Notes From Un Mun Sa on Korean Bhikkhuni Sangha History_Tathaaloka 2003

7/22/2019 Notes From Un Mun Sa on Korean Bhikkhuni Sangha History_Tathaaloka 2003

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Korean Bhikkhuni Sangha HistoryStudy notes from books and articles in the Un Mun Sa library and conversations with Un MunSas leading elder bhikkhuni teachers, compiled by Tathaaloka Bhikkhuni (Yeo Kwang Sunim) atUn Mun Sangha College, Summer 2003.

KOREA

1st Century CE ~Karak (Gaya) Kingdom

Legend has it that Buddhism was first introduced to the Korean peninsula from Indiavia the Southeastern Shore of the Karak Kingdom in the first century by (what mayhave been a Kaniskan) Ayodhyan mission originally bound by sea, (according toKaniskan records for Greece).

The ship, containing a number of Buddhist artifacts including an Asokan-style Stupa,and more than twenty bhiksus and bhiksunis was rerouted by a storm and swept uponto the Gaya shores. One of the bhiksunis, originally an Ayodhyan princess,disrobed and married the Karak King Suro (42~199), becoming Korea's firstBuddhist queen. She was later known as Queen Heo Hwang Ok, and she haslegendary credit for the introduction of both the Buddhadharma and the BhiksuniSangha to the Korean shores.

Five of her children ordained and five Buddhist monasteries were founded, one ofwhich, Hogye-sa, still remains. It is said that the Korean laypeople's ancient practice

of wearing white clothes stems from her introduction and promotion of basicBuddhist practices and precepts at that time. The stupa with its mythical storyinscribed still remains on the Southeastern Shore near Hogye-sa in modern Kimhae.Although the exact site has been lost since the Korean War, pre-war photographs andthe story remain.

Koguryo Dynasty

The first scholastically verified introduction of Buddhism to Korea (Koguryo) from

China (Ch'in) was by Dharma Masters Sundo and Ado in the 4th Century, when theyarrived bearing gifts for the Kogyryo King Sosurim. The Vinaya was first broughtfrom China and taught in Korea by Dharma Master Tan-shi. During the KoguryoDynasty, Hyeon Yu Sunim studied in China, then India and finally reordained in SriLanka.

Hye Pyeon Sunim was the first Koguryo monk to travel to Japan where, in the 6thCentury, he taught the Japanese Minister Soga-no-umako and ordained the first three


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Japanese Buddhist nuns, the Venerables Eshin (Ezen), Zenshin and Zenro (Zenzo).Hyeja Sunim also went to Japan and taught the famous rejent of Japan, PrinceShogaku.

Paekche Kingdom

Also in the 4th Century Indian Dharma Master Marananta arrived in Paekchethrough Eastern Chin, where he was warmly welcomed by the King Chimnyu whoinvited him to the palace and served him respectfully. The following year, after atemple was built, ten monks were ordained.

In the 5th Century, Kyo Mik Sunim travelled to India, where he studied Sanskrit andVinaya deeply for five years. He returned to Korea with the Indian Tripitaka MasterBhiksu Pei-da-duo bearing Sanskrit Abhidharma and Vinaya texts, which he

translated into Chinese characters (the only written language at that time).

In the 6th Century, King Widok is recorded as having sent a Vinaya Master, SonMaster and bhikkhuni, among other things to Japan; and Japanese nuns, including theVenerable Zenshin, travelled to Paekche (588 CE) to study the Vinaya and ordinationproceedures for three years before returning (590 CE) as Bhikkhuni Sangha proper toJapan.

In the 7th Century just before the reunification of the peninsula, the KoreanBhikkhuni Pop Myeong Sunim also went to Japan where she was known to havecured the sick through her recitation of the Sutras.

Shilla Dynasty

Buddhism was introduced into Shilla in the 3rd Century by Koguryo monk AdoSunim. The first record of a bhikkhuni during this period is of the bhikkhuni Sa-ssi,the sister of Morye, a Shilla lay Buddhist who helped Ado Sunim introduce Buddhismto Shilla and worked for the dispensation of Buddhism in Ilsun District (modernSunsan in Northern Kyeong Sang Provence, South Korea). Although undoubtedlythere were others ordained before her, Bhikkhuni Sa-ssi is the first Korean person,

either man or women, whose ordaination as a member of the Buddhist MonasticSangha has been verified.

