Judgment Hall (Myeongbu-jeon or Jijang-jeon)

명부전

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​This hall is dedicated to Ksitigarbha Bodhisattva (Jijang Bosal). In English he is variously called: the Earth-Storehouse Bodhisattva, the Bodhisattva of Great Vows, the Bodhisattva of Hell, or the Bodhisattva of the Afterlife. Ksitigarbha has sworn not to enter nirvana until every being is freed from hell. According to Korean folk beliefs, the deceased pass before ten kings to be judged. Ksitigarbha acts on their behalf to ensure salvation and protects them while they are in the intermediate state between death and rebirth, as well as those lost in the underworld.

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​- excerpt from Buddhist English (Elementary 1) published in 2014 by the Jogye Order of Korean Buddhism​​​