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Cheontae Order – 천태종
History of the Cheontae Order Cheontae Buddhism is a descendant of Tiantai. Cheontae Buddhism was first introduced a few times to the Korean peninsula after it was first established in China in 594 A.D. by Master Zhiyi (538-597 A.D.), or “Jiui – 지의” in Korean. Yeongwang, a Silla Kingdom monk, studied under Master Zhiyi in China from 581-597 A.D., but later returned to the Korean peninsula to teach the Cheontae teachings. Then in 730 A.D., the Silla monks Peopyung, Ieung, and Sunyeong studied the Cheontae teachings under the Master Monk Chwagye Hyeonrang. Later, they returned to Korea to transmit the Cheontae teachings. However, it wasn’t until the monk Uicheon (1055-1101),…
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Seongjusan Sect – Seongjusa-ji Temple Site (Boryeong, Chungcheongnam-do)
The Seongjusan sect was located out of present-day Boryeong, Chungcheongnam-do at Seongjusa Temple. According to Prof. David Mason, this temple was already established in 616 A.D. through the orders of King Mu of Baekje (r. 600-641 A.D.). The temple was originally named Ohapsa Temple. The reason for this name was to help commemorate the recent victory over the neighbouring Silla and to pray for the souls of soldiers that had died during the conflict. As Prof. Mason points out on his website, “The Samguk-Yusa records that in 659, during the reign of the final King Uija (의자왕), a ‘Red Goblin’ (hong dokkebi) was seen circumambulating this temple 6 times (an…
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Other Early Gyo Sects
In addition to the five main Gyo sects that thrived during the Three Kingdoms Period in Korea (18 B.C. – 660 A.D.), there were lesser known Gyo sects that were also established at this time. And while they might have been less popular than the other five major Gyo sects, they survived up until the end of the Goryeo Dynasty (918-1392). These sects are: 1. Chongji-jong (Esoteric Sect) Jineon, which is also known as Chongji-jong, is a form of Esoteric Buddhism (Vajrayana). The primary text of this sect were the Dharanis. The Dharanis are Buddhist chants, incantations, and/or recitations. And they are Sanskrit or Pali phrases. These phrases can, and…
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Yuga-jong – Consciouness-Only Sect: 육아종
There are two primary texts that the Yuga-jong sect follows. They are the Yogacarabhumi-sastra (Treatise on the Stages of the Yoga Masters) and the Vijnaptimatratasiddhi (Treatise on Consciousness Only). This sect is also known as Yusik-jong – 유식종, or the Consciousness-Only sect in English. The reason for this is that in yoga, and in the mind, there are manifestations of various dharmas. Another name this sect goes by is Beopsang – 법상종, which focuses on the Dharma Laksana. The founder of this sect in China was the Dharma Master Xuanzang (602-644 A.D.), or Hyeonjang in Korean, who started to teach this doctrine at the Cien Temple. That’s why this sect…
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Samnon-jong – East Asian Mādhyamaka: 삼론종
The Beopseong sect, as the name hints at, attempts to clarify the meaning of various dharmas. The Beopseong sect used the Three Treatises as their primary texts. These three texts are: 1. The Middle Treatise – Mūlamadhyamakakārikā, 2. The Treatise on the Twelve Gates – Dvādaśadvāraśāstra, 3. The Hundred Verse Treatise – Śataśāstra. As a result, the Beopseong sect is also sometimes called the Three Treatises School, or the “Samnon-jong” in Korean. One of the main focuses of the Samnon-jong sect, which is known as the “Buddha Nature” in English, focuses on how it’s possible for sentient beings to attain the state of a Buddha. This is a central topic…
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Yeolban-jong – The Nirvana Sect: 열반종
As the name of the sect already hints at, the Nirvana sect, or Yeolbang-jong (열반종) in Korean, follows the Nirvana sutra as its primary source of teaching. The main interpretation of this sutra is that beings have a Buddha-nature. And that Nirvana is obtained and expressed by acquiring the Buddha-nature that exists within all of us. It’s believed by scholars that the sutra dates back to around the second century based upon physical evidence and Chinese canonical catalogs. As for the Korean Buddhist form, it was transmitted by the Korean monk Bodeok-hwasang during the reign of King Muyeol of Silla (r. 654 – 661 A.D.). Before Bodeok, there was a…
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In the Beginning…Korean Shamanism and the Introduction of Buddhism
Predating any and all forms of Buddhism in Korea was that of Korean shamanism. In fact, shamanism in Korea dates back to around 1,000 B.C. And ever since then, shamanism has been a part of Korean culture. Korean shamanism believed, and still believes, that human problems can be solved through an interaction between humans and spirits. These spirits are said to have power to change a person’s fortune, either good or bad. There is a rather large, and unorganized, pantheon of shaman spirits like the prominent Sanshin (Mountain Spirit) and Samshin Halmoni. During the Three Kingdoms Period of Korea, and before Buddhism entered the Korean peninsula, the indigenous religion of…