by Ilyon
Song of Praise to Hyesuk and Hyegong
Suk! You go out hunting birds in the fields
And return to sleep in a woman's bed.
Gong! Going out, you drink, sing and dance,
And returning, sleep in the well.
Where are your buried shoe and your floating body?
You are a pair of treasures, like two lotus blossoms in a flame.
102. Chajang Establishes the Buddhist Laws
The family name of the great monk Chajang was Kim-ssi and he was the son of Murim, a nobleman of Chingol (royal) stock who was honored with the third-rank title of Sopan in Chinhan. His father was an important court official who, since he had no son, prayed to Kwanum Boddhisattva, pledging, “If I have a son I will make him a bridge to the world of Buddha.”
On the night when he ended his prayer, his wife dreamed that a star fell from heaven and entered her bosom. She conceived that very night and in due time bore a son. This was Chajang. Because he was born on Buddha's birthday he was named Sonjongnang.
Chajang was pure of heart and keen of mind. He had no use for worldly pleasures and occupied himself solely with literature and art. In his youth fine verses rich in noble conceptions already flowed from his brush. He was orphaned early in life. Tired of the annoyances of worldly society he took leave of his wife and children and gave away his estates to found a temple called Wonyong-sa. There he lived a hermit's life in the deep mountains, unafraid of tigers and wolves, and meditated on the transience of this life, seeing all human beings as no more than withered bones.
In order to combat weariness and idleness he built a small cell whose four walls were covered with brambles and thorns and whose ceiling consisted of chestnut burrs. He sat naked and erect in the middle of this cell with his head tied to a roof-beam to help keep his mind in full awareness.
At that time a ministerial post fell vacant at court and Chajang was repeatedly asked to fill it in view of his noble birth,2 but he consistently refused. The King was displeased and sent a message saying, “If you do not accept this official position I will have your head cut off for disobedience to your King.”
But the dauntless monk replied, “I would rather die in one day for the sake of keeping Buddha's commandments than live for a hundred years while breaking them.” When the King received this reply, he finally gave formal permission for Chajang to remain a monk for life.
There was nothing to eat among the rocks and trees where he lived, and he would surely have starved to death had it not been for a strange bird which brought him dainty and nourishing fruit for his daily food. One day he fell into a trance in which a heavenly being appeared to him and expounded the Five Commandments of Buddha. After this he walked down into the valley and began explaining these commandments to the people, who gathered from near and far with great rejoicing.
Chajang lamented that his development was hampered in the Eastern corner of little learning (Korea) and so decided to study in the West (China) in order to obtain wider knowledge. Having received Queen Sondok's royal sanction in the third year of Inp'yong (the Queen's reign title), that is in the tenth year of Chen-kuan of T'ang T'ai-tsung (636) he set out for China with ten attendants including his disciple Sil and went to Ch'ingliangshan. On this mountain there was a clay statue of Munsu Buddha said to have been made by heavenly sculptors under the personal direction of the Chesok god, according to Chinese legends.
Chajang bowed to this image and worshipped it. As he meditated lie fell into a deep trance, in which the image stroked his head and taught him a verse in Sanskrit. When he awoke he remembered this verse exactly but could not understand its meaning. The next morning a strange monk appeared and interpreted the verse for him, adding “'Even though you study ten thousand texts, none of them will excel these four lines.” The monk then gave him a robe and some sari and vanished. (The details of this story are found in Book Three. Ilyon says that because Chajang at first kept this event to himself, it was not recorded in the T'ang Biographies of Monks.)
Chajang realized that he had received a precious saying of Buddha in that verse. He climbed down Peitai, passed T'aiho pool and reached Changan, the T'ang capital. Emperor T'ai-tsung sent an imperial messenger to conduct him to a monastery named Shengkuang-pieh-yuan, showing him special favor, bestowing gifts upon him, and giving him the finest accommodations. But Chajang disliked splendor and state, and eventually he built himself a low cottage under a rock on Nanshan (South Mountain) to the east of Yunchi Temple. There he lived for three years, during which time he worked many wonders. When he returned to Changan the Emperor presented him with 200 rolls (of 40 yards each) of silk for use as clothing.
