page_title: Wonhyo
section_title: Biography
hierarchical_section_title: Wonhyo / Biography
caption_attribution_description: English: A front view of Bogwangjeon hall enshrining Monk Wonhyo at Bunhwangsa temple in Gyeongju, North Gyeongsang province, South Korea 한국어: 원효대사의 위패를 모신 대한민국 경상북도 경주시 분황사 보광전의 정면사진
context_page_description: Won Hyo was one of the leading thinkers, writers and commentators of the Korean Buddhist tradition. Essence-Function, a key concept in East Asian Buddhism and particularly Korean Buddhism, was refined in the syncretic philosophy and world view of Wonhyo.
  As one of the most eminent scholar-monks in Korean history, he was an influential figure in the development of the East Asian Buddhist intellectual and commentarial tradition. His extensive literary output runs to over 80 works in 240 fascicles, and some of his commentaries, such as those on the Mahāyāna Mahāparinirvāṇa Sūtra and the Awakening of Faith in the Mahayana, became classics revered throughout China and Japan as well as Korea. In fact, his commentary on the Awakening of Faith helped to make it one of the most influential and intensively studied texts in the East Asian Mahāyāna tradition. Chinese masters who were heavily influenced by Wonhyo include Fazang, Li Tongxuan, and Chengguan. The Japanese monks Gyōnen, Zenshu and Joto of the Kegon school were also influenced by him.
context_section_description: Wonhyo was born in Amnyang (押梁), nowadays the city of Gyeongsan, North Gyeongsang Province, South Korea. He had a son, Seol Chong, who is considered to be one of the great Confucian scholars of Silla.
  Wonhyo was famous for singing and dancing in the streets. While the Buddha discouraged such behaviors, his songs and dances were seen as upaya, or skillful means, meant to help save all sentient beings.
  [Wŏnhyo] tried to embody in his own life the ideal of a bodhisattva who works for the well-being of all sentient beings. Transcending the distinction of the sacred and the secular, he married a widower princess, visited villages and towns, and taught people with songs and dances.
  — Hee-Sung Keel
  He is thought to have founded Korea's lone riverside temple, Silleuksa, in the late 600s. While Wonhyo was in Bunhwangsa (in modern Guhwang-dong, Gyeongju), he wrote a number of books. For such strong association with Wonhyo, a research center and a shrine named Bogwangjeon hall dedicated to Wonhyo's legacy are located in Bunhwangsa.
caption: Bogwangjeon hall at Bunhwangsa, Gyeongju which is a dedicated shrine to Wonhyo.
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