After the martyrdom of Ichadon, 6th Century Shilla King Peop Heung formallyadopted Buddhism for the nation. The King built a forest monastery, Heung NyunSa, (in modern day Kyeong Ju), and there was ordained a Buddhist monk, receivingthe Dharma name Beop Kong (Dharma Emptiness). The Queen following hisexample and was also ordained as a Bhikkhuni, adopting the Dharma name Myo


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Beop (Sublime Dharma). From the year 544 many men and women were ordained atHeung Nyun Sa as bhikkhus and bhikkhunis. In his old age, the following Shilla kingChin Heung also became a monk named Beop Un (Dharma Cloud), and his wifeundertook Bhikkhuni life at Yeong Heung Sa. Records show that King Chin Heungsupported Buddhism very enthusiastically: many temples were built and many

bhikkhus and bhikkhunis ordained. He also applied Buddhist principles to his way ofgoverning the people and under his reign Buddhism was firmly established as anational religion.

The twenty-seventh monarch of the Shilla Dynasty was Queen Seon Deok whounited the Dharma of the Monarchy and the Dharma of the Buddha. Sheconstructed temples, welcomed Buddhist teaching in the court and sponsored theordination of as many as one hundred monks at a time. It was she who offered thecontruction of the famous nine-story pagoda of Hwang Nyeong Sa as an object offaith and unity. Queen Seon Deok sponsored many monks travels abroad, Buddhist

missions to Japan, and appointed Orthodox (Southern Mountian Chinese) VinayaSchool Master Cha Jang, "Tae Guk Tong" (Sangharaja). He arranged the rules,lifestyle and order of the Bhikkhus and Bhikkhunis and everyone else concerned withthe Sangha. As a result the Bhikkhus and Bhikkhunis lived good lives, kept theDiscipline well and studied hard. Among the people, eight or nine families out of tenreceived the precepts and followed the Buddha's teaching. He thus established thesocial status of the Bhikkhus and Bhikkhunis and placed Buddhism in a centralposition in the nation.

The policy of having Bhikkhunis serve in the position of "Toyunarang," the thirdhighest position in the Buddhist heirarchy, directly below the Sangharaja and his

assistants, was unique to the Shilla dynasty Sangha organization.

Later Koryo Dynasty

The steles and epitaphs of Buddhist Zen Masters dating to the late Koryo dynastyoften contain the names of bhikkhuni disciples in the inscriptions; included amongthem the bhikkhunis: Seong Hyo, Jong Min, Cheong Won, Yo Yeon and Hui Won,all of whom devoted themselves to ascetic practice.

An exemplary Koryo Dynasty bhikkhuni is Bhikkhuni Jin Hye (1255-1324 CE) whowas given the title of Great Master, a status higher than Great Preceptor, only forthose of the highest level of scholastic performance and moral repute.

During this time the bhikkhunis main activities are recorded as: keeping the summerretreats in temples, practicing meditation, and chanting sutras; all for the stated goalof realizing Nirvana. The bhikkhunis also played an active role in Buddhist servicesand sometimes served in communicating public opinion to the queens. Bhikkhus and


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bhikkhunis resided in seperate temples, according to the Monastic Discipline. TwoBuddhist temple convents: Jung Eop Won and In Il Won in Gae Gyeong wereespecially noted.

During the Koryo, great numbers of widowed women undertook monastic life to

preserve their fidelity and to dedicate the merit of their prayers and practices to theirdeceased husbands. Bhikkhunis cooperated with bhikkhus in forming BuddhistAssociations such as the Man Bul Hwe (Ten Thousand Buddhas Assembly),contributing to the popularization of Buddhism. In May of 1381 a bhikkhuniclaiming to be the embodiment of Maitreya, actively engaged in edification works,enlightening many people and converting them to the Buddhadharma.

At the end of the Koryo era, the bhikkhuni Myo Deok (Sublime Merit), supportedthe publication of the world's first metal-type printed book written by Jikji andpublished the xylographic book of the Analects of the Great Master Baek Un (White

Cloud).

Several facts reveal differences between the Bhikkhu and Bhikkhuni Sanghas.According to the Vinaya, bhikkhunis were not allowed to pass the summer retreatwithout the guidance of the Bhikkhu Sangha. The state examination systemmanditory for Bhikkhu ordination was not required for the bhikkhunis. During thelater years of the Koryo Dynasty, the highest position a bhikkhuni could attain in theBuddhist clergy was that of Director of a "Jungeop-won" or "Sanghakarma Center".Bhikkhuni Convents were run by the bhikkhunis and there were no restrictions ontheir term of office as there was for the Abbots of a Bhikkhu Temple. Thebhikkhunis were invited to participate in various national ceremonies and to banquets

offered by the royal family. Even after joining the Bhikkuni Sangha, bhikkhuniscontinued to use their secular names and titles as well as their monastic names. Whenqueens entered the monastic life, they continued to receive their grants of land as wellas their portion of the tribute to the royal family.

