Tantric Influence in Korea

[Caodemarte]

The interesting question of Tantric, Esoteric Buddhist, and Vajrayana influence came up on another topic.

Certainly Korean monks studied were intellectually aware of Vajrayana whether or not it was practiced. Korea became the Hermit Kingdom only much later in its history. Korea had a quite a bit of influence from outside China and enormous influence from the Chinese cultural sphere (which went both ways). Concerning Vajrayana, Korean monks did indeed did know of it and study at least foundational texts well before the development of Shingon (Shingon would probably have been practiced by at least some Japanese settlers in Korea during the colonial period, but I doubt it would have had much influence on Koreans). Shingon, however, is a Japanese version of Chinese Esoteric Buddhism (I believe a form of right hand Tantra and Mantrayana from India) which would have been well known. Tibetan Vajrayana passed through China would certainly have been the object of study. It is well known that Korea frequently received Buddhist texts in Tibetan (and other Central Asian languages) from China. Tientai and other Chinese syncretic schools which contained Tantric elements were well known and studied in Korea.

Presumably at a time when Vajrayana influence was strong in India, Indian monks are recorded as having traveled directly to Korea ("Indian" would probably include Sri Lankan and other lands close to what we now call India). Korean monks are also recorded as travelling to India and back. This is especially true for monks from the kingdom of Shila. Shila was a major international trading center, attracting well documented merchants and travellers from even far away Arabia. By the way, it is widely held that King Sejong or his scholars used their knowledge of Sanskrit and Tibetan obtained from study of Buddhist texts when developing the Korean writing system. Art history (or visits to Korean temples) will also quickly show what looks like a strong Tantric influence in statues (or copies of such statues).

I don't know if any personally transmitted practice lines were ever established and if so, what happened to them. My guess is that all such influences ended up absorbed into general Korean Buddhism. Does anybody have better knowledge?

[dzogchungpa]

This book: http://www.brill.com/esoteric-buddhism- ... -east-asia has about 90 pages on the subject.

[Matylda]

Yes for sure they had much exchange with China or even with India... even Japan had and it hosted many Indian monks in the VIIth century.. thanks to it there were pretty intense sanskrit studies and siddham was transmitted ever since and is still in common use in Japan.
as for

Tibetan Vajrayana passed through China would certainly have been the object of study. It is well known that Korea frequently received Buddhist texts in Tibetan (and other Central Asian languages) from China. Tientai and other Chinese syncretic schools which contained Tantric elements were well known and studied in Korea.

I have to say, no... unfortunately not. We have to be aware that Tibetan vajrayana had almost no influence on China and same is in case of Korea... we have to be aware that two non-Chinese in Chindynasties a, Yuan and Qing which had real contact with Tibetan vajrayana and its lamas, had no impact on Chinese buddhism... Chinese were very indifferent to both dynasties and thier religous preferences... though Qings made great contribution in editing buddhist texts, specially Tibetan texts and put them in different languages like Manchu, Mongolian and some other, did not bring tantra transmission to China... if there was any influence then it was very very little, what evidence one can easily see today in China.. some few Tibetan temples were basically only in Beijing.. and connected to non-Chinese court, which was hated by many Chinese. With Yuan Mongols was the same... of course a few Chinese probably made some contact, but really few and it had no any influence on Chinese buddhism or intelectual and scholastic studies, not to mention practice of Tibetan tantra. Important lamas who visited China arrived on emperial invitation, and were pretty much dwellers of the forbidden city... Chinese would rather not see or meet them
So for Chinese Tibetan buddhism was religion of oppressors and conquerors, there was no any curiosity among Chinese concerning tantra in Tibet.
Some places were shared by both sides like Wutai-shan.. and that is all.
Today the situation changed and many Chinese in China proper as well in Taiwan, HK and elsewhere follow Tibetan lamas, but again it is recent appearence of the XX and XXI century.

