The meeting between the mountain god and the monk Wongwang that marked the acculturation of Muism-Buddhism: A new perspective on Samgukyusa Wongwangseohak
Hyunsoul Cho
March 31, 2026 DOI: 10.22274/koralit.2026.80.001 (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Historical analysis |
|---|---|
| Topics | Buddhism |
| Key points | Argues that the Wonkwangbeopsajeon, read closely, presents the mountain spirit Noho as an active giver who requests precepts and bequeaths his body, so the tale should be understood as "Mubuljeophwa"—the coexistence and mutual subjugation of Shamanism and Buddhism—rather than as Buddhism's triumph over Shamanism. The authors contend this gifting narrative forms a metonymic link with temple mountain-god pavilions and guardian-deity paintings. |
Abstract
This paper aims to reconstruct the relationship between Shamanism and Buddhism, a key moment in ancient Korean literature, through the concept of “Mubuljeophwa.” The study objective is to reinterpret the Wongwangbeopsajeon in the Gobonsuijeon, cited in the Wongwangseohak in the Samguk Yusa. Previously, the relationship between Shamanism and Buddhism was viewed through the lens of either the transition from Shamanism to Buddhism or the subjugation of Shamanism by Buddhism. Wongwangseohak also interprets the existing belief system and its groups, symbolized by the mountain spirit Noho, as a narrative of Buddhism, particularly Mahayana Buddhism, in subjugating or embracing Wonkwangbeopsa. In short, the Wongwangbeopsajeon, Wongwangseohak, and even the Seokwonkwang in the Haedonggosungjeon are narratives of Buddhist victory. However, a closer reading of the text reveals a different voice behind the events. The voice portrays the mountain spirit Noho not as a defeated person, but as a giver of a gift. The essence of the Shindok in the Wonkwangbeopsajeon is the section titled “The Conversation between the Mountain God and Wonkwang.” The mountain god says, “I also want to give precepts to the god and make a promise of mutual salvation for all living beings.” Here, the god who speaks the words of promise is the mountain god of Samgisan, and the gods to whom the mountain god gives precepts are the divine beings who dwell on Samgisan. The later Haedonggoseungjeon clearly states that Wonkwang gave the bodhisattva precepts to the mountain god at the mountain god's request, and that this led to a pledge of “worldly harmony” between the two. However, in the Wonkwangbeopsajeon, the initiative is given to the mountain god. The mountain god encourages Wonkwang to study abroad, saying that in his current place of practice, there are “acts that benefit oneself” but no “merits that benefit others.” The mountain god who uses the Buddhist language of “itajigong” is a mountain god of the shamanistic religion who has already entered the Buddhist sect. Therefore, the mountain spirit with which Wonkwang reunited should be interpreted as a guardian deity who had already ordained even the gods. Having fulfilled his promise to Wonkwang, the mountain spirit Noho performed a deathbed ritual, revealing his faction and leaving a will stating the time and place of their farewell. The corpse of the mountain spirit Noho, upon his deathbed, is not a symbol of the ultimate victory of Buddhism, but rather a gift from Shamanism to Buddhism. This act of gifting represents the intersection, or even the fusion, of the gift-making between humans and non-humans inherent in Shamanism, which held the mountain spirit Noho as an object of worship, and the Buddhist theory of gift-giving expressed in the practice of bodhisattvas in Mahayana Buddhism. Therefore, the story of the mountain spirit Noho and Wonkwang, which transcends monastic tradition, should be interpreted not as a story of the triumph of Buddhism or the subjugation of Shamanism by Buddhism, but as a narrative of the triumph of both Buddhism and Shamanism, or the mutual subjugation of both. Furthermore, the mountain god's final act of death forms a metonymic relationship with the mountain god pavilion and the guardian deity painting, which are embodied in the temple's layout and composition. In short, the “Mubuljeophwa” narrated in the Wongwangbeopsajeon is a story demonstrating the coexistence of shamans and Buddhas, and should be interpreted as the cornerstone of the future development of shamans and Buddhas.
Comparable studies
Other theoretical and historical papers on buddhism, most cited first.
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|---|---|---|---|
| Mental balance and well-being: Building bridges between Buddhism and Western psychology. | 2006 | Theoretical or philosophical paper | |
| Buddhist Modernism and the Rhetoric of Meditative Experience | 1995 | Theoretical or philosophical paper | |
| Buddhist and Psychological Perspectives on Emotions and Well-Being | 2005 | Theoretical or philosophical paper | |
| Too Early to Tell: The Potential Impact and Challenges—Ethical and Otherwise—Inherent in the Mainstreaming of Dharma in an Increasingly Dystopian World | 2017 | Theoretical or philosophical paper | |
| From self to nonself: The Nonself Theory | 2016 | Theoretical or philosophical paper |