Haeinsa Temple
The Haein-sa (temple) is one of the three main temples in South-Korea. Its name means "Reflection on a calm sea". It belongs to the Chogye Order, a Zen school of Buddhism.
Haein-sa houses all the Buddhist texts carved on wooden blocks, symbols of the teachings. The blocks, known as Tripitaka Koreana, number 81.340 in total. Inscribed are the rules for monks, the teachings of the Buddha and the commentaries added down the ages.
The entire Tripitaka has been carved twice. The first one was completed in 1087, but it was burnt in the invasion of the Mongolians. So the monks started carving again, and that one (that now can be seen) dates from 1251.
Visit September 2001
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This is probably the best sight I have seen in Korea. Beautifully located in the mountains (in a national park actually), miles from everywhere. Haeinsa is a big and colourful templecomplex. There is a lot to see and to do in the area.
The wooden bloks are of course the main point of interest. They are housed in 4 buildings behind the main temple. You can look at them via the windows.
Remarkably, the blocks are still in their original housing, and due to the way of construction they are well preserved. A few years ago a new building was erected for them, but the condition of the carved blocks started deteriorating quickly. So they moved them back, in their original places.
Reviews
Frederik Dawson (Netherlands):
 Tuck away deep in the forest of Gayasan National Park is Haeinsa, one of the three most important Buddhist temples in South Korea and maybe the second most famous temple in this country after Bulguksa Temple in nearby Gyeongju. As I mentioned Haeinsa is located in the national park, the scenery especially along the path to the temple is very beautiful with small steams and many tiny waterfalls in the very bright green forest, a real reward after taking 1.30 hour bus from Daegu thru many uninspired villages.
The temple itself is quite big compared to other temple complexes. The most important structure in the temple is Janggyeon Panjeon the temple’s depositories for the Tripitaka Koreana woodblocks or Korean Buddhist bible. Janggyeon Panjeon is actually four plain storage buildings from 15th century keeping more than 80,000 woodblocks famously for its sophisticate design of conservative preserving all of the 13th century woodblocks without deteriorates. The masterly technique of this building is truly exceptional; however, for normal tourists it is really hard to appreciate these structures since there is no explanation for their uniqueness to differ them from other old buildings which is quite sad.
Since most people do not know the importance of the buildings or it’s just quite hard to appreciate them, the equally impressive Tripitaka woodblocks are the main focal point of Haeinsa. The woodblocks took 16 years to complete and now Haeinsa’s Tripitaka is considered the most complete set of Tripitaka woodblocks in the world and used as the main source of Buddhist study in all East Asia.
I really impressed Haeinsa by its unworldly sacredness and wonderful location which reminded me the same feeling toward forest temples in Thailand or Japan. While the famous Bulguksa is crowded with hordes of tourists like hell, Haeinsa is heaven, so if I have to recommend one temple to visit after Bulguksa, Haeinsa is my answer as the perfect place to heal you up from mainstream tourist industry. |
| Date posted: May 2008 |
Paul Hoff (Japan):
On March 28th, 2003 I walked from a Korean yogwan (travelers' inn) located near Haeinsa, up the path to the temple. I brought my two elementary school age sons with me to give them a feel for the Korean countryside, as well as the opportunity to see a Korean Buddhist temple and renowned collection of Buddhist literature. The inn itself was worth the visit for its wide "maru" porch and delightful dinner of "kimchee" dishes made from all kinds of roots, vegetables and seaweed. Sanjang Byeoljang is its name.
We had a brilliant cool day. The magnolia and cherry trees were not yet blooming at the temple's altitude, but the air was clear and there were only a few groups of visitors spaced out throughout the temple, so there was no crowding and everyone got a good look at the Buddha Hall and the wood blocks.
I visited the temple almost thirty years ago for the first time, and it is certainly in very good condition now. The monks on this visit were deep in meditation and conducting sutra chants in all the halls, even the smallest ancilliary buildings had a monk beating a wooden bell and chanting. An older monk came out of a small building just above the Buddha Hall and spoke with my sons. He made them promise not to fight and to treat each other with respect. He performed the promise handshake with each of them, linking little fingers and pressing the thumbs together. A promise not to be broken!
There is little effort to engage the casual visitor like us. It would be nice to have a little more interaction with the monks if you wanted to learn more about the woodblocks, the Buddhist philosophy written on them, or the ceremonies that were being held. More effort on our part might have gotten us that kind of audience. I visited Songgwansa, another major Zen temple, many years ago. There a novice monk from New Zealand gave us a primer in Buddhism. Maybe they maintain that approach there. Haeinsa might do well to introduce such a program, even with Korean monks.
We took the bus from the bottom of the temple path back to Daegu's Seobu Bus Station. The ride is comfortable and convenient, although finding the Daegu Seobu Bus Station is a $10 cab ride from the main train station.
It was a long trip from Seoul to spend the night and see the temple. When the fast train line starts operating it will cut the time from Seoul to Daegu. Nonetheless, Haeinsa is a splendid setting for a remarkable work of devotion. |
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