Korean Buddhism At The Crossroads

[Guest guest]

HinduThought, "Ashok Chowgule" <ashokvc@c...>

wrote:

Korean Buddhism At The Crossroads

by Dr Frank M. Tedesco

 

In conjunction with Wesak 2001, BGF invited Dr Frank M. Tedesco, a

well-known social activist and expert on Korean Buddhism, to Malaysia

for a series of dharma talks. He gave talks at the Kota Kemuning

Buddhist Center in Shah Alam, Buddhist Maha Vihara in Kuala Lumpur,

BGF

Center in Petaling Jaya, Than Hsiang Temple in Penang, and Jitra

Buddhist Association in Jitra, Kedah. Loh Kea Yu spoke to Frank about

the challenges facing modern Korean Buddhism just before a pot-luck

dinner and talk at the Kota Kemuning Buddhist Center in Shah Alam on

the

evening of May 6, 2001 which was also Wesak eve. Those interested to

know more about Buddhism in Korea can access the web-site

www.buddhapia.com/eng.

 

1. You are an authority on Korean Buddhism. What started you on this

journey into Buddhism, and specifically Korean Buddhism?

 

My journey into Buddhism started in 1962 when I was in high school. I

was attracted to Buddhist teachings because it provided an answer to

many questions I had as a young man, especially the impermanence of

life

when I witnessed the death of my grandparents in my own home and my

beloved pets at short intervals. I read all I could about

existentialism, mysticism and altered states of consciousness and

practiced meditation independently. I discovered the First Zen

Institute

in Manhattan in 1962 and in 1964 met the great Kalmyk Mongolian lama

Geshe Wangyal in New Jersey. I was also very fortunate to be able to

meet Master Hsuan Hua when he taught in Chinatown, San Francisco in

the

late sixties. At the same time I studied Buddhism academically as an

undergrad at the University of California at Berkeley. One of my

professors was Lewis Lancaster, an authority on Korean Buddhism. So I

more or less trod parallel paths of Buddhist scholarship and more

formal

lay dharma practice. About a decade later after many intellectual and

cultural wanderings, I went to Korea as a U.S. Peace Corps volunteer

in

leprosy control and eventually completed a Ph.D. in Buddhist Studies

at

Dongguk University in Seoul in 1998. Dongguk is affiliated with the

Korean Buddhist Chogye Order.

 

2. Many people are familiar with Japanese Buddhism and Chinese

Buddhism.

Could you tell us briefly what is Korean Buddhism?

 

Well, Korean Buddhism is Chinese scripture-based Mahayana Buddhism.

Buddhism came to Korea from north China in the latter half of the

fourth

century C.E. Each of the three kingdoms into which the Korean

peninsula

was divided embraced the new religion. All the major doctrinal systems

of Mahayana Buddhism of 5th - 7th century India and China flowed into

Korea and were eagerly studied by Korean monks. With the consolidation

of the three kingdoms of Koguryo, Paekche and Shilla in 680 CE,

Unified

Shilla Buddhist thought reached its apogee as the integrating paradigm

and ideology, producing such eminent Korean monks such as Wonhyo

(617-686), Uisang (625-702),), and Wonch'uk (613-696).

 

All the major transformations of Chinese Buddhism (and subsequently

Japanese Buddhism) are also found in Korea in textual form if not

practice. Just as in Chinese Mahayana Buddhism, there is Hua-yen

(Avatamsaka sutra) teachings, in Korea it is called Hwaom which was

introduced by Uisang upon his return to Korea after studying under

Zhiyan, the second Chinese Hua-yen patriarch, in China. Ch'an Buddhism

(Zen in Japanese) was introduced into Korea from Tang China towards

the

end of the 8th century CE, and became known as Son Buddhism. Tian-t'ai

Buddhism in China became Ch'ont'ae Buddhism and was strongly promoted

in

Korea by Uich'on of the Koryo Dynasty (918-1392) after he had visited

Song China and returned to Korea with a large number of Buddhist

scriptures. Common practices in Korean Buddhism today derive from

mainstream Ch'an and Pure Land as well as esoteric traditions. There

are

also new orders that emphasize one aspect or another of Buddha's

teachings and most emphasize lay practice.

