The Monk, The Mountain, and Maitreya's Dawn: A Tale of Faith Preparing the Way
The spiritual history of Korea is rich with tales of profound faith and prophetic encounters. Among these, the story of Sacred Venerable Jin-pyo, a renowned monk of the Silla Dynasty (8th century CE), stands as a powerful testament to the enduring hope for Maitreya Buddha, the Buddha of the Future, and the extraordinary lengths to which one soul journeyed to connect with this divine promise. His story, intertwined with the sacred mountains of ancient Joseon, not only illuminates the path of a dedicated seeker but also, as Jeung San Do's Dojeon (1:7) reveals, lays a foundational stone for understanding Maitreya's eventual incarnation.
Our story begins with a young Jin-pyo, who at the tender age of twelve, with his parents' blessing, embarked on the monastic path. His heart was set on a singular, audacious goal: to receive the dharma, the true teachings, directly from Maitreya Buddha Himself. His master at Geumsansa Temple, Sung-je, recognized the young monk's fervor and instructed him: “Observe these precepts... then go before Maitreya Buddha and seek his dharma with sincere devotion and repentance. Receive Maitreya’s precepts directly from him, and teach them to the world.”
This directive ignited an unquenchable fire in Jin-pyo. For years, he wandered the renowned mountains of Joseon, his spirit fixed on this divine encounter. At twenty-seven, his quest led him to a secluded cliff on Byeonsan Mountain, to a place aptly named the "Chamber of No Thought and Speech." There, before a statue of Maitreya, he commenced a period of intense, single-minded meditation.
Three long years passed. The silence from the heavens was deafening. No sign, no whisper of enlightenment came. In a moment of profound despair, Jin-pyo, believing his quest a failure, hurled himself from the cliff. But destiny, it seemed, had other plans. As the Dojeon recounts, "At that moment, a boy clad in blue suddenly appeared, and this boy gently caught Jin-pyo, softly set him on a rock, and disappeared."
This miraculous intervention rekindled Jin-pyo's resolve. He vowed anew, this time undertaking an even more arduous twenty-one-day meditation, a "life-and-death determination." He adopted the "meditation method of ‘tormenting the body in repentance,’" beating his own body with a stone. The path was brutal; by the third day, his hand and arm were broken, his body soaked in blood. Yet, his spirit remained unbroken. On the seventh night, a vision of Kshitigarbha Bodhisattva appeared, tending to his wounds, and miraculously, his battered body was restored.
Finally, on the last day of his renewed meditation, Jin-pyo's perseverance bore fruit. His heavenly eye opened, and he beheld a vision of Maitreya Buddha amidst divine resplendence, leading a procession from Tushita Heaven. Maitreya, in this profound encounter, praised Jin-pyo’s indomitable spirit: “Intrepid man, you have done well! Oh how you have sought my precepts! ...your mind is of an indomitable resolve that never reverts!” Maitreya then conferred upon him sacred texts and bamboo strips for understanding karma, bidding him to use these as a "raft of deliverance to save multitudes."
This extraordinary encounter was not merely a personal enlightenment. After attaining this perfect awakening, Jin-pyo had a further vision: "the arrival of the epochal cataclysm of heaven and earth’s gaebyeok" – the great renewal and transformation of the cosmic order. With this foresight, he prayed with fervent devotion that Maitreya Buddha, the "Buddha of Salvation for all of the universe," would incarnate into the Eastern land, Joseon.
And then came a heavenly commandment: “Erect a Maitreya Buddha statue atop a siru (a traditional Korean earthenware steamer).”
The building of this statue at Geumsansa Temple, as historical accounts and local legends (like the one involving the pond and charcoal) tell us, was itself a process laden with symbolic meaning. The original pond, representing the primordial waters, had to be filled with charcoal – a purifying element, a bridge between earth and water, perhaps symbolizing the very foundation of a new, purified world. The immense iron siru, a vessel used for steaming and bringing things to maturation, was placed as the base. This wasn't just an architectural choice; the siru itself, as Jeung San Do teaches, connotes maturation, completion, and unification – symbols of the new heaven and earth of the cosmic autumn that Maitreya would usher in. Atop this siru, the great Maitreya statue was erected, a beacon of hope for a world awaiting transformation.
