Nuns, Donors, and Sinners: Images of Women in Goryeo Buddhist Paintings

Studies in the fields of history and religion presented at the 2004 International Conference “Korean Nuns within the Context of East Asian Buddhist Traditions” demonstrated the active role women played as patrons and practitioners of Buddhism in the Goryeo dynasty. Complementing the textual evidence on their activities, this paper seeks to examine the visual representations of Buddhist nuns and laywomen in the Goryeo dynasty. Extant woodblock prints and silk paintings often depict women as recipients, practitioners, and patrons of the Buddhist faith; they appear in the form of taking the tonsure, mingling with monks or nuns, commissioning Buddhist images, or receiving punishment in the underworld after death. Whether on woodblock print or in fine color on silk, images of women are shown with equal prominence as participants in the support and practice of Buddhism, and as subjects to judgment in the underworld bureaucracy under similar conditions as the men. Karmic reward and retribution is portrayed in a perfect meritocracy regardless of gender, whether it be accumulating good karma by offering donations, or receiving punishment for past wrongdoings. Rebirth in the six paths also neither emphasizes one sex over the other, as the two possible gender forms appear with equal consistency. As such, images of the Goryeo sangha in Goryeo Buddhist paintings allocate equal emphasis on both the male and the female, possibly reflecting the Goryeo society as described in the texts. What is remarkable, however, is that while the Buddhist sangha may be represented by both sexes, they are ultimately framed within a system governed by patriarchy

keywords: Buddhism, women, Goryeo, paintings, nuns, Buddhism, women, Goryeo, paintings, nuns

Reference

Barnhart, Richard, (1997) Three Thousand Years of Chinese Painting, New,

Choi Byung-heon, (2004) Women of Royal Families and Buddhism in Goryeo Focusing on Queen Mother Inye and the Establishment of the Chontae Sect,

1-9 in Korean Nuns within the Context of East Asian Buddhist,

Galeries Nationales du Grand Palais, (1995) S？rinde, Terre de Bouddha: Dix,

(1986) Studies on Goryeo,

Ho-am Art Gallery, (1995) The Great Goryeo Exhibition, Ho-am Art

(190-191) Fourteenth-Century Textiles from Goryeo,

Jeong In-ji, History of Goryeo,

Katsuura Noriko, (2002) Tonsure Forms for Nuns: Classification of Nuns,

10.

Women and, according to Hairstyle 109-129 in Engendering Faith,

11.

Ann Arbor, Buddhism in Premodern Japan University of Michigan,

12.

Kim Jeonghui, (1996) Joseon sidae Jijang siwang-do yeongu (Studies on Joseon,

13.

Dynasty Paintings of Ksitigarbha and the Ten Kings,

14.

Kim Young Mi, (2004) National Preceptor Jingak？s Theory of Women？s,

15.

Enlightenment and the Life of Buddhist Nuns in the Goryeo Period,

16.

56 in Korean Nuns within the Context of East Asian Buddhist Traditions,

17.

(2001) Goryeo sidae biguni ui hwaldong gwa sahoejeok jiwi (The,

18.

Activities and Social Status of Goryeo bhiksunis 67-96 in Hanguk,

19.

Ewha University Research Center for Korean,

20.

Kikutake Junichi, (1997) The Buddhist Paintings of the,

21.

Kwon, (1999) The ？Ten Kings？ from the Seikad-o Library,

22.

Levering, Miriam, (2004) Nuns in the history of Chinese Buddhism,

23.

243 in Korean Nuns within the Context of East Asian Buddhism,

24.

Pak Min-seon, (1997) Goryeo sidae yeoseong ui saenghwal gwa bulgyo (Life and Buddhism of Goryeo Women), Ewha Women？s University

25.

Paul, (1979) Women in Buddhism, Asian Humanities Press

26.

Puggioni, Tonino, (2004) On the Buddhist Activities of Goryeo Ladies in Yuan,

27.

China, 57-87 in Korean Nuns within the Context of East Asian Buddhist,

28.

Reed, (1992) The Gender Symbolism of Kuan-yin Bodhisattva,

29.

159-180 in Buddhism edited by Jose Ignacio,

30.

Albany, State University of New York,

31.

Ruch, Barbara, (2002) Woman to Woman:Kumamo bikuni Proselytizers in,

32.

Medieval, 537-580 in Engendering Faith,

33.

Ann Arbor, Women and Buddhism in Premodern Japan, University of

34.

Alan, (1992) Attitudes toward Women and the Feminine in Early,

35.

3-36 in Buddhism edited by Jose,

36.

Ignacio Cabez, State University of New York,

37.

Stephen, (1994) The Scripture on the Ten Kings and the Making of,

38.

Purgatory in Medieval Chinese Buddhism University of Hawaii,

39.

Whitfield, (1990) Caves of the Thousand Buddhas,

40.

(1985) The Arts of Central Asia,

바로가기메뉴

Article Contents

Vol.8 No.2

Nuns, Donors, and Sinners: Images of Women in Goryeo Buddhist Paintings

Abstract

Reference

The Review of Korean Studies