Temple story · Traditional attribution
Where the White Sheep Gathered
The naming tradition of Baekyangsa
Encyclopedia of Korean Culture: 'Baekyangsa on Baegamsan', 'Baekyangsan'
A story has come down that in 1574, while Hwanyang was in residence and recited the Lotus Sutra every day, white sheep so often came flocking to hear the reading that the temple's name was changed to Baekyangsa and he also took the Dharma name Hwanyang.
When the monk Hwanyang stayed at this temple and recited the Lotus Sutra every day, it is said, white sheep often came flocking to hear the sound of the reading. So, the story goes, the temple was renamed Baekyangsa (白羊寺), 'White Sheep Temple,' and the monk took the Dharma name Hwanyang (喚羊), which also contains the character for sheep. In another telling, mountain goats came down from the hills to listen when he preached the Lotus Sutra in the main hall, so the details vary from source to source. The story dates this to 1574, but according to the Encyclopedia of Korean Culture, the names Baegamsa and Jeongtosa remained in use until the mid-nineteenth century, and Baekyangsa became the temple's one unified name only from the late nineteenth century. The older name Baegamsa (白巖寺) means 'White Rock Temple,' and Jeong Do-jeon, the political architect of the Joseon dynasty, recorded that the mountain was called Baegam because its rocks were all white. Look up at Baekhakbong, the white rock peak behind the temple, and keep both names in mind: the white rock and the white sheep.