Korea Journal of Buddhist Studies ISSN:1598-0642(Print) 불교학연구

The Golden Light Sūtra 金光明經 is one of the major sutras which had considerable influence on Buddhist culture in East Asia. However, there as been almost no mention in previous research that notes the sutra includes quite a number of Buddhist goddesses. We meet Sarasvatī, Hārītī, ŚrīLakṣmī and Pṛthvī, and the Goddess of Bodhi Tree in this text. All of them were Indian female deities who were respectively accepted into Buddhism at different times and eventually appeared all together in this sūtra. Comprehensive acceptance of Hārītī, Pṛthvī and ŚrīLakṣmī is shown from the early Buddhist texts to the appearance of Mahayana, whereas Sarasvatī started to appear in rather later times. Yet, Sarasvatī is regarded as very important in the Golden Light Sūtra. Originally she was the Hindu goddess of river, music and knowledge, being depicted as the goddess playing the veena. In this text, however, she shows the magnificent power to defeat enemies or to eliminate the terror of wars. This paper discuss how the worship of these deities has developed in the East Asian region, and particularly in Korea. Sarasvatī is mentioned in two stories included in the Samguk Yusa 三國遺事, where she is described in association with the Lotus Sūtra and Manjusri, the symbol of wisdom, and depicted as a mountain spirit or an old lady. Unfortunately, there are no later records on Sarasvatī in Korea. Tantric state rituals were frequently held in the Goryeo dynasty, of which there were several held for ŚrīLakṣmī. These were mostly prayers for overcoming national crises such as drought or infectious disease. Goddess of Earth (Pṛthvī) worship also distinctly features in Korean buddhism. In fact, she turned into a significant bodhisattva in popular Buddhist rituals during the Joseon dynasty, along with other two bodhisattvas. Here, she saved forlorn spirits stuck in limbo without descendants to perform memorial services for them. The five goddesses of the Golden Light Sūtra finally appeared all together by the late Joseon dynasty, in the Painting of 104 Guardian Deities, whose new members were those of a different Buddhist Pantheon than found in traditional Hwaeom deities. It was based on the Chinese text, Zhongbian zhutian zhuan 重編諸天傳, that presented the formation of Buddhist deities in the 12th century. The worship of these female deities in Korea shows low popularity compared with other regions in East Asia, despite being called upon in times of national crisis. They are characterized by having been worshipped only individually and intermittently, and were only put together in relatively modern times.