Seonseoksa (Gyeongbuk)

About this place

Seonseoksa, a branch temple of Donghwasa - the head temple of the 9th diocese of the Jogye Order of Korean Buddhism - is located on the mid-slope of Seojinsan in Seongju-gun and is the largest temple in the county. As with the other temples of the Gyeongbuk region, it was entirely burned down during the Imjin War, so its exact founding date and founder cannot be known; it is only handed down that in the 1st year of King Hyoso (692) the great monk Uisang founded it under the name Singwangsa. At the time of its founding it lay farther to the west than it does now, and at the end of Goryeo, the monk Naong, while leveling ground to move it to its present site, struck a large rock (bawi), and so he named it Seonseoksa, its present name. Later, after it was completely burned during the Imjin War in the 25th year of King Seonjo (1592), the monks Hyemuk, Naheon and others rebuilt it in the 10th year of King Sukjong (1684); in the 1st year of King Yeongjo (1725) it was moved to its old western site, and then in the 4th year of King Sunjo (1804) the monk Seoyun moved it to its present location and built Daeungjeon, Myeongbujeon, Chilseonggak, Sanwanggak, Eopilgak and Jeongbeomnyo - though Eopilgak was later lost to fire - and recently an outdoor Maitreya Buddha has been erected beneath the bamboo grove behind Daeungjeon. Notably, during the Joseon period the temple was designated as a guardian temple of a royal placenta chamber (taesil). About 200 m from the temple lies Taebong, where the placenta chamber of the princes of King Sejong is located; as a temple safeguarding the taesil, it received royal calligraphy (eopil) from King Yeongjo and had to witness the vicissitudes of the taesil brought about by the dynasty's struggles for power. Seonseoksa, which has shared in the many twists and turns of history, is now being reborn as a place for the people of Seongju. Together with the mountain-temple music concerts held each spring in its beautiful grounds, it lives alongside local residents as a cultural space, a space of spiritual practice, and a space of education.