Great Hall of Peace and Light of Gosansa Temple, Hongseong 홍성 고산사 洪城高山寺大光寶殿

홍성 고산사 대광보전 洪城高山寺大光寶殿

 

Located on the lope of Mt. Cheongryongsan at Muryang-ri, Gyeolseong-myeon, Hongseong County Chungcheongnam-do  Gosansa is a small Buddhist temple. This building, Treasure No. 399 of Korea is the centerpiece of this temple. On the center front of the building there is a signboard called '大光寶殿 Dae-Kwang-bon-jeon 대광보전'. It means literally a treasure-like house or hall of great light. 

 

In the East Asian Buddhist architecture including Koreath, Dae Kwang Bo-jeon is also called '大寂光殿 Dae jeok gwang-jeon 대적광전', meaning Hall of Great Peace and Light. No matter what it is called, this hall is the place for Vairochana Buddha. (See below for Dae-Kwang-bon-jeon.) 

 

On the other hand, the hall for Sakyamuni Buddha, the founder of Buddhisa is called in East Asian Buddhism 'Dae-ung-jeon 大雄殿 대웅전', literally meaning the greatest male. 

 

Strangely enough, in the Dae Kwangbo-jeon of the temple should be enshrined the Vairochana Buddha, but actually, it is the place for the Sakyamuni Buddha. 

 

Unfortunately, we do not know exactly when this building was built. But from the architectural style, the hall is believed to have been built during the early Joseon Dynasty, probably the 14 or 15th century. 

 

The letters recorded on the roof arches indicate that it was repaired in 1626. It was repaired in 1973. In 1990, the staircase and the stones were repaired and the tile was replaced. In 2000, the tile was partially replaced and repaired. 

대적광전 大寂光殿 Dae-jeok-gwang-jeon

 

The Hall of Great Peace and Light, or the Supreme Buddha Hall is based on the Flower Adornment Sutra, and it is dedicated to Vairochana Buddha, or Manifestation of Dharma, who radiates the light of truth in every direction of the universe. In Seon (Zen) Buddhism, this is the Hall of the Three Bodies of a Buddha, Dharmakaya (Vairochana) or the Dharma-body Buddha who is in the center; on the left is Sambhokaya (Rocana) or the Delight-body Buddha, and on the right is Nirmanakaya (Sakyamuni) or the Transformation- body Buddha. 

But usually, we see Amitabha Buddha as an attendant Bodhisattva in place of Sambbhokaya or Rocana, and sometimes there is a grand scale of five to six attendant Buddhas and Bodhisattvas on the altar of the great hall. (from http://dic.tvbuddha.org/?PHPSESSID=9cc76a10b115e52b7b6f6b7186c251f8)