Makers of Modern Korean Buddhism

BUDDHIST STUDIES Park The first book in English devoted exclusively to modern Korean Buddhism, this work provides a comprehensive exploration for scholars, students, and serious readers. Makers Makers of Modern Korean Buddhism Makers of Modern Korean of Modern Korean Buddhism focuses on Buddhism Makers of Modern Korean three key areas: Buddhist reform, Zen revival, and the interrelationship of religion, history, and politics. In Korea, the modern period in Buddhism begins in earnest in the late nineteenth century, during the closing years of the Choson˘ dynasty, which was characterized by a repressive brand of neo-Confucianism. Buddhist reformers arose to seek change in both Buddhism and Korean society at large. The work begins with a look at five of these reformers and their thought and work. The Zen revival that began at the end of the nineteenth century is covered from that period to contemporary times through an exploration of the life and thought of important Zen masters. The influence of Japanese Buddhist missionaries, the emergence of Korean engaged Buddhism, known as Minjung Buddhism, and the formation of modern Buddhist scholarship in Korea are discussed as well. “This outstanding collection will be highly valued by the scholarly community for the way it deals comprehensively and insightfully with an important though relatively unexplored topic in the modern era.” — Steven Heine, author of Zen Skin, Zen Marrow: Will the Real Zen Buddhism Please Stand Up? Jin Y. Park is Associate Professor of Philosophy and Religion at American University. She is the author of Buddhism and Postmodernity: Zen, Huayan, and the Possibility of Buddhist Postmodern Ethics and the editor of several books, including Buddhisms and Deconstructions. A volume in the SUNY series in Korean Studies Sung Bae Park, editor Makers of Modern Korean Buddhism State University of Edited by Jin Y. Park New York Press www.sunypress.edu Makers of Modern Korean Buddhism SUNY Series in Korean Studies —————— Sung Bae Park, editor Makers of Modern Korean Buddhism Edited by Jin Y. Park Published by State University of New York Press, Albany © 2010 State University of New York All rights reserved Printed in the United States of America No part of this book may be used or reproduced in any manner whatsoever without written permission. No part of this book may be stored in a retrieval system or transmitted in any form or by any means including electronic, electrostatic, magnetic tape, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise without the prior permission in writing of the publisher. For information, contact State University of New York Press, Albany, NY www.sunypress.edu Production by Eileen Meehan Marketing by Michael Campochiaro Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data Makers of modern Korean Buddhism / edited by Jin Y. Park. p. cm. — (SUNY series in Korean studies) Includes bibliographical references and index. ISBN 978-1-4384-2921-2 (hardcover : alk. paper) ISBN 978-1-4384-2922-9 (pbk. : alk. paper) 1. Buddhism—Korea—History. I. Park, Jin Y. BQ658.M35 2009 294.309519—dc22 2009005247 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1 Contents Acknowledgments vii Abbreviations ix Introduction: Buddhism and Modernity in Korea 1 Jin Y. Park PART ONE Modernity, Colonialism, and Buddhist Reform 1 Individual Salvation and Compassionate Action: Th e Life and Th oughts of Paek Yongsŏng 19 Woosung Huh 2 A Korean Buddhist Response to Modernity: Manhae Han Yongun’s Doctrinal Reinterpretation of His Reformist Th ought 41 Pori Park 3 Sot’aesan’s Creation of Won Buddhism through the Reformation of Korean Buddhism 61 Bongkil Chung 4 Yi Nŭnghwa, Buddhism, and the Modernization of Korea: A Critical Review 91 Jongmyung Kim 5 Gendered Response to Modernity: Kim Iryŏp and Buddhism 109 Jin Y. Park vi Contents PART TWO Revival of Zen Buddhism in Modern Korea 6 Mirror of Emptiness: Th e Life and Times of the Sŏn Master Kyŏnghŏ Sŏngu 131 Henrik H. Sørensen 7 Sŏn Master Man’gong and Cogitations of a Colonized Religion 157 Mu Soeng 8 Sŏn Master Pang Hanam: A Preliminary Consideration of His Th oughts According to the Five Regulations for the Sangha 171 Patrick R. Uhlmann 9 Zen Master T’oe’ong Sŏngch’ŏl’s Doctrine of Zen Enlightenment and Practice 199 Woncheol Yun 10 Sŏn Master Daehaeng’s “Doing without Doing” 227 Chong Go PART THREE Religion, History, and Politics 11 Th e Japanese Missionaries and their Impact on Korean Buddhist Developments (1876–1910) 245 Vladimir Tikhonov 12 Minjung Buddhism: A Buddhist Critique of the Status Quo— Its History, Philosophy, and Critique 275 John Jorgensen 13 Formation of Modern Buddhist Scholarship: Th e Cases of Pak Chonghong and Kim Tonghwa 315 Sungtaek Cho Bibliography 331 Glossary of East Asian Characters 353 Contributors 371 Index 375 Acknowledgments I would like to express my sincere appreciation to Professor Sung Bae