Ch’ŏnghŏ Hyujeong Sosan Taesa
63rd Patriarch, Chogye Order
(1520–1604)

A Chosŏn dynasty Sŏn monk who can be counted among the five most important figures in Korean Buddhist history; commonly known in Korea by the respectful title Sosan Taesa. He was an influential teacher and writer, who is said to have guided hundreds of students, a number of whom turned into Sŏn masters in their own right. He played a major role in consolidating the forms of study and practice of Korean Sŏn which would, by and large, remain in place down to modern times. What has made Hyujeong most respected in the broad view of Korean history was his role in the creation and guidance of an army of monks, which played a decisive role in the eventual repulsion of the Japanese invasion by the armies of Hideyoshi Toyotomi. In addition to serving in this unusual capacity of military leader, Sosan was a first–rate Sŏn master and the author of a number of important religious texts, the most important of which is his Sŏnga kwigam, a guide to Sŏn practice which is studied by Korean monks down to the present. Like most monks of the Joseon period, he had been initially educated in Neo–Confucian philosophy. Dissatisfied, he wandered through the mountain monasteries, eventually joining the sangha. Later, after making a name for himself as a teacher, he was made arbiter of the Sŏn school by queen Munjeong. He soon resigned from this responsibility, returning to the itinerant life, advancing his Sŏn studies and teaching at monasteries all around Korea. He died at the age of 85, leaving behind some 1000 disciples, 70 of whom were monks and nuns, and many of whom held a prominent role in the later transmission of Joseon Buddhism. Hyujeong is also known for his efforts in the continuation of the project of the unification of Buddhist doctrinal study and practice. He is considered the central figure in the revival of Joseon Buddhism, and most major streams of modern Korean Sŏn trace their lineages back to him through one of his four main disciples: Yujeong; Eongi, T’aenŭng and Ilseon, all four of whom were assistants to Sosan during the war with Japan.