Samguk Yusa

by Ilyon

  (Ilyon notes here that the Biographies of the Monks place these events in the reign of King Honan (857-861), adding that Yonhoe was made a royal priest of the two courts and given the title Cho (Shining), and that he died “in the fourth year of Hsien-tsung.” This makes Yonhoe's career much later than the above account, and Uyon says he cannot tell which dating is correct.)

  Song in Praise of Yonhoe

  Trying to escape the eyes of the metropolis he fell into error;

  A gimlet in a pouch cannot conceal its sharp point.

  Because of the blue lotus, he went wrong,

  Not because of his remote hermitage under the shrouding clouds.

  126. Hyehyon Seeks a Quiet Life

  Hyehyon was a man of Paekje who became a monk in his childhood. He recited the Pophwa-gyong and prayed to Buddha for blessings, and Buddha responded with wonderful communications. At first he lived at Sudok Temple, where he lectured on Buddhism to the people who came to worship and recited the scriptures when he was alone. People came from far and near to listen to his esoteric teaching, and the temple was always crowded with his admirers. Finally he grew tired of this noisy world and retired to Mt. Talla in the south. The mountain is so high and rugged that few venture to climb it, and the thick forest was infested with fierce tigers. Hyehyon lived quietly in his hermitage, chanting the scriptures and beating on a wooden gong in order to forget the world and himself, until at last he died.

  When monks from neighboring temples had laid his body in a stone chamber, a tiger suddenly appeared and devoured it, leaving only the tongue. This remained red and tender for three years, despite changes of temperature, after which it changed into a hard, reddish substance like stone. All the monks and laymen in the neighborhood revered this wonderful tongue and enshrined it in a stone pagoda. Hyehyon died in the first year of Chen-kuan (around 600) at the age of fifty-eight.

  Even though he ended his life in seclusion and never went abroad, his fame reached China and an account of his life is found in the T'ang Biographies of monks.

  P'ayak, a Koguryo monk, went to T'ientaishan in China, where he was inspired by the truth of Buddhist doctrine to do many wonders, until his death there. Mysterious tales about him are also found in the T'ang Biographies of monks.

  Song in Praise of Hyehyon

  He preached Buddha's gospel on the deer's tail until he was weary;

  The sound of his recital echoed to the clouds.

  His name was sung in the annals of a foreign country.

  After-the fire, his fragrant tongue floats in the red lotus.

  (In Buddhist lore carriages drawn by deer, oxen and goats convey the souls of the dead to paradise, and the deer-drawn carriage is the finest.)

  127. Sin-ch'ung and the Pinenut-Tree

  Before he became King, Hyosong (737-742) diverted himself by playing checkers with Sin-ch'ung, a wise man, under a pinenut-tree in the garden of the palace. One day in autumn the Prince said to his old friend, “If I should forget you when I am king, I shall turn into that pinenut-tree.” Sin-ch'ung rose and bowed to the Prince to express his gratitude.

  A few months later the Prince succeeded to the throne and wore the golden crown, but he forgot Sin-ch'ung and omitted him from the list of courtiers entitled to honors and rewards. The old man complained that the King had forgotten his word. He wrote a poem on a piece of paper and pasted it to the pinenut-tree, upon which the tree suddenly withered.

  Wondering at this, the King ordered his courtiers to investigate. When they brought him the poem which they had discovered on the tree, he was greatly astonished. “Dear me,” he said, “I have forgotten my Kak-kung (Horn Bow),2 my good old friend, more precious than my royal kindred.” He summoned Sin-ch'ung and bestowed a title and an annual stipend upon him, and, wonderful to relate, the pine-nut-tree was restored, its trunk and foliage as fresh and green as before.

  Song of the Pine

  When in autumn the pine-nuts withered and fell

  You vowed by the pine-tree not to forget me,

  And I bowed to your noble person as my joy knew no bounds.

  Alas! The moonbeams clasp the ripples in the old pond—

  Now all the world is sad, as I gaze at the white-washed sand.

  (The second stanza has been lost, Ilyon says.)

