Photos

Location:Seonunsa禪雲寺(temple)
The Buddhist custom of striking a temple bell

Sunun-sa Temple in Gochang, Jeolla Province, is famous for worship of Ksitigarbha Bodhisattva (Jijang-bosal), who is one of the several Bodhisattvas who are revered by Korean Buddhists. One of the other attractions of Sunun-sa is a flower which blooms in winter, camellia. Both the belief in Ksitigarbha Bodhisattva and the camellia, have become synonymous with Sunun-sa Temple.




The History of Sunun-sa Temple



There are several stories about the foundation of Sunun-sa Temple, but the prevailing view is that this temple was founded by Seon master Geomdan during the reign of King Wideuk of the Baekje Dynasty.

Let's look at the stories about its foundation.

One story says that the site of this temple was originally a pond where a dragon lived. Seon master Geomdan drove the dragon from the pond and started to fill it with big stones. At that time a contagious eye disease spread through the village. When a patient poured in a bag of charcoal, he got cured all at once. This way, with stones and charcoal, the Seon master could fill the big pond.

Another story is that at the time of this temple being founded, there were many thieves around the area. Master Geomdan wanted to make the thieves good by leading them with Buddha's teaching, so he made a salt pond out of cla