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Columbia Anthology of Traditional Korean Poetry – edited by Peter Lee

GREAT MASTER KYUNYO (923-973)

Eleven Poems on the Ten Vows of the Universally Worthy Bodhisattva

Great Master Kyunyo was a learned monk who single-handedly revived the Flower Garland school in the tenth century. A prolific commentator and popularizer of Buddhism, he composed songs in the vernacular, taught them orally, and encouraged the congregation to chant and memorize them.

The text is preserved in chapter 7 of the Life of Kyunyo (1075). A Chinese translation was made by Ch'oe Heanggwi in 967. The contents of the songs are as follows:

1. worshiping and honouring The Buddha,
2. praise of the Thus Come One,
3. wide cultivation and the making of offerings,
4. repentance for sins,
5. rejoicing in the merit of others,
6.  entreaty for turning the dharma wheel,
7.  entreaty for the Buddha to live in this world,
8. constant following of the Buddha's teaching,
9.  constant harmony with the living,
10. transfer of merit, and
11. conclusion.