In the seventeenth year of Chen-kuan (643) Queen Sondok of Silla sent a personal letter to the Emperor requesting that Chajang be allowed to return home, and the Emperor granted this wish. His Majesty invited Chajang to a farewell banquet in the inner palace and bestowed on the great monk one suit of silk and 500 suits of brocade. The T'ang Crown Prince also gave him 200 suits of brocade in addition to many other gifts. Chajang wished to take with him a copy of the Buddhist scriptures (Taejang-gyong), various Buddhist banners and certain flowers, and these also were given him. So with a large cargo of precious gifts from China Chajang returned to Silla and received an enthusiastic welcome.
The Queen established him in Punhwang Temple (the T'ang Biography says Wangfen-szu) with regular provisions for his daily life and personal guards. One summer he was invited to the palace to lecture on the way to achieve the ideals of the living Buddha. On another occasion he lectured at Hwangnyong Temple for seven days and nights on the commandments of the Boddhisattvas. During this time sweet rain fell from heaven and mild clouds covered the hall, causing the-audience to admire his wonder-working power.
At this time the court gave Chajang the title of Great National Priest and made him the head of all Buddhist organizations in the kingdom, with power to draft a set of uniform regulations by which they should henceforth be ruled.
(Here follows a list of precedents for this action, first Chinese and then Korean.) During the years of T'ien-pao Pei-ch'i divided each diocese in the kingdom into ten districts and appointed priests and great priests. Liang and Chen appointed national priests, provincial priests, country priests and abbots affiliated with the Chao-hsien Ts'ao (Supervisor of monks and nuns). The T'ang rulers named ten great priests.
In the eleventh year of King Chinhung of Silla (550) Anjang Popsa was named Taesosong with two Sososong under him. In the following year Hyeryang Popsa of Koguryo was appointed national priest and entitled temple master. Poryang Popsa was appointed Taedoyuna with nine provincial priests and eighteen country priests under him.
Chajang was appointed great national priest, but this was not an active administrative post but an honorary title like T'ae-Tae-Kakkan (Elder Statesman), a title conferred on Kim Yu-sin when Puyerang was appointed Tae-Kakkan (Prime Minister). Later King Wonsong (785-798) appointed monk officials with one Taesa and two Sa (master teacher and teachers) on the permanent working staff. Therefore, the purple-robed monks belong to separate branches of the temples.
In a local biography from Silla it is written, “When Chajang was visiting China Emperor T'ai-tsung invited him to the palace (Wuch'ientien) to lecture on Hwaom doctrine and in the midst of his lecture heaven sent down honeydew, so the Emperor made him a national priest.” But neither the T'ang biographies nor the Samguk Sagi makes any mention of this incident.
Chajang availed himself of this appointment to propagate Buddhism throughout Silla by establishing the following regulations: 1) In the five monasteries and nunneries more of the ancient scriptures were to be taught; 2) Seminars on the Buddhist commandments were to be held for a half-moon period in winter and spring each year, and all monks and nuns were to undergo examinations on these commandments; 3) An administrative office was to be set up and officials sent regularly on tours to ascertain the condition of temple property and to warn the clergy against error, while encourag
ing them to care for the images in the temples and to conduct religious ceremonies regularly.
As a result, a new order of Buddhism flourished in Silla, like the flourishing of Confucianism in China when the great sage (Confucius) returned to Lu from Wei to revive the elegant odes of Ya and Sung, eliminating lewd ballads and publishing artistic lyrics which ennobled the human heart. (This refers to Confucius' decision to abandon his attempts at a political career, return to his native place (Lu) and turn his attention to editing the books which later became known as the Confucian Classics. His traditional dates are 551-479 B.C.)
At this time eight or nine of every ten families in Silla wanted to have their sons and daughters become monks and nuns, and the number increased yearly. T'ongdo Temple (near Pusan) was therefore established (as a place of initiation) where applicants to join the order were received after taking an oath and purifying themselves.
Chajang donated his country home to the foundation of a temple called Wonyong-sa, and on the day of its completion gave a lecture on the verses of Buddha (Ten Thousand Songs of Flowers), at which time fifty-two heavenly maidens appeared in the audience. Chajang had his disciples plant memorial trees according to the number of these maidens and named them Chisik-su (Trees of Knowledge) to commemorate this miracle of Buddha.
