Huh Woosung (Heo, U-seong) is a professor in the Department of Philosophy at Kyunghee University. He received his Ph.D. in Philosophy from the University of Hawaii, Manoa. His publications include Geundae inbon-ui du eolgul--Nishida cheolhak (Two Faces of Modern Japan: A Study of Nishda's Philosophy) and "Gandhi and Manhae: 'Defending Orthodoxy, Rejecting Heterodoxy' and 'Eastern Ways, Western Instruments'" (Korea Journal 2001). E-mail: huh111@paran.com.
關鍵詞
Yongseong; mukti; karma=業; Manhae; Avalokitesvara; Seon meditation; Great Enlightenment Movement
摘要
This paper sheds light on the life and thought of Baek Yongseong (1864-1940) and demonstrates his success at balancing "mukti" and "karma." At the turn of the century, when Korea lost its independence, Baek saw the predicament Korean Buddhism was in, facing the invasion of Japanese Buddhism and the introduction of Christianity. Baek sought to revitalize Korean Buddhism by making it understood and accepted by the general public. He also declared economic independence for Buddhist organizations and decried the newly established Japanese Buddhist institution. Above all, his balance of "mukti" and "karma" has become the standard for many contemporary Korean Buddhists, and as such allows us to draw important lessons from him. First, as an important shaper of modern Korean Buddhism, Baek taught that individual salvation must be accompanied by action for the benefit of the people. He also advised Korean Buddhist organizations to neither claim exclusive use of the "gongan" method nor overemphasize words and letters (bullip munja). Finally, he never defined how balance between "mukti" and "karma" should be maintained, but instead said followers must strike their own balance out of compassion for other beings.
目次
Historical Background 30 Keeping the Balance between Mukti and Karma 32 Compassion as the Source and Power of Action (Karma) and the First Four Awakenings 35 Prison Experience: An Opportunity for the Fifth Awakening and Translation of Buddhist Scriptures 39 Great Enlightenment as Social Movement and Experiential Realm 42 Mind-Only Causal Theory: A Key Reinvention 46 Responses to Confucianism 51 The Decline of the Great Enlightenment Movement 53 Yongseong, Manhae, and Seongcheol 55 Conclusion 59
