Chung-Ang University professor David Mason will be giving a talk on the ninth-century scholar, writer and spiritual sage Choi Chi-won.

Choi served as a successful government official in both Tang China and Korea, but spent his later years in effective internal exile in Korea, during which he practiced Daoism and lived in great Buddhist temples, recording their histories.

According to Mason, who has recently completed a book on the scholar, Choi exemplifies the tragic spirit of the Unified Shilla Dynasty’s waning days, and the incipient harmony among Korea’s Buddhism, Daoism and Confucianism.

This lecture will tell the story of Choi’s life and explain what Mason calls the profound effect that his legacy left on Korea’s cultural development.

A 33-year resident of Korea, Mason was appointed the honorary ambassador of the Baekdu-Daegan Ranges by the Korea Forest Service in 2011. He has authored and edited 10 books on Korean culture and tourism, including “Spirit of the Mountains” about Korea’s traditions of mountain-worship and the “English Encyclopedia of Korean Buddhism.”

The talk takes place at 7:30 p.m. on Tuesday at the Residents’ Lounge of Somerset Palace near Anguk Station in Seoul.

Admission is free for RSKB members, 10,000 won for nonmembers and 5,000 won for students.

(paulkerry@heraldcorp.com)