 Bulguksa, the Temple of the Land Buddha, sits mid-slope on Mt. Tohamsan. Its
construction was completed under the supervision of Prime Minister Kim Dae-seong
in the 10th year of King Gyeongdeok of the Silla Kingdom (751).
The temple
manifests both terrestrial and celestial abodes: the mundane world as
represented by Shakyamuni Buddha's Lotus Sutra; the paradise governed by the
Amitabha Buddha as described in the Book of the Constant Life, and the other
paradise, the Land of Perfect Bliss of the Vairocana, the Resplendent Buddha, as
described in the Avatamska Sutra.
Buddha, as described in the Avatamska
Sutra.
The cloistered compound is largely divided into two courts: one,
centering on Daeungjeon, the Hall of Shakyamuni, contains Cheongungyo, the Blue
Cloud Bridge, Baegungyo, the White Cloud Bridge, Jahamun, the Gate of Purple
Mist, Beomyeongnu, the Pavilion of Mount Meru, Jwagyeongnu, the Left Sutra Hall,
Dabotap, the Pagoda of Abundant Treasures, Seokgatap, the Pagoda of Shakyamuni,
and Museoljeon, the Hall of Discourse; the other, centering on Geungnakjeon, the
Hall of Paradise, contains Chilbogyo, the Seven Treasure Bridge, Yeonhwagyo, the
Lotus Flower Bridge, and Anyangmun, the Gate to Nirvana.
Seokgatap and
Dabotap are the most eye-catching of these architectural masterpieces. Dedicated
to the Shakyamuni Buddha and the Prabhutaratna (the Buddha of Abundant
Treasures), these two pagodas represent these Buddhas as residing in the temple,
well exemplifying the Silla people's desire to embody Buddhist ideals in the
mundane world.
On the eastern slope of the peak of Mt. Tohamsan is tucked away
Seokguram Buddhist Grotto, a hermitage of Bulguksa, also known to have been
built by Kim Dae-seong. This granite sanctuary sums up the religious enthusiasm,
architectural technology, and immaculate workmanship of the Silla people, making
it a rare landmark of world religious art.
Seokguram consists of an
antechamber which holds reliefs of eight guardian deities and two Vajrapanis; a
short corridor carved with four horrific heavenly kings; and the main rotunda
which enshrines in its center the seated main Buddha, Shakyamuni
Tathagata (the Incarnation of Truth). Along the lower part of the circular wall
are reliefs of an 11-faced Avalokitesvara, ten disciples, Manjusri, Sakradevanam
Indra, Mahabrahmandah, and Samantabhadra. Above these at about eye-level are ten
niches, each enshrining a bodhisattva.
The main Buddha under the vault
of the rotunda wears a smile of serene benevolence which has been appreciated as
the zenith of what man can achieve through stone sculpture. It is as if the
Buddha is about to preach to us at any moment, to enlighten the good human
nature innate within us. For its sheer culmination of Buddhist beliefs,
aesthetics, and advanced engineering, Seokguram was registered on UNESCO's World
Cultural Heritage List, together with Bulguksa Temple, in December of 1995.
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