근대 대중불교운동의 이념과 전개 - 권상로·백용성·김태흡의 문학작품을 중심으로 -

Abstract

As a part of research on modern popular Buddhist movements, the present study examined the perception of Buddhism by Kwon Sang‐ro, Baek Yong seong and Kim Tae‐heup and the contents and characteristics of their literary works. According to the results this study, they waged various activities to implement popular Buddhism based on their common perception of Buddhism characterized by ‘salvation of the world’ and ‘egalitarianism,’ and their literary works were major media of their movements for the popularization of Buddhist rituals, great awakening and teaching, and the modernization of preaching. That is, Kwon Sang ro made Buddhist hymns that people could sing easily in Buddhist rituals as an effort to popularize Buddhist rituals, and Baek Yong‐seong spread his idea of great awakening by adapting the form and contents of familiar Buddhist songs for people in those days. Kim Tae‐heup tried to diversify the ways of spreading Buddhism by organizing a drama company and creating plays. Their literary works show certain trends in the contents. The personal configuration of Buddha and the importance of mind expressed empathetically in the literary works of Kwon Sang ro, Baek Yong‐seong and Kim Tae‐heup are the concrete logic of their popular Buddhist movements, and logic to cope with the criticism of Buddhism by Christian and anti‐religious movements. In this way, they developed logic to cope with challenges and spread it actively among people through literary works, and this is meaningful in that it was different from pre‐modern Buddhism that coped with the government’s policy of promoting Confucianism and suppressing Buddhism through the eclectic theory that Buddhism is not different from Confucianism. In addition, considering that Karma and the doctrine of transmigration in the Buddhism of the feudal society worked as the principle of compliance and reconciliation with the realities, the emphasis of mind through self‐awakening and the awakening of others is a result of reflective search and a characteristic of modern Buddhism distinguished from pre‐modern Buddhism.