Gwisan貴山

Gwisan was a man of Saryangbu. His father was Mueun, who held the rank of agan.

When Gwisan was young he became a friend of Chuhang, a man of the same bu. The two said to each other, "We look to keep company with scholars and gentlemen, yet if we do not first set our hearts straight and cultivate ourselves, I fear we will not escape drawing shame upon us. Why should we not hear the way at the side of a worthy man?"

At that time the dharma master Wongwang had gone into Sui to study and had come back and was living at Gasilsa, and the people of the day honored him. Gwisan and his friend came to his gate, lifted the hem of their robes, went forward and said, "We are men of the world, dull and dark, and we know nothing. We beg you to give us one word, to be our warning for the whole of our lives."

The master said, "In the commandments of the Buddha there are the bodhisattva commandments, and they are divided into ten. But you are the subjects and sons of men, and I fear you could not bear them. Now there are five commandments for those in the world. The first is to serve your lord with loyalty. The second is to serve your parents with filial care. The third is to keep company with friends in good faith. The fourth is never to retreat when you face battle. The fifth is that in taking life you must choose. Practice these, and be not careless."

Gwisan and his friend said, "The others we have received already, but only what you call choosing in the taking of life we do not yet understand."

The master said, "On the six fast days and in the months of spring and summer, not to kill. This is choosing the time. Not to kill the beasts we use, that is to say the horse, the ox, the fowl and the dog. Not to kill small things, that is to say flesh that would not make one slice. This is choosing the creature. To do it in this way, taking only what you need and not seeking to kill much, this may be called a good commandment for those in the world."

Gwisan and his friend said, "From this day on we will hold to them in all we do, and we will not dare to let them fall."

In the eighth month of autumn in the twenty-fourth year of Geonbok, an imsul year, in the reign of King Jinpyeong, Baekje raised a great army and came and surrounded Amaksanseong. The king sent the generals Geonpum the pajingan, Murigul, Iribeol, Mueun the geupgan, Biriya and others to lead troops and hold them off, and Gwisan and Chuhang went along with them as sogam.

Baekje was beaten and drew back to the marsh of Cheonsan, and hid soldiers there and waited. The Silla army went forward and struck, and their strength grew weary and they drew off and turned back. At that time Mueun was in the rear guard and stood at the tail of the army, and the hidden soldiers came out all at once and hooked him and pulled him down.

Gwisan said in a loud voice, "I once heard my master say, 'A man in the army must not retreat.' How should I dare to run away?" He struck and killed several tens of the enemy, put his father on his own horse, and with Chuhang swung his spear and fought with all his strength.

The whole army saw it and struck with a will, and the dead lay across the field, and not one horse, not one wheel went back.

Gwisan and Chuhang were covered with blade wounds, and they died halfway home. The king and his officers met them in the field of Ana, and standing over the bodies they wept aloud, and laid them out and buried them with the proper rites, and after their death gave Gwisan the rank of nama and Chuhang the rank of daesa.