 

3. As a Buddhist scholar and also a dharma practitioner, what do you

find most unique about Korean Buddhism?

 

My love of Korean Buddhism is the rugged vitality and energy of its

monastic practitioners and lay believers. However, this does not

diminish the vigor I see in other traditions, too. Cultures that

develop

in different geographical regions have their own character and

strengths. This is why the dharma has been able to survive for well

over

2500 years despite many misfortunes from both from within and

without. I

can feel a natural energy very clearly in Korean Buddhist culture. I

have been following it for about two decades now. Like Buddhists

everywhere today, the Buddhists of Korea have great potential for

growth

as they open to the insights and practices of the other yanas and

dialogue with followers of other religions. Traditions can nurture

spiritual development or seriously impede it if outer form becomes an

end in itself.

 

4. What is Won Buddhism?

 

Won Buddhism cannot be considered traditional Korean Buddhism. Won

Buddhists do not take refuge in the Three Jewels or support the

traditional teachings, customs and sangha in Korea. Followers of Won

Buddhism themselves call their faith "a new religion" which began in

1916 and they disassociate themselves with old, out-dated forms of

traditional practice. They do, however, cooperate closely with

mainstream Buddhist organizations in Korea and abroad like the WFB and

peace efforts at the U.N. The founder of the Won Buddhism embraced the

Diamond Cutter Sutra (Vajracchedika Sutra) which appeared to match his

personal revelation. The religion emphasizes regular lay Son

meditation

practice and commitment to social welfare, religious freedom and world

peace.

 

5. Who are the great dharma masters of Korean Buddhism?

 

Well, there are many of them, too many to mention here. I have spoken

about the Shilla teachers Wonhyo, Uisang, Wonch'uk, Chajang and others

in my talks. Then there is Chinul Pojo (1158-1210) of Koryo whose

reform

movement led to the formation of the Chogye Order, which is today the

largest Buddhist monastic organization in Korea. Greatly influenced by

the writings of Chinese Buddhist masters, Chinul established a unique,

comprehensive approach to Son (Zen) Buddhism that sequences the ideal

of

an initial sudden enlightenment experience (tono) with the gradual

process of mental and moral cultivation.

 

Jumping to the modern period, two well-known Korean Son (Zen) Masters

are Kyongho (1849-1913) and the living elder Master Seung Sahn. Master

Kyongho is best known for training many disciples, among them

Man'gong,

Hyewol, Hanam, Suwol, and Songwol. They influenced the Korean Buddhist

community greatly and at least half of the present-day Korean Buddhist

sangha consists of descendents of Master Kyongho. Venerable Seung Sahn

is well-known not only for the Seoul International Zen Centers at

Hwagyesa Temple and the first autonomous Western sangha monastery in

Korea called Musangsa in the Kyeryong Mountains. He and his disciples

have established more than 120 Zen centers in 30 countries. It is

claimed that Master Seung Sahn has taught over 50,000 students over

more

than 30 years. He is renowned for his energetic and expressive

approach

to Zen, distinctly different in feeling tone and approach from

Japanese

Zen, vipassana or Tibetan Vajrayana teachers. One can elect to do one

week to two 90 day monastic retreats a year in his Kwanum Zen School

in

Korea or in the U.S.

 

6. Buddhism used to be the dominant religion in Korea. Today it is

marginalized with a little over 50% of Koreans being Christian. When

and

how did this happen?

 

Korean Buddhism is about 1700 years old. During the first 1000 years

Buddhism was the state religion. But in 1392 with the establishment of

the Yi Dynasty the neo-Confucian literati influenced the court and

transformed Korea into a legalistic Confucian state. Buddhism was

ridiculed and suppressed. Monks were eventually banned from the cities

and were regarded as the lowest class of society. As a result the

number

of monks dwindled and they were obliged to remain in the mountains.

Korean Buddhism became a "mountain religion" in this period. At the

end

of the Yi in 1910 the Japanese annexed Korea and attempted

to "Japanize"

Korean Buddhism and incorporate it into different Japanese sects. They

compelled celibate Korean sangha members to marry like their

counterparts in Japan by passing regulations favoring married priests.

