by Ilyon
In the first year of Queen Sondok (632) Myongnang went to China, returning in the ninth year of Chen-kuan (635). In the first year of Tsung-chang (668) the Chinese general Li Chi led a large army against Koguryo and destroyed that kingdom with the aid of Silla. The T'ang general then stationed his troops in (the former territory of) Paekje in order to destroy Silla also, but the brave Silla soldiers, inspired by the Hwarang spirit, hurled back the invaders. Infuriated, the Emperor (T'ang Kao-tsung) commanded Hsueh Pang, a fierce general, to launch a second attack on Silla by sea.
King Munmu of Silla, fearful of this formidable enemy, called upon Myongnang to use his esoteric prayers and thus the attack was forestalled, as it is written in the biography of that king. From that time on Myongnang was honored by the whole nation as the founder of Sinin-jong (the Holy Seal Sect).
Early in the reign of King T'aejo (Wang Kon, the founder of Koryo) there were frequent attacks on the country's shores by pirates. The King requested two famous monks, Kwanghak and Taeyon, the heirs of Anhye and Nangyung, to suppress the disturbances by means of the esoteric prayers handed down from Myongnang. At the same time, King T'aejo elevated Myongnang to the same rank as the nine royal fathers of Silla beginning with Yong-su, and founded Hyonsong-sa (Temple of the Appearing Sage) to perpetuate the sect which he had founded.
About twenty li to the southeast of Kyongju is a temple called Wonwon-sa. Folk tales relate that it was founded at the desire of four monks (Anhye, Nangnyung, Kwanghak and Taeyon) and also of Kim Yu-sin, Kim Ui-won and Kim Sul-jong. They also say that the bones of the four monks are buried on the eastern peak above the temple, which is called Chosa-am (Rock of the Founder Monks) on Saryong-san (Mountain of the Four Spirits), honoring them as high monks of Silla.
The milestone at Tolbaek Temple bears the following inscription: “Long ago there lived in Kyongju a petty official whose title was Ho-jang and whose name was Koch'on. His mother was Ajinyo, her mother was Myongjunyo, and her grandmother was Chokninyo. Chokninyo had two sons, Kwanghak Taedok and Taeyon Samjung (childhood name Sonhoe) who both became monks. In the second year of Chang-hsing (931) these two brothers followed T'aejo to Songdo (Kaesong), where they burned incense on the altar and prayed for the prosperity of the royal household. T'aejo praised their loyalty and donated a farm for a 'Po' foundation to support annual memorial services for the parents of the two monks.” 1
It is clear from this inscription that Kwanghak and Taeyon were in the train of T'aejo and that Anhye collaborated with Kim Yu-sin in the founding of Wonwon Temple. Although the two brother monks are buried in the tombs of the four holy men, this does not mean that all four were concerned in the foundation of Wonwon-sa, or that all four of them went with T'aejo to Songdo on his triumphant return.
VII. Tales of Devotion
114. The Goddess Mother of the Fairy Peach
During the reign of King Chinp'yong (579-632) a nun named Chihye lived at Anhung Temple, which she wished to have repaired and redecorated. One night in a dream she saw a beautiful fairy bedecked with jewels and necklaces who said to her in a kind but solemn voice, “I am the goddess-mother of Fairy Peach Mountain and I am very pleased to know that you are going to repair the palace of Buddha. I will give you ten keun of gold for the project. Take it from under my seat and decorate the three main images of the temple. On the walls paint fifty-three Buddhas, together with heavenly saints, goddesses, and the god-kings of the five mountains (T'oham-san in the east, Chiri-san in the south, Keryong-san in the west, T'aebaek-san in the north and Pu-ak or Kong-san in the center of Silla). On the tenth day of each month in spring and autumn, let all the devoted followers of Buddha gather in the temple for prayer.” (Ilyon notes here that this story has a strong resemblance to one from China which relates that the dragon of Kulbul-chi appeared to the Emperor in a dream and asked him to establish a seminary in honor of Bhedjagura, the Buddha of healing, on Yongch'u-san, the Holy Eagle Mountain in order to open a smooth sea passage—that is, a means of entering paradise.)
Chihye awoke in amazement. Early the next morning she found one hundred and sixty yang of gold under the seated image of the goddess-mother in her shrine and carried out her plan.
