11-04-2025
Archaeologists Found a 1,000-Year-Old Buddha Statue With Stunning Details
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An ancient Buddha statue from the early Goryeo dynasty was recently discovered at an archaeological site in North Korea.
The Goryeo study saw the flourishing of Buddhist art and architecture funded by royalty and wealthy patrons.
Depicted by the statue is the Buddha Amitābha, a prominent figure in Mahayana Buddhism.
'…there is a world called Ultimate Bliss. In this land a Buddha called Amitābha right now teaches the Dharma.' —excerpt from the Amitābha Sutra
With its eyes closed in eternal prayer, a 1.7-meter-tall statue of a Buddha was unearthed by the Korean Archaeology Institute of the Academy of Social Sciences and the National Authority for the Protection of Cultural Heritage at an archaeological site in Yakjon-ri, South Phyongan Province, North Korea. It is an early relic of the Goryeo (pronounced 'Koryo') dynasty, which rose in 918 A.D. and lasted until 1392.
Also known as the Golden Age of Buddhism (or the Age of Enlightenment) in Korea, the Goryeo dynasty—which was a Buddhist state—saw the flourishing of religious art and architecture known as Bulsa, or 'Buddhist Projects.' Goryeo Korea was stricken by rainstorms over some periods and droughts during others, and those climate extremes are thought by many archaeologists and historians to have influenced kings to lead deeply religious lifestyles that then spread amongst the people. Rituals were carried out and prayers spoken to the heavens with the hope of a change in the climate, which might explain how artistic visions inspired by Buddhism became so popular.
Korean aristocracy sponsored most Bulsa, which ranged from temples (which could never be built in random places, so as not to hurt the veins of the Earth) to sculptures, paintings, illuminated manuscripts, ceramics, and lacquerware. Royals and upper-class patrons were concerned about welfare, stability, and peace in their mortal lives and beyond, which is likely why they were wont to approve and fund projects like this statue.
Carved into weathered stone is the face of the Buddha Amitābha, whose name translates to the Buddha of Boundless Light. Amitābha is a prominent figure in Pure Land Buddhism—a branch of Mahayana Buddhism in which believers pray to be reborn in a Pure Land, or a realm where they can study under a Buddha without earthly distractions. The Pure Land of the Buddha Amitābha is known as Sukhavati. Often depicted in Buddhist art, it is a paradise where demigods dwell, trees are always flowering, and lotus flowers bloom in pools where purified souls are reborn.
Amitābha is often shown alongside two assistant bodhisattvas (beings on the path towards bodhi or Buddhahood) though this particular statue surfaced alone. Bodhisattvas have reached the highest level of enlightenment, but refrain from entering nirvana to save others from suffering, and are considered deities in Mahayana Buddhism. What is known as the Amitābha triad is brought to life in other early Goryeo sculptures of Amitābha himself—Avalokiteśvara on his right and Mahāsthāmaprāpta to the left.
'Through analysis of the position of the Buddha's two hands and other depictions, scholars confirmed it as the image of Amitābha,' the Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) reportedly stated in a press release. 'They also deepened the survey of tile pieces from the surroundings and discovered that they were made in the early 10th century, the early period of Goryeo.'
While the tiles mentioned have not yet been shown to the public, they may be similar to tile fragments found at the site of a Goryeo temple in North Jeolla Province. Alas, during whose reign this image of Amitābha was built (and who it was built for) remains unknown.
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