  After this Sin-ch'ung became a favorite of the King, Finally, in the twenty-second year (763) of King Kyongdok, the younger brother of King Hyosong, he retired from the court and went to Mt. Chiri, where he shaved his head and became a monk. There he built a temple called Tansok-sa (Away From the Mortal World) dedicated to the royal Silla household. He prayed for the King and his kindred until he died in a silent valley near that wonderful mountain, leaving behind his portrait on a wall of the Golden Hall of the temple.

  To the south of the temple is a village once known as Sokhyu, which is now called Sohwa-ri. (Ilyon notes here that the Sam Hwasang-jon, the Biographies of Three Buddhist Priests, confuses Tansok-sa with Sin-ch'ung Pongsong-sa. Since more than a hundred years separate the reign of King Kyongdok from that of King Sinmun, he says, the Sin-ch'ung represented as an intimate of King Sinmun in this book must be a different person.)

  In another book there is a story about Yi Chun (the Biographies of High Monks calls him Yi Sun, Ilyon says) who lived in the reign of King Kyongdok. He always said, “When I am fifty years old I will become a monk.” And indeed, in the seventh year of T'ien-pao (748), when he had reached that age, he rebuilt a small temple called Cho-yon-sa, renamed it Tansok-sa, and shaved his head and became a monk, taking the name Kong-Koeng-Changnoja. He lived at the temple until his death twenty years later. This story is at variance with the account given in the Samguk Sagi.

  Song in Praise of Sin-ch'ung

  Though your service is small, your hair has turned silvery;

  Though the King's bounty is great, the furrows deepen on your brow.

  Often you have looked across the streams for a dreamland in the mountains;

  Go burn incense and pray to Buddha to bless our King.

  128. The Two Saints on P'osan

  During the Silla Dynasty two saints, Kwanki and Tosong, lived on Mt. P'o. (Ilyon says the countryfolk called it Mt. Sosul, which is Sanskrit for Mt. P'o, now Pisul in Hyonp'ung). Ki had a hermitage on the southern peak and Song lived in a cave on the northern peak. They were about ten li (four kilometers) apart, but the two visited each other often, climbing the cloud-veiled peaks and singing “Moonlight Songs.” When Song wished to call on Ki all the mountain trees swung their branches to the south, and when Ki went to meet Song they did the opposite. In this way the two friends associated with one another for many years.

  Song used to sit quietly on the brink of a hanging cliff behind his hermitage. One day his body slipped down between two rocks and then flew up into the air in a robe of feathers. Some people say it landed in Such'ang county (now Susong county) and fell dead. Ki soon followed him on the wing and also fell dead. Beneath the cliff (called Tosong-am) and beside a cave, people built a temple in their memory.

  In the seventh year of T'ai-ping (982) a monk named Songpom visited this temple and founded a school to teach the doctrine of Amita Buddha which lasted for fifty years, during which many auspicious signs appeared. At that time twenty converts in Hyonp'ung formed an association to offer incense to the temple. They went to the mountain and gathered fragrant red sticks, which they chopped, dried, and piled in bamboo baskets. These sticks shone brilliantly at night like burning candles. The local people donated congratulatory funds to the association members, who rejoiced at this light. They believed that it was sent by the two saints through the providence of a mountain spirit named Chongsong-Ch'onwang (Heavenly god of silent holiness) who had received an oracle from the Buddha in the Kasop-pul period in the remote past. This Buddha had promised the spirit that he would achieve salvation when a thousand converts appeared on that mountain.

  At present there is a legend written at this same mountain relating the miracles of nine saint
s—Kwanki, Tosong, Pansa, Ch'opsa, Toui (in the ruins of Paegam Temple), Chayang, Songpom, Kummulnyo and Paegusa.

  Song in Praise of the Two Saints

  The two aged travelers trod the moonlight and played in the cloud-springs long ago;

  The old trees are shrouded in haze over ten thousand vales.

  The shadows of the green leaves still wave to and fro in the cold wind,

  As if the two friends were calling each other to come and go.

  Two other saints, Pansa and Ch'opsa, hid themselves in caves, away from the human world. They sewed leaves together to protect themselves from the weather and to cover their nakedness, and therefore they are named after the two trees Pan and Ch'op, which the mountaineers call Umok (Rain Tree) and Kaul-mok respectively. Such names as P'ung-ak (Maple Mountains, another name for the Diamond Mountains) are suggestive of the mysterious lives of hermits in ancient days.

