Academic literature on the topic 'Korean Buddhist stories'

This paper explores the therapeutic potential within the past life stories of Ananda from the Buddhist sutra Jataka, applying the literary therapy theories and methods of the Society of Korean Literary Therapy.Literary therapeutics regards humans as literary beings, and its main task is to reflect on and adjust the story-in-depth inherent in life through the story-in-depth inherent in works. Using Ananda's narratives as a reflective tool, this study aims to examine the mindsets and behaviors that modern individuals should adopt when pursuing religious practices and the path of sainthood. In the Jataka, Ananda, alongside Devadatta, emerges as the second most frequently depicted character after Buddha. Often depicted as someone living a worldly life, Ananda symbolizes the juncture between the paths of Buddha and Devadatta. Many stories vividly portray his journey, showcasing a qualitative transformation from worldly entanglements to becoming an authentic companion of the Buddha. This process offers profound insights for contemporary individuals ensnared by greed and ignorance, illustrating how to break free, undergo existential transformation, and progress towards enlightenment. Through a narrative analysis of various Jataka materials, this study identifies six conditions contributing to Ananda's transition from a worldly existence to a saintly one. Firstly, an open-minded approach to truth, embracing immediate acceptance devoid of prejudice. Secondly, the willingness to let go without remorse, embracing bold changes in direction. Thirdly, embodying humility, sincere honesty, and selflessness in actions. Fourthly, the capacity for cool-headed discernment and practical problem-solving. Fifthly, unwavering faith and resilience during crises. Sixthly, fostering a humanity of respect and engaging in practical acts of compassion. These aspects interconnect rather than stand alone, portraying a human existence passionately lived not only through thoughts but also actions. Ananda's portrayal in the Jataka stories can be seen as a literary representation of the ideal Buddhist figure, serving as inspiration for Buddhism followers. Ananda's portrayal in the Jataka stories can be seen as a literary representation of the ideal Buddhist figure, serving as inspiration for Buddhism followers. The findings of this analysis hold significance in the realm of Buddhist counseling. Ananda's narrative provides rich material for healing conversations between counselors and clients, each characteristic of Ananda offering potential as a therapeutic focus. Employing 'story-making,' a hallmark technique in literary therapy, where clients reconstruct Ananda stories and reflect upon them, could introduce a novel approach to Buddhist counseling. Moreover, incorporating Ananda stories into established Buddhist counseling methods, such as ascetic meditation healing, could diversify and enhance the counseling experience. Leveraging various literary works, including folk tales, could serve as a valuable avenue to enrich Buddhist counseling methodologies.

The article presents a classification and analysis of references to dreams in the Memorabilia of the Three Kingdoms (Samguk yusa)an extensive systematized collection of materials on the history of Korea from ancient times to the end of the 13th century, which was composed by the Korean Buddhist monk Iryeon (12061289). According to the functions of these references in the text and to the degree of their exposure to Buddhist influence, they are classified into two groups: figurative dreams, graphically and unambiguously predicting inevitable future events, and dreams-conversations, in which supernatural beings seek to influence the behavior of the hero. These two groups are further subdivided into several subgroups, among which special attention is paid to the stories about interactions between human beings and the characters of the Buddhist pantheon. On the basis of the Buddhist canon, it is suggested that the Buddhist concept of correlation between the way of such an interaction (in a dream or in reality) and the degree of spiritual maturity of the practitioner is superimposed here on the universal scheme of prophetic dreams.

This article is an empirical study on Choi Myung-ik’s literature conducted in North Korea(1945-1967). There are three things discussed. First, I found several new first-round records that give a glimpse of Choi Myung-ik’s literary and social activities during the period of his return to North Korea. These activities include the revision of the date of birth, the year of school, the activities of the Education Bureau during the liberation period, the joint exhibition of the novel collection Engineer, and the dispatch to the local area Second, the writer discovered six books of Choi Myung-ik’s works. Except for the Bunin book Buddhist monk Seosan which is a copy of the Yanbian Competition Society, the rest are historical materials and children’s and youth literature. After the war, the essence of the most important literature was in those two. Third, 21 new pieces of Choi Myung-ik’s words, which were published in the continuous media during the period of his stay in North Korea, were discovered. Thus, the total number of episodes will increase to 78. It was put into 12 branches by Choi Myung-ik. It is a story with medium-length novels, short stories, bean novels, wall novels, saga stories, true stories, essays, pelletons, reviews, political theories, and juvenile novels. Choi Myung-ik was a dagalae writer. This article greatly expanded the scope of Choi Myung-ik’s literature. Waiting for quick research.

