There were 3 very meaningful halls before the final entrance gate in this temple
In this posting, I’ d like to introduce the one of those halls. The name of this hall was Yoengsan-Jeon which had been built in the memory of one of the most important teaching of Buddha. This teaching, the Lotus Sutra, is the most important Bible in Buddhism of North East Asian Countries.
The name of this temple, Tongdo-sa, has the meaning that the place where the Lotus Sutra was taught and this temple could be linked together, even thought two places were far away between India and Korea.
In this meaning, the Yeongsan-Jeon has very important meaning in this temple.
There were 3 meaningful buildings between the one pillar entrance gate and the Buli-mun gate which was the final entrance for entering the temple.
In the left place of Yeongsan-Jeon, there was the paradise hall , and the in the right place , there was Yaksa-Jeon serving for Buddha of the medicine and healings.
The structure and the arrangement of the buildings of the paradise hall, Yeongsan-jeon and Yaksa-jeon seemed not common in other Buddhist temple.
Usually the each building has one pagoda in Buddhist Architecture in Southern area, but there was one pagoda for these 3 buildings. This kind of the arrangement style seemed to be inherited from Gokuryeo dynasty which had been existed in the northern part of Korea and the Manchuria.
I could not confirm exactly the arrangement of the halls came after the style of Gokuryeo dynasty.
But I was very curious about that.
The common pagoda of those three buildings seemed to be made in Goryeo dynasty after Shilla dynasty.
It was unknown when this building was built, but it was said to be fired in 1713 AD and rebuilt.
There was a stone lantern in front of Yeongsan-jeon.
There were the paintings showing the Scenes Buddha was teaching the Lotus Sutra as below.
