Korean Journal of Buddhist Studies ISSN:1598-0642(Print) 불교학연구

Discerning and accepting the partial truth (一理) of each opinion is the most remarkable principle of Wonhyo's (元曉, 617-686) logic of reconciliation (和諍論法). Wonhyo's logic is universally appealing because it engages common sense and universal rationality, and is applicable to myriad situations in life. But how are we to discern and accept this partial truth? The wisdom of dependent arising (緣起, paṭicca-samuppāda) has the power of fundamentally healing disputes of opinions. The ignorance, dogma, and self-righteousness that stems from absolute, unconditional, and universal arguments, as well as its accompanying violent exclusion of all others, can be healed by the faculty of changing unconditional statements into conditional statements. Therefore thinking in terms of dependent arising (緣起) is also thinking in terms of reconciliation. Wonhyo’s logic of reconciliation holds as its premise the division of meaning series of opinions or schools of thought. These different or opposing opinions and schools can then be accepted and reconciled as containing partial truth. Discerning and discriminating the meaning and context of these opinions or theories is Wonhyo’s representation of the ‘dhamma of dependent arising’(緣起法). By the same token, Wonhyo faithfully adopts thinking in terms of dependent arising, or accepting opinions conditional ones, and realizes the logic of reconciliation as ‘reconciliation based upon the discrimination of the meaning context of opinions and schools of thought.’Thus the principle of reconciliation, that is, the discrimination and acceptance of partial truth, is also Wonhyo’s take on thinking in terms of dependent arising. Because of this, Wonhyo’s philosophy of reconciliation is able to provide realistic and universal healing power to not only Buddhist disputes of opinion but also mundane ones.