2. Koryo (935-1392)


After the glory of Shilla faded, the Koryo Dynasty assumed power in the 10th century. Buddhism continued to be the national religion, with the kings establishing shrines and temples throughout the country. However, excessive focus was placed on rituals and this created an unfavorable atmosphere for spiritual development.
In an attempt to purify and renew the spiritual aspect of Buddhism, several monks struggled against the ritualistic trend. One of these monks was Master Uich'on (1055-1101), son of King Munjong (1046-1083), who collected about 4,000 volumes of Buddhist texts while studying in China; from these the Tripitaka Koreana, the complete collection of Buddhist texts carved on wood blocks, was produced. This eminent Koryo monk emphasized the importance of bringing the contemplative, Zen, and Textual, Avatamsa, traditions together under a new school: he called it Ch'ont'ae. It was this development which brought new life to Koryo Buddhism.
Buddhism remained the dominant intellectual influence during the later years of Koryo, as Confucianism, introduced to the peninsula at the same time as Buddhism, had not yet gained much popularity.

Master Chinul (1158-1210), usually known as Pojo- kuksa, became the leading monk of Korea. He founded Songgwang-sa Temple on Mt. Chogye, and this large temple remained the headquarters of the Son sect for over 300 years. The Nine Schools of Son (Zen) were unified by Master T'aego (1301-82) under the name Chogye which has remained the main sect to this day. (See p. 60.)