Pori Park is Assistant Professor of Religious Studies at Arizona State University. She received her Ph.D. from the University of California, Los Angeles. Her publications include "The Modern Remaking of Korean Buddhism: The Development of Buddhist Nationalism during Japanese Colonial Rule (1910-1945)." E-mail: pori.park@asu.edu.
Korean Buddhists during the colonial period (1910-1945) first had to overcome the effect of Joseon's persecution and then bring changes to their religion that were compatible with their newly opened society. The arrival of Japanese Buddhism and Christianity on the peninsula provided Korean Buddhists with both challenges and a frame of reference for their idea for modernity. This paper presents the major reform issues, activities, and institutional changes implemented by the Korean Sangha. The viability of Korean Buddhism depended largely on the capability and willingness of Buddhists to participate in a nationwide march toward co-opting Western modernity. The Buddhist order was determined to modernize Buddhism, focusing on reformation of the monks' education as well as their proselytization. While educational reforms were aimed at consolidation within the Buddhist order, the Buddhist order also attempted to promote the religion in society by developing new methods of propagation. After the March First Movement in 1919, young clerics began to challenge the docile Sangha and question the religious policies of the colonial regime. This paper shows that Korean Buddhists faced a number of difficulties, such as a lack of financial resources, passion, and vision, in their effort to create a "modern" tradition of Buddhism.
目次
Introduction 88 The Influence of Christianity and Japanese Buddhism 91 The Reforms of the Buddhist Sangha 96 Limits of Reform 102 Buddhist Reforms and Nationalism 106