The complaints of degeneration lodged against the bhikkhus towards the end of theKoryo and beginning of the Yi Dynasties are not reflected in the records of thebhikkhunis from that period which record rather the women's continued dedication,their leaving home, their ordinations and their support of the temples. Howeverthere were arguments made for prohibiting the Bhikkhuni Sangha, based upon fear of

the women falling under corruption in their association with the bhikkhus.

Chosun Dynasty

In the Early Chosun Dynasty, with the transfer of political favor from Buddhism toNeo-Confucianism, the prohibition of the Bhikkhuni Sangha was repeatedlyrequested by Confucian administrators who stressed Confucian ethics in two aspects:


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one, that women's leaving home and performace of Buddhist services put them indanger of losing their chastity; and two, the consideration of economic loss [to thestate?] in women's support of Buddhist temples. Despite these prohibitions, theSangha remained popular among the women of the ruling class, many of whomattended large Buddhist gatherings, participating vigorously in religious activities

especially Vesak and Pravarana.

Although prohibitions of the Women's Sangha were discussed, it wasn't until thereign of King Sejong that they were actually enacted. When King Hyeon Jong ascendthe throne the oppression increased dramatically, with the bhikkhunis living in thecapital being driven outside the city walls, and the temples built by the Queen MotherMun Jeong: Cha Su Sa and In Su Sa closed, with 5,000 bhikkhunis turned out and thetemple lands and temple servants confiscated by the government. The bhikkhus werealso severely restricted. Even then, those bhikkhunis and upasikas who were fromthe royal family were not punished.

The Women's Sangha was radically reduced during the reign of King Seong Jongwhen the order of Song Confucianism was firmly established. During this period, thepassive resistance and continued religious practice of the Women's Sangha played animportant role in the survival of Korean Buddhism. It may be noted that the lasthistorical records of both the independant Hinayana School and of the SouthernMountain Vinaya School in Korea date from the Chosun Dynasty.

Hideyoshi Invasion, the Korean War & the 21st Century

The Bhikkhuni Sangha fared rather better than the Bhikkhu Sangha during the periodof Japanese occupation as they seem to have been largely overlooked in theenactment of Meiji Resoration style laws negating Vinaya monastic discipline.Fortunately, this allowed them to avoid manditory military service and draft, fromwhich the bhikkhus and male priests were and are not exempt.

When temples were ransacked for materials for munitions and other supplies, thebhikkhunis simply allowed everything they had to be taken. This included Buddhistimages made of metal and their metal almsbowls, implements and utensils. (Currentlymost images and almsbowls are made of wood or resin, so that this may not occur

again.)

With a lack of bhikkhus in many areas to depend upon for ordination and teaching, atleast one Bhiksuni order, the Bo Mun Jong, simply maintained independance in theirmonastic tradition well into the 21st century when they finally remerged with themain monastic Sangha of the Jogye Order.


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After Korean Independence and the following Purification Movement within theJogye Sangha, the temples to be retained by the monastic Sangha were dividedbetween the Bhikkhu and Bhikkhuni Communities. In the early 1980's the system offormal dual ordination for bhikkhunis was reinstated with leading Elder bhikkhunisappointed as National Upadhyayas, Karmacaryas, Karmavacanas, etc. Currently, 45%

of the temples, monasteries and Dharma centers of the Jogye School, with more thanten thousand bhikkhunis in residence, are led by bhikkhuni Abbesses.

The system of having a National Bhikkhuni Assembly with a bhikkhuni "Head" or"President," similar to the ancient Shilla has been reenacted with the BhikkhuniElders Hye Chun Sunim, Kwang Woo Sunim, and most recently Myeong SeongSunim serving in this position. It was the Venerable Kwang Woo who led theKorean Bhikkhuni Sangha in joint ordination with the Sri Lankan Bhikkhu Sangha inordaining Sri Lankan bhikkhunis in India in 1996.

There are five great Bhikkhuni Sangha Seminary Colleges (in Buddhist terms, SanghaUniversities) administrated by the Bhikkhuni Sangha including the very first: DongHak Sa Sangha Dae-hak with Bhikkhuni Il Cho Sunim as Dean, Bong Nyeong SaSangha College with Bhikkhuni Myo Eom Sunim as Dean, Un Mun Sa SanghaCollege with Myeong Seong Sunim as Dean, Cheong Am Sa Sangha College with JiHyeong Sunim as Dean and Sam Seon Sangha College with Bhikkhuni Myo SoonSunim as Dean.

There are also many great bhikkhuni meditation monasteries, hermitages and grottos:Sang Nam Sa and Nae Weon Sa among the foremost meditation centers in thecountry, with more than one thousand bhikkhunis engaged in intensive meditation

retreat.

Documents

Notes From Un Mun Sa on Korean Bhikkhuni Sangha History_Tathaaloka 2003