Three Bridges

Tongdosa Temple (map)
Yangsan, Korea

These two bridges (and a third between them, barely visible in the background of either photo) cross the stream to give visitors access to the temple. Symbolically, these are bridges to the Buddha Land paradise. Referring to the map on the previous page, they open onto the upper (one-arch bridge), middle (straight bridge), and lower (three-arch bridge) levels resprectively. Notice the bi-directional layout of the temple: it is East-West through the gates, and secondarily South-North over the bridges.