Wooden Seated Sakyamuni Buddha Triad of Bulgapsa Temple, Yeonggwang

The altar of Daeungjeon Hall of Bulgapsa Temple is enshrined with an elaborately carved wooden seated Shakyamuni triad placed on a wooden pedestal. Thes tatues were made in 1635 by a group of monk- sculptors led by Priest Muyeom, who is generally regarded as one of the greatest Buddhist sculptors of the late Joseon period. The size and artistic merit of the triad make it one of the finest examples of wooden Buddhist sculpture produced in the early seventeenth century. The triad features the principal Buddha, Shakyamuni, flanked by two acolytes, Bhaisajyaguru, who is presiding over the Eastern Pure Land of Crystal Light, and Amitabha, who is presiding over the Western Pure Land of Extreme Bliss. Triads such as this style gained great popularity among Korean Buddhists in the late Joseon period, and are known to represent all of the Buddhas in the "ten directions and three realms", that comprise the entire temporal and spatial spectrum of the Buddhist universe.

Source: Korea Heritage Service signboard ↗ · collected 2026-10-08