Monk Do Seon Culture

Monk Do Seon Culture

Monk Do Seon Culture & Art Festival

'Monk Do Seon Culture & Art Festival' has been prepared to sublimate the history of Yeongam to a cultural experience festival through the region's proud Monk Do Seon to make the world of combined correct traditional and modern cultures for the harmony and peace. Please come with your sufficient and relaxed hearts and experience the exotic mood of Wolchul Mountain.
  • Time : Yearly in October
  • Place : Area of Dogapsa in Wolchul Mountain
  • Host : Dogapsa, Wolchul Mountain
Do Seon (道詵) is the monk's buddhist name. He also was named by King (King Hyogong) as Yogong Seonsa (了空禪師) after his death. Since the seonsa or master monk was staying in the temple, Okryongsa located in Bakgye Mountain in Gwangyang, Jeonam for 35 years, the seonsa is called as Okryongja (玉龍子) meaning the man of Okryong. On the recognition of that the seonsa predicted provided great helps in advance for the country establishment of King Taejo of Goyreo and the unification of Later Three Kingdoms, he was bestowed the title as Daeseonsa (大禪師) or 'great master monk', Wangsa (王師) meaning King's Monk and Seongakguksa (先覺國師) meaning 'national prophecy monk' respectively by the 8th King Hyeonjong, the 15th King Sukjong and the 17th King Injong during Goryeo Dynasty.

Yeongam and Buddhist Culture

Yeongam is called as 'Mecca of Korean feng shui' probably because it is the birth place of Do Seon. However, since Do Seon was the leader of Docahm (圖讖) philosophy and a pioneer Zenist of Korean people who had brought the great wisdom by breaking the Zen theory based on the Buddhist realization. His certification by Hechulseonsa of Donrisan School, one of Gusanseonmun (Nine Zen Academies) as well as the fact that he cared Zenists for 36 years after opening the academy in Okryongsa, firmly confirms Do Seon's fame.

Wolchul Mountain is not an ordinary mountain as recognized by people, but a mountain with amazing sceneries to be called os "Honam's Small Gumgang Mountain'. The record that the ceremony was held at the atar to the heaven located at the top of Cheonhwang Peak (attitude: 809m) for a long period of time tells Wolchul Mountain is full of spiritual energies providing great stay for disciplinants.

And Yeongam is the birth place of various great monks. Gyeongbo Donggin Seonsa (Zenist monk) who continued the Buddhism philosophy of Monk Do Seon and Heyongmi Great Seonsa of Gusanseonmun were from Yeongam. Therefore, Yeonam holds significant meanings in Korean Buddhist history.

Also, Yeongam has various buddhist relics. It is not exaggeration to say the most of relics and historical sites remaining in Yeongam are from Buddhism. This fact tells that Yeongam outshines with the relics and cultural inheritances implying the ideological background that still flows after Monk Do Seon.

The representative historic sites of Late Shilla and Early Goryeo are Sanggyesa place (雙溪寺址), Yongamsa place (龍巖寺址), Okryongam place (玉龍庵址) and Miruekam place (彌勒庵址) and as Buddha statues, Wolchulsan Mayaeyeoryeo sitting position statue (National Treasure No. 144), Dogapsa's stone Yeoryae sitting position statue (Treasure No. 89), Acheon-ri stone Buddha sitting position statue, Chunan-ri temple place's Buddha statue piece and Miam-ri Temple place's Buddha statue piece. Various stone pagodas including Seongpungsa place's 5-level pagoda, Dogapsa's 3-level pagoda and 5-level pagoda, Cheong pungsa place's pagoda, Chunyang-ri temple place's pagoda

Anno-ri pagoda, Yongam temple place 3-level pagoda, Yongheung-ri pagoda piece, Miam-ritemple place pagoda piece, Miam-ri section 2's pagoda piece, Eomgil-ri Maehyang carved stone, Dogapsa's octagonal sitting position statue are remaining so that the southern cultural region's old tradition in Korea can be experienced.