|
Showing 1 - 4 of
4 matches in All Departments
Centered on the practice of seeking rebirth in the Pure Land
paradise Sukhāvatī, the Amitābha cult has been the dominant form
of Buddhism in Korea since the middle of the Silla period (ca.
300–935). In Aspiring to Enlightenment, Richard McBride combines
analyses of scriptural, exegetical, hagiographical, epigraphical,
art historical, and literary materials to provide an episodic
account of the cult in Silla times and its rise in an East Asian
context through the mutually interconnected perspectives of
doctrine and practice. McBride demonstrates that the Pure Land
tradition emerging in Korea in the seventh and eighth centuries was
vibrant and collaborative and that Silla monk-scholars actively
participated in a shared, international Buddhist discourse. Monks
such as the exegete par excellence Wŏnhyo and the Yogācāra
proponent Kyŏnghŭng did not belong to a specific sect or school,
but like their colleagues in China, they participated in a broadly
inclusive doctrinal tradition. He examines scholarly debates
surrounding the cults of Maitreya and Amitābha, the practice of
buddhānusmṛti, the recollection of Amitābha, the "ten
recollections" within the larger Mahāyāna context of the
bodhisattva’s path of practice, the emerging Huayan intellectual
tradition, and the influential interpretations of medieval Chinese
Pure Land proponents Tanluan and Shandao. Finally, his work
illuminates the legacy of the Silla Pure Land tradition, revealing
how the writings of Silla monks continued to be of great value to
Japanese monks for several centuries. With its fresh and
comprehensive approach to the study of Pure Land Buddhism, Aspiring
to Enlightenment is important for not only students and scholars of
Korean history and religion and East Asian Buddhism, but also those
interested in the complex relationship between doctrinal writings
and devotional practice "on the ground.
Centered on the practice of seeking rebirth in the Pure Land
paradise Sukhāvatī, the Amitābha cult has been the dominant form
of Buddhism in Korea since the middle of the Silla period (ca.
300–935). In Aspiring to Enlightenment, Richard McBride combines
analyses of scriptural, exegetical, hagiographical, epigraphical,
art historical, and literary materials to provide an episodic
account of the cult in Silla times and its rise in an East Asian
context through the mutually interconnected perspectives of
doctrine and practice. McBride demonstrates that the Pure Land
tradition emerging in Korea in the seventh and eighth centuries was
vibrant and collaborative and that Silla monk-scholars actively
participated in a shared, international Buddhist discourse. Monks
such as the exegete par excellence Wŏnhyo and the Yogācāra
proponent Kyŏnghŭng did not belong to a specific sect or school,
but like their colleagues in China, they participated in a broadly
inclusive doctrinal tradition. He examines scholarly debates
surrounding the cults of Maitreya and Amitābha, the practice of
buddhānusmṛti, the recollection of Amitābha, the "ten
recollections" within the larger Mahāyāna context of the
bodhisattva’s path of practice, the emerging Huayan intellectual
tradition, and the influential interpretations of medieval Chinese
Pure Land proponents Tanluan and Shandao. Finally, his work
illuminates the legacy of the Silla Pure Land tradition, revealing
how the writings of Silla monks continued to be of great value to
Japanese monks for several centuries. With its fresh and
comprehensive approach to the study of Pure Land Buddhism, Aspiring
to Enlightenment is important for not only students and scholars of
Korean history and religion and East Asian Buddhism, but also those
interested in the complex relationship between doctrinal writings
and devotional practice "on the ground.
Volumes in the Early Korea Project Occasional Series focus on
centralissues related to the study of early Korea history and
archaeology. The present volume addresses several seminal questions
associated with themiddle and late periods of the Silla kingdom
(ca. 668-935): What was the composition of Silla's ruling elite?
How did the state administer localareas? What was the relationship
between the Buddhist church and thestate? How did the government
evolve over the course of the middle andlate periods of Silla's
rule? And what were the causes of Silla's demise?
?ich'?n (1055-1101) is recognized as a Buddhist master of great
stature in the East Asian tradition. Born a prince in the medieval
Korean state of Kory? (960-1279), he traveled to Song China
(960-1279) to study Buddhism and later compiled and published the
first collection of East Asian exegetical texts. According to the
received scholarly tradition, after returning to Korea, ?ich'?n
left the Hwa?m (Huayan) school to found a new Ch'?nt'ae (Tiantai)
school when he realized that the synthesis between doctrinal
learning and meditative practice in the latter would help bring
together the discordant sects of Kory? Buddhism. In the late
twentieth century, however, scholars began to question the
assertion that ?ich'?n forsook one school for another, arguing that
his writings assembled in The Collected Works of State Preceptor
Taegak (Taegak kuksa munjip) do not portray a committed sectarian
but a monk dedicated to developing a sophisticated and rigorous
system of monastic education that encompassed all Buddhist
intellectual traditions. In this first comprehensive study of
?ich'?n's life and work in English, Richard McBride presents
translations of select lectures, letters, essays, and poetry from
The Collected Works to provide a more balanced view of ?ich'?n's
philosophy of life and understanding of key Buddhist teachings. The
translations center on the monk's activities in the pan-East Asian
Buddhist world and his compilation of scholarly texts, writings
related to his interactions with royalty, and correspondence with
his Chinese mentor, Jinshui Jingyuan (1011-1088). By incorporating
?ich'?n's work associated with doctrinal Buddhism and his poetry,
McBride clearly shows that even in his most personal work ?ich'?n
did not abandon Hwa?m teachings for those of the Ch'?nt'ae but
rather he encouraged monks to blend the best learning from all
doctrinal traditions with meditative practice.
|
|