Cults and Practices of Early Korean Buddhism in the Stories of Samguk Yusa

«Cults and Practices of Early Korean Buddhism in the Stories of “Samguk Yusa”» The study of the spiritual culture of East Asian countries, due to its deep traditional roots, is impossible without exploring its historical foundations — in particular, the process of forming and developing the religious beliefs of the peoples inhabiting these countries. As for Korean culture, one of its most important sources was local religious beliefs, historically intertwined with Buddhist ideology. Analyzing these two worldviews thus presents not only an abstract-academic interest but can also provide practical benefits, aiding the understanding of many features of the spiritual life of modern Korea. This research is dedicated to the description and analysis of the main cults popular among Korean Buddhists at the early stage of the spread of this religion in Korea (the second half of the 1st millennium AD).

The basis for this work was the “Remaining Information [About] the Three Kingdoms” (Samguk Yusa) — a fundamental work by the Buddhist monk Iryeon (1206–1289)