 Officially the origin of Buddhism in Korea is traced back to the fourth century in the early Three Kingdoms Period when it was transmitted to Korea by a monk from Former Qin dynasty in China. However, it is Wŏnhyo 元曉 (617–680) of Silla Kingdom (traditionally dated 57 BCE–935 CE), who is regarded as the first prominent and most seminal Buddhist thinker in the Korean Buddhist tradition. Widely known for his synoptic vision, he holds that the most fundamental Buddhist doctrines are to be understood from the logic of interfusion (wŏnyung 圓融), enabling him to embrace and harmonize different strands of Buddhism without forsaking what is unique to each of them.