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이자현 李資玄

Lay Buddhist recluse who rebuilt Munsuwon on Mt. Cheongpyeong in Chuncheon; pen names Cheongpyeong Geosa and Sigam; posthumous title Jinrak

Stupa near Cheongpyeongsa, Chuncheon, known as the resting place of Yi Ja-hyeon. This is a monument, not a portrait. CC BY 4.0, HPGkiji, Wikimedia Commons
Stupa near Cheongpyeongsa, Chuncheon, known as the resting place of Yi Ja-hyeon. This is a monument, not a portrait. CC BY 4.0, HPGkiji, Wikimedia Commons · CC BY 4.0 · HPGkiji · Wikimedia Commons
Life1061 ~ 1125
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Clan인천 이씨

Life & career

Yi Ja-hyeon (李資玄, 1061-1125) was a mid-Goryeo civil official, scholar and lay Buddhist from Incheon, courtesy name Jinjeong, pen names Sigam, Cheongpyeong Geosa and Huiyija, posthumous title Jinrak. Grandson of Chancellor Yi Ja-yeon and eldest son of Yi Ui, he was a nephew of the three consorts of Munjong and a cousin of Yi Ja-gyeom and Yi Ja-ui. He passed the examination in 1089 and rose to Assistant Director of the Music Office, but abandoned office and entered Mt. Cheongpyeong in Chuncheon.

There he renamed the Bohyeon-won hermitage founded by his father Munsuwon, rebuilt it, added halls and hermitages, and lived in hemp clothes on a diet of wild greens, devoting himself to study and Seon meditation. Despite his noble birth he had no appetite for office and repeatedly declined King Yejong's summons, sent with tea and silk. He met the king briefly when Yejong visited the Southern Capital in 1117, then returned to Munsuwon and lived as an ascetic for the rest of his life.

His significance within the clan is large. While his cousin Yi Ja-gyeom pursued power and rebelled, and Yi Ja-ui was killed in a succession plot, he is remembered as a model of pure seclusion. The Cheongpyeong mountain site is today's Cheongpyeongsa in Chuncheon, near which a stupa known as his tomb stands. He died in 1125 and was given the posthumous title Jinrak. His case is often cited to show that very different ways of life coexisted within one great house.

Leaving Office for the Mountain

He passed the examination in 1089 and served as Assistant Director of the Music Office before abandoning office for Mt. Cheongpyeong.

Rebuilding Munsuwon

He renamed and rebuilt the Bohyeon-won hermitage as Munsuwon and practised in hemp clothes on a diet of greens.

The King's Summons

He declined Yejong's repeated summons accompanied by tea and silk, meeting him only briefly in 1117 at the Southern Capital.

Grave

A stupa near Cheongpyeongsa in Chuncheon is known as his tomb (per the Wikimedia photo description).

Related photos

Cheongpyeongsa Temple Tourist Park, Chuncheon, the Mt. Cheongpyeong area where Yi Ja-hyeon lived in seclusion; not a portrait. KOGL Type 1, Tour Go, Wikimedia Commons
Cheongpyeongsa Temple Tourist Park, Chuncheon, the Mt. Cheongpyeong area where Yi Ja-hyeon lived in seclusion; not a portrait. KOGL Type 1, Tour Go, Wikimedia Commons
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Other 인천 이씨 figures

이허겸Founding ancestor of the Incheon Yi clan; Left Vice Director of the Secretariat and Marquis of Soseong under King Hyeonjong; grandfather of Yi Ja-yeon이자연Chancellor under King Munjong whose three daughters all became Munjong's consorts; laid the foundation of the Incheon Yi in-law house; posthumous title Janghwa이자겸Father-in-law of Yejong and Injong and maternal grandfather of Injong; the powerful minister who staged the Yi Ja-gyeom rebellion of 1126 and fell이자의Maternal relative of King Seonjong who plotted to enthrone Prince Hansan and was killed by Sukjong's side in 1095이공수Chancellor who took part in suppressing the Yi Ja-gyeom rebellion; an in-law of the throne who did not abuse his position; posthumous title Munchung이인로Poet and scholar of the military-rule era; author of the Paehanjip, the oldest surviving collection of poetry criticism in Korea; pen name Ssangmyeongjae
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