한용운의 「박명」에 나타난 보살도의 이상과 비구니의 근대성

Abstract

This article concerns Manhae Han Yong-un’s Misery (Pangmyŏng) which was published in installments in the Chosŏn Daily from May 1938 to March 1939. Previous criticism of this work largely focuses on three issues: Manhae’s use of the themes and techniques of traditional fiction (kojŏn sosŏl) anti-colonialism and characteristics as a Buddhist propaganda piece. In light of Manhae’s favorable view on popular fiction, my article examines the relationship between the ideal of bodhisattvahood and the modernity of the bhiksuni figure in Misery. This article consists of two parts. The first part analyzes two distinct elements of traditional fiction in Misery: the role of the Buddhist nun as a rescuer and the thematic and structural significance of the sea motif. My investigation on the one hand, identifies such salient and yet neglected legacy of the pre-modern narrative genre in Manhae's novel. On the other hand, my analysis demonstrates the changes which Manhae introduces to the nun character in accordance with the changing socio-cultural scenery of early twentieth-century Korea. The second section of this article discusses the significance of bodhisattvahood in relation to the new type of bhiksuni in Misery. Manhae defines the bhiksuni as one who practices unconditional compassion, not just as one who wears a monastic robe and shaves her head as is often the case in traditional fiction. Manhae’s vision of the bhiksuni as an embodiment of compassion manifests itself in Sunyŏng, the heroine of Misery, who dedicates herself entirely to her deceiving and irresponsible husband Taech’ŏl. Manhae contrasts her seemingly old-fashioned “feminine” virtues and the “modern” feminist ideals of sinyŏsŏng (New Woman). The former, according to the author, is not solely “feminine” qualities but universal compassion that is applicable to anyone; whereas the latter ignores the social realities of Korea and Korean women. Therefore, Sunyŏng’s going forth is only an appropriate end to the path of a bodhisattva which she has followed all her life without even realizing it. The long dharma talk which closes the novel reinforces Manhae’s idea that becoming a bhiksuni means the completion, not the beginning, of the ideal of bodhisattvahood.