Taejeokkwangjon
The main prayer hall (designated as South Gyeongsang Province Tangible Cultural Treasure #256) is dedicated to the Buddha of Immeasurable Light (Vairocana). The original building was destroyed by fire and rebuilt in 1817, with additional repairs completed in 1971. The building contains many images of Buddha with the attending bodhisattvas of Manjusri and Samantabhadra. "Haein" means a reflection on a calm sea and comes from a phrase of the Avatamsaka sutra.

Haein-sa is most famous for the Tripitaka Koreana (woodblocks containing the entire teachings of Buddha) housed here. Two monks, Sunung and Ijong, built the temple during the early 9th century to devote to studies of the Sutra.

Above: Entry from Haeinsa to the depositories of the Tripitaka Koreana.

Three-story pagoda
This three-story pagoda, typical of the Silla period (57 B.C.-A.D.935), is believed to have been built during the ninth century. About 6 meters tall, it is one of the largest pagodas of that period. (Designated South Gyeongsang Province Tangible Cultural Property #254.)

Haeinsa Temple
Every famous mountain in Korea has a famous temple. The Haein-sa Temple is one of the three main temples in South-Korea. Its name means "Reflection on a calm sea". It belongs to the Chogye Order, a Zen school of Buddhism. Haeinsa, on Mount Gayasan, was originally built in AD 802 by the monks, Sunung and Ijong, during the reign of King Aejang of the Silla Kingdom. Even with many fires and reconstructions, the temple remains one of the most beautiful in Korea, due to its idyllic location deep in Gayasan National Park. It reached its present-day size during the mid-tenth century. The temple has become known for housing the Tripitaka Koreana – 81,258 wooden printing blocks carved during the Goryo Dynasty (AD 918-1392), that make up the oldest, most complete, and best-preserved collection of Buddhist scriptures in the world. . Inscribed are the rules for monks, the teachings of the Buddha and the commentaries added down the ages. As well as the Tripitaka Koreana, the temple houses many other artifacts that have been designated national treasures including the Seated Stone Buddha, found at Cheongyangsa Temple, and the Stone Pagoda at Wolgwang Temple.