New Perspectives in Modern Korean Buddhism moves beyond nationalistic, modernist, and ethnocentric historiographies of modern Korean Buddhism by carefully examining individuals’ lived experiences, the institutional dimensions of Korean Buddhism, and its place in transnational conversations. Drawing upon rich archives as well as historical, anthropological, and literary approaches, the book examines four themes that have gained attention in recent years: perennial existential concerns and the persistent relevance of religious practice; the role of female Buddhists; clerical marriage and scandals; and engagement with secular society. The book reveals the limits of metanarratives, such as those of colonialism, nationalism, and modernity, in understanding the complex and contested identities of both monastics and laity, thus demanding that we diversify the methods by which we articulate the history of modern Korean Buddhism.
Spis treści
Acknowledgments
Note on Translations and Conventions
Abbreviations
Introduction
Hwansoo Kim
Part 1: Beyond the Grand Narratives in Zen Buddhism
1. What Do Zen Masters Teach Us Today? The Case of Sŏn Master Hyeam Sŏnggwan
Jin Y. Park
2. Paek Yongsŏng and the Boundaries of Early Modern Korean Buddhism: Historiographical Issues and the Question of Scale
Mark A. Nathan
Part 2: Nuns and Laywomen in Modern Korean Buddhism
3. Lady Ch’ŏn and Modern Korean Buddhism
Hwansoo Kim
4. Experiencing a Different Buddhist Community: Nun Suok’s Travel to Japan and Her Contribution to the Korean Community of Nuns
Eun-su Cho
Part 3: Clerical Celibacy, Marriage, Scandals, and Monastic Rules
5. Rethinking Married
Bhikṣu: An Examination of
Bhikṣu Ordinations and Clerical Marriage in 1920s Korean Buddhism
Jeongeun Park
6. Flesh in the Closet: The “Secret Wife” in Korean Buddhism
Su Jung Kim
7. Monastic Regulations in Contemporary Korea
Uri Kaplan
Part 4: Secularity, Society, and Politics
8. Han Yongun, Fukuzawa Yukichi, and Questions of Nationalism and Colonialism
Gregory N. Evon
9. Kim Kugyŏng’s Liminal Life: Between Nationalism and Scholarship
Kim Cheonhak
10. Praying in Kangnam and Longing for the Mountains: The Dilemma of Centrality in Contemporary Korean Buddhism
Florence Galmiche
Bibliography
Contributors
Index
O autorze
Hwansoo Ilmee Kim is Associate Professor of Religious Studies at Yale University and the author of
The Korean Buddhist Empire: A Transnational History, 1910–1945.
Jin Y. Park is Professor of Philosophy and Religion at American University. She is the author of
Women and Buddhist Philosophy: Engaging Zen Master Kim Iryŏp and the editor of
Makers of Modern Korean Buddhism, also published by SUNY Press.