Bongnimsa (Yeongcheon)

About this place

Bongnimsa is a branch temple of Eunhaesa, the head temple of the 10th diocese of the Jogye Order of Korean Buddhism. It was founded in 1742 (the 18th year of King Yeongjo) by Jingwol, who moved the nearby Beophwasa temple from Mount Bohyeonsan to Mount Hakseosan; Beophwasa had been founded by Uisang during the reign of King Munmu of Silla. A legend is handed down about the temple's relocation. A young novice monk of Beophwasa, having gone out to beg for alms, fell ill and, unable to return to the temple, recuperated in a private house. The people cared for the novice devotedly, and when summer came they urged him to eat dog meat, saying it was good for recovering one's strength. After much hesitation the novice ate the dog meat, recovered from his illness, and by the seventh day of the seventh lunar month was able to return to the temple. But on that very day, lightning and thunder struck and a downpour fell all night, and the next day one monk had vanished. Thereafter, every year on the seventh day of the seventh lunar month, without fail, thunder and lightning struck each night, and the next day one monk would disappear. At last the abbot convened a meeting and proposed that, on the Chilseok day, threads be attached to the bodies of all the monks to find out where they were vanishing. The next day, once again a monk had disappeared, and following the thread they found a large centipede sleeping in a rock cave halfway up the mountain; it is said the temple was moved to avoid this calamity. Within the precincts are buildings such as the Daeungjeon (Main Hall), the Sansingak, and the monks' quarters, and there remain a triad of statues centered on Shakyamuni Buddha, as well as hanging scroll paintings (taenghwa) including the main altar backdrop painting, a central painting, a Ksitigarbha painting, and a Seven Stars painting.