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YOUNGSOOKPAKKOREAN, BUDDHIST INFLUENCES ON
VERNACULAR LITERATURE IN
Buddhism had an enormous impact on the develop-
ment of Korean vernacular literature, primarily in pre-
modern Korea. Buddhism’s influences on the Korean
language and vocabulary are also noteworthy, a legacy
still apparent in contemporary Korea. Buddhist litera-
ture constituted the mainstream of Korean literature
before the Choso ̆n dynasty (1392–1910) and a sub-
stantial part of Korean literature during and after that
period. The development of the Korean script, Korean
verse and prose forms, and the Korean language were
all closely associated with Buddhism.
Yongbi o ̆ch’o ̆n’ga(The Songs of the Flying Dragons
According to Heaven,1445), a eulogy of the founding
of the Choso ̆n dynasty, was the first literary work com-
posed in the indigenous Korean script. This phonetic
script was originally promulgated in the edict Hunmin
cho ̆ngu ̆m(Correct Sounds to Instruct the People) and it
came to be known as Han’gu ̆l(one and great letters)
during the twentieth century. Heavily influenced by
Buddhism, the Songs of Flying Dragonsbecame a model
for epic poems in vernacular Korean. Buddhism also
had an impact on writing style. The interpretive text
outlining the Han’gu ̆l writing system, Hunmin
cho ̆ngu ̆m, was published around 1446 and was mod-
eled after Buddhist canonical scriptures in its use of
prose narration followed by reiteration in verse. Nu-
merous Buddhist texts were translated into Han’gu ̆l,
including Buddhist miracle tales and classical Chinese
and Sanskrit MANTRAS. In addition, a number of
narrative songs (kasa) and short lyric poems (sijo),
novels, Confucian edification works, and textbooks
were composed in vernacular Korean under Buddhist
influence.
Examples of Buddhist vernacular literature
in Han’gu ̆ ̆l
The promulgation of Han’gu ̆l in 1446 signaled the
blossoming of Korean vernacular literature. Prior to
devising its own writing system, Korea had used Chi-
nese characters for transcription, even though they
were not always appropriate to a Korean setting. A
Korean alphabet was thus devised under the leader-
ship of King Sejong (1418–1450). However, Confucian
scholar-officials of the Choso ̆n government, led by
Ch’oe Malli (ca. mid-fifteenth century), strongly op-
posed the use of Korea’s own script on the grounds
that it would violate the policy of respecting the senior
state, China. They even labeled the Korean alphabet a
“debased” writing system that was inferior to that of
China, calling it ̆onmun(vulgar language) or amk’u ̆l
(language for women), a tradition that continued into
the twentieth century. As a result, the Korean alpha-
bet became marginalized and for many years it was
primarily used by women and commoners who could
not read classical Chinese.
The translation of important Mahayana Buddhist
texts, such as the LOTUSSUTRA(SADDHARMAPUNDARIKA-
SUTRA), marked the first major use of Han’gu ̆l. A wide
range of Buddhist texts were rendered into vernacular
Korean in order to propagate Buddhist teachings
while, at the same time, diffusing the newly invented
Han’gu ̆l. Translated works included So ̆kpo sangjo ̆l(A
Detailed Biography of the Buddha S ́akyamuni,1447);
Wo ̆rin ch’o ̆n’gangjigok(The Songs of the Moon’s Reflec-
tion on a Thousand Rivers,1449); Wo ̆rin so ̆kpo(The
Moon’s Reflection on the Buddha’s Lineage,1459); and
Pumo u ̆njung kyo ̆ng(The Sutra of Parental Gratitude,
1563). A Detailed Biography of the Buddha S ́akyamuni
depicted the eight principal stages in the Buddha’s life,
and it catalyzed the development of vernacular Korean
literature from the fifteenth to the sixteenth centuries.
The earliest Buddhist poem written in vernacular Ko-
rean, The Songs of the Moon’s Reflection on a Thousand
Rivers,is comparable to one of the masterpieces of In-
dian literature, BUDDHACARITA(Acts of the Buddha), a
narrative of the life of S ́akyamuni. The Moon’s Reflec-
tion on the Buddha’s Lineageis a combined publication
of the aforementioned two works. A Chinese Buddhist
apocryphal work, The Sutra of Parental Gratitudewas
translated to promote the pan-Asian ideal of filial
piety. Han’gu ̆l was also used to transliterate antholo-
gies of Sanskrit mantras, including Odae chino ̆n(The
Five Great Mantras,1485).
Another important area of Korean Buddhist litera-
ture in Han’gu ̆l is vernacular novels. Ku unmong(TheKOREAN, BUDDHISTINFLUENCES ONVERNACULARLITERATURE IN