KOREAN BUDDHIST TREASURE TROVE

KOREAN BUDDHIST TREASURE TROVE

Recently a statue of Buddha made of granite weighing around 70 ton measuring 5.6 meters has been discovered in Gyeongju city of South Korea which has gone underneath the earth almost 1300 years ago. It is indeed surprising that even after so many years the statue has not lost its special features.

Courtesy:english.visitkorea.or.kr

Indo-Korean relation is not new. Very cordial relation existed between the two countries in the past. Buddhism , not as a religion but as a philosophy, has been the main channel of establishing relation between India and Korea since its formal introduction in 372 AD. Buddhism has had indeed a great impact on Korean society and culture, and has been the prime factor for its great and glorious heritage.

Interestingly and surprisingly, seven cultural properties of this small but beautiful country have been included in the UNESCO's World Cultural Heritage and most of them have Buddhist influence.

Gyeongju city and its suburbs have inherited numerous cultural traces of the glory that flowered  and withered in the Silla Kingdom (57 BC - AD 935). Downtown and suburbs preserve many royal burial mounds and Buddhist remains which render aesthetic zenith of art and culture.

The Gyeongju Historical Areas where Mt. Namsan and many cultural properties are located cradle a remarkable concentration of outstanding examples of Korean Buddhist art, in the form of sculptures, reliefs, pagodas, and ruined sites of temples and places between 7th and the 10th centuries.

Bulguksa, the Temple of the Buddha Land, is situated on Mt. Tohamsan in Gyeongju. This Temple blends the architectural mastery and science of the 8th century Silla Kingdom. Seokgatap and Dabotap are the most eye-catching of the architectural masterpieces there. These two pagodas are dedicated to the Shakyamuni Buddha and the Prabhutaratna (the Buddha of Abundant Treasures) and well-exemplify the Silla People's desire to embody Buddhist ideals in the mundane world.

Tucked away on the eastern slope of the peak of Mt.Tohamsan is Seokguram Grotto, a scared hermitage of Bulguksa. This granite sanctuary sums up the religious enthusiasm, architectural technology and immaculate workmanship of the Silla period. Seokguram Grotto consists of an antechamber which holds bas-reliefs of eight guardian deities and two Vajrapanis; a short corridor carved with four spirit-world kings; and the main rotunda, which enshrines in its centre the seated main Buddha, Shakyamuni Tathagata ( The Incarnation of Truth). Along the lower part of the circular wall are bas-reliefs of one eleven-faced Avlokitesvara, ten disciples, Manjusri, Sakradevanam Indra, Mahabrahmandah and Samantabhadra. At about eye-height above these are ten niches, each enshrining a bodhisattva.

The main Buddha under the vault of the rotunda wears  a smile of serene benevolence, manifesting the zenith of what man can achieve through stone sculpture. It is as if the Buddha is about to preach us at any moment, to enlighten the good human nature innate within us.

Tripitaka Koreana Woodblocks 

 Haeinsa, the Temple of a Vast Sea of meditation, is nestled at a place which is five hours run from Seoul by bus. In the compound of Haeinsa Temple are two main and two small depositories. Of the two main depositories the one on South is is Sudarajang, the Hall of Sutras and the one on the North is Beopbojeon, the Hall of Dharma. They were designed to optimize the preservation of the woodblocks with the proper ventilation, temperature and humidity by taking the advantage of natural conditions and scientific architecture. They have been kept in impeccable condition over the passing of so many centuries.

Courtesy :enews.buddhistdoor .com

Tripitaka Koreana consists of 81,258 woodblocks known as Great  Collection of Buddhist Scriptures in Eighty Thousand Woodblocks. Amazingly, there is not a trace of errata or omissions on any of the woodblocks. To guard against insects, decay, frame distortion, cracks and humidity, the wood was pre-treated for several years by a special process. That this  massive cache of woodblocks has been handed down till date in impeccable condition testifies to the outstanding achievements of medieval in printing science. In terms of accuracy, beauty of font style, carving skill and volume the Tripitaka Koreana  is priceless heritage and it has been described by UNESCO  as one of the most important and most complete corpus of Buddhist doctrinal texts in the world.

Courtesy:pinterest.com

Once a cultural site has been placed on the World Heritage List, it benefits from all protection such as international assistance, provision of experts and technicians, training of specialists and supply of equipment, loans and grants for carrying out conservation programmes. These sites can be hub of attraction for more and more tourists with additional government support and concern.