Gaseopsa Temple

Gaseopsa Temple is a late Goryeo Dynasty temple named after Venerable Mahakashyapa, one of the ten principal disciples of Shakyamuni Buddha. Mahakashyapa most faithfully practiced asceticism (dhuta), and when the Buddha held up a lotus flower on Vulture Peak and asked about its meaning, he was the only one who responded with a smile, conveying the teaching of the 'Flower Sermon' (yeonhwamiso). There are no extant historical records or artifacts documenting the temple's founding; only records from the Joseon Dynasty remain, allowing us to infer its history.

Gaseopsa Temple features Geungnakbojeon Hall, a wooden-tiled building with a hip-and-gable roof, five bays in front and three bays on the sides, with double eaves; Samseonggak Shrine, two bays in front and one and a half bays on the sides; and one concrete dormitory building. Inside Geungnakbojeon Hall, the main Buddha is a wooden seated Amitabha statue, flanked by two attendant bodhisattvas: a seated Avalokiteshvara (Gwanseeum Bosal) and a seated Ksitigarbha (Jijang Bosal), both created in 1975. Located below the summit of Gaseopsan Mountain, the temple is a quiet and modest mountain temple of great beauty, with serene scenery throughout. It is a temple worth visiting while traveling in Eumseong.