Gihwa (, 1376–1433), also known as Hamheo Teuktong was a Buddhist monk of

Korean Seon Seon or Sŏn Buddhism ( Korean: 선, 禪; IPA: ʌn is the Korean name for Chan Buddhism, a branch of Mahāyāna Buddhism commonly known in English as Zen Buddhism. Seon is the Sino-Korean pronunciation of Chan () an abbreviation of 禪那 ...

and leading Buddhist figure during the late

Goryeo Goryeo (; ) was a Korean kingdom founded in 918, during a time of national division called the Later Three Kingdoms period, that unified and ruled the Korean Peninsula until 1392. Goryeo achieved what has been called a "true national unifica ...

to early

Joseon Joseon (; ; Middle Korean: 됴ᇢ〯션〮 Dyǒw syéon or 됴ᇢ〯션〯 Dyǒw syěon), officially the Great Joseon (; ), was the last dynastic kingdom of Korea, lasting just over 500 years. It was founded by Yi Seong-gye in July 1392 and ...

eras. He was originally a

Confucian scholar Confucianism, also known as Ruism or Ru classicism, is a system of thought and behavior originating in ancient China. Variously described as tradition, a philosophy, a religion, a humanistic or rationalistic religion, a way of governing, or a ...

of high reputation, but converted to Buddhism at the age of 21 upon the death of a close friend. He wandered among the Korean mountain monasteries, until he had the fortune of becoming the disciple of the last Korean national teacher,

Muhak Muhak (무학, 1327–1405) was a Korean Buddhist monk that lived during the transition between the Goryeo and the Joseon kingdoms. Life Muhak was a Buddhist monk and an advisor to Yi Seong-gye who became King Taejo, the founder of the Joseon Dyn ...

. Gihwa's writings showed a distinctive mixture between iconoclastic and subitist Seon language, and a strong appreciation for the scriptural tradition. Thus, he took up from

Jinul Jinul Puril Bojo Daesa (, "Bojo Jinul"; 1158–1210), often called Jinul or Chinul for short, was a Korean monk of the Goryeo period, who is considered to be the most influential figure in the formation of Korean Seon (Zen) Buddhism. He is credi ...

the tradition of unification of Seon and Gyo Buddhism. Among his writings, there are four works in particular that made a deep impact on the subsequent Seon tradition in Korea. These are: # A commentary on the ''

Sutra of Perfect Enlightenment The Sutra of Perfect Enlightenment or Complete Enlightenment () is a Mahāyāna Buddhist sūtra highly esteemed by both the Huayan and Zen schools. The earliest records are in Chinese, and it is believed to be of Chinese origin. Divided into twe ...

'', the ''Weongak gyeong hae seorui''. # A redaction and subcommentary to five famous earlier commentaries on the '' Diamond Sutra'', the ''Geumgang banyabaramilgyeong ogahae seorui''. # A subcommentary and redaction of the '' Collection of Yongjia'', the ''Yonggajip gwaju seorui'' # The '' Hyeonjeong non'' As a result of his fourth major work, the ''Hyeonjeong non'', Gihwa distinguished himself as the primary Buddhist respondent to the rising

Neo-Confucian Neo-Confucianism (, often shortened to ''lǐxué'' 理學, literally "School of Principle") is a moral, ethical, and metaphysical Chinese philosophy influenced by Confucianism, and originated with Han Yu (768–824) and Li Ao (772–841) in th ...

polemic of his period, as he responded with vigor to the Neo-Confucian criticisms of Buddhism. Gihwa died while residing at Jeongsusa, at the southern tip of

Ganghwado Ganghwa Island (Hangul ; Hanja ), also known by its native name Ganghwado, is a South Korean island in the estuary of the Han River. It is in the Yellow Sea, off Korea's west coast. The island is separated from Gimpo (on the South Korean mainla ...

, where his tomb can still be visited. Gihwa's commentary on the

was translated by A. Charles Muller, in 1999.

Essence-Function Essence-Function (體用, Chinese pinyin: ''tǐ yòng'', Korean: ''che-yong''), also called Substance and Function, is a key concept in Chinese philosophy and other Far-Eastern philosophies. ''Essence'' is Absolute Reality, the fundamental "cause" ...

is a key concept in East Asian Buddhism and particularly that of

Korean Buddhism Korean Buddhism is distinguished from other forms of Buddhism by its attempt to resolve what its early practitioners saw as inconsistencies within the Mahayana Buddhist traditions that they received from foreign countries. To address this, th ...

. Essence-Function takes a particular form in the philosophy and writings of Kihwa.Muller, A. Charles (1995). "The Key Operative Concepts in Korean Buddhist Syncretic Philosophy: Interpenetration (通達) and Essence-Function (體用) in Wŏnhyo, Chinul and Kihwa" cited in ''Bulletin of Toyo Gakuen University'' No. 3, March 1995, pp 33-48.Source: (accessed: September 18, 2008)

Life

At the age of 21, he entered Uisangam in

Gwanaksan ''Gwanaksan'' ( Korean for Mt. Gwanak; 632 m) is a mountain in southern Seoul, South Korea. Portions lie in the Gwanak-gu and Geumcheon-gu districts of Seoul; other portions lie in the neighboring cities of Anyang, Gyeonggi and Gwacheon. Th ...

and became a Buddhist monk. The following year, he learned a Buddhist service from Jacho of Hoeamsa. After that, he returned from a trip to famous mountains across the country and devoted himself to ascetic practice.동양사상 > 한국의 사상 > 조선전기의 사상 > 조선전기의 종교사상 > 기화
《 글로벌 세계 대백과사전》

Notes

1376 births 1433 deaths Converts to Buddhism Seon Buddhist monks Korean Buddhist monks Goryeo Buddhist monks Joseon Buddhist monks {{Buddhist-clergy-stub

Life

See also

Notes