Dorimsa is traditionally said to have been founded by Wonhyo in 660, the seventh year of Silla’s King Muyeol. It adjoins a southern valley of Dongaksan, known for clear water flowing over broad rock shelves amid forest.
Its name is linked to a tradition that practitioners from different eras—including Doseon, Seosan, and Samyeong—gathered there “like a forest.” The anachronistic suggestion that they all met in 876 has been removed.