Haedong Yonggungsa Temple

By Dale Quarrington

Wow! It is amazing just how much a temple can change in the course of six years.

Such was the case when I visited Haedong Yonggungsa over the weekend. I hadn’t been to visit the temple since 2004, and so much about it had changed.

Back in 2004, the temple was little known and little visited. Now, next to Beomeosa, Haedong Yonggungsa is the most visited temple in Busan. It’s always interesting to find out the creation myth around a temple, and this one is no different. It is named Korean Dragon Palace Temple in English and was founded in 1376 by the Venerable monk Naong who was an advisor to King Gongmin.

One day, in a dream, the Divine Sea God of the East Sea revealed himself to Naong. He was told to construct a temple at the top of Mt. Bongrae, and the nation would become larger and more stable.

So after checking around the nation for a place to build a temple, he found the land where the temple now rests, naming the temple Bomoonsa. However, in 1592, during the Imjin War with Japan (Hideyoshi Invasion), the temple was burned to the ground. It wasn’t until the 1930’s, over 300 years after its destruction, that the Venerable monk Wungang, from Tongdosa temple, rebuilt it and renamed it Haedong Yonggungsa.

As you first approach the temple, you have to make your way through a corridor of vendors selling their wares, then they recede and you enter a courtyard with the 12 zodiac sign statues, also known as the 12 spirit generals.

After passing these statues, a brand new nine-tiered pagoda stands just outside the gold painted dragon entrance gate. There is a black tire beside the pagoda, for those wanting to pray to avoid getting into a car accident.

After passing through the golden gate, you’ll pass by a granite dharma with his stomach and nose tarnished black. The reason these parts of the dharma’s body have been turned to black is because if you’re pregnant, and you want a boy, you should rub its belly or nose.

After passing through a man-made tunnel, you’ll get your first glimpse of the temple sitting on the banks of the rocky shoreline looking out onto the beautiful East Sea. Dozens of stone lanterns lead the way down the 108 stairs symbolizing the 108 agonies and earthly desires of Buddhism.

Before you cross over the bridge that joins the shore to the temple, there is a little outcropping where you can either go down to the shoreline or pray to a statue of the Historical Buddha: Seokgamoni-bul.

After the great photo-ops from the rocky shoreline, you can cross the stone bridge that connects to the main courtyard of the temple.

Passing through the entrance gate to the temple, you’ll be greeted by a myriad of buildings and statues. Directly to your right is the main hall and shrine hall. To the left, where the rolling sea lies, is a beautiful pagoda.

And straight ahead is a compact underground cave. The main hall is newer since it wasn’t there in 2004. Around the main hall are some beautiful paintings illustrating the life of the Buddha. These paintings are called palsang-do. And between the main hall and the shrine hall is a massive golden dharma. Continuing straight, you can climb the steep stairs that lead up to an equally massive granite statue of the Goddess of Mercy, Gwanse-eum bosal.

This statue overlooks the temple; and from here are more great photo-ops of the sea, and the temple below.

If you couldn’t tell, I highly recommend this temple to those living in the Busan area. Without a doubt, it is one of the most picturesque temples in all of Korea.

The writer has been living in South Korea, on and off, since 2003. He teaches in Yangsan, South Gyeongsang Province, and can be reached through his blog: https://daleskoreantempleadventures.blogspot.com.