개항기 서양인의 기록을 통해 본 한국 종교 인식―불교를 중심으로―

Abstract

Since signing a treaty with the United States in 1882, many Westerners had visited Korea for their own purposes. While staying in Chosun, they experienced Chosun’s culture and religion directly and indirectly, and recorded it. This article summarizes the reality of Korean (또는 Chosun’s) Buddhism commonly recorded by various occupational Westerners through several typifications. Through this, Westerners’ perception of Korean Buddhism was categorized into three categories First, there was a mixed religion close to non-religious. At first glance, Koreans seemed to have no religion, but in this view shamanism, Confucianism, and Buddhism were mixed in their inner world. Second, There was a negative or positive Buddhist perception. At that time, since the Joseon government implemented a policy to suppress Buddhism, there was a confrontation between the negative view that it was a neglected and incompetent religion to the public and that the positive view that it gave moral and democratic lessons. Finally, there was an awareness of the possibility of missionary work. Westerners who found Koreans familiar with the religious nature and function of Buddhism in their complex faiths judged that their experience would enable the acceptance of new religions. This possibility was judged to be possible for Koreans to have a favorable perception of Western medical missionaries as well as the success of direct missionary work, and it created the basis for active Christian missionary work to Koreans.