Chief of Volunteer Army and Diplomatist – Samyongdang

Samyongdang is a chief of volunteer army and diplomatist of Buddhist priest origin during the Imjin Patriotic War. Samyongdang became a Buddhist priest in his childhood and a disciple of the Saint Sosan, and gained a reputation of the Buddhist priest who had mastered the doctrine of Zen sect of Buddhism.

When the Imjin Patriotic War broke out and a group of aggressor troops led by an officer of the Japanese army invaded the temples including Yujom Temple in Mt. Kumgang and perpetrated arson and plunder, Samyongdang went directly into the enemy camp and strongly demanded the enemy commander not to bring about casualties recklessly from the standpoint of the believer in Buddhism. Afterwards, when the Saint Sosan called upon the Buddhist priests of all parts of the country to rise up in a battle against the Japanese invaders, Samyongdang, in active response to him, formed a volunteers’ unit with more than 700 Buddhist priests, armed them with weapons in the military warehouse of the Kosong Town, and rushed to Pophung Temple in Sunan county, Phyongan Province.

At that time, though the Saint Sosan, his teacher, was appointed as a general officer of the priest volunteers’ army, he was too old to assume the position. So Samyongdang actually commanded the army as a vice general.

From the spring of 1594, Samyongdang, who was a highly literate, strategical, bold and patriotic man, went into the enemy camp several times to carry out the reconnaissance activities, and negotiations of reconciliation as a spokesman for the Korean army camp.

He condemned the arrogant aggression of the enemy by his skillful diplomatic activities and dispersed the enemy forces by taking advantage of the contradictions between enemy commanders, driving them into a tight corner.

Samyongdang, though he was a Buddhist priest important, made a great contribution to the victory in the Imjin Patriotic War as a volunteer commander and a diplomatic activist. So he also has been well known by the name of the Saint Songun in later ages.