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新興寺

Pronunciations

Basic Meaning: Sinheungsa

Senses:

  • Sinheungsa is the main temple of the area known as Outer Seorak 外雪嶽 Mountain in Sokcho-si 束草市, Gangwon-do 江原道. It was founded by Jajang 慈藏 in 652 and named Hyangseungsa 香城寺. After the temple was burned down in 699 Uisang expanded it, moving it to its present location renamed as Seonjeongsa 禪定寺 in 701 CE. Like many other temples, it was destroyed during the Hideyoshi invasions of the late 16th Century and rebuilt in 1647. The Sansingak 山神閣 between the Main Hall and the Judgment Hall contains a picture of the Mountain God with his tiger. Usually pictured with a tiger, Sansin 山神 (Mountain God) is particularly remembered after any large ceremony. This is because everyone is grateful for being able to have the temple built on the mountain. Dokseong 獨聖, the Lonely Hermit, is actually more Buddhist in origin and represents the sole practitioner. Chilseong 七星, the Big Dipper, controls human life expectancy and women who have just given birth traditionally offered a skein of thread to Chilseong as a symbol of their hope for a long life for their baby. In Sinheungsa, Chilseong is surrounded by the sun and the moon, seven stars, the master of the South Polar star, and lots of heavenly beings. Two kilometers from the temple there is a lovely pagoda, National Treasure No. 443. In the surrounding mountains and forests there are a number of interesting hermitages, some of which partly date back to the time of Jajang. [O. B. Chun; source(s): hbsjsj]
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    [Dictionary References]

    Bulgyo sajeon 516a

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    The rights to textual segments (nodes) of the DDB are owned by the author indicated in the brackets next to each segment. For rights regarding the compilation as a whole, please contact Charles Muller. Please do not reproduce without permission. And please do not copy into Wikipedia without proper citation!

    Entry created: 2006-02-20

    Updated: 2009-08-18