A Disguised Sponsorship for Tenacious Buddhism in Early Chosŏn Korea: Queen Sohye (1437–1504) and the Buddhist Controversy in the Reign of King Sŏngjong

Abstract:The aim of this essay to indicate factors affecting political decisions concerning Buddhism in King Sŏngjong's reign (1469–1494). It begins by pointing out that Sŏngjong, long reputed as an exemplary Confucian monarch and known for his particular antipathy to Buddhism, neither had much interest in persecuting the buddha-worshipping religion nor made it his priority to promote Confucianism. In fact, he and his entourage were mainly concerned with maintaining political stability in their regime. Thus, they were aware that if the state severed its ties with Buddhism, they risked losing the support and loyalty of the people under their rule. The Buddhist controversy consisting of four major debates between Queen Sohye, the Buddhist queen mother, and Confucian scholar-officials and students of the Royal Confucian Academy (Sŏnggyun'gwan 成均館) was the site where such concerns and notions were revealed. By closely examining the four rounds of controversy, this essay indicates that the nature of rumor, legitimacy, legality, and the moral universe were at play and analyzes how they influenced, motivated, and pressured the participants as they negotiated for more desirable terms. In this way, we can make sense of why Sŏngjong always tried very hard to find ways to dismiss attempts by Confucian ideologues to disadvantage Buddhism, and to harm Buddhism as little as possible. Finally, this essay argues that in the early Chosŏn period, the state was divorced from Buddhism in a sense that it was not able to freely and directly support and sponsor the religion.