15 Years Later, the Buddha Still Lies Face Down

It has been 15 years since the discovery of the Yeoram Valley Buddha, but it still lies face down on the ground. There may be various reasons why it has not been righted yet, but a major reason is the inconsistent policies of Korea’s Cultural Heritage Administration ^{(hereafter “CHA”)}.

In December 2011, the CHA made it a goal to preserve the Yeoram Valley Buddha as it is, and tried to establish a viewing area below it. But the next year they reevaluated the plan due to possible damage that plan might do to the Buddha. In 2013, the CHA again decided to preserve the Buddha in its current face-down position. Then in 2015, it transferred control of the project to Gyeongju City, the municipality governing the area where the Buddha is located, which then considered ways to erect the Buddha.

Gyeongju City commissioned the Korea Institute of Civil Engineering and Building Technology to research how best to erect the Buddha. That took from 2015 to 2016. Then the Committee of Cultural Properties asked for a simulation of their proposed plan. That put the project back on square one. In a presentation given in 2017, it was indicated that the process of erecting the Buddha might cause damage to the Buddha itself because the surrounding ground is not firm enough. At present, Gyeongju City and CHA have finished the 2020 Surrounding Area Maintenance Project.

Later, the 36th President of the Jogye Order included erection of the Yeoram Valley Buddha in the Order’s “One Million Vows Assembly” and held a prayer assembly in November 2021. This focused greater attention on the issue.

Choe Eung-cheon, Director of the CHA, said in an interview after his visit with Ven. Jinu, “In collaboration with Gyeongju City, the CHA will confirm the Buddha’s original location and make a discreet plan to erect it. We are seriously weighing the idea of moving up the date too.” It has been over 15 years since the Yeoram Valley Buddha was discovered, and broad inter-agency agreements to erect the Buddha are now a reality.

Why Restore the Yeoram Valley Buddha Now?

The project titled “Proper Enshrinement of the Yeoram Valley Buddha in Gyeongju” began just 26 days after Ven. Jinu’s proposal. Jogye Order of Korean Buddhism Headquarters held an “Informing Ceremony” for the project on Oct. 31 in Yeoram Valley and took the first step.

A careful examination of the Informing Ceremony’s statement—which was reported to the Buddha—and Ven. Jinu’s opening speech, revealed the importance and urgency of the project. This project will conclusively lead to the revitalization of Buddhism and national prosperity based on a heightened sense of Buddhist spirit, as seen in the following citation:

“Today on Mt. Namsan, the fourfold Buddhist community has gathered with devout aspirations and vows to properly enshrine the Yeoram Valley Buddha which has lain face down on the ground for the last 1,000 years. Our firm vows are intended to establish a framework for the revitalization of Buddhism by propagating the Buddhadharma with truth. Our minds represent our honest pledge to bring prosperity to Korea for the sake of Korean citizens’ harmony and happiness.”

In addition, the statement also reflects feelings of self-reproach and repentance for the improper maintenance of a beautiful cultural relic inherited from our ancestors. Ven. Jinu’s 108 prostrations before the Yeoram Valley Buddha before holding the Informing Ceremony can be interpreted in the same light. He further said, “Previously, when I served as director of Monastic Training, I visited Yeoram Valley to participate in the One Million Vows Assembly, and there I made a vow to erect the Buddha. In the West, if a statue of Jesus or a cross had fallen over, would people just sit idly by on their hands? It is an issue that hurts our pride as Buddhists, and an issue of national dignity when a cultural property is neglected.”

How to Enshrine the Yeoram Valley Buddha

The hosts of the restoration project—Gyeongju City and North Gyeongsang Province—do not differ greatly on the issue of properly restoring and enshrining the Buddha. Gyeongju City’s second commissioned research on how to erect and preserve the Buddha will be completed the second half of next year. As the mayor of Gyeongju indicated, the first task of the research is to confirm the original location of the Buddha.

At the Oct. 31 Informing Ceremony, Gyeongju’s Mayor Ju Nak-yeong said, “Since the Buddha was found in 2007, Gyeongju City has prepared a preservation/maintenance plan in cooperation with other concerned organizations, including the CHA, and in October 2021, we finished the surrounding area maintenance project which cost 1.6 billion won. At present, through commissioned research, we are trying to decide where to erect the Buddha. I will do my best to plan to properly enshrine the Buddha in close cooperation with the Buddhist and academic communities.”