Buddhas & Ancestors: Religion and Wealth in Fourteenth-Century Korea Contributor(s): Ahn, Juhn Y. (Author) |
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ISBN: 0295743387 ISBN-13: 9780295743387 Publisher: University of Washington Press OUR PRICE: $99.75 Product Type: Hardcover - Other Formats Published: June 2018 |
Additional Information |
BISAC Categories: - Religion | Buddhism - History - History | Asia - Korea |
Dewey: 294.309 |
LCCN: 2017049031 |
Series: Korean Studies of the Henry M. Jackson School of Internation |
Physical Information: 0.75" H x 6" W x 9" (1.22 lbs) 260 pages |
Themes: - Religious Orientation - Buddhist - Cultural Region - Asian - Cultural Region - East Asian |
Descriptions, Reviews, Etc. |
Publisher Description: Two issues central to the transition from the Koryo to the Choson dynasty in fourteenth-century Korea were social differences in ruling elites and the decline of Buddhism, which had been the state religion. In this revisionist history, Juhn Ahn challenges the long-accepted Confucian critique that Buddhism had become so powerful and corrupt that the state had to suppress it. When newly rising elites (many with strong ties to the Mongols) used lavish donations to Buddhist institutions to enhance their status, older elites defended their own adherence to this time-honored system by arguing that their donations were linked to virtue. This emphasis on virtue and the consequent separation of religion from wealth facilitated the Confucianization of Korea and the relegation of Buddhism to the margins of public authority during the Choson dynasty. |