Han Yong’un (1879–1944) and Buddhist Reform in Colonial Korea

Abstract

The practice of Buddhism in colonial Korea holds the key to understanding how Buddhist reformists tried to counter the challenges of modern transformation. Steeped in the traditions of Sŏn orthodoxy and lay salvationism, Korean Buddhism faced a new age with the arrival of the Japanese, who tried to restructure Korean Buddhist institutions according to Japan's colonialist governing system. Looking at the example of Han Yong'un, who spearheaded Buddhist reform efforts during the colonial period, this article examines what was at stake in attempting to reform Korean Buddhism so as to create a religion that could meet the needs of Korean society. Han wrestled with the task of bridging the gap between institutional Buddhism and lay Buddhism, which had resulted in the deterioration of the Buddhist ideal. In an attempt to find a middle ground that could connect these two extremes, Han's strategy was to focus on both the Buddhist notion of expediency and the caring spirit of bodhisattva. He was not particularly successful.