Seonmyogak Shrine

Buseoksa Temple
Yeongju, Korea

Seonmyogak is a shrine, located next to Josadang (Uisang's shrine, previous page), that is dedicated to Seonmyo (Japanese Zenmyo, Chinese Shanmiao). The legend goes that when Uisang was studying in Tang China, the daughter of his host fell in love with him. But the Venerable Uisang would have nothing to do with physical love. When he sailed back to Korea, Shanmiao dove into the sea after him and became a protective dragon. In this form, she protected his voyage home and the sutras that he carried. Later on, she cleared the way for him to occupy Buseoksa by transforming herself into a floating rock (whence the name of the temple) that scared off its previous occupants.