Haeinsa stands on the slopes of Gayasan in Hapcheon County, South Gyeongsang Province. The mountain setting is part of the visit: roads and paths lead through a forested national park to a Buddhist complex whose history reaches back more than twelve centuries. The Korea Tourism Organization dates the temple’s foundation to 802, during the reign of King Aejang of Silla, and credits monks Suneung and Ijeong with establishing it.
The name Haeinsa is associated with “Haein samadhi,” an expression from the Flower Garland Sutra that evokes a mind reflecting the world without distortion. Haeinsa is also called a Dharma Jewel temple, one of Korea’s Three Jewel temples, because it preserves the Tripitaka Koreana, the Buddhist canon carved onto woodblocks. The temple remains an active religious community, not simply a museum setting for the collection.