[Temple Adventures] Daewon Temple and the big blue dragon

A 100-meter-long dragon opens its mouth for visitors to enter at Daewon Temple in Pohang, North Gyeongsang Province. / Courtesy of Dale Quarrington

By Dale Quarrington

Daewon Temple in northern Pohang, North Gyeongsang Province, goes a long way to disrupt the naive narrative that all Korean Buddhist temples look the same. Korean Buddhist temples have subtle, and not so subtle, differences. And Daewon Temple isn't subtle about its differences, with a 100-meter-long life-sized blue dragon sidewinding its way down the hillside.

Unlike in Western culture, where dragons are thought to be destructive and harmful, Korean dragons are thought to be a sign of good luck. In appearance, Korean dragons have deer antlers, a snake belly, a fish tail, claws and whiskers. Originally, when dragons first came to China and then onto the Korean Peninsula, they were Naga. Naga are half-human and half-cobra semi-divine beings that are potentially dangerous, but they are helpful and beneficial to humans. Symbolically, dragons, which are known as "yong" or "ryong" in Korean, are thought to be bearers of good fortune and spiritual clarity because their loud voices clear away any and all delusions of corrupting thoughts. They have power over the sea, floods and storms. Specifically in Buddhism, there are eight kinds of protective deities that help protect the teachings of the Buddha (the Dharma), and one of those protective deities is the dragon.

Besides having a rather obvious dragon running through the center of your temple, there are other ways that Korean Buddhist temples have dragons taking up residence on their grounds. Here are but a few examples of how a dragon might appear at a Korean Buddhist temple.

One of the more prominent paintings at a Korean Buddhist temple, especially in a Myeongbujeon (Judgment Hall), is a Dragon Ship of Wisdom painting. This painting is meant to symbolically ferry the dead across the Sea of Samsara towards the Pure Land. Another way that dragons manifest themselves at temples is under the eaves of a temple shrine hall. This is meant to physically symbolize the Dragon Ship of Wisdom.

A dragon's likeness is seen in the eaves of Magok Temple in Gongju, South Chungcheong Province. / Courtesy of Dale Quarrington

Yet another way that a dragon shows itself at a temple is through the iconography associated with the popular shaman deity, Yongwang (Dragon King). Another place that a dragon protectively reveals itself is on the underside of a bridge, where it helps ward off evil spirits from entering the temple grounds through streams and rivers. Dragons can also appear hanging down from a main altar canopy.

An illustration of Yongwang (Dragon King) seen at Gwaneum Temple on Jeju Island / Courtesy of Dale Quarrington

And yet another way a dragon reveals itself is at the top of a temple bell. The dragon that adorns the top of a temple bell is known as Poroe. Poroe is afraid of whales, and when the whale-shaped hammer strikes the bronze temple bell, Poroe the dragon lets out a cry that helps make the temple bell sound even louder.

A Poroe dragon at the top of a temple bell in Seokbul Temple in Busan / Courtesy of Dale Quarrington

And one more way a dragon presents itself at a temple is in the form of the Yonghwajeon. A Yonghwajeon is the temple's shrine for Mireuk-bosal (The Bodhisattva that will be the Future Buddha). For now, Mireuk-bosal is patiently waiting for 5.67 billion years in Dosol-cheon (Tusita Heaven) to become the next Buddha. But when Mireuk-bosal does appear as a Buddha in the future, he will have attained his Buddhahood and enlightenment under a dragon flower tree. That's why the temple shrine hall that houses Mireuk-bosal is called a Yonghwajeon.

A dragon-themed painting at the gate to Tongdo Temple near Yangsan, South Gyeongsang Province / Courtesy of Dale Quarrington

So what does this all have to do with the massive blue dragon at Daewon Temple in Pohang? Well looking back at the history of the temple, before the modern Daewon Temple was built, the site was occupied by a much older temple which, according to local legend, was dismantled in 1510. The former temple was dismantled for the land, which was needed to help house the Japanese military. As for the present Daewon Temple, it was first constructed in 1945 just after the Japanese colonization (1910-45) of the Korean Peninsula came to an end.

With what we now know about the various symbolic meanings of Korean dragons, we know that one of the most common meanings is to protect. And the blue color of the Daewon Temple dragon symbolizes its highly protective nature. The Daewon Temple dragon also has black-painted scales adorning the entire length of its body. And because dragons are thought to have a countless amount of scales on their body, it's meant to symbolize the infinite much like the Buddha's teachings.

The view out the mouth of the dragon at Daewon Temple in Pohang, North Gyeongsang Province. / Courtesy of Dale Quarrington

Furthermore, at Daewon Temple, you can even enter through the mouth of the dragon. Through the mouth, and down a corridor, you'll enter into the Daejeokgwangjeon, which was the former main hall at Daewon Temple. So you enter into the belly of the dragon ― metaphorically, and physically ― to where the shrine hall is situated. The dharma is well protected inside the life-sized dragon. And at the tail end of the giant dragon, you'll find the Daeungjeon. The dragon is all-encompassing at Daewon Temple. And nothing is out of reach for the blue dragon. The grounds at the temple are well-protected by the modern twist that Daewon Temple gives the iconography of a Korean dragon.

So the next time you're at a Korean Buddhist temple, try to see just how many dragons you can spot and what form they take.