Day 59: Haeinsa

Haeinsa was founded on the Mt. Gaya area in 802 during the Unified Silla period by two eminent masters, Sunung and Ijeong. The monastery takes its name from Haein Samadhi', a Buddhist Hwaom philosophical
notion. Haein Samadhi means a reflection on a calm sea after struggling against wind and waves enables everything to be conscious of its true nature. Since its establishment, Haeinsa has been a fundamental Buddhist center of the Avatamsaka school in Korea. It is the oldest
Comprehensive Practice Monastery officialized by the Jogye Order of
Korean Buddhism.

The reason to come to Haeinsa is for The Tripitaka Koreana. It is the world's most comprehensive and oldest intact version of Buddhist canon in Chinese script, with no
known errors or errata. It is carved onto 81,350 wooden printing blocks, with 52,389,400 characters which are organized in 1,514 titles and 6,791 volumes, and is housed in four buildings. It is truly amazing to have seen it in-person.Read more