Doseon

Doseon is a name that can refer to historical and cultural topics in East Asia, most often associated with a Korean Buddhist monk known as Doseon Guksa. Doseon Guksa (도선국사) is traditionally described as a prominent monk of the late Unified Silla period who helped develop early Korean geomantic practices and sacred mountain worship. In traditional accounts, he integrated elements of Indian and Chinese Buddhist teachings with local Korean religious practices and is credited with influencing the placement of temples and the landscape cult that later fed into the Korean geomantic tradition, or pungsu. The exact dates and details of his life are not consistently recorded, and historians treat many anecdotes as blending history and legend. Regardless, Doseon's legacy is seen in the enduring importance of topography, mountains, and water in Korean Buddhist and folk practices, and he is often cited as an early figure in the development of Korean Seon (Zen)–adjacent thought, though direct lineage claims are debated.

In modern usage, Doseon appears primarily in historical writings and folklore, and the name is encountered as a given name or surname in Korea. The term also occasionally appears in literature and media as a reference to the monk’s legacy. Because sources vary and some details are traditional or anecdotal, the portrayal of Doseon can differ across texts.