Author Affiliations: assistant professor of the Humanities Korea Project at the Academy of Buddhist Studies at Dongguk University in Seoul, Korea.
關鍵詞
Precept against taking of life; Buddhism as protector of the state; discriminately taking of life; Four-part Vinaya; Sūtra on Brahmā’s Net
摘要
One of the defining characteristics of Korean Buddhism is the concept of “Buddhism as protector of the state.” From the Three Kingdoms period (ca. 300–935) to the Chosŏn period (1392–1910), Korean monks often played major political and military roles when the country was in crisis. This is considered to have been inevitable considering that Korean Buddhism became accepted and established on the Korean Peninsula under the protection of state power. However, according to two texts on Buddhist precepts important to Korean Buddhism, i.e. the Four-part Vinaya and the Sūtra on Brahmā’s Net, the killing of living creatures and the possession of weapons are both strictly prohibited. Any action that would cause the death of a living creature is also strictly banned, and murder is considered the gravest crime of all the precepts. Therefore, if monks or nuns commit murder, it will be the basis for which they will be cast out of the saṃgha. Nevertheless, Korean monks have sometimes actively intervened in times of national crisis as citizens of the state. What position did Korean monks take in situations where killing was considered inevitable, but such actions were prohibited by Buddhist precepts? This paper examines this question by focusing on the case of Silla monks at a time when the Silla state was in a dire situation during its wars to unite the Three Kingdoms. In effect, in their exegetical writings, Silla monks chose to expand the scope of “acceptable” actions by reinterpreting the precepts forbidding the taking of life and related issues.
目次
Introduction 117 Doctrinal Perceptions on Taking Life 120 Wŏn’gwang’s Secular Precept to Discriminate in the Taking of Life 121 The Importance of Intent in Killing 124 Allow Lay Buddhists to Possess Weapons and Participate in War 129 Conclusion 134 Notes 135 Abbreviations 136 References 136
