Paju Rock-carved Samyeon Stone Buddha

The Paju Rock-carved Samyeon Stone Buddha is located just below Ilwolbong Peak in Jindong-myeon, Paju. It is a sabangbul, a set of Buddhas of the four directions, with one Buddha image carved on each of the four faces of the rock according to the cardinal points of east, west, south and north. In Buddhism it is believed that a Buddha exists in every direction of space, and this work embodies the four representative Buddhas of those directions. All four figures have a large, round mandorla (a halo representing the sacred light radiating from the Buddha's body), made up of a head-halo and a body-halo, and are seated on a pedestal decorated with lotus petals. All four are presumed to wear their robe over the left shoulder only, but the western figure is so badly worn that its details are difficult to make out. The eastern figure appears to hold its left palm face-up on its lap while resting the right hand on the knee, in the earth-touching gesture that subdues demons. The southern figure seems to lower its right hand and extend it beyond the knee, while the left hand rests open-palmed on the knee; this appears to depict Ratnasambhava, the Buddha who dwells in the south, making the wish-granting gesture with the right hand and placing the left hand before the navel. Although the hand gesture of the western figure is hard to make out, it is presumed to be Amitabha, who dwells in the west, with both hands overlapped in the Amitabha meditation gesture. The northern figure appears to raise both hands before the chest with the fingertips lightly touching, though the position of the left hand is unclear. Buddhas of the four directions appear in various sutras, but which Buddhas they represent differs from text to text; this work is presumed to be a set of Esoteric Buddhist four-directional Buddhas made in accordance with the Geumgangjeonggyeong (Vajrasekhara Sutra). It is presumed to date from the Goryeo period, and since no other example with a similar composition has been found, it is a valuable work for the study not only of the history of Buddhist sculpture but also of Buddhist history itself.

AI Translation

Where it is

Region

Paju, Gyeonggi

Designation

Provincial Tangible Heritage · 시도유형문화유산