A Monk of Mukti and Karma: The Life and Thought of Baek Yongseong

This paper sheds light on the life and thought of Baek Yongseong (1864-1940) and demonstrates his success at balancing "mukti" and "karma." At the turn of the century, when Korea lost its independence, Baek saw the predicament Korean Buddhism was in, facing the invasion of Japanese Buddhism and the introduction of Christianity. Baek sought to revitalize Korean Buddhism by making it understood and accepted by the general public. He also declared economic independence for Buddhist organizations and decried the newly established Japanese Buddhist institution. Above all, his balance of "mukti" and "karma" has become the standard for many contemporary Korean Buddhists, and as such allows us to draw important lessons from him. First, as an important shaper of modern Korean Buddhism, Baek taught that individual salvation must be accompanied by action for the benefit of the people. He also advised Korean Buddhist organizations to neither claim exclusive use of the "gongan" method nor overemphasize words and letters (bullip munja). Finally, he never defined how balance between "mukti" and "karma" should be maintained, but instead said followers must strike their own balance out of compassion for other beings. [PUBLICATION ABSTRACT]