Stele of Buddhist Monk Beopgyeong at Jeongtosa Temple Site, Chungju

This stele stood at the site of Jeongtosa Temple and was erected to honour the Buddhist Monk Beopgyeong, who was active at the end of Silla and the beginning of Goryeo. Jeongtosa Temple is presumed to have been founded around this same transitional period; the Monk Beopgyeong became its abbot and trained many disciples there until his death in the twenty-fourth year of King Taejo (941), after which the Monk Hongbeop succeeded him in guiding later students. The stele is well preserved overall and closely follows the style of its period, with the turtle carved on the base and the dragons carved on the capstone rendered in a realistic manner. On the front of the capstone, the title 'Beopgyeong Daesa' is carved at the centre, and the body of the stele records the monk's life in detail. The Monk Beopgyeong was born in the fifth year of King Heongang of Unified Silla (879); he studied the Buddhist teachings from an early age and entered the priesthood at twenty. In 906 he travelled to Tang China, where he studied under the Monk Dogeon, returning to Silla in 924. King Gyeongae treated him with the honour due a state preceptor and appointed him abbot of Jeongtosa Temple. When he died at the age of sixty-three in the twenty-fourth year of King Taejo of Goryeo (941), King Taejo bestowed on him the posthumous title 'Beopgyeong' and the name 'Jadeung' for his stupa. This stele was erected in the twenty-sixth year of King Taejo (943) to praise his merits and virtue; the inscription was composed by the noted writer of the time, Choe Eon-wi, and written in calligraphy by the celebrated calligrapher Gu Jok-dal. ※ The stele has since been relocated to a nearby area for preservation and management owing to the construction of the Chungju Dam.

AI Translation

Where it is

Region

Chungju, Chungbuk

Designation

Treasure · 보물