Buddhist Painting of Yongmunsa Temple, Yecheon (The Eight Great Events)

This painting depicts the eight major events in the life of Sakyamuni, the Buddha. Painted in 1709, it is the oldest remaining such painting in Korea.

The painting measures 2.23 m in width and 1.73 m in height, and consists of four silk panels, with two events depicted on each panel.

Starting from the right, the first panel depicts the scene of Sakyamuni descending into the world of suffering on an elephant and the scene of Queen Maya giving birth to Sakyamuni, as he is emerging from the right side of her body.

The second panel depicts the scene of Sakyamuni realizing the transience of life as he for the first time travels outside the palace and encounters the suffering of beings and the scene of him leaving his home despite his parents’ objection.

The third panel depicts the scene of Sakyamuni walking along with the immortals on a snowy mountain and the scene of him fighting back the evil spirits.

The fourth panel depicts the scene of Sakyamuni in a deer park giving his first sermon on the Dharma and the scene of him attaining nirvana under the Bodhi Tree.

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