Jikjisa Temple, Gimcheon

Jikjisa is a head temple of the Jogye Order of Seon Buddhism. It is located on the slopes of Hwangaksan in Daehang-myeon, Gimcheon, North Gyeongsang Province, South Korea. It may be one of the oldest temples in South Korea.HistoryJikjisa was established in 418 by Preceptor Ado. There are two stories concerning this temple’s name, Jikji. One is that Ado pointed to Hwangaksan from Dorisa in Seonsan, and said, “There is also a good temple site on that mountain. The story is that in 936 when Great Master Neungyeo reconstructed the temple, he didn’t use a ruler but instead he used his own hands to measure the land and construction materials, thus, the name Jikji.Hwangaksan (literally “Yellow Mountain”), on which Jikjisa stands, represents the color yellow, one of the five colors that correspond to the Wu Xing. The colors black, blue, red, white and yellow correspond respectively to north, east, south, west and center. Jikjisa is located near the center of Korea. That is why the mountain is called Hwangaksan and why Jikjisa has been considered one of Korea’s foremost temples since ancient times. From Biro Peak, the summit of Hwangaksan, one can see the three provinces of Gyeongsang, Jeolla and Chungcheong. Thus it can also be said that the temple is situated at the center of three of Korea’s southern provinces.

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