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Classical Eastern Religions in Korea


In Confucianism, the king originally acted as master of rites for all national rituals. Religious rituals and government administration were thus part of the same social institution. Within this system, regional administrators were likewise in charge of the rites of their region, and the father, as head of the household, acted as master of the rites of the family. However, following the demise of the Choson Dynasty at the hands of imperial Japan at the turn of the 20th century, the king and regional administrators could no longer perform their respective roles as leaders of national and regional rituals. As a result, Confucian rites were only performed by families. 

This led to the impression that Confucianism was solely associated with family rituals. At the same time, Confucianism's old tradition of education was suddenly no longer recognized. The Japanese imperialists thus paralyzed Confucianism's traditional social functions of ritual and education. Thus, Confucianism, which in Korea had been used to oppose the Japanese, lost its visible function as an institutional religion and became an invisible set of social norms and ethical rules. The Japanese thus effectively disabled Confucian opposition to the occupation by eliminating the perception of Confucianism as a social entity. 


In spite of this historical setback, the basic norms and values governing interpersonal relationships continue to be based on a Confucian world-view in modern Korean society. Although Confucianism, as a social institution, was unable to participate in Korea's modernization, it clearly formed a value system and invisible bond that prevented Korean society from falling into disarray during the traumatic and chaotic process of modernization. In this sense, Confucianism formed the basis for the value system that made modernization possible, and it is one of the ancient cultural forms that is relevant in Korea.

After Korea's opening to the West, the problems that Buddhism encountered were more complex than those of Confucianism. With the opening of ports, Buddhism gained its freedom, only to encounter numerous problems. Internally, it had to deal with five centuries of decline, while externally it had to adjust to the ruthless pace of modernization. In addition, Japan brought married monks into Korea's celibate monastic order, which in effect, gave rise to internal discord within Korean Buddhism. It further aggravated the situation by promulgating an edict that the Japanese colonial government was responsible for the management of each temple along with its extensive assets. 

Even today, a half-century after liberation, the Korean Buddhist order has not been able to completely overcome the after-effects of this policy. In this sense, Korean Buddhism's preoccupation with internal problems affecting the order has left it no time to deal directly with the rapid process of modernization. Even so, Korean Buddhism has undergone rapid growth in terms of organization following Korea's rapid economic expansion during the mid-1980s. As a result, it is beginning to have an active influence on society. Korean Buddhism has become aware of its role as a social entity representing classical East Asian culture and tradition in opposition to Western culture, and has thus begun to function in this capacity.

Religion/ Philosophy in Korea - Main Page

 


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