Woljeongsa
Encyclopedia
Woljeongsa is a head temple of the Jogye Order
of Korean Buddhism
, located on the eastern slopes of Odaesan
in Pyeongchang County
, Gangwon Province
, South Korea
. Woljeongsa was founded in 643
by the Silla monk Jajang
.
Burned down and rebuilt a number of times, the last disaster was during the Korean War
(1950–1953), when about ten buildings were burnt down by the Korean Army
because it had become a refuge for the rebel forces.
beside a pond, hoping to fulfill his wish to see a Manjusri
Bodhisattva. On the seventh night after chanting he had a vision in which the Buddha
gave him a poem with four lines in Sanskrit
.
Next day, a monk came and remarked that the master looked pale and troubled. Master Jajang explained that he had received a poem he could not understand. The mysterious monk explained the verses and then told Jajang to go to Odaesan in Shilla where he would find 10,000 Manjusris. After seven more days of chanting, a dragon appeared who told Jajang that the old monk had been a Manjusri and that now he must go and build a temple to the Bodhisattva.
In 643
CE, Chajang reached Odaesan, but the mountain was so veiled in fog that he couldn't see anything. During the three days that he waited he built a thatched hut which eventually became the site of Woljeongsa temple.
In the Main Hall there is a statue of Gautama Buddha
, but the more important statue is of an unusual Bodhisattva, 1.8 meters high, probably Medicine Buddha. Said to have been found in the Diamond Pond to the south of the temple, the statue is offering to an unknown figure. The statue is wearing a crown, the face is long, and the ears are slightly hidden by the long hair.
Around the neck there are three lines which are carved to look like necklaces. The elbow is resting on the head of a young boy. Because of its unusual style, the statue is thought to have been carved in the 11th century by craftsmen belonging to a special sect.
standing 15.2 meters/50 foot high and is representative of the multi-storied pagodas popular during the Goryo Period
, especially in the northern regions of Korea.
The presently exposed stone base is not the original, with the original now being below the surface. A flat stone base has been laid over the original base and is carved with lotus flowers and other images.
Pillars are delicately carved into each corner of the upper face of the stone. The shape of the first tier and the door-frame images on all sides of the stone body along with the horizontal roof stone is representative of the Goryeo Period.
The roof and body stone structure of the nine stories gives this pagoda a feeling of stability. The thin body, curved corners, door-frame on the lower body and the variations in the octagonal shape illustrate the unique and aristocratic characteristics of the Goryeo era Buddhist culture.
Woljeonsa'a Octagonal Nine Story Stone Pagoda is National Treasure number 48.
Jogye Order
The Jogye Order, officially the Jogye Order of Korean Buddhism is the representative order of traditional Korean Buddhism with roots that date back 1,200 years to Unified Silla National Master Doui, who brought Seon and the practice taught by the Sixth Patriarch, Huineng, from China about 820...
of Korean Buddhism
Korean Buddhism
Korean 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...
, located on the eastern slopes of Odaesan
Odaesan
Odaesan is a mountain in Gangwon, South Korea, standing at the junction of the districts of Gangneung, Pyeongchang, and Hongcheon. A major national landmark, it is the centerpiece of Odaesan National Park...
in Pyeongchang County
Pyeongchang County
Pyeongchang is a county in Gangwon province, South Korea located in the Taebaek Mountains region. It is also home to several Buddhist temples, including Woljeongsa. It is located approximately east of Seoul, the capital of South Korea...
, Gangwon Province
Gangwon-do (South Korea)
Gangwon-do is a province of South Korea, with its capital at Chuncheon. Before the division of Korea in 1945, Gangwon and its North Korean neighbour Kangwŏn formed a single province.-History:...
, South Korea
South Korea
The Republic of Korea , , is a sovereign state in East Asia, located on the southern portion of the Korean Peninsula. It is neighbored by the People's Republic of China to the west, Japan to the east, North Korea to the north, and the East China Sea and Republic of China to the south...
. Woljeongsa was founded in 643
643
Year 643 was a common year starting on Wednesday of the Julian calendar. The denomination 643 for this year has been used since the early medieval period, when the Anno Domini calendar era became the prevalent method in Europe for naming years.- Asia :* Pirooz, the son of the last Sassanid king...
by the Silla monk Jajang
Jajang
Jajang was a monk born Kim Seonjong, into the royal Kim family, in the kingdom of Silla. He is credited with founding the temple of Tongdosa in 646 CE, near in what is now Busan, South Korea, and played a significant role in the adoption of Buddhism as the national religion of Silla.-Training:In...
.
Burned down and rebuilt a number of times, the last disaster was during the Korean War
Korean War
The Korean War was a conventional war between South Korea, supported by the United Nations, and North Korea, supported by the People's Republic of China , with military material aid from the Soviet Union...
(1950–1953), when about ten buildings were burnt down by the Korean Army
Korean Army
Korean Army may refer to:* The Republic of Korea Army * The Korean People's Army...
because it had become a refuge for the rebel forces.
