WOMEN IN GRAY ROBES: CONTINUITY IN THE TRADITIONAL AND CONTEMPORARY RELIGIOUS IDENTITY OF KOREAN BUDDHIST NUNS By CHUNGWHAN SUNG A DISSERTATION PRESENTED TO THE GRADUATE SCHOOL OF THE UNIVERSITY OF FLORIDA IN PARTIAL FULFILLMENT OF THE REQUIREMENTS FOR THE DEGREE OF DOCTOR OF PHILOSOPHY UNIVERSITY OF FLORIDA 2011 1 © 2011 Chungwhan Sung 2 To my Mom and my family 3 ACKNOWLEDGMENTS I must first thank Robin Wright who has attentively encouraged my research. I wish also to acknowledge my committee members: Manuel A. Vasquez, Travis Smith, and Won- ho Park. I am deeply grateful to my former teachers: Seongseok Jung, Hoseong Kim, and Jason Woo. I also thank the venerable Myeongseong and all the other nuns at the Unmunsa temple and other Korean nuns who were interviewed and supported my projects. I am also indebted to my colleagues Jimi Wilson, Leah Sarat, and Phillip Green at the University of Florida. I would also like to thank to my friends Lynn Paluga, Monia Eric and all members of the Korean Buddhist Association in Gainesville. Finally, I am deeply grateful to my mom and my family who have patiently endured my nebulous times. 4 TABLE OF CONTENTS page ACKNOWLEDGMENTS ......................................................................................................... 4 LIST OF TABLES..................................................................................................................... 7 LIST OF FIGURES ................................................................................................................... 8 LIST OF ABBREVIATIONS ................................................................................................... 9 ABSTRACT ............................................................................................................................ 10 CHAPTER 1 INTRODUCTION: STUDYING NUNS IN KOREAN BUDDHISM ............................ 12 Initial Encounter ............................................................................................................... 12 Research Theories and Problems ..................................................................................... 15 Brief Review about Academic Discourse on Nuns in Korean Buddhism ....................... 18 Research Sources and Method ......................................................................................... 21 Textual Sources ......................................................................................................... 21 Fieldwork ................................................................................................................... 22 Participant-observation ....................................................................................... 22 Quantitative research .......................................................................................... 24 Qualitative research ............................................................................................ 25 Chapter Outlines ............................................................................................................... 26 2 NUNS IN THE HISTORY OF KOREAN BUDDHISM (4TH C-1910)........................... 31 The First Nuns on the Korean Peninsula .......................................................................... 32 The Motivation of Female Renunciation .......................................................................... 43 Religious Practice ............................................................................................................. 50 Social Activities within Patriarchal Society ..................................................................... 60 3 NUNS IN THE PRE-MODERN AND THE CONTEMPORARY ERA (1910- PRESENT) ........................................................................................................................ 80 Religious Practice ............................................................................................................. 81 Formulating Educational System ..................................................................................... 92 The Narrative and Oral Histories of Lineages of Nuns ................................................. 102 Social Activities within Modernity ................................................................................ 112 4 UNMUNSA AS INSTITUTION .................................................................................... 123 The History of Unmunsa Temple ................................................................................... 123 5 Structure and Organization of the Monastery ................................................................ 126 Meditation Center: Unmun Munsu Seonwon .......................................................... 133 Precepts Center: Bohyun Yulwon ........................................................................... 139 Educational System within the Jogye Order .................................................................. 140 Postulant Period ....................................................................................................... 142 Studying at Unmunsa Monastic College ................................................................. 144 Special Events in the Annual Calendar .......................................................................... 154 5 MONASTIC LIVES OF NUNS AT UNMUNSA ......................................................... 159 Daily Life inside the Community ................................................................................... 160 Acting Ritual ............................................................................................................ 162 Class and Communal Work ..................................................................................... 170 Internal Conflicts and Harmonization ............................................................................ 176 Individual Nuns at the Community ................................................................................ 180 Nuns’ Views on Monastic Life ....................................................................................... 195 Nuns as Religious Leaders within Society ..................................................................... 217 Alumnae: Beyond Unmunsa ........................................................................................... 223 6 ABBESS MYEONGSEONG: FEMALE RELIGIOUS LEADER ................................ 231 Before Joining the Monastery ........................................................................................ 232 Myeongseong as a Novice Nun ...................................................................................... 240 Myeongseong as a Teacher at Unmunsa ........................................................................ 253 Myeongseong as the Abbess at Unmunsa ...................................................................... 262 Myeongseong and the Nun Association within the Jogye Order ................................... 267 Myeongseong and Korean Nuns within Globalization .................................................. 273 7 CONCLUSION............................................................................................................... 279 Discussion ....................................................................................................................... 279 Ongoing Study of Nuns in Korean Buddhism ............................................................... 282 APPENDIX A SUMMER 2008 SURVEY OF UNMUNSA NUNS ..................................................... 288 B FIGURES OF NUNS ...................................................................................................... 291 LIST OF REFERENCES ...................................................................................................... 294 BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCH ................................................................................................. 308 6 LIST OF TABLES Table page 5-1 Education-Level ......................................................................................................... 230 5-2 Religious Population in Korea ................................................................................... 230 5-3 Nuns Discrimination from Monks ............................................................................. 230 5-4 Social Discrimination Compare to Monks ................................................................ 230 5-5 Nuns/Monks Respect from Society ........................................................................... 230 7 LIST OF FIGURES Figure page B-1 The Landscape of Unmunsa Temple ....................................................................... 291 B-2 Students Nuns in Classes at Unmunsa Monastic College ......................................... 291 B-3 Stduents Nuns in Classes at Unmunsa Monastic College ........................................ 292 B-4 Nuns at the Morning Ritual at Unmunsa . ................................................................. 292 B-5 Venerable Nun Myeongseong with her Father Monk Gwaneung ............................ 293 B-6 Myeongseong with Catholic Nuns and Foregin Visitors at Unmunsa ...................... 293 8 LIST OF ABBREVIATIONS G Goryeosa (고려사 高麗史, History of the Goryeo Dynasty). Jung, Inji 정인지. Translated by Gojeonyeongusil 고전 연구실. 11 vols. Seoul: Sinseowon, 2001-2002. (http://www.krpia.co.kr/pcontent/?svcid=KR&proid=1 ) HBJ Hanguk bulgyo jeonseo (한국불교전서 韓國佛教全書, The Collected Texts of the Korean Buddhism).