by Ilyon
(The following is somewhat misleading. Chen was not a dynasty in the sense that it ruled all China. It was one of the last of the evanescent states which appeared during the period after the breakup of the Han dynasty in 220. It lasted about thirty years and was conquered in 589 by the Sui, who briefly ruled all China and were succeeded by the great T'ang dynasty in 618. Also Wonkwang is here described as visiting “Wu.” There was no such state at the time, but this may be simply a geographical expression.)
In those days China, under the rule of the Chen dynasty, was flourishing in literature and the arts. When Wonkwang attended the lectures of the disciples of Chang-yen wen-kung on Buddhism, he realized that his own unsurpassed talent in the study of worldly books was as valueless as a withered flower, and asked the Emperor for permission to become a monk. This the Emperor granted, and he was thus enabled to attend lectures on the more esoteric aspects of the religion (to which laymen were not admitted). In a short time he had committed to memory the golden sayings of the Nirvana Sutra and had skimmed through the essays on the three sections of the Buddhist scriptures (the Tripitaka or “Three Baskets"). He visited Hushan (Tiger Mountain) in Wu, where he continued his studies on the a-wakening of the Buddhist mind, and the people there would gather around him like clouds to listen to his spiritual teaching. After he had finished reading the Aham Sutra his mind became vacant of worldly greed, round and straight like a bamboo tube. He resolved to live on this mountain and make pilgrimages to various holy monasteries.
At this time a Chinese hermit who lived at the foot of the mountain invited him to give a series of lectures. At first he stood on ceremony, but after repeated requests he lectured on Panyagyong (Prajna in Sanskrit), a book on intelligence, and gave such correct interpretations in such fine rhetoric that his audience was moved to tears of gratitude. Soon his fame had spread all over China, and multitudes came from afar to hear him lecture on the teachings of Buddha.
After a time the Sui Emperor conquered Chen and destroyed it. When the Sui army entered Yangtu (the capital), Wonkwang was taken captive and was about to be killed. But just at that moment, the Sui general noticed that the temple pagoda was in flames. He rushed forward to save the historic treasure from fire, but on a nearer view he saw that the pagoda was not burning despite the flames which enveloped it, and that Wonkwang, bound hand and foot, was kneeling before its holy pedestal. The general was awe-struck by the Silla monk, who no doubt was working wonders through the providence of Buddha even in a time of emergency, and set him free at once.
Wonkwang was praised in Wu and Yueh in South China as a holy monk of the highest learning. But as he wished to see the old civilizations of Chou and Ch'in (the names of two ancient Chinese dynasties) in north China, he visited the Sui capital of Changan in the ninth year of Kai-huang (589). There he expounded the mysteries of Buddhism and quoted from its scriptures to the admiration of the Chinese people, among whom Buddhism was just beginning to grow at that time. Wonkwang wished to spread the same enlightenment in his own country, and asked the Emperor for permission to return to Kyongju. The Emperor granted his request and sent him off after a sumptuous farewell banquet in the inner palace.
When Wonkwang returned home after his long absence (Samguk Sagi says twelve years) the people of Silla, men and women, young and old, welcomed him heartily, and the King received him in audience with the highest respect, treating him as a sage.
Wonkwang was a quiet man devoid of passion, loving and giving by nature. His face always wore a warm smile and never gave the least sign of anger. All the King's personal letters to the Emperor, the credentials issued to envoys to China, and other state correspondence with the Celestial Empire were drafted by this learned monk, from whose brush poured elegant phrases like a cataract falling from the Milky Way. The King entrusted him with the moral government of the state, and the noble monk, who never wore the court dress of embroidered brocade, presented the throne with wise counsels and was a living model for fine deeds. When he was bent and hoary with age, he entered the palace in a carriage drawn by richly caparisoned horses, and the King entertained him in person with nourishing food and medicine and gave him the warmest clothes. Before his death the King asked him how to achieve good government, and he revealed the signs of good or evil fortune for the state from the throne to the plow, according to whether the administration was moral or immoral.
