b) The Period of Settlement


As a result of the usefulness with which Buddhism was perceived, it was able to settle into Korea not long after its introduction. It is hard to pinpoint the exact time of this settlement, but it can be considered to be one or two centuries after the initial contact. With establishment came the impetus for a high level of Buddhist research and development, from about the early 6th century. The research carried out at this time was into purely doctrinal questions which were not related to the national trend in Buddhist thought and it was this development which is seen as proof of the final amalgamation of Korean Buddhism into Korean culture. Existing Korean records of the research carried out at this time are very few but the trends and outlines can be considered from Chinese records dating from that period.

According to these records, the research of scholar-monks of the Koguryo Kingdom -- which accepted Buddhism initially -- was most active. Koguryo Master Sungnang systematically researched and developed the study of the Three Treatises, that is, Chung-non (Mulamadhyamika-karika-sastra, Treatise on the Middle), Shibimun-non (Dvadasanikaya-sastra, Treatise on the Twelve Gates), and Paeng-non (Cathusataka, Treatise in One Hundred Verses), which are fundamental texts of Indian Buddhism, especially Mahayana Madhyamika philosophy. Hence he directly influenced the establishment of the Chinese School of the Three Treatises. Besides him, many Koguryo masters were active either in China or in Koguryo. Master Chihwang studied the philosophy of Sarvastivada, a major branch of Hinayana Buddhism, Master Podok is known to have been a great scholar of Yolban-kyong (Nirvana-sutra), and Master P'ayak studied Ch'ont'ae (Ch. T'ien-t'ai). In Paekje there was also a lot of research carried out. After Master Kyomik returned from a pilgrimage to India in 526, research and writing on Vinaya philosophy was especially popular, and belief in the Lotus Sutra and Maitreya, the Future Buddha, increased dramatically. The doctrinal study of Paekje, which introduced Buddhism to Japan, became the foundation of Japanese Buddhism.

Shilla recognized Buddhism officially later than Koguryo and Paekje. Belief in the Pure Land of Maitreya was eagerly accepted as a kind of governing Buddhist ideology from the beginning. Later, from the early 7th century, studies on various Mahayana texts such as sutras and Mahayana vinayas became popular.

The Buddhist thought of the Three Kingdoms does not seem to have gone much beyond research into the texts of Hinayana and Mahayana. But Koguryo Master Sungnang's study of the Three Treatises is considered the origin of Korean Buddhist philosophy. Because of this, only some of the studies of this period are selectively seen to be important.