 

With the defeat of Japan in August 1945, Korea was divided into North

and South. Then came the Korean War (1950-1953). The entire country

was

in ruins and the people were demoralized. The country needed foreign

aid

and the United States poured in money to rebuild South Korea as a

bulwark against communism. In the process the US government used

Christian missionaries to administer aid because they had been in the

country for nearly a hundred years and understood the local customs

and

language. The missionaries became to be seen as saviors of the Korean

people. The local people began to associate Christianity with

development, self-help, advanced Western technology and medicine. They

also provided scholarships and empowered women and the poor. At the

same

time the Buddhist monastic community was largely uneducated and

fragmented, and there was no strong and organized lay Buddhist

leadership. Buddhism began to lose followers to the Christian

missionaries who were able to capitalize on these weaknesses and offer

rice and hope for the future.

 

7. When you visit Seoul today, you see churches everywhere. Is this a

reflection of the weakness of Buddhism in Korea?

 

Yes and no. If you arrive in Seoul at night you will see neon lights

of

red crosses all over the city. One reason Christian churches

proliferate

is because it is easy to establish churches with lay leadership in

relatively inexpensive commercial space. The conservative mind-set

requires monks who must be supported to perform ceremonies in a

traditional way, not to mention expensive architecture and statues,

etc.

There is an overabundance of young Protestant ministers who compete

for

church members, too. Nevertheless there are active and growing dharma

centers in Seoul and many other major cities in the country. You have

to

search harder for Buddhists in Seoul, though- they do not evangelize

like Protestants do. A recent Gallup poll indicates there are more

ex-Christians than church members in Korea. I meet former Christians

all

the time in temples in Korea. Simple practicality plays a major role

in

religious affiliation in Korean communities- Koreans in the US are

overwhelmingly Christian, often for lack of a relevant and fulfilling

Buddhist alternative.

 

8. Aren't there reform movements to revive Buddhism either among the

clergy or the lay organizations?

 

Like all religions, Korean Buddhism has experienced reform movements

throughout history to restore the original core values of the faith

when

leadership and institutions have fallen into decay. I already

mentioned

the National Preceptor Chinul Pojo who initiated a sincere practice

movement at Songgwangsa Monastery near the end of the Koryo. Various

individuals like Master Kyongho and the poet Han Yong-un attempted to

revitalize the spirit of Korean Buddhism through education,

translation

and literature at the end of the Yi Dynasty and during the Japanese

colonial period. There were many others. Today we have the active

Buddhist Solidarity for Reform movement established by about 30 Korean

lay Buddhist organizations. These groups decided to cooperate in order

to counter the many scandals that have plagued Korean Chogye Order,

including the much reported fighting among monks for control of temple

fortunes, gambling monk-officials, etc. I do not want to omit

mentioning

the BCEJ or Buddhist Coalition for Economic Justice that has been

struggling to defend the rights of Buddhist foreign workers and others

in Korea. The strong moral stance of a few Buddhist leaders can awaken

the conscience of the majority by their good example. The Join

Together

Society or JTS is a truly idealistic group of young lay people who

work

communally on many social projects. How better can we teach the dharma

to our children than by good models?

 

9. What do you think needs to be done for Buddhism to regain the glory

it once had among Koreans and other Asian Buddhist cultures?

 

I am not sure what you mean by the word "glory." Some say Korean

Buddhism had its "glory" days during the Koryo Dynasty where the monks

owned large tracts of land and properties. They were supported by the

king and were part of the royal court. The monasteries even had

distilleries and kept slaves to work the fields. The monasteries were

rich and powerful. If this is the type of worldly "glory" you have in

mind, I think we can do without it.

 

To me Buddhism will regain its true value for humanity when the

four-fold sangha- monks, nuns, laymen and lay women- study and

practice

the dharma with humility. Monks must behave like monks and spent their

time studying widely, practicing deeply and teaching dharma

effectively.

The dharma must be made relevant to all our specific, modern problems.

Buddhism will regain the honor it deserves when the sangha and the

laity

support each other to relieve both inner and outer suffering. Our

world

is not simple and we are all interconnected. We face issues of ethnic

conflict, economic inequities and exploitation, and degradation of the

environment, for instance. We are mutually interdependent and each of

us

must take responsibility for our own actions and their results without

self-deception and without hiding behind traditional customs and

non-Buddhist criteria and standards. Isn't the dharma all about

developing personal character through right attitude and behavior? The

"middle way" and "the way of the middle class" does not equate. Let's

think about our lifestyles more deeply.

