Meditation has become popular in Korean modern society. This has good and bad implications, and is also affecting Buddhism to some degree. In addition, Ganhwa Seon, which has been handed down from previous generations, are being dismissed by the public, inviting crimes from various quarters. Therefore, in order to confront foreign meditations, Korean Buddhism needs to clarify its identity, applying the traditions of the past in a modernistic way. Hence, it is necessary to examine Neungeomgyeong, a Buddhist scripture about asceticism which has been read by the Koreans from old times.
Neungeomgyeong is thought to have been written at that beginning of A. D. 700, and reflects the society at the time. It emphasizes religious precepts, aggregates various types of Buddhism, and cautions against the corruption of Buddhist ascetics. Furthermore, in terms of theory, it belongs to Tathagatagarbha Buddhism, which integrated branches of Buddhism which had been inherited from previous generations. It also includes the features classified as Esoteric Buddhism.
While putting together various types of Buddhism which have difficulty in coexisting, the scripture boasts of beautiful description. It has been praised in terms of both thought and sentence. However, more than anything else, it has been highly praised for presenting 'right asceticism,' with taking the theory and practice of asceticism as tasks. This is shown by the fact that most of expositors of the scripture in later generations were zen monks.
The issue of 'right asceticism' is presented all throughout the scripture. The first half of the scripture covers the issue, with a focus on explaining its philosophical background, and the second half focuses on the way to practice right asceticism. Particularly, the point of the scripture is shown by two subjects and two determinants which succeed the subjects. The two subjects consist of an object-dependent mind and a pure clean mind, and the two determinants of a great resolve to attain supreme enlightenment and an examination of the rightness of the method to attain supreme enlightenment. A object-dependent mind and an examination of the rightness of the method to attain supreme enlightenment should be discarded while a pure clean mind and the resolve to attain supreme enlightenment should be embraced. The former refers to the thoughts of arising and annihilation and the latter to tathagatagarbha.
Likewise, what an ascetic pursues ultimately is tathagatagarbha, and in order to live under the state of tathagatagarbha, he has to release the attachments. This means learning to leaving himself to tathagatagarbha by emptying and lowering himself. That is, the practice presented in the main scripture is passivity. When seen from the perspective of tathagatagarbha, this process is a great resolve to attain supreme enlightenment. Tathagatagarbha here is regarded as active, and thus called Vidya. To put it another way, a great resolve to attain supreme enlightenment is Vidya.
Therefore, a great resolve to attain supreme enlightenment means more than the start of asceticism and judges whether asceticism is right or wrong. Attaining supreme enlightenment starts with leaving oneself to tathagatagarbha, progresses based on tathagatagarbha, and ends with the manifestation of tathagatagarbha. When gotten out of tathagatagarbha, the resolve to attain supreme enlightenment goes wrong. What is most important is to realize tathagatagarbha for oneself at the beginning.