Ilchul Seon Center (Pohang)

About this place

Ilchul Seon Center was created when Ilchuam Hermitage was registered with the Seonhakwon Foundation and converted into a meditation center. The Seonhakwon was established to protect traditional Korean Buddhism and resist Japanese colonial temple policies; in 1922, Buddhist monks formed the Seonwu Mutual Aid Society in resistance to the erosion of precepts and tradition under colonial Buddhist policy. Set beneath deep blue cliffs and red soil, the center stands on a site said to have been a Silla-era temple. In 1914, Venerable Hyegwang of Girimsa Temple rebuilt it as a hermitage, and in 1972 lay believers erected a main hall. Though small, the faith and practice of the community who built it were said to be profound. The precinct consists of the main hall (Daeungjeon), a mountain spirit shrine (Sanryeonggak), and a single residence hall — a quiet retreat-like place ideal for solitary prayer and practice.