Venerable Jin-pyo went on to establish three major Maitreya temples, including Geumsansa, laying the foundation of Maitreya faith among the people. He taught adherence to the "ten benevolent deeds" as a path to rebirth in Maitreya's coming paradise. His life became a testament to an unwavering faith, a profound spiritual connection, and a preparation for a future he had glimpsed – an age when the Lord of Tushita Heaven would indeed walk the earth.
Jin-pyo's story, as illuminated by the Dojeon, is more than a historical account of a devoted monk. It is a crucial prelude, a divinely ordained preparation for the actual advent of Maitreya Buddha. It signifies that the Eastern land of Joseon was being consecrated, marked as the place of Maitreya's future incarnation. The trials, the visions, and the monumental efforts of Jin-pyo were all part of a larger divine plan, opening the way for the very Sangjenim whose teachings Jeung San Do now shares with the world – the Maitreya who has come to fulfill the ancient prophecies and guide humanity through the Gaebyeok into the long-awaited Dragon Flower Paradise.
Sacred Venerable Jin-pyo Opens the Way for Maitreya Buddha’s Incarnation into the Eastern Land, Joseon
1Faith in Maitreya Buddha, the Lord of Tushita Heaven, became the faith of the populace in the Eastern land, Joseon, due to the efforts of Precept Master Jin-pyo.
2When he was twelve, Jin-pyo received permission from his parents to become a Buddhist monk. While studying at Geumsansa Temple in Gimje County, he received the Precepts for Novice Monks from Dharma Master Sung-je. 3Sung-je instructed Jin-pyo, “Observe these precepts that I now give you, then go before Maitreya Buddha and seek his dharma with sincere devotion and repentance. Receive Maitreya’s precepts directly from him, and teach them to the world.”
4Henceforth, determined to receive Maitreya’s dharma directly from Maitreya himself and spread his supreme dao, Jin-pyo visited all the renowned mountains of Joseon in a quest to attain dao.
5In the nineteenth year of the reign of King Gyeong-deok of Silla (760 CE), at the age of twenty-seven, Jin-pyo journeyed to Buan County and secluded himself in the Chamber of No Thought and Speech, located on one of Byeonsan Mountain’s cliffs. There, he sat before a Maitreya statue and, filled with single-minded determination, sought Maitreya Buddha’s precepts.
6Three years of resolute meditation passed, yet Jin-pyo received not a single sign that he would be enlightened, so he decided to end his life and hurled himself from the cliff. 7At that moment, a boy clad in blue suddenly appeared, and this boy gently caught Jin-pyo, softly set him on a rock, and disappeared.
8Profoundly encouraged, Jin-pyo reaffirmed his vow to attain the dharma of Maitreya and gave himself twenty-one more days, intensifying his meditation with life-and-death determination. 9Dedicating himself to the meditation method of ‘tormenting the body in repentance,’ Jin-pyo began to beat his entire body with a stone in deep repentance. By the third day, his hand and arm had broken off, and his whole body had become soaked in blood. 10On the night of the seventh day, Ksitigarbha Bodhisattva appeared before Jin-pyo, waving his golden staff, and tended to the monk, whose battered body soon became restored.
Intrepid Man, You Have Done Well
11On the last of Jin-pyo’s twenty-one days of renewed meditation, his heavenly eye opened and he saw Maitreya Buddha amidst divine resplendence, leading a procession of myriad beings of Tushita Heaven. 12Maitreya Buddha gently stroked Jin-pyo’s forehead and praised him, “Intrepid man, you have done well! Oh how you have sought my precepts! You have sincerely repented all your sins without regard for your own life. I can topple Sumisan Mountain with a flick of my finger, but your mind is of an indomitable resolve that never reverts!” 13Maitreya then conferred upon Jin-pyo two volumes entitled Sutra of Divination for Examining the Karmic Consequences of Good and Evil Actions and 189 bamboo strips for understanding one’s karmic state, 14bidding him, “Use these to teach my dharma to the world—use them as a raft of deliverance to save multitudes. You will eventually abandon this body and be reborn in Tushita Heaven as the king of the Great Nation.” After issuing this proclamation, Maitreya Buddha disappeared into heaven.