In the fifty-eighth year of Konpok during the reign of King Chinp'yong (640, but this must be a mistake. Chinp'yong ruled from 579 to 632) when he was ninety-nine years old, Wonkwang complained of a mild indisposition, and after seven days passed away, sitting in an erect posture at Hwangnyong Temple where he had resided for so long, leaving behind an earnest will. This was in the fourth year of T'ang Chen-kuan (this must be a mistake for the fourteenth year). When he breathed his last the sound of music was heard to the northeast of the temple and the air was filled with a strange fragrance. All who gathered in the hall to pay their last respects to him were moved to tears at his inspired spirit, working such wonders even after his death. His ashes were buried in the suburbs of Kyongju with the funeral ceremony due a prince.
Many years later a worldly man whose child had been born dead, believing the vulgar superstition that if such a child were buried in the grave of a person who had lived a good life the same good fortune would descend to its family, buried the embryo in Wonkwang's tomb. But on the same day the little corpse was struck by a thunderbolt and hurled out of the tomb. Seeing this punishment, all the people worshipped his spirit with still greater respect.
Wonkwang's disciple Wonan was a man of great intelligence and a seeker of truth. He traveled to Hwanto in the north and Pullae in the east (the first of these was an ancient capital of Koguryo on the Yalu and the second is modern Anbyon in the old lands of the Ye tribe) and to Yen-wei (in north China) in the west. When he visited Changan, the capital of the T'ang Empire, he studied the customs of the Chinese and various essays on religion. Later on he became engrossed in the study of Buddhism, following in the footsteps of his master Wonkwang. While he was residing at a temple in Changan the T'ang Emperor, on the recommendation of the courtier Su Wu, invited him to live at Tsinliang Temple, where he was given comfortable accommodations and the four necessities were furnished him six times daily. (This last is a conventional Chinese expression. The four necessities were housing, clothing, food and herb medicine and the six times were sunrise, midday, sunset, early evening, midnight and before going to bed.)
In a memorandum about his master Wonkwang, Wonan wrote, “The King of Silla was taken seriously ill and no medicine could do him any good. His Majesty called on Wonkwang to stay in the palace and expound the mysteries of Buddhism to him. Wonkwang obeyed, and explained to the King Buddha's commandments of repentance and faith. One evening the King glanced at Wonkwang and was astonished to see that he was enveloped in a shining halo. The Queen and the court ladies begged the holy monk not to leave the royal presence. Shining like the evening sun, Wonkwang obeyed, and soon the King's malady was cured.
“Wonkwang gave lectures on Buddhism in Chinhan and Mahan (old names for southern Korea) in order to lead the younger generation along the path of Buddhism. When he received personal gifts from people he always gave them away to be used for the maintenance of temples, so that when he died he left behind only his robe and tableware.” (Quoted from Tal-ham, a Buddhist Book.)
In an antique record preserved in the home of Chong-hyo, a retired official in the Eastern Capital (Kyongju), there are the following stories about the life of Wonkwang:
Wonkwang's secular family name was Sol and he was a native of Kyongju. At the age of thirty he began a solitary life in a quiet hermitage on Mt. Samgi (southwest of modern Ankang) to pursue his studies. Four years later another monk built a hermitage nearby and lived there for two years. This monk was of a ferocious temperament and loved to chant spells and work magic. One night while Wonkwang was reciting the scriptures to himself a ghost suddenly called his name and
said, “Fine monk! Fine deed! Monks may recite the scriptures, but few act in accordance with Buddhist principles. Look at the monk next door. He is shouting all kinds of spells, but he gains nothing. On the contrary, his loud noise interferes with the quiet meditations of his neighbors. Still worse, his house blocks my way, forcing me to make a long detour in my nightly rounds, so I hate him. I wish you to tell him to move to another place, or he will be terribly punished.”
The following morning Wonkwang warned the monk as the ghost had asked, but he only laughed and said, “What a hermit you are! You are enchanted with a devil. Don't worry about the words of the ghost of a female fox.”
That night the ghost reappeared and asked “What did the monk say about my warning?”
Wonkwang feared that the ghost might vent its anger on him, so he answered in a roundabout way, “I have not yet told him, but if I deliver your warning he will not dare to disobey.”
“Never mind,” the ghost interposed, “I have already heard your conversation. Why do you not speak the truth? Now be silent and watch what I shall do.”
