Haeinsa

Haeinsa
Korean name
Hangul 해인사 Hanja 海印寺 Revised Romanization Haeinsa McCune-Reischauer Haeinsa

Haeinsa Temple Janggyeong Panjeon, the Depositories for the Tripitaka Koreana Woodblocks*
UNESCO World Heritage Site
State Party	Republic of Korea
Type	Cultural
Criteria	iv, vi
Reference	737
Region**	Asia-Pacific
Inscription history
Inscription	1995  (19th Session)
* Name as inscribed on World Heritage List. ** Region as classified by UNESCO.

One of the foremost Buddhist temples in South Korea, Haeinsa has housed the Tripitaka Koreana since 1398 C.E. Although many East Asian Buddhist nations have full set of the Mahayana Buddhist Scriptures, the Tripitaka Koreana is reputedly the best. The Tripitaka Koreana 6,802 volumes carved on 81,258 double-sided wood printing blocks using 52,382,960 characters.

Haeinsa has been interpreted "Reflections of the Calm Sea" Temple. "Hae" is interpreted "sea," and "in" means "signature seal" = reflection made by the signature seal. A sign board at the temple site explains that the Haeinsa infers that an image reflected on calm water symbolizes the way Buddhist teachings reflect reality. The Hwaom sect, which merged with the Seon sect currently residing at Haeinsa, uses the symbolism of a calm sea, and the stormy sea.

The Hwaom doctrine holds that the stormy sea resembles the life of pain, suffering, and delusion while the calm sea resembles the harmony of existence and ultimate reality. Buddha's teaching is symbolized by the calm sea, that the understanding of reality comes only through Enlightenment. Haeinsa has also been interpreted as "Temple of Reflection on a Smooth Sea."

Origin

Legend says that King Aejang's wife suffered from a dire illness that failed to respond to all medical treatment. He sent royal officials throughout the country to seek out monks who might work a miraculous cure. Two Korean monks, Suneung and Ijeong from China had established a hermitage on the ground that Haeinsa now stands. One official came upon them mediating and witnessed a brilliant radience emanting from them. They refused his request to accompany him to the palace, giving him a spool of thread with five colors. The monks instructed him to tie one end of the thread to the queen's finger and the other end to a pear tree in front of the palace. Following their instructions, the queen healed while the pear tree withered. The legend states that in 802 C.E. in the third year of his reign, king Aejang donated the Haeinsa site to Suneung and Ijeong and ordered a temple constructed for them.

Choe Chi-won in 900 C.E. provides another explanation of the foundation of the temple. A prominent writer and calligrapher of Silla who spent his last days in self-imposed exile in Mt. Gayasan, Choe writes that Suneung established the temple after attaining Enlightenment in China. The queen, who supported Buddhist monks in her realm, converted to Buddhism under Suneun's instruction. She made offerings of food and abundant gifts. With the queen's support, students flocked to Haeinsa. When Suneung died unexpectantly, Ijeong inherited his work and finished the construction of the temple. The temple history records that Suneung had been the disciple of Sillim who had practiced with Uisang. Uisang is believed to have been the first monk to spread Avatamsaka Buddhism in Korea in the early 600s. The region first bore the name Kaya-sa, after the Kaya Mountains, and later received the name Haein-sa.

History

First Renovation. In the 900s, the famous monk Hirang renovated Haeinsa for the first time. King Geon, who founded the Goryeo dynasty, provided the funding and labor to constuct the temple as a reward for helping defeat an enemy nation. King Geon used Haeinsa as the site for royal rituals and religious ceremonies as well as storing important royal documents.

Monk Hirang is said to have carved a wooden image of himself. The image of the monk seated with his two hands clasped on crossed legs resides today in one of Haeinsa's sixteen hermitages.

Second Renovation. The second major renovation took place in the late 1400s during the Joseon dynasty. The daughters-in-law of King Sejo, queens Insu and Inhye, commissioned the renovation. King Sejo and his wife, queen Jeonghi, planned to renovate Haeinsa after fifty sets of the Tripitaka had been printed. The both died before the task completed. Their daughters-in-law Insu and Inhya finished the task of printing the fifty sets under monk Hakcho's management.

The main shrine as well as the depositories for the Tripitaka and various other buildings were newly constructed at the time, so the temple obtained its present scale and ambience. The renovation was completed in 1490.

