Publication of Buddhist Literary Texts: The Publication and Popularization of Mantra Collections and Buddhist Ritual Texts in the Late Chosŏn Dynasty

Abstract

It is commonly maintained by scholars of Chosŏn era Buddhism that the Chosŏn Dynasty’s enforcement of the sungyu ŏkpul 崇儒抑佛 (“promote Confucianism, reject Buddhism”) policy resulted in a Buddhism that was barely able to maintain itself on the periphery of society. However, even amidst this policy of official exclusion, Korean Buddhism of the period continued to develop internally and to put down deeper roots among the commoner classes, in contrast to its strong ties to the aristocratic classes during the Three Kingdoms and Koryŏ eras. This paper examines this transformation of the character of Chosŏn Buddhism through the phenomenon of scripture publication. A study of the quantities and types of Buddhist writings published during this period makes it possible to both ascertain the general trend of Buddhist publications and to speculate on the ideological currents, belief trends and social and religious demands of the period.s