On the Elevated Terrace at the Corner

Abstract

In this study, I revisit the long-standing debate over the origin of the T'ongdosa ordination platform, drawing on Daoxuan's commentary on the sīmā (monastic boundary). I argue that the initial platform was far from the type of stone structure it is now, but rather was an exposed, leveled ground built on an elevated terrace at the northwest corner of the monastery proper. In combination with the ordination facility and the Buddhist pagoda, the initial ordination platform of T'ongdosa served as an important model for those subsequently built in Unified Silla and beyond.