Origin
It is said that, on this mountain, Master Jajang chanted before a stone statue of a 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...
beside a pond, hoping to fulfill his wish to see a Manjusri
Manjusri
Mañjuśrī is a bodhisattva associated with transcendent wisdom in Mahāyāna Buddhism. In Esoteric Buddhism he is also taken as a meditational deity. The Sanskrit name Mañjuśrī can be translated as "Gentle Glory"...
Bodhisattva. On the seventh night after chanting he had a vision in which the Buddha
Gautama Buddha
Siddhārtha Gautama was a spiritual teacher from the Indian subcontinent, on whose teachings Buddhism was founded. In most Buddhist traditions, he is regarded as the Supreme Buddha Siddhārtha Gautama (Sanskrit: सिद्धार्थ गौतम; Pali: Siddhattha Gotama) was a spiritual teacher from the Indian...
gave him a poem with four lines in Sanskrit
Sanskrit
Sanskrit , is a historical Indo-Aryan language and the primary liturgical language of Hinduism, Jainism and Buddhism.Buddhism: besides Pali, see Buddhist Hybrid Sanskrit Today, it is listed as one of the 22 scheduled languages of India and is an official language of the state of Uttarakhand...
.
Next day, a monk came and remarked that the master looked pale and troubled. Master Jajang explained that he had received a poem he could not understand. The mysterious monk explained the verses and then told Jajang to go to Odaesan in Shilla where he would find 10,000 Manjusris. After seven more days of chanting, a dragon appeared who told Jajang that the old monk had been a Manjusri and that now he must go and build a temple to the Bodhisattva.
In 643
643
Year 643 was a common year starting on Wednesday of the Julian calendar. The denomination 643 for this year has been used since the early medieval period, when the Anno Domini calendar era became the prevalent method in Europe for naming years.- Asia :* Pirooz, the son of the last Sassanid king...
CE, Chajang reached Odaesan, but the mountain was so veiled in fog that he couldn't see anything. During the three days that he waited he built a thatched hut which eventually became the site of Woljeongsa temple.
Temple layout
Gautama Buddha
Siddhārtha Gautama was a spiritual teacher from the Indian subcontinent, on whose teachings Buddhism was founded. In most Buddhist traditions, he is regarded as the Supreme Buddha Siddhārtha Gautama (Sanskrit: सिद्धार्थ गौतम; Pali: Siddhattha Gotama) was a spiritual teacher from the Indian...
, but the more important statue is of an unusual Bodhisattva, 1.8 meters high, probably Medicine Buddha. Said to have been found in the Diamond Pond to the south of the temple, the statue is offering to an unknown figure. The statue is wearing a crown, the face is long, and the ears are slightly hidden by the long hair.
Around the neck there are three lines which are carved to look like necklaces. The elbow is resting on the head of a young boy. Because of its unusual style, the statue is thought to have been carved in the 11th century by craftsmen belonging to a special sect.
Nine Story Stone Pagoda
Woljeonsa'a Octagonal Nine Story Stone Pagoda, called the Sari-pagoda (relic pagoda) believed to have been constructed in the 10th century, is a multi-angled stone pagodaPagoda
A pagoda is the general term in the English language for a tiered tower with multiple eaves common in Nepal, India, China, Japan, Korea, Vietnam and other parts of Asia. Some pagodas are used as Taoist houses of worship. Most pagodas were built to have a religious function, most commonly Buddhist,...
standing 15.2 meters/50 foot high and is representative of the multi-storied pagodas popular during the Goryo Period
Goryeo
The Goryeo Dynasty or Koryŏ was a Korean dynasty established in 918 by Emperor Taejo. Korea gets its name from this kingdom which came to be pronounced Korea. It united the Later Three Kingdoms in 936 and ruled most of the Korean peninsula until it was removed by the Joseon dynasty in 1392...
, especially in the northern regions of Korea.
The presently exposed stone base is not the original, with the original now being below the surface. A flat stone base has been laid over the original base and is carved with lotus flowers and other images.
Pillars are delicately carved into each corner of the upper face of the stone. The shape of the first tier and the door-frame images on all sides of the stone body along with the horizontal roof stone is representative of the Goryeo Period.
The roof and body stone structure of the nine stories gives this pagoda a feeling of stability. The thin body, curved corners, door-frame on the lower body and the variations in the octagonal shape illustrate the unique and aristocratic characteristics of the Goryeo era Buddhist culture.
Woljeonsa'a Octagonal Nine Story Stone Pagoda is National Treasure number 48.
See also
- JajangJajangJajang was a monk born Kim Seonjong, into the royal Kim family, in the kingdom of Silla. He is credited with founding the temple of Tongdosa in 646 CE, near in what is now Busan, South Korea, and played a significant role in the adoption of Buddhism as the national religion of Silla.-Training:In...
- 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...
- Korean Buddhist templesKorean Buddhist templesBuddhist temples are an important part of the Korean landscape. This article gives a brief overview of Korean Buddhism, then describes some of the more important temples in Korea. Most Korean temples have names ending in -sa , which means "temple", or ancient temple.-Introduction to Korean...
- List of Korea-related topics