Twelfth International Conference on Religion & Spirituality in Society

Abstract

My paper discusses the characteristics of Buddha biography as a traveling text using P’alsangnok (Record of the Eight Marks of the Buddha) as a specific example. P’alsangnok was written anonymously in the early nineteenth century in Chosŏn Korea (1392-1910). This vernacular fictional biography of the Buddha has enjoyed immense popularity among the reading public due largely to its mixture of sacred and secular elements. One distinct feature of this book is the division of the Buddha’s course of life into eight stages, which is called the “eight marks.” This structural principle has become a defining characteristic of not only the Buddha biographies but also Buddhist art works produced in Korea. Focusing on the concept of the “eight marks,” my article will trace the ways in which Buddha biography traveled from India to China and then to Korea. Specifically, I will first survey the emergence of the Buddha biography genre in early Buddhism and the formative process of the “eight marks” in India and China. This is followed by an examination of the historical importance of the “eight marks” in the Korean Buddhist tradition. My discussion of the localization of the “eight marks” in Korea brings light the influence of Confucianism and native folk belief systems on Buddhist practice in late Chosŏn Korean society and culture.