(18-2, p. 42)

By Rick McBride

Nestled within the gorgeous panorama of the Kaya Mountains, about an hour's bus ride from modern Taegu, Haein Monastery has been a refuge in more ways than one since its construction in A.D. 802, during the reign of Silla King Aejang (r. 800-809). According to an old Korean record, "the shape of the Kaya Mountains is unmatched in all of heaven and earth and the virtue of the land stands alone in Korea. Truly, it is a land where one can cultivate the Way."1 Haein Monastery was the first Buddhist monastery I visited in Korea and in the successive times I have visited it, I have found the characterization above to be true. The Kaya Mountains are especially beautiful in the fall when the rich colors of the monastery mix with the gentle autumn hues of red, yellow, and brown.

Haein, or "ocean-seal," is an allusion to the "ocean-seal absorption" spoken of in the Avatamsaka-sutra.2 In this powerful meditative state the practitioner's mind becomes like a calm ocean that is able to reflect all things like a mirror, thereby gaining penetrating insight into the true nature of things. In other words, the practitioner sees and experiences things as they really are. This type of insight, which allows him to understand the "interpenetration of all things," or how all things in the world are mutually dependent, develops into wisdom—the type of wisdom leading to Buddhahood and nirvana.

Haein-sa, "The Monastery of the Ocean-Seal Absorption," is one of the three main monasteries of the Chogye Order of Korean Zen (Son) Buddhism. These three monasteries are symbolic of the "three gems" (triratna in Sanskrit)—the Buddha, the teaching (dharma), and the monastic community (sangha)—in which all Buddhists take refuge. T'ongdo Monastery, located near Pusan, represents the Buddha, since a relic of the historical Buddha is enshrined in its main stupa and

Paengnyon Hermitage, Photo by Riley

Haein Monastery was originally a center for the Hwaom School of Korean Buddhism, which was the main school of Korean Buddhism from the Unified Silla through the mid-periods (ca. 700-1250). This school viewed the teachings of the Avatamsaka-sutra (Hua-yen ching in Chinese; Hwaom-gyong in Korean) as the ultimate teachings revealed by the Buddha. Many famous Koreans have lived there since its construction. The famous scholar Ch'oe Ch'iwon (857-?), who passed the civil service examination in Tang China and served as an official there for a decade, retired to Haein Monastery. He spent the remaining years of his life rummaging through arcane Buddhist and Taoist text with his friends and relatives who also sought refuge there.3 Other important Korean (18-2, p. 43) Buddhist figures are said to have spent time at Haein Monastery. The most famous monk associated with Haein Monastery is Uich'on (1055-1101), a prince of the royal family of the Koryo dynasty. He travelled to Sung China himself, and sent emissaries to Japan, to obtain copies of rare Buddhist texts. Under his direction, the first Korean Buddhist canon was compiled, complete with a supplement of all the then-known commentaries by eminent East Asian monks. Unfortunately, this supplement was later destroyed by the Mongols.4 In the thirteenth century, when the Koreans suffered from successive Mongol invasions, the government stored the woodblocks for the second Korean Buddhist Canon, as well as the veritable records (sillok in Korean) of the Koryo dynasty, in the monastery.

The mountain forests around Haein Monastery are spotted with hermitages, the most well known being Paengnyon-am, "White Lotus Hermitage." Although its date of foundation is unknown, Paengnyon Hermitage was restored around 1605 by Soam (?-1605), a disciple of Master Hyujong (1520-1604), who was favored by the Choson court and led a brief Buddhist renaissance in the late sixteenth century. It has been constantly occupied by Son masters ever since. In recent years it has been the abode of a renowned Son master, the late Sungch'ol (19121993), who was a vocal leader of the Chogye order for several years. He was most well known for his hard-line stance against a married order of monks, which was established during the Japanese occupation (1905-1945), and his somewhat provocative views on lay and meditative practice. During the last three years since his death, commemorative services for Master Sungch'ol have been held at this hermitage in the fall by his devout followers.

While Korea's metropolitan centers have changed with the ebb and flow of time, currently manifesting the modern megatrend toward multiculturalism, for the last thousand years Haein Monastery has been a spiritual refuge, a retreat from the rigors of the world. It has ever reflected, and since being named one of UNESCO's World Heritage Cultural Monuments it will continue to preserve, a slice of Korea's rich history—truly embodying and holding forever the calm serenity depicted by its name.

Notes

1. Kim Chongjik, comp., Augmented Survey of Korean Geography (Sinjung Tongguk yoji sungnam) (Seoul: Myongmundang, 1981), 30:31a2-3.
2. Buddha-avatamsaka-sutra (Ta-fang-kuang fo hua-yen ching), in Taisho Edition of the Buddhist Canon (Taisho shinshu daizokyo) (Tokyo, 1914-1922), 293.10.661a-848b. Cf. Thomas Cleary, trans., Flower Ornament Scripture: The Avatamsaka Sutra (San Francisco: Shambhala, 1984), passim.
3. Kim Pusik, The History of the Three Kingdoms (Samguk sagi) (Seoul: Uryu Munhwasa, 1977), 46:431.
4. Robert E. Buswell, Jr., The Korean Approach to Zen: The Collected Works of Chinul (Honolulu: University of Hawaii Press, 1985), 14-16.