The Dharma Master Chongsan of Won Buddhism

Analects and Writings

Chongsan, Bongkil Chung

• Publisher: SUNY Press
• Year: 2012
• Print ISBN: 9781438440248, 9781438440231
• eBook ISBN: 9781438440255
• Topic: Theology & Religion
• Subtopic: Buddhism

Won Buddhism emerged in early twentieth-century Korea after a long period of anti-Buddhist repression. It is a syncretic tradition, a form of Buddhism strongly influenced by the Ch?son dynasty's Neo-Confucian ethical heritage and by Daoism. Seeking to deliver sentient beings from suffering and to create a just and ethical world, Won Buddhism stresses practical application of the dharma and service. It offers a vision of people as one family, morally perfected. This book provides the first English translations of the writings of Ch?ngsan (1900–62), the second dharma master of Won Buddhism, who codified the new religion's central doctrines. The translations here include Ch?ngsan's discussion of Buddha-nature, described as a mind-seal and symbolized by the Irw?nsang (a unitary circle); his synthesis of Confucian moral and political programs with Buddhist notions of emancipation from birth and death; and his expositions on realizing the ideal of all people as one family.

Part one

The Canon of the World (Sejŏn)

The Gāthā

With one truth within one fence,

As one family within one household,

As coworkers on the same worksite,

Let us realize the world of Irwŏn.

Chapter One

General Introduction

A human life can be perfect in both this and the eternal life only if there exist correct ways that one can learn and follow for each stage of life, from the moment when the numinous consciousness enters the mother’s womb to the moments of being born, growing, living as an adult, and entering nirvāṇa.

Thus, there should be the way of care before birth, while one is still in the womb; after birth there should be the way of infant education during infancy; and during childhood there should be the way of integrated education in science and morality. In the family there should be the way for spouses to follow, the way for parents and children to follow, and the way for siblings and relatives to follow. In a religious order there should be the way of faith and the way for the laity to follow. In society there should be the way of men and women, the way of old and young, the way of strong and weak, and the way of the public well-being. In the state there should be the way of government and moral culture, and the way for the citizen to follow. In the world there should be the way for the human race to follow. In old age with one’s lifetime work behind, there should be the way of rest and emancipation. Reaching the time of nirvān. a, there should be the way of nirvāṇa and deliverance. Thus, the ways one ought to learn and follow throughout one’s life can be limitless; however, an outline of those ways and principles is hereby drawn and entitled Sejŏn(The Canon of the World).

Chapter Two

Education

I. On Education

Education is the root of the evolution of the world and the foundation of human civilization. Hence, it can be said that the rise or fall and prosperity or decline of an individual, a family, a society, and a nation depend on whether or not people are educated well.

Although humans are said to be the most sagacious of all beings, supreme sagacity cannot be realized without education. A family, a society, a nation, or the world may be formed; however, they cannot be maintained or developed without the power of education. Therefore, one can be a useful person to one’s family, society, nation, and the world only if correct ways are provided for care before birth, child rearing, and general education, that is, throughout the various stages of life—from the period in the womb that is the basis of one’s life through that of birth and growth. Education can be divided broadly into two kinds: one is education in science, the other is moral education. Scientific education is the basis of material civilization, and is responsible for the external development of the world, while moral education is the basis of the spiritual culture, and is responsible for internal development of the world. These two kinds of education should be advanced equally, with moral education forming the basis for the application of the science education. Only then can human civilization be well-rounded internally and externally and the happiness of human race can be perfect.

II. The Way of Education before Birth

Human education starts before birth with the influences that affect the unborn child. Prenatal education originated with King Wen’s (1171–1122 BC) mother, Tairen, who started teaching her son while he was in her womb, and since then has spread through the world. A wholesome influence on the fetus in the womb can improve the temperament of the numinous consciousness that is originally good, and mitigate the temperament of the numinous consciousness that is not good. If a pregnant woman educates her unborn child poorly, by letting her body and mind run recklessly, the temperament of the numinous consciousness will get worse, regardless of its goodness or badness. Therefore, Grand Master Sot’aesan said, “Since the unborn child’s numinous consciousness gathers while it is in the mother’s womb, what the parents say, think, and do can easily influence its future character. Hence, the pregnant woman’s self restraint is of extreme importance.”¹

The way of prenatal influence includes the following threefold self-restraint. First is physical self-restraint. The pregnant woman should not lift any heavy object, climb or descend steep places, or go to places where cold, hot, damp, or dry conditions vary excessively. She should not eat any unripe fruit or spoiled food; she should be careful to avoid being too hungry or too full, overworked or indolent. Second is to keep the mind in purity: she should keep her mind from greed, anger, delusion, resentment, jealousy, and disrespect. She should not be disturbed by sorrow and pleasure, or love and hatred. She must be careful to subdue anxiety and agony and to keep her peace of mind in frightening and alarming situations; and she must learn the teachings of the Buddha and other wise and benevolent sages by attending dharma meetings regularly and maintain the standard of practice. Third is to have right conduct: the pregnant woman should abstain from killing, stealing, and sexual misconduct; she should not make silly remarks, use evil words, tell lies, or embellish words. She should deal with daily affairs fairly and right, treat all people with respect, and practice charity as much as possible. Wherever she goes, she should observe the laws and rules and the public morality of that place.

III. The Way of Childhood Guidance

Human nature is originally pure and devoid of good and evil; it can, however, become good or evil in accordance with mental spheres. Thus, it is easily influenced by good in a good environment and by evil in a bad environment.