The goddess-mother first came to Chinhan and gave birth to a heavenly son, Kyokkose, who became the first King of Silla, and a daughter, Aryong, whom he married. This is why she was called the goddess-mother. She lived on Sondo-san (Fairy Peach Mountain) where she wove red silk into court robes with the assistance of all the heavenly fairies and presented them to her husband. Chinhan was called Keryong, Kerim or Paekma (Cock Dragon, Cock's Forest or White Horse) because the cock belongs to the west.
The goddess-mother was a Chinese princess named Shasu. She learned the magic of the fairies and flew through the air to visit the scenic beauties of the Land of the Morning Calm, often staying long. Her father the Emperor tied a letter to the foot of a hawk and sent it to her. The message read: “Build your new palace on the mountain where the hawk perches to rest.”
The princess flew with the hawk and saw it stop on So-ak (West Hill in Kyongju). She landed there and became the mountain spirit, calling the hill Soyon-san (West Hawk Mountain). From then on she did many wonders.
King Kyongmyong (917-924) went hunting on this mountain and lost his hawk. He therefore prayed to the goddess-mother, saying, “If I should see my hawk return, I will bestow a title on him.” When he returned to the palace he found the hawk perched on his jade table, and in great joy gave his favorite bird the title of Sir Hawk.
In the Samguk Sagi it is written, “When Kim Pu-sik (the author of the Samguk Sagi) visited China as the King's envoy in the years of Chen-huo (1100-1125) he worshipped at a shrine of gods and goddesses called Yushenkuan, where he saw a seated image of a fairy. The reception official, Wang-pu, said to him, 'This is a goddess of your country. Didn't you know that?' The learned official explained as follows: 'Long ago a princess of China went adrift and was cast upon the shores of Chinhan, where she gave birth to a son who became the founder of a kingdom in Haedong (East of the Sea). The princess became an earth-spirit and lived long on the Mountain of the Fairy Peach. Here is her lifelike image.' ”
When Wang Hsiang, a Sung envoy, came to Koryo, he offered sacrifice to the goddess-mother and read a memorial which said in part, “She gave birth to a sage who founded a nation.”
Shasu donated gold to make a Buddhist image. She lighted the incense and established a ferry and bridge, not for herself to enjoy long life, but for all creatures to enter paradise. (Here is a perfect example of the way in which Buddhism assimilated the beliefs which it encountered. The goddess-mother, who very probably constitutes a legend antedating the coming of Buddhism, is incorporated into the Buddhist scheme of things by being given the attributes of a Bodhisattva.)
Song in Praise of the Goddess-Mother of the Fairy Peach
Many a starry night and frosty day she lived alone on the West Hill of the Hawk;
She called the heavenly emperor's daughters to weave her rainbow dress.
How she envied wondrous thrills in her long human life!
She saw the golden spirit (Buddha) and became a jade empress (goddess).
115. Ukmyon, the Slave Girl who Entered the Lotus Paradise
During the reign of King Kyongdok (742-765) a group of devoted Buddhists in Kangju (now Chinju) built a temple called Mita-sa in a grove of trees and began to worship Buddha for ten thousand days in order to enter the lotus paradise. Among the worshippers was a female slave belonging to the aristocratic family of Kwi-jin whose name was Ukmyon. She followed her noble master to the temple every evening and offered a prayer, standing outside in the courtyard and bowing toward the august image in the main hall.
Her unkind master did not like this. He gave her two large bags (ten bushels) of rice to pound to pearly white each day, to keep her busy at home. But she worked so diligently that she was able to attend prayers before dawn and after sunset each day. Moreover, as a sign of her devotion, she gouged holes in her two hands a
nd passed a straw rope through them, which was then tied to two pegs on opposite sides of the temple courtyard.
One evening the assembled worshippers heard a voice from the sky, which said, “Ukmyon, my faithful maid, enter the main hall of the Buddha and offer your prayer.” They invited the poor girl to enter, and she approached the image of the merciful Buddha on her knees and murmured her prayer in a low voice, lifting her eyes in rapture to the half-closed eyes of Buddha. Suddenly the sound of heavenly music was heard from the west, and a swift whirlwind swept into the palace of the Buddha. Ukmyon was lifted into the sky through a gaping hole in the ceiling and roof, higher and higher as she flew toward the western side of the temple. There her mortal body fell away and she became a Kwanum (Goddess of Mercy) seated on a lotus pedestal and flew to the lotus paradise while heavenly music continued from the sky and brilliant rays illuminated the rapturous spectators below.
