Particularities of the Korean Buddhism and its role in the unification of the peninsula

By: Lic. Maya Alvisa Barroso

The present article is part of a research on the development of Korean Buddhism, of its entrance from China, and its adaptation to the Korean particular cultural conditions.

In the case of the Buddhism, we can see how different Korean masters re-read the the currents that arrived from China, and to a lesser extent from India, according to the own characteristics of their culture, to conform one `versión' or particular interpretation, which gave rise to the surging of the Son Buddhism, which is particularly and exclusive from Korea.

We can see then that the culture of the Korean peninsula was very early constituted, and it comprises an important part of its identity, an element that can and must very be well considered in the present effort for the reunification of Korea, which has been an Unified Nation from the year 668 B.C, with ethnic, linguistic and cultural homogeneity.

The Korean society was very quickly modernized since the surge of the Korean Republic in the South, and the Popular Democratic Republic of Korea in the North. In the case of the South, many people spoke of the “miracle of the Han river”, due to the great economic growth of the nation, which was accompanied by an important process of westernization.

Of all East Asian countries, it is the one with the biggest Christian population, and many Western cultural habits were incorporated with the industrialization, and the new ways of economic and political organization. For the North, we can also talk about growth, but in another sense.

By having instituted a socialist system, the country followed the Soviet model of development that was less efficient than the one followed in the South. This, added to different policy decisions, such as following the Juche 1 particular ideology, made the country remain away from the international community. Although it is difficult to have accurate information on its development, it is clear that it was also westernized, in this case under a Marxist-Leninist ideology.

In the North, Buddhist movement has undergone several pressures in the course of national modernization as well as strains within the same order, with criticism of the way of administration of temples or leadership by not adapting to the rapidly changing modern society. Different voices argue that although the truth is immutable, language and models of transmission must be adapted to the times throughout history, and argue that this adaptation must be done carefully, in order not to sacrifice the very essence towards retaining recruits.

Notwithstanding the above contradictions, currently in the South we can perceive that, with the growth of material wealth, an existential void has appeared, as many Koreans feel that Western culture has limitations for responding to various issues, including the very reasons of human existence. As a result, they begun to search within their own roots. We can see an attempt to give new responses through their own tradition, which is also required by many Westerners who visit Korean temples seeking contact with Son Buddhism.

It is the most numerous religion in South Korea, rooted in the history of its people and their culture. That is why many Koreans, whether Christian or 'atheists', have a Buddhist perspective on many aspects of life, though are not consciously identified with this current.

In the case of the North the situation was different. The communist state is atheist by definition, and although religions were not banned, they were very restricted. The state gave itself the task of protecting traditional culture, and religious freedom is a constitutional right, but many foreign visitors have observed that many of the temples that remain open are really more for tourism than for the true development of monastic life.

About 70% of the population is acknowledged as agnostic, although as in the South, Buddhist, Confucian Christian and chondokistas beliefs remain.

According to the official posture, in the north there is freedom to get in touch with the Buddhists orders from the rest of the world and, of course, from South Korea. The Korean Buddhist Federation is a member of the Asian Buddhist Committee for the Peace since 1976, of the World Federation of Buddhism since 1986 and of the Asian Buddhist Conference since 1990, promoting friendly relations among Asian Buddhists.

The development of relations between North and South Buddhists has been a reality in recent years, where meetings were promoted between the leaders of different orders for the fulfillment of joint activities. The first meeting between religious leaders of both Koreas was in 1997, in Beijing, seeking to promote dialogue and cooperation on humanitarian issues. Subsequently, in 2003, over one hundred North Korean leaders visited Seoul, and in 2007 another meeting was held in Pyongyang to celebrate the first ten years of relationship between the "Korean Conference for Religion and Peace" (which works in South Korea) and the "Council of Korean Religious" (from North Korea), organizations that unite representatives of various religious communities 2.

Recently, in May 2009, in Pyongyang, at the Temple Kwangbop in Taesong Mount, a mass was celebrated jointly by the Buddhists of the North and South to request the urgent return of cultural treasures looted by Japanese imperialism.

However, the fact of having a homogeneous culture substrate could constitute an essential element, and could be better operated at appealing to the deepest part of Korean society in working for reunification. The impasse in inter-Korean dialogue is well known, despite all the political efforts made so far and, in addition to that, the escalation of nuclear conflict has receded hopes of understanding and communication between both parties. Both countries also continue under the pressure of the interests of external powers 3, who have worked conscientiously, to hinder dialogue and avoid the possibility of reunification in the most recent years.

1. As Cumings said: “it means independence and auto sufficiency in politics, economy,, defense, and ideology; it surged first in 1955, with the des alineation of Pyongyanng with Moscow, and was finally formulated in the ’60”, see: Cumings, Bruce, El lugar de Corea en el sol. Una historia moderna, 1° edición en Español, Comunicarte , Córdoba, Argentina, 2004, p. 460

2. See at (http://budismo-kagyu.blogspot.com/2007/05/asiacorea-del-sur-encuentro-entre-los.html), Agencia Fides, 22/5/2007.

3. Mostly Japan and the US.

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