Chungheo Hyujeong was a high priest of Buddhism who rehabilitated Buddhism failing like a light in the wind in the middle of the Joseon Dynasty. Family tradition and lineage of religious sects established by Hyujeong was the tradition of Korean Buddhi...
Chungheo Hyujeong was a high priest of Buddhism who rehabilitated Buddhism failing like a light in the wind in the middle of the Joseon Dynasty. Family tradition and lineage of religious sects established by Hyujeong was the tradition of Korean Buddhism that had been formed before Hyujeong. Zen idea of Hyujeong was succeeded and developed the idea of Korean Buddhism inherited from Wonhyo`s coincidence of a doctrine and religious learning in unified Silla, Uicheon`s accord between a religious teaching and contemplation in the middle of Goryeo dynasty, Jinul`s consensus among doctrines and meditation with meditation at the center, Hyegun`s equivalent development of a religious teaching, contemplation and pure land at the end of Goryeo dynasty to Jieum and Yeonggwan arranged by Gihwa`s accord among Confucianism, Buddhism and Taoism in early Chosun dynasty. Examined from the ideas of disciples who formed the four great religious division of Chungheo, all of them followed the tradition of Korean Buddhism which developed doctrines, meditation and Buddhist prayer at the same time. Knowing that contemplation and a religious teaching did not differ, they first established a firm view about Buddhism through the Mahayana Sutras like the Avatamska Sutra and the Sutra of the Lotus, then meditated and found enlightenment. They tried to integrate Confucianism, Buddhism and Taoism through extensive understanding about Confucianism and Taoism. They talked about the theory of five explanation of Jodongjong while meditating focusing on the topic like Joju`s saying that dogs have no nature of Buddha, pine tree in front of a garden and take a cup of tea before leaving with Yimjesun at the center. At the same time they preached that paradise was inside people`s mind while letting people to chant a Buddhist prayer to be reincarnated in paradise and pray for the deceased to go to heaven. And they struggled to join Confucianism, Buddhism and Taoism through wide understanding about Confucianism and Taoism. Meanwhile disciples of Chungheo tried to arrange the Lineage of Zen of themselves as the concept of clan began to form in the contemporary world and disciples flourished. Aged disciples of Hyujeong regarding Heogyeun suggested Naong lineage of zen based on the domestic traditional structure of ideology that developed doctrines, meditation and Buddhist prayer simultaneously formed by Naong Hyegun in the late Goryeo, which originated from the introduction of meditation to the country by Hongin, the fifth priest of high virtue, before Sinsu and Hyeneung separated, passed on to idea of Yeongmyeong Yeonsu to improve both a religious teaching and contemplation at the early Goryeo and handed to Korean traditional zen idea established by Jinul in the middle of Goryeo dynasty. On the other hand, young disciples of Hyujeong contended Taego lineage of zen to firm the tradition of Yimje-Zen centered around Taego Bowoo who tried to integrate Nine Mountains while being the supreme monk of the nation after coming back from getting permission from Seokok priest of high virtue of Yimjejong in China at the end of Goryeo dynasty.