ." The Pali term has sometimes been translated as "wisdom-being," although in modern publications, and...
s.
In front of Pogwang Hall there are three pagodas, two three-storied, and one five-storied. The smaller three-storied pagoda measures 4.1 meters, while the larger measures 4.4. The five storied pagoda is 5.5 meters. The pagodas are plainly carved in sandstone, with upturned eaves surmounting square segments decorated only with raised vertical lines on the corners. All three date to the Koryo
Koryo
Koryo may refer to:*The Goryeo Dynasty of Korea. It is spelt Koryŏ in McCune-Reischauer Romanization.*Koryo, a pumsae in Taekwondo.*Kōryō, Nara, a town in Japan.*Air Koryo, a North Korean airline company....
dynasty. The pagodas are registered as National Treasure #133.
Directly behind Pogwang Hall is Chunggak Hall , a meditation room and lecture hall decorated with paintings of important Buddhist monks. Behind this there are two gates to the back courtyard of the temple, where Sungbok Hall is located. This building once held the living quarters for the temple's monks.
Behind the main temple and up the mountain is Kyŏngsŏn Hall , containing a shrine to Taegak Guksa; The stone stupa
Stupa
A stupa is a mound-like structure containing Buddhist relics, typically the remains of Buddha, used by Buddhists as a place of worship....
in front of the hall contains his ashes.
The roofs of the main buildings are decorated with ceramic ornaments in the shapes of fish (known as Wenshou
Wenshou
Wenshou or zoomorphic ornaments are statues of dragons and other animals, that are found on the roofs of Chinese temples, palaces, and homes. Examples of Wenshou as Imperial_roof_decoration are found within the Imperial Palace Museum of the Forbidden City, Beijing, China....
in Chinese). These are believed to keep the buildings safe from evil and fire.
Altogether, the reconstructed temple consists of over 26 buildings in an area of over 4,000 square meters.
See also
- National Treasures of North KoreaNational treasures of North KoreaDesignated national treasures of North Korea are tangible artifacts, sites, and buildings deemed to have significant historical or artistic value.-No. 1-50:-No. 51-100:-No. 101-150:-No...
- Korean BuddhismKorean BuddhismKorean Buddhism is distinguished from other forms of Buddhism by its attempt to resolve what it sees as inconsistencies in Mahayana Buddhism. Early Korean monks believed that the traditions they received from foreign countries were internally inconsistent. To address this, they developed a new...
- Korean architectureKorean architectureKorean architecture refers to the built environment of Korea from c. 30,000 BC to the present.-Introduction:From a technical point of view, buildings are structured vertically and horizontally...