BUDDHISM IN KOREA AND VIETNAM 229then taking the abbot's high seat to proclaim that all the scriptures and the
Three Vehicles are just "piss left behind by an old barbarian." Mter serving as
royal teacher off and on for 10 years, T'aego eventually sought refuge in
monastic retirement. At death he was granted the title of Son Master of Per-
fect Realization. Several Son lineages claim him as a common ancestor.
9.5 THE YIICHOSON DYNASTY
(1392-191 0)The Yi dynasty, which bestowed the name Choson (Land of Morning Calm)
on the country, replaced Buddhism with Confucianism as the state cult. Bud-
dhist monks were forced into seclusion in the mountains, leaving the political
field to scholar-officials. The transition was gradual, however. The founder of
the Yi dynasty, a former general under the Koryo kings, actually incorporated
Buddhist elements in his new order. However, internal and external political
factors favored the neo-Confucians. On the internal level, the new regime
needed to undermine any lingering power possessed by those still loyal to the
former dynasty. On the external level, it needed the support of China's nee-
Confucian Ming dynasty in order to maintain power.
However, not until the reign of the third king of the dynasty did the gov-
ernment take active repressive measures against the Buddhists. Land and ser-
vants were confiscated, temples closed, and Buddha-images melted down to
make weapons of war. Members of the social elite were not allowed to ordain,
and existing monks were pressured to disrobe.
Conditions improved somewhat under later kings. The fourth king, Se-
jong (r. 1419-50), advocated a phonetic Korean script, Han'gul, which con-
tributed greatly to the popularization ofBuddhism in that it enabled Koreans
to read Buddhist literature without having to learn Chinese or Sanskrit. King
Sejong also consolidated the Korean Sangha into two schools: the Son school,
which included not only Son but also Ch'ont'ae; and the Doctrinal (Kyo)
School, which included Hwaom and three other schools.
During this period Korea was plagued by invading forces, both Japanese
and Manchu. Buddhist monks, following a tradition established during the
Koguryo kingdom, took on a military role. The Son master Sosan Hyujong
(1520-1604), for example, led five thousand of his comrades against the Japan-
ese. Although the Koreans were successful in driving the Japanese from their
territory, the monks' involvement in the war effort incited the Japanese to
burn many major monasteries to the ground.
Despite its waning influence in the court, Buddhism maintained its sup-
port among the masses. As a result, the elite linked Buddhism and shamanism
as traditions to be equally avoided. In his satirical tale "The Story of a Yang-
ban;' Pak Chi-won (1737-1805) pokes fun at the attitude of a proper Confu-
cian-trained court official: "When ill, do not call a shaman; when sacrificing,
do not invite monks."