근대 일본불교의 대처帶妻의 역사적 배경 - 계율戒律과 법령法令에 주목하여 -

Abstract

In this paper I chronologically outlined the marriage of Buddhist monks in Japan, focusing on both Buddhist precepts and secular laws. As it is well known, the marriage of Buddhist monks is very common in modern Japan. I don’t know exactly how Korean Buddhists perceive this, but I presume that many of them have more or less a corrupt image toward Japanese Buddhist monks. I think that their perception is half correct. In Japan, the marriage of Buddhist monks was quite common in all ages, from ancient times to the early modern period(Edo period), although it is against Buddhist precepts and secular laws. It is no wonder that this history is reflected in the current state of Japanese Buddhist society. However, we should consider another factor affecting the current state of Japanese Buddhist society. The 19th and 20th centuries were difficult times for Buddhism all around the world. The same is true for Japanese Buddhist society. After the Meiji Restoration, as modern values became more influential, the concept of religion modeled on Protestantism became widespread among people, including Buddhist monks. This has led the Japanese Buddhist society to allow Buddhist monks to marry, which is one of the reasons why monks’ marriages have become commonplace. The main purpose of this paper is to show the two factors affecting the current state of the Japanese Buddhist society.