[Caodemarte]

Thanks dzogchungpa for the note on "Esoteric Buddhism and the Tantras in East Asia." It is a fascinating book that covers the great impact Tantric Buddhism had throughout China, Japan, and Korea with touches on Central Asia. Although Tantric Buddhism had a big impact on Korean practice and Korean Buddhism from its very beginnings, it and its practices seem to have been folded up into Korean Buddhism and was not necessarily seen as a separate school. Korean monks received initiations and transmissions in China from famous tantric masters, but seem to have had a greater impact in China than in Korea. The bottom line in terms of modern practice is that :

"Esoteric Buddhism no longer has a strong presence in the Korean
Buddhist tradition. With the possible exception of the small Chin’gak
真覺 and Chinŏn 真言 sects, both of which in any case do not trans-
transmit orthodox forms of Korean Esoteric Buddhism but an adapted form
of Japanese Shingon, very few serious practitioners can be found in
modern Korea. Most of those met with today are followers of Tibetan
Buddhism in some form or the other."

[jmlee369]

It is safe to say that general tantric influences were all absorbed into mainstream Buddhist practices, and no specific lineage transmissions survive. Nevertheless, even cursory experience with Korean Buddhist liturgy (daily morning, lunch, evening ceremonies) will reveal the depth to which tantric influences penetrated Korea. Recently, there was a remarkable discovery of Goryeo dynasty Buddhist items, including an unprecedented finding of a bell (as part of a vajra-bell set) that featured all five vidyarajas and the four guardian kings. This blog documents various articles written about the find, with more detailed images towards the bottom of the page. As far as we know, self-conscious tantric practice did not last long during the Three Kingdoms period, but were employed by the state for various ends. There does seem to have been a distinction between miscellaneous secret [mantra] and pure secret [mantra] in Korea that parallels the distinction in Japan. Accounts state that the monk Hyetong received Subhakarasimha's lineage of initiations and so on.

Very clear Tibetan influences are visible in Goryeo dynasty Buddhist artworks such as this stupa which is at the center of some controversy, and another example here. Historical records show that the Yuan dynasty sent Tibetan/Mongolian monks to the Goreyo court to perform rituals.

The Tibetan influence is even more visible in the process of constructing and consecrating Buddha statues. Korean Buddhism is the only other Buddhist culture that I am aware of, outside of Bhutan, Tibet and Mongolia that fills Buddha statues. I am fairly confident that the manuals for constructing and filling statues that circulated in Korea were translations of Tibetan works. A diagram of proportions for images from one such work can be seen here. Images from various statue filling ceremonies can be seen here, here and here. A profile of a nun who writes Siddham materials for consecrations, with an example of her work, can be found here.

[Matylda]

influence could be visible in some form, rather hazy form.. to find one or two artefacts still tell us nothing... of course Yuan could send lamas to perform some rituals, sakya was official Mongolian religion so to say. Korea was under Mongolian control, so it nothing unusual. But in fact we may say that Tibetan buddhism did not cross borders of Tibet and Mongolia...
If it did that only for very particular reason to contact the emperial court, and there was not transmission of the vajrayana lineage from there to China, Korea or elsewhere.. it happens today even in Japan, but it just feature of modern time, as manifestation of some sort of buddhist globalization.

[Caodemarte]

Koryo Tantric Buddhism appears to have been mostly rituals for the protection of the state,but had a big impact. I was really surprised to learn that worship of the Seven Stars and other practices of Korean folk religion are not old Korean folk religion after all, but are Tantric rituals filtering down from the aristocracy! So although no transmission line survived or maybe was never established, Tantric practices were absorbed into both the sangha and into the general culture.

[Matylda]

Koryo Tantric Buddhism appears to have been mostly rituals for the protection of the state,but had a big impact. I was really surprised to learn that worship of the Seven Stars and other practices of Korean folk religion are not old Korean folk religion after all, but are Tantric rituals filtering down from the aristocracy! So although no transmission line survived or maybe was never established, Tantric practices were absorbed into both the sangha and into the general culture.

Actually it was exactly same in Japan until XIII century.. then shingon was pretty much hit by zen, jodo and later nichiren... shingon was very much connected to aristocracy and when Heike family lost power, Kamakura shogunate connected itself mostly to rinzai zen.. tantric practices in the stars context is well known in Japan. So there must be many similarities.