The Assembly of the Five Buddhas Gwaebul at Chiljangsa Temple(七長寺 五佛會 掛佛幀)
- Date
- 1628년(인조 6)
- Designation Type
- National Treasure
- Monk-Painters
- Beophyeong
- Dimensions
- Total 659.5×398.3cm, Image 518×331cm
- Designated Date
- 1997-09-22
- Holder
- Chiljangsa Temple
Overview
The upper and middle sections of this gwaebul are filled with images of the Five Buddhas sitting surrounded by numerous subordinates. The lower portion illustrates Mount Sumeru, the Palace in Tushita Heaven, Avalokiteshvara and Kshitigarbha Bodhisattvas, and sentient beings. This painting is the earliest example among the surviving gwaebul paintings in the Seoul and Gyeonggi-do Province region. It is significant in that it carries on the tradition of multiple Buddhas from the early Joseon period and for its distinctive composition of ascending from the world of human beings in the foreground, through the world of Bodhisattvas in the middle ground, and on to the world of Buddhas in the background. The five Buddhas form an inverted triangle composition with three in the upper tier and two in the middle tier. Those in the upper tier iconographically represent the Buddhas of the Three Bodies. Vairocana Buddha is making the Bodhyangi (wisdom-fist) mudra in the center, surrounded by a red mandorla in the shape of a lotus bud. To the left of Vairocana is Shakyamuni Buddha making the Bhumisparsa (earth-touching) mudra, and to his right is Rocana Buddha wearing an ornate crown and making the Dharmachakra (turning the Wheel of Dharma) mudra. The two Buddhas below them are Bhaisajyaguru Buddha flanked by standing Suryaprabha and Candraprabha Bodhisattvas and Amitabha Buddha flanked by standing Mahasthamaprapta and Avalokiteshvara Bodhisattvas. Along with Shakyamuni above them, Bhaisajyaguru and Amitabha form the Buddhas of the Three Realms. The other four Buddhas besides Vairocana have circular head and body halos. The five Buddhas are surrounded by the Buddhas of the Other Realms, Buddhas of the Ten Directions, Bodhisattvas, Brahma, Indra, heavenly beings, Eight Classes of Divine Beings, Buddhist Guardian Deities, Vajra Guardians, and disciples. In the center of the lower portion of the painting is the Palace in Tushita Heaven on Mount Sumeru encircled by a dragon. To the left and right of the palace are Kshitigarbha Bodhisattva and Avalokiteshvara Bodhisattva, respectively. Avalokiteshvara is shown sitting in the royal ease position on an oddly-shaped rock and flanked by a ritual ewer (kundika) and bamboo. Below the rock, Sudhana is clasping his hands in prayer and looking up at Avalokiteshvara. Kshitigarbha Bodhisattva is sitting on a table holding a monk’s staff in one hand. In front of the table, Kshitigarbha’s attendants, Ghost King Poisonless and Venerable Daoming, are standing with their hands clasped. Kshitigarbha is surrounded by Rakshasa, a boy attendant, girl attendant, general, and magistrate. In the lower-most section of the composition are twenty sentient beings with various appearances, including wearing a cap, holding a scepter in their hands, or kneeling with hands together in prayer. The center of the lower section of the painting bears a red cartouche with an inscription written in gold. The inscription begins with a record stating that the gwaebul was produced in the Mujin year (1628), the first year of the Chongzhen era. It also records that at the assembly held for Maitreya Buddha, who will come in the future, everyone will rejoice together equally and fulfill the Buddha’s prophecy. It further lists the names of donors, the items they donated, and the names of people in charge of different tasks. The monk-painter who created this gwaebul was Beophyeong.
Inscriptions
The production [of this gwaebul painting] began on the 1st day of the 3rd lunar month of the Mujin year (1628), the 1st year of the Chongzhen era, and ended in the 4th lunar month of that year. At the assembly held for Maitreya Buddha, who will come in the future, everyone will rejoice together equally and fulfill the Buddha’s prophecy (sugi*). Kim Go-eup and spouse, who donated (siju*) many pieces of cloth for use as a support material for the painting (batang*) The yeongga (souls) of Bungae and spouse, who donated many pieces of cloth for use as a support material for the painting Chunok and spouse, who donated many pieces of cloth for use as a support material for the painting Seo Eung-rin and spouse, who donated many pieces of hoejang* (thin decorative edges of a different color on a table cover or scroll) Choe I-nam and spouse, who donated many pieces of hoejang* (thin decorative edges of a different color on a table cover or scroll) Yuwol, who alone donated a great volume of goods to be used by the public(Gongyang*) Choe Naek-mun and spouse, who donated a great volume of goods to be used by the public(Gongyang*) Choe Nam and spouse, who donated a great volume of goods to be used by the public(Gongyang*) Jang Mong-chun and spouse, who donated a great volume of goods to be used by the public(Gongyang*) Yi Cheon-jin and spouse, who made a substantial donation of materials without conditions Jutdeok and spouse, who donated a considerable amount of gold Oh Naek-geum and spouse, who donated a considerable amount of gold Kim_____-Chu and spouse, who donated a considerable amount of vermillion pigment Nam Mak-jin and spouse, who donated a considerable amount of cyan-blue pigment Kim Eung-gye and spouse, who donated a considerable amount of mountain-blue pigment Yi Jut-son and spouse, who donated a considerable amount of yellow pigment (called sutohwang in Korean) Yi Mong-il and spouse, who donated a considerable amount of arsenic yellow pigment Eunjong, who alone donated a considerable amount of dark green Chinese pigment Hong Mal-jong and spouse, who donated a considerable amount of traditional red organic pigment Deokchun, who alone donated a considerable amount of gold Yi Man-se and spouse, who donated gold Yi Naek-seon and spouse, who donated a considerable amount of white pigment (the type known as jinbun in Korean) Ju Yeon-i and spouse, who donated a great volume of fish-based glue Ju Gwi-son and spouse, who donated a considerable amount of light green pigment Ildae, who alone donated a considerable amount of cobalt-blue pigment Yi Jut-geum and spouse, who donated several round mirrors Choe Ye-nam, who donated a considerable amount of orange pigment Munbi, who alone donated many pieces of paper or cloth to be pasted on the back of the Buddhist painting to fix its support material Kim Myeong-dae and spouse, who donated many pieces of cloth for use as a support material for the Buddhist painting Oh Sin-jik, who alone made a substantial donation of materials for rollers Jang Mi-seung, who alone donated goods to be used by the public(Gongyang*) Monk Yeonggwan, who examined whether the Buddhist project was being performed properly and managed the incense, offerings, and more for the Buddhist altars Monk Beophyeong, who produced the gwaebul painting Monk Suin, who procured goods to be used by the public Monk Seonhyeon, who created documents and was in charge of recording Monk Chungwon, who served as a liaison in and outside the temple (Naewang*) Monk Sinhwa, who encouraged other people to make donations of materials and collected donations of materials Monk Sungyeol, who supervised affairs in the kitchen compound Glossary of Gwaebul Inscriptions * sugi 受記: Receiving a prediction that one will become a Buddha in the future * siju 施主: A person who made a donation of materials * batang 婆幀/基布: Cloth used as a support material for a Buddhist painting * hoejang 回裝: A thin deco敎宗rative edge of a different color on a table cover or scroll * gongyang 供養: Goods to be used by the temple and the general public * naewang 來徃: A traveling monk with no fixed abode