Park for his support for this project and for making this volume a part of SUNY Series in Korean Studies. I would like to thank Steven Heine for his support for this project and acknowledgment of the importance of this volume. I also thank Professor John Gould for his critical reading of the essays in this volume and helpful com- ments on each essay. I thank all the contributors for their participation, patience, and support for this volume. I also thank Nancy Ellegate at SUNY Press for her help throughout the process of the publication of this volume. Christopher Frascella, Jeff Epstein, and Juliet Mohnkern helped me at the diff erent stages in the preparation of this volume. I thank them for their time and eff orts. An earlier version of Chapter 1 was originally published in Korea Journal 45, no.1 (Spring 2005): 29–63 under the title “A Monk of Mukti and Karma: Th e Life and Th ought of Baek Yongseong.” An earlier version of Chapter 2 was originally published in Seoul Journal of Korean Studies 20, no. 1 (2007): 21–44 under the title “A Korean Buddhist Response to Modernity: Th e Doctrinal Underpinning of Han Yongun’s (1879–1944) Reformist Th ought.” An earlier version of Chapter 5 was originally published in Korea Journal 45, no. 1 (Spring 2005): 114–141 under the title “Gendered Response to Moder- nity: Kim Iryeop and Buddhism.” An earlier version of Chapter 6 was originally published in Korean Studies 7 (1983): 9–33 under the title “Th e Life and Th ought of the Korean Son Master Kyongho.” An earlier version of Chapter 11 was originally published in International Journal of Buddhist Th ought & Culture 4 (February 2004): 7–49 under the title “Th e Japanese Missionaries and their Impact on Korean Buddhist Developments (1876–1910).” An earlier version of Chapter 13 was originally published in Korea Journal 45, no. 1 (Spring 2005): 5–28, under the title “Th e Formation of Modern Bud- dhist Scholarship: the Case of Bak Jong-hong and Kim Dong-hwa.” vii Abbreviations C Chinese pronunciation CN Th e Canon in the Scripture of Won Buddhism CS Chogyejong sa: Kŭn.hyŏndae p’yŏn 曺溪宗史: 근현대편 HIBL Hanam Ilballok: Hanam taejongsa pŏbŏrok 漢巖一鉢錄: 漢巖大宗師法語錄 HPC Han’guk Pulgyo chŏnsŏ 韓國佛敎全書 HYC Han Yongun chŏnjip 韓龍雲全集 J Japanese pronunciation K Korean pronunciation KP Kyŏnghŏ pŏbŏ 鏡虛法語 PCHC Pak Chonghong chŏnjip vol. 4. 朴鍾鴻全集 SC Sŏnmun chŏngno 禪門正路 Sk Sanskrit SS Th e Scripture of Sot’aesan in the Scripture of Won Buddhism T Taishō shinshū daizōkyō 大正新修大蔵経 YTC Yongsŏng taejongsa chŏnjip 龍城大宗師全集 ZZ Dai Nihon zokuzōkyō 大日本続蔵経 ix Introduction Buddhism and Modernity in Korea Jin Y. Park Buddhism’s encounters with modernity appear in diff erent forms, depending on the regional specifi cs and historical contexts in which these encounters took place. In the West, the encounter resulted in the introduction of Buddhism to the Western world, which was followed by the emergence of a modern style of Buddhist scholarship and of new forms of Buddhism. In the context of Asia, Buddhism’s encounters with modernity have been frequently discussed in relation to political situations including nationalism, colonialism, and communism; and their socio-religious manifestations have been characterized by, among others, mass-proselytization, lay Buddhist movements, institutional reform, and the emergence of socially engaged Buddhism. Buddhism in modern Korea also experienced the phenomena identifi ed above, but in their responses to modernity, Korean Buddhists had to deal with their unique socio-historical and political situations. In this context, three aspects are especially noticeable in Korean Buddhism’s encounters with modernity. I will identify them as Buddhist reform movements, Zen/Sŏn revivalism, and the Buddhist encounter with new intellectualism. In this introduction, I will dis- cuss the major issues in these three aspects of modern Korean Buddhism and close this essay by proposing three issues that need reconsideration for a better understanding of the evolution of Buddhism in modern Korea. Buddhist Reform Movements At the end of the nineteenth and the beginning of the twentieth centuries, Korean Buddhism faced a dual challenge generated by the legacy of its past and the prospects for its future. Most urgent was the recovery of its dignity aft er centuries-long persecution under the neo-Confucian Chosŏn dynasty (1392–1910). 1 2 Makers of Modern Korean Buddhism Beginning in the mid-fi ft eenth century, Buddhist monks and nuns were prohibited from entering the capital city; this ban remained eff ective until 1895. Th e ban is a concrete example of the severe persecution Korean Buddhists experienced for more than 400 years prior to Korea’s opening to the modern world. As Korea made the transition from a pre-modern to a modern society, Korean Buddhists were hoping to exploit this opportunity to regain the dignity of Buddhism in Korean society.

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