Haein Temple, the Historic Dharma-Jewel Monastery

By David A.Mason
Contributing Writer

Some Buddhist temples are so significant in Korean history, due to multi-layered factors, that they stand out above the common ones like jewels sparkling in the sun. Haein Temple, one of the country's largest and most famous monasteries, is in fact known as one of the nation's Three Jewel Temples, with profound and legendary ancient

origins.

One of Korea's greatest monks was Ui Sang-josa (625-702), who after an enlightening stay in China introduced the "Hwaeomjong" (Flower Garland School) to the Silla Kingdom (668-935) and established temples for its propagation. Before leaving his teacher to return home, Ui Sang presented to him his own mandala drawing summarizing the Hwaeom teachings, which became known as the "Haein-do" (Ocean Seal Diagram). "Haein" refers to the way that an enlightened mind peacefully reflects the world without reacting to it with discrimination or judgment, like the reflection of the moon on a perfectly calm sea.

This diagram became a key symbol in Korean Buddhism, and inspired the name of this temple when it was founded exactly 100 years after Master Ui Sang's death.

The story goes that two monks of his lineage --Master Su Neung and his disciple I Jeong --had traveled to China for further study, and returned to Silla with esoteric knowledge of religious healing practices. At that time King Aejang's wife was suffering from a cancerous illness that no royal doctor could cure, and these two monastics volunteered their services. It is recorded that they wrapped a long silk thread around the queen's body and tied the other end to a nearby tree. When they then performed a magical Buddhist chanting ritual, the tree withered and died, and the queen soon recovered her health.

The joyful king proclaimed that as reward for this miraculous healing Su Neung and I Jeong would be provided with funding to build a temple on any site they wished.

The area that they selected is now known as Mt. Gaya National Park, designated in 1972 and covering 80,000 square kilometers (mostly in Hapcheon County of South Gyeongsang Province, but spilling across the border into North Gyeongsang). At that time, this was an entirely remote and unspoiled wilderness, used only for mountain-worship practices by the most intrepid shamans. The twin 1430-meter summits of Sangwang-bong (Upper King Peak) and Chilbul-bong (Seven Buddhas Peak) are flanked by encircling ridges, forming the beautiful Hongnyu-dong Valley featuring Yongmun (Dragon Gate) Falls. In other words, it is a perfect place for both spiritual practice and defense against outside attacks.

Su Neung and I Jeong built a small temple for study and meditation at the center of this remote valley, and served as its first and second abbots. Sometime during the next century two standing Buddha figures were created above the compound ?a spiritual-looking one carved onto a sheer cliff (Treasure 264) and a powerful, dignified one carved on a huge boulder alongside the main trail to Gaya's summit (Treasure 222).

Thirteen decades after the founding of Haein Temple came a dramatic change, with the Unified Silla Kingdom collapsing and the nation engulfed in a long civil war. The battle between the rising northern armies led by General Wang Geon and the forces of Later Baekje was fought in 930 at what is now the city of Andong, near Mt. Gaya. Master Hui Rang, the temple's chief monk at that time, persuaded the aristocratic clans of Andong to join the battle in support of Wang Geon, who eventually emerged victorious.

When Wang Geon then assumed the throne as founder of the Goryeo Kingdom (918-1392), he rewarded Hui Rang with extensive royal patronage. The small temple was expanded into a major monastery that could support hundreds of monks studying and practicing the Hwaeom doctrines. It has flourished for more than 1000 years since then. A unique life-size wooden statue of Master Hui Rang (Treasure #999) is now housed in Haein-Temple's 7-year-old Seongbo Bangmulgwan or Sacred Treasure Museum.

Due both to its reputation for devotion to doctrinal studies and its natural setting as a well-protected site, the national treasure of the 81,000 Tripitaka Koreana wooden printing-blocks (previous article in this series) was moved to the temple in 1398. The presence of these scriptural treasures has made Haein Temple Korea's most important temple for doctrinal study, as well as a great center of meditation and other practices. It has therefore become known as the Dharma Jewel Temple of Korea's famous conceptual-set of "Three Jewel Temples"(which will be fully explained in my fifth article in this series).

Its isolation has in fact defended this most precious of artifacts against theft and destruction over the centuries. In 1592, Korea was invaded by many thousands of samurai marauders who intended to include the Tripitaka Koreana woodblocks among the shiploads of looted treasures they were sending back to Japan. Korea's leading Buddhist master at the time, Cheongheo Hyu Jeong (1520-1604), also known as Seosan-daesa, organized Korea's monks to fight in defense, and his disciple, Samyeong-dang Yu Jeong (1544-1610) became the leader of the resisters in the southern region from his base at Haein Temple. An army of the invaders was stopped in the narrow twisting Hongnyu-dong Valley by brilliant guerrilla tactics, and the temple and woodblocks were narrowly saved. Sam Yeong and the temple were well-rewarded by the Joseon authorities after peace had been restored.

In other incidents, destruction of the woodblocks was avoided in near-miraculous ways. Most of Haein Temple was accidentally burned in 1817, but a fortuitous wind saved the repository buildings from the fire. During the tragic Korean War, communist guerrillas approached the temple to use it as a base, but Master Hyo Dang was able to persuade them to withdraw. The South Korean army, however, didn't know that the rebels had not been successful in their occupation and ordered it to be bombed to destroy them. Fortunately, the pilot of the plane then refused. He was disciplined for disobeying orders at the time, but later on has been regarded as a hero for his preservation of this site.

Late in the 20th century the temple was the home base of National Patriarchs Toe-ong Seong Cheol (1912-1993) and Hyeam Seong Gwan (1920-2001), regarded as among the most outstanding modern meditation-masters. Master Seong Cheol's funeral held there was a landmark national event. The Mt. Gaya-san valley hosts numerous temples and major hermitages that remain key centers of teaching, practice, devotion and pilgrimage, with around 500 resident monks and hundreds of visitors every day.

The vast main hall building is very impressive in itself, after having been rebuilt in 1818 and recently renovated. Most temples's main buildings are called ``Dae-ungjeon'' (Great Hero Hall) and are dedicated to Sakyamuni, the original Buddha. But the shrine at Haein Temple is named ``Daejeok-gwangjeon"(Hall of Silent Illumination) and enshrines seven treasure-quality statues of Buddha, including two ancient ones of "biro-bul," Vairocana, the Buddha of Universal Illumination. When this hall was renovated in 1964, royal robes of King Gwanghae-gun, who authorized the 1622 reconstruction, were discovered hidden in the architecture, and are now kept in the Sacred Treasure Museum.

One of the new features of this ancient monastery is found in the upper courtyard, where a kind of walking-maze has been created around the ancient stone pagoda. The square-angled pathway is a reproduction of Ui Sang's Haein-do diagram, designed so that monks and visitors can practice walking-meditation. This innovation cleverly reconfigures the age-old practice of pagoda-circumambulation in a modern style fitting the unique character of this temple, thematically tied to its very origin.

Visitors to Haein Temple usually finish in the uppermost courtyard viewing the Tripitaka Koreana woodblocks, marveling at what a fantastic technological achievement they were at the time they were made. Some tourists these days take photos of monks using cameras or cell phones, finding it amusing in the misconception that monks should be old-fashioned and not use modern devices. They should realize, however, that those woodblocks are a good example of how Buddhist monks have always used the highest technology available to propagate Buddhist teachings so using modern devices to facilitate translation and the availability of the doctrines is simply the same modus operandi they have always employed, and not a funny sight at all.

For more information about the temple, including its templestay program, go to www.haeinsa.or.kr.

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