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

This treatise is written to mark the 1,400th anniversary ofWoncheuk 圓測 birth and stimulate a new approach to studies onWoncheuk's Buddhist thoughts 敎學. To do this, I divided previousstudies on Woncheuk's Buddhist thoughts into two broad areasand reviewed them critically. The first are the subjects whichscholars have so far mainly concentrated on, the significance ofwhich must be reconsidered critically. The other are the subjectswhich I believe are very important in understanding the essenceof Woncheuk's Buddhist thoughts, although they have onlysuperficially been studied three or four times. As to the former, I critically reviewed the trend of academicstudies attempting to clarify the character of Woncheuk'sBuddhist thoughts by examining Woncheuk's attitude towardsthe acceptance of Paramārtha's 眞諦 theories, and where he stoodon the theory that sentient beings are naturally divided into fivegotra-s 五姓各別說. I conclude that over nearly 100 years of study,from Hadani 羽溪 (1916) to Kitzekawa 橘川 (1999), there hasbeen little advancement beyond the level of either reaffirmingor merely modifying the expression of the established theory setforward by Hadani. This theory states that Woncheuk emphasizedParamārtha's theories, pioneered the idea that all sentient beingscan become a buddha 一切皆成說, and was a compromiser betweenthe new and the old. As to the latter, I reviewed studies on the essence of teaching敎體 and yoga-śamatha-vipaśyanā 瑜伽止觀, and emphasized theimportance they play in Woncheuk's Buddhist thoughts althoughthey have never been the subject of much attention from scholars. Wŏnch'ŭk' is a scriptural commentator who devoted his life tohelp others understand the Buddhist truth, so it was importantfor him to explain the essence of the sacred teachings 聖敎 as aspoken language. Further, as he is a scholar who upholds the greattraditions of yogācāra buddhism, we need to consider carefully themeaning of the idea yoga 瑜伽. Yoga in a broad sense can be thegrand principle of the commentaries on scriptures or his viewpointon all Buddhist theories. Yoga in a narrow sense can also be akind of academic methodology and ultimately the best means tosupreme enlightenment and emancipation. Through these discussions, I conclude as follows: theaforementioned Woncheuk's stance on Paramārtha's theories and the five gotra-s have perhaps been attracting the attention ofscholars who regarded Woncheuk's Buddhist thoughts as merelyanother faction of the Fa-shang school 法相宗. To reveal the uniquecharacteristics of Woncheuk's Buddhist thoughts and his greatscholarly achievement, there needs to be a much greater focus onthe subjects which Woncheuk himself regarded as those of greatimportance.