Beomeosa ( 범어사 / 梵 魚 寺 ) introduction Home Page : www . beomeosa . org / Phone Number : 051 - 508 - 3122 Address : 546 , Cheongnyong - dong , Geumjeong - gu , Busan . S . KOREAThe Temple of Beautiful GatesPomo - sa stands on Kumjong - san , a mountain at the end of the T ' aebaek Range which forms the backbone of the Korean peninsula . The mountain is carefully described in a Choson Dynasty geography book as having a huge rock at the summit on top of which there is a golden well which never , ever dries up . Legend tells that the water of this well has very special magical properties . one day a golden fish came from heaven and has lived there ever since . Thus the name of the temple came to be ＂ Heavenly Fish . ＂ Elsewhere it is said that the fish came from Nirvana , the Buddhist state of non - suffering . So the temples name became ＂ Where fish from Nirvana Play . ＂ It is recorded that Pomo - sa Temple was established by Master Uisang ( 625 - 702 ) in 678 during the reign of King Munmu ( r . 661 - 681 ) , one of the greatest Shilla kings , the first to unite the peninsula in 668 . During one of the Japanese invasions of the peninsula , the king had a dream in which he was told to get Master Uisang to chant for seven days and then establish a temple on Kumjong - san Mountain . So the king organized the meeting and , at the end , the earth opened up and all the Buddhas and Bodhisattvas appeared and helped to drive away the Japanese . Destroyed during the Hideyoshi Invasion , Pomo - sa Temple was reconstructed in 1602 and renovated in 1613 . However , Shilla pagodas and lanterns still remain . Pomo - sa is very famous for its gates . The temple is laid out in an unusual manner . The compound , composed of three levels , is clearly divided . The upper level is around the Main Hall . The second level is around the Poje - ru , the ＂ Save all Beings ＂ Hall and the lower part includes the three gates . The first gate is called the one - pillar Gate . It was built in 1614 and is Provincial Treasure No . 12 . one reason for the strange name is that , when you look from one side , the two pillars appear as one ! Another is that all who enter are urged to search for the truth of the oneness of mind . The second gate is the Four Guardians ' Gate where the four awesome protectors of the temple greet you . The Four Guardians all bear a fierce countenance and trample the opponents of Buddhism under their feet . Of Hindu origin these protectors are said to have helped Siddhartha Gautama , the Buddha - to - be , to leave his father ' s house on the night of his renunciation by each taking hold of one hoof of Siddhartha ' s horse and lifting him over the palace walls . The third gate , Gate of Non - duality represents the fact that , though the visitor is passing from the secular world into the spiritual world of the temple , these two worlds are not different from one another , they are not - two , non - dual . The third level of the compound centers around the very beautiful Main Hall . It is Treasure No . 434 and was rebuilt by Master Myojun in 1614 . The interior wooden carvings show a very refined level of Choson Dynasty craftsmanship . on the ceiling , there are many flowers which have been carved because of the legend that , whenever the Buddha teaches , flowers always fall from the heavens . Pomo - sa has two main stupas . The three - storey stupa is from the Shilla Period about 830 . It is four meters in height and is Treasure No . 250 . The seven - storey stupa is new . Relics of the Buddha , brought to Korea by a Indian monk , have been enshrined within it . Just nearby there is the only stone lantern in Pomo - sa , Pusan Cultural Asset No . 16 which dates from the 9 th century . There is a famous painting of Vairocana in Pomo - sa . It used to hang behind the statue but now it is in a separate building . The harmony of colors gives the viewer a lovely feeling when looking at the painting . In the mountains near Pomo - sa Temple , there are 11 different hermitages . Each one is very individual and delightful to visit . Pomo - sa is a wonderful temple to go to because , as you climb up above sprawling Pusan , you can enjoy the famous forest of wisteria trees . How to get to BeomneosaBy Subway ( Busan ) : Line No . 1 from Busan Station to Beomeosa Station and take a circle bus No . 90 Or . local bus No . 37 , 48 , 148 , 49 , 50 , 50 - 1 or 347