Rock-carved Seated Buddha of Beopjusa Temple, Boeun
報恩 法住寺 磨崖如來倚坐像
충청북도 보은군
Basic information
- Designation
- Treasure No.216
- Category
- Sculpture
- Era
- 고려시대
- Designated year
- 1963
- Location
- 보은군, 충청북도— 충북 보은군 속리산면 법주사로 379 (사내리)
- Coordinates
- 36.541405, 127.831998
AI Docent
✨ AI-generatedWelcome to Beopjusa Temple! Imagine standing before a six-meter-high rock where a remarkable Buddha emerges—carved right from the stone itself. What makes this Maitreya Buddha so special? He's sitting in a chair, an extremely rare pose in Korean Buddhism. Look closely at his face: curly hair (almost unheard of!), a broad nose, and an enigmatic smile that seems to hold ancient secrets. His long earlobes nearly touch his shoulders. The flowing robe drapes beautifully, and his hands hold meaningful gestures—one raised with palm outward, the other open upright. But there's more. Below, you'll see a figure leading a horse and a kneeling cow—a carved story. The figure is Uisin, the monk who founded this temple in 553, bringing Buddhist scriptures. The cow? It's asking to learn Buddhism. The three wrinkles on his neck, the lotus throne with splayed petals beneath his feet—these details reveal this is a masterpiece of early Goryeo period sculpture. Standing here, you're witnessing over a thousand years of faith carved in stone.
⚠ This is an AI-generated retelling of the official description. For accuracy, refer to the official description below.
Description
The Beopjusa Temple was founded by the Buddhist monk Uisin during the 14th year of the reign of King Jinheung (553). Later, it was remodeled by another Buddhist monk named Jinpyo during the reign of King Hyegong (776), and his disciples turned it into the main temple dedicated to Maitreya Buddha. The Buddha image was carved out of a six-meter high rock in the precincts of the temple. The Buddha is sitting in a chair, which is very rare. Along with the Ksitigarbha Bodhisattva carved on a rock next to it, this Maitreya image clearly shows the characteristics of the Beopjusa Temple. This image has distinctive curly hair, which is very rare among rock-carved Buddha. This round-faced Buddha has a big nose, round eyebrows, clear eyes and thick lips in an enigmatic smile. The earlobes are so long that they nearly touch shoulders. The three wrinkles on the neck are a characteristic of the early Goryeo's rock-carved Buddha images. The slim waist is disproportionate to the broad shoulders. The robe is hanging from the right shoulder, flowing between the legs in beautiful curves. The right hand is held in front of the body with the palm facing outwards and middle finger and thumb put together. The left hand is held horizontally with palm facing upwards. This image is sitting on a lotus flower with both feet on large lotus petals. This posture is rarely found in Korea. A person leading a loaded horse and a cow kneeling in front of the horse is carved on the right side of the rock. The person is supposed to be Uisin bringing the Buddhist scriptures, while the cow is begging to be taught Buddhism. This petroglyph illustrates the foundation of the Beopjusa Temple. Overall, this is a representative rock-carved Buddha of the Goryeo Dynasty that also explains a lot about the Beopjusa Temple.
Location
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Images: KOGL (khs.go.kr) · Data source: Korea Heritage Service Open API (khs.go.kr)