Samguk Yusa

by Ilyon

  Two hundred and fifty years (3,000 months) after the arrival of Ado in Silla, during the reign of King Pophung (514-540), Buddhism again arose in its full glory in Silla, thus fulfilling the prophecy of Ado's mother. (Ilyon says that other sources are at variance with this account, and in the following passage comments on the chronological problems which the sources present.)

  In the Biographies of the Monks (Seng-Chuan) compiled in the Liang and T'ang kingdoms (in China) and in the Samguk Sagi it is said that Buddhism was introduced into Koguryo and Paekje during the years of Tai-yuan at the end of Tung-Tsin. The above account is therefore correct in inferring that Ado came to Koguryo in 374, when King Sosurim was on the throne. Had Ado arrived in Silla during the reign of King Pich'o, he would have first to have stayed in Koguryo for more than a hundred years, which is unbelievable, although the great monks had miraculous powers and could die and be reborn as they chose. Again, had Ado arrived in Silla during King Mich'u's reign he would have to have gone there directly, without stopping in Koguryo. Moreover, there were in those days no cultural institutions, no ceremonial teachings and no name of the country in Kerim, so Ado could hardly have applied to the court for permission to preach Buddhism. It is also a mistake to say that Ado went directly to Silla, where incense was unknown, without stopping in Koguryo.

  Since the eastward spread of Buddhism began in Koguryo and Paekje and ended in Silla so far as Korea was concerned, and since the reign of King Nulji of Silla (417-458) came not long after that of King Sosurim of Koguryo (371-384), Ado probably arrived in Silla from Koguryo during Nulji's reign. Since it has been traditionally believed that Ado cured the mysterious malady of a Silla princess, the name Mukho-ja (Black Barbarian) appears to be a pseudonym, just as the Liang people called Dharma “blue-eyed Barbarian” and the Tsin people called the monk Taoan “Lacquerware Man.” Ado concealed his identity during his travels, in other words, and was identical with Mukhoja, as is also seen from the comment that Ado strongly resembled Mukhoja in appearance.

  Ado's mother prophesied the seven cardinal temple sites in the order of their erection, but the two biographies give the order erroneously, placing Sach'on-mi in fifth place.

  The figure 3,000 months is not exact. From the days of King Nulji to 527 in Pophung's reign is somewhat over a hundred years, so 1,000 months would be nearer the mark. 'Wo' as the family name of Ado's father also seems to be a mistake.

  Miracles of T'an-shih

  In the Biography of T'an-shih (or Hui-shih) the Monk, it is written that Shih was a man of Kuanchung (Changan, former and future capital of a unified China) who worked many miracles. In the ninth year of Tai-yuan of Tsin Hsiao Wu-ti, he took ten copies of Buddhist scriptures to Liaotung, where he preached Buddhism and won many converts. This was the beginning of Buddhism in Koguryo. (Parts of the Liaotung peninsula were at various times included in Koguryo.)

  In the first year of I-hsi (405) T'an-shih returned to Kuanchung and preached the gospel of Buddha to the people of Changan and its environs. T'an-shih's snowy feet were whiter than his snowy face, so the people called him the white-footed monk. His feet never got wet, even when he waded across muddy streams.

  In the closing days of the Tsin dynasty a fierce leader of the northern Hsiung-nu named Ho-lien Po-po led his barbarian army into Kuanchung from the north, massacring the inhabitants in countless numbers. (The Hsiung-nu were a major group of nomadic tribes in north Asia who plagued China for centuries.) Ho-lien Po-po stabbed T'an-shih through and through with his spear, but the strange monk remained unruffled, repelling every thrust with a laugh, and not taking the least harm. The barbarian admired his superhuman powers and saved the lives of all his fellow monks. T'an-shih fled through woods and swamps, undergoing all sorts of ordeals as he traveled in the habit of a mendicant.

  When T'o Pa-tao, a general in revolt against the reigning monarch, recaptured Changan from the Hsiung-nu and seized control of the state there lived in Poling a man named Tsui Ho who worshipped paganism (Taoism is intended here), hating Buddhism with a deep hatred. When T'o Pa-tao appointed him prime minister he immediately persuaded the usurper to persecute the followers of Buddha, condemning them as inimical to the state and interfering with the daily lives of the people. K'ou Chien-chih, who called himself a “Heavenly Teacher of Taoism,” abetted him in this.

