Beopjusa
| Beopjusa | |
| File:Beopjusa Temple Stay South Korea.jpg
Temple Rooftops in the Green Landscape with Geumdongmireukdaebul Buddha
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| Korean name | |
|---|---|
| Hangul | 법주사 |
| Hanja | 法住寺 |
| Revised Romanization | Beopjusa |
| McCune–Reischauer | Pŏpchusa |
Beopjusa (Korean: 법주사 or Beopju temple) is a head temple of the Jogye Order of Korean Buddhism. It is situated on the slopes of Songnisan, within Songnisan National Park, in Naesongni-myeon, Boeun County, in the province of Chungcheongbuk-do, South Korea.
It was initially constructed in 553 by Silla monk Uisin. It has been historically associated with Beopsang thought, and the worship of the Maitreya Buddha.
History
The founder, Uisin, named the temple Beopju (‘Residence of Dharma’) because a number of Indian sutras (scriptures about Dharma) he brought back with him were housed there.[1] The temple with more than 60 buildings and 70 hermitages, including the highest wooden pagoda in Korea, Palsangjeon. Like most of the other buildings, this was burned to the ground in the Japanese invasions of Korea.[2] The pagoda was reconstructed in 1624.
In the Goryeo Dynasty, this temple is said to have been home to as many as 3,000 monks. A few facilities from this period still remain on the temple grounds, including a cistern and iron pot for serving food and water to thousands of monks.
It continued to play an important role in subsequent centuries, but shrank as the state's support for Buddhism disappeared under the Joseon Dynasty. Joseon Dynasty founder Taejo is said to have retired to a spot near Beopjusa after tiring of his sons' fighting.
In popular culture
Beopjusa was chosen by Bruce Lee as the original setting for the movie Game of Death, with the five floors of Palsangjeon pagoda representing five different martial arts. Since Bruce Lee died before the movie was completed, the screenplay was changed, and Beopjusa was edited out.[3]
Gallery
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Beopjusa Temple Stay in Korea. Palsangjeon (five-story wooden pagoda).jpg
Palsangjeon is believed to be the oldest and tallest pagoda found in Korea. It is one of only 2 wooden pagodas in the country.
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Korea-Beoun-Beopjusa Golden Maitreya Statue 1752-06.JPG
Golden Maitreya Statue of National Unification at Beopjusa
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Korea-Beoun-Beopjusa Seogyeonji 1756-06.jpg
Beopjusa Seogyeonji (stone basin) is National Treasure #64.
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Korea-Beoun-Beopjusa Ssangsajaseokdeung 1766-06.JPG
Ssangsajaseokdeung (Two Lion Stone Lamp)is National Treasure #5.
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Korea-Boeun-Beopjusa Palsangjeon 1782-06.JPG
Palsangjeon (Hall of Eight Pictures) is located at Beopjusa is National Treasure of Korea #55.
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Korea-Beoun-Beopjusa 1770-06.JPG
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Korea-Beoun-Beopjusa 1777-06.JPG
See also
References
- ↑ Brief History of Beopjusa Temple
- ↑ Cin Woo Lee "Simply stunning: 33 incredible Korean temples" CNN Go. 10 February 2012. Retrieved 2012-04-12
- ↑ See the films Game of Death and Bruce Lee: A Warrior's Journey at 50m30s
External links
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Wikimedia Commons has media related to Beopjusa. |
- Pages with broken file links
- Articles containing Korean-language text
- Commons category link is defined as the pagename
- Articles with Korean-language external links
- Buddhist temples in South Korea
- Boeun County
- Buddhist temples of the Jogye Order
- Buildings and structures in North Chungcheong Province
- 653 establishments
- Religious organizations established in the 7th century
- Visitor attractions in North Chungcheong Province