  When I visited P'osan I composed a poem in praise of the virtues of the two saints:

  Covering their bellies with purple bark and yellow skins,

  Making clothes of green leaves—

  There is no silkworm-feeding or hemp-weaving.

  When the tall pines swing to the cold wind on the rocky crests,

  The sun is down and the woodsmen are gone from the forest.

  They meditated long under the bright moon at night;

  They flew off aimlessly on the fluttering wings of the wind.

  On the iris bed they lay and fell fast asleep;

  Their souls were not tied to earthly cares even in dreams.

  The unfeeling clouds sail over the two ruined hermitages as of yore;

  In glens untrodden by men only the deer leap in wild joy.

  129. Youngjae and the Thieves

  Youngjae was a humorous monk and a good singer of the folksongs called Hyang-ga in the golden days of Silla, and he cared little for money.

  When he had reached the twilight of his earthly life, he decided to spend his remaining days quietly in the bosom of nature, and so he started on a long journey to the forests of Mt. Chiri. When he reached the top of the steep mountain pass called Taehyollyong, a band of sixty thieves emerged from the forest brandishing swords and threatening to kill him.

  Youngjae was quite calm and showed no sign of fear. “Good morning, my forest gentlemen,” he said. “You are wonderful dancers and I have never seen such a fine sword-dance in my life.”

  “Sword-dance!” said the bandit chief. “Can you say that even as our great swords whirl above your head? You are a wonderfully humorous grey-haired old monk. What is your name?”

  “Youngjae is my name,” he replied, “but I am better known as a monk.”

  “Ah,” laughed the chieftain, “you are the great singing monk. We have heard much of your fame and we are glad to see you. Now that we have performed our sword dance as you say, it is your turn to sing a song.”

  Youngjae sang:

  Here comes an old monk on aimless feet

  As he forgets the old shadows in his mind;

  He fears lest his frail body should break Buddha's commandments.

  Now he has seen these fine sharp swords,

  A new day dawns on his poor soul—

  Away with all evils and welcome only what is good.

  “Wonderful!” the chieftain said. “You are a good singer indeed. You have not only entertained us with your beautiful music but moved our hearts as well, bringing tears to our eyes. On behalf of myself and all the other thieves I apologize to you and give you a small present. Please accept two rolls (eighty yards) of our finest brocade.”

  “Fine goods and bribery lead men and women to hell,” the monk admonished them. “I have been awakened to this truth, and now I am on my way to a remote mountain to spend my remaining days. How can I dare to accept your gift?” And he threw the brocade to the ground.

  Much ashamed and deeply moved, the thieves threw down their swords and spears and followed Youngjae to Mt. Chiri. There they had their heads shaved and became faithful disciples of the great monk, never again appearing in the outside world or harming other people. Youngjae was ninety years old at this time, which was during the reign of King Wonsong of Silla (785-799).

  Song in Praise of Youngjae

  With a bamboo staff and a harp he was glad to tarry in the deep mountains;

  No brocade or jewels could rule his steadfast heart.

  Though the gentlemen of the forest offered him rich gifts,

  He did not wish to carry gold to hell.

  130. Mulkeja the Brave Soldier

  When King Naehae had been on the throne of Silla for seventeen years (212) the allied troops of eight states including Poraguk (now Kosong) and Samulguk (now Saju) invaded the border towns of Silla. The King ordered out a large army under the command of Crown Prince Nalum and General Ilpol to hurl back the enemy. After a fierce battle all eight states surrendered to Silla.

  (These cannot have been states in anything like the modern sense. They were probably tribal groupings.)

  During the battle the brave soldier Mulkeja performed the greatest military feats, but the Crown Prince hated him and omitted his name from the list of those to be rewarded. His friends said, “Have you no resentment against the prince? Why don't you appeal to the King?”

  “A loyal subject can never complain of his prince,” Mulkeja replied, “and a patriotic soldier does not risk his life for reward, much less should he appeal to the throne in order to gain a reputation at the expense of others. I simply do my duty. Time will tell.”

