Baek Yongseong Jinjong (
Korean
Korean may refer to:
People and culture
* Koreans, ethnic group originating in the Korean Peninsula
* Korean cuisine
* Korean culture
* Korean language
**Korean alphabet, known as Hangul or Chosŏn'gŭl
**Korean dialects and the Jeju language
** ...
: 용성 진종,
Hanja
Hanja (Hangul: ; Hanja: , ), alternatively known as Hancha, are Chinese characters () used in the writing of Korean. Hanja was used as early as the Gojoseon period, the first ever Korean kingdom.
(, ) refers to Sino-Korean vocabulary, ...
: 龍城 震鍾, 1864—1940) was an important
Korean Buddhist
Korean Buddhism is distinguished from other forms of Buddhism by its attempt to resolve what its early practitioners saw as inconsistencies within the Mahayana Buddhist traditions that they received from foreign countries. To address this, th ...
master who helped propagate Buddhism in Korea. Primarily grounded in the
Seon tradition, he also set about teaching others of
Pure Land Buddhism
Pure Land Buddhism (; ja, 浄土仏教, translit=Jōdo bukkyō; , also referred to as Amidism in English,) is a broad branch of Mahayana Buddhism focused on achieving rebirth in a Buddha's Buddha-field or Pure Land. It is one of the most wid ...
and undertook massive studies and translation efforts of the Buddhist
Tripitaka. He was also one of thirty-three national representatives present at the
March 1 Movement of 1919, the representative of the Korean Buddhist community. The March 1 Movement is said to have marked the first significant beginning of the
Korean Independence Movement
The Korean independence movement was a military and diplomatic campaign to achieve the independence of Korea from Japan. After the Japanese annexation of Korea in 1910, Korea's domestic resistance peaked in the March 1st Movement of 1919, whic ...
, which sought to reach autonomy from
Japanese occupation.
Biography
Yongseong was born Baek Sanggyu in
Namwon
Namwon (; ''Namwon-si'') is a city in North Jeolla Province, South Korea. Namwon is about 50 minutes from the provincial capital of Jeonju, which is almost three hours away from Seoul. The official city flower is Royal Azalea () while the city tr ...
,
Jeolla-do
Jeolla Province (, ) was one of the historical Eight Provinces of Korea during the Kingdom of Joseon in today Southwestern Korea. It consisted of the modern South Korean provinces of North Jeolla Province, North Jeolla, South Jeolla Province, Sou ...
,
Korea
Korea ( ko, 한국, or , ) is a peninsular region in East Asia. Since 1945, it has been divided at or near the 38th parallel, with North Korea (Democratic People's Republic of Korea) comprising its northern half and South Korea (Republic ...
on May 8 of the
Lunar calendar
A lunar calendar is a calendar based on the monthly cycles of the Moon's phases ( synodic months, lunations), in contrast to solar calendars, whose annual cycles are based only directly on the solar year. The most commonly used calendar, t ...
in 1864. As a boy he was very quiet and was educated from a young age, writing his first
classical Chinese
Classical Chinese, also known as Literary Chinese (古文 ''gǔwén'' "ancient text", or 文言 ''wényán'' "text speak", meaning
"literary language/speech"; modern vernacular: 文言文 ''wényánwén'' "text speak text", meaning
"literar ...
lyric poem
Modern lyric poetry is a formal type of poetry which expresses personal emotions or feelings, typically spoken in the first person.
It is not equivalent to song lyrics, though song lyrics are often in the lyric mode, and it is also ''not'' equi ...
by age nine.
[Chʻan-ju Mun, 249-251] He entered his first
monastery
A monastery is a building or complex of buildings comprising the domestic quarters and workplaces of monastics, monks or nuns, whether living in communities or alone (hermits). A monastery generally includes a place reserved for prayer whic ...
in 1877 at Deokmil-am, but was withdrawn by his parents not long after entering. In 1879, at age fifteen, he was ordained a
sunim by the Venerable Hwanwol at
Haeinsa
Haeinsa (해인사, 海印寺: Temple of the Ocean Mudra) is a head temple of the Jogye Order (대한불교조계종, 大韓佛敎 曹溪宗) of Korean Seon Buddhism in Gayasan National Park (가야산, 伽倻山), South Gyeongsang Province, ...
in
Hapcheon in
South Gyeongsang
South Gyeongsang Province ( ko, 경상남도, translit=Gyeongsangnam-do, ) is a province in the southeast of South Korea. The provincial capital is at Changwon. It is adjacent to the major metropolitan center and port of Busan. The UNESCO World H ...
and was given the ordination name Jinjong.
