622 henrik h. sørensen
(Miscellaneous Texts of the Ch’ŏnji myŏngyang suryuk),^9 the
Suryuk much’a p’yŏngdŭng chaeŭi ch’waryo
(Abbreviated Ritual for the Water and Land Unobstructed, Equal
Feast),^10 the Ch’ŏnji myŏngyang suryuk chaeŭi mun
(Text for the Ceremony of the Heaven and Earth, Day and
Night, Water and Land Feast),^11 and the voluminous, but relatively
late, Ch’ŏnji myŏngyang suryuk chaeŭi pŏmŏn chip
(Collection of Sanskrit Sounds for the Ceremony of Heaven
and Earth, Darkness and Brightness, Water and Land Feast; hereafter
Pŏmŏn chip) (see HPC vol. 11, 458c–523b), all of which became very
popular.
Large, comprehensive ritual manuals (i.e., collections of several rit-
ual texts) occur in increasing numbers from the end of the sixteenth
century and feature such works as the Chinŏn kwŏn’gong
(Instructions on Making Offerings [with] Mantras),^12 the Ǒ tae chinŏn
(^9) Extensive parts of this compilation are based on Chinese shuilu works.
Refer to the block printed edition kept in the library of Sŏnggwang Temple
from 1531. It is obvious that the suryuk type of rituals were originally based on
Chinese Buddhist traditions. In particular, Zhipan’s large-scale text, the Fajie shengfan
shuilu shenghui xiuzhai yigui (hereafter FSSY), can be seen to have played an impor-
tant role in the creation of the rich literature concerning the water and land rituals
that we find in Chosŏn Buddhism. Even so, Zhipan’s manual was not the only such
text that circulated in Korea. Already during the middle of the Koryŏ, well before the
existence of Zhipan’s manual, water and land rituals were being performed in the
kingdom. Moreover, it would appear that the Chosŏn suryuk manuals came about
on the basis of a variety of textual sources. Interestingly, a Ming edition of the FSSY
dating from 1470 C.E. is known to have been circulating in Korea during the reign of
Yŏnsangun (r. 1495–1506). This means that the Chosŏn Buddhists had direct access
to Zhipan’s text prior to the extensive revisions and emendations made by Zhuhong
(1535–1615). See Nam 2004, 57–68. See also the edition dated 1573 C.E. in the
library of Seoul National University, # 12223. However, in order to fully appreci-
ate the similarities and differences between the Chinese and Korean water and land
traditions, a detailed and comprehensive comparative analysis would first have to be
undertaken.
(^10) Also called Kyŏlsu mun (Text for [Making] Hand Gestures; KS 18, 22).
Additional information on this manual can be found in Sørensen 1991–1992a, 191–
- It is interesting that the compiler of the Sŏngmun ŭibŏm, the most important
twentieth-century Buddhist ritual manual, chose to let this text represent the ritual
of water and land. Cf. Sørensen 1991–1992a, part 1, 240–68. Note that this modern
edition of the text does not contain the mudrā illustrations as found in all the old
editions. 11
KS 21. A copy of the edition from Yongbok Temple , 1635, is kept in the
University library of Seoul National University, # 12 1750/2.
Dated 1496 C.E., this ritual manual is one of the earliest documented in Korea.
Its rarity is further underlined by the fact that it is written in early Han’gul with only