Daegak Guksa
Encyclopedia
Daegak Guksa (1055–1101) was a Korean Buddhist
monk
who founded the Cheontae
school of Buddhism. Son of Emperor Munjong
of Goryeo
. he lived at Ryongtongsa
in Kaesong
for much of his life and was buried there, where his tomb can be found today.
Guksa was his title (‘National Preceptor’); while Daegak was his posthumous Dharma name
, meaning "Grand Enlightenment".
Buddhism
Buddhism is a religion and philosophy encompassing a variety of traditions, beliefs and practices, largely based on teachings attributed to Siddhartha Gautama, commonly known as the Buddha . The Buddha lived and taught in the northeastern Indian subcontinent some time between the 6th and 4th...
monk
Monk
A monk is a person who practices religious asceticism, living either alone or with any number of monks, while always maintaining some degree of physical separation from those not sharing the same purpose...
who founded the Cheontae
Cheontae
Cheontae is the Korean descendant of the Chinese Buddhist school Tiantai. Tiantai was introduced to Korea a couple of times during earlier periods, but was not firmly established until the time of Uicheon who established Cheontae in Goryeo as an independent school.Due to Uicheon's influence, it...
school of Buddhism. Son of Emperor Munjong
Munjong of Goryeo
Munjong was the 11th monarch of the Goryeo that ruled Korea from 1046 to 1083.Emperor Munjong was born in 1019 and reigned from 1046 until his death in 1083. During his reign, the central government of Goryeo gained complete authority and power over local lords. Munjong and later emperors...
of Goryeo
Goryeo
The Goryeo Dynasty or Koryŏ was a Korean dynasty established in 918 by Emperor Taejo. Korea gets its name from this kingdom which came to be pronounced Korea. It united the Later Three Kingdoms in 936 and ruled most of the Korean peninsula until it was removed by the Joseon dynasty in 1392...
. he lived at Ryongtongsa
Ryongtongsa
Ryŏngt'ong-sa is a Korean Buddhist temple located on Mt. Ogwan in Kaesŏng, North Korea.-History:Founded by the Chontae Buddhist sect in 1027, the temple is believed to be one of the first of the sect's temples in Korea...
in Kaesong
Kaesong
Kaesŏng is a city in North Hwanghae Province, southern North Korea , a former Directly Governed City, and the capital of Korea during the Koryo Dynasty. The city is near Kaesŏng Industrial Region and it contains the remains of the Manwoldae palace. It was formally named Songdo while it was the...
for much of his life and was buried there, where his tomb can be found today.
Guksa was his title (‘National Preceptor’); while Daegak was his posthumous Dharma name
Dharma name
A Dharma name is a new name acquired during a Buddhist initiation ritual in Mahayana Buddhism and monk ordination in Theravada Buddhism. The name is traditionally given by a Buddhist monastic, but is also given to newly ordained monks, nuns and laity....
, meaning "Grand Enlightenment".