By Choe Yong-shik Staff Reporter
 I now put my hands together in prayer Hoping He will come to and enlighten this world .And despite my ignorance, He cares for me Until the end of the earth and the universe This temple erected today will stand forever (Part of Eulogy for Buddha)
SOKCHO, Kangwon-do - The giant metal structure of worship is a physical testament of human and religious conviction. Small tokens of people's faith were able to buy a miracle in the erection of the world's largest seated bronze Buddha statue.
Shinhungsa Temple, the head temple of the 25th parish of the Chogye Buddhist Order located Mt. Sorak, dedicated the sitting Buddha after 11 trying years of construction work last Saturday. With nearly 10,000 people attending, the dedication ceremony took place on the site at the foot of Korea's most scenic mountain in Sock, Kangwon-do.
," said Rev. Tohu, chief monk of the host temple during the ceremony.
The 14.6-meter gilt-bronze Buddha statue site on a 4.3-meter high pedestal made of the same metallic substance, bringing the toeal height to 18.9 meters excluding the halo and a lightening rod. The lotus throne is flanked with 16 delicately inscribed panels that tell of the entire path of Buddha's enlightement through the words of the Buddhisattva, messengers of Buddha's teaching. The giant sitting Buddha weighs 108 tons and its forehead os decorated with eight 8-cm amber stones, with one jade piece of 10 cm in diameters in the middle.
The religious project has cost 3.8 billion won($4.1 million) which was raised through the contributions by over 300,000 unidentified small donators visiting the Buddhist temple for over a decade. Inside the hollow statue are three pieces of the Buddha's sari, remains collected after his body was burned, which were donated by the government of the Myanmar, and the Tripitaka, the original Buddhist scriptures.
On a round lotus pedestal, Buddha site facing majestic rocky formations, known as the Castle of the Kwons and Kims(KwonKum-song) to the north, with the Talam(the Korean term of the great monk Bodhidharma) Peak in the background. The Buddha sits cross-legged with his eyes half-closed in meditation and a faint smile on his lips. His robust torso is draped in a flowing robe with gentle folds revealing the right shoulder. His hands are poised in a mudra, a symbol of th "enlightened one." The statue itself is an eloquent testimony to the devotion of the followeres of Buddhism and a brilliant artistic achievement.
Like any other Buddha image, the Shinhungsa Buddha statue represents an impressive assembly of divinities embodying various aspects of Buddha's teachings, including religious liberation among individual believers. Yet, the permeating feeling of peace and unity also represents one more important wish of Korean people beyond regional and religious differences -- the reunification of the country divided for over half a century.
For this reason the giant structure is called "Tongil Daebul," the Great Unification Buddha Statue, in light of the people's ardent desire, explained Rev. Tohu, xhief abbot of the host temple. "We have brought Buddha to Mt. Sorak, a Spiritual center, in order to realize Buddha's teachings -- that all should be one living in harmony. Here Buddha will help us realize this oneness among the South and North Korean people," said Rev. Song Wol-ju, head mony of the Chogye Order, the largest Buddhist sect in Korea, in his congratulatory
speech during the ceremony. With the dedication of the this latest work, the Chogye Order has successfully completed its self-driven mission of linking Buddha statues nationwide.
Popchusa Temple, a prominent temple in Mt. Songni in Poun, Chungchong-pukto, is the home of the world's largest standing bronze Buddha. Completed in 1989, the Maitreya statue stands 25 meters high on an 8-meter prop. In 1992, Tonghwasa Temple in Taegu dedicated a standing Buddha statue made of granite. It rises 30 meters high including a 13 meter-high stone pedestal. "In fact, Buddhism has played a significant role as an epicenter of national consensus in the turbulent courese of Korean history,"Rev. Tohu said. The Three-Kingdom unification more than 1,000 years ago was made possible with Buddha's guidance, and during the Mongolian invasion during the Koryo Dynasty, Buddha's inspiration allowed for the 80,000 great scriptures to be carved in wood, know as the Tripitaka Koreana. During the Choson period's Hideyosh Invasion of Korea, Buddhist armies led by the Great Monk Sosan and Samyong fought against the invaders, he stressed.
Furthermore, the location of the statue is significant as Sokcho has a larger proportion of divided families in its population than any other city in Korea, explained Rev. Tohu. Behind the giant religious project was master Buddhist artist Kim Seong-ho, who directed the entire artistic and construction process, from the leveling of the ground, to developing the original plaster figure of the same size, and finally casting and assembling each part of the body.
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