Major Topics in East Asian Civilization

Questions on the Reading

Week 5
 
Questions on the Reading for week 5
Tuesday: Sources of Korean Tradition, pp. 18-77.
Thursday: Sources of Korean Tradition, pp. 78-108, 120-135.
 

Introduction to "Religion and Politics in Early Korea."

The religious traditions of Six Dynasties China exercised significant influence on the political formations of the three kingdoms of Koguryo, Paekche, and Silla (see the map on the penultimate page of this syllabus).

The early kings of Koguryo maintained diplomatic relations with northern Chinese states and were introduced to Buddhist texts, images, and models of royal authority by monks sent by Chinese rulers. Koguryo's kings also established a Chinese-style legal system and a state Confucian academy, and they continued to revere local gods an shamanistic traditions.

Paekche learned of continental traditions through contacts with southern Chinese states, and Buddhism flourished under royal patronage. As in Koguryo, the state ordered the construction of Buddhist temples, the reading of Buddhist sutras, and the performance of Buddhist rituals.

Silla, although the last of the three kingdoms to be introduced to Buddhism, was the most active in recognizing its political significance. The kings of Silla named themselves and members of their families after Indian Buddhist royalty and even abdicated the throne to become monks. In their efforts to dominate the peninsula, Silla kings presented themselves as chakravartins, mythical Buddhist sovereigns whose moral force assured them universal dominion. This fusion of political and religious ideals may be seen as well in the institution of the hwarang, an association of aristocratic youths focused on the Buddha Maitreya, whose duty was the material and spiritual defense of the realm.

Amitabha Triad
Latte Koryo Dynasty
(918-1392)
Container from a Sarira Reliquary
Unified Silla Dynasty
(668-935)
Gold Hilt with Oval Pommel
Three Kingdoms Period
Silla kingdom
(57 BCE-668 CE)
Crown
Three Kingdoms Period,
Silla kingdom
(57 BCE-668 CE)
Illuminated Manuscript of the Avatamsaka Sutra, Vol. 31
Koryo Dynasty (918-1392)
Illuminated Manuscript of the Lotus Sutra,
Koryo Dynasty (918-1392)
Royal Crown in sheet-gold excavated from the Gold Crown tomb, Kyongju, in 1922. The antler-and tree-shaped uprights show links with Siberian shamanism, and the curved jade pendants are similar to those found in Japan. Silla, 5th-6th century AD. Ht:27.5 cm
Korean envoy (second from right) with characteristic head-dress, painted on the wall of the tomb of the Chinese Tang dynasty prince Zhang Huai (Li Xian), outside Xi'an, showing the close contacts between the two countries in the 8th century AD.
The storehouse at Hae'in temple on Mt Kaya in south-central Korea, where the complete Buddhist scriptures, carved on over 80,000 woodblocks in the 13th century, are stored.
Gilt-bronze seated Maitreya in meditative pose.
Silla,7th century AD. Ht: 93.5 cm.
Gigantic stone Miruk (Maitreya Buddha) and lantern at Kwanchok temple in west-central Korea. Somewhat crudely modelled, the figure may originally have had shamanistic associations. Early Koryo period, 10th-11th century AD. Ht: 18.1 m.
Paradise scene on the frontispiece to the Amitabha sutra. Painted and written in silver and gold by a monk-scribe for his mother, this is an example of the large numbers of such magnificent Buddhist manuscripts produced at this time. Koryo period, AD 1341. Ht: 22 cm
Granite seated Buddha at Sokkuram cave temple on Mt Toham outside Kyongju, built between AD 751 and 774. This powerful seated sculpture is a masterpiece of Buddhist art, surrounded by forty-one other divinities carved in relief in a domed Indian style chamber.
Stone pagoda at Hwa'om-sa in south Cholla province, a fine example of Buddhist craftsmanship of the 8th century AD. Decorated in relief around the base with apsaras dancing and playing musical instruments, this three-storey pagoda rests on four crouching lions which surround a Buddhist monk. The lowest storey is carved with doors on all four sides, each flanked by guardian figures. Ht:5.5m.
 
   
Questions

  1. How did Confucian, Taoist, and Buddhist traditions contribute to models of kingship and to state formation in the Three Kingdoms period?

  2. How were Chinese traditions combined with native Korean traditions of political and religious authority?

  3. How do you understand the relationship between Chinese and Korean Buddhism? What elements of Korean Buddhist theory and practice do you recognize from Chinese materials? Which aspects are different?