  Three years later the kings of three states, headed by the prince of Kolp'o-guk (now Happo) attacked Kalhwa (or Kulbul, now Ulju). The King of Silla led his army in person and routed them. Mulkeja cut off the heads of more than a score of enemy soldiers, but the court never praised his valor. He said to his wife, “I have heard that the way of a loyal subject of a King is to risk his life in time of emergency, forgetting about personal safety and living only for king and country. The battles of Pora and Kalhwa were national crises which endangered the life of my King but I failed to fight for the King at the risk of my life so I am a disloyal subject. Since I have been disloyal to my King and brought discredit upon my ancestors, I am an unfilial son. Since I have lost the way of loyalty and filial piety I can no longer mingle in the shining circles of the court or even with the lowest ranks of society.” Then he shouldered a komungo (a kind of six-stringed lute) and with disheveled hair he went off to a remote mountain called Sach'e-san and there composed odes of grief over the fate of a straight bamboo, swaying but unyielding. He sang to the accompaniment of his lute and of the babbling of a brook, living the life of a hermit. He returned to this noisy world no more.

  131. Yongyo, who Disappeared

  No one knows the family background of Yongyo, the monk of Silje Temple, although his virtuous deeds were highly praised. King Kyongdok summoned him to officiate at a sacrificial ceremony at the palace. Yongyo came and conducted the rites in the presence of His Majesty. After the ceremony the King appointed servants to escort the monk back to his temple. The moment they arrived at the temple gate Yongyo disappeared, and his whereabouts were unknown ever afterward. When this was reported to the King he conferred the title of National Priest upon Yongyo in admiration of his virtuous deeds and high principles.

  Even today his temple is known as the National Priest's cell.

  132. The Five Monks of Mt. P'och'on (in the Days of King Kyongdok)

  Rising to the northeast of Sapnyangju (Yangsan, near Pusan) about twenty li off is a high mountain called P'och'on-san, which is famous for a beautiful cave which seems to be both carved by nature's hand and chiseled by human sculptors.

  Long long ago five unknown monks came to live in this cave, where they prayed to Amitabha Buddha to receive them into the pure land in the West for ten years. At last a host of saints came from the West to meet them. The five monks, each seated upon a lotus, flew through the air until they came to T'ongdo Temple. There they stayed
for several days, performing heavenly music and preaching to the T'ongdo monks on the vanities of this ephemeral world. Then they cast off their mortal shells and flew on to the West, while a great light filled the sky. The hearts of the monks left behind were filled with rapture as they watched this glorious flight to the lotus paradise. Afterward they built a pavilion on the spot where the five monks had ascended and named it Ch'iru (Left-Behind Tower). It still stands today.

  133. The Monk Who Called upon Amitabha

  At the eastern foot of Namsan near Kyongju there is a village named P'irich'on and near it a temple named P'iri-sa. Many years ago a strange monk lived at this temple. He told nobody his name, but only prayed to Amitabha, chanting “Namuami-tabul! Namuami-tabul!” day and night in a loud yet musical voice without any variation. The sound filled the whole city of Kyongju, ringing through all the 170,000 houses in the 360 wards and subwards. Deeply moved, all the people worshipped Buddha, and named the monk Yombul-sa (Buddha-Calling Priest).

  After his death the people made a lifelike plaster statue of him which they placed in Minjang Temple. They renamed the temple where he had lived Yombul-sa. Near it stands another temple, Yangp'i-sa, named after a neighboring village.

  IX. Filial Piety

  134. Chinjong the Filial Monk

  Before his entry into the temple Chinjong was a Silla soldier. He was so poor that he couldn't get married, and during his leaves from military service on engineering work he sold his labor to buy rice for his mother. They had no kitchen utensils except an iron kettle with broken legs.

  One day a monk came striking a wooden gong and begging for donations of iron to help build a new temple. The kind-hearted woman gave him her only iron kettle. Soon Chinjong came home.

  “My son,” she said, “a monk has just visited our house and asked for iron to help build a new temple, so I gave him our cooking kettle.”

  “Good!” said Chinjong. “You have done very well. It is a noble deed to make a gift for the service of Buddha. We can do our cooking without a kettle. See how I cook food on tiles and in earthen pots to make it more tasty.