Taego Bou (태고보우)

Taego Bou

1301 – 1382

Taego Bou (太古普愚, 1301–1382) is the master through whom Chinese Linji dharma transmission entered Korea, making him a pivotal figure in the formation of later Korean Seon orthodoxy^[1]. In 1347 he travelled to Yuan China and received transmission from the Yangqi-line master Shiwu Qinggong (Stonehouse), the hermit-poet whose poems survive today largely through this very transmission^[1]. On returning to Korea he served as royal preceptor under King Gongmin and, at the king's request, undertook to unify the Nine Mountain Schools of Seon into a single order organized around Linji koan practice. His legacy is twofold: the modern Taego Order takes him as its eponymous founder, while the Jogye Order also reads its Linji-centered transmission through him^[2].

Names

dharma · enTaego Bou

dharma · ko태고보우

alias · enT'aego Pou

alias · zh太古普愚

Disciples of Taego Bou 2 named

Naong Hyegeundharma · 1320 – 1376
Seosan Hyujeongdharma · 1520 – 1604

Teachers and lineage of Taego Bou

Teacher / root master:

Shiwu QinggongTransmission received in Yuan China in 1347; brings the Yangqi-Linji dharma stream into Korea. · 1272 – 1352

Full lineage of Taego Bou →

Teachings

proverbFive Houses, One River
(traditional attribution)
The five houses of Chan are five fords on one river. Cross at any of them and you reach the same farther shore. Argue about which ford is best, and you stand on this side until you die.
tr. Zen Lineage editorial
Taego Bou
proverbThe Pure Rule for One Person
(traditional attribution)
The Pure Rule of the assembly was written for many; the pure rule for one person is written every morning before the bell. Fold the robe straight, sweep the cloister, sit.
tr. Zen Lineage editorial
Taego Bou
proverbKing and Monk
(traditional attribution)
The king came to ask about the dharma. I said: take off the crown for an hour, and your question will answer itself. He laughed; I laughed. The hour passed, and we both stood up changed.
tr. Zen Lineage editorial
Taego Bou
proverbNo Back, No Front
(traditional attribution)
When you face the cushion, the cushion is in front. When you face the marketplace, the marketplace is in front. The seat that has no back and no front is the one you carry between them.
tr. Zen Lineage editorial
Taego Bou
proverbMountain of Gold, Mountain of Mist
(traditional attribution)
If a mountain of gold stood at the door, students would line up to climb it. A mountain of mist costs nothing, contains nothing, and only the sincere try to enter it.
tr. Zen Lineage editorial
Taego Bou

Master Record Sources

biographyThe Formation of Ch'an Ideology in China and Korea — Robert E. Buswell
Reliability: authoritative
teachersThe Zen Monastic Experience — Robert E. Buswell
Reliability: authoritative