• Title/Summary/Keyword: Mortuary practices

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Death Cannot be Seen: The Mortuary Rites of a Contemporary Monastic

  • XU Mingqian
    • Journal of Daesoon Thought and the Religions of East Asia
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    • v.3 no.2
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    • pp.121-142
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    • 2024
  • What should death be like for a deeply venerated or highly prominent Buddhist monastic? This question itself does not just pertain to death rituals, funerals, or cremations but also to the entire process, as understood within the tradition, of leaving this realm and entering into another. It is in all of these aspects that something exceptional should be highlighted to exemplify accomplishments of the given individual's religious life, and draw attention to the profound spiritual attainment of that figure that devotees believe lies beyond what is achievable by ordinary humans. The recent death of Venerable Hsing Yun, the founder of Fo Guang Shan, led to plentiful discussions in Taiwanese society from people of all walks of life, spanning scholars to media and citizens. This study will reveal the peculiarities of this interesting case, mainly as it relates to the late master's mortuary rites. In doing so, other monastics who passed away in contemporary times will be brought up for comparison. In addition to its notable innovations and creativity, the focal case of the mortuary rites for Hsing Yun manifests the tension between traditional and modern Buddhist ideologies and practices; especially as these tensions unfold within the Humanistic Buddhist context.

A Study on Provenance of the 5th Century Jar Coffin using Neutron Activation Analysis (중성자 방사화분석에 의한 5세기 옹관의 산지 연구)

  • Chung, Kwang-Yong
    • Journal of Conservation Science
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    • v.26 no.4
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    • pp.459-465
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    • 2010
  • The 5th century kiln that produced pottery coffins was found for the first time in Korea, located in the Oryang-dong remains in the city of Naju. This kiln, located in the central area of the Yeongsan River, provides important data for research on mortuary practices in prehistoric society, including the structure of production and patterns of distribution and consumption. For this study, the remains of five ancient tombs and pottery coffins excavated from the 4th century Mandong archaeological site were chosen to determine the area of consumption of pottery coffins produced at the Oryang-dong kiln. The samples from each area of remains were analyzed for minor elements using neutron activation analysis method, and from these results, the identities of the corresponding production areas were investigated using the multi-variant statistical analysis of discriminant analysis. The evidence strongly suggests that pottery coffins produced at the Oryang-dong kiln in Naju were used in ancient tombs of the Bannam mound in Naju, the Okyari mound in Yeongam, and the Banam mound in Hampyeong, reaching those sites through trade and distribution. The findings also suggest that pottery coffins from the Mandong archeological site in Gochang and the Inpyeong mound in Muan were not produced at the Oryang-dong kiln in Naju, but rather were brought from pottery kilns in different production areas, through trade and distribution.

The Character of Bogamni group and trends in the surrounding area seen through the stone chamber (석실로 본 나주 복암리 세력과 주변 지역의 동향)

  • Kim, Nak jung
    • Korean Journal of Heritage: History & Science
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    • v.49 no.1
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    • pp.44-67
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    • 2016
  • This article studied the character of Bogamri group and trends in the surrounding area through recently excavated stone chambers. The first type of stone chamber constructed at Bogamni cemetry was Northen Kyushu style stone chamber tomb with corridor. However, According to recent survey Wa style vertical stone lined tomb had constructed earlier than these stone chamber along the southwest cost. It is likely that the background of these Wa style stone tomb was the beginning of formal diplomatic relations between Baekje and Wa. At first, grave goods as well as burial had been Wa style, but gradually local burial element and mortuary practices added. And large tomb had beginning to appear. The representative tombs are Yeongam Okyari Jangdong tomb and Naju Gaheugni Shinhueng tomb. They were built in the middle of the fifth century. It is most likely that the location was selected with regard to the use or securing of inland waterway. But the next step, Yeongsangang river style stone chamber with corridor had constructed at Jeongchon tomb. That tomb is very close to Bogamni tombs and structure and grave goods are very similar also. So these two groups were considered to be the same community. Hereby, It is believed that the inland waterway using power had been turned over to Bogamni group. Bogamni group had constantly constructed stone chamber until seventh century. This represent that Bogamni group had thrived as a leading force in the Yeongsangang river basin. After under the direct control of Baekje, Bogamni group had continued the close relationship with Wa. For this reason, Bogamni group had influenced southwest cost as well as Yeongsangang river basin. It can be estimated by the Bogamni style stone chamber founded at islands of Shinan.