『Dadian he shang zhu xin jing』 is the most published and valued annotation book in Korean Buddhism. Previous research on 『Dadian he shang zhu xin jing』 has remained at the level where bibliographic research on identifying the author of the book as well as clarifying the meaning of several editions is presented. The received idea that the author of the book was DadianBaotong[大顚寶通] in the Tang dynasty, needs to be re-examined. On the basis of the review of the preface record of 『Dadian he shang zhu xin jing』 as well as the fact that lots of phrases of the Chan Sect in the Song dynasty were cited in the book, it is reasonable to conclude that the author was DadianLiaotong[大顚了通], who belonged to the line leading to the CaoDong sect[曹洞宗]'s TouziYiqing[投子義靑]-FurongDaokai[芙蓉道楷]-ChzntiWeizhao[闡提惟照]-DadianLiaotong. In short, it is clear that 『Dadian he shang zhu xin jing』 was written before Zhang Jiucheng[張九成]'s annotation, which was written between the end of Northern Song and the beginning of Southern Song dynasty. The background of Dadian's writing of 『Dadian he shang zhu xin jing』 is related to the intellectual trends of the CaoDong sect after the Northern Song period. It is worth noting that a number of scripture annotations, including 『Bore boluomiduo xinjing(般若心經)』 and 『The Diamond Sutra(金剛經)』, were written in the CaoDong sect. In addition, the CaoDong sect also presented Songgojip(頌古集) and Pyungchangrok(評唱錄) as Gongan chan[公案禪] became popular. The result of examining what kind of zen monk’s works were quoted in the 『Dadian he shang zhu xin jing』 also shows the characteristics of the trend that was prominent in the CaoDong sect. For example, Dadian cited a lot of Odosong(悟道頌) and Gongan of the monks of Shitou(石頭) sect, and valued Songgo(頌古) works that were championed by the CaoDong sect in the Song period. In addition, unlike other annotation documents, which consisted of didactic stories, the 『Dadian he shang zhu xin jing』 was written in the way that Dadian carefully selected and cited the zen monks’ Chakeo(著語) during the Song period. It is possible that 『Dadian he shang zhu xin jing』 was handed down to Goryeo in the 12th and 13th centuries in the process of vast acceptance of zen monk’s works in the Song period. However, was first published and enthusiastically received at the end of the Goryeo Dynasty, when the Shidafu[士大夫] increasingly levelled criticism at Buddhism. In order to respond to such trend, the Buddhist community proposed the Consistency of Three Religion(三敎一致論), that is, Confucianism, Buddhism and Daoism. 『Dadian he shang zhu xin jing』 had a deep influence on the Quanzhenjiao[全眞敎] during the Song and Yuan period. The book was accepted in earnest at the end of the Goryeo Dynasty as it had content consistent with the theory of unity. In addition, there was an intellectual demand for the critique of Gongan[公案] amid the popularity of Ganwhaseon(看話禪) at the end of Goryeo dynasty. It is also worth noting that the writings of zen Buddhist monks were more widely accepted than those presented in the non-Zen Buddhism[敎宗] during the time when Zen Buddhism led the Buddhist world. In conclusion, the acceptance and popularity of 『Dadian he shang zhu xin jing』 from the late Goryeo Dynasty to the Joseon Dynasty can be attributed to this ideological trend.

The traditional culture of the Korean people is not considerably studied in Ukrainian historiography, compared to Chinese or Japanese mythologies. While Korean traditional culture has much in common with the nations of the East Asia region, it also has many unique socio-cultural phenomena that are very perspective for research. The mythology of the Korean people has come down to our time thanks to traditional Korean shamanism, which was greatly influenced by Buddhism and Taoism. This unical confluence of religious systems deserves attention from researchers. Korean mythology does not have a strict hierarchy of gods, as is the case in Western mythologies. Despite this, it is full of original plots and characters, which can have many different versions. Cosmogonic legends in Korean mythology are represented in many variations of sacred shamanic stories, recorded from the mouths of Korean shamans Mu. After the partition of the Korean Peninsula in 1945, ethnographic science suffered greatly. While traditional Korean shamanism still exists legally in South Korea, it is outlawed in the North, and many shamans – important carriers of ethnographic material – have been subjected to political repression. Most of the stories studied in this article were written before the partition of Korea in the 1920–1930s. Some of the stories were also recorded in South Korea in the 1970–1980s. The article analyzes in detail the cosmogony narratives in Korean sacred shamanic stories; classifies, explores and compares various legends about the creation of the universe and highlights the main features of traditional Korean cosmogony. Also, the article reveals the chronological and geographical boundaries of ethnographic research in Korea, during which stories were recorded that contain traditional cosmogonic plots.

