Assimilation of Buddhism in Korea


Religious Maturity and Innovation in the Silla Dynasty

Assimilation of Buddhism in Korea

The unified Silla dynasty period (669-935AD) that followed the Three Kingdom period in Korea was a time when Buddhism was being assimilated into the Korean culture and taking on certain aspects not borrowed from China. Buddhist specialists will be interested to see the ways in which the various schools were being adopted and changed in this time period.

During the Silla dynasty, the Buddhism which had been introduced to Korea from China, was being assimilated in the culture of the peninsula. Given generous support from the court and officials of the nation, Buddhism attracted thousands of monks and nuns for the order. This Buddhist community began to interpret Buddhism within the Korean society and in the process became less dependent on missionaries from the Buddhist strongholds to the West. In the process of assimilation, the Koreans adapted much of their own ways of thinking to fit more closely the teachings of Buddhism and at the same time created a form of Buddhism which was unique.

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Publisher: Jain Publishing Company, Inc.
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Reviews:Choice wrote:

"... represents some of the best Korean and Japanese scholarship on Korean Buddhism. This is a rich volume which should be of value to a wide audience."