Master Wonhyo (617-686), one of Korea's greatest scholars, was born in a simple family. After living as a monk for many years, he renounced religious life in order to better serve the people. Married for a short time to a princess, he had one son. As a scholar he wrote many important treatises in which he explained his philosophy of oneness, Ekayana, the interrelatedness of everything in the universe. The development of this view is due to an event in his life.
At the time that Master Wonhyo lived, many monks went to China to study and look for teachers. Wonhyo and his close friend, Uisang, also set out for China together; both of them wanted to study Buddhism there. One night on the way, Wonhyo awoke thirsty and, searching round, he found a container with delicious cool water in it. He drank the water and, his thirst quenched, he went back to sleep.
In the morning, he found that the vessel from which he had drunk was a skull. Suddenly he saw that everything depends on the mind -- thirsty, he had found the water so refreshing and the vessel so welcoming but on awakening, in the light of day, he was disgusted to find a dirty skull -- and he attained enlightenment. Realizing that it was no longer necessary for him to go to China in search of a teacher, he returned home. Master Uisang continued the journey. After ten years studying in Chin
a under a great master, Uisang offered a special gift to his teacher: a poem in the shape of seal which, when written down, geometrically represents infinity. This poem contained the essence of the Avatamsaka-sutra (an extremely long text explaining the universe); it is one of the greatest offerings of the Korean people to the world.