김유신의 入山修道와 그의 龍華香徒 Kim Yushin's Entering the Mountain and His Yonghwahyangdo(龍華香徒)

韓國古代史探究= Sogang journal of early Korean history v.13, 2013년, pp.99 - 138  

김유신의 입산수도入山修道와 그의 용화향도龍華香徒 

Kim Yushin's Entering the Mountains and His Yonghwahyangdo(龍華香徒) 

Abstract

Kim, Tae-Shik

Many mystical conducts are recorded for Kim Yushin (595~673), who played the most important role in achieving the unification of the Three Kingdoms by defeating Baekje and Goguryeo as the commander-in-chief of the Silla army. As descendant of the royal family from the fallen Geumgwan Gaya Kingdom, these conducts are especially conspicuous in his teens. According to records it was this period that he came to the resolution to achieve unity of the three kingdoms. He entered the mountains twice to cleanse his body and burn incense to pray to heaven for the achievement of his resolution. At this time, Silla was suffering from the repeated invasions of Goguryeo, Baekje and Malgal. 

He first entered the mountains when he was 17 years old, during the 28th year of King Jinpyeongwang (611). He went to Mount Jungak, known to be the most spirituous, and most revered mountain of Silla and entered a stone cave. He cleansed himself and asked the divine spirits to permit him the strength and power to rid the invasive forces and protect Silla. Moved by his will and prayer, an elderly master called Nanseung appeared giving him the needed secret method and entreated him to use it for righteous causes. 

Kim Yushin repeats a similar act the next year. He changes destination and goes to a deep valley in Mount Inbaksan. It was when foreign invasions of Silla were even fiercer than before, and he alone took a sword of honor, burned incense and prayed to the heavens. In answer to his prayer, the energy of the divine stars came down to him through the sword. 

During his years of conducting such rituals, Kim Yushin was the Hwarang(花郞), the leader of the group of men called the Yonghwa hyangdo (龍華香徒). Hwarang refers to the leader of a group of young men, banded for religious and military purposes, a system that was established in the 1st year of King Jinheungwang (540). The leader was also called Pungwolju (風月主) and at the time when Kim was Hwarang, his group of men were called the Yonghwa hyangdo. 

This paper is to clarify the basis of the religion or the philosophy that lied under the two consecutive events of Kim entering the mountains and the Yonghwa hyangdo group that he led. Until now it has been commonly understood that these acts were conducted on the basis of Shamanism or Buddhism. However they are closely related to Taoism. In particular to enter into a mountain with divine energy, to cleanse oneself and burn incense and to pray for a certain wish to a divine being called god (神) is not shamanistic but clearly Taoist. 

There are also academic opinions that these acts originate from Buddhism, referring to the name of the elderly master being Nanseung which appears in Buddhist scripts. However the name Nanseung also appears quite a number of times in Taoist scripts as well. 

To identify the religious foundation of the group Yonghwa hyangdo, whilst Kim as the leader repeatedly entered the mountains to pray, many existing research conclude Buddhism to be the basis. This is particularly because of the name of the group which is a combination of two words yonghwa and hyangdo. Yonghwa refers to the Nagavrksa tree, or Bodhi tree under which the Maitreya Bodhisattva, currently in Tusita, would stand and teach his disciples in the future. According to Buddhist scripts, the Maitreya Bodhisattva preaches three times under the Nagavrksa tree. Upon this fact, the existing studies identify the religious basis of the Yonghwa hyangdo to be Buddhist. The connection with Buddhism is clearly shown in the name of the group. However this does not immediately imply that Buddhism was the only ideological foundation. 

Of the many sections of beliefs in Buddhism, the section believing in the faith of the Maitreya, and the Pure Land Buddhist belief yearning for the Amitahba Buddha to be reborn into the Western Pure Land, both have a great similarity to the Taoist belief system in which endeavors are made to rid the mind of the human body and become an immortal being to rise to the heavens. Studying the style of Buddhist statues and Taoist statues of Korea and China produced during the time of Kim Yushin is evidence of the fact that the Maitreya and Pure Land Buddhist belief system were very much affected and mixed with the Taoist belief system of immortality. Similarly the actions of Kim Yushin bear very much the colors of Taoism as well as Buddhism.