Chajang proposed to the royal court the use of the T'ang court dress because of its elegance and dignity. Queen Chindok approved of the plan, and in the third year of her reign (649) the T'ang costume was first worn by herself and her court, In the following year the T'ang calendar was adopted in Silla and events were thenceforth dated by the T'ang Emperors' reign titles and eras beginning with Ying-hui of T'ang Kao-tsung (third T'ang Emperor, 649-683) in both official and unofficial records, From this time the Silla envoy took precedence over those of all other tributary states at the T'ang court.
When Chajang had reached an advanced age he bade farewell to Kyongju and went to Kangnung county (now Myongju), where he founded Suta Temple as a place to live quietly. One night in a dream a strange monk resembling the one he had met at Peitai (Wutaishan) appeared and said he wanted to meet Chajang at Taesongjong the next day. Chajang arose in wonder and went to the appointed place, where the Munsu Buddha appeared to him in human shape and said, “I will see you again at Kalbonchi in the T'aebaek Mountains,” and then vanished from sight. (In Songjong, Ilyon says, no brambles grow and no hawks make their nests to this day.)
Chajang climbed the T'aebaek mountains and found a large snake coiled under a tree. “This is Kalbonchi,” he told his attendants. He built a temple there called Soknamwon (now Chongam-sa), and awaited the descent of the sage. After a while a ragged old hermit carrying a dead puppy in an arrowroot basket appeared and said to an attendant, “I have come to see Chajang.”
“Who are you,” the attendant retorted, “and why this mad calling on the name of our master?”
The stranger cooly replied, “Go and tell your master that I am here to see him—only that and nothing more.”
When the incident was described to Chajang he wondered if the fellow were a madman. But when they shouted at him to go, the old man said “How can a Narcissus see me?” and turned his basket upside down. Out of it came, not a dead puppy but a lion on a throne, radiating a dazzling light for a moment, and then the old man vanished. (A symbol of Buddha as preeminent among both men and beasts.)
Informed of this miracle, Chajang hastened to pursue the light until he reached Namnyong (South Pass), where it vanished in a mist. As it did so, Chajang fell dead. He was cremated there and his bones enshrined in a cave.
During his lifetime Chajang founded more than a dozen temples and pagodas, and on each such occasion unusually auspicious signs appeared. This brought faithful followers to him in crowds to help complete the sacred buildings quickly. His personal effects, including, his wooden pillow (carved with a duck design) and his robe (once worn by Buddha), which had been presented to him by the dragon of T'aiho pool in China, are now preserved in T'ongdo Temple.
In Honyang-hyon (now Onyang) there is a temple called Apyu-sa. It was so named in honor of the duck carved on Chajang's pillow which used to play there and did some miracles. A monk named Wonsung preceded Chajang to China and returned to Silla with him to help in the propagation of Buddhism there.
Song of Praise to Chajang
When he awoke from a dream at Ch'ingliangshan and returned home,
Seven volumes and three collections of commandments opened before his inward eye.
Ashamed of the coarse robes of the courtiers.
He reformed the dress of the East to that of the West.
103. Wonhyo, the Unbridled Monk
The family name of the sacred monk Wonhyo was Sol-ssi, His-grandfather was Ingp'i-kong, otherwise called Choktae-kong, whose shrine now stands near Choktaeyon pool. His great-grandfather was Tamnal-naemal.
The birth of Wonhyo came about in this manner, When his mother was near her time she was passing under a chestnut tree to the southwest of Yulgok (Chestnut Valley) north of Puljich'on (Village of the Buddha Mind) south of Apnyang county. There suddenly her labor pains came upon her. As there was no time to reach shelter her husband's clothes were hung from the branches of the tree to hide her from view. The local folk call this chestnut tree Sala-su and its fruit Sala-yul. It has a peculiar shape and an uncommon flavor.
(This story is remarkably similar to that of the birth of Buddha as recorded in the scriptures. “Sala” is the name of the tree under which Buddha is said to have departed this life and entered Nirvana.)
There is a legend that long, long ago an abbot gave his temple slave two chestnuts for his supper. The indignant slave brought suit against the abbot because of his meager rations. The local magistrate ordered the slave to produce the chestnuts, and when he did so it was observed that one of them was large enough to fill a wooden bowl. The magistrate therefore ruled that henceforth only one chestnut should be given for a meal. Since that time the place where these chestnuts grew has been called Yulgok (Chestnut Valley).
