Jeokjo Hall

[Traveler]
What! A Hollywood star was here? We can see a footprint on the floor in front of this building.That’s right, it is the Buddha’s footprint. Carving the Buddha’s footprint is an expression of honor towards Shakyamuni Buddha, who never stopped walking to guide humankind to enlightenment. There are fish in the sunken part of the sole which symbolize fertility and prosperity. The print of a wheel beside it symbolizes the Buddha’s teachings, as it continues turning to break down the bonds of ignorance.

Let’s take a look at the inside of Jeokjo Hall above the stairs. Oh, there is a recumbent Buddha. Is he tired because he has had to work for humanity 24 hours a day, 7 days a week? The truth is that it represents the Buddha after his attainment of nirvana, that is, after his physical death in this world. The word ‘nirvana’ originally meant ‘blowing out’. Blowing out what, you may well ask? Blowing out the lights of greed, obsession, and agony! That is why he looks so comfortable, so calm. The landscape unfolding behind him is Kushinagar, the Indian village where Shakyamuni entered nirvana.

Now, why don’t you look up at the ceiling of the hall, where a scene of the Buddhist land of bliss will unfold before your eyes? Can you see the five dragons intertwined amongst each other, the blue birds, and the heavenly maids playing pipes while they fly through the air? They represent the utopian world of Buddhism. For Buddhists, who believe in the cycle of life and death, rebirth in this blissful land is the happiest result of their life and death.