Intro
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This
temple was built during the reign of King Munmu of the Silla
Dynasty. Founded by the
monk Uisang in 676 C.E., he was
granted the right to construct the “Temple of the Floating Stone” when
he returned from China
bearing tidings of war. He
convinced the king that by building the temple, Buddha would help
ward off the invasion. It
worked: the Koreans
warded off the Chinese. King Munmu would later be buried off
of the coast, where his spirit transformed into a sea dragon.
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The
name of the temple is derived from the story of its creation:
apparently, as Uisang was leaving China, his informant, the daughter
of the official he was staying with, chased after him.
Although she missed his boat, she dove into the sea and became a
dragon that protected his mission. After the villagers refused
to vacate the area he chose for the temple, the dragon reappeared
and threatened to destroy their village by throwing a gigantic stone
at it. After the people fled, the |
A shrine near the floating stone
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dragon
fell to earth and
died. The place the dragon fell to earth became the site of
Mur-yang-su-Jeon, the main hall of the temple. A portion of
the rock the dragon hurled at the villagers remains, and appears to
float above the surrounding stones.
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Pu-sok-sa temple,
like
all temples, is a complex of buildings. In this case the
temples are built on a series of terraces on a hillside.
A long walk begins the procession that leads to the temple. |
This walk
leads through a pair of Tap'o gates before coming to
a courtyard that is surrounded by the monks’ quarters and various
other buildings. |
The first gate leading to Pu-sok-sa Temple
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The second gate
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Within
the courtyard are the two stupas found in all Buddhist temples. These
identical stupas are excellent examples of the Silla-type pagodas.
Beyond
the pagodas is the path to the upper terrace. This path
leads beneath the Anyang Pavilion. |
One of the two Silla-era Pagodas in
front of the Temple.
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The Anyang Pavilion from below
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The Anyang Pavilion
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The Anyang
Pavillion is not only an excellent example of Tap'o architecture,
but also exemplifies many of the Korean traditions concerning the placement of
buildings: the building is placed so as to capture its nature
surrounding at its most beautiful. The openness of the
building frames a view of the surrounding landscape. |
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