Owing to its sequestered location guarded by rough terrain, Haeinsa fortunately escaped the rampant arson by Japanese troops during the Hideyoshi invasions in 1592-1598, which devastated much of the country, destroying almost all wooden palace and temple buildings. But fire erupted at Haeinsa seven times over two centuries from 1695 to 1871, burning down most of the building that had existed since the 15th century renovation. The buildings have all been reconstructed over the years, and the temple maintains much of its ancient magnificence.

Haeinsa has been the center of activities for a number of prominent monks. Uicheon, or National Preceptor Daegak, a Goryeo prince who compiled the Supplement to the Tripitaka, once resided at the temple. Royal Preceptor Wongyeong, who traveled to China with Uicheon to study Buddhism, assisted him in compiling the scriptures by proofreading the texts. A stone stele for Wongyeong stands near the entrance to the temple. Samyong, who led a monk militia during the 16th century Japanese invasion, died at Hongje-am hermitage, where a bell-shaped stupa containing his remains now stands. In the 20th century, Seongcheol who headed the Jogye order, resided at Paengnyonam hermitage and died there.

Wondangam hermitage, with its exquisite stone relics dating from the Unified Silla period, adds romantic color to the temple famed for its serious academic tradition and the stern regulations of its bhikkhus community. Queen Jinseong(r. 887-897) of Silla designated Haeinsa as the tutelary temple for he lover and high courtier, Wihong, when he died In 888. she even abdicated the throne in the 11the year of her reign and moved to the temple, where she died later that year. The two lovers are credited for compiling an anthology of Silla native songs, called hyangga.

Another renovation in 1964 uncovered a royal robe of King Gwanghaegun, who was responsible for the 1622 renovation, and an inscription on a ridge beam. Most of the buildings standing today had been constructed at the end of the Yi Dynasty.

Description

Haeinsa is one of the Three Jewel Temples of Korea, and represents Dharma or the Buddha’s teachings. Located on Gayasan (Gaya) Mountain in South Gyeongsang Province, Haeinsa serves as the head temple of the 12th Diocese of the Korean Buddhist Jogye Order, the largest Buddhist sect in the country. Until his death in 1993, renown monk Seongcheol used Haeinsa as his home temple.

The Tripitaka Koreana earned Haeinsa its reputation as one of Korea's three major temples representing the "three jewels of Buddhism." Haeinsa stands for dharma, or the Buddha's teaching. The two other "jewels of Buddhism" in Korea are Tongdosa and Songgwangsa. Tongdosa (in Yangsan, South Gyeongsang-do) represents the historical Buddha, Seokgamoni, while Songgwangsa (in Seongju, South Jeolla-do) represents the sangha or community of monks dedicated to the study, teaching, and preservation of Buddha's teaching. The Three Jewels of Buddhism embrace the person of Buddha, Buddha's teaching, and the community of monks.

Temple Compound

Kukgwangnu. Entering Haeinsa along a long peaceful path prepares the pilgrim by clearing their mind and opening them to the spiritual experience within the temple compound. They prepare to leave the world of illusion and enter the reality of Nirvana. The pilgrim passes through three gates before coming directly in front of Kukgwangu. Climbing stairs around or through the temple, the visitor attains the upper court yard. Inside Kukgwangnu on the upper level, a gigantic drum, bell, and fish stand. The temple serves as a museum housing over 200 artifacts including painted scrolls, manuscripts, and an incense burner shaped like an elephant with a pagoda on its back. A life size wood statue of the third abbot of the temple stands reputed to possess miraculous powers. People hoping for healing or woman praying to conceive frequently pray in front of the statue.

The Upper Court Yard and Main Hall. After passing through or around Kukgwangnu Hall, the pilgrim enters the upper court yard and faces the Main Hall, Daejeokkwangjeon (Hall of Great Silence and Light). The upper court yard is set in two levels. An ancient pagoda and stone lantern sit in the court yard, dating to the first construction of Haeinsa. The visitor passes the pagoda and latern, climbing a steep stair way into the Main Hall.

Rebuilt in 1817 after a fire destroyed most of the ancient Haeinsa compond, Daejeokkwangjeon has also enjoyed a major renovation in 1971. Dedicated to Vairocana Buddha, the Resplendent Buddha, who first preached the Avatamsaka Sutra, while Korean temples typically house Seokgamoni in their main halls, the Main Hall is unique in Korea. Carved in 1769, the wooden Vairocana Buddha statue inside has unique paintings of the Buddha's life behind.

