근대 불교잡지의 간행과 불교대중화

Abstract

This paper, with early modern Buddhist magazines as its subjects, investigates contents and characteristics of the magazines, which were products of popular Buddhist movement, and specific contents that contain the magazines’ plans and attempts for popularization of Buddhism. First, after grasping conditions of early modern Buddhist magazines, this paper examines them by classifying them into three types. The bulletins for central organizations restored the history of Korean Buddhism through discovery of inscriptions and biographies of monks. Popular magazines were characteristic in that they put importance on moral culture and enlightenment for civilized men through Buddhism rather than on propagation of Buddhism. In the case of organs for organizations and special magazines, the contents were more particularly ramified and regular columns were included in order to promote fraternity and ties among their members. Next, this paper takes a look at edition strategies of the Buddhist magazines for popularization of Buddhism. Particular contents that the magazines planned and attempted at for popularization of Buddhism included regularization of the questions and answers unit and of columns for women and for youths, translation and explanation of Buddhist classics, and invitation to prize contests. The questions and answers unit was for distribution and extension of early modern knowledge through the form of question and answer. Especially, Chwi San Bo Rim and Buddhism attempted at and realized popularization of Buddhism by providing spaces in which readers demanded knowledge necessary for themselves, escaping from the traditional way of answering to one’s own questions. Both of the columns for women and for youths were significant in the sense of extension of reader groups, and the invitation to prize contests in the sense of security and maintenance of readers. Lastly, given that popularization of Buddhism means convenient distribution of the Buddhist philosophy and tenets among the public above all, Korean translation of Buddhist classics written in Chinese letters was more urgent than any other plans for popularization.