176 t h e a n n a l s o f k i n g t’a e j o
“Buddhism was first introduced during the reign of Emperor Ming^13 of
the Han dynasty. King Ying^14 of the State of Chu was the first ruler who was
enthusiastic about Buddhism, but he was assassinated at Danyang,^15 and
Emperor Wu^16 of the Liang dynasty was a fervent believer of Buddhism, but
he could not escape dying of starvation in Taicheng.^17 Since Fotucheng^18
failed to save the State of Zhao, and Jiumoluoshi^19 the State of Jin, and
Zhikong^20 the Yuan dynasty, we have never heard that the kings devoted to
Buddhism throughout history were rewarded for their faith. Turning to our
eastern kingdom [Korea], Silla was carried away until it exhausted its
national resources. The pagodas and temples filled the towns and villages,- The emperor of the Eastern Han dynasty, who reigned from 58 a d to 75 a d. He dreamt
that he saw a golden man, whom his minister interpreted as Buddha in India. - Liu Ying, one of the sons of Emperor Guangwu (25–58 a d). According to the History
of Later Han, he was deeply interested in Daoism and at the same time observed fasting and
performed sacrifices to the Buddha. However, he was suspected of being disloyal to the central
government, and Emperor Ming had him deposed and transferred to Danyang. In 71 a d,
shortly after his arrival at Danyang, he committed suicide. - The capital of the State of Chu.
- Emperor Wu (464–549 AD) was the founder of the Liang dynasty. Though his reign
was remarkably stable and prosperous, he was betrayed by his general, named Hou Jing, at the
end of his reign. He was placed under house arrest and is presumed to have been starved to
death. During his reign, he received Buddhism and used the Buddhist precepts in running the
government, which earned him the nickname “Emperor Bodhisattva.” - The capital of Liang (modern Nanjing), where the royal palace was located.
- A famous Chinese monk during the period of the Sixteen Kingdoms of the Five
Barbarians. After studying Buddhism in India, he devoted himself to propagating Buddhism
among the people in the “barbarian” states of northern China, often performing magic and
miracles for the sake of proselytizing the common people. He served as the advisor of Shi Le,
the king of Later Zhao, and built numerous temples, producing many famous disciples,
including monk Dao An of the Eastern Jin dynasty. - An Indian monk whose original name was Kumarajiva (344–413 AD). In 384, he
became a captive of Lu Guang, a general of Fu Gian, who invaded his hometown of Kucha.
Thereafter, he lived in China and preached Buddhism, translating many Buddhist scriptures
from Sanscrit to Chinese. Many accomplished Chinese scholar monks, including Dao An,
became his disciples, and they numbered as many as three thousand. He died in Chang’an,
China at the age of seventy. - Dhyānabhadra (1289–1364 a d), a Buddhist monk from northeast India. At the age of
nineteen, he left his native state of Magadha, Sri Lanka, then part of India, and journeyed to
the east until he arrived in Dudu (Beijing), the capital of Yuan China. Known as “the last light
of Indian Buddhism” in East Asia, he taught the precept of “(neither arising nor) non-arising,”
preaching that the realization of awakening can be available to the laity as well as to monks.
He was especially attracted to the marginalized people in Yuan society, including the mem-
bers of the Koryŏ expatriate community in the Yuan capital. (Ronald James Dziwenka, p. 12)