Mireuksa Temple
This temple was built by Great Master Wonhyo
in the year when the Venerable Uisang
established Beomeosa Temple.
Location
San 1-1, Geumseong-dong, Geumjeong-gu, Busan Metropolitan City (Take a bus bound for Geumjeongsanseong Fortress at the entrance of Geumgang Park to the last stop and walk.)
Origin of Mireuksa Temple
While warships with 50,000 Japanese invaders were stationed in the coastal waters of Dongnae, Japanese spies were sent to land. Great Master Wonhyo in Mireukam Hermitage asked samiseung, a male Buddhist novice, to get five gourd-shaped bottles. Then he lined them up before a pagoda and fixed a flag of Silla’s army general on the tallest rock. Two spies climbed to Mireukam Hermitage after seeing the flag. The master strangled the spies by performing magic with the gourd bottles. The surprised spies begged for quarter. Then the master gave them the three gourd bottles, telling them to give them to their admiral. The moment the angry admiral of Japanese invaders smashed the bottles with his sword, he collapsed vomiting blood. All the Japanese invaders were frightened and ran away.
The rock where the master fixed the flag still has the fitting and sits next to Dokseonggak Hall. There is Seokgansu, a mineral spring, in the middle of the narrow stone stairway leading up Dokseonggak Hall. It is said that the master had meals with rice pouring out of a stone hole of the spring.