, Virūpākṣa - King of the West, in the Tongdosa Guardian Gate Korea's largest temple, Tongdosa, is often called "the temple without a Buddha" because it contains no outdoor statues of the Buddha; rather it is arranged around several
stupas which contain Jajang-yulsa's relics of the historical Buddha. The road that meanders up to the temple wanders through a forest called "Pine trees dancing in the wind". The buildings are varied in architectural style with many left unpainted or faded. One of the buildings contains a fine mural depicting a boat escorting the deceased into paradise. The first gate to the temple,
Iljumun, is called the One-Pillar Gate because when viewed from the side the gate appears to be supported by a single pillar. This symbolizes the support of the world and the one true path of enlightenment. Iljumun is the boundary between the spiritual world and the secular world. The following gate is the Gate of the
Guardians of the Four Directions or Four Heavenly Kings, each of whom watches over one cardinal direction. They are the protectors of the world and fighters of evil, each able to command a legion of supernatural creatures to protect the Dharma (Buddhist teachings). Next comes the third gate of the temple, Purimun, known as the Gate of Non-Duality. The world across this gate is one of non-duality, where there is no distinction between the Buddha and human beings, being and non-being, good and evil, and fullness and emptiness. During Purimun's long history the gate has been rebuilt many times. The present Gate of Non-Duality was constructed in the late Joseon Dynasty and was built to line up straight with the One Pillar Gate, Guardian Gate, and Daeungjeon (main Dharma hall). The gate of Non-Duality is the left most structure in the first picture at the top of the page. Purimun, the Gate of Non-Duality, is designated South Gyeongsang Provincial Tangible Cultural Property #252. Tongdosa is one of five temples in Korea, known as Jeokmyeolbogung, which enshrine the relics of the Buddha that Jajang-yulsa returned from China. Tongdosa is the ‘Buddha Jewel Temple’ because it enshrines Sari Jinsin (the Buddha’s relics) in the Geumgang Gyedan (Diamond Altar), a platform for the ceremony prevailing Buddhist precepts, behind Daeungjeon (main Dharma Hall). There is no image of the Buddha or Bodhisattvas, as is typically found in a worship hall, in Tongdosa. Instead a Buddhist altar that spans east to west inside along the front with a window, in the place of a Buddha image, looks out on the Geumgang Gyedan (Diamond Altar). Tongdosa's Daeungjeon is National Treasure #290. ==Gallery==