Stone Seated Vairocana Buddha at Sudoam Hermitage of Cheongamsa Temple, Gimcheon

This stone image enshrined in Daejeokgwangjeon Hall of Sudoam Hermitage depicts Vairocana, the Cosmic Buddha, who is the personification of the absolute universal truth. The hand gesture, in which the right hand clasps his left index finger, is a distinguishing feature of Vairocana. The seated statue, which measures 2.51 m in height together with its octagonal pedestal, is presumed to have been made circa 900 during the Unified Silla period (676-935).

According to a legend, this statue was made in Geochang. While at a loss as to how to transport the statue to Sudoam Hermitage, an old monk suddenly appeared and ran with statue on his back. On Sudosan Mountain, the monk tripped on kudzu vines and fell, so he became angry at the mountain spirit and yelled for all the kudzu to be removed from the vicinity of the temple. Since then, it is said that kudzu no longer grew in the Sudosan Mountain area.

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