The history of Bongwonsa, Buddhist temple in Seoul, Korea

Bonwonsa sight

 

Founded in 889 C.E. by National Master DoSeon. Bongwonsa was originally located at the site of today’s Yonsei University. It was moved to its present location in 1748 and King YongJo himself wrote the calligraphy for the new name. Bongwonsa. Ven. Lee Dongin, a psychological leader of youth involved in a failed coupd’etat attempted in 1884 resided here for five years, making the temple a cradle of attempted reform and modernization.

 

 

Sky of Bongwonsa

In 1911, the temple was expanded and in 1945 an Independence Monument was erected but this, along with many other important cultural properties and artifacts – including the calligraphy by King Yongjo – was destroyed during the recapturing of Seoul by the Allied Forces in Sept. 1950 during the Korean War.

 

In 1966, anther new fall was built, but this was later moved to anther part of the city. In 1991, during construction of the huge Hall of 3,000 Buddhas, the Main Buddha Hall was destroyed by fire but promptly rebuilt as was a new Judgment Hall in 1994.

 

Bongwonsa belongs to the T’aego Order of Korean Buddhism, named after the Koryo Dynasty National Zen Master Ven. T’aego(1301~1382). Currently more than 50 monks reside here and among the many prides of Bonwonsa are such Living National Treasures as the Late Ven. Park SongAm (Buddhist Chant and Song) and Ven. Lee ManBong (Buddhist Temple Ornamentation and Art).

 

 

 

The temple has many on-going educational programs, including the Okcheon Buddhist Music Collage, and various lay organizations. Socially engaged monastic and lay members conduct regular visits to prisons, homes for youth, orphanages, senior citizen facilities and army installations for encouragement and propagation.