Palsangjeon (Hall of Eight Pictures) is a worship hall found at a
Korean Buddhist temple complex that contains the "Palsang", the series of painted murals depicting the eight stages in the life of the historic Buddha,
Sakyamuni
Siddhartha Gautama, most commonly referred to as the Buddha, was a wandering ascetic and religious teacher who lived in South Asia during the 6th or 5th century BCE and founded Buddhism.
According to Buddhist tradition, he was born in Lu ...
.
Though configurations for the paintings can vary, the most common is:
#Descending from
Tusita Heaven
#Preparing for Birth
#Birth
#Leaving Home
#Overcoming
Mara, the Spirit of Evil
#Achieving
Enlightenment
#Teaching the
Dharma
#Entering
Nirvana
( , , ; sa, निर्वाण} ''nirvāṇa'' ; Pali: ''nibbāna''; Prakrit: ''ṇivvāṇa''; literally, "blown out", as in an oil lampRichard Gombrich, ''Theravada Buddhism: A Social History from Ancient Benāres to Modern Colombo.' ...
Palsang can also be found painted on the external walls of a temple worship hall. These external renderings tend to be less ornate than those contained within the walls of a Palsangjeon.
Beopjusa Palsangjeon
Beopjusa Palsangjeon (Hall of Eight Pictures) at
Beopjusa (temple) , believed to be the oldest in Korea, is one of only two wooden
pagoda
A pagoda is an Asian tiered tower with multiple eaves common to Nepal, India, China, Japan, Korea, Myanmar, Vietnam, and other parts of Asia. Most pagodas were built to have a religious function, most often Buddhist but sometimes Taoist, ...
s left in
Korea
Korea ( ko, 한국, or , ) is a peninsular region in East Asia. Since 1945, it has been divided at or near the 38th parallel, with North Korea (Democratic People's Republic of Korea) comprising its northern half and South Korea (Republic o ...
, the other being the
Daeungjeon
A Mahavira Hall, usually simply known as a Main Hall, is the main hall or building in a traditional Chinese Buddhist temple, enshrining representations of Gautama Buddha and various other buddhas and bodhisattvas. It is encountered throughout ...
at
Ssangbongsa.
Although all historical records have been lost, two inscriptions were discovered during a major restoration completed in 1968, indicating Beopjusa Palsangjeon was originally built at the time of the founding of Beopjusa in 553. But like many other wooden buildings, was destroyed by the Japanese during the
Seven-Year War. Rebuilding began in 1605 and was completed 21 years later in 1626. The dates of the rebuilding come from inscriptions on a sarira casket and roof that were discovered when the building went through an extensive renovation in 1968.
The pagoda at in height and its base covers an area of 8 square meters (86 square feet) is the highest in Korea.
[Cin Woo Le]
"Simply stunning: 33 incredible Korean temples"
''CNN Go''. 10 February 2012. Retrieved 2012-04-12 The eight painted panels depicting the life of Buddha adorn the four interior walls. A
sarira containing relics of the Buddha or a holy person, a shrine for the Buddha, and an area for meditation also occupy the interior.
The pagoda rests on a low stone platform with centered steps and entrance on each of the four cardinal directions. The first and second floors contain five rooms while the third and fourth floors contain three. The fifth floor holds two rooms.
In addition to the eight painted panels, there are fours statues of the Sakyamuni Buddha. Each statue has different
hand positions. The Buddha facing east is in the
fearless position. The Buddha facing west is
Turning the Wheel of Dharma. The Buddha facing south is
touching the earth and the Buddha facing north is in the
reclining position (the Buddha's final state of enlightenment before his death). Within the pagoda hall can also be found 500 small white statues of the Buddha, or disciples of Buddha.
Although generally acknowledged to be a pagoda, some scholars suggest that this is a hybrid of pagoda and worship hall architecture. Because pagoda architecture was brought from Korea to Japan, some hypothesize that the original Palsangjeon may have inspired and resembled the five-story pagoda at
Horyu-ji.
Beopjusa Palsangjeon is
National Treasure of Korea #55 and was designated such on December 20, 1962.
Beomeosa Palsangjeon
Beomeosa Palsangjeon (Hall of Eight Pictures) at
Beomeosa (temple) is one of three halls identified as being in the single structure called the ''Hall of Three Shrines'', or the ''Arhat's Hall''.
Records indicate that Beomeosa's Palsangjeon was originally built in 1705 but it is believed the current building that houses Beomeosa Palsangjeon, along with Beomeosa Dokseongjeon (Shrine of the Lonely Saint) and the Beomeosa Nahanjeon (The Shrine of the Sixteen
Arhat
In Buddhism, an ''arhat'' (Sanskrit: अर्हत्) or ''arahant'' (Pali: अरहन्त्, 𑀅𑀭𑀳𑀦𑁆𑀢𑁆) is one who has gained insight into the true nature of existence and has achieved ''Nirvana'' and liberated ...
s) was erected sometime in the
Late Joseon Era. This arrangement found at Beomeosa is not typical for a Palsangjeon.
Gallery
File:Beopjusapagoda.jpg, Beopjusa's five story wooden pagoda Palsangjeon
File:Korea-Boeun-Beopjusa Palsangjeon 1758-06.JPG, Beopjusa's five story wooden pagoda Palsangjeon
File:Korea-Boeun-Beopjusa Palsangjeon 1761-06.JPG, Beopjusa's five story wooden pagoda Palsangjeon
File:Korea-Boeun-Beopjusa Palsangjeon and Bell Pavilion 1765-06.JPG, Beopjusa's five story wooden pagoda Palsangjeon and Bell Pavilion
File:Korea-Busan-Beomeosa Palsangjeon & Dokseongjeon 6265-07.JPG, Beomeosa's Palsangjeon & Dokseongjeon
File:Korea-Busan-Beomeosa Palsangjeon, Dokseongjeon & Nahanjeon 6267-07.JPG, Beomeosa's Palsangjeon, Dokseongjeon & Nahanjeon
File:Korea-Busan-Beomeosa Palsangjeon paintings 6270-07.JPG, Beomeosa's Palsangjeon paintings
File:Korea-Busan-Beomeosa Palsangjeon 6272-07.JPG, Beomeosa's Palsangjeon sign board
See also
*
Korean architecture
*
Korean Buddhist temples
Buddhist temples are an important part of the Korean landscape. This article gives a brief overview of Korean Buddhism, then describes some of the more important temples in Korea. Most Korean temples have names ending in ''-sa'' (사, 寺), which ...
*
National treasures of Korea
A National Treasure () is a tangible treasure, artifact, site, or building which is recognized by the South Korean government as having exceptional artistic, cultural and historical value to the country. The title is one of the eight State-designa ...
*
Beopjusa
References
{{reflist
External links
Asian Historical Architecture: Beopjusa*https://web.archive.org/web/20050213082207/http://www.kcaf.or.kr/trart/e1-45.htm
Cultural Heritage: National Treasure No.55Is the Palsanjeon a Pagoda?
Korean pagodas
Buddhist temples in South Korea
National Treasures of South Korea
Pagodas in South Korea
Korean murals