Haeinsa is one of the main temples of the Jogye Buddhist order and is located on the slope of Mount Gaya near the city of Daegu. It is actually one of the three Temples of the Three Jewels.
The temple was founded in 802. According to legend, the wife of King Aejang, the 40th ruler of the Korean kingdom of Silla, was seriously ill. After she returned to Korea from China, the Buddhist monk Suneung and his disciple Ijeong healed her. In gratitude, the King ordered the temple to be built.
During the Goryeo Empire in the 10th century, a complete renovation of the temple complex took place. Over the centuries, further renovations followed.
In 1817 the complex burned down almost completely and had to be rebuilt in the following years.
During the Korean War, a North Korean unit of around 1,000 soldiers managed to entrench themselves in the area of the Haeinsa temple in 1951. The temple should therefore be bombed. However, the Korean colonel and coordinator of the operation refused to implement the US military’s order of total destruction. In the end, his risky refusal to obey orders saved this precious temple complex.
And so the temple is still used today and houses the Seon Monastery. It was also the residence of the influential Zen master Seongcheol, who introduced major reforms to Buddhism in Korea. Seongcheol died in Haeinsa in 1993.
Haeinsa is one of the main temples of the Jogye Buddhist order and is located on the slope of Mount Gaya near the city of Daegu. It is actually one of the three Temples of the Three Jewels.
The temple was founded in 802. According to legend, the wife of King Aejang, the 40th ruler of the Korean kingdom of Silla, was seriously ill. After she returned to Korea from China, the Buddhist monk Suneung and his disciple Ijeong healed her. In gratitude, the King ordered the temple to be built.
During the Goryeo Empire in the 10th century, a complete renovation of the temple complex took place. Over the centuries, further renovations followed.
In 1817 the complex burned down almost completely and had to be rebuilt in the following years.
During the Korean War, a North Korean unit of around 1,000 soldiers managed to entrench themselves in the area of the Haeinsa temple in 1951. The temple should therefore be bombed. However, the Korean colonel and coordinator of the operation refused to implement the US military’s order of total destruction. In the end, his risky refusal to obey orders saved this precious temple complex.
And so the temple is still used today and houses the Seon Monastery. It was also the residence of the influential Zen master Seongcheol, who introduced major reforms to Buddhism in Korea. Seongcheol died in Haeinsa in 1993.