Source: Wawoojong Temple

Wawoojong Temple, or Wawoojongsa, is located halfway up Mt. Euni in Haegok-dong, a neighborhood in the Cheoin District of the city of Yongin in Gyeonggi Province. The temple was established in 1970 by Kim Hae-geun, a monk who was displaced by the Korean War, to create harmony among Buddhist denominations. It is an experience center for Buddhist cultures from around the world and the head temple of Korea’s Nirvana Order of Mahayana Buddhism. The term “wawoo” means “reclining ox” and refers to the enlightened Buddha. Housing the headquarters of the World Fellowship of Buddhists, the International Buddhist Cultural Exchange Association, and the Myanmar-Korea Buddhist Cultural Exchange Association, Wawoojongsa immediately gives the impression of a tourist destination in an ASEAN country—which comes as no surprise, considering that it communicates with Buddhist organizations in 41 countries.

Once you pass through the temple’s entrance at the mountain’s base, the first thing that catches the eye is an eight-meter-high iron Buddha head that is striking for both its size and benevolent . Once the statue is finished, it is expected to be about 100 meters tall. Midway up the mountain, visitors can also see a Buddha statue in a position that is rare in Korea: reclining on its side. This reclining Buddha is one of the temple’s most famous attractions and was made with wood imported from Indonesia. At 12 meters long and three meters high, it is listed in the Guinness Book of World Records as the world’s longest wooden Buddha statue. Another must-see is the World Buddha Exhibition, which displays 3,000 Buddha statues from the ASEAN countries (including Thailand, Myanmar, and others) and prays for world peace. As such, Wawoojongsa is a truly international assembly point for Buddhist culture that is especially rich in the Buddhist cultures of the ASEAN region. With travel out of the country made difficult due to COVID-19, Wawoojongsa is the best place in Korea to see Buddha statues from all over the world and experience, albeit indirectly, ASEAN’s Buddhist cultures.