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| Gwang-yeong-sa [Shining Spirit Temple] as seen from the Cheonje-yeon Waterfall Plaza |
| the Main Hall ---> |
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| San-shin ---> |
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| The San-shin painting is modern, fairly ordinary but nicely composed. It's pretty rare to have two fans in one icon -- San-shin holds the crane feather one while a dongja boy holds a leaf one. |
| This medium-sized monastery enjoys a spectacular location on a seaside hill overlooking the Cheonje-yeon Gorge, yet is actually pretty difficult to visit. |
| The Shin-jung painting seems older. The new Chil-bul [Seven Buddhas] painting, representing cosmic forces and their influence on human life, is full of interesting figures. |
| The Chil-seong [Seven Stars (of the big dipper)] painting features the Daoist Ok-hwang-sangje [Jade Emperor of Heaven] front-and-center (see pages 104-109 of my book). |
| At the Plaza, a turtle-backed fountain offers water from the heads of five sacred animals. |
| The lower Cheonje-yeon Falls, gushing in August. |
| The Plaza also features this relief-carved depiction of the Seon-nyeo [angel-girls] bathing in a sacred pool at the foot of the falls -- an important and popular Korean myth (see pages 81-84 of my book). |
| Trails to the falls are reached from the Plaza over the Seon-nyeo Bridge, popular for tourist photos. |
| Another, closer-up shot of Gwang-yeong-sa from the Seon-nyeo Bridge. |