School: Korean Seon | 1301-1382 | Teacher: Shiwu Qinggong | Students: Hwan-am Honsu
The most important institutional figure in Korean Seon history, credited with unifying the Nine Mountains Seon schools into a single Jogye Order. He traveled to Yuan China and received dharma transmission from the hermit-poet Shiwu Qinggong (Stone House) on Tianmu mountain, returning with Shiwu's robe (cassock) and staff as physical proof of transmission. As Royal Teacher (wangsa) under King Gongmin, he reorganized Korean Seon, ending centuries of fragmentation among rival mountain schools. His unification established the institutional framework that persists in Korean Buddhism today. Though Ahn (2019) has questioned the later Joseon-era lineage claims connecting Hyujeong back through Taego, Taego's own Chinese transmission is well documented. Attested in UNDV 2011 conference paper: confirms the Shiwu transmission with physical evidence including the cassock and cane still preserved.
References: Wikipedia
Read Zen Home