Since consciousness during innocent childhood is not yet fully developed, whatever the child sees or hears can easily influence it. It is said that Mencius’s mother changed her residence three times to find a right environment for her son to receive good influences, eventually helping him to become a sage. How could childhood guidance be neglected?

Grand Master Sot’aesan taught that there are four ways in the way of childhood guidance. The first is mental influence: one should keep one’s mind upright, good, and peaceful, basing the practice on religious faith, so that the child is guided to follow the model of one’s mind. The second is influence by deed: one must practice right and one’s conduct should be in accordance with moral norms, so that the child could naturally model after such practice. The third is verbal teaching: the child should often be told the tales and anecdotes of the Buddha, bodhisattvas, and other great persons so that it can remember and model after their good deeds. The parents should teach the child by reasoning with it on facts and principles. The fourth is stern teaching, which is done only when necessary, and with dignity; this is not a method to be used often, since it is done to a mere child.²

IV. The Way of General Education

Even if one has had adequate prenatal influences and proper childhood guidance, one’s life could still be worthless if one does not get both an adequate education in the scientific knowledge necessary for the age and the moral training necessary for the growth of one’s fundamental personality during one’s youth. One should thus receive timely education in school and moral training from youth to adulthood, which we call “general education.”

The education one receives throughout one’s lifetime has four parts. The first is education in science, the purpose of which is to help attain scientific knowledge and skills. The second is spiritual education, which is to help one be trained in moral culture and the practice of morality, mainly through moral education. The third is education in propriety, which lets one learn and practice all the ceremonies and rituals appropriate to the family, society, the nation, and the world. The fourth is work education, which is to cultivate diligence in ordinary times and to be trained to work productively.

Chapter Three

Family

I. On Family

Family is the foundation of human life. Where there are human beings, a family is formed, by the relationships of husband and wife, parents and children, siblings, and other relatives. Only if the right ways of those relationships are properly followed can there be a happy, peaceful, and improving family.

II. The Way of Husband and Wife

The origin of a family lies in husband and wife; there should be ways to be followed by them. In these lies the meaning of an ancient sage’s saying, “The way of the prince (junzi) originates in the relationship of husband and wife.”

The first way of husband and wife is harmony. Husband and wife should be earnest friends and companions to each other in mutual respect and love, a mutual understanding of each other’s idiosyncrasies, encouragement of each other’s good, generosity with each other’s faults, and mutual help to each other’s business. The second is fidelity: both should prize their chastity and should abstain from dissipation and other evils; both should share the suffering and happiness of life to the end; and both should forgive with generosity all the faults that are not egregious evils known to the world. The third way is diligence and sincerity. Husband and wife should, with a spirit of self-reliance, live diligently and sincerely, constructing a prosperous family and equally discharging their moral duties. The fourth way is service to the public interest: husband and wife should faithfully and in unison carry out their duties and obligations to the state and society, helping in the work of edification, education, and charity as much as they can.

III. The Way of Parents

There are ways that any parent should follow. First, parents should strive themselves to bring up their children and protect them by all good means until they become independent. Second, parents should exert themselves to educate their children in accord with their aptitudes and in a timely manner. Third, parents should let their children devote themselves to the public well-being, instead of fettering themselves to a family, so that they will unfailingly perform acts of justice and make efforts in the task of deliverance. Fourth, parents should not be concerned with their children’s filial piety; they should render devotion and love to their children only as duty.

IV. The Way of Children

There are ways that any child should follow: one should be a truly and magnanimously filial child by practicing all of the “Articles for Requiting the Beneficence of Parents” detailed in the Canon.³ If one obeys the unrighteous orders of parents only to keep their minds peaceful, one will be failing in the great filial piety by observing a petty one. If one is kept from serving the public in order to support one’s parents, one is observing a petty filial piety, and failing the great one. If the parents are too old to judge right from wrong, the child should challenge them on their error with calmness and gentle words so that they can change their minds. If one cannot directly support one’s parents owing to one’s duty to the public, one should let one’s brother or other relatives do the duty in place of oneself so that one can realize a truly great filial piety by fulfilling one’s duty to the public. Even if one gets little parental love from one’s parents, one ought only to follow the rightful way of children without complaints or resentment.

V. The Way of Siblings and Relatives

Siblings receive the same vital force from the parents, as they are born and raised; hence, it is the natural order of heavenly laws that the elder sibling ought to love the younger and the younger ought to respect the elder. Hence, siblings should share the pleasure of good things and worry together about bad things, but should not quarrel over gain and loss or envy a great fame of the other. The heaven endowed affections should be kept by elder sibling by following the elder’s way without minding the respect of the younger and by the younger by following the way of the young without minding the love of the elder. Relatives should move toward the way of blessings and happiness by taking special care of the members of their extended family while loving the public, correcting wrongs if there are any, helping one another to overcome any hardship, and encouraging one another to do the good.

It is not, however, the way of siblings and relatives to depend unjustly on others or to rely on the influence of others under the pretext of being siblings or relatives. Eternal harmony can only be enjoyed by siblings and relatives if one renders favors to siblings and relatives without seeking favors from them.

Chapter Four

Religio...

Table of contents

• Cover
• Title
• Copyright
• Contents
• Preface
• Abbreviations and Conventions
• Introduction
• TRANSLATIONS
• Part One: The Canon of the World (Sejŏn)
• Part Two: The Dharma Words (Pŏbŏ)
• Part Three: Other Selected Writings
• Notes
• Chinese Character Glossary
• Glossary of Terms
• Selected Bibliography
• Index