This statue of Monk Huirang, who was active from the late Silla to the early Goryeo period, is the only extant carved representation of an eminent, highly respected monk in the country. It is presumed to have been made in the early tenth century, at a time when many carved images of monks were being made in China and Japan but not on the Korean Peninsula. It is said that Huirang was a scholarly monk who was well versed in the study of Avatamsaka (Hua-yan Sect), stayed at Haeinsa Temple, and helped Wang Geon (later King Taejo, founder of the Goryeo Dynasty) to unify the Later Three Kingdoms.
According to records from the Joseon Period, this work was kept at Haeinsa Temple (though it was moved around with the temple, from Haehaengdang Hall to Jinsangjeon Hall, then to Josanjeon Hall, and finally to Bojangjeon Hall) for hundreds of years. Records of scholars’ visits to the temple in the late Joseon period, including The Record of Gayasan Mountain by Yi Deokmu (1741 - 1793), lend credence to the story about it being kept at Haeinsa Temple. Researchers have praised the work for its superb esthetic quality, as well as its value in providing information on the method of its production, including the application of lacquer to its front (i.e. the face, the chest, the hands, and the knees) and back, and the bottom made of assembled lumber. This method of combining the front and rear sides is found in other sculpted images of Buddha made between the late Silla and early Goryeo period, including the Seated Lacquered Medicine Buddha Statue at Cheongnyangsa Temple in Bonghwa (Treasure No. 1919).
This particular work features a realistic yet conceptual portrayal of the monk, and differs markedly from other images of highly respected monks such as the Wood-Carved Statue of Monk Naong in Josadang Hall of Silleuksa Temple (1636), the Clay Statue of Monk Euisang in Josadang Hall of Buseoksa Temple (late Goryeo – early Joseon), and the Statue of Monk Yuil in Gagyeonsa, Goesan (late Joseon). Anyone who views this work will have no difficulty imagining how Monk Huirang may have looked in his lifetime, as it presents a slim, compact, full-sized body, a benevolent gaze, a light smile, and a body frame displayed over old and emaciated skin.
The piece also has a small hole made in the chest. According to a legend handed down at Haeinsa Temple, the hole was made to let mosquitoes suck blood from it and thereby prevent them obstructing other monks in their ascetic practices, although the making of a hole in the chest of a highly respected monk is also known to symbolize his occult power. A similar example can be seen in the Statue of Monk Seungga (1024; Treasure No. 1000) at Seunggasa Temple, Bukhansan Mountain, Seoul. As mentioned above, this work is thought to be the only surviving image of a highly respected monk backed up by the relevant records, which makes it a rare and precious work of great esthetic quality that attempts to portray an eminent monk, including even his inner personality, in a realistic manner.
Monk Huirang contributed greatly to the unification of the Later Three Kingdoms and the development of the study of Buddhism. Considering the historicity of the monk and the techniques used to make the work, which provide valuable information on the period in which it was made, it is a highly precious work of art. As such, it is essential to preserve and manage it with great care and to publicize its value widely by designating it as a national treasure in consideration of its importance in terms of the history of human culture, and its historic, artistic, and academic value as a work that attempts to sublimate the spiritual world of the monk.