Choongbuk Boeun Sokrisan Beopjusa Temple With American Mr. Robert –Tour

1.     Date and Time : Oct 26, 2018 10:30~ 12:00 (1 and half an hour without break).

2.     Location : Boeun District at Choongbook Province in Korea.

3. Distance and Course : Tour Course on foot is about 5km for one and half an hour which is to start at Beopjusa Temple Parking Lot => Iljumun (Temple Main Gate) => Palsangjeon Hall (Octagonal Hall) => Daeungbojeon (Main Hall) => Back to the Parking Lot through Ieljumun (Temple Main Gate). Please refer to https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=goVnEpryvlA

4.     Access :

There is several ways to connect “Seoul Central City Bus Terminal (”connecting at subway lines No. 3, 7 and 9) where you should get on Express bus line bound for Boeun Express  Bus Terminal, non-stop and taking two hours and forty minutes. When you get off at the Boeun Express Bus Terminal, you should walk to Boeun Intercity Bus Terminal taking 1 minute for 37m. Please get on local bus No. 5111 and get off at Sokrisan Bus Stop taking 43 minutes for 17 bus stop passing. You then should walk as soon as get off taking 4 minutes for 291m. Please refer more details to the “Transportation from Seoul Central City Bus Terminal to Beopjusa Temple”. You could simply take reverse course on your way back home. I could estimate total transportation is about 3 hour plus 30 minutes (waiting interval time) for one way which comes total 7 hours for round trip. But you would reduce this transportation time to 5 hours for round trip in case you use private car or rent car which you could save two hours for the transportation.

5.  Overall Remarks.

It is said that Beopjusa was founded by the Spiritual Patriarch Euisin and was rebuilt by the Master Jinpyo who stayed at the temple for 7 years. However, it is recorded in Volume 4 of 'Samgukyusa' (Reminiscences about the Three Kingdoms) that after leaving Geumsansa Temple, Master Jinpyo visited Mt. Songni and marked a place where a kuśa grass grew, and then went directly to Mt. Keumgangsan to establish Balyeonsu Temple where he stayed for 7 years. Afterwards, while Master Jinpyo stayed at Geumsansa Temple and Busa-euibang, men named Youngsim, Yungjong, Bulta, etc., who used to live in Mt. Songni, visited Master Jinpyo and learned about Dharma. At that time, Master Jinpyo told them, "There is a place in Mt. Songni where kuśa grass grows. I left a mark on the location. You go there, build a temple and save the world according to this doctrinal teaching and promulgate the teachings to posterity." So the company of Youngsim went to Mt. Songni and found the place where kuśa grass grew. They built a temple there, named it Gilsangsa Temple (Temple of kuśa grass) and held the first ceremony. As the Venerable Jinpyo, who rebuilt Geumsansa Temple, cultivated belief in Mireuk (Maitreya), it was assumed that the company of Venerable Youngsim would also cultivate Mireuk after establishing a temple on the place where kuśa grass grew, because they learned about Dharma from Venerable Jinpyo.
On the basis of such literature, it may be thought that the current Beopjusa was established by the Venerable Youngsim. Meanwhile, the temple was called Songni Temple until the reign of King Injo of the Goryeo Dynasty, and there is a poem titled Songni Temple contained in Dongmunseon (collections of poetry published during the Goryeo Dynasty in 1478). So it can be inferred that the name of the temple changed from Gilsangsa Temple to Songni Temple, and again to Beopjusa Temple. But it is not quite certain.

6.  Detailed Course Information

I originally made a preliminary plan hiking Sokrisan (1058m altitude)today but had to change a plan alternatively visiting Beopjusa temple at the foot of Sokrisan Mountain. I was staying at Suanbo Saipan Hot Spring Hotel for tree night and four day and came down at the lobby for breakfast and tried to take a breakfast with somewhat flexible or relax able time. There was someone asking me to question about operation of hot water producing machine in English. I tried to check the operation procedure in Korean and tried to follow the instruction. But it did not work without any reason. I proposed him to make water with electric hot pot instead and he eventually got hot water and joined the dining table. We naturally talked about the plan today which I explained my original plan and planning alternative. I learned he was traveling by bike some countries like Russia, Korea, Japan and Taiwan He came over from Russia last week via Pusan port and planning to bike to somewhere at middle of Korea and going to Jeju Island and transferring to Japan some time coming week. I questioned what you were planning doing today. He replied nothing and provably killing a time at room or hot spring. I was suggesting you could join my alternative plan, if you interested in. He was concerning some burden to me. I told “ it is quite O.K. since I drive alone and not different taking one more person inside or not”, He accepted my suggestion going together at 08:00 hours. We moved for about 2 hours and exchanged a lot of opinion about individual interest. We walked to Beopjusa Temple as soon as arrived at Beopjusa Parking Lot and found it was light rain which we could easily accommodate with umbrella or rain court. When we walked on paved road for about 15 minutes and found NFA information office at right and saw colorful trees lined up left and right on the road and could imagine how fantastic and beautiful scenery on the way. We were walking for about 2 to 3 minutes and reached ticket booth and entrance check point and entering into Beopjusa Temple area and soon made junction taking either walking through paved road or walking through Sejo Unpaved Soil Road. We took a Sejo Unpaved Road and found extraordinary colorful and beautiful forest view on the road and walked for about 10 minutes from the ticket Booth and arrived at Beopjusa Temple Main Gate. I selected one best view point and proposed Mr. Robert to interview on my Blogger. He was most welcome my proposal and successfully left video record at my Utube linked hereto. We was continuously walking on the way and reached junction either taking Beopjusa Temple at left or going to Sokrisan Hiking course at right where we could also see arrangement of temple hall arrangement and some explanation of Beopjusa Story. We turned left at the junction and kept walking for 2 to 3 minutes and met Geumgang Gate and saw big bronze Buddha, total 160 bronze at left from the Gate which was standing on the base as gold color bronze Buddha, 25m tall and 25m granite base or foundation. This Buddha is the biggest in Korea so far. You could see small hall containing big stone jar before the Bronze Buddha which was built at year 720 by Seonduk Woman King and was registered as National Treasure No.64.   We just few steps ahead and found gorgeous Palsang Jeon (Octagonal Hall) in front not only which is unique wooden pagoda presently remaining in Korea and but also which was registered as National Treasure No. 55. We moved some more and encountered Daeungbojeon (Main Temple Hall) which biggest indoor Buddha was inside the hall in Korea and registered as National Treasure No. 912. There was Ssangsaja Seokdeung (Two Lion Supporting Stone Lamp) right after Palsangjeon (Octagonal Wooden Pagoda) which was built by Seondeok Woman King in year 720 and registered as National Treasure No. 5. There is one more stone lamp, calling as Sacheonwang Seokdeung (All Mighty King Stone Lamp) which was just in front of Daeungbojeon (Main Temple Hall) and built by Seondeok King in year 720 and registered as National Treasure No. 15. There is a Samseonggak Hall at the corner and at left from the main temple hall which where they arranged three different gods, traditional Korean religious god (Sanshin), Chines religious god (Chilseong) and Nabanjonja god originating from Buddha’s Student. There were many other halls around Beopjusa Main Temple Hall which we could spend all most one for this temple. We decided to skip these other halls because I felt these might be not so important or useful. We so turned back to the Parking Lot through main temple gate as we came over this morning.