WONHYO
He examines the language, assumptions, and scope of seemingly conflicting Buddhist doctrines, seeking to disclose the roots of dispute and understand them through non-duality.
Other names and spellings
원효 · 원효대사 · 元曉 · Wŏnhyo · Won-hyo
Core ideas
Works & sources
Editorial paraphrase of the method of hwajaeng in Wonhyo's Simmun hwajaeng non (Treatise on Ten Approaches to Resolving Doctrinal Controversies) — not a direct quotation
WONHYO, a first reading
Wonhyo was a Buddhist thinker active in Silla during Korea's Three Kingdoms period. Rather than elevating one sectarian teaching above all others, he read widely across Buddhist scriptures and treatises and examined the assumptions and contexts behind apparent contradictions.
Hwajaeng: what does it mean?
Hwajaeng does not dissolve disagreement by loosely blending positions or declaring every view equally right. It asks what question, vocabulary, and scope each teaching addresses, then investigates the roots of their apparent opposition through a perspective of non-duality. Real differences and errors may remain after context is clarified; the method helps us judge those differences more precisely.
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