Geumsansa Temple, Gimje, South Korea

Geumsansa Temple, Gimje, South Korea

1, Moak 15-gil, Geumsan-myeon, Gimje-si, Jeonbuk-do, Republic of Korea

My first encounter with Geumsansa came through a television drama called Taejo Wanggeon. In the story, Gyeonhwon — king of the Later Baekje kingdom — is imprisoned by his own son before surrendering to Goryeo's founding king, Wang Geon, and the temple where the son confined his father was none other than Geumsansa. But it was another reason that truly fixed the temple in my memory: the Mireukjeon pavilion. Among the wooden structures in Korea today, relatively few have been designated as National Treasures — a reflection of the country's long history of war and foreign invasion. Browsing through that short list of surviving wooden buildings, one encounters National Treasure No. 62, the Mireukjeon of Geumsansa. I still have a vivid memory of braving the bitter cold of midwinter to visit Geumsansa for the first time, driven by the desire to see this single building with my own eyes.

My reaction upon seeing it was simply: of course. It was more than ten years ago, and at the time the Mireukjeon stood alone on its broad hilltop within the temple grounds, looking rather solitary and forlorn. Yet whether then or now, the impression it gives — of a building grand, bold, and utterly self-possessed — has never changed. The only other temple hall that had ever stirred the same feeling in me was the Daeungjeon of Sudeoksa, National Treasure No. 49. Finding that same deep emotion waiting for me in front of the Mireukjeon was something I found almost remarkable. I circled it from the right, from the left, from behind, from the side, and kept circling, until the sun had set and I finally made my way back down from Geumsansa.

Geumsansa was founded in 599 AD, the first year of King Beop of Baekje, as a place of prayer for the prosperity of the royal family. It was later rebuilt in 766, the second year of King Hyegong of Silla, by the monk Jinpyo, who is said to have constructed the main hall and enshrined a large standing statue of Mireya at that time. During the Goryeo period, it was restored again in 1328 by the monk Wonmyeong Hyewon. During the Japanese invasions of 1592, the monk Cheo-yeong Noenmuk used Geumsansa as his base of operations, commanding a force of a thousand warrior monks. The temple was burned to the ground during the second invasion of 1596 and rebuilt in 1635, the thirteenth year of King Injo of Joseon, by the monk Sumun. The Mireukjeon that stands before us today is the wooden structure erected at that time.

No two Korean temple complexes share the same layout, and Geumsansa is no exception. While its overall setting resembles that of a conventional mountain temple, the arrangement of its buildings reflects its identity as a temple rooted in the Maitreya Buddhist tradition. Passing through the Geumgang Gate and the Cheonwang Gate before arriving at the Bojeru pavilion, the full sweep of the temple's broad hilltop grounds opens up at once. To the right stand the Mireukjeon and the Bangdeung ordination platform, while directly ahead sits the recently constructed Daejeokgwangjeon. The positioning of the main Mireukjeon and the Bangdeung platform to one side might initially appear unbalanced, but climbing up to the ordination platform and looking out, the reason for this arrangement becomes immediately clear.

Even for those with little interest in the complexities of Maitreya doctrine or the atmosphere of Buddhist temples, I would urge anyone with the opportunity to make the journey to see the Mireukjeon of Geumsansa at least once. No prior knowledge is required. This wooden structure, built more than four hundred years ago and among the most representative of its kind in Korea, has the power to move us by its sheer presence alone.

If you would like to experience a unique side of Korea, the "Land of the Morning Calm," please feel free to reach out. I host small, private guided tours tailored for international visitors.

Contact: 7sevensmart@gmail.com

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