HYUJ?NG

The Buddhist monk Hyuj?ng (1520–1604) lived during the Chos?n dynasty (1392–1910) in Korea, when Buddhism, marginalized by an aggressively neo-Confucian state, eked out survival in the form of so-called Mountain Buddhism. Buddhist monasteries were under the control of the government and Buddhist monks, placed at the bottom of the Chos?n social spectrum, were prohibited from entering the capital.

Hyuj?ng is also known as Ch'?ngh? taesa (Master Ch'?ngh?) or S?san taesa (Master of Western Mountain) because he resided primarily on Mount Myohyang, also known as S?san (Western) Mountain. His secular name was Ch'oe Hy?n?ng; Hyuj?ng is his dharma name. He was orphaned at the age of ten, and raised by Yi Saj?ng, a Confucian scholar who was a local government official. After being educated in the Confucian classics at home, Hyuj?ng entered the S?nggyun'gwan, an academy for the Confucian elite. He failed the rigorous civil service examination necessary for government office, however, and then embarked on a period of travel, during which time he was introduced to Mah?y?na Buddhist texts at Mount Chiri. This experience set the stage for his decision to become a monk. He later studied S?n (Chinese, Chan) under the guidance of Master Puyong Y?nggwan (1485–1571), who eventually recognized his enlightenment.

During his career as a S?n monk, Hyuj?ng did not ignore the importance of kyo (doctrinal teaching); he acknowledged that doctrine is a companion to practice. In his work S?n'ga kwigam (Speculum on the S?n School), he states "S?n is the mind of the Buddha and doctrine is his word." However, he never thought doctrine to be the equal of meditation. This is clear in his theory of sagyo ips?n, which means "abandon doctrine and enter S?n." Hyuj?ng authored a number of texts on the relation between So?n and doctrine, and the importance of S?n practice for attaining enlightenment. The most important are S?n'gyo so?k (The Exposition of S?n and Doctrine), S?n' gyo ky?l (The Secret of S?n andDoctrine), and Simb?p yoch'o (The Essential Excerpts of the Teachings of Mind). He also wrote books attempting to incorporate the three main traditions in East Asian thought—Confucianism, Daoism, and Buddhism—into a S?n framework, such as Samga kwigam (Speculum on the Three Teachings).

Hyuj?ng also played a role in Korean political history as the organizer of the so-called Monk's Militia that helped repel the Japanese invasion of 1592. Depending on one's point of view, this can be seen as a highly successful manifestation of the Korean tradition of hoguk pulgyo (state-protection Buddhism) or as a striking example of the distorting influence of political involvement on Korean Buddhism. Considering the strongly Confucian tenor of the culture at that time, however, and the fact that Hyujo?ng was raised in the home of a Confucian scholar, it might not be surprising that he chose a more actively patriotic course.

See also:Chan School; Confucianism and Buddhism; Korea; Yuj?ng

Bibliography

Buswell, Robert E., Jr. "Buddhism under Confucian Domination: The Synthetic Vision of S?san Hy?j?ng." In Culture and the State in the Late Chos?n Korea, ed. JaHyun Kim Haboush and Martina Deuchler. Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Asia Center, 1999.

Kim, Y?ng-t'ae. "Master Hyuj?ng: His Thought and Dharma Lineage." In Buddhism in the Early Chos?n: Suppression and Transformation, ed. Lewis R. Lancaster and Chai-shin Yu. Berkeley: Institute of East Asian Studies, 1996.

Sungtaek Cho