 

10. You wrote about militant Christians disturbing Buddhist devotees

and

sometimes attacking Buddhist temples before festivals such as Buddha's

Birthday. Are these rampant or isolated incidents?

 

Some Korean Christians are very zealous and use every opportunity to

bring others to their faith, be it elementary school teachers

ridiculing

non-Christian children in classrooms or Christian officers ordering of

baptism for new military draftees as "moral education," for instance.

There have been a number of attacks on Buddhist temples all over the

country by extremist Christians over the years. I was galvanized to

deal

with this issue shortly before Buddha's Birthday in 1996, when five

incidents of arson took place in my immediate neighborhood. Three

assaults were made on Venerable Seung Sahn's Seoul International Zen

Center at Hwagyesa. Nearby, two buildings of Ponwan Chongsa Temple

were

totally destroyed by flames, including the Main Dharma Hall and a Hall

of Arahants that housed 516 hand-carved and hand-painted wooden

statues.

Samsong Am Mountain Hermitage was also attacked and its wooden bronze

bell and drum tower was destroyed. However, it is encouraging to know

that this year's Buddha Day celebrations went on smoothly without any

reports of vandalism or rudeness so far. You may wish to read more

about

religious tensions in Korea by accessing information on

www.iarf-religiousfreedom.net

 

11. You have been outspoken against such attacks. How effective has

your

work been?

 

I think my activities have brought international attention to the fact

that Christian missionary success in Korea is not without blemish. In

fact I assert it has been a cultural trauma for Korea that will take

generations to heal. Some Korean Christians have been violent

aggressors

against Buddhism (and other religions) in Korea, and their actions go

against the spirit of Christ and the universal ideal of religious

harmony and tolerance. I organized a panel of prominent Korean

Protestant theologians and Buddhist monks for a major international

inter-religious conference in Chicago in the summer of 1996 to deal

with

this unpleasant news and published articles to highlight these attacks

and the narrow-mindedness that engenders them. The Society of

Buddhist-Christian Studies considered this an issue of major concern

and

wrote letters to the World Council of Churches, President Kim Dae-

jung,

relevant ministries in the Korean Government, and even to then

President

Bill Clinton. I helped various foreign journalists as well as BBC

Radio

and TV stations investigate these attacks on Buddhist places of

worship

in Korea and gave them extensive interviews. Religion comes under the

Ministry of Culture in Korea. Public servants from there organized a

meeting with religious leaders to discuss these disturbances but they

were ostracized for interfering with matters that did not concern the

government and were condemned by extremists who justified destroying

idols as part of their belief! Generally speaking, sincere efforts for

inter-religious dialogue have been weak and sporadic and give the

impression of superficial, public relations events.

 

Christian groups in the West have always decried that they are

persecuted in different parts of the world but now I am telling the

Christian world to their face that their own extremist brethren are

persecuting the Buddhists in Korea! Buddhist groups have not fought

back

or taken revenge against these attacks by crazed extremists. However,

I

believe that not all Christians in Korea are fanatics; in fact, many

Korean Christians are embarrassed, even mortified, by these barbaric

acts. I hope that Christian evangelists in Asia set aside their pride

and examine their conscience for what they are doing to the psyches

and

cultures of the peoples they wish to convert. They are creating seeds

of

deep and lasting unhappiness by inducing people to reject their own

cultural roots and heritage. Buddhists, too, need to accept the

aggressive Christian movement as a meaningful wake-up call! We need to

sharpen our understanding of Buddha's teachings, practice harder and

open our hearts to new ways of expressing metta and karuna creatively.

It seems that healing naturally follows acceptance of our suffering.

 

Loh Kea Yu graduated from Universiti Sains Malaysia in 1981 with a

B.Sc.

Education in physics. A Buddhist student leader in his college days,

Kea

Yu continues to be involved in dharma activities through talks and

meditation. He is currently a high school physics teacher in Klang

where

he resides with his family.

 

Korean Buddhism at the Crossroads by Dr Frank Tedesco.

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