Burimun Gate of Tongdosa Temple, Yangsan

Tongdosa Temple was founded in 646, the fifteenth year of Queen Seondeok of Silla, by the monk Jajang, and is one of Korea's three great temples. Burimun Gate, the third gate of Tongdosa Temple, also known as Haetalmun Gate, was first built in 1305, the thirty-first year of King Chungnyeol of Goryeo, and was rebuilt in the late Joseon period, in which form it survives today. "Buri" (non-duality) refers to the principle that all things are equal and without distinction, and Burimun Gate symbolises this Buddhist teaching of non-duality. It measures three bays across the front and two bays along the side, and is an elaborate building with a hipped-and-gabled roof whose sides form the shape of the character for "eight." Though not large in scale, it is a well-proportioned and sturdily built structure. The wooden plaque hanging on the gate, inscribed "Wonjong je-il daegaram" ("the foremost monastery of the true teaching"), is said to have been written personally by Zhu Yuanzhang, the founding emperor of the Ming dynasty.

AI Translation

Where it is

Region

Yangsan, Gyeongnam

Designation

Provincial Tangible Heritage · 시도유형문화유산