초록 열기/닫기 버튼
This paper explores the ideological and philosophical implications for how we regard the identity and function of Korean Buddhism, as well as physical and practical changes for the temples themselves, stemming from the recently-ongoing replacement of Sanshin-gaks by relatively new and larger shrines called Samseong-gaks. It explains the background of this transformation in an introductory way, including the identity and iconography of the Sanshin [Mountain-spirit] and the other spirits that are now enshrined together with it in the new halls. It will proceed to theoretically investigate what these changes mean for how we understand Korean temples and the religion practiced within them. Sanshin is an extremely important deity for all of Korean spirituality, with quite a complex identity and tradition of iconographic representation. Its origin-roots were in primal Korean Shamanism, but it was heavily influenced by Chinese Taoism and Buddhism as they entered the peninsula, enhanced by the growing sense of a spiritual national identity, and became a multi-religious deity with its own trans-religious identity at the very core of traditional Korean culture. Being so important, it is in fact usually represented more than once in most of Korea’s Buddhist Temples affiliated with the two largest Orders. It was once enshrined with only simple outdoor stone shrines located at the rear of the temples, but over the centuries both the artworks and the buildings containing them have grown ever more elaborate. The shrines that came to be called Sanshin-gaks have played a crucial role in the functional practice and nationalized identity of Korean Buddhism. Their widespread transformation in the past few decades into Samseong-gak shrines with the addition of other key folk and Daoist deities is a very interesting phenomenon that deserves thorough investigation and extensive discussion. This research paper is intended to provide an academic foundation for further research into this field.
