Encyclopedia of Buddhism

Buddhist themes, compiled during the twelfth cen-
tury. The portion still extant today consists of twenty-
nine books containing more than one thousand
stories grouped into three geographic categories: tales
of India, tales of China, and tales of Japan. The tales
of India consist of the biography of S ́a
kyamuni Bud-
dha, as well as stories of his disciples and his previous
lives (JA
TAKA). The tales of China concern the intro-
duction and propagation of Buddhism, as well as mir-
acles, both Buddhist and non-Buddhist. The tales of
Japan are divided into Buddhist themes and secular
themes, which tell of famous warriors, ghosts, strange
animals, and humorous events. Konjaku monogatariis
an indispensable work for understanding the role of
Buddhism in Japanese culture. Its stories have served
as the basis for countless subsequent retellings in the
form of dramas, short stories, novels, and screenplays.

See also:Japanese, Buddhist Influences on Vernacular
Literature in

WILLIAMM. BODIFORD

KOREA

Korean Buddhism must be considered within the larger
context of the East Asian MAHA
YA
NAtradition. Broadly
speaking, the creative period of Chinese Buddhism was
over by the end of the twelfth century, after which Chi-
nese Buddhism ceased to have a significant impact on
Korean Buddhism. Furthermore, no indigenous devel-
opments within Korean Buddhism radically altered its
character after the twelfth century; by and large, the ba-
sic identity of Korean Buddhism was formed by this
time, in clear contrast with Japanese Buddhism, which
began to develop its highly idiosyncratic forms after the
thirteenth century. This does not mean that Korean
Buddhism ceased to develop, but that its fundamental
character was established long ago.

After the thirteenth century, denominational dif-
ferences within Korean Buddhism became less sig-
nificant until the entire Korean SAN ̇GHAeventually
became a single order. This process, which took more
than six hundred years, culminated in the establish-
ment of the Chogyejong (CHOGYE SCHOOLor order)
in 1941. The Chogye order, which practically repre-
sents the entirety of modern Korean Buddhism, con-
siders itself a scion of the CHAN SCHOOL(Korean, So ̆n;
Japanese, Zen), but it actually embraces many of the
diverse forms of East Asian Buddhist thought and

practice that had flowed into Korea beginning in the

fourth century C.E. This feature of Korean Buddhism

has led scholars to characterize it as t’ongbulgyo,a

“holistic Buddhism” that is free from sectarian differ-

ences and doctrinal conflicts.

Introduction of Buddhism into the

Three Kingdoms

When Buddhism came to Korea in the latter half of

the fourth century, the peninsula was divided into

three kingdoms, each ruled by an ancient tribal con-

federation trying to expand its territory at the expense

of the others. The religious beliefs and practices of the

people were predominantly animistic; they believed in

deities that resided in nature, and they worshipped the

ancestral spirits of tribal leaders. With the establish-

ment of monarchies, however, Korean society moved

beyond its tribal stage and was ready to entertain a new

religion with a universalistic ethos.

Among the three kingdoms, Koguryo ̆(37 B.C.E.–618

C.E.) in the north was the earliest to form a centralized

state and was by far the most powerful. Although some

evidence suggests that Buddhism had been known ear-

lier, it was in 372 C.E., during the reign of King So-

surim (r. 371–384), that Buddhism was officially

introduced into Koguryo ̆. Sosurim maintained a trib-

utary relationship with the Former Qin (351–394) in

northern China, and its king, Fujian (r. 357–385), an

ardent supporter of Buddhism, sent a monk-envoy

named Sundo (d.u.), with Buddhist images and scrip-

tures, to Koguryo ̆. Significantly, in that same year So-

surim also established the T’aehak, an academy for

Confucian learning. The following year he promul-

gated legal codes, laying the foundation for a central-

ized bureaucratic state.

Around the time Buddhism came to Koguryo ̆, the

Paekche kingdom (18 B.C.E.–660 C.E.), which occupied

the southwestern part of the peninsula, was introduced

to Buddhism by the Eastern Jin in southern China,

with which Paekche had a close diplomatic relation-

ship. As with Koguryo ̆, the new religion came to

Paekche at the time the kingdom, in particular King

Ku ̆n Ch’ogo (346–375), was consolidating royal con-

trol over tribal powers.

The kingdom of Silla (57 B.C.E.–935 C.E.), which

held the southeastern corner of the peninsula, was the

last of three kingdoms to be introduced to Buddhism.

When Buddhism first came to Silla during the reign of

King Nulchi (417–447), it met strong resistance from

ruling aristocratic families that were deeply rooted in

KOREA