1220th Anniversary Hapcheon Haeinsa Temple Gae-san Daejae Buddhist Ceremony and Cultural Events Held

‘Daebirojeon Twin Wooden Seated Birojana Buddha Statues’ Designated as National Treasure

Haeinsa Sacred Treasures Museum Displays ‘Geonchil Heerang Daesa Seated Statue’ for Viewing

Geonchilhui and Daesajang.

[Asia Economy Yeongnam Reporting Headquarters Reporter Choi Soon-kyung] Haeinsa, the Beopbojongchal temple in Hapcheon-gun, Gyeongnam, is holding Dharma assemblies and cultural events throughout October to commemorate the 1220th anniversary of its founding.

A congratulatory ceremony for the designation of the twin wooden seated Vairocana Buddha statues in Daebirojeon, which are being elevated from Treasure to National Treasure status, will be held on October 21 at 3:30 PM in the front yard of Daebirojeon at Haeinsa.

The wooden seated Vairocana Buddha statue in Beopbojeon is the oldest wooden Buddha statue in Korea and demonstrates an exceptionally high level of sculptural technique in terms of artistic completion.

According to a handwritten record inside the statue written vertically stating it was made in the 3rd year of Junghwa (883), along with the statue’s style, iconography, and scientific investigations, it was created around the time close to Haeinsa’s founding year of 802.

As the oldest existing wooden Buddha statue, it holds very high historical and academic value and is being promoted to National Treasure status this time.

At the Haeinsa Sacred Treasures Museum, on the 13th, a special viewing was arranged to coincide with the designation of the twin wooden seated Vairocana Buddha statues in Daebirojeon as National Treasures, allowing visitors to see the Gilt Lacquered Seated Statue of Monk Huilang, which was elevated from Treasure to National Treasure in 2020.

Monk Huilang was a scholar deeply versed in Huayan Buddhism, who is said to have stayed at Haeinsa’s Huilangdae and devoted himself to ascetic practice. He is known as the teacher of King Taejo Wang Geon and played a significant role in unifying the Later Three Kingdoms.

The statue of Monk Huilang is Korea’s only portrait sculpture that realistically reproduces the image of a historical eminent monk and is estimated to have been made in the early 10th century during the Goryeo period.

Thus, Haeinsa has become the only temple in Korea to possess all three of Buddhism’s Three Jewels (Sambo) as National Treasures: Buddha (the twin wooden seated Vairocana Buddha statues in Daebirojeon), Dharma (the Goryeo Tripitaka woodblocks), and Sangha (the Gilt Lacquered Seated Statue of Monk Huilang), establishing its dignity and prestige. The exhibition for viewing the statue of Monk Huilang will continue until November 30.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.