Stele of State Preceptor Hongbeop from Jeongtosa Temple Site, Chungju

Jeongtosa Temple stood on Gaecheonsan Mountain in Hacheon-ri, Dongnyang-myeon, Chungju, North Chungcheong Province, and is presumed to have been founded between the late Unified Silla and early Goryeo periods. It was a great temple where State Preceptor Beopgyeong, Hyeonhwi, who received the honours of a National Preceptor from King Taejo, founder of Goryeo, served as abbot, and after him State Preceptor Hongbeop went on to instruct disciples there. This stele of State Preceptor Hongbeop originally stood at the Jeongtosa temple site, and in 1915 it was moved to Gyeongbokgung Palace together with State Preceptor Hongbeop's Reliquary Stupa; it is now located on the grounds of the National Museum of Korea. State Preceptor Hongbeop was born during the reign of King Sindeok of Unified Silla, entered the monastic order at the age of twelve, and, after travelling to Tang China, greatly promoted Seon (Zen) Buddhism. He later resided at Jeongtosa Temple until his death, whereupon King Mokjong of Goryeo bestowed the stupa name 'Jadeung' and had Son Mong-ju compose the text for the stele. The stele consists of a body erected on a tortoise-shaped base stone, capped with a crowning stone. The tortoise head of the base stone has been transformed into a dragon's head, a stylistic feature seen from the late Unified Silla to the early Goryeo period, and the dragon here is rendered more vividly and vigorously than on the base stones of other stupa steles. The capstone is also carved with writhing dragons, in a technique worth noting. The front of the stele records the master's life and achievements, and the back lists the names of his disciples, but the surface has worn away considerably, making the text difficult to read. The text is written in the regular script (haeseo) style of Ouyang Xun, with the composition well organised. The stele was erected in 1017, the eighth year of King Hyeonjong.

AI Translation

Where it is

Region

Yongsan-gu, Seoul

Designation

Treasure · 보물