Jikjisa
| Jikjisa | |
|---|---|
| 직지사 | |
 Jikjisa Temple in South Korea | |
  Jikjisa Location within South Korea | |
| Information | |
| Denomination | Jogye Order of Korean Buddhism |
| Location | |
| Address | 89 Bukam-gil Daehang-myeon Gimcheon city North Gyeongsang Province (Korean: 경상북도 김천시 대항면 북암길 89) |
| Country | South Korea |
Jikjisa is a head temple of the Jogye Order of Korean Buddhism. It is located on the slopes of Hwangaksan in Daehang-myeon, Gimcheon, in the province of Gyeongsangbuk-do. It may be one of the oldest temples in South Korea.
History
The Temple where Great Master Samyeong Became a Monk
Jikjisa Temple (Korean: 직지사, Chinese: 直指寺, Pronounced “Jik-ji-sa”) was established in 418 by Preceptor Ado. There are two stories concerning this temple’s name, “Jikji (直指; literally “pointing with an index finger”). One is that Ven. Ado pointed to Mt. Hwangaksan from Dorisa Temple in Seonsan, and said, “There is also a good temple site on that mountain. The story is that in 936 when Great Master Neungyeo reconstructed the temple, he didn’t use a ruler but instead he used his own hands to measure the land and construction materials, thus, the name “Jikji.”
Mt. Hwangaksan (literally “Yellow Mountain”), on which Jikjisa Temple stands, represents the color yellow, one of the five colors that correspond to the five cardinal points. The colors black, blue, red, white and yellow correspond respectively to north, east, south, west and center. Jikjisa is located near the center of the South Korean land mass. That is why the mountain is called Hwangaksan and why Jikjisa Temple has been considered one of Korea’s foremost temples since ancient times. From Biro Peak, the summit of Mt. Hwangaksan, one can see the three provinces of Gyeongsang, Jeolla and Chungcheong. Thus it can also be said that the temple is situated at the center of three of Korea’s southern provinces.
Jikjisa Temple saw two reconstruction efforts during the Silla era. The first reconstruction, passed down as oral history, was supposedly conducted in 645 by Vinaya Master Jajang Yulsa. The second reconstruction, verified by written records, was carried out in 930 by Great Master Cheonmuk. The “Stele of Jikjisa’s Daejangdang Hall Record,” published in Daedong geumseokseo (大東金石書; Daedong Epigraphy Collection), says that Daejangdang Hall was built in 930 and that “transcripts of the entire Buddhist canon in gold ink” were enshrined there.
During the Joseon era, an earthenware urn holding the placenta from the birth of Joseon’s second king, Jeongjong, was enshrined on a Hwangaksan peak north of Jikjisa Temple which is auspicious “snake-head formation” from a geomantic perspective, making the temple the guardian of the royal placenta. Today Jikjisa Temple is the head temple of the 8th religious district of the Jogye Order of Korean Buddhism and supervises 54 branch temples scattered among the deep folds of the Baekdu-daegan Mountain Range in northwestern North Gyeongsang Province.
Great Master Samyeong and the Flat Stone by the Heavenly Kings’ Gate
It was at Jikjisa Temple that Great Master Samyeong, who led a monk militia to save Korea during the Japanese invasion (1592-1597), was ordained. Originally from Miryang, South Gyeongsang Province, Ven. Samyeong moved to Yuchon Village very near Jikjisa Temple at age 13 and he studied under Hwang Yeo-heon, the great-great-grandson of Chief State Councilor Hwang Hui. However, at age 15, his mother died, and the next year his father also passed away. This sudden turn of events led Ven. Samyeong to become a monk under the guidance of Great Master Sinmuk.
When Ven. Samyeong was 18, he earned the highest score in the State Examination for Monks, and later, when he was 30, he became the head of Jikjisa Temple. At age 32 he was recommended to be the head of Bongeunsa, succeeding his teacher Great Master Seosan. However, he followed Master Seosan to Bohyeonsa Temple on Mt. Myohyangsan instead. While at Yujeomsa Temple on Mt. Geumgangsan, Japanese troops invaded Korea in 1592. Ven. Samyeong quickly responded to a letter sent by his teacher Ven. Seosan, and organized and led a monk militia, eventually gaining fame for his leadership.
There is one remaining object related to Ven. Samyeong’s early days at Jikjisa. It is a flat stone beside the Heavenly Kings’ Gate. One day, Great Master Sinmuk dozed off during meditation. In a dream he saw a golden dragon entwined around the gingko tree next to the Heavenly Kings’ Gate. When he awoke, he rushed to the gingko tree and saw a flat stone which appeared as if someone had carved it. A young boy was asleep on it, so Sinmuk took the boy as his disciple; he later became Great Master Samyeong. In 1800 that gingko tree was destroyed in a fire that also burned down Manseru Pavilion, but the flat stone next to the Heavenly Kings’ Gate remains. Perhaps the stone is awaiting another Ven. Samyeong!
Tourism
It also offers temple stay programs where visitors can experience Buddhist culture.[1]
Gallery
See also
- Buddhist temples in South Korea
- List of Buddhist temples
- List of Korea-related topics
- Korean architecture