Haeinsa Buddhist Temple

Paris has the Notre Dame, Barcelona the La Sagrada Familia, London the Westminster Abbey, Rome the St. Peter’s Basilica.

Korea has the incomparable temples. Different religion, of course, and different locales. Whereas Christian churches are built within city centers, Korean Buddhist temples are mostly tucked away in the mountains. And because of it, some of the scenery leading up to them are absolutely breathtaking.

on the way to Seon-am-sa (선암사) temple in Soon-cheon (순천)

steps away from Mai-san-tap-sa (마이산탑사) in Jin-an (진안). on rainy days, waterfalls appear on that steep cliff.

When I was growing up in a small town called Geochang (거창), my grandfather used to take me (only me, not my brother, nor any of my cousins) to a Buddhist temple that was about an hour away through unpaved dirt road by bus.

I don’t remember too much about the temple—just that it was kind of big, in the mountains, had to walk a lot, and the bibimbap we always had afterwards.

Hae-in-sa (해인사) in Hap-cheon (합천), a county right next to Geochang (거창) where I grew up, built in 802 during Shilla Dynasty.

Back then, little that I knew the temple we used to visit was one of the most important Buddhist temples in the entire country, if not the world, called Hae-in-sa (해인사). It is home to one of the most treasured relics of the Buddhist world, the tripitaka Koreana in 80,000 wooden blocks (81,352 to be exact).

Its popular name is pal-man-dae-jang-gyong (팔만대장경, 八萬大藏經) but its official name is Hae-in-sa Dae-jang-gyong-pan (해인사 대장경판). It has been designated as one of the National Treasures by the Korean government and is listed on the UNESCO Memory of the World Register.

So, what exactly are these blocks and what is Tripitaka Koreana? First, the Tripitaka is the collection of the Buddha’s sermons, teachings, laws, and other writings completed by his disciples. Basically, the Bible in Buddhism.

The entire writings of the original teachings of the Buddha were translated into Chinese first, of course, and these were carved into 80,000 wooden blocks between 1236 and 1251 during the Goryeo Dynasty so that they could be printed and bound in book forms.

they’re so well-kept that they can still print perfect copies, although they don’t any longer to prevent further damage to the panels.

What is amazing about these wooden blocks is that they are still in almost perfect condition after 800 years. As anyone who’s dealt with lumber probably knows, when you’re treating freshly cut trees for commercial use, you need to carefully dry and cure them so that there is no twisting, cracking, and rotting. Remember, this is 800 years ago when there were no chemicals of today that does this job. It is believed that these wooden blocks went through repeated steps of steaming in salt water and drying to prevent such degradation.

Here are some numbers that are sure to wow you about the Tripitaka Koreana.

• the entire 81,258 blocks weigh 280 tons.

• stacked flat, the wooden panels would reach 3,200 meters (10,500 feet) high.

• one wooden block is carved on both sides, each side containing exactly 320 letters for a total of 640 letters per block.

• there are a total of 52 million letters carved into the 80,000+ blocks, whereas the Veritable Records of Joseon Dynasty (조선왕조실록) that was compiled over 500 years that I talk about frequently contain 54 million letters, written on paper.

• 52 million letters carved into the wooden blocks, and not a single spelling mistake or mark of any correction.

• all of this was done in 16 years while the Mongols were invading the country.

This complete set of the Buddha teachings carved into wooden blocks is the largest of its kind in the world, and rightfully so, considered as one of the great treasures in Buddhism.

And the fact that the entire set that’s susceptible to fire survived all the wars, particularly the atrocities committed during the Japanese occupation in the early 20th century, is nothing short of a miracle.

What is additionally impressive is the part of the Hae-in-sa Temple that houses the Tripitaka is so well-designed and built that it is perfectly air-conditioned and protected from water damage that there is virtually no chance of rotting, twisting, or any other natural damage, although the panels need to be dusted every six months or so.

I remember when my grandfather used to take me to Hae-in-sa that we could actually see these panels, but now the entire area surrounding this wing is restricted from access. Apparently, there had been a few attempts by Korean shamans and Christians who tried to burn them down, with different reasons.