Ilyeon

Timeline

1. 1206–1220Jangsan County · GyeongsangIlyeon was born into the Geum clan of Jangsan in Goryeo and took monastic vows in childhood, receiving the dharma name Ilyeon. He received training in Seon and scripture study within the Goryeo Buddhist environment before the Mongol invasions, thereafter active long as a Seon monk rather than as a court historian.
2. c. 1221–1280Gaegeong · GaegeongDuring the mid-to-late Goryeo period Ilyeon resided at several temples, witnessing the Mongol invasions and Goryeo's becoming a son-in-law state of the Yuan dynasty. He was active as a Seon monk and temple elder, and began collecting old records of the Three Kingdoms, local legends, and stories of Buddhist miraculous responses.
3. 1281–1285Ryonggoksa · GyeongsangIn his late years Ilyeon resided at Ryonggoksa in Gunwi and completed the Samguk yusa. The book preserves the Dangun myth, hyangga, and many Buddhist and folkloric accounts absent from the Samguk sagi. Its format is that of a private monastic history, intended to supplement what official histories omitted rather than to replace Kim Busik's work.
4. 1283–1289Ryonggoksa · GyeongsangKing Chungnyeol bestowed on Ilyeon a title of the National Honored class, recognizing his standing in the Buddhist community. He passed away at Ryonggoksa in 1289 and was posthumously named Bo-gak. His stupa inscription and temple chronicle became the main basis for his life apart from the colophon of the Samguk yusa.