Baekhwa-san Banya-sa
dramatic Tiger-Spirit "Wisdom Temple"
in Yeongdong County of North Chungcheong Province, at the
border with Sangju City of North Gyeongsang Province
a notable site off the Baekdu-daegan National Range, 10 km away
Banya-sa is in a deep long valley on the southern slope of Baekhwa-san Pyoseong-bong
summit, surrounded by unspoiled natural beauty.  Its outstanding feature is its backdrop as
shown here -- on the steep pine-forested cliff-slope rising behind the compound, a natural
scree-rockslide forms a perfect outline of a crouching tiger!  It's an especially-sacred white
tiger, too.  This is said to give the temple a unique "tiger-energy", charging the area with a
strong type of ji-gi earth-energy as according to pungsu-jiri theory.  What difference this
precisely makes in the spiritual practices / attainments of the monastic and lay residents
here, I have not yet found-out.  Together with the Munsu-jeon on the next page here, this is
certainly one of the most impressive sacred features in the Baekdu-daegan Cultural Zone
(just barely making it into that region, being 10 km west of the crest-line).
Banya-sa is named for the Buddhist concept of Wisdom -- see this explanation, and is dedicated to
Munsu-bosal the Bodhisattva of Wisdom.