At midnight that night Wonkwang heard a thunderous sound that shook heaven and earth, and in the morning he saw that a mountain had collapsed and buried the other monk's dwelling. The ghost appeared for the third time and said, “How do you feel about this?”
“I am quite surprised,” Wonkwang answered.
“I am three hundred thousand years old,” the ghost said, “and in magic I am second to none. To destroy a mountain is a simple trick and nothing to be surprised at. I know all coming events, for I am familiar with the affairs of both heaven and earth.
“You live here now in solitude, and this may be of benefit to you, but not to other people. If you do not make yourself known you will never reap the fruits of your hard study. You must go to the Middle Kingdom and study Buddhism there so that you may become a guiding light to the people of your dark country.”
“It is my cherished hope to study Buddhism in the Middle Kingdom,” Wonkwang replied, “but I cannot travel to a land so far away across the sea, nor am I well informed about that country.”
The ghost laughed and gave him an itinerary for a trip to China which contained all the information he needed. Wonkwang took courage and sailed to China where he stayed for eleven years, during which he mastered the major Buddhist scriptures as well as the Confucian Classics. In the twenty-second year of King Chinp'yong (600) he returned in the party of a T'ang envoy. (Slight confusion here since the T'ang rulers were not in full control of China until 618.) He went to his old residence on Mt. Samgi in order to thank the ghost, and when night fell it appeared.
“Did you enjoy your visit to the Middle Kingdom?” the ghost asked.
“By your grace,” said Wonkwang, “I had a successful visit to China and a pleasant voyage home.”
“Good!” said the ghost. “Now I will give you my promise concerning mutual salvation from rebirth.”
“Can I see your true appearance?” Wonkwang asked.
“If you wish to see my true appearance,” the ghost replied, “look up into the eastern sky tomorrow morning.”
When Wonkwang looked at the eastern sky next morning he saw a long rainbow-like arm in the clouds building a bridge from earth to heaven. That evening the ghost appeared again. “Did you see my long arm?” it asked.
“Yes, it was magnificent,” Wonkwang said. (Ilyon says that from this time the name of the place was changed to Pijang-san, Long-arm Mountain.)
“Even though I have stayed long on this earth,” the ghost said, “I cannot escape death some day, and so soon I must throw myself from yonder mountain pass. Come and bid my parting soul farewell.”
When Wonkwang arrived on the mountain pass at the appointed time, he found an old black female fox, which panted its last breath and died, stretching out its four limbs and long tail. (The account in the “antique record” ends here and Ilyon resumes.)
When Wonkwang returned from China the King and court honored him as a great teacher and attended his lectures on the Taesung Sutra. At this time Koguryo and Paekje were attacking Silla border towns and disturbing peace and order. The King was greatly worried and wished to ask the Sui government for aid. He summoned Wonkwang and commanded him to write an official letter to the Emperor. So well did Wonkwang execute this task that the Emperor ordered out 300,000 troops and led them in person against Koguryo. After this Wonkwang was also praised for his accomplishments in Chinese literature, and the writing skill capable of moving the hearts of men. He died at the age of eighty-four and his ashes were buried on a hill west of Myonghwal Castle.
In the book Samguk Yoljon it is written that Kwisan, a country squire in Saryang-pu had a friend named Ch'uhang. One day as they were conversing one of them said, “If we are to mingle in polite society we must learn how to behave like gentlemen with honest hearts in order not to bring dishonor upon ourselves.” They heard that Wonkwang Popsa had just returned from China and was living at Kasul-got. (Ch'ongdo. Uyon says that about 9,000 footspans east of Unmun Temple there is a mountain called Kasul-hyon and north of this mountain are the ruins of Kasfil-got, which is also called Kaso Temple.)
The two men visited the eminent monk and asked him to give them a golden maxim which would serve to guide their behavior through life. Wonkwang replied, “There are ten commandments of the Bodhisattvas, but since you are the subjects of a king you can hardly keep them. (That is, these commandments would require them to become monks.) The five secular commandments are: 1) Serve the King with loyalty, 2) Honor your parents with filial piety, 3) Treat friends with sincerity, 4) Fight the enemy with bravery, and 5) Kill living animals with discriminating mercy. You should observe these commandments consistently, without the least neglect.”
Kwisan said, “We can understand all the other commandments, but we do not know how to kill living animals with discriminating mercy.”
