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Kingship as Dharma-Protector: A Comparative Study of Wŏnhyo and Huizhaos Views on the Golden Light Sutra

Kingship as Dharma-Protector: A Comparative Study of Wŏnhyo and Huizhaos Views on the Golden... <p>"State-protection Buddhism" (Ch. <i>huguo</i> Fojiao, K. <i>hoguk</i> Pulgyo 護國佛敎), the idea that Buddhism protects the state from various natural as well as societal difficulties, was widely accepted in premodern East Asia. Not a few East Asian rulers who adopted Buddhism as a state ideology expected such Buddhist deities as the four heavenly kings (Skt. <i>lokapāla</i>, Ch. <i>si tianwang</i>, K. <i>sa ch&apos;ŏnwang</i> 四天王) to protect the state as a result of their faith in "state-protection" scriptures, such as the <i>Golden Light Sutra</i> (Ch. <i>Jinguangming jing</i>, K. <i>KÅ­mgwangmyŏng kyŏng</i> 金光明經). Although state-protection Buddhism has been approached focusing on its political aspect, from the Buddhist doctrinal viewpoint, state protection refers to none other than "Dharma protection" (Ch. <i>hufa</i>, K. <i>hobŏp</i> 護法), and the kings who take the responsibility of protecting the state also are protectors of the Dharma. East Asian Buddhist scholiasts, however, did not always reach consensus on the nature of kingship as Dharma protector. This article explores distinct interpretations of kingship in the <i>Golden Light Sutra</i> between two eminent Buddhist exegetes, Wŏnhyo 元曉 (617–686) and Huizhao 慧昭 (774–850). Although Wŏnhyo&apos;s commentary on the <i>Golden Light Sutra</i>, the <i>KÅ­mgwangmyŏng kyŏng so</i> 金光明經疏, is not extant, a significant part of it is cited in Japanese monks&apos; works, notably in Gangyō&apos;s 願曉 (835–871) <i>Konkōmyō saishō ō kyō gensÅ«</i> 金光明最勝王經玄樞, and we can therefore compare it to Huizhao&apos;s commentary, the <i>Jinguangming zuishengwang jing shu</i> 金光明最勝王經疏. On the basis of a comparative analysis of their views on the sutra, this article discusses how the two exegetes interpret kingship in the <i>Golden Light Sutra</i> and reconcile the two dilemmatic concepts of commonality and particularity.</p> http://www.deepdyve.com/assets/images/DeepDyve-Logo-lg.png Journal of Korean Religions University of Hawai'I Press

Kingship as Dharma-Protector: A Comparative Study of Wŏnhyo and Huizhaos Views on the Golden Light Sutra

Lee, Sumi
Journal of Korean Religions , Volume 8 (1) – May 24, 2017
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Publisher
University of Hawai'I Press
Copyright
Copyright © Institute for the Study of Religion, Sogang University, Korea
ISSN
2093-7288
eISSN
2167-2040

Abstract

<p>"State-protection Buddhism" (Ch. <i>huguo</i> Fojiao, K. <i>hoguk</i> Pulgyo 護國佛敎), the idea that Buddhism protects the state from various natural as well as societal difficulties, was widely accepted in premodern East Asia. Not a few East Asian rulers who adopted Buddhism as a state ideology expected such Buddhist deities as the four heavenly kings (Skt. <i>lokapāla</i>, Ch. <i>si tianwang</i>, K. <i>sa ch&apos;ŏnwang</i> 四天王) to protect the state as a result of their faith in "state-protection" scriptures, such as the <i>Golden Light Sutra</i> (Ch. <i>Jinguangming jing</i>, K. <i>Kŭmgwangmyŏng kyŏng</i> 金光明經). Although state-protection Buddhism has been approached focusing on its political aspect, from the Buddhist doctrinal viewpoint, state protection refers to none other than "Dharma protection" (Ch. <i>hufa</i>, K. <i>hobŏp</i> 護法), and the kings who take the responsibility of protecting the state also are protectors of the Dharma. East Asian Buddhist scholiasts, however, did not always reach consensus on the nature of kingship as Dharma protector. This article explores distinct interpretations of kingship in the <i>Golden Light Sutra</i> between two eminent Buddhist exegetes, Wŏnhyo 元曉 (617–686) and Huizhao 慧昭 (774–850). Although Wŏnhyo&apos;s commentary on the <i>Golden Light Sutra</i>, the <i>Kŭmgwangmyŏng kyŏng so</i> 金光明經疏, is not extant, a significant part of it is cited in Japanese monks&apos; works, notably in Gangyō&apos;s 願曉 (835–871) <i>Konkōmyō saishō ō kyō gensū</i> 金光明最勝王經玄樞, and we can therefore compare it to Huizhao&apos;s commentary, the <i>Jinguangming zuishengwang jing shu</i> 金光明最勝王經疏. On the basis of a comparative analysis of their views on the sutra, this article discusses how the two exegetes interpret kingship in the <i>Golden Light Sutra</i> and reconcile the two dilemmatic concepts of commonality and particularity.</p>

Journal

Journal of Korean Religions – University of Hawai'I Press

Published: May 24, 2017

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