From the Mountains to the Cities: A History of Buddhist Propagation in Modern Korea by Mark A. Nathan

Abstract

Reviewed by: From the Mountains to the Cities: A History of Buddhist Propagation in Modern Korea by Mark A. Nathan Florence Galmiche, Associate Professor From the Mountains to the Cities: A History of Buddhist Propagation in Modern Korea by Mark A. Nathan. Honolulu: University of Hawai'i Press, 2018. xii, 196 pp. This book is a useful contribution to several fields of research. It adds to current research on the relationship between the state and Buddhism and also offers a global vision of the history of mainstream Korean Buddhism since the end of the nineteenth century. This ambition—to present the contemporary history of Korean Buddhism in an accessible and concise volume in English—is extremely helpful. Despite the magnitude of the task, Mark Nathan manages to give a coherent account by following a specific approach: the development of propagation (p'ogyo) within Buddhism. This clear angle leaves some themes aside, but Nathan presents this focus on propagation in a very convincing way and shows the relevance of this issue for understanding the contemporary history of Buddhism in Korea. The development of Buddhist propagation [End Page 351] strategies in the twentieth century is the opposite of an epiphenomenon. As this book demonstrates, they have not only strengthened the role and status of Buddhism in society but also contributed to its profound reform. The merits of this approach are twofold: it makes it possible to draw lines of continuity in the contemporary history of Korean Buddhism that contribute greatly to the understanding of its evolutions and it also makes it possible to address less investigated aspects of Buddhism such as the evolution of its legal framework or its media. The book is organized chronologically. The introductory chapter situates the concept of propagation within Buddhist traditions in Asia. It describes how the place of propagation within the history of Buddhism has been debated and provides useful conceptual clarifications (for example, on the difference between dissemination and conversion). After this introduction, chapter 2 discusses the end of Chosŏn and highlights the relation between the concept of modernity, the normative framework for what constitutes a religion, and the valorization of propagation. It sheds light on the many factors that contributed to the lifting of the ban on Buddhist nuns and monks entering major cities. It also explores the meaning and influence of the "mountain Buddhism" trope. Nathan shows how the relation between the principle of religious liberty and the freedom to propagate one's religion was established at the end of the nineteenth century. Clarifying the relation between these two notions as well as the consequences of this connection is an important contribution of this book. Like Vincent Goossaert in the case of China, Nathan disentangles the relationship between different legal frameworks, a normative definition of religion, and the evolution of religious practices. Chapter 3 furthers this reflection on Buddhism in the context of Japanese colonization. It shows how the anchorage of propagation within the normative and legal framework of recognized religions allowed monastics to legitimately engage in this activity but also allowed the colonial government to ensure control over these issues. Nathan thus contributes to the debate about the influence of colonization on the evolution of Buddhism in Korea and shows how the new legal context surrounding temples and their activities has served both as leverage for the spread of Buddhism and as an instrument of control and domination for the colonial government. Chapter 4 discusses the period from 1945 to the end of the 1970s. It describes how divisions ignited by colonial rule were complicated by government intrusion—both by the US Army Military government and the South Korean government—into monastic affairs, facilitated by the legal framework resulting from colonization. Nathan points out that despite all the major crises and [End Page 352] difficulties, propagation has continued to be a major reference for Buddhist reformers and the main guideline for the monastic community's engagement with society. Moreover, he also analyses how the transformation of the political and legal framework surrounding Buddhism in the 1960s and 1970s contributed to renewing its propagation strategies. In particular, he emphasizes the development, from the 1970s onward, of individual propagation initiatives and sheds light...