Korea Educational Broadcasting System (EBS), CC BY 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons
Haeinsa Temple
해인사 (海印寺) in Korean
Also known as: Haeinsa, Tripitaka Koreana Temple
Religions: Buddhism | Place Type: Temple | Region: Asia | UNESCO World Heritage Site
Overview
Haeinsa Temple is a Buddhist temple located on Mount Gaya in Hapcheon County, South Gyeongsang Province, South Korea. Founded in 802 CE, it is one of Korea's Three Jewel Temples and houses the Tripitaka Koreana, regarded as the most complete collection of Buddhist scriptures, carved on more than 80,000 woodblocks. Haeinsa Temple is an active site of pilgrimage and worship. The temple complex, particularly the Janggyeong Panjeon depositories, was designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1995.
Present
Haeinsa Temple is owned and run by the Jogye Order of Korean Buddhism and functions as a working monastery. A community of monks lives at the temple and in hermitages on the surrounding mountainside, holding daily chanting and meditation services. The Tripitaka Koreana woodblocks are kept in the Janggyeong Panjeon depository buildings. They cannot be accessed but viewed through window openings.
Religious Significance
Haeinsa Temple is one of the Three Jewel Temples, that together represent the three foundations of Buddhist life: the Buddha, the Dharma (his teachings), and the Sangha (the monastic community). In this tradition it is representing the Dharma. Haeinsa Temple is a head temple of the Jogye Order, the main order of Korean Buddhism, and an active centre of Seon (Korean Zen) practice, which centres on meditation as the path to spiritual awakening.
History & Structure
Haeinsa Temple was founded in 802 CE. It is built on terraced levels climbing the forested slope of Mount Gaya, with halls, gates, and courtyards arranged up the hillside and the scripture depository at the highest point. The temple's wooden buildings have burned and been rebuilt several times. The main hall is dedicated to Vairocana Buddha, a cosmic Buddha representing ultimate reality, and different from the historical Buddha. At the top of the site stand the Janggyeong Panjeon depositories, four plain rectangular halls built in the 15th century to store the Tripitaka Koreana. The woodblocks were originally carved in the 11th century as an appeal to the Buddha for protection against invasive attacks; after their destruction during Mongol invasions they were carved a second time in the 13th century. The depositories and woodblocks were inscribed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1995.