Another version of this story is found in the Book of Monks (Sung-jon). Tongnyang-P'aljin, an incarnation of Kwanum, organized a Hwarang order of one thousand men and divided them into two groups, one for physical labor and one for mental culture. One of the members of the labor group violated the Buddhist commandments and in consequence was reborn as a cow at Pusok Temple. While carrying Buddhist books on her back the cow died and was reborn as a human being by the power of the books. This was Ukmyon, a slave in the household of Kwijin, a nobleman.
One day Ukmyon went on an errand to a mountain called Haga-san, and there she experienced a trance in which she saw Buddha and was possessed with the holy spirit.
Mita-sa, founded by Hyesuk Popsa, was not far from the house of Kwijin. For nine years, whenever her master went to worship Buddha in that temple, Ukmyon followed him to offer her prayers.
On the twenty-first day of the first month of the tenth year, while she was worshipping Buddha, she soared up into the sky, breaking through the ceiling and roof of the palace of Buddha. She flew above the highest peak of Sobaek-san, where she dropped one of her straw shoes. The first Bo Temple was built near this mountain crest. The second Bo Temple was built in a grove of Bo trees (Bodedrum) below the mountain, where she shed her earthly shell and her soul entered the lotus paradise. At Mita-sa there was hung a gilt panel which read “Ukmyon's Ascension Palace.”
In the roof of the temple there was a hole large enough for a man to pass through, and wonderful to tell, even during heavy rain and snow the palace of Buddha where her image was seated never got wet. In later generations, however, the admirers of Ukmyon filled the hole by building a gilt pagoda on the floor of the temple, decorated with lotus petals and buds, and on this pagoda they inscribed the story of Ukmyon the slave girl.
After Ukmyon had gone to the lotus paradise, Kwijin donated his house to the monks, declaring it to be a holy place where an angel had lived. When it had been remodeled into a temple he called it Popwang-sa. He also donated farmland to the temple.
After many years, when the temple lay in ruins on a hillside, a pious monk named Hoegyong, together with Yusok and Yi Won-chang, two local officials, promoted its reconstruction. Hoegyong, the strong monk, carried the timbers on his shoulders. In a dream one night an old man gave him two pairs of shoes woven of hemp and arrowroot vines, led him to the old shrine, and pointed out some giant trees in the forest, giving him instruction in Buddhist doctrine. (When he awoke) Hoegyong felled the trees and used them in building the temple, which was finished in five years. This was the famous temple of slaves in the southeast. All the pilgrims who visited it said that Kwijin had been reborn as Hoegyong, the good monk.
An old local legend book says the miracle of Ukmyon occurred during the reign of King Kyongdok, whereas the Biography of Jin says that she lived during the reign of King Aejang and did this wonder in the third year of Yuan-huo (808). There were four kings between the reigns of Kings Kyongdok and Aejang during a period of more than sixty years. In fact, Kwijin came first and Ukmyon last. The biography differs from the legend in introducing them the other way around.
(This is fairly mystifying as the present text represents them as contemporaries.)
Song in Praise of Ukmyon
When Buddha's lantern was bright in the old western temple,
She finished pounding rice to worship Buddha at midnight;
She punctured her clasped hands with a straw rope to mortify her flesh;
As she murmured softly in prayer she flew to heaven in Buddha's arms.
116. Kwangdok and Omjang, Two Friendly Monks
During the reign of King Munmu (661-681) two friendly monks lived in Kyongju. Kwangdok lived in a quiet place in the western precincts of Punhwang Temple with his wife and made his living by weaving straw shoes, and Omjang worked on a farm near a hermitage which he had built in the valley of Nam-ak.
One evening as the last rays of sunlight illuminated the silent treetops. Omjang heard a voice: “I am going to the lotus paradise. Be faithful to Buddha and come to see me there soon. Goodbye.”
Omjang saw that a rainbow had made a bridge from earth to heaven, while sweet music played above the clouds. He envied his friend, who had gone to the world of eternal peace and comfort ahead of him, and sighed, “Ah me! It is his voice telling of his journey home to paradise. Indeed, we promised to inform one another of our final departure from earth to heaven, and now the angels have taken him first.”
