Sŏk Ŭiyŏn 釋義淵 was a native of Koguryŏ. Nothing about his origin and lineage is known. After he shaved his head and became a monk,[216] he adhered well to the monastic rules. He possessed profound understanding and broad learning and comprehended the subtlety of Confucianism and hsüan-hsüeh (mysterious, or dark, learning).[217] He was in his time a leader of both monks and laymen. He loved to propagate the Law, his desire being the spread of Buddhism. Yet the supreme Law was difficult indeed to reveal in its true glory, and he was unable to discern the cause.
It was known that[218] monk Fa-shang of the Ting-kuo monastery 定國寺 in the Former Ch‘i (550-577) was a leader of men and of all sentient beings, with his discipline firm as a mountain and his wisdom pure as the sea. He had been the Chief of Clerics for the entire realm of Ch‘i, in charge of no fewer than two million monks and nuns for nearly forty years. During the reign of Em¬peror Wen-hsüan 文宣 (529-550-559)[219] he expounded the Buddhist canon splendidly, and both the clergy and laity glorified the truth; his great deeds[220] shone brightly, and his wonderful influence was far-reaching.[221]
At that time the Prime Minister of Koguryŏ, Wang Ko-dŏk 王高德,[222] had deep faith in the orthodox doctrine and respected Mahāyāna Buddhism. He desired to spread the influence of Buddhism over this corner of the sea. But because he was ignorant of the origin and development of the religion and of the reign period in which it had been introduced from the West, he listed the following questions and sent [Ŭi] yŏn to Yeh[223] by sea in order to enlighten him. The general contents of the inquiry went as follows:[224] “How many years has it been since Śākyamuni entered nirvāna? How many years had passed in India before Buddhism was introduced into China? Who was the emperor when it was first introduced? What was his reign title? Also, in your opinion, which state first adopted Buddhism, Ch‘i or Ch‘en? [1016c] Please indicate the number of years and emperors since the practice of Buddhism began. Who wrote the treatises on the Daśabhumi, Prajñāpāramitā, Bod-hisattvabhūmi, and Vajracchedika-Prajñāpāramitā? Was there any biography relating who originated or inspired the composition of these scriptures? I have recorded these questions and await your investigation to cast off my doubts.”
[Fa-]shang answered thus: “The Buddha was born in the twenty-fourth years, chia-yin (1027 B.C.), of King Chao of Chou whose clan name was Chi 姫.[225] He left home at nineteen and became enlightened at thirty.[226] In the twenty-fourth year, kuei-wei (977 B.C.), of King Mu of Chou, the king heard of one from the West who had been transformed into a human being [in order to enlighten living beings], and who had then gone to the West and never returned.[227] Judging from this, Śākyamuni was in this world for forty-nine years. Since his nirvāna to the present, the seventh year, ping-shen (A.D. 576), of the era wu-p‘ing 武平 of Ch‘i, it has been 1,465 years. The scriptures and doctrines of Buddhism were first brought to China during the era yung-p‘ing (58-75) of Emperor Ming of the Later Han and handed down through Wei and Chin. But it was not until the arrival of K‘ang Seng-hui 康僧會 at Wu during the era ch‘ih-wu (238-250) of Sun Ch‘üan 孫權 (182-222-252)[228] of Wu that the teaching of Buddhism was spread and propagated. Bhiksu Asanga[229] received a copy of the Bodhisattvabhūmi from Maitreya, and during the era lung-an 隆安 (397-401) of Emperor An (383-397-418)[230] of Eastern Chin it was translated by T‘an-mo-ch‘an 曇摩讖 (Dharmaksema, 385-433)[231] at Ku-tsang 姑藏[232] for the king of Ho-his 河西王, Chü-ch‘ü Meng-hsün 沮渠蒙遜 (373-401-433).[233] The Mo-ho-yenlun 摩訶衍論[234] was written by Bodhisattva Nāgārjuna (ca. 100-200)[235] and translated, on the order of Yao Hsing 姚興 (394-416),[236] by Kumāra-jiva (344-413) [237] upon his arrival in Ch‘ang-an during the era lung-an of Chin. The treatises on the Daśabhumi 十地論[238] and Vajracchedikā-Prajñāpāramitā 金剛般若論[239] were compiled by the monk’s brother Vasubandhu 波藪槃豆[240] and first translated by Bodhiruci 菩提留支[241] during the reign of Emperor Hsüan-wu 宣武 (483-500-515)[242] of the [Northern] Wei.”
In answering these queries, [Fa-] shang offered evidence and drew references from a wide range of sources. Here I have recorded only the most important points. [Ŭi] yŏn did not forget[243] the answers for a moment, had superior skill in leading people, and was versed in the mysterious and arcane. His ability in exegesis was inexhaustible, and his reason could master the secret of the joined circles.[244] Once dispelled, former doubts melted away like ice. Now this new, wonderful doctrine shines brilliantly like the dawn, obtaining the Wisdom-Sun in the West and pouring the fountain of Law into the East. His teaching, like a gold pendant or a string of gems, is imperishable.[245] Was not our master, then, a “ferry on the sea of suffering” and the “middle beam over the gate of the Law?” After he returned to his country and promulgated great wisdom, he skillfully persuaded and led the straying masses. His exposition of the doctrine transcends the past and present, and his name has become most famous. Had the master not been endowed with extraordinary talent[246] and blessed with the favors of both the Time and the Way, how could he have achieved such greatness? History does not relate his end; I therefore leave it unmentioned.
The eulogy says: Biographies differ concerning the day, month, and year of the Buddha’s birth, and it is difficult to determine which is right. But Ŭiyŏn received the law from Fa-shang orally, and his calculation tallied with that in the Pien-cheng lun 辨正論 by Fa-lin 法琳 (572-640)[247] of T‘ang. We should, therefore, follow it as our guide. But the renowned scholar O Se-mun 吳世文,[248] citing evidence from old documents, advanced a different opinion. Hence disputes arose. Although his thesis is detailed and his language beautiful, it is not sufficiently reliable.