A walk around Yeongju Buseoksa Temple in full bloom with flowers
Buseoksa Temple (浮石寺) is known as the first temple founded by the great monk Uisang of King Munmu of Silla to spread the teachings of Hwaeom.
Buseoksa Temple has many cultural heritages, including National Treasure No. 17, Muryangsujeon Hall, National Treasure No. 19, Buseoksa Josadang, Treasure No. 255, Buseoksa Stone Carving Supports, Treasure No. 249, Buseoksa Three-story Stone Pagoda, and Treasure No. 735, Buseoksa Goryeo Engraving Board.
The reason why it is called 'Buseoksa Temple (浮石寺)' is because there is a large rock on the west side of the temple, which is not connected to the rock below and floats in the air, so it is called a floating stone. During the Goryeo Dynasty, it was called 'Seondalsa Temple (善達寺)' or 'Heunggyosa Temple (興敎寺)'.
According to the Song Gao-seung-jeon (宋高僧傳), Uisang went to study abroad in the Tang Dynasty when he was 20 years old, and while staying in Dengzhou, China, a young lady named Seon-myo (善妙), the daughter of a military leader, fell in love with Uisang. However, Seon-myo was unable to hold on to Uisang’s unwavering heart, so she prayed that she too would become a disciple of Buddha and be able to always serve Uisang.
When Uisang finished his studies and left for Silla on a boat, Seon-myo threw herself into the sea and became a dragon. As a dragon, Seon-myo protected the boat Uisang was on, ensuring that it arrived in Silla safely. When Uisang returned to Korea and tried to build a temple on Bonghwangsan Mountain in Yeongju, he saw that the bandits who had settled there were interfering with him, so he used a harmonious device to make a large stone float three times on the ground.
The bandits were surprised and scattered, so Seon-myo became a stone dragon and laid down a group here, and built a temple on top of it.
The name Buseoksa means a temple built on a large rock with a changed appearance and a 'floating stone'. It is said that the part right below the Amitabha Buddha in the temple grounds is the head of a stone dragon, and the bottom of the stone lantern is the tail of a stone dragon.
How much must one have loved it to be able to protect it by sacrificing oneself and transforming into a dragon?
Looking back at the history of Buseoksa and the floating stone, this season full of flowers and the sublime love and sacrifice of a woman make the entire walking path up to the temple solemn. #Couples #DateCourse #WalkingWithHeart #ExploringFamousSpots #WorldCulturalHeritage