Asan Pyeongchon-ri Stone Standing Medicine Buddha

About this place

The Asan Pyeongchon-ri Stone Standing Medicine Buddha is a Buddhist statue preserved in the precinct of Yongdamsa Temple in the southern part of Asan city. This large stone standing Buddhist figure is a representative early Goryeo period jangnyuk statue (one jang six cheok, i.e., approximately 4.8 m) in granite, blending Unified Silla and early Goryeo styles. Although the upper body is shorter than the lower body, creating a somewhat unbalanced appearance, the excellent sculpting of the face and robe folds makes it aesthetically superior. In particular, the refined face, graceful features, and gentle smile are characteristic of this period's distinctive Buddhist sculptural style. The rectangular, flat overall form, combined with skillfully expressed hands, arms, shoulders, and legs, along with the flowing depiction of robe folds, also reveals the sculptor's high level of skill. The lines are wavy yet geometrically symmetrical. Both hands are folded before the chest, holding a medicine jar (yakhap), representing the merciful image of Bhaisajyaguru (Medicine Buddha), who removes all physical and mental illnesses of sentient beings.