ABSTRACT
Around the turn of the fifteenth century, Korea witnessed an unusual and remarkable political upheaval during which there was a dynastic transition from Kory to Chosn. This transition represented a major shift in state ideology, a shift in which Neo-Confucianism replaced Buddhism as the leading political influence. According to his masterpiece Mlamadhyamaka-krik, all things are empty, for they are devoid of intrinsic self-nature. As Wnhyo puts it in the Exposition, when one who cultivates contemplation practice penetrates to the, he emerges from existence and accesses nothingness. While Buddhism was well established within Korea by the time of Chinul, there were strong divisions between the Kyo schools and the Sn schools. Yet Taego Pou soon came to realize the limits of stra studies and immediately returned to the intense practice of Sn. Thus, this polemic on the part of the Neo-Confucians turns out to be little more than a straw-man argument, largely motivated by political considerations.