Early next morning Omjang visited the home of Kwangdok and saw that he was dead. He helped the widow with the funeral arrangements, and afterward as night came on he sat down and talked with her.
“Now your husband is no more, would you like to come and live with me?”
“I am willing,” she replied.
“Come and lie with me! We will prove all the pleasures imaginable on the first night of our married joy.” And he began to undress her.
“I am blushing with shame,” she said, “and yet I pity you in your heated passion. You seek the clean paradise with a muddied soul, like a man who tries to catch fish by climbing a tree.”
“Kwangdok did so,” he objected, “and yet he entered the lotus paradise. Why not I? I must enjoy you tonight as he did on many nights as man and wife.”
“My husband Kwangdok,” the woman said, “lived with me for more than ten years, but he never slept in the same bed with me or embraced me in unclean passion. Every night he and I knelt erect and recited in unison the names of Ami-Tabul and the sixteen doorways leading to the lotus paradise. When he saw a vision of the wondrous world we redressed the balance of our bodies by sitting cross-legged with our thumbs and middle fingers almost touching, as Buddhist images do. He was a devoted follower of Buddha. Where else could he have gone but to the home of Buddha in the lotus paradise? You are running to the east while trying to reach the west.”
Much ashamed, Omjang apologized to the widow and then visited Wonhyo Popsa, to whom he confessed his advances to this wonderful woman. The great monk taught him how to regain admittance to paradise by reciting the names of the sixteen doorways.
Omjang repented his sins and gave up his lust, concentrating on awakening his soul so as to be worthy to enter the gates of heaven, and at length he also entered the lotus paradise. The recital of the names of the sixteen doorways is explained in the Biography of Wonhyo Popsa and also in the Biographies of the Haedong Monks.
As for the woman, she was a nun at Punhwang temple, where she became one of the nineteen Kwanums. There is a song about her:
Moon, moon, lady moon! Are you sailing to the west?
When you reach home first, tell the heavenly king
There is a man praying to Buddha of everlasting life,
Praying with clasped hands to the Buddha of the eternal vow,
“I long to go to paradise, I long to go to paradise!”
Ah, if you leave and forsake me, can you have all your forty-eight wishes?
117. Kyonghung Meets a Holy Man
During the reign of King Sinmun in Silla (681-692) a monk lived in Ungch'onju whose religious n
ame was Kyonghung and whose family name was Su. By the time he was eighteen, he had mastered all three parts of the teachings of Buddha—sermons, laws, and doctrines—and the world rang with his praise.
In the first year of Kai-yao (681) when King Munmu was on his deathbed, he said to his successor (King Sinmun), “Kyonghung Popsa is worthy of the office of Kuksa (National Teacher); do not forget my command.” When King Sinmun ascended the throne he therefore appointed Kyonghung to this office, with his residence at Samnang Temple.
But Kyonghung fell ill and was confined to his bed for many months. Then one day a nun came to visit him, and said, “In the Hwaom scripture there is a golden saying: 'A good friend heals illness.' Now you are ailing because of the melancholy and anxiety in your heart. If you laugh and forget everything you will be restored to health.” And she brought out an eleven-faced puppet and made it perform humorous dances before Kyonghung, with comic gestures and sarcastic gestures, scene after scene in rapid succession, until the monk nearly split his sides with laughter, and his health was immediately restored.
The nun then bid him goodbye and went to Namhang Temple to the south of Kyonghung's temple. There she hid herself, leaving her staff in front of the picture of the eleven-faced Dharmas in the Golden Hall. (Kwanum is often pictured with eleven faces, and there is a suggestion here that Kyonghung had been visited by the Bodhisattva.)
One day Kyonghung came to visit the palace mounted on a beautifully caparisoned horse and followed by a long train of servants. Everyone made way for the procession except a haggard-looking hermit (or monk) with a basket containing a fish on his back, who stood leaning upon his staff on the dismounting platform in front of the palace.
“Get out, fellow!” the servants shouted. “How can you wear a monk's robe and carry a fish, which the Buddhist religion forbids you to touch or eat?” (Monks are supposed to be strictly vegetarian.)
The monk drew himself up with dignity and said, “Who is more to blame, a man who carries a dead fish on his back or a man who holds living flesh between his legs?” And with these words he departed.