15After he attained perfect enlightenment, Sacred Venerable Jin-pyo had a vision of the arrival of the epochal cataclysm of heaven and earth’s gaebyeok. 16He prayed with fervent devotion that the Buddha of Salvation for all of the universe, the Heavenly Lord Maitreya Buddha, would incarnate into the Eastern land, Joseon.
17Eventually, Jin-pyo received a commandment from heaven: “Erect a Maitreya statue atop a siru.” Over the ensuing four years, he completed construction of the Maitreya Shrine at Geumsansa Temple.
18In accordance with the principle that humanity would be saved through the three stages of transmitting Maitreya Buddha’s dharma, Jin-pyo established three temples. He started by rebuilding Geumsansa Temple of Moaksan Mountain, then he constructed Baryeonsa Temple of Geumgangsan Mountain, and finally he rebuilt Gilsangsa Temple of Songnisan Mountain.
19Having laid the foundation of Maitreya faith—that one must adhere to the ten benevolent deeds for rebirth into the Dragon Flower Paradise of Holy Maitreya Buddha—Jin-pyo ascended to Tushita Heaven.
1) Jin-pyo. 진표 (眞表). 734–? CE. A venerable Buddhist monk and precept master of Korea’s Silla Dynasty. Jin-pyo’s name means “Symbol of Truth,” or “Manifestation of Truth.”
2) Geumsansa Temple. 금산사 (金山寺). “Gold Mountain Temple.” Located in Gimje County of Jeollabuk-do Province.
5) Silla. 신라 (新羅). 57 BCE–935 CE. One of the Four Kingdoms of Korea.
10) Ksitigarbha Bodhisattva. 지장보살. In Sanskrit, kshitigarbha means “earth womb,” and bodhisattva means “an enlightened one” or “one striving for enlightenment.” A Buddhist saint popular in East Asia, Kshitigarbha Bodhisattva vowed to instruct all sentient beings from heaven to hell between the time of the death of Shakyamuni Buddha and the arrival of Maitreya Buddha into this world.
12) Sumisan Mountain. 수미산 (須彌山). Mount Sumeru in Sanskrit. In Buddhist cosmology, the central mountain of the world.
15) gaebyeok. 개벽 (開闢). A term derived from the Korean expression cheongaejibyeok (cheongae, “heaven opens”; jibyeok, “earth opens”). A gaebyeok (‘renewal and rebirth of heaven and earth’) is a transition between seasons during the cosmic year, which spans 129,600 calendar years. The most significant of these transitions is the Autumn Gaebyeok (aka the Later Heaven Gaebyeok), which occurs between the cosmic summer and cosmic autumn.
17) siru. 시루. A piece of cookware used to steam rice cakes and other foods. The word connotes maturation, completion, and unification, which are symbolic of the new heaven and earth of cosmic autumn.
18) Geumgangsan Mountain. 금강산 (金剛山). “Diamond Mountain.” A sacred mountain of exceptional scenic beauty, located in Gangwon-do Province, North Korea.
18) Gilsangsa Temple. 길상사 (吉祥寺). “Auspicious Fortune Temple.” Located in Chungcheongbuk-do Province. Now called Beopjusa Temple, it is famous for possessing the tallest Maitreya Buddha statue in Korea. Beopju (法住) means “dharma residing.”
18) Baryeonsa Temple. 발연사 (鉢淵寺). “Monk’s Bowl Pond Temple.”
18) Moaksan Mountain. 모악산 (母岳山). “Great Mother Mountain.” Located in Jeollabuk-do Province.
18) Songnisan Mountain. 속리산 (俗離山). “Abandoning Secular Life Mountain.” Located in Chungcheongbuk-do Province.
19) ten benevolent deeds. Guidelines for not committing the ten evils by word, deed, or thought: (1) Do not kill, (2) Do not steal or seize what is not given, (3) Do not commit adultery, (4) Do not lie, (5) Do not speak cruelly, (6) Do not speak words that cause division, (7) Do not speak pretentiously or insincerely, (8) Do not covet, (9) Do not succumb to anger, (10) Abandon foolish ways and iniquitous thoughts.