This study examined Chinese edition and records of a Korean institution based on previous studies and actual examination of the Sūtra of Great Dhāraṇī of the Uṣṇīṣa-cittā. In conclusion, following points have been discovered. First, the Sūtra of Great Dhāraṇī of the Uṣṇīṣa-cittā is categorized as Wigyeong(僞經) as it was established during the Tang Dynasty and its structure follows three volumes and one edition; different signatures were marked according to content of each volume. Second, there are Chinese character editions and Seoha editions discovered in Dunhuang, Xia, and Turpan. In particular, Gyeongdang(經幢; a sculpture with engraved scripts in a tower-style stone) style was popular in the 11th and 12th centuries during the Liao Dynasty and Jin Dynasty. Third, in the 12th century (year of 1150, 1156, and 1166) of Korea, Jumun(呪文) of ‘Buljeongsimjineon(佛頂心眞言)’ in Dharani Chongjijip(摠持集; compiled edition of Dharanis) is listed in Siddam characters. These records were discovered in Vairocana Buddha statue in Haeinsa Temple and the editions of the year of 1156 and 1166 consist of in 47 chapters engraved by ‘Jonsim(存心)’ and Eonpyeong(彦平)’, respectively. Among these editions, there is Beomseo Chongjijip prayed by Jahwa(資華) of Bupsoo Temple(法水寺) and the edition in 1150 was corrected and published by Sawon(思遠) in Gwangjaepo(廣濟鋪), a place where old Pyeong was. According to 『History of Goryeo(高麗史)』, Buljeongsimdoryang(佛頂心道場) was held frequently as a Buddhist event to protect the country from war and natural disasters. Three volumes structure can be witnessed in the early 13th century and most of the existing books are designed with portability. It is suggested that these books were created to hope for safety from the war against Mongolia and the military coup. Such practice reflects the background of the time, when esoteric Buddhism was popular among public. Fourth, in the early Joseon Dynasty, there are small-sized books created based on the Goryeo editions to treat and prevent individuals’ disease, disasters, and bad luck. In 1485, the royal kingdom published a woodblock edition with a plaque based on the edition of Ming Dynasty of China for the well-being of the royal family and prosperity of the descendants. During this time, Eonhae edition was printed with Eulhae metal type. This edition was published until the 17th century with slight variations in a myraid of local temples. However, the style on Eonhae portion remained the same. Fifth, the titles of the three volumes of the scripture are different and the marks in each volume appear differently by periods and editions. The first volume lists the virtues of Dharani as Avalokitesvara Bodhisattva pledges to Sakyamuni Buddha; the second volume mentions the virtues and protection gained by memorizing and offering this scripture all the time; and the third volume includes Dharani’s virtues with four spiritual examples. In other words, it includes stories about people eliminating their sins from their previous lives, woman born as a man, healing diseases, defeating evil, getting pregnant, protecting mothers and living in paradise through Dharani. Sixth, this Dharani was engraved and distributed not only in three volumes but also in the form of a single sheet with Jumun(呪文) since the Goryeo Dynasty, and was mainly engraved at local temples in response to the demand of the private sector in the late Joseon Dynasty. As the time goes by, Hanmuneum, Siddam character, and Hangeuleum were selectively applied to Jumun(呪文) as needed and its writing styles including but not limited to Hapja(合字; combined characters), Byeonggi(倂記; write both Hangeul and Hanja character sounds in orderly manner), Gujeolpyosi(句節表示; read by character segments), Jangdaneum(句節表示), Seongjopyosi(聲調表示; high and low character sounds) varied by the ed

Abstract: If we inspect closely the works that ascend to world literature from the peripheral, David Damrosch’s well-recognized argument that “world literature is writing that gains in translation” may need some revision, because apparently translation is not the sole factor that decides the formation of world literature. Translated works do not necessarily represent the best part in one national literature. Damrosch’s overemphasis on translation differences and untranslatability in world literature tends to overlook the syncretism of heterogeneous literatures: The influence of Roman Empire on Indian Buddhism, the influx of elements from Indian, Arabic, and Persian stories into European writers’ creation, the genres of China’s ancient literature influenced by Buddhism, etc. Furthermore, a great deal of Chinese idioms and allusions appearing in Japanese, Korean and Vietnamese literatures provide us a general view of how world literature forms through exchange and syncretism. On this account, Damrosh’s argument may be reformulated as “world literature is writing that gains in variation.“ Variation reflects the ability to absorb otherness and then to create something new. Meanwhile, the perspective of literary syncretism will help us reasonably distinguish world literature and national canons.

Recent studies in Korea show that doctors have suffered a severe loss of image among their patients, due to their authoritarian, unempathic, and unfriendly communication behaviour. These findings were confirmed by studies of their communication styles done with conversation analysis. Training courses for medical students in doctor–patient communication have become mandatory, but are short and to date have provided no significant change; the ethical foundations of doctors when dealing with patients remained untouched. This chapter explores how the humanistic concepts of narrative medicine and can provide better understanding between doctors and patients. This ‘narrative spirit’ resonates with traditional values of Buddhism and Confucianism that are deeply rooted in Korean culture. It discusses a training programme for doctors working with text analysis of narrative interviews of patients’ illness experiences and shows how using patients’ stories may evoke this ‘narrative spirit’ and combine traditional ethical values with modern medical education.