Korean Buddhism
Korean Buddhism is said to be the only remaining Zen school with an unbroken lineage of transmission stretching back to the original Five House of Zen in T’ang Dynasty, China. This means that the Korean Zen tradition is far closer to the original Chinese (Chan) style in both method and spirit than its Japanese counterpart.
Buddhism was first transmitted to the Korean peninsula during the Three Kingdoms’ period of Goguryeo, Baekje and Silla. During the Unified Silla period it was embraced as the official state religion. Since that time, Buddhism has done much to shape the development of Korean culture and over the years it has been intimately related to the fortune and destiny of the Korean people. Consequently throughout the country you still find many Buddhist temples in which have lived many eminent monks who have done much to enrich the spirit of the Korean people.
During the Unified Silla and Goryeo Dynasties, the importing of Buddhism from T’ang China contributed heavily to the creation of an advanced culture and social order. Buddhism however suffered a strong reversal of fortune during the Neo-Confucian Joseon Dynasty (1392-1910), when it was oppressed by the state. It was gradually prohibited to enter monastic life, and the construction and renovation of temples became very difficult. Despite the endeavors of a number of great masters to propagte and keep the teachings alive during this period, Buddhism existed within a very narrow ambit. Nevertheless throughout this period of repression and even during the Japanese colonial period (1910-1945), Buddhism continued to make an enormous contribution to the development of the nation’s culture and spiritual life.
During the mid 50’s the reformation of Korean Buddhism began. Great strides were taken throughout the 60’s, 70’s and 80’s. Many temples were reconstructed and repaired, and the reformation of Buddhist cultural life was initiated. Furthermore, after many years of hardship, Buddhist aspirants began to show a renewed interest in seeking after the truth.
Today, firmly based on the Buddhist teachings of the innate Buddha nature that everyone possesses and can realize through training of the mind, the Buddhist traditions of Zen meditation, Yebul (prayer), and Sutra reading, are now enjoying a renaissance. Furthermore, in all temples throughout the country, the fundamental Buddhist principles of compassion towards all living beings and salvation are again being taught. Meanwhile since the 1990’s, Korean Buddhism has gradually been achieving a higher profile and greater worldwide recognition.
Nevertheless, despite Korea’s long Buddhist history and the numerous eminent masters who have been produced, there still remains an insufficiency of well-written materials in English, which convey the essense of the Korean Buddhist tradition.
from EMPTY HOUSE by Chris Verebes
Haeinsa Temple’s Janggyeong Panjeon
(Depositories of Tripitaka Koreana Woodblocks)
The Tripitaka Koreana is a collection of Buddhist scriptures that were meticulously collected from throughout East Asia and carved into over 80,000 woodblocks by the people of the Goryeo Dynasty. The Goryeo people, through their strong faith in Buddhism, believed that this act of carving the woodblocks would safeguard them from harm.
The Tripitaka Koreana is preserved in a place called Janggyeong Panjeon, which is located on the ground of Haeinsa Temple. The depositories’ humble appearance takes adavantage of the natural environment, and none of the 80,000-plus woodblocks have been corroded or warped. In 1995, Haeinsa Temple’s Janggyeong Panjeon, the depositories for the Tripitaka Koreana Woodblocks, were recorded on UNESCO’s prestigious World Cultural Heritage list and the Tripitaka Koreana Woodblocks were recorded on World Documentary Heritage list in 2007.
Audio: Drumming Performance in Haein-sa Temple Audio clip: Adobe Flash Player (version 9 or above) is required to play this audio clip. Download the latest version here. You also need to have JavaScript enabled in your browser.
Even if all the sentient beings in the entire
universe lived for one hundred years,
if you can’t see the true appearance of Buddha nature,
they are simply lost in the slumber of their dreams.
by Master Gyeongbong (1892-1982)
