Bibliography
Liebenthal, Walter. “Shih Hui-yuan’s Buddhism.” Journal of the
American Oriental Society70 (1950): 243–259.
Zürcher, E. The Buddhist Conquest of China: The Spread and
Adaptation of Buddhism in Early Medieval China.Leiden,
Netherlands: Brill, 1959.
MARKL. BLUMHWAO ̆M SCHOOL. SeeHuayan School
HYESIM
Hyesim (Chin’gak kuksa,1178–1234) was an eminent
So ̆n (Chinese, Chan) school master from the mid-
Koryo ̆dynasty. Like many other Koryo ̆- and Choso ̆n-
era figures, he entered the Buddhist order with a strong
Confucian background. Hyesim passed the highest-
ranking civil service exam and taught at a Confucian
institute. But in 1202, after the death of his mother
(who had adamantly opposed his wishes to be or-
dained), he joined CHINUL’s Suso ̆nsa (Cultivation of
Chan) Society and became his disciple. After studying
with Chinul for a period of time, Hyesim went off on
his own to practice in places such as Osan and
Chirisan, learning from a number of different masters.
He eventually returned to Chinul, who acknowledged
his disciple’s attainment of enlightenment. When
Chinul passed away in 1210, Hyesim was pressed into
taking the mantle of leadership of the society, thus be-
coming its second patriarch. He spent the rest of his
life expanding the society, studying the kanhwamed-
itation technique developed by Chinul, and writing
and compiling voluminously.
Most renowned of Hyesim’s extensive works are the
So ̆nmun gangyo(Essentials of the So ̆n School) and the
So ̆nmun yo ̆msong chip(Enlightenment Verses of the So ̆n
School). The latter is a massive collection of edifying
ancient precedents from Chan and pre-Chan Buddhist
literature, which has been viewed as an important
source for adherents of KOAN(Korean, kongan)med-
itation throughout East Asia down to the present day.
Hyesim passed away at the age of fifty-seven and re-
ceived the posthumous title National Master Chin’gak
(True Enlightenment).
See also:Chan School
Bibliography
Buswell, Robert E., Jr. The Collected Works of Chinul.Honolulu:
University of Hawaii Press, 1983.A. CHARLESMULLERHYUJO ̆NGThe Buddhist monk Hyujo ̆ng (1520–1604) lived dur-
ing the Choso ̆n dynasty (1392–1910) in Korea, when
Buddhism, marginalized by an aggressively neo-
Confucian state, eked out survival in the form of
so-called Mountain Buddhism. Buddhist monasteries
were under the control of the government and Bud-
dhist monks, placed at the bottom of the Choso ̆n
social spectrum, were prohibited from entering the
capital.
Hyujo ̆ng is also known as Ch’o ̆ngho ̆taesa (Master
Ch’o ̆ngho ̆) or So ̆san taesa (Master of Western Moun-
tain) because he resided primarily on Mount Myo-
hyang, also known as So ̆san (Western) Mountain. His
secular name was Ch’oe Hyo ̆nu ̆ng; Hyujo ̆ng is his
dharma name. He was orphaned at the age of ten, and
raised by Yi Saju ̆ng, a Confucian scholar who was a
local government official. After being educated in the
Confucian classics at home, Hyujo ̆ng entered the
So ̆nggyun’gwan, an academy for the Confucian elite.
He failed the rigorous civil service examination nec-
essary for government office, however, and then em-
barked on a period of travel, during which time he
was introduced to MAHAYANA Buddhist texts at
Mount Chiri. This experience set the stage for his de-
cision to become a monk. He later studied So ̆n (Chi-
nese, Chan) under the guidance of Master Puyong
Yo ̆nggwan (1485–1571), who eventually recognized
his enlightenment.During his career as a So ̆n monk, Hyujo ̆ng did not
ignore the importance of kyo(doctrinal teaching); he
acknowledged that doctrine is a companion to prac-
tice. In his work So ̆n’ga kwigam(Speculum on the So ̆n
School), he states “So ̆n is the mind of the Buddha and
doctrine is his word.” However, he never thought doc-
trine to be the equal of meditation. This is clear in his
theory of sagyo ipso ̆n,which means “abandon doctrine
and enter So ̆n.” Hyujo ̆ng authored a number of texts
on the relation between So ̆n and doctrine, and the im-
portance of So ̆n practice for attaining enlightenment.
The most important are So ̆n’gyo so ̆k(The Exposition of
So ̆n and Doctrine), So ̆n’ gyo kyo ̆l(The Secret of So ̆n andHYUJO ̆NG