The Power of the Buddhas: The Politics of Buddhism During the Koryo Dynasty (918-1392)

by Vermeersch, Sem

• ISBN13: 9780674031883
• ISBN10: 0674031881
• Format: Hardcover
• Copyright: 2008-09-30
• Publisher: Harvard Univ Pr

Summary

Buddhism in medieval Korea is characterized as "State Protection Buddhism," a religion whose primary purpose was to rally support (supernatural and popular) for and legitimate the state. In this view, the state used Buddhism to engender compliance with its goals. A closer look, however, reveals that Buddhism was a canvas on which people projected many religious and secular concerns and desires.This study is an attempt to specify Buddhismrs"s place in Koryo and to ascertain to what extent and in what areas Buddhism functioned as a state religion. Was state support the main reason for Buddhismrs"s dominance in Koryo? How actively did the state seek to promote religious ideals? What was the strength of Buddhism as an institution and the nature of its relationship to the state? What role did Confucianism, the other state ideology, play in Koryo? This study argues that Buddhism provided most of the symbols and rituals, and some of the beliefs, that constructed an aura of legitimacy, but that there was no single ideological system underlying the Koryo dynastyrs"s legitimating strategies.

Table of Contents

Tables, Maps, and Figures	p. xv
Kings of Unified Silla and Koryo	p. xvii
Abbreviations	p. xxi
Introduction	p. 1
Methodological considerations: religion and political order	p. 4
Korean Buddhism: State Protectionism?	p. 13
Sources	p. 21
Structure	p. 24
Historical and Ideological Background
Buddhism and the State in Late Silla	p. 31
The fall of Silla and the rise of Wang Kon	p. 32
Buddhism and the state in Unified Silla	p. 40
The Son school in late Silla: dharma lineages and the Nine Mountains	p. 49
The economic and social basis of the Son sanmun	p. 62
Buddhism and the state in the Later Three Kingdoms	p. 71
Conclusion	p. 73
Foundations of a New Buddhist Policy: T'aejo and Buddhism	p. 75
Wang Kon's policy of legitimation	p. 76
Confucianism in early Koryo	p. 86
Wang Kon's Buddhist Ideology: the Ten Injunctions	p. 89
The First Injunction: the power of the Buddhas	p. 93
The Second Injunction: the relation between Buddhism and geomancy	p. 101
The Sixth Injunction: the relationship between Buddhism and native religions	p. 112
T'aejo's relation with Buddhist schools	p. 121
Representation of the ruler through Buddhism	p. 133
Conclusion	p. 146
The Official Institution of Buddhism
Legal Provisions on the Status of Monks	p. 151
Ordination restrictions	p. 153
Other legislation concerning monks	p. 161
Status divisions within the monkhood	p. 168
Conclusion	p. 181
The Sangha Examination, Ranking, and Administration	p. 183
The examination for monks in Koryo	p. 184
The administrative system for the Sangha	p. 203
The Sangha Registry: the central organ of the Buddhist bureaucracy?	p. 221
Conclusion	p. 236
The Royal and State Preceptors	p. 238
The origins of the office of state preceptor	p. 239
The state preceptor in Silla	p. 243
The emergence of the royal preceptor in early Koryo	p. 247
The preceptors after T'aejo	p. 255
Conclusion	p. 267
The Ritual and Economic Roles of Buddhism
The Buddhist Temple Economy in Early Koryo	p. 271
The nature of temple land in early Koryo	p. 273
Land donations to temples: case studies	p. 286
Official temples in Koryo: the pibo-sa system	p. 295
Private temples	p. 305
Conclusion	p. 310
Buddhist State Rituals	p. 313
Defining ritual	p. 315
Main Koryo Buddhist state rituals	p. 319
Royal ancestor worship through Buddhism	p. 335
The Koryo Tripitaka and the Koryo dynasty	p. 349
Conclusion	p. 362
Conclusion	p. 365
Biographical Abstracts of Koryo Monks	p. 375
Reference Matter
Character List	p. 419
Bibliography	p. 433
Index	p. 467
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