Mountain worship (and Shamanism in general) is an ancient practice in Korea and dates back for millennia. It is still possible to discover individual shrines to the local Mountain God in remote villages and mountain valleys, but most Sansingak (Sansin shrines) are found on the grounds of Buddhist Temples. As Buddhism rose to prominence on the peninsula, it synergised with the local folk religion and absorbed a lot of Shamanistic rituals and deities into its practice. Local spirits and deities are given their due respect in Buddhist temples as spiritual landlords while the temple residents go about their business of spreading the Dharma (धर्म) and working to alleviate human suffering.
Sansin shrine. Kumsongsan (錦城山, 금성산), UisongThe Mountain God assumed different names that are still current in Korea, each of which signifies a tiger. The animal reputedly can be dispatched by angry mountain gods to harm villagers and cattle when worship is neglected. In other words, in the mudang (巫堂, 무당, shaman) of the Korean Shamanism the Sansin worship is unique. It is an important figure in the diverse and seemingly endless pantheon of Korean Shamanism, along with the Chilsong (칠성, Seven Stars or Big Dipper), the symbol of heavenly powers, and the mysterious figure of Toksong (독성, Lonely Saint), who was a disciple of the Sakyamuni Buddha left on Earth in human form. This triad, often located in the Samsonggak (삼성각, Three Sages shrine) therefore symbolises the fundamental Oriental Trinity of Heaven, Earth and Humanity, increasing its spiritual profundity and providing a separate shrine for these popular Korean folk-deities within the Buddhist religious context. The Sansin of a particular mountain is a potentially powerful ally who the mudang can call upon for aid when performing a kut (굿, ritual) and entering a trance to engage the world of the spirits. It is not unheard of for a mudang to spend months or even years on a mountain retreat in order to gain the patronage of a particularly potent Sansin.
When I first visited a Korean Buddhist temple 3 decades ago, I was amazed to find a shrine dedicated to this god located within the temple, behind and above the main Buddha Hall, a location showing the high respect given to this indigenous deity. It was clearly not a Buddhist icon, but rather Shamanic and Taoist in origin, with strong Confucian motifs and also a few recognisable Buddhist symbols mixed-in.
I am in love with mountains, fascinated by the great Asian religious traditions, so discovering the figure representing the powerful matrix of mountain-ecology and human life, and displaying the iconographic motifs of all the major eastern spiritual traditions in harmony, has been a major revelation.
Sansin is the symbol of the relationship between human beings and the ecology of the mountain where it lives. Each mountain has its own particular ‘character’ due to its topography, weather, water sources, fauna and flora, and the people that live at its feet or on its slopes over the centuries develop a complex interaction with this. They recognise, venerate and direct that relationship through the religious symbol of Sansin. The most highly-educated might feel that it is just a symbol, while others really believe that there is a deity in human form inhabiting the mountain and the local tigers are either his or her manifestations or servants.
Sansin is first among all native Korean deities, perhaps because Korea itself is mostly mountainous, the grandest mountains generally having the strongest associated traditions. Tangun Wanggom (檀君王儉, 단군왕검) Korea's mythical founding-king is thought to have become a Sansin upon ‘retirement’; all of Korea's religious traditions acknowledge its importance and the people have always worshipped him before all other deities in the order of their ceremonies. Sansin can well be said to be an archetypical figure in traditional Korean culture, due to the way in which it connects the various religious traditions to each other, forming the ‘native centre’ of the interconnected web of Korean religions.
Sansin also served and increasingly now serve as the symbol of a cultural ideal, the desired state of humanity living in balanced harmony with nature, enjoying robust health, longevity, abundance and wisdom. These ideals are generally rooted in Taoism but are also shared in Korean Shamanism, Neo-Confucianism and all types of Buddhism as well as the spiritual aspects of Korean nationalism. Remarkably, all of these differing religious traditions utilise the Sansin image and venerate this earthly deity. They regard him as a sort of king of the local mountain, vaguely as a primal ancestor and as the landlord who really owns the mountain territory, who was there before humans and their religions arrived. Buddhist temples perform regular ceremonies called Sansinje, giving offerings and recognition as a kind of rent payment. Monks find that veneration of this figure gives them stronger health and vitality to utilise on their path towards enlightenment.
Sansingak (Sansin shrine). Mangwolsa (Mangwol temple), Kyongju
Most Korean Buddhist temples have an altar set up with a painting or statue of the Sansin, frequently both with the statue placed in front of the painting. Two candles, an incense-burner and an uncovered bowl of fresh clean water are on the altar in front of the icons and possibly other offerings. Sansin is almost always depicted as a seated man—although a few are female—with white hair and beard; elderly but still healthy, strong and authoritative; kindly benevolent but still dignified, like an ideal family-patriarch. His clothing suggests royal rank. There may be a halo around his head indicating holiness and unusual energy. He is almost always holding objects in one or both hands that symbolise healthy longevity, scholastic or spiritual attainment and his earthly or spiritual powers. He is sitting on a flat rocky cliff-top in the high mountains with a grand view—these sites are called Sinsondae (Terrace for Taoist Immortals), the sort of place upon which meditation and yoga are best performed and where enlightenment takes place.
Sansindo (Sansin painting). Chonwonsa (Chonwon temple), KyongjuThere is a tiger beside the Mountain God, his pet-companion, rule-enforcer and alter-ego—king of the mountain-animals and primary symbols of Korean culture, favourite motif of traditional folk-paintings. A couple of attendants called Tongja (Child Spirit) are usually standing near their master in these paintings, like the servants of an aristocrat in dynastic times; they also hold symbolic sacred objects. Shamanist, Buddhist, Confucian, Taoist, nationalist and military symbols are used in myriad combinations in various parts of the thousands of different pieces of artwork.
Despite their relentless modernisation over the past century, Koreans still pay respect to their Sansin in a wide variety of contexts. The multi-faceted Sansin artworks, whether enshrined alone in Sansingak or in Samsonggak, are a key factor of Korean Buddhism being truly Korean, a unique characteristic that distinguishes it from similar religions of other nations. So the next time you are poking around a Buddhist temple here in Korea, do not forget to look around and greet the local Sansin before leaving the temple ground. He might just drop into your dreams bearing insam (人蔘, 인삼, ginseng), you never know!
Giorgio Olivotto
Photos by Chong Myo-hwa
Seoul, Korea
October 24, 2010
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