Yongjusa
Encyclopedia
Yongjusa is a head temple of the Jogye Order
of Korean Buddhism
. It is located in on the slopes of Hwasan in Taean-eup, Hwaseong, in the province of Gyeonggi, South Korea
. The temple's name means "dragon jewel temple."
Two large bells in the temple are believed to date to the Unified Silla
period. One of them is designated national treasure
120.
The temple was initially established in 854
AD, under the name Garyangsa. It was expanded in the 10th century. It was rebuilt in the late 18th century under the orders of Jeongjo in honor of his deceased father, Prince Sado
. This is one of few cases where the Joseon royal house supported Buddhism directly. At this time the temple changed to its current name.
The temple is located near Seoul Subway Line 1
, and is also connected to Suwon
by intercity bus.
Jeongjo, the 22nd king of Joseon Dynasty, moved his father Prince Sado's grave from Mt. Baebong in Yangju to Mt. Hwasan in Taean-eup and named it "Hyeonryeuwon." Yongjusa was rebuilt to honor his father.
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...
. It is located in on the slopes of Hwasan in Taean-eup, Hwaseong, in the province of Gyeonggi, 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...
. The temple's name means "dragon jewel temple."
Two large bells in the temple are believed to date to the Unified Silla
Unified Silla
Unified Silla or Later Silla is the name often applied to the Korean kingdom of Silla, one of the Three Kingdoms of Korea, when it conquered Baekje in 660 and Goguryeo in 668, unifying the southern portion of the Korean peninsula...
period. One of them is designated national treasure
National treasures of South Korea
The National Treasures of Korea are a numbered set of tangible treasures, artifacts, sites, and buildings which are recognized by South Korea as having exceptional artistic, cultural and historical value...
120.
The temple was initially established in 854
854
Year 854 was a common year starting on Monday of the Julian calendar.- Europe :* Charles the Bald, Louis the German and Lothar meet at Attigny.* Horik II succeeds Horik I as king of Denmark....
AD, under the name Garyangsa. It was expanded in the 10th century. It was rebuilt in the late 18th century under the orders of Jeongjo in honor of his deceased father, Prince Sado
Prince Sado
Crown Prince Sado was born as the second son of the Korean king Yeongjo of Joseon. Because his older brother, Prince Hyojang, had died young, in 1728, Prince Sado was born the royal heir. However, it had been reported to his father that he was mentally ill, wantonly killed people, and was very...
. This is one of few cases where the Joseon royal house supported Buddhism directly. At this time the temple changed to its current name.
The temple is located near Seoul Subway Line 1
Seoul Subway Line 1
Seoul Subway Line 1 of the Seoul Metropolitan Subway, formerly known as the Korea National Railroad of Seoul, is an operation channel which links central Seoul, South Korea to Soyosan Station in the northeast, Incheon in the southwest, and Asan via Suwon in the south. This line covers a large part...
, and is also connected to Suwon
Suwon
Suwon is the provincial capital of Gyeonggi-do, South Korea. A major city of over a million inhabitants, Suwon lies approximately south of Seoul. It is traditionally known as "The City of Filial Piety"....
by intercity bus.
History
Yongjusa is a Buddhist temple in Taean-eup, Hwaseong City, Gyeonggi Province, South Korea. It was first founded in 854 A.D. during the reign of Silla king Munseong under the name of "Kalyangsa". It was a famous seminary. But the temple was destroyed by fire during the Manchu war of 1636.Jeongjo, the 22nd king of Joseon Dynasty, moved his father Prince Sado's grave from Mt. Baebong in Yangju to Mt. Hwasan in Taean-eup and named it "Hyeonryeuwon." Yongjusa was rebuilt to honor his father.
King Jeongjo and Yongjusa
King Jeongjo's father, Prince Sado was forced to death cruelly by his own father, King Yongjo after being confined in a wooden rice chest for eight days. Jeongjo thought his father's soul couldn't reach heaven and was wandering in the Hades. He heard a Buddhist sermon related to parental love from the great monk Bokyeong and was impressed. He decided to comfort his father's soul and moved the tomb to Hwasan called the most blessed place in the world. The main role of Yongjusa was to protect Prince Sado's tomb and wish heavenly bliss. Yongjusa has historical significance in that it was rebuilt during the Joseon Dynasty when Buddhism was politically suppressed.Daewoongbojeon
Daewoongbojeon was built in 1790 and is the central building that contains a statue of Buddha. Even though it is not such an old building, it kept the scale and pattern of the era in which it was built. It has a "Dapogye" pattern with 3 sections in front and 3 sections on each side and consists of doubled eaves and beautiful pictures of many colors and designs. It represents the features of temple architecture as well as specific characteristics of royal palace architecture.The main platform painting in Daewoongbojeon
The main platform painting in Dawoongbojeon is a picture 3 meters in width and 4 meters in length. It was painted by Kim Hongdo, one of the most highly reputed Korean painters who was magistrate of the county at that time. The main platform painting is made up of two stages. On the upper stage, the Buddha statue is located between Yaksabul who relieves all living beings from diseases and pains on the left and Amitabul who will bring all living beings to heaven on the right. On lower stage, ten Buddhist saints, Buddha's disciples and four heavenly guardians of Buddhism are placed. An interesting feature is that everyone in the picture is concentrating their view toward Buddha. It has the round composition of a painting.Yongjusa as a religious community center
Yongjusa is one of the 31 head temples of Jogye Order of Korean Buddhism and currently has 80 branch temples and Buddhist hermitages distributed in southern Gyeonggi Province, such as at Suwon, Youngin and Anyang. It has almost 7,000 devotee households and lots of Buddhist masses are held. Many trainees practice asceticism and try to pursue the truth. On the other hand, monks in Yongjusa are introducing the wisdom of Buddha through missionary work. Also, in honor of Jeongjo's filial piety, it established institute for the study of filial conduct and contributes a community center for encouraging humanity.See also
- List of Korea-related topics
- 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...
- 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...
- Religion in South KoreaReligion in South KoreaThe predominant religions in South Korea are the traditional Buddhist faith and a large and growing Christian population...