KOREAN TEMPLE ADVENTURES 3 temples to visit on Buddha's Birthday
Seokguram Grotto in Gyeongju, North Gyeongsang Province, is decorated with paper lanterns for Buddha's Birthday, May 1, 2020. Courtesy of Dale Quarrington
By Dale Quarrington
Buddha’s Birthday in Korea is a wonderful day off to enjoy the sights, sounds and celebrations of Buddhism. For a lot of people, this means a visit to a local temple or hermitage. But if you really want to fully enjoy and appreciate Buddha’s Birthday this year, take advantage of the May 5 holiday to visit sites that are typically off-limits to the general public.
Once a year, sites like the interior of Seokguram Grotto in Gyeongju, the Geumgang Precept Platform at Tongdo Temple in Yangsan and Bongam Temple in Mungyeong, all three in North Gyeongsang Province, are open to the public. The holiday is a rare occasion when these areas, typically restricted, are open for everyone.
Of the three, Seokguram Grotto is the most famous. Construction on the grotto began in 751 under Kim Daeseong (700-774), a chief minister of the Silla Kingdom(57 B.C. – 935 A.D.). The grotto was completed in 774, shortly after Kim’s death. According to the Samguk Yusa (Memorabilia of the Three Kingdoms), Seokguram Grotto and neighboring Bulguk Temple were built to honor his parents.
Usually, visitors to Seokguram Grotto are restricted from actually entering the artificial cave, viewing the famous statue of the Buddha through a glass window. On Buddha's Birthday, members of the public are allowed into the chamber that holds the statue. Viewing it through the glass in no way prepares you for the beauty awaiting within. An antechamber leads to a passageway, both filled with relief statues of important deities. This passageway is meant to act as a symbolic conduit between the earthly and the heavenly realms.
Inside Seokguram Grotto in Gyeongju, North Gyeongsang Province / Courtesy of Joseph Bengivenni
After passing through to the inner chamber, a statue of Sakyamuni Buddha fills the rotunda, standing 3.5 meters in height and sitting on a 1.34-meter-tall lotus pedestal. This central image is backed by a regal 2.18-meter-tall relief of the Bodhisattva of Compassion that is normally hidden behind the central Buddha statue when viewed from the window. Rounding out the interior of the inner chamber are niche relief-carvings dedicated to various Bodhisattvas, statues dedicated to the Buddha's disciples, and other Buddhas.
Entry to Geumgang Gyedan at Tongdo Temple in Yangsan, South Gyeongsang Province, Sept. 16, 2011 / Courtesy of Dale Quarrington
Another treat open only on Buddha’s Birthday is the Geumgang Precept Platform at Tongdo Temple in Yangsan, South Gyeongsang Province. One of Korea's most historically important temples, Tongdo is home to the Geumganggyedan, or "Diamond Precept Platform." At Tongdo Temple, unlike most temples where the main hall's altar features multiple images of a Buddha or Bodhisattva, there is a window looking out at an outdoor ordination platform that houses remains of the Sakyamuni Buddha. These were brought back from China by Jajang-yulsa (590-658) to help found the temple in 646. The presence of the remains means no special images of the Buddha were needed to decorate the temple.
At the center of the Geumgang Precept Platform, where monks vow to obey the precepts, is a stone statue shaped like a lotus bud. Inside are sarira (crystallized remains) of Sakyamuni Buddha. The platform has been repaired seven times — in 1379, 1603, 1652, 1705, 1743, 1823 and 1911 ― and is still as extraordinary as the first day it was constructed.
Geumgang Gyedan at Tongdo Temple in Yangsan, South Gyeongsang Province, Sept. 16, 2011 / Courtesy of Dale Quarrington
Bongam Temple in Mungyeong, North Gyeongsang Province, is normally completely closed to outsiders and opens to the public only this one time per year. First constructed in 879 by the monk Jijeung (824-882), it was the main temple of the Huiyangsan School, one of the nine original branches of Korean Seon (Zen) Buddhism. The temple is beautifully situated south of Mount Huiyang and home to several important treasures.
A stone carving is seen at Bongam Temple in Mungyeong, North Gyeongsang Province, May 1, 2024. Courtesy of Dale Quarrington
Of all the treasures at Bongam Temple, it’s the rock-carved seated Maitreya Buddha that stands out the most. Up a wooded trail to the west of the main temple is Baegundae Valley, where visitors will find a relief statue of Maitreya (Mireukbul, the Future Buddha). Seated in a picturesque spot by the stream, this relief dates to 1663, carved by the monk Uicheon (1603-90).
The Maitreya Buddha at Bongam Temple in Mungyeong, North Gyeongsang Province, May 1, 2024 / Courtesy of Dale Quarrington
There’s a lot to see, enjoy and appreciate at Korean Buddhist temples and hermitages, but there’s even more to appreciate on Buddha’s Birthday. While these sites are only open to the general public during the holiday, they aren’t open to picture-taking. Instead, simply enjoy all that these amazing sites have to offer in the moment on this celebratory occasion.
Dale Quarrington has visited over 500 temples throughout the Korean Peninsula and published four books on Korean Buddhism. He runs the website Dale's Korean Temple Adventures.