Beopjusa Temple Sujeongam Hermitage Seated Stone Buddha, Boeun

Sujeongam is a hermitage of Beopjusa Temple. According to the Boeun County Gazetteer, it was founded in 1914 by the Buddhist nun Jang Tae-su, and the Geungnakjeon Hall, Jinyeonggak Hall (a portrait hall) and monks' quarters were rebuilt in 1973. Inside Geungnakjeon Hall, three wooden Buddhist images are enshrined, centred on a seated wooden Amitabha Buddha flanked by attendant bodhisattvas, and set apart to the right of these is a single seated stone Buddha. Its exact history is unknown, but it is said to have long been handed down as a hidden image of Sujeongam, kept out of ordinary view. This stone Buddha, 92 cm in total height, has a face that is large in proportion to its body; it gazes straight ahead without lowering its chin, with a neatly shaped usnisa (the cranial protuberance marking enlightenment) and a baekho, a tuft of white hair represented between the brows. The eyes are half-closed, the nose is rendered full and fleshy, and the lips are plump with a faint smile at the corners of the mouth, giving a compassionate, serene expression that is unusually well refined for a stone Buddha. The ears are relatively short, and the neck shows the samdo, the three creases symbolising stages of enlightenment, though these are not sharply defined owing to a thick overall regilding. The robe covers both shoulders, with a thick outer robe shown below the chest. The right hand, its five fingers extended, hangs evenly down over the knee in the earth-touching gesture (bhumisparsha mudra), the fingers rendered quite large. The left hand has the middle and ring fingers curled around the thumb while the index finger is held out horizontally, palm upward, resting on the right foot. In the small palm formed by the curled fingers sits a separately made round object, and for this reason the image has been handed down as a representation of Bhaisajyaguru, the Medicine Buddha. This object, which appears to be a medicine jar, is judged by its weight not to be made of stone. The image is notable for its stability and fine proportion; the face is serene and well refined, and judging from the object it holds, it is presumed to depict the Medicine Buddha. Enshrined in the Geungnakjeon Hall of Sujeongam, this Buddha has a head considerably large relative to the body, yet the face is serene with well-refined features, and the shoulders and chest are rendered in a dignified manner. It has been thickly regilded overall, and the hand gesture suggests it represents the Medicine Buddha. Although small in scale, it is outstanding for the refined beauty of its face, the posture of the body, and the rendering of the robe folds. Given the elegant depiction of the face, the firm, undiminished chin and shoulders, and the treatment of the robe, the image is presumed to be a work of the late Joseon period, and it is in good condition.

AI Translation

Where it is

Region

Boeun, Chungbuk

Designation

Cultural Heritage Material · 문화유산자료