He then traveled to see Venerable Suwol, who instructed Yongseong on the practice of
dharani
Dharanis (IAST: ), also known as ''Parittas'', are Buddhist chants, mnemonic codes, incantations, or recitations, usually the mantras consisting of Sanskrit or Pali phrases. Believed to be protective and with powers to generate merit for the B ...
. Not long after, it is said that he had an "awakening experience" following six days of
Seon meditation at Bogwangsa in
Yangju
Yangju () is a city in Gyeonggi Province, South Korea. Yangju is located south of Dongducheon and north of Uijeongbu, not far from Seoul.
History
* 1395 - Renamed to Yangju.
* January 1, 1963 - Uijeongbu is separated and becomes a city.
* Apri ...
. Not satisfied with his own awakening, he began his "investigation" of the
MU koan
A (; , ; ko, 화두, ; vi, công án) is a story, dialogue, question, or statement which is used in Zen practice to provoke the "great doubt" and to practice or test a student's progress in Zen.
Etymology
The Japanese term is the Sino-Jap ...
under
Seon master Muyung.
[Yongseong Jinjong ( 1864 ~ 1940 )](_blank)
, ''koreanbuddhism.net''. Retrieved on March 21, 2008.
In 1884, at age twenty, Yongseong received the
Vinaya
The Vinaya (Pali & Sanskrit: विनय) is the division of the Buddhist canon ('' Tripitaka'') containing the rules and procedures that govern the Buddhist Sangha (community of like-minded ''sramanas''). Three parallel Vinaya traditions rema ...
and
Bodhisattva Precepts
The Bodhisattva Precepts ( Skt. ''bodhisattva-śīla'', , ja, bosatsukai) are a set of ethical trainings ('' śīla'') used in Mahāyāna Buddhism to advance a practitioner along the path to becoming a bodhisattva. Traditionally, monastics obser ...
under the Vinaya master Seongok at
Tongdosa
Tongdosa (, "Salvation of the World through Mastery of Truth")Le Bas, Tom :"South Korea" pg 244, Insight Guides, 8th edition 2007 is a head temple of the Jogye Order of Korean Buddhism and in the southern part of Mt. Chiseosan near Yangsan, Sou ...
, becoming a fully ordained
sunim. Yongseong attained
enlightenment during this period at
Songgwangsa
Songgwangsa () translation: Spreading Pine Temple; alternates: Songgwang-sa, or Songgwang Sa, or Songkwangsa; also known as: Piney Expanse Monastery; originally: Gilsangsa), one of the three jewels of Seon Buddhism, is located in South Jeolla Pr ...
. He spent the coming years practicing Seon meditation and studying the Korean
Tripitaka at monasteries and temples throughout Korea, engaging many masters in
Dharma combat
Dharma combat, called or ''shosan'' in Japanese, is a term in some schools of Buddhism referring to an intense exchange between student and teacher, and sometimes between teachers, as an occasion for one or both to demonstrate his or her underst ...
. Beginning in 1903 he began leading discussions on
Seon and
Pure Land Buddhism
Pure Land Buddhism (; ja, 浄土仏教, translit=Jōdo bukkyō; , also referred to as Amidism in English,) is a broad branch of Mahayana Buddhism focused on achieving rebirth in a Buddha's Buddha-field or Pure Land. It is one of the most wid ...
with various students, and also set about building
meditation halls for temples and repaired the
Tripitaka woodblocks housed at
Haeinsa
Haeinsa (해인사, 海印寺: Temple of the Ocean Mudra) is a head temple of the Jogye Order (대한불교조계종, 大韓佛敎 曹溪宗) of Korean Seon Buddhism in Gayasan National Park (가야산, 伽倻山), South Gyeongsang Province, ...
