Sŏk Kaktŏk 釋覺德 was a native of Silla. He was sagacious and erudite, and his holiness was unfathomable. Since Buddhism had been practiced in Silla, people strove to embrace the faith. The master knew how to transform the world with his all-embracing wisdom. It is said that [a bird] must leave the [dark] valley to mount the high tree[428] and that [a man] must seek a teacher in order to study the Way. If one Lives at ease and acts slowly, one betrays the original purpose of Śākyamuni’s renunciation.[429] He, therefore, went to Liang by sea and became a pioneer in the search for the Law; but we do not know in what year this was. This, then, was the beginning of study abroad for Silla nationals.
He studied under brilliant teachers and from their mouths received instructions[430] which were so enlightening that he felt as if the white film on his eyes had been lifted and a tumor removed.[431] He studied without idleness and omission.[432] His virtuous deeds were lofty, and his religious fame spread more and more. [He thought] it the duty of the treasure seeker not only to help himself but also to help the poor of his own country. Therefore, in the tenth year of King Chinhŭng (549) he returned to the old capital with a Liang envoy[433] who brought relics. The king ordered officials[434] to go out and welcome them with due ceremony [1020b] in front of the Hŭngnyun monastery. This, too, was the beginning [of the worship] of relics [in Silla], In former days Seng-hui[435] went to Wu in order to make progress and in seven days secured supernatural efficacy. At a time when the sovereign had already manifested his faith, the master, accompanied by an important envoy from Liang,[436] returned to his country. Kaktŏk [therefore] experienced no obstacles [in propagating the faith].[437] He infused the universe with the waters of the Dharma and made the lazy cherish the ambition to follow [his example].[438] The merits he achieved and benefits he conferred-what superior acts they were!
Twenty-six years later,[439] the Ch‘en sent an envoy, Liu Ssu, and a Silla monk studying in China, Myŏnggwan, with more than 2,700 rolls of Buddhist scriptures and treatises.[440] At first, when Buddhism in Silla was relatively new, the collection of scriptures and images was poor. It was not until this time that everything began to take shape. We do not know how the Lives of these two masters ended.