Woncheuk (613–696) was a Korean Buddhist monk who did most of his writing in China, though his legacy was transmitted by a disciple to

Silla Silla or Shilla (57 BCE – 935 CE) ( , Old Korean: Syera, Old Japanese: Siraki2) was a Korean kingdom located on the southern and central parts of the Korean Peninsula. Silla, along with Baekje and Goguryeo, formed the Three Kingdoms ...

. One of the two star pupils of

Xuanzang Xuanzang (, ; 602–664), born Chen Hui / Chen Yi (), also known as Hiuen Tsang, was a 7th-century Chinese Buddhist monk, scholar, traveler, and translator. He is known for the epoch-making contributions to Chinese Buddhism, the travelogue of ...

, his works and devotion to the translation projects was revered throughout China and

Korea Korea ( ko, 한국, or , ) is a peninsular region in East Asia. Since 1945, it has been divided at or near the 38th parallel, with North Korea (Democratic People's Republic of Korea) comprising its northern half and South Korea (Republic o ...

, even reaching Chinese rulers like Emperors Taizong and Gaozong of Tang and Empress Wu of Zhou. His exegetical work was also revered and greatly influenced

Tibetan Buddhism Tibetan Buddhism (also referred to as Indo-Tibetan Buddhism, Lamaism, Lamaistic Buddhism, Himalayan Buddhism, and Northern Buddhism) is the form of Buddhism practiced in Tibet and Bhutan, where it is the dominant religion. It is also in majo ...

and the greater Himalayan region. Woncheuk was a follower of Paramārtha (499-569) and the Shelun school (攝論宗) of Yogacara. This school defended the view that there was a ninth consciousness called the "pure consciousness" (''amalavijñāna''), as opposed to just the

eight consciousnesses The Eight Consciousnesses (Skt. ''aṣṭa vijñānakāyāḥ'') is a classification developed in the tradition of the Yogācāra school of Mahayana Buddhism. They enumerate the five sense consciousnesses, supplemented by the mental consciousne ...

of orthodox

Yogacara Yogachara ( sa, योगाचार, IAST: '; literally "yoga practice"; "one whose practice is yoga") is an influential tradition of Buddhist philosophy and psychology emphasizing the study of cognition, perception, and consciousness through ...

. This position had been rejected by Xuanzang and

Kuiji Kuījī (; 632–682), also known as Ji (), an exponent of Yogācāra, was a Chinese monk and a prominent disciple of Xuanzang.Lusthaus, Dan (undated). ''Quick Overview of the Faxiang School'' (). Source(accessed: December 12, 2007) His posthumous ...

Nomenclature, orthography and etymology

The

Zhengzhang Shangfang Zhengzhang Shangfang (; ; 9 August 1933 – 19 May 2018) was a Chinese linguist, known for his reconstruction of Old Chinese. Zhengzhang was born as Zheng Xiangfang ( ; ) in Yongjia County, on the outskirts of Wenzhou. As and have the same ...

reconstruction of the Middle Chinese pronunciation of his name is 圓測 /ɦˠiuᴇnťʃʰɨk̚/. Woncheuk () was also known as , which is a namesake attributed to the temple of the same name where he did his

exegesis Exegesis ( ; from the Greek , from , "to lead out") is a critical explanation or interpretation of a text. The term is traditionally applied to the interpretation of Biblical works. In modern usage, exegesis can involve critical interpretation ...

Biography

Korean born, he lived at Xi Ming Temple and studied at the commencement of the

Tang dynasty The Tang dynasty (, ; zh, t= ), or Tang Empire, was an imperial dynasty of China that ruled from 618 to 907 AD, with an interregnum between 690 and 705. It was preceded by the Sui dynasty and followed by the Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdom ...

with the great translator and exponent of

, the well-travelled Xuanzang. Through Xuanzang's tutelage, he focused upon the study of the

doctrine. Woncheuk authored commentaries on early Indian and

Mahayana ''Mahāyāna'' (; "Great Vehicle") is a term for a broad group of Buddhist traditions, texts, philosophies, and practices. Mahāyāna Buddhism developed in India (c. 1st century BCE onwards) and is considered one of the three main existing br ...

literature. Woncheuk died in China, in a temple in Loyang. Woncheuk is well known amongst scholars of

and the Himalaya for his Commentary on the '' Saṃdhinirmocana sūtra.'' While in Tang China, Woncheuk took as a disciple a Korean-born monk named Dojeung (), who travelled to Silla in 692 and propounded and propagated Woncheuk's exegetical tradition there where it flourished. Choo (2006: p. 125) holds that though the '' Heart Sutra'' is generally identified as within the auspice of the Second Turning of the

Dharmacakra The dharmachakra (Sanskrit: धर्मचक्र; Pali: ''dhammacakka'') or wheel of dharma is a widespread symbol used in Indian religions such as Hinduism, Jainism, and especially Buddhism.John C. Huntington, Dina Bangdel, ''The Circle o ...

(Sanskrit), Woncheuk in his commentary provides an exegesis from the Third Turning: Woncheuk contributed to the development of the Dharmic discourse of Essence-Function and

Ekayāna Ekayāna ( sa, एकयान, ) is a Sanskrit word that can mean "one path" or "one vehicle". It is used both in the Upanishads and the Mahāyāna sūtras. Upanishads In the ''Brihadaranyaka Upanishad'', "ekayāna" took on special significance ...

Extant works

Choo (2006: p. 123) lists Woncheuk's three extant works, namely: *the ''Commentary on the Heart Sutra'' (), which is the first commentary on

's translation of the ''Heart Sutra'' *the ''Commentary on the Samdhinirmocana-sutra'' (), which is the largest extant commentary on that sutra—called “the Great Chinese Commentary” by the eminent

Vajrayana Vajrayāna ( sa, वज्रयान, "thunderbolt vehicle", "diamond vehicle", or "indestructible vehicle"), along with Mantrayāna, Guhyamantrayāna, Tantrayāna, Secret Mantra, Tantric Buddhism, and Esoteric Buddhism, are names referring t ...

scholar Je Tsongkhapa *the ''Commentary on the Benevolent King Sutra'' ().Choo, B. Hyun (2006). "An English Translation of the Banya paramilda simgyeong chan: Wonch'uk's Commentary on the Heart Sutra (Prajnaparamita-hrdaya-sutra)." cited in: ''International Journal of Buddhist Thought & Culture'' February 2006, Vol. 6, pp. 121–205. 2006. International Association for Buddhist Thought & Culture. Source

(accessed: February 2, 2009), p. 123

Notes

References

*Choo, B. Hyun (2006). "An English Translation of the Banya paramilda simgyeong chan: Wonch'uk's Commentary on the Heart Sutra (Prajnaparamita-hrdaya-sutra)." cited in: ''International Journal of Buddhist Thought & Culture'' February 2006, Vol.6, pp. 121–205. 2006 International Association for Buddhist Thought & Culture. Source

(accessed: February 2, 2009) *Chung, Byung Cho (1977). "Wonch'uk ui ''Banya Simgyeong Chan'' Yon-ku (The Study of Wonch'uk's ''Commentary on the Heart Sūtra'')." ''The Journal of Korean Studies''. No.9, Winter. Seoul: II Ji Sa. {{DEFAULTSORT:Wonchuk 7th-century Buddhists 7th-century Korean people Korean emigrants to China 7th-century Korean philosophers Korean scholars of Buddhism Silla Buddhist monks 613 births 696 deaths Yogacara