• Journal of Daesoon Thought and the Religions of East Asia
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• v.3 no.2
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• pp.93-119
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• 2024

The introductionof Won Buddhism to the United States has reached its fifty-year mark. Brought to the West by Korean kyomus (Won Buddhist clergy), these initial Won Buddhist clergy set a foundation for future ordained devotees to reside in America and further the religion's mission. Innovation has always played an important role in the formation and growth of Won Buddhism. The founder, Sotaesan, declared the necessity to reform traditional Buddhism to make it accessible to the laity and espoused values such as inclusiveness, equality, public work, and practicality. Over the past few decades, these innovations have helped Won Buddhism in America to shift from a strictly ethnic-related context to an emphasis on its universal nature. However, as the religion continues achieving a foothold in Western soil, critical questions arise such as how can Won Buddhism honor its Korean origins while becoming increasingly international? What are the detriments to decontextualizing and de-emphasizing elements thought to be "too Korean" or "too traditional," or thought to be irrelevant in the West? When Buddhism spreads to a new country, it not only influences the culture it enters but is also shaped by the adopting culture. In American history, this has often meant the erasure of Asian cultures that were home to Buddhism for millennia and from which the dharma is inextricable. I argue in this article that if Won Buddhism is to thrive in the United States conscious consideration will have to be given to the indispensable aspects of its Korean roots and tradition while connecting with the current circumstance in fresh, relevant, and effective ways that include the multi-cultural and ethnic makeup of the US. This entails understanding American history and Asian Buddhism's history in America, as well as cultivating a competency or fluency in the cultures that allowed Won Buddhism to survive for decades.

• The Journal of Korean-Japanese National Studies
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• no.21
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• pp.1-43
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• 2011

This article introduces Abe Mituie's activities related to Korean and Japanese Buddhism and two newly discovered materials. He worked as a brain of Japanese cultural rule over Joseon Korea while holding various positions such as the president of KyeongSung Il Bo, the vice president of Kokmin Newspaper and the director of Central Joseon Association. Abe was responsible for Enkak Temple, the head temple of Japanese Rinzai section, and was one of the layman followers of Syak Soen who worked for the spread of modern Japanese Buddhism to Europe and America. He was a respectful Buddhist layman so as to teach Zen Buddhism for young Buddhist monks in Japan. After he started to assume charge in the Kyeong Sung Il Bo, he was also very active in movements in relation to Joseon Buddhism to the extent that he was found to be deeply involved in Joseon Buddhism sections. On the other hand, he concluded Joseon culture to be 'devastated.' He asserted that it was necessary to develop spiritual culture and revive Buddhism in order to resolve the devastation in the Joseon. In addition, he thought that Joseon Buddhism was ruined due to the misgovernment of the Joseon Dynasty, but had its own as great tradition as Japanese Buddhism. Therefore, in his opinion, there was a need to do research on Joseon Buddhism and find some way out of the contemporary difficulties. In order to save the situation, he made efforts to protect and revive Joseon Buddhism while paying continuous visits to Joseon Buddhist temples, supporting the publication of Buddhist canons and proposing to have a regular meeting of 'The Invitation of 30 Head Temples.' From his visit to Youngju Temple and his consistent relationship with Kang Daeryeon, it can be assumed that he was involved in reorganizing power structure in Joseon Buddhism and establishing various institutions. He emphasized the strict adherence of individuals and communities to rules in his lecture for students at Jung Ang Hak Rim. It was a way to revive Joseon Buddhism by creating a new social image of Joseon Buddhism. He continued to work for the restoration of Joseon Buddhism even after he retired from Kyeong Sung Il Bo and returned to Japan. He introduced the originality of Joseon Buddhism history to Japan and sent Japanese monks to Korea in order to do research and contribute to exchange between Korean and Japanese Buddhism. All things taken together, it is evident that Abe Mitzihe regarded Joseon as backward or stagnant from a perspective of evolutionist or orientalist, and was a Japanese elite to believe that it was just for Japan to control Korea. However, he was different from other Japanese elites in that he did not considered Joseon Buddhism merely as the object of propagation. He thought that Joseon Buddhism possessed its own great tradition and culture, but was ruined because of the misadministration of the Joseon Royal House. Therefore, in his opinion, Joseon Buddhism should be recovered by means of some supports, and its revival would lead to the restoration of Joseon culture as a whole, which would be realized by Japanese rule over Korea and Japanese elites' generous assistance.

• Journal of the Daesoon Academy of Sciences
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• v.18
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• pp.53-79
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• 2004

This paper explores the relationship between Korean immigrants to the United States and their religious identity from the cultural point of view. Most scholarly studies on Korean immigrants in the United States have been dominated by sociological approach and ethnic studies in examining the social dimension of the Korean immigrant communities while neglecting issues concerning their religious identity and cultural heritage. Most Korean immigrants to America attend Korean churches regardless their religious affiliation before they came to America. One of the reasons for this phenomenon is the fact that Korean church has provided a necessary social service for the newly arrived immigrants. Korean churches have been able to play a key role in the life of Korean immigrants. Korean immigrants, however, have shown a unique aspect regarding their religious identity compared to other immigrants communities in the United States. America is a nation of immigrants, coming from different parts of the world. Each immigrant community has brought their unique cultural heritage and religious persuasion. Asian immigrants, for example, brought their own traditional religions such as Hinduism, Buddhism. People from the Middle Eastern countries brought Islamic faith while European Jews brought the Jewish tradition. In these immigrant communities, religious identity and cultural heritage were homo genously harmonized. Jewish people built synagogue and taught Hebrew, Jewish history, culture, and faith. In this case, synagogue was not only the house of worship for Jews but also the center for learning Jewish history, culture, faith, and language. In short, Jewish cultural history was intimately related to Jewish religious history; for Jewish immigrants, learning their social and political history was indeed identical with leaning of their religious history. The same can be said about the relationship between Indian community and Hinduism. Hindu temples serve as the center of Indian immigrantsin providing the social, cultural, and spiritual functions. Buddhist temples, for that matter, serve the same function to the people from the Asian countries. Chinese, Japanese, Vietnamese, Tibetans, and Thais have brought their respective Buddhist traditions to America and practice and maintain both their religious faith and cultural heritage. Middle Eastern people, for example, have brought Islamic faith to the United States, and Mosques have become the center for learning their language, practicing their faith, and maintaining their cultural heritage. Korean immigrants, unlike any other immigrant group, have brought Christianity, which is not a Korean traditional religion but a Western religion they received in 18th and 19th centuries from the West and America, back to the United States, and church has become the center of their lives in America. In this context, Koreans and Korean-Americans have a unique situation in which they practice Christianity as their religion but try to maintain their non-Christian cultural heritage. For the Korean immigrants, their religious identity and cultural identity are not the same. Although Korean church so far has provides the social and religious functions to fill the need of Korean immigrants, but it may not be able to become the most effective institution to provide and maintain Korean cultural heritage. In this respect, Korean churches must be able to open to traditional Korean religions or the religions of Korean origin to cultivate and nurture Korean cultural heritage.