Protocols of Conversion
Indigenous Gods and Eminent Monks in East Asian Buddhism
Bibliographic Data
| ID | 3124619 |
|---|---|
| Authors | Jiyeon Choe (0009-0004-2959-3548, Hankuk University of Foreign Studies), Jin Son (0009-0007-4073-1042, Dongguk University, corresponding author) |
| Year | 2023 |
| Volume | 14 |
| Issue | 7 |
| Pages | 838 |
| Publication date | 2023-06-26 |
| Peer Reviewed | Yes |
| Open Access | Yes |
| Type | ARTICLE |
| Venue | Religions (JOURNAL) |
| Journal identifiers | ISSN: 2077-1444 • E-ISSN: 2077-1444 |
| Publisher | MDPI AG (PUBLISHER • IT) |
| DOI | 10.3390/rel14070838 |
| OpenAlex | W4382281787 |
| Language | EN |
| References cited | 11 |
This article examines the relationships between eminent monks and local gods in East Asian Buddhism, problematizing the ill-defined and much-employed concept of "protector deity of the dharma" (Skt. dharmapāla). By carefully examining various stories of the interactions between eminent monks and various gods found mostly in the biographies of eminent monks in Buddhist literature, we find three recognizable patterns when an indigenous god transforms into a "Buddhist" god. This study illustrates the ways in which local gods obtain Buddhist identities and deciphers how the "conversion" becomes possible via the spiritual power of the eminent monks, whose drive from their moral strength serves as the foundation of their spiritual essence. In this long process of localization of the dharma, the most effective narratives link the idea of the dharmapāla with the virtue of eminent monks. Hence, these narratives in GSZ, XGSZ, and Samugykusa contain colorful examples of taming local gods and malicious spirits with their mental power and moral virtue, finding a place for those gods to fit into the new Buddhist order. This study provides insights into the complex interactions between different religious traditions and sheds light on the ways in which religious ideas and practices are adapted and transformed in new cultural contexts
Aesthetics · Art · Buddhism · Dharma · Epistemology · Indigenous · Literature · Morality · Narrative · Sociology · Theology · Virtue · Anthropological Studies and Insights · Asian Geopolitics and Ethnography · History · Indian and Buddhist Studies · Philosophy · Religious studies
| Citation velocity | historical |
|---|---|
| Highly cited | No |