. From 1907 to 1908 he traveled through parts of
China
China, officially the People's Republic of China (PRC), is a country in East Asia. It is the world's List of countries and dependencies by population, most populous country, with a Population of China, population exceeding 1.4 billion, slig ...
, where he visited various temples and masters.
According to the
Jogye Order of Korean Buddhism
The Jogye Order, officially the Jogye Order of Korean Buddhism (대한불교조계종, 大韓佛敎 曹溪宗), is the representative order of traditional Korean Buddhism with roots that date back 1200 years to the Later Silla National Master Do ...
's website, "To a Chinese monk who arrogantly praised the superiority of Chinese Buddhism and disparaged Korean Buddhism, he replied, 'Is the Sun and the Moon in the sky your country's alone? Buddhist dharma is a public truth of the world, so how can the public truth of the world be limited to China?' In this way, he defended the legitimacy of Korean Buddhism."
In 1910 he became Master of Chilburam Meditation Hall on
Jirisan
Jirisan is a mountain located in the southern region of South Korea. It is the second-tallest mountain in South Korea after Jeju Island's Hallasan, and the tallest mountain in mainland South Korea.
The 1915m-high mountain is located in Jiri ...
mountain, and his congregation asked him to critique others religions from a Buddhist standpoint. This resulted in his writing of a
treatise
A treatise is a formal and systematic written discourse on some subject, generally longer and treating it in greater depth than an essay, and more concerned with investigating or exposing the principles of the subject and its conclusions." Tre ...
known as ''Gwiwon Jeongjong'', a work which focused primarily on the flaws of
Christianity
Christianity is an Abrahamic monotheistic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus of Nazareth. It is the world's largest and most widespread religion with roughly 2.38 billion followers representing one-third of the global popula ...
.
In 1911 he left for
Seoul
Seoul (; ; ), officially known as the Seoul Special City, is the Capital city, capital and largest metropolis of South Korea.Before 1972, Seoul was the ''de jure'' capital of the North Korea, Democratic People's Republic of Korea (North Korea ...
, where he found himself dismayed by the situation of
Korean Buddhism
Korean Buddhism is distinguished from other forms of Buddhism by its attempt to resolve what its early practitioners saw as inconsistencies within the Mahayana Buddhist traditions that they received from foreign countries. To address this, the ...
when contrasted with other religions. So he began teaching Buddhism to others while there, and established Daegaksa and other temples while there. He also managed a
mining
Mining is the extraction of valuable minerals or other geological materials from the Earth, usually from an ore body, lode, vein, seam, reef, or placer deposit. The exploitation of these deposits for raw material is based on the econom ...
company to help fund some of his Buddhist missionary work. In 1919 he became involved in the
Korean Independence Movement
The Korean independence movement was a military and diplomatic campaign to achieve the independence of Korea from Japan. After the Japanese annexation of Korea in 1910, Korea's domestic resistance peaked in the March 1st Movement of 1919, whic ...
, and was named one of thirty-three national representatives for the
March 1 Movement—the designated representative of the Buddhist community. He was arrested by the
Japanese
Japanese may refer to:
* Something from or related to Japan, an island country in East Asia
* Japanese language, spoken mainly in Japan
* Japanese people, the ethnic group that identifies with Japan through ancestry or culture
** Japanese diaspor ...
during this event and detained until 1921.
Following his release, Yongseong doubled his efforts to propagate Buddhism in Korea, and in 1925 he established the "Supreme Enlightenment Foundation"—an organization which sought to establish Buddhist educational movements. He spent the remainder of his life spreading Buddhism, and died in 1940 at age 76.
See also
*
Buddhism in Korea
Korean Buddhism is distinguished from other forms of Buddhism by its attempt to resolve what its early practitioners saw as inconsistencies within the Mahayana Buddhist traditions that they received from foreign countries. To address this, th ...
Notes
References
*
Further reading
Patriarchal Seon and its historical development
{{Authority control
1864 births
1940 deaths
Seon Buddhist monks
Suwon Baek clan
Joseon Buddhist monks
People from Namwon