Wonhyo 617 – 686
Wonhyo (617 – 686) was a Korean philosopher of the Medieval era, associated with Buddhism.
Wonhyo was a Korean Buddhist philosopher, monk, and one of the most important figures in the history of East Asian Buddhism. Famed in legend for an awakening attained when, in the dark, he drank from what he took to be a pure spring and discovered in the morning that it had been a skull, he renounced his journey to study in Tang China and dedicated his life to teaching among ordinary Koreans. His commentaries on the Awakening of Faith, the Vajrasamadhi Sutra, and the Nirvana Sutra developed a powerful synthesis of Madhyamaka, Yogacara, and tathagatagarbha thought, while his Treatise on the Ten Approaches to the Reconciliation of Doctrinal Disputes exerted a lasting influence on the syncretic temper of Korean Buddhism.
Key facts
- Nationality
- Korean
- Era
- Medieval
- Movements
- Buddhism
Selected quotes
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Attributed to Wonhyo:
“All things are made by the mind alone; outside the mind there is nothing to be sought.”
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Attributed to Wonhyo:
“The Buddha and the ordinary mind are not two; only the recognition of this is two.”
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Attributed to Wonhyo:
“Doctrines fight only when their followers do not yet understand.”
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Attributed to Wonhyo:
“Wisdom is the song one sings in the marketplace as well as in the monastery.”
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Attributed to Wonhyo:
“What you take for a pure spring in the dark may be a skull in the morning; the spring is in your mind.”
Frequently asked about Wonhyo
- When did Wonhyo live?
- Wonhyo was born in 617 and died in 686.
- Where was Wonhyo from?
- Wonhyo was a Korean philosopher of the Medieval era.
- What philosophical movements is Wonhyo associated with?
- Wonhyo was associated with Buddhism.
- What was Wonhyo known for?
- Wonhyo was a Korean Buddhist philosopher, monk, and one of the most important figures in the history of East Asian Buddhism.
- How many quotes are attributed to Wonhyo?
- There are 22 attributed quotations from Wonhyo in the 1001Philosophers collection, organized by topic.