Janggyeong Panjeon: National Treasure No.52 (Haeinsa Library)

Passing through the Main Hall, the visitor comes upon the Haeinsa Library which houses the Tripitaka Koreana. Haeinsa would be considered one of the most important temple compounds in Korea even without the Janggyeong Panjeon and the Tripitaka Koreana. With them, Haeinsa is a National Treasure that has earned the designation of a World Heritage Site. UNESCO added the temple of Haeinsa, the depositories for the "Tripitaka Koreana" Woodblocks, to the World Heritage List in 1995. The UNESCO committee recommended Haeinsa for the designation World Heritage Site noting that the uniqueness of the buildings housing the Tripitaka Koreana.

Ingenuously designed to preserve the woodblocks from the effects of humidity and weather, the temple earned a special distinction. No other historical structure has been specifically built to preserve artifacts. The ingenuous technology places Haeinsa in a category by itself.

The storage halls, known as the Janggyeong Panjeon complex, is the depository for the Tripitaka Koreana woodblocks at Haeinsa Temple are also designated by the Korean government as a national treasure of Korea. They are some of the largest storage facilities made of wood. The halls were designated on December 20, 1962. Remarkably, the halls were untouched during the Japanese invasion during the Seven-Year War and the halls were spared from the fire that burnt most of the temple complex down in 1818. All told, the storage halls have survived seven serious temple fires and even a near bombing during the Korean War when a pilot disobeyed orders because he remembered that the temple held a priceless treasure.

Janggyeong Panjeon complex is the oldest part of the temple and houses the 81,258 wooden printing blocks from the Tripitaka. Although when the hall which houses the Tripitaka Koreana was first built is uncertain, it is believed that King Sejo expanded and renovated the hall in 1457. The storage complex is made up of four halls arranged in a rectangle and the style is very plain because of its use as a storage facility. The northern hall is called Beopbojeon (Hall of Dharma) and the southern hall is called Sudarajang (Hall of Sutras). These two main halls are 60.44 meters in length, 8.73 meters in width, and 7.8 meters in height. They both have fifteen rooms with the two adjoining rooms. Additionally, there are two small halls in the east and west which are two small libraries.

Several ingeniuous preservation techniques are utilized to preserve the wooden printing blocks. The architects also utilized nature to help preserve the Tripitaka. The storage complex was built at the highest point of the temple and is 655 meters above sea level. Janggyeong Panjeon faces the southwest to avoid damp southeasternly winds of the valley below and uses the mountain peaks to block the cold north wind. Different sized windows in the north and south of both main halls are used to ventilate the halls and the they utilize principles of hydrodynamics. The windows were installed in every hall to maximize ventilation and moderate temperature. The clay floors were filled with charcoal, calcium oxide, salt, lime, and sand which reduces humidity when it rained by absorbing excess moisture while retaining moisture during the dry winter months. The roof is also made with clay and the bracketing and wood rafters prevent sudden changes in temperature. Additionally, no part of the complex is exposed to shade. Apparently, animals, insects, and birds avoid the complex but the reason for this is unknown. These sophisticated preservation measures are widely credited as the reason the woodblocks have survived in such fantastic condition to this day.

In 1970, a modern storage complex was built utilizing modern preservation techniques but when test woodblocks were found to have mildew, the intended move was canceled and the woodblocks are still stored at Haeinsa.

The Tripitaka repository in the rear built in 1488 escaped the flames of 1817 and original.

Myongbujon

Ungjinjon

Samsonggak

The temple also holds several official treasures including a realistic wooden carving of a monk and interesting Buddhist paintings, stone pagodas, and lanterns.

References

ISBN links support NWE through referral fees

• Nilsen, Robert. 1988. South Korea Handbook. Chico, California. Moon Publications. ISBN 0-918373-20-4

External links

• Asian Historical Architecture page for Haeinsa
• South Korean Cultural Properties Administration page for Haeinsa and Tripitaka Koreana
• Digital Dictionary of Buddhism (log in as "guest")
• UNESCO: Haeinsa Temple Janggyeong Panjeon
• Cultural Heritage: Haeinsa Janggyeong Panjeon
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