Wonkwang replied, “This means no killing on the six purification days (six days each month on which certain Buddhist rituals were performed) or in the spring and summer months; no killing of domestic animals such as horses, cattle, fowl or dogs; and no killing of small fish or fish eggs. Moreover, there should be no killing of other animals for food beyond what is absolutely necessary. These are the commandments for doing good in this world.”
Kwisan and his friend pledged that they would keep these commandments without fail. Some years later they were called to the colors and performed many a feat of arms with unexcelled valor.
In the autumn of the thirtieth year of Konpok when King Chin-p'yong had been on the throne for thirty-five years, the Sui envoy Wang Shih-i came to Silla and sponsored a hundred-seat seminar at which eminent monks lectured on the Buddhist scriptures. Wonkwang presided over this seminar.
. Since the time when Wonjong (King Pophung) had established Buddhism as a bridge of salvation, the deeper meaning of Buddhism had not yet been expounded to the people in order to lead them to reliance on the Three Treasures (Buddha, Buddhist doctrine and the order of monks) and to repent their sins. Therefore a foundation was established to interpret the signs by which the state of the believers' souls might be interpreted. (Ilyon actually says “divination foundation.”) At that time a pious monk donated a farm of a hundred kyol for the foundation's support. This farm is located in Tongp'yong county.
Wonkwang was a quiet man of mild temperament who always smiled and never showed anger in his looks. In his old age the King gave him free access to the palace in a carriage. He was unexcelled in virtue and accomplishment. His deep knowledge of both Buddhist and Confucian literature and his great ability as a writer were much admired by his contemporaries. He died in his eighties during the years of T'ang Chen-kuan. His tomb is at Kumgok Temple on Mt, Samgi, to the west of Myong-hwal Castle (Sonam-dong, Ankang. This was a stone mausoleum in which relics of eminent monks were enshrined).
The T'ang and Silla biographies differ as to Wonkwang's family name, one saying it was Pak and he became a monk in the
East (Korea) and the other saying it was Sol and he became a monk in the West (China), as if they were describing two different people. In neither biography is any mention made of Chakgot, Imok or Unmun. Kim Ch'ok-myong, a Silla writer, included in his Biography of Wonkwang Popsa quotations from folktales and confused the deeds of Wonkwang with those of Poyang, the founder of Unmun Temple. Later the author of the Biographies of the Monks of Korea confused his readers by repeating the same errors. I have therefore quoted extensively from both accounts. In the days of Chen-Sui few men from Haedong (Korea) crossed the sea to study Buddhism in the Middle Kingdom until Wonkwang made himself famous in the West (China) and opened the way for other monks to follow him.
Song of Praise to Wonkwang
He crossed the sea and climbed the clouds
To open a new road in the land of Han;
How many people came and went to build virtue!
The antique traces remain in the blue hills—
The old shadow in Kumgok-Kaso tells his long story.
98. Poyang, the Pear-Tree and the Dragon
The Biography of Poyang contains no information about his family background or his native place. According to an old record in the Ch'ongdo county office for January in the eighth year of T'ien-fu (943) when T'aejo (Wang Kon) had been on the throne for twenty-six years, the monastery on Mt. Unmun was bounded on the east by Kaso-hyon and on the south by Anijom. The temple and its forest land were managed by Poyang Hwasang (High Priest), Hyon-hoe (Abbot) and Chikse Sinwon Sonsa (priest). This statement is based on the land register of Ch'ongdo county office.
In the third year of Kai-yuan it was inscribed on the boundary tower that the temple had eleven landmarks, including Anijom, Kaso-hyon, Myo-hyon, Sopuk-mae-hyon and Puk-chojok-mun.
In the Chinyang-pu Record (dated the year of the tiger) a surveyor named Yi Son recorded the foundation dates and condition of all the monasteries of the Son (Zen) sect in each province. In September of the sixth year of Cheng-p'eng, (1161) when King Uijong was on the throne, an old record was found in the house of Yi Ch'uk-chong (a former military officer in Ch'ongdo) in which this survey was certified by Kim Yang-sin, Min Yuk, Yun Ung, Chin Ki and Yong Song, all retired local officials. At that time the country magistrate, Yi Sa-ro, was eighty-nine years old.