  On New Year's Day in the last year of Tap'ing, T'an-shih appeared at the palace gate and asked for an audience with T'o Pa-tao in order to convert him to Buddhism. The usurper became angry and ordered his soldiers to cut off the head of the bold monk. The men struck at his neck with their long scimitars and blue dragon swords, but the blades rebounded without doing the least injury to T'an-shih. In a towering passion, T'o Pa-tao himself swung his great battleaxe, but to no avail. Finally they threw the monk into a garden where a pet tiger was kept, but the tiger simply ignored him.

  T'o Pa-tao at last realized that the monk was under the protection of Buddha. He was confined to his bed with a high fever, while T'sui Ho and K'ou Chieu'chih were stricken with pestilence. As soon as he could, T'o struck off the heads of T'sui and K'ou and destroyed their families, asserting that they had caused him to fall into the grave crime of persecuting a monk.

  T'o Pa-tao repented his sins and issued a decree granting freedom of Buddhist belief to the people throughout his domain. The account breaks off at this point, and there is no record of the later days of T'an-shih.

  According to this account T'an-shih came to the East in the last year of Tai-yuan and returned to Kuanchung in the first year of I-hsi, so he lived in the eastern land for ten years, although this fact is not recorded in the Tung-shih. The miracles he worked are similar to those of Ado, Mukhoja and Marananta at about the same period, so it is possible that “T'an-shih” is a pseudonym of one of these.

  Song of Praise to Ado

  On Kerim's Golden Bridge the snow is deep and the ice is thick;

  When will warm light come to melt them away?

  Lovely Queen of green, fair goddess of spring!

  You bring love and mercy to human hearts,

  You come to awake the buds on the plum branches in Morang's (Morye's) garden.

  62. The Martyrdom of Yomch'ok (Ech'adon)

  According to the Silla Pon-gi, in the fourteenth year of King Pophung (527), Ech'adon, a petty official of the court, immolated himself for the sake of Buddha. This event occurred in the eighth year of Pao-tung of Hsiao-Liang Wu-ti, when Dharma arrived in Chinling (Nanking) from West Ch'onch'uk (India) and Nangji Popsa the high priest first opened a lecture hall on Mt. Yongch'ui to preach Buddhism.

  During the years of Yuan-huo of T'ang Hsien-tsung (806-820). Ilnyom, a monk at Namgan Temple, wrote a eulogy of Ech'adon's martyrdom for Buddha which may be summarized as follows.

  When King Pophung was seated on his throne in the Purple Palace one day, he looked out over his domain in this eastern land and said, “The Han Emperor Ming-ti received a revelation from Buddha in a dream before the flow of Buddhist teaching to the East. I wish to build a sanctuary in which all my people can wash away their sins and receive eternal blessings.”

  His courtiers did not understand the inner significance of the King's words, and so his desire to build a Buddhist temple went unfulfilled. The King sighed deeply and said, “Because of my lack of virtue heaven and earth show no harmonious signs and my people enjoy no real happiness. I am therefore minded to turn to Buddhism for the peace of my heart, but there is no one who can assist me.”

  There was in the court a minor official of the rank of Sa-in. His family name was Pak and his nickname was Ech'adon, or Yomch'ok, a pun for porcupine. Although his father was undistinguished, his grandfather had held the rank of Ajinjong (fourth of the seventeen court grades of Silla) and his great-grandfather Suppo Kalmun-wang (Kalmun-wang is a title bestowed on the father of a reigning king, similar to that of Hongson Taewongun, father of King Kojong, during the Yi dynasty).

  In the Biography of Ado the Monk compiled by Kim Yong-haeng it is
written, ”... By that time Yomch'ok was twenty-six years old. His father was Kil-sung, his grandfather was Kong-han and his great-grandfather was Kolhae-wang.”

  The great-grandson of a noble king who had performed virtuous deeds, Yomch'ok's steadfast loyal heart was like a straight bamboo or an evergreen pine tree and his morals were as clear as a water-mirror. He was thus a likely candidate for promotion to high office in the court of the clear river4 to attend the King.

  (When he heard of the King's desire to build a temple) the young official took courage. He looked upon the King's face and said in a dignified tone, “The sages of old would lend their ears even to men of low degree if they gave wise counsel. Since I know Your Majesty's mind, I will dare to say a few words. As the song of birds heralds the approach of spring, so the gush of blood from my neck will foreshadow the full bloom of Buddhism, for in my spouting blood the people will see a miracle.”

  “For mercy's sake,” cried the King, “that is not a thing for you to do.”

  “A loyal subject will die for his country,” Yomch'ok replied, “and a righteous man will die for his king. If you cut off my head immediately for disobeying your orders to erect a temple as an example to the stubborn courtiers, who will never believe in Buddha unless they are shown a miracle, the myriad people will prostrate themselves before your throne and will worship Buddha.”

  “A great and merciful being,” the King said, “will cut his own flesh and shed his own blood to atone for the sins of the myriad creatures. He will sacrifice his own life even for the sake of the birds of the air and beasts in the slaughterhouse. Though I desire to save my people, how can I kill an innocent man like you? You would do better to avoid this fate.”

  Yomch'ok remained steadfast. “One man's earthly life is dear,” he said, “but the eternal lives of many people are dearer. If I vanish with the morning dew today, the life-giving Buddhist faith will rise with the blazing sun tomorrow. This will bring peace to your heart.”

  Finally the King assented. “The chick of the phoenix, though young, desires to fly into the high heavens. The chick of the ibis, from its hatching, wishes to swim in the strong waves. If you have set your heart on advancing the spread of Buddhism by the sacrifice of your life, you are a great man.”

  After this conversation with Yomch'ok the King called the courtiers into a royal conference and solemnly declared to them, “I wished to build a Buddhist temple in order to share peace of mind with all my loyal subjects, but you are too headstrong to execute my orders. I will put you to the rack.”

  All the courtiers trembled from head to foot. White with rage, the King roared at Yomch'ok, “You too hindered my orders and miscarried my messages. Your crime is unpardonable and you shall die. You shave your head and wear a long robe, you utter strange words—'Buddha is mystery, Buddhism gives life.' Now let your Buddha perform a miracle and save your life.” (This would seem to indicate that Yomch'ok had actually become a monk, a fact not indicated in the foregoing.)

  On the day appointed for Yomch'ok's death the executioner lifted his great sword above the young monk's head. The King, courtiers and citizens who had gathered to witness the execution all averted their eyes, for they dared not look on the horrible sight. Looking up to heaven Yomch'ok said “I die happy for the sake of Buddha. If Buddha is worth believing in, let there be a wonder after my death.”

  Down came the sword on the monk's neck, and up flew his head spouting blood as white as milk. Suddenly dark clouds covered the sky, rain poured down and there was thunder and lightning. Fish leaped from the depths of the streams and flapped in the air, frightened monkeys jumped and shrieked as the trees swayed in the whistling wind, tigers ran and dragons flew, ghosts mourned and goblins wept. It seemed that heaven and earth had turned upside down. From afar came the sound of a bell as the goddess of mercy welcomed the martyr's fragrant soul into the Lotus Paradise.

  Hot tears rolled down the King's dragon robe and cold sweat wet the courtiers to the bone. Yomch'ok's childhood friends clung to his casket and wailed as if they had lost their parents. In tears, the onlookers praised him, saying that his glorious death outshone the heroic deeds of Kaijach'u and Hong-yon in old China.5 They admired him as an immortal saint for his self-sacrificing support of the King's faith in Buddhism and for the completion of the missionary task of Ado.

  They buried his headless body on the western peak of North Mountain (Kumgang-san) m the Diamond Mountains, which were named for the Diamond Sutra, one of the Buddhist scriptures, and erected a temple in his memory called Chach'u-sa. Legend says his body was buried in the place where his flying head had fallen.

  In the fifth year of King Chinhung (544) the King erected Hung-nyun-sa as one of the cardinal temples of Kyongju where his people might worship Buddha. According to the Samguk Sagi and local tales, the construction of this temple had actually begun in the fourteenth year of King Pophung's reign (527). In the twenty-first year of this King's reign huge trees were cut down in Ch'onkyong-nim (Heaven Mirror Forest) and fashioned into magnificent pillars and other parts of the temple, which stood on large foundation stones, facing beautifully carved stone lanterns and pagodas in the courtyard.

  In the first year of Ta-ch'ing of Liang Wu-ti the Liang Emperor's envoy Shenhu brought a gift of Sari (Buddhist relics) and in the sixth year of T'ien-chia of Chen Wen-ti the Chen Emperor's envoy Liu Szu and the monk Ming-kuan brought Buddhist scriptures with them to Silla. By that time in Kyongju and its environs the golden roofs of temples glittered against the sky like the Milky Way and lotus-crowned pagodas stood in unending lines like flights of wild geese. There were bell-towers with Sanskrit-inscribed bronze bells and Buddhist banners flew from every housetop.

  Strong, brave monks, like elephants on the land and dragons in the sea carried the blessings of Buddhism to every corner of the land. Living Bodhisattvas appeared, such as Chinna at Punhwang Temple, Pogae at Pusok Temple and Odae at Naksan Temple, while celebrated monks from the West (China) visited these temples. This heavenly faith made the Three Hans one nation and their inhabitants one family, with the name of Buddha written on the heavenly door and his merit reflected in the Milky Way. Thus Buddhism arose in Silla through the grace of three sages—Ado, Pophung and Yomch'ok (otherwise called Ech'adon).

  Some years later leading Silla monks including Hyeryung, Hyo-won, Nokp'ung, Chinno and Kumui repaired Yomch'ok's grave and carved an elegy on him on his monument nearby.

  On the fifteenth of the eighth moon in the twelfth year of Yuan-huo, the ninth year of King Hondok (817), when Yongsu-Sonsa, of the Yuga sect, the chief priest of Hungnyun-sa offered sacrifices at Yomch'ok's grave, he organized his fellow monks into a prayer circle and held a memorial service on the fifth of each month to pray for the repose of Yomch'ok's soul. According to a local biography the elders of Kyongju went to Hongnyun-sa early in the morning of the fifth day of the eighth moon to offer sacrifices to Yomch'ok's soul and to mark the day and hour of his martyrdom.

  The rise of Buddhism in Silla was brought about by the harmonious labors of King Pophung and Yomch'ok, who were like water and fish in the kingdom of Buddha, as Liu Pei and Chu Koliang were during the Ch'u-Han (Ch'ok-Han) working the wonders of a dragon in the clouds.

  When Hongnyun-sa was built, King Pophung doffed his crown and donned a monk's robe. He made temple slaves of his royal relatives and himself became chief priest of the temple. Later, during the reign of King T'aejong (Muryol, 654-661), Prime Minister Kim Yang-to became a devout Buddhist and sent his two daughters Hwapo and Yonpo (Flower Jewel and Lotus Jewel) to be slaves of this temple. The whole family of Moch'ok, a traitor, were also made temple slaves. All the descendants of these families remained slaves of Hungnyun-sa, and to this day the slaves of that temple are called “royal children.”

  Upon succeeding King Pophung to the throne, King Chinhung immediately bestowed upon Hungnyun-sa a panel in the royal calligraphy bearing the Chinese inscription, “Great King's Temple of Hongnyun.” King Pophung's family name was Kim a
nd his Buddhist name was Popun or Popkong (Holy Cloud or Empty Spirit).

  The Biographies of the Monks and various books of legends say that King Pophung's Queen became a nun with the Buddhist name Popun. King Chinhung and his Queen also entered the order and both took this same name, Popun. Another book, Ch'aek-pu Won-ku, says that King Pophung's family name was Mo and his given name Chin. In the year in which the construction of Hungnyun-sa began, King Pophung's Queen founded a temple of her own called Yonghung-sa. She shaved her head when her royal husband did and became a nun, taking the religious name Myopop (Holy Mystery), and resided in the temple until she died a few years later.

  The Samguk Sagi says that in the thirty-first year of King Chin-p'yong (614) a Buddha image at Yonghung-sa fell down, and soon afterward the nun who had been the consort of King Chinhung passed away. King Chinhung was King Pophung's nephew and his Queen Sado Puin(Pak-ssi) was a daughter of Yongsil Kakkan of Moryang-ni. She also left her palace and became a nun, but she was not the builder and mistress of Yonghung-sa. It was King Pophung's Queen Lady Pado who built Yonghung-sa, with Buddha images erected in its hall, and she died there as a nun.

  The Samguk Sagi makes a serious mistake in omitting the fact that Kings Pophung and Chinhung both renounced the throne to become monks. It makes another mistake in the following passage. “In the first year of Ta-t'ung, in the year of the goat (Chong-mi) a temple was erected in Ungch'onju called Tait'ong-sa (Temple of Ta-t'ung) in honor of the Liang Emperor in China.” Ungch'on is now Kongju and was then part of Silla.6 But this temple could not have been erected in the year indicated, because at that time the erection of Hungnyun-sa in Kyongju was in full swing, so that there were neither time nor resources to work on another one. Perhaps Tait'ong-sa was erected in the first year of Chung Ta-t'ung (529).

  Song of Praise to Wonjong (King Pophung)

  His holy intelligence ruled the state for ten thousand generations to come,