When Wonhyo became a monk he gave away his house for the foundation of a temple called Ch'ogae-sa (Temple of First Opening) and near a tree in his garden he built another temple named Sala-sa.
In his biography Wonhyo is represented as a man of Kyongju because his grandfather lived there, but the T'ang Biographies of Monks describes him as a native of Ha-Sangju. In the second year of Lin-te (665) King Munmu of Silla divided the old land of Sangju and Haju to create Sapnyangju in the new territory. Haju is now Ch'ang-nyong county and Apnyang county was originally a sub-prefecture of Haju. Pulchich'on was part of the Chain-hyon of today, a sub-prefecture of Apnyang county.
Wonhyo's childhood names were So-tang (Pledging Flag) and Sin-tang (New Flag). On the night he was conceived his mother dreamed that a shooting star entered her bosom, and when he was born five-colored clouds covered the earth. This was in the thirty-ninth year of King Chinp'yong of Silla (617).
As the boy grew into a healthy and handsome youth he proved to be an uncommon person. He did not study with a teacher, but knew everything already. He was a playboy. His companions, his adventures, his wits and his great achievements are all described in detail in the T'ang Biographies of the Monks and in his autobiography, so here we will include only a few anecdotes from the Biographies of Silla.
One day Wonhyo saw bees and butterflies flitting from flower to flower, and he felt a strong desire for a woman. He walked through the streets of Kyongju singing, “Who will lend me an axe that has lost its handle? I wish to cut a heaven-supporting pole.” The passers-by laughed at him, not realizing the real meaning of his song, but T'aejong (King Muryol) said when he heard it, “The love-lorn monk wants to marry a noble lady and get a wise son by her. If a sage is born, so much the better for the country.”
(Wonhyo's song alludes to a poem in the Book of Odes, one of the Confucian Classics. In this poem the axe-handle symbolizes the male sexual organ, so that an axe without a handle means a widow. Wonh
yo is looking for a go-between to find a widow to be his lover, and the King agrees to play this part. This is one more example of Wonhyo's disregard of convention, since Confucian custom forbade widows to remarry or otherwise have to do with men.)
There was at this time a widowed princess living in Yosok Palace (now a monastery, Ilyon says). The King told his servants to conduct Wonhyo to that palace, and they found that he had already descended Namsan (South Mountain) and reached Munch'on-gyo, the Mosquito Stream Bridge. Here he deliberately fell into the stream and got his clothes wet. When he reached the palace the princess, already in bridal attire, suffered him to change into a bridegroom's robes, and so they were married and passed the night together.3
The princess became pregnant as a result, and bore a son whose name was Sol Ch'ong. He was so intelligent that he mastered all the classical histories in his youth. He composed books on folk customs and the place-names of China and Silla, using the “Idu” system of simplified Chinese characters as phonetic signs to convey the Korean language. Until then there had been no method of writing the Korean language and people who wished to be educated had to read and write in Chinese, although the spoken Korean language is distinctly different from Chinese.
Sol Ch'ong also translated the Six Chinese Classics (Probably the Confucian Classics are meant) into Korean by this method and wrote commentaries on them. All these have been handed down to the scholars of the East (Korea). For his virtuous deeds and literary accomplishments, Sol Ch'ong is acclaimed as one of the ten sages of Silla. (Unfortunately, all but one of Sol Chong's works are lost.)
Having broken a Buddhist commandment by his union with the princess and the birth of Sol Ch'ong, Wonhyo doffed his monk's robe and put on secular dress, adopting the punning nickname Sosong Kosa (Little Hermit). One day he met an actor and performed a gourd dance, wearing a grotesque mask on his face. He made a utensil in the shape of a gourd and called it Mu-ae (Boundless; this is an allusion to the Hwaom sect scriptural phrase, “Both life and death are Nirvana and paradise when a sage king rules within the bounds of decorum and music"). He composed a song about the gourd for this dance. Wearing the mask and carrying the gourd he performed his dance in every corner of the country, so that even usurers and poor old bachelors (both much despised) could understand the golden sayings of Buddha and the Buddhist invocation, Namuami-tabul. His native place Pulji (Buddha Land), his temple Ch'ogae (First Opening) and his religious name Wonhyo (Breaking Dawn) all refer to the first dawning of the Buddhist faith on earth.