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

Extant materials manifest that Buddhist daily ritual experienced transformation throughout Korean history. In particular, it showed characteristic changes after the eighteenth century and in the 1930s and 1950s. Buddhist daily ritual, and by extension Buddhist ritual, still has limitations and remains for standardization in contemporary Korea. Distinctive characteristics of Korean Buddhist ritual were found through the process of its historical transformation. They were a profusion of esoteric elements in Buddhist ritual and its translation into the Korean language. It is also said that Buddhist ritual is the representation of the nature and ideology of a particular Buddhist order (송현주 1999: i). The recitation of mantras and the chanting of the Buddha's name constitute the major content of Buddhist daily ritual in contemporary Korea. There is also no inherent connection among religion, belief, and ritual (Grimes 1990: 12). Therefore, research on the characteristics of Korean Buddhist daily ritual and their significance remains for future investigation.Korean Seon (Zen) tradition has distinctive characteristics from many of the shibboleths concerning the nature of the Zen religious experience found in Western writing on the school (Buswell 1992: 215-23). Buddhist ritual is not a major concern of contemporary Zen monks in Korea (Buswell 1992: 38-9). However, the compilers of Buddhist ritual texts during the Joseon dynasty, including Hyujeong, were all monks primarily affiliated with the Zen school. Unlike in China (Sørensen 2006: 81), Zen monks in Korea had a keen interest in Buddhist ritual. Accordingly, an in-depth examination of the nature of Korean Zen Buddhism also appears to be a workable topic.In addition, Kwon Sangno to a greater extent and Han Yongun and Yi Nunghwa to a lesser extent were directly involved with Ritual Codex for Buddhists. Therefore, their role in the publication of the text also remains for further discussion.