BUDDHISM IN KOREA AND VIETNAM 223political tool for strengthening royal power. Then in 527 the Buddhist
devotee Ich' adon conspired with his uncle the king to remove aristocratic
opposition to the religion by becoming a martyr to the cause. The solar
eclipse that followed his execution convinced the people ofthe power of
the Dharma. Within 25 years after Ich'adon's death, scores ofSilla aristo-
crats had become Buddhist converts. Scholars have pointed out, however,
that the Silla aristocracy had political motives for embracing the religion
as a way of fostering the diplomatic ties it was seeking with China.9.3 The Unified Silla Dynasty (668-918)
In the seventh century, the Silla kings succeeded in conquering their neigh-
bors by playing them off against the Chinese. The unification of the peninsula
paved the way for an outstanding period for Korean culture, in which syn-
cretic tendencies, paralleling the political unification of the country, were
dominant. Elements from Confucianism, Buddhism, Taoism, and native
shamanism were merged in a common religious ideology, with Buddhism
playing primarily a cultic role. The opportunity to make merit with the
monastic Sangha, and the ability of the Sangha to intercede with Buddhas and
bodhisattvas, were seen as guaranteeing the stability and security of the nation.
An instance of this syncretic pattern appears in the hwarang ("flower
squires"), a select corps of aristocratic youth who were sent to an exclusive
military academy as a .means of providing the nation with a civilized elite.
In the academy they were taught the six traditional Chinese arts (etiquette,
music, archery, riding, writing, arithmetic) and cultivated a sumptuous
personal aesthetic. Although the moral code they adhered to was primarily
Confucian-with a nod to Buddhist precepts in that they were to kill only
"discriminately"-they took the bodhisattva Maitreya (Miri:ik-bosal) as their
patron deity.
Maitreya was popular on other levels of society as well. In contrast to the
situation in China, his cult was never superseded by that of Arnitabha. In fact,
one of the distinctive features of the Korean Pure Land sect has been its recog-
nition of Maitreya and Amitabha as equals. During the Silla period, the
Maitreya cult involved two modes of movement, serving two functions in the
society. In the "descent" mode, kings and would-be kings portrayed them-
selves as incarnations of Maitreya in order to justify their claims to power. In
the "ascent" mode, other members of society sought to attain Maitreya's abode
in the Tu~ita heaven after death. Other members of the Buddhist pantheon
who became popular included Bhai~ajyaguru (Yaksa-yorae), Arnitabha (Arnita-
bul), Avalokitdvara (Kwanse'i:im-bosal), and K~itigarbha (Chijang-bosal). The
historical Buddha, Sakyamuni (Sokkamuni), was also accorded the highest
reverence